Issue #1 - Plainfield Public Schools

Transcription

Issue #1
Oct ‘15
More spotlights than
ever before!
PANTHER NATION • NOVEMBER 2015
Spirit Week
2015
1
Table of Contents
School News
“Bingo n’ Benji, Jin Xin’s Cow Patty Success,” Abby
Burdick...............................................................p 2
“Dancing the Night Away,” Shelby Wargat.............p3
“Moving Up the Technology Food Chain,” Jason
Sweet...................................................................p4
“Marching Band Stays on Top,” Ryan Shippee.......p5
“Students Making Big Decision,” Kaitlyn Lent.......p6
“Spirit Week,” Abby Burdick...................................p7
Sports
“Panthers Fall Short to Whippets,” Colby Greenhalgh
“Ace,” Nick Burlingame.........................................p10
“Roller Coaster Season,” Hunter Lundin................p11
Local News
“Fall Fun in CT,” Abby Burdick.............................p12
“Baker’s Closing,” Colby Greenhalgh....................p13
“Keith Coolidge: Sexual Offender?” Shelby Wargat
“Team Katalina,” Adreanna Hannan.......................p15
Columns
“The Quiet Ones are Nice Too: A Profile of Mr. Ri
ley,” Jamison Mecteau.......................................p16
Senior Spotlights
“Aaron Bourque,” Ryan Shippee.......................p17
“Dynamic Duo: A Spotlight of ‘Shakenzie Mackmara,’” Hunter Lundin..................................p18
“Junior Spotlight: Dancing Around the World,”
Adreanna Hannan...............................................p19
“Sophomore Spotlight: Not Just Anne Frank,” Jason
Sweet..................................................................p20
“Freshman Spotlight: Welcome to the Jungle,” Nick
Burlingame.........................................................p21
“Fake Horror is Outside Your Door,” Kaitlyn Lent
“Autumn Fashion Favorites,” Adreanna Hannan....p23
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
Panther Nation is always looking
for feedback. Especially with this
being our first issue of the year.
Feel free to write in letters to
me regarding improvements we
may make or topics that you believe we should cover
in our next issue. I would also like to feature a “Creative Corner” in our next issue so if you are a creative
writer, submit your poems or short fiction and you
may see your work published.
Don’t forget, all of our issues this year are posted on
the high school website and can be viewed digitally.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Maher
Panther Nation Editor
Journalism and English Teacher
Plainfield High School
Room 2109
Editorials
“Pep Rallies Too Hype?” Colby Greenhalgh..........p24
“Students Deserve a Say,” Abby Burdick...............p25
2
The Winning Door for the
Door Decorating Contest was
Mrs. Maher’s
Journalism Class
Bingo n’ Benji, Jin Xin’s Cow Patty Success
By: Abby Burdick
PLAINFIELD, Sept. 19, 2015- Jin Xin, four year member of Plainfield High School’s (PHS) music program,
won the fifth annual Cow Patty Bingo. At this event, PHS’ very own practice football field is made into a grid.
Each square is then sold for $10. A local dairy cow, from Desjardins Farm, is then walked around the field until
it poops. The lucky ticket holder of the square that is pooped on wins 50% of the money raised. The rest of the
money goes into music students’ accounts. The money in these accounts will go towards paying for scholarship
applications, band and/or choir summer camps, and a yearly music field trip.
Jin Xin’s generous purchase of six squares to support the music program paid off. He was unable to attend
the event. Instead he was at home making prunes with his mother. Overhearing a man’s voice on the other end
of his mother’s cell phone, he realized he had won 1000 dollars. Jin Xin was “flabbergasted, frozen with surprise”
when he heard the news.
With his winnings, his adoptive parents, brother (Hon, 13 years old), and himself will be taking a trip to
China, where Jin Xin lived until he was nine years old. His family of four will be visiting Xi’an, Beijing, and some
other cities. He is looking forward to visiting orphanages and eating some good chinese food, but most of all he
is glad he made his family proud. With a grin from ear to ear, he exclaimed, “They are proud of me. Everyone is
proud of me.”
The Cow Patty fund has and will also contribute to Jin Xin’s music account. As a four year member of
percussion, previous Cow Patty fundraisers have helped pay for a previous D.C. trip to march in a Memorial
Day parade which took place on his birthday. He made “the most surprising permanent memories ever” with the
“best of the best” band teacher, Mrs. Howard, and the rest of the music program. This year’s Cow Patty earnings
will help pay for Jin Xin’s trip Marching Band Nationals in Pennsylvania.
