Newspaper Issue 2- Feb 24 Final.pub

PAW PRINTS
Official Newspaper of the West Islip Lions
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West Islip High School
1 Lion’s Path
West Islip, NY 11795
February
Vol. I Issue 2
@WIPawPrints
A Unique Veteran’s Day Celebration
Ryan Doherty order to serve their country. It is not often that
someone gets to interact with a veteran on such
Before looking at how Veteran’s Day
a personal level, and the fact that the veterans’
was celebrated during 2013, it only makes sense experiences were used to educate our students is
to see where the holiday comes from in the first something undeniably unique and valuable to
place. Veteran’s Day was created in 1918 by
the students that attended the assembly.
president Woodrow Wilson in order to celebrate
The United States as a whole has not
the end of World War I, and was initially called
been celebrating Veteran’s Day with the caliber
“Armistice Day”. Back then, celebrations of
that it deserves. This is unfortunate, as veterans
Armistice Day consisted of parades, public
deserve much more appreciation, especially on
gatherings, and the pause of business activity.
Although it was celebrated traditionally, it was Veteran’s Day. In the past, there have been parades and numerous other public celebrations to
not federally sanctioned until 1921, when an
commemorate those that have fought for our
unknown soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day. Now, every country. In recent years, West Islip hasn’t seen
Veteran’s Day, there is a wreath laying ceremo- so much as a parade. In fact, many people have
stated that they don’t even celebrate Veteran’s
ny at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The
Day in the manner it was initially intended: to
holiday became known as “Veteran’s Day” in
1954, after World War II and the Korean War. honor our veterans. Nevertheless, the assembly
This was also when the holiday began to recog- given here shows a step in the right direction in
terms of honoring these veterans and educating
nize veterans of all wars, not just veterans of
World War I. The United States is not the only students on why they are so important in our
country to have a Veteran’s Day. Nations such society. They have risked their lives in order to
preserve our freedoms, and continue to do so.
as Britain, France, Australia and Canada all
have different versions of this holiday. For ex- The least we can do to give back is to celebrate
and honor them in a more dedicated fashion.
ample, Britain celebrates Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November.
SuperlaƟve
Winners
Most changed
Kate Nastasi & Jack Douglas Most Likely to Never Leave West Islip
Nicole e Pagliarulo & Andrew Forcino Best Friends
Jesse Cohen & Gabbi Pa Best Smile
Frank Raia & Taylor Dundon Best Eyes
Brooke Sommers & Sal Vi orio Best Looking
Rebecca Bauer & Sam Ilario Future Olympian
Lindsay Darrell & Craig Nelson Most Likely to Be late to GraduaƟon
Kate Nastasi & Ed Ryan Biggest Klutz
Kirs e McAteer & John Barcia Most Likely to Take a Selfie
Bryanna Forle a & Guy DiStefano Most Likely to Succeed
Casey Read & Sco Nelson Most ArƟsƟc
West Islip American Legion Hall Members
The Vietnam class created by Mr. Murphy and
taught here at the high school features a distinctive topic as well as one of the most unique
methods of teaching. It covers a relatively short
period in American history: the period between
World War II and the end of the Vietnam War,
and touches upon numerous topics within this
period. Students are immersed within a military
-style classroom setting starting on the first day.
They are taught to see themselves as soldiers in
the Vietnam War, and to see the war from a soldier’s point of view. There was a special assembly held at the high school that further emphasizes the unique style of education offered by
the Vietnam class. This assembly featured numerous veterans from West Islip’s own American Legion hall. The students were able to truly
understand the viewpoint of the soldiers, giving
them the opportunity to truly understand and
appreciate the sacrifices the veterans made in
Photo Credit: Ms. Poalicelli
The assembly that was given on Veteran’s Day was truly effective in getting the message of Veteran’s Day across to our students. It
also showed us that veterans deserve much
more gratitude than they are currently getting. It
showed us that we should be continually honoring and celebrating veterans every day, not just
on Veteran’s Day. All of this being said, I feel
as though the assembly should be continued in
future years, if possible. I also believe that it
should be open to all students, not just those
enrolled in history and Vietnam. This allows the
assembly to impact all who attend, not simply a
select group of students. All students deserve
the opportunity that this assembly provides, as it enriches both the student and the
veterans involved.
Farhan Is aq & Kaela Gabrell Class Clown
Keilani Zajmi & Nick Nicolosi Best Tweets
Erin Vande e & Steven Fogel Trendiest
Kris n Pilliterri & Chris Reese Best Laugh
Jess Pace & Andrew Schlosser Most Likely To Brighten Someone’s Day
Brooke DiPalma & Ma Crawford Beauty & Brains/Brawn
Nicole Cro on & Colin Hi er Lindsay Ryan & Alex Sesto School News
Superlatives Continued:
Midterm Madness
Senioritis
Lindsay Ryan & Ray Gaudio
Best Nickname
Kayla LaRosa
Kristin Pilliterri & AJ iIchert
Cutest Couple
Jared Schuman & Alex Sesto
Dare To Be Different
Princess Ibezim & Brandon Saloy
Mr. & Ms. Fiesta
Danielle Durso & Kyle Kickel
Broadway Bound
Nicole Moy & Zach Mike
Teachers
Ms. Gifford & Mr. Murphy
Ice Boating on the Great South Bay
Ryan Doherty
This has been one of the coldest winters we’ve had in a long time. A winter
sport that is relatively unknown to most
Long Islanders but has a large following is
ice boating. The recent “polar vortex” was
welcomed by ice boaters. The conditions
need to be just right for ice boating. Cold
frigid temperatures for a number of days are
needed in order for solid ice to form. Like
sailing, wind is needed but wind conditions
should not be too strong since these boats
can really fly. Ice boating is like sailing with
skates!
Ice boating on Long Island started
out of necessity. People needed to get supplies over to Fire Island when the bay was
frozen over. Eventually, the excitement of
flying across the bay took over and people
would go out ice boating for fun.
On Long Island ice boating takes
place at a few different spots. Lake
Ronkonkoma is one location. On the south
shore of Long Island, Bellport has a large
following of ice boaters and a very active
club. The South Bay Scooter Club is one of
the oldest and was established in 1921. Another popular place is Mecox Bay on the
South Fork. Back in 1937 The Detroit News
sponsored a design contest and today you
can still find these light weight designed ice
boats around with “DN” designated on the
sail as is the boat depicted in the picture.
Ice boating off of Fire Island., Photo courtesy : Mrs. Chlinkel
When coming back from a relaxing
Christmas break, teenagers have two things on
their minds when it comes to the month of January: New Year’s resolutions, and the dreaded
midterm examinations. Midterms, from the perspective of teenagers, can basically be defined
as stress inducing, sleep depriving exams that
occur in the half way through the year, and essentially control your fate when it comes to
passing or failing second quarter. Many believe
that these tests waste time, cause stress and confusion, and impact grades way more significantly than they should.
One of the first problems that students
encounter when it comes to midterms is that
they simply take up too much time that could be
used focusing on learning material needed for
the culminating Regents and other final exams
that take place at the end of the year. Dedicating an entire month to material that a class has
already visited in order to pass one test seems a
bit like a waste of valuable classroom time.
This time could be spent continuing through the
curriculum, especially for the AP and Honors
classes, who often seem rushed to get everything covered by the year’s end. From what students experience day to day, they know that a
lot can get covered in one week. Some classes
can cover units at a time within the span of five
days. Why not donate the weeks they spend
preparing for midterms on actual material needed for the end of the course, and possibly leave
time at the end of the year for more detail and
review.
Another issue that often is associated
with midterms is the stress and ill preparedness.
If one were to ask ten students when their midterm exams are being administered, it’s practically guaranteed that half of them won’t know.
If one were to ask ten students if they feel prepared for their midterms, the same result would
be obtained. Flashcards, cramming, and endless
review packets are often not taken seriously by
students, and most feel unprepared or over-
whelmed when it’s time to take the actual exam. The schedule is also confusing and overwhelming to students as well, because it’s hard
to keep track over which midterms are in class
and which ones are in the actual “midterms
week”, which isn’t actually a week, more so
three days set aside when the tests are being
administered. Some can take up to three tests in
one set-aside midterm day, whereas some don’t
have any actual midterms during the three days,
but instead have them in every class the week
before. Most would agree that midterms week,
should be an actual week, to avoid the majority
of this confusion.
Finally, the biggest argument when it
comes to midterms is the amount of impact it
has over the second quarter averages. A student
can be doing well all quarter, or in some cases,
barely getting by, and a midterm exam can essentially come along and plummet your average
significantly. Most midterms count up to 20%
of the second quarter grade, which has the inevitable power to change it drastically. Given the
fact that most students are overwhelmed and
unprepared for these tests, that is basically a set
up for disaster. Midterms should not be able to
change a grade in it’s entirety, when taking into
consideration the student’s performance all
quarter.
Midterms obviously are not going away
anytime soon, but some of the fallacies and issues with them should be addressed in a way
that makes it more fair for the students as far as
significance, preparedness, and time management. Paw Prints Staff
Editor-In-Chiefs:
Writers:
Advisors:
Hashim Masood
Cole Ivy
Joanne Macrelli
Jonathan Loughlin
Gabriella Minicozzi
Kathleen Chinkel
Chris Chiusa
Jake Salemo
Artwork:
Managing Editor:
Sydney Matone
Sarah Novello
Ryan Doherty
Vincent Minicozzi
Disclaimer:
Danny Kelly
Ryan Doherty
Editors:
Jonah Wegener
Kayla LaRosa
Lilyan Guastella
Rumiya Malik
Ashley Hansmann
Paw Prints is the official newspaper
of West Islip High School. The editorials, unless signed, are the consensus
opinion of the editorial board and do
not necessarily reflect the view of the
advisors or the school administration.
Kelly Armetta
Corrections:
Alex Ledinsky
If omissions or errors are found,
please contact
[email protected]
School News
Unsung Heroes of West Islip High School
Ashley Hansmann & Lilyan Guastella
Many people in West Islip High School
are unaware of the hard work and dedication
put forth by the custodial staff. In addition to
cleaning during and after school hours, the custodial staff also provides our school with the
ability to have numerous events during and after school including sport events, plays, and
assemblies. Their work after school is sometimes overlooked because people aren’t always
aware that they are behind the scenes making
sure our students and staff have what they need
Photo Courtesy of Sydney Matone
in order learn and participate in extracurricular
activities. Their diligent work is important to
chairs, and cutting the grass on our numerous
fields are only a few jobs on the growing list of
recognize and should be appreciated more ofthings that they do for our school. A large part
ten.
of our school attends sport events, clubs, music
Cleaning the gym floors, moving the
events, fundraisers, or assemblies multiple
bleachers for sport games, monitoring the pool,
sweeping the locker rooms, setting up risers and times a month. The success of these events can
partially be due to the hard work put in by the
custodial staff. Their work put in for both the
students and the rest of the staff is innumerable
Ultimately, the custodial staff working
diligently at our high school should be commended for their contribution to the success of
the various during and after school events. Our
sport teams, musical groups, clubs, the various
fundraisers, and essentially all of the people at
West Islip High school benefit from the hard
work the custodial staff continuously puts in.
Many people don’t realize their constant work
behind the scenes at our school, but it’s important to start recognizing the different things
they do both during and after school. Thanks to
their efforts, our high school is able to participate in various activities we would not be able
to without them.
Trekking Ancient Footsteps
Lauren Howard
La bella paesa! From the incredible architecture to the amazing Mediterranean Sea, Italy
was a trip I will never forget! All 25 of us set
out on our journey to Italy as acquaintances
and came back to America as a family. We
stayed for nine days, which wasn't long
enough because as we all know, time flies
when you're having fun. We visited five cities
and each city was better than the next! The
tours were awesome, the food was fabulous,
and last but not least let's not forget about the
Italian boys! For example, the bus driver,
Giorgio was everyone’s secret crush. Italy was
breathtaking and I know I can speak for every-
one when I say I made the best memories and From the cities, the beaches, and the people, I
had the best experiences while traveling
believe that all should experience something
through Italy. We went to a “gelato” factory
this beautiful.
and made our own gelato, it was incredible.
We also went to a Tuscan cooking school and
prepared and ate a fantastic Italian meal. Also,
we went to visit the coliseum and got to see
the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was so great to
finally put to use my many years of studying
and practicing the Italian language and applying it while in Italy. I couldn't thank Mrs.
Fodera and Mrs.Kaminsky enough for giving
me one of the best opportunities I've ever had.
Photo Courtesy of Ms. Kaminsky
Italy is an overwhelmingly pretty country.