Cow Patty 2015 was not as successful as year’s past due to it’s early date, but it benefitted one of the most
deserving students at PHS. Jin Xin feels he is the “luckiest of the luckiest.” If Jin Xin does not put a smile on your
face, I do not know who will. Congratulate Jix Xin Lamb on his victory this past September.
2
Dancing the night
away
Written by: Shelby Wargat
PLAINFIELD- Oct. 3, 2015- On the third of October
this year, Plainfield High School held its annual Homecoming Dance from 7-10:00 pm in the cafeteria at the
high school. At the dance, several varieties of food and
refreshments were sold to everyone that attended. This
year the number of tickets sold for the fall dance was a
record high of over 300. In addition, all of the hundreds
of students that were able to attend the Homecoming
Dance created so many great and fun memories of
dancing with friends and having so much fun with all
of the crazy dance circles.
The Homecoming Court of 2015 consisted of Brooke
Payne and Garrett Shippee for the freshman class,
Trinity Davis and Cooper Wade represented the sophomore class, and Shannon Sweeney and Cameron
Gonzales represented the junior class. Harrison Sage,
Yvonne Laporte, Kristen Haven, and Jacob Morey were
all recognized as nominees for Homecoming King and
Queen for the senior class. The two kind and beloved
students who were favored by
the majority of Plainfield High
School won the titles of Homecoming King and Queen, and
those students of the senior
class are Brooke Fitch and David Carpenter.
David Carpenter and Brooke
Fitch were both beyond ecstatic to be nominated for Homecoming King and Queen, and
then being able to hear their
own names being announced
at the football game overpowered them both with happiness. “I was actually really, really surprised,” is precisely how
Brooke felt when realizing that
Jack Goebel, Tyler Ballard, Makenzie Singer, Saige Oullet, Irinel Fishlock, Morgan Savageau, Evan Delaney, Summer Syvlestre, Alexis Sangillo, Mason Spino, Kathleen Rivera, Shelby Wargat, and Nick Shabenas
she was chosen as the Homecoming Queen of her senior class. She and David were both radiant over winning the title of King and Queen and loved to be able to
represent their class. Everyone was thrilled to be nominated and also enjoyed having the privilege to represent their class in the Homecoming Court of 2015.
All of the students that attended the Homecoming
Dance claimed that they had an amazing night and enjoyed dancing the whole night with their friends. Sonia
Ferragatta, a junior, thought that the dance “was very
fun and they played upbeat music suitable for homecoming!” A senior, Kristen Haven, exclaimed that
“homecoming went really well and I had a lot more fun
this year than I did last year. The music was really good
besides a few songs and I had a great time with all of
my friends!” Marcus Robinson is a junior at Plainfield
High who was very excited to go to Homecoming for
the “great and fun atmosphere and all around I had a
great time and cannot wait till next year’s homecoming!” The hot fashion of the night consisted of sharp
suits, beautiful dresses, and stunning jumpsuits. The
two djs present at the dance chose not to play the whole
playlist that was created from a couple seniors. Because
of this many were upset about their favored songs not
being played at all. Overall, everyone did enjoy the majority of the songs and had a great time ‘whipping and
nae-naeing.’ Brooke Fitch exclaimed that “it was my
favorite way to end senior year and I miss it already.”
Many of the Plainfield High School students agree and
wish that they could go back to that memorable SaturDavid Carpenter and
day night, and cannot wait till the next dance!
Brooke Fitch
3
Moving Up the Technology Food Chain
Written By: Jason Sweet
Relatively, our school is very modern compared to
rubberized backs on them so you can grip them better,
other schools in Eastern Connecticut. Robert E. Fitch
and they would have a smaller chance of slipping off
High School’s main building was built in 1928 and the
of a desk and onto the floor.
last major renovation was in 2001. However, every kid
Chromebooks are the right choice for the school due
that attends Fitch receives a chromebook as soon as the to their ease of use, accessibility, price, and durability.
third day of school. This is a result
If we were to choose any other type of laptop or tablet
Plainfield High School was finished in 2005 for an apwe would be prone to more accidents and we would
proximate cost of 88.3 million dollars. Ten years later,
be spending too much on as arguably overpriced item.
we are moving up in the food chain of technology. EvWhy pay 1300 dollars on the same idea you can get for
ery freshman is now receiving a Chromebook to carry
150 dollars. Even if they look im-Mac-ulate.
around to every class.
Chromebooks are very helpful. One of the advantages
of using a chromebook is how user friendly the operating system is and how easy the setup is. The email
you use to log in is already connected to Google Drive,
so you can get working right from the start without
having to log-in to Google. Google Drive is also very
convenient. You can stop writing an essay on one computer (at school, for example) and go home and finishwriting on your home laptop/desktop. That is much
easier than using a flash drive and having to drop and
pick up files and then do it all over again to open up a
file on a flash drive. This much more convenient than
a Macbook as well, with my past experiences with an
Apple I just wanted me to log into icloud every 15 seconds which doesn't help when you are trying to type an
essay.
Chromebooks are also very affordable opposed to
any Apple products. Macbooks start at 1,299 dollars
while most Chromebooks start at around 150 dollars.
That saves a lot of money for other necessities that the
school requires and it gives the school more budget
flexibility.
Another major complaint about Macbooks or iPads
is their durability. Apple products are made to be
sleek and good looking which comes at a sacrifice of
strength. These would not fare well in a school environment with a bunch of kids running around, they
would be bound to break. Most Chromebooks have
4
Marching band stays on top
on the drum line expressed.
During the season Marching Band is undoubtedly the students’ whole lives. So much time and effort
is put into the shows and the long summer practices
which could last all day no matter how hot. The band
strives for greatness and will keep on working to do
the best they possibly can. The all time goal is winning
nationals.They will not let the opportunity to be the
best 3A band in the country pass them by. There are
seven competitions this year and each performance is
about eight minutes long. They have beaten Fitch this
year. This school, with 1,700 students, has been difficult competition in the past. There are four judges at
each competition who judge different aspects about the
performance like overall sound and difficulty level. At
some bigger competitions there could be seven judges.
Ryan Shippee
Written October 8, 2015
The Marching Band works hard all season and during
the offseason to build on their talents and always come
up with great ideas to do the best they can every year.
They definitely have been successful in the past years.
They have won many competitions and continue to win
over and over.
This year the band’s act is called Panic, which
is based on War of the Worlds. This movie is a story of
aliens who invade Plainfield, New Jersey in 1938 but it
was just a hoax. People believed this story and literally
panicked about the situation and this is how the “story”
began.
The band has started at a higher level than ever
this season, according to Mrs. Howard. She is “Excited
to see how we shake out this year and for the experience for the kids.”
So far this year, they have won first at all three
of their competitions and improved their score each
and every time. They believe they have in their grasp
the ability to take States for the third year in a row and
possibly even Nationals. “This would not be possible
without the hardwork of our staff, but especially us
kids,” Julia Waidler who is on the band and preforms
5
Students Making Big Decisions
Kaitlyn Lent
Written Oct. 8, 2015
PLAINFIELD, Oct 8 2015- Every year, the guidance
department invites a large amount of colleges and the
college representatives to our high school and shows
the students a variety of different universities that they
might not have known previously. It’s important for
students to see the different colleges out there; however, in the end they should have at least their top three
choices selected. Once a student has picked their top
three choices, the students should visit to see if they
genuinely like the school or not; and if not they should
change the schools that they have chosen. “By thinking
about what they want their career to be and depending
on how big they want the campus to be, they will know
what college is right for them. Also, based on what their
interests are could also play a role in what college may
or may not be right for them.” Mrs. Libel says.
In the gym, it had been overwhelming because
there were so many colleges to choose from and talk to,
as well as trying to figure out which college might be
good to check out in the time span of 25 minutes. However, the college fair had in fact been helpful once you
go to one of the many representatives that are there and
6
start asking questions to figure out if that is the right
school, and if it has the students interests or not. One
of the students that attended the college fair, also said
that the college fair was overwhelming by how many
schools there were, as well as there not being tons of
time to check out the fair. “There were so many in so
little time.” Patty Theriaque replies. However, she had
thought it to be helpful.
The college fair helps multiple students with
finding the right college, and there have been cases
in which students were convinced with going to one
college, but then completely changed their minds and
chose a different college. In 2014, there was about 90
colleges, and this year there were over 80. On Wednesday, October 7th, the annual fair took place from 10:30
to 12 in the gym, and both juniors and seniors were
encouraged to attend by their guidance counselors. It
was held during lunches and the staff gave students the
information so they will know when to go; some students were allowed to stay longer if they wanted to find
out any extra information they may want to know.