Acne Fix!
portant one pertaining to acne is its antibacterial properties. That means it’ll aid in preventing
Most teenagers share one common ene- nasty bacteria causing acne from building up in
my: acne. The infamous skin sabotaging infec- pores and follicles. Bonus: it also reduces redtor tends to strike during adolescence, ages 13- ness!
19. Usually, we just accept the fact it’s there
If you have oily skin and are wondering
and try to cope as best as possible; whether it
why adding more oil is a good idea, it’s bebe smearing on a lot of salicylic acid and ben- cause coconut oil will absorb into the skin to
moisturize not sit on top of it. Coconut oil is a
zoyl peroxide (common active ingredients in
acne treatments) or under very full coverage
good oil, unlike the nasty one that likes to show
concealer….. Sigh.
up midday and make you look like a grease
But, hold on a second—could it be
trap. It is quite moisturizing, so it also replaces
moisturizer as well as any acne treatment.
there is a more natural way to effectively reduce acne or get rid of it all together? Yes, yes I’ve been using coconut oil myself for about
there is. This magic acne killer is coconut oil. one and a half months now, and can tell you the
Coconut oil has been edging its way into the
improvement is drastic! My acne has cleared
skincare and beauty realm slowly but surely.
up about 90 percent; my skin isn’t as oily anyCoconut oil has numerous beneficial
more either. How I use it: ditch everything beproperties to it, which can be easily found
sides your daily face wash; wash your face evethrough a simple Google search. The most im- ry morning and night, then smooth on a pea
Kelly Armetta
size amount of coconut oil all over.
Make sure to use extra virgin, organic coconut
oil. It can be bought in jars from places like the
supermarket or Costco in larger sizes. Results
are never guaranteed since everyone’s skin is
different, but this is certainly a fix to try!
Super Bowl
THE GREAT AMERICAN HOLIDAY
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
that is the Lombardi Trophy which is awarded
to the Super Bowl winner. The trophy is
The Super Bowl is one of the more
named in honor of legendary NFL coach of the
hyped-up events every year. Super Bowls also
account for the 21 most-watched programs in Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi.
For the two weeks leading up to the
American TV History in terms of total audiSuper Bowl, the host city is completely transence. The game can either make or break a
formed into a tourist paradise, not only for
player’s careers and change lives forever.
Players like Joe Namath and Joe Montana are football lovers but also for people who are
simply interested in experiencing an incredible
known for their Super Bowl heroics while
players like Dan Marino and Barry Sanders are event. When deciding where the Super Bowl
will take place, the NFL looks at the Super
haunted by the fact that they were never able
Bowl location as a way to reward cities that
to win the big game. Although the Super
are expanding the NFL’s sphere of influence,
Bowl is defined as the National Football
League championship game, played annually either by fielding a winning team, building a
between the champions of the National and the fancy stadium, or ideally, both. Cities bid for
the honor of hosting the Super Bowl because it
American Football conferences, it is much
more than that. It is an event that affects many brings in tourist dollars and prestige.
more people than just the ones playing in the
A major reason why the Super Bowl is
game.
watched and loved by so many is because it
Joe Nowotarski
Every year there are two teams that are
able to navigate themselves through the AFC
(American Football Conference) and NFC
(National Football Conference) playoffs. The
AFC champion receives a trophy known as the
Lamar Hunt Trophy named after the founder
of the AFL (American Football League).
While the NFC champion receives the George
Halas Trophy named after the longtime owner
and coach of the Chicago Bears. The George
Halas Trophy and the Lamar Hunt Trophy,
were redesigned both for the 2010-2011 NFL
playoffs by Tiffany & Company at the request
of the NFL in an attempt to make both awards
more significant. Although both trophies are
symbols of great accomplishment all teams in
the NFL are after one thing and one thing only,
attracts so many different types of people.
Football and sports fanatics love the game
while many others are intrigued by the magnitude of the event. The annual halftime performance is regarded as one of the most-watched
events in American television annually with
over 100 million viewers in the United States
alone. Since performers are exposed to such a
large audience, the performers do not get paid
a dime. They understand that the amount of
exposure that they are getting is more than
enough compensation for their time and efforts. Halftime performers regularly experience significant spikes in weekly album sales
and paid digital downloads due to the exposure
that they receive. Another reason why the Super Bowl is watched and loved by so many
Vince Lombardi—Super Bowl Trophy
Vincent Minicozzi
on September 3, 1970 in Washington, D.C. at
Bowl is winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy. age 57. After Lombardi’s death, he was honLombardi is a major figure in football history ored by the Rotary Club of Houston with the
and is considered to be the greatest coach of establishment of the Lombardi Award, an annual honor that recognizes the nation's best
all time.
Before his involvement in football he collegiate lineman.
Posthumously, Lombardi was inducthad studied to become a priest. Lombardi was
ed into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971
born on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn, New
York in a poor Italian family. He attended St. and the NFL renamed the “Super Bowl Trophy” to the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl TroFrancis Preparatory High School in Brooklyn, NY and also attended Fordham Universi- phy in the same year. Lombardi was also inty in the Bronx, NY. Throughout his coach- ducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of
ing career, Lombardi coached at various high Fame in 1975 and Fordham University’s
schools and colleges, including both Fordham famed “Seven Blocks of Granite” which is
University and the U. S. Military Academy at the nickname for the University’s famous offensive live.
West Point.
The big prize at the end of the Super
Lombardi remains today as one of
Lombardi’s professional football
coaching career for the NFL began with the football’s most outstanding coaches in the
Green Bay Packers in 1959. In his rookie
history of the NFL.
year of coaching Lombardi won coach of the
year and amazingly, he won five NFL Championships, including Super Bowls l and ll
with the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi also
coached the Washington Redskins from 1969
-1970.
Other accomplishments include his
induction as a charter member of the Fordham University Hall of Fame in 1970. Sadly,
Lombardi died after battling intestinal cancer
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” Vince Lombardi non-football fans is because of the commercials. The amount of prominence and attention
that is received through Super Bowl commercials came at a high price for companies at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, the average cost of a
30-second advertisement was around $4 million. Super Bowl advertisements have become
a cultural phenomenon of their own; many
viewers only tune into the game to see the
commercials.
The Super Bowl has become somewhat
of a cultural phenomenon attracting so many
different types of people every year. There is
something for everyone, whether you are interested in the game itself, the music and entertainment during the halftime show, or even the
commercials. Some have termed Super Bowl
Sunday a “National Holiday” in this country
but even this terms doesn’t quite fit as the Super Bowl is watched and enjoyed by so many
worldwide!
Super Bowl XLVIII
Joe Nowotarski
In the most recent Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks took on the Denver Broncos in
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game turned out to be a complete annihilation with a final score of 43 to 8 in favor
of the Seahawks.
The record-breaking Broncos offense
was never able to find their rhythm during the
game starting from the first play from scrimmage when Broncos center Manny Ramirez
snapped the ball past Peyton Manning and into
the end zone for a safety.
The general consensus before the game
was that if the weather did not cooperate it
would hinder Peyton Manning and the high
powered Broncos offense, and therefore, favor
the Seattle Seahawks and their elite defense.
One can only imagine how bad it could
have gotten for Broncos quarterback Peyton
Manning and the Broncos if the weather had
turned out to be as bad as anticipated. This
game will be hard to live down.
School News
Rumiya Malik & Gabby Minicozzi
On April 23, 2010, Brooke DiPalma and
her father drove to school as usual. Before she
jumped out of the car her dad told her, “I love
you.” And she quickly responded, “I love you,
too.” Brooke then went off on her regular
school day. Later that day her dad committed
suicide.
lems.
Many local school districts have embraced this day. P. S. I Love You Day has gotten mass media coverage and is spreading to
high school and college campuses across our
country. Brooke has remained positive in the
face of tragedy and she wants everyone to know
Afterwards, Brooke knew she had to do the importance of helping others.
something. Her love for her father motivated
Recently, Brooke said in an interview
her to focus on a simple act of caring. She
about the coincidence of P. S. I Love You Day ability to spread love so quickly. I truly want to
wanted to ensure that this didn’t happen to any
happening on Valentine’s Day this year:
change the world with this. I really hope eveother family. On this special day, she asks eve“Normally, it doesn’t fall on Valentine’s ryone wears purple and gets involved.”
ryone to wear purple to stand up against bullyth
Day, but I think it’s really cool that it falls on
ing. This year it is on Friday, February 14 ,
Valentine’s Day this year because it gives the
2014.
opportunity to show that you don’t need a sigThe highlight of the day is to show peonificant other in order to feel the love and the
ple that they will always be loved and are perpower one gets from love. I’m hanging up Post
fect just the way they are. Unfortunately, there
-it notes, and hopefully coming to the Love Out
are many people out there who are depressed
Love concert on February 11 at 7 p.m. I’m
and have been victimized by bullies. Now it is
more excited to see even more schools getting
time to take a stand. The second Friday of every
involved. I know that a school in North CaroliFebruary is dedicated to this day. Wearing Purna, Raleigh High School, is going to be inple will not only show your support against bulvolved by having a flash mob, hanging up postlying but that you believe in a positive world.
ers, doing so many different activities that will
No one should ever be alone with their probtruly be able to show the power of love and the
Sushi Wars!
Alex Ladinsky
A Japanese rivalry has begun. Just half
a block away from Bayshore’s very popular
Aji 53, Kumo opened in October. Entering an
already crowded market for Japanese restaurants with Shiki and Kotobuki in Babylon and
Aji and Mitsui in Bay Shore, Kumo at first
seemed redundant. However, Kumo’s distinguishing factor is that it does not only serve
sushi and Japanese entrees, but it is also a hibachi restaurant.
For many years I’ve enjoyed going to Aji––a
great combination of fresh sushi, a wide variety
of dinner entrees, and an elegant decor. Once I
entered Kumo, however, Aji’s decor seemed
rather bland and mediocre. The combination of
a sleek silver interior, four huge plasma TVs,
and wide open space contributed to a grand
entrance.
Although their menu is just as varied as
any sushi restaurant with offerings of ikura,
spider rolls, and the likes, I wanted to try what
made Kumo special––its actual hibachi tables.
For those that don’t know what hibachi is, hibachi is basically a front row seat at a cooking
show. At Kumo, the hibachi chef was very entertaining. For example, he made an onion volcano (a stack of onions with flames gaping
out), and he did various other tricks that I’ll
save you the pleasure seeing for yourself. So I
could get a better sample size, I tried some of
the food of those who accompanied me––
hibachi steak, chicken, and scallops. My favorite of those was the chicken. Accompanied
with the typical hibachi ginger sauce, it was
very tasty. The hibachi steak lacked much flavor without putting any ginger sauce on it but
it was still tender. I normally don’t like scallops so I suppose I’m biased, but I wouldn’t
recommend getting it. For SCALLOPS it was
alright. I just don’t think that scallops really
have much taste in general, but Kumo did what
they could and still managed to make it somewhat flavorful. The side of vegetables––
mushrooms, cucumbers, broccoli etc.–– had
the perfect balance of salt content but weren’t
anything special besides...well...vegetables.
Overall, Aji’s ‘hibachi’ steak (hibachi in name
only since there are no hibachi tables at Aji) is
better and more flavorful than Kumo’s. However, the Kumo experience of being able sit at
a real hibachi table and be entertained trumps
Aji’s edge in food. With that being said, both
still don’t top my personal favorite --Kotobuki.
Olympics
Olympic Dreams
ankle, but he came back from the injuries to
become the 2013 U.S.A Junior National Luge
Champion.
Cole Ivy
West Islip High School will be represented in this Olympics by Aiden Kelly. Aiden
qualified for this year’s luge event at the
games. Aiden says he has been interested in
luge since the 2006 Turin Olympics. Kelly
moved to Lake Placid, NY away from his family to train when he was 15. He said he graduated from the National Sports Academy, a
boarding school and training center that houses
winter sports athletes.
Aiden’s family is still a part of the
West Islip community. His parents, Meredith
and Steve, and siblings, Morgan, Colton and
Olivia sponsored a fundraiser on January 26th
and were able to raise $10,000. The family
plans to travel to Sochi to cheer on Aiden and
the U.S. team even though the cost can be
more than $25,000. Learn more about Aiden
on Facebook, Team Kelly.
Besides Aiden, there were two other
Olympic athletes who were born or lived in
The luge is an extreme form of sled
West Islip - Thomas Bohrer and Al Oerter.
racing where the rider is face up and feet first Thomas Bohrer, a two-time Olympic medalist
on the sled. Aiden competes on February 8th
and a three-time medalist at the World Chamth
and 9 in Sochi. He is one of 10 men on the
pionships. Bohrer competed for the United
States Rowing Team from 1986 to 1994, earning silver medals in the men's coxless fours at
two consecutive Olympic Summer Games
(Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992). He was
named US Rowing Athlete of the Year in
1989, and served as the Olympic Team Captain
in 1992. Bohrer was inducted into the National
Rowing Hall of Fame in 2010. Bohrer is now
coach of the Boston University Rowing team.
luge team. Aiden broke a vertebrae in his back Al Oerter was a discus thrower who won 4
a few years ago and even suffered a broken
Olympic Gold Medals in the1956, 1960, 1964
and 1968 Olympic Games. After
college, Oerter was a resident of
West Islip. He recently died in
2007.
Best of luck to Aiden. West Islip is
rooting for you.
Luge Competitor Aiden Kelly
XXII Olympic Winter Games
Sochi, Russia
Cole Ivy
Sharpova, a four-time Grand Slam tennis
On Friday, February 7, the XXII Olym- champion and Olympic silver medalist from
2012 carried the torch into the Fisht Olympic
pic Winter Games opened in Sochi, Russia
Stadium. For the first time ever, the Olympic
with the lighting of the Olympic torch. The
torch reached the North Pole via a nuclear
Olympic park is located on the coast of the
powered icebreaker. It also traveled to Mount
Black Sea.
Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain, and went
The Olympic torch relay began in An- to the depths of Siberia’s Lake Baikland before
cient Olympia, Greece on September 29, 2013. it was passed in open space by Russian CosThe torch was carried for a week across Greece monauts.
and on to Russia. Once in Russia, the torch
Aside from the parade of athletes and
was carried through 83 Russian cities and comtorch lighting, there is always a spectacular
pleted its journey at the opening ceremony in
show with thousands of performers at the cereSochi on February 7. Sochi native Maria
mony. Each host country keeps their show a
secret until the actual opening ceremony. This
opening ceremony received rave reviews for its
chronicle of Russian history and only had one
glitch when a flower failed to morph into one
of the Olympic rings.
be threats by extreme groups. People of the
gay community are cautious, too, because of
Russian laws against them and fear they may
be victims of attach by petty criminals at the
games. Actual bombings have occurred in
Russia in the past several weeks. Huge security will be in place and hopefully all the athletes
and visitors will be safe.
This will be the most expensive games
ever, costing a whopping $55 billion dollars to
produce. The 2014 games will have 98 events
competing for gold medals and 88 countries
will send over 2,500 athletes to compete in Sochi. The closing ceremony will take place on
February 23. So, if you are not one of the
lucky ones who go away for February break,
you can always watch the Olympics!
While great and exciting things are
planned for the Sochi games, there has been
much concern in the world about safety in Russia. Russian authorities have built a “ring of
steel” around Sochi for security but still concerns for safety have been raised. The government has not given the rest of the world any
details of threats. Safety concerns about terrorist attacks are very real and there continues to
Olympian Aiden Kelly
International
Chinese New Year!
those that you care about. The New Year brings
Some of Jess’s favorite memories of the
hope and a fresh start. This year, we welcome
Chinese New Year include the common light
Friday, January 31, was Chinese New
the year of the Horse.
shows that celebrate the new year, letting go of
Year. Chinese New Year is one of the most imInterview with Jess Jin
Chinese sky lanterns with family, and receiving
portant holidays in Chinese culture. The celemoney in red envelopes. At home her family
Christopher Chiusa
brations start the day before, on the eve of the
has a statue of a religious figure that is given
New Year. It’s customary to stay up until midDuring the festivities I had the pleasure
recognition during the holidays.
night, which symbolizes giving your parents a
of interviewing Jess Jin, known as Hui Jin in
long life.
Chinese. Jess is a West Islip exchange student
When Jess and I were discussing addiOn New Year’s Day, many visit temples from China. I wanted to discover the different
tion aspects of the Chinese culture, I realized
to burn incense and pray for a good new year.
ways in which the New Year is celebrated in the that the way the Chinese perceive dragons conIt’s a day to wear traditional outfits, and the colregion of China where she lives.
trasts sharply with the way dragons are depicted
or red. An old folktale tells of a monster in a
in the West. The common tradition of dressing
village set in ancient China who would go
I discovered that the Chinese New Year
around eating people. The villagers soon found
up and dancing in dragon costumes in China
out the monster was afraid of red, and wore it to Day is based on the Lunar Calendar, the prima- depicts a dragon without wings and symbolizes
scare him off. In addition, they set off firecrack- ry calendar system that is used in China. The
good luck. I told her that dragons in Western
Lunar Calendar also highlights the Spring Festiers to scare him even more. The color red has
culture creates an image of a monster that uses
been associated with good luck ever since.
val which lasts several weeks and is as imits fire to kill people in medieval fantasy, which
A major part for kids on New Year’s is portant to Chinese culture as the holiday season contrasts sharply with the way that the Chinese
getting red envelopes from adults. The red enve- is to Americans.
view dragons positively.
lopes are lucky and ornate; with drawings of
Other interesting comparisons can be
gold and color of anything from Chinese charJess gave me a new insight into a holimade with the way that we celebrate the holiacters to cartoon zodiac animals. What’s the
day that I would otherwise not even bother to
best part? They’re filled with money inside!
days and the way Jess explains how it’s done in
think about. Thanks Jess!
Food is another major part of the festivi- China. In America, walnuts and nutcrackers are
ties. Some foods are eaten because they have
a symbol of Christmas; delectable tree nuts
What Chinese Zodiac sign are you?
special meaning. Fish symbolizes an excess in known as xiangfei are a common symbol of the
If you were born in: the upcoming year, and hopefully there will be Spring Festival. This Spring Festival encom1995—Pig more than enough of everything. Oranges and
passes the weeks preceding Chinese New Year.
apples symbolize good luck. Pears are gifted to
1996—Rat friends as a way to wish them luck for the New The New Year celebration in China marks the
1997 –Oxen end of the festivities that take place during the
Year
Spring Festival where nearly all adults and busi- 1998 –Tiger Perhaps the main point of Chinese New
nesses in China are given at least one week off
1999—Rabbit Year is to appreciate family and friends. Reof
work.
member your elders, the people you love and
Kelly Armetta
Thirst Project Update! Danny Kelly
Corrections:
It was clear that the
members had two things in
mind when considering this–
to help as many people as possible, and as quickly as they
could. The new well will be
built in the community of
Sikhaleni, where clean water is
desperately needed.
provided to communities in
India.
With the New Year not
so far behind us, and with the
start of the second semester,
the West Islip Thirst Project is
eager to start this new project.
“I think it’s possible that we
can fund at least ten filters until June, and maybe even
more,” says Ms. Nilsen, the
West Islip Thirst Project’s advisor.
For the remaining
months of the school year, the
After a year of hard
West Islip Thirst Project has
work and perseverance, the
decided to try a new approach
West Islip Thirst Project has
in battling the water crisis in
The students all agreed
once again fulfilled their goal order to provide clean water to
that ten filters was a good
of funding another well in
developing nations.
number to reach for, but it was
Swaziland.
BioSand filters, which clear that everyone wanted to
When the students of
are filters that are easily contry his or her hardest to work
the Thirst Project were given
structed and last for ten years, together in order to fund many
the opportunity to choose
provide people with the one
more. For the future, the West
where the final total of
thing that most of us take for
Islip Thirst Project is hosting a
$12,016.32 would be used to
granted – safe drinking water. raffle on Thursday, February
build a well, they were not hesThese filters, which cost $175 13, and possibly a basketball
itant to take the first option
per filtration system, will be
tournament.
that they were given.
On page two of the previous issue, in the
article titled "Helping Africa One Well at
a Time," Paw Prints incorrectly claimed
that the Volunteer of the Year Award was
given to West Islip High School, when it
was given to Ms. Nilsen personally. Also, the event that Ms. Nilsen attended
was held in Beverly Hills on June 25,
2013 and was called The 4th Annual
Thirst Gala, not the 4th Annual Awareness Event.
New well in Swaziland, Summer 2013.
Photo Courtsey of Ms. Nilsen
School News
College Applications!
Ryan Doherty
what you have. Colleges want to know about
who you are as a person, not just as a student.
For everyone that will applying to col- Make sure you keep note of this while writing
this essay. Always evolve the essay until you
lege, don’t fret! I am here to tell you all about
think it’s perfect. Some colleges want what’s
the applications process!
First thing’s first: choosing which col- called a “writing supplement”, which is a secleges you would like to attend. First of all, you ondary essay that goes alongside your Common
Application essay. These supplement essays can
might want to figure out what locations you
want to go to. Do you want to stay in New York range from a wide array of topics, and colleges
can require any number of supplements, but the
or off the island? Out of the state? How far?
most I’ve seen required is four. They usually
Secondly, what size campus best fits you? Do
seem to revolve around why you want to go to
you want a campus that spans 200 acres? Or a
more consolidated one? Finally, does the school that specific school and/or real-world experiences that you’ve had outside the classroom.
have a program that suits what you pursue?
The other crucial aspect to college apNext, the only logical step would be to
visit the colleges you have chosen. The colleges plications is, of course, academics. In addition
you like could be a considerable distance away,
so be prepared to take an overnight trip and stay
at a hotel. When you arrive at the campus, pay
attention to the surrounding area, not just the
campus. Do you prefer colleges located in a
metropolitan area or a smaller town? You can
also opt to interview officials from the schools
that you’ve chosen in order to make your interest known and to hopefully get an improved
chance at admittance. This is optional, but is
recommended for most universities.
to worrying about GPA, students must also take
The essay wasn’t as bad as I thought it a flurry of standardized tests in order to meet
would have been. Of course, it’s a strenuous
the admissions requirements of the colleges
process to write it, but there is guidance. For
they want. Although colleges look at a student
example, the Common Application gives vari- holistically, SAT and ACT scores are often big
ous prompts in order to guide students to what parts of admittance. Preparation for these tests
they should write about. This year’s prompts
usually requires some sort of study aid, as the
included writing about a transition from child- tests themselves are so odd. People usually hire
hood to adulthood, reflecting on a time where
tutors or purchase an array of review books in
you challenged beliefs or authorities, and reorder to help themselves prepare. Unfortunatecounting a time where you experienced failure. ly, this is necessary in order to be successful on
From there, you should brainstorm ideas as to
these tests. The SAT and the ACT are designed
what events in your life apply to these prompts, to trick you, and it’s often more about outsmartand write it. You should start with a single idea, ing the test rather than testing what you know.
and expand upon it. Create numerous drafts of The SAT in particular is grueling in terms of
the essay, and constantly re-read and revise
trying to trick students. In order to succeed on
Chris Chiusa
the SAT, a student needs to memorize a plethora of vocabulary words, grammatical structures,
and mathematical techniques. On the other
hand, the ACT is a bit more lenient in terms of
test format. Whereas the SAT focuses on only
math and English, the ACT also has sections
regarding history and science. In regard to scoring, the Critical Reading and Math scores are
the most important on the SAT, and ACT scores
seem to be evaluated equally, but heavy emphasis is placed on Math and English scores. As for
the writing portion of the SAT, it is fairly new
and subjective, so colleges don’t really know
what to do with it yet. As I stated before, colleges look at a student as a whole, and standardized
test scores won’t necessarily make or break you
if you have a strong essay, GPA, and extracurricular. However, these tests do make admissions that much easier, provided that you do
well.
These are the main components of the
college application process. Of course, there are
other factors such as extracurricular activities
that matter, but it all boils down to a good essay, good grades, and test scores.
The Scarecrow
“The students dragged the lifeless
ragdoll thing down the hallways, ready to stake
it on the cross….”
Yes, this happened, but as dark as it
sounds, it was one of the greatest days of my
High School career. Alright, maybe that’s a bit
of an exaggeration, but I’ve got an interesting
story to tell…
Do you remember looking out the window on the first day of school, out in the courtyard, and saw what looked like a public execution? What you’ve actually been seeing is a
scarecrow, erected sometime in late June of
2013 by a few passionate students in one of Ms.
Peperis’ health classes. Passionate for what you
ask? While not particularly passionate for scarecrows, the blue-jeaned flanneled strawhat stands
guard against the crows that pose a threat to the
precious ducklings that try to grow up in the
courtyard every year.
And every year has been the same story!
The ducklings come in the spring, grow for a
while, and when the grass is cut in the summer,
With the permission of Dr. Bridgeman,
the crows are easily able to pick out the duckstudents in the health class (including myself)
lings and they get eaten as a meal, leaving the
put together the scarecrow and its stand after
mother by herself.
class last year with the hopes of saving the
ducklings that will most likely come again.
Staking the cross into the ground was
actually harder than you’d expect. A couple of
strong students were required to dig a large hole
in the ground. All the while, students were
watching from their windows and teachers held
their breath. But after a couple of periods of
work, we were satisfied with the results.
Let’s hope that when the snow melts this
year in 2014 the ducklings survive the crows.
Photo Courtesy of Vincent Minicozzi
School News
The Cult of Personal‐IB Chris Chiusa
Taking college classes for the first time
is different from what students are used to, but
the IB Programme is clearly a unique experience altogether and is promoted as such. Kids
will hear a lot of rhetoric from teachers about
what the IB Programme was intended for and
what taking it feels like. However, there is a ton
of insight that can only be gained from a student that is actually going through the experience. I conclude that the IB Programme is not
for everybody, but it can be wonderful depending on the kind of person you are.
For those that are unfamiliar, the IB Diploma Programme involves a series of IB college classes and is offered here at WIHS. While
the classes offered here are not as vast as some
other schools across the world that have adopted it, the program is complete in that it requires
a certain amount of IB courses to be taken, to
ultimately receive an IB Diploma and its merit.
For 10th graders that have previously challenged themselves with honors classes and have
maintained good grades, it could be a suitable
option that would reward them after completing
two years of work. However, with AP classes
having been an option for a longer period of
time, along with the many people that have ferocious opinions about which classes give more
overall benefit, it can be a stressful time for students that are looking ahead to the future.
take them have a 1.15 weighted average factored into their weighted GPA. These classes
are typically not as difficult as the core subjects
and allow for a higher grade potential.
The workload, so far, isn’t significantly
different from that amount of work one would
expect in a college class. Meaning, that if
you’re a student that takes college classes for
every core subject, it’s roughly the same
amount of work. In fact, there are several AP
classes that are widely reported to be harder
and tougher than its IB equivalent. However, I
believe that the biggest factor in determining
the difficulty of a class at the college level is
the teacher that you get and what their expectations are. This subjectivity means that the
teachers that are currently teaching IB will have
a big impact on the quality of the program and
is subject to change.
But in my opinion, one of the biggest
factors affecting the quality of the IB Programme is your relationship with the people
that are doing the program with you. Typically
there have been ten to fifteen kids in our school
that are doing the diploma program in your
grade. Consequentially, every IB class you
have will have most of the kids in it. If you’re
an agreeable person, willing to make new
friends, the IB Programme will give you the
opportunity to do that. If you can get a close
friend to do the program with you, the experience is a lot easier. Overall, the experience will
bring the students doing the program closer together. This has been the case for me and
twelve other students that are in the program as
juniors.
When taking the Diploma Programme,
you must take at least one IB elective class that
is separate from a core subject. These classes
are great in that they provide college level insight/credit into subjects that would normally
not be offered in the school, plus students who
Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Chinkel
Ryan Doherty
school in Brooklyn. Her principal was Mr. Paul
Kirdahy, who she remembers as being friendly
and caring to her as a new student. Chinkel also
recalled witnessing Bayview Elementary School
being constructed during her time in Captree.
Paw Prints proudly announces that Mrs.
Chinkel, the high school librarian, is now the co
-advisor of the newspaper. Being an alumnus of
West Islip High School, Chinkel has spent over
30 years with the District. She officially moved
As West Islip began to grow, more
back to the high school in the fall of 2009.
changes took place. In 1968, Chinkel saw the
Ever since the school was opened in
West Islip Public Library be constructed in its
1957, there have been about ten different librari- current location. Previously, it had resided on
ans. “From the 1960s until the early 1980s, due Union Boulevard in the Captree Shopping Cento large student enrollments, two librarians were ter. Around the same time, St. John the Baptist
assigned to the library following New York
High School was also built. Good Samaritan
State mandates for staffing and student body
Hospital also was expanded upon. Finally, Our
enrollment. As the student enrollment started to Lady of Consolation Nursing Home was built at
decline, the district began staffing the library
this time. In essence, Chinkel saw the area south
with only one librarian,” according to Chinkel. of Montauk Highway be converted from wetThroughout her years here, Chinkel has lands to a hub of activity.
witnessed many changes at West Islip High
School. Her family moved to West Islip in
1962, and she attended Captree Elementary
School. She previously attended parochial
Over the years, Chinkel saw West Islip
evolve from vacant lots to a booming town between the 1960s and 1970s. Chinkel remembers
going to West Islip Beach down by the West
Islip Marine to swim in the bay. She recalled
how children would have picnic lunches on a
huge sloping lawn that went down to the creek,
which is now the senior parking lot here at the
high school. “Those were the golden days in
West Islip,” said Chinkel.
A former West Islip high school librarian had steered her into attending graduate li-
brary school. With hard work and dedication,
Chinkel earned a Master’s in Library Science
degree from Palmer Graduate School of Library
Science at C.W. Post in Brookville, Long Island. This led her to become a New York State
certified Library Media Specialist for grades K12.
Chinkel completed her student teaching
at Captree Elementary School, Beach Street
Junior High School, West Islip High School,
and Secatogue Elementary School, which is
now P.J. Bellew Elementary School. She was
subsequently hired by her former principal, Dr.
Kirdahy, who had become the Superintendent of
the West Islip School District. In his honor,
Captree Elementary School was renamed to Kirdahy Elementary School.
When she began teaching, many of her
former teachers were still teaching as well
throughout the district. Now, after many years
of teaching, Chinkel works alongside almost a
dozen former students. Chinkel is one of about
30 alumni of West Islip High School that have
returned to teach. Furthermore, Chinkel experienced having her daughter return to the high
school as a student teacher with Mr. Weiss in
the spring of 2012, thus continuing the next
generation of alumni returning to West Islip
High School
School News
Senior Play
“Rumors”
LIONS’ PRIDE VARSITY Kayla LaRosa
After coming off of the serious
tone of The Laramie Project last year,
the cast and directors of the annual
Senior Play decided to take a very different approach, lending a comedic
hand to this year’s production of Rumors. Rumors is a play about an anniversary dinner hosted for Charlie
Brock, the city’s deputy mayor, and the
aftermath of his apparent attempt at
suicide.
Michael Marinelli and Hannah
Kim were excellent in their respective
lead roles as Ken and Chris Gorman,
the couple that hosts the dinner party
where the action takes place. Another
couple introduced later to the plot are
Lenny and Claire Ganz, two more
guests and friends of Charlie Brock.
Kerri Gleeson played Claire, a demanding woman with an accentuated
New York accent who drew much
laughter from the audience. Matt Crawford, who played Lenny, Claire’s husband, was the breakout star of the show
with his incredible monologues that
made the whole crowd rupture in applause; he was the key character who
revealed most of what did happen to
Charlie Brock. Together, the pair had
great chemistry, making the audience
truly believe they were a wealthy, comedic married couple.
Furthermore, Kim Sannito and
Ryan Small were pure comedic relief
to the already engagingly funny plot-
line, playing a psychologist and cooking show host with humorous quirks.
Zachary Mike and Kara DiResta
played Glenn and Cassie Cooper, two
characters at the party that had completely different dynamics than the rest
of the cast. The pair’s excellent acting
added a more serious tone and gave the
audience an insight to their dysfunctional relationship.
Although the small cast’s acting
was incredible enough to fill a big
stage, the play was a bit long and some
of the more mature jokes, unfortunately, went over the heads of some younger viewers. Overall, Rumors was a very
different approach from last year’s
play, but it was funny, engaging, and
was another great performance from
West Islip High School.
Chris Chiusa
On Novemeber 22, the West Islip Varsity Cheerleaders traveled to Toms River, NJ to compete in the
Northeast Regionals. They placed 6th among the many
teams that competed and earned a place at the Nationals
in Disney to go against the best teams in the country.
The weekend of February 7-9, the team arrived in
Orlando for the competition. Their goal was to advance to
semi-finals and the girls achieved that goal. Coaches
Barone and Fulton were thrilled for their team. During the
semi-finals the coaches encouraged their team to, “Have
fun! There is no pressure, you already hit the goal.” The
girls had a flawless routine; the absolute best of their entire season. Their efforts led them to the finals, and tears
of joy were flowing from every eye.
On Saturday the finals were held at the ESPN
Wide World of Sports HP arena. The girls competed
against the best teams in the country. After hitting their
third routine, the girls placed 13th in the nation. Aside
from Nationals, they placed 5th at Long Island Championships the week before.
WI Varsity Cheerleaders
Photo Courtsey of Ms. Barone
Above all the girls’ greatest accomplishment was
being awarded the sportsmanship award for overall best
attitude by the other teams they competed against. Way to
go girls!
Advertisement
School News
It’s Driving Juniors Crazy!
Sydney Matone
berry lot only. Now here is the part that many
find to be unfair: a senior and a junior may have
New York law states that any person
the same driving privileges, but they are not
that has reached the age of 17 and has taken a
given the same rules. Some think that there is
course in driver’s education may receive their
not enough room for all students to fit within
senior license. So the question that many 11th
grade students raise is, “Why aren’t juniors al- the parking lot, however not all students are fortunate enough to have a car, so in this case it
lowed to drive to school or go out to lunch?”
The talk of this controversial topic has gone on shouldn’t be an issue. Also, if less students were
riding the buses it might give the school an opfor many years, and students argue that the
whole system is unfair. One thing that frustrates portunity to save money on fuel costs.
many students is that they have taken drivers
Why can’t a junior go out to lunch?
education not just at any school but at their own There are many local pizzerias and sandwich
high school! So even though West Islip High
shops near the high school, so the issue of time
School offers the opportunity to obtain a senior should not be a problem. Being a junior is a
license, it doesn’t allow the student to use it to huge responsibility, and many could agree that
it is one, if not the most, stressful years in their
its full advantage.
high school career. Another problem that arises
According to the “Motor Vehicles and
is that some students take part in full time jobs
Driving Privileges” section in the student handbook, it states that seniors must park in the Bar- after school. So what happens when a student
has to work after school? They have to take a
bus home and then take their car to work?...
So shouldn’t students who might be taking college courses, possibly managing jobs for
the first time, or driving around with a senior
license be treated with the same dignity as a student who is a senior? Take a “brake” and think
about that one.
School Cell Phone Policy
Jake Salemo
Aside from the attendance policy, and
the fact that homicide is punishable by five
days OSS, the school rule that students are
most frustrated with is the cell phone policy.
According to the Student Handbook, all cell
phones must be turned off and cannot be visible
during class. Breaking
this rule more than
once will always result
in ISS, no matter what
type of student you
are. Even though not
every teacher enforces
this policy, most students vehemently disagree with it. Despite
this, there is nothing
wrong with the current
cell phone policy; it is easy to follow, and cell
phone usage in class is linked to both cheating
on tests, and eroding one’s attention span.
Furthermore, it has been scientifically
proven that being attached to one’s cell phone
lowers your attention span. Simply put, cell
As of late, cell phones have been at the phones are a distraction. It’s hard to focus on a
center as massive cheating scandals across the lecture about Division of Labor when you’re
United States. It appears that writing the days sitting in class wondering how many more folof writing the answers to a test on your hand or lowers you’ve amassed in Twitter, or if you
on the inside of a water bottle have ended; in- want to hop on the Internet and find out the latest news about Kim Karadashian. You may
stead, cell phones give students the ability to
chuckle to yourself because your teacher never
stealthily communicate with one another while
taking exams. Internet access allows students finds your “clever” hiding place for your phone
(i.e. under the desk, in your pocketbook), but
to simply google answers, and cheating scandals involving cell phones have even occurred when it comes time for the test and you haven’t
at standardized tests and in high profile colleg- listened to a word your teacher said, your Facebook status won’t help you.
es. Preventing students from using their cell
phones entirely during class is the easiest and
most efficient way to ensure this wave of cheating doesn’t spread.
Chris Chiusa
If you’re a Junior, you’re probably up
all night with nail biting anxiety about “Junior
Prom”. Just kidding. You’ve probably already
forgotten that the school is having one, otherwise it’s become the butt of a few jokes. The
sad truth is that there simply aren’t many kids
that are interested in going, and ideas of the
“anti-prom” sentiment are growing high.
“Junior Prom” is a misnomer, as it’s
widely thought to be an actual prom. But it’s
actually Junior Banquet and does not necessarily reflect the experience of going to Senior
Prom. And at a cost of around $80, that alone
is enough to discourage many kids from attending.
It seems that there are two camps: those
that hate prom and those that love it. There are
trends that are being seen among these groups
as well. For starters, prom seems to be a lot
more popular with girls because of the excite-
ment that comes from buying a dress. Secondly, even within a group of friends some are going and some are not. A particular clique may
think the idea is lame or it becomes an obsession. But as stated previously, prom has just
become another aspect of school life that students love to hate.
Attitudes towards having a junior prom
have changed over the years. Many years
ago, our school did not have a junior prom at
all. Now after years of having a junior prom,
students are becoming disinterested.
My opinion? While I have no plans to attend, I
have no doubt that anybody attending would
have a fun time. As with most plans, it takes a
lot of work getting everybody together to go.
But once you know that all your friends can
make it, it’s not a bad idea after all.