SPIRIT
Matching Monday
Tie-Dye Tuesday
Color War Wednesday
USA Thursday
7
WEEK
Black &
Orange
8
Senior Superlatives
Most Musical: Elijah Fontenault and Alexis Robbins
Shyest: Aaron Bourque and Caitlyn Millette
Best Nickname: Alex Gaudreau (Goody) and Natalia
Rickey (Slick Rick)
Most Talkative Nick Misale and Julia Cipriano
Most Likely to Sleep in Class: Madison Taylor and
Devin Smith
Most Optimistic: August Carignan and Colby Greenhaulgh
Worst Driver: Harrison Sage and Julia Cipriano
Most Pessimistic: Kooper Sheeley and Shannon
Gailey
Most Likely to be Late to Graduation: Isaiah Fort
and Julie Jordan
Most Likely to be a Millionaire: Kyle Coady and
Madeline Lorange
Most Dramatic: Nick Misale and Ashley McCarthy
Most Gulllible: Liam Jacobs and Jordyn Santerre
Most Changed Since Freshman Year: Andrew Combies and Krystina Adams
Should’ve Been a Couple: Xavier Gonzales and
Yvonne Laporte
Most Athletic: Isaiah Fort and Julie Jordan
Most Artistic: Elijah Fontenault and Kate Gardiner
Nicest Hair: Donovan Moe and Yvonne Laporte
Nicest Car: John Szruba and Aisha Nizam
Nicest Eyes: Mike Flanagan and Calia Joslyn
Funniest Laugh: Colby Greenhaulgh and Brook Fitch
Nicest Smile: Matt Larned and Tessa Marandola
Best Dressed: Walker Chaput and Allyonna Soler
Class Flirt: Devin Tracey and Ashley McCarthy
Clumsiest: Liam Jacobs and Haylei Mooney
Worst Case of Senioritis: Kooper Sheeley and Julia
Cipriano
Teacher’s Pest: Jeffrey Nicolosi and Julia Cipriano
Teacher’s Pet: Hayden Savageau and Michaela Rouillard
Most Likely to Take Over the World: Alex Caruso and
Madeline Lorange
Plainfieldites: Xavier Gonzales and Shamara Haye
High School Sweethearts: Louis Diaz and Vanessa Laporte
Closest Friends:
Harrison Sage and Tessa Marandola
Alessio Ferragata and Isaiah Fort
Mackenzie Nievera-Pompey and Shamara Haye
Cipriano Steals the Show
In a never before seen round of senior superlative
voting, Julia Cipriano wins FOUR senior superlatives. Three of her four wins were landslide victories. Apparently, the class of 2016 is in agreement
regarding this young lady. If their judgements
prove true, Cipriano, the nemesis of many a teacher at Plainfield High School, will have her driving skills to blame for being late to graduation.
However, if you know Julia, then you will probably agree that the young lady’s communication
skills will help smooth things over, and she will
undoubtedly walk across the stage...eventually.
All kidding aside, Panther Nation congratulates
Cipriano along with the other superlative winners.
9
Panthers Fall Short
to Whippets
By:Colby Greenhalgh
Photo Credit : The Norwich Bulliten
PLAINFIELD, Oct 2, 2015- Despite the “Panthers”
valiant effort and toughness in the homecoming
game,they came up with a loss: 12 to 2. The Panthers came out pumped and ready to play forcing
a three and out on the “Whippets” first drive of
the game. The momentum continued on defense,
that drive forcing a safety on a bad snap. Unfortunately that would be the only score for the Panthers that night. The Panthers held the Whippets
running back Seiji Arzuaga to 185 rushing yards
and a touchdown, which slowed down the Whippets offense who scored the season’s low against
10
the Panthers. The Panthers struggled to get anything
going on offense the whole night, only having 144
yards but Robinson connected twice with Fort giving the Panthers a surge of energy. However, that
was quickly taken away with an interception in the
end zone on a jump pass.
The Panthers gave a valiant effort throughout the game, making some huge plays on third and
fourth downs. Robinson took a bad snap on a fourth
down in the backfield on a punt and turned it into
a first down. The Whippets got a little frustrated after that and were running their mouths which resulted in 30 yards worth of penalties. Unfortunately,
the Panthers could not capitalize by finishing off the
drive and turning the ball over. The Panthers played
smart for the most part: the only had a few flags
thrown for some false starts. The Panthers played
well and grinded out the run game like the Whippets due to the weather.
The Panthers can build off of this game going
into the bye week and hopefully get number 23 Tyler
Ballard back in action after he was injured at the end
of the Montville game on September 25th. The Panthers look to have a strong defense but need to finish
off drives, I think they'll be set for the season even
with their tough schedule if they start to score once
they get into or close into the red zone. Support the
Panthers in their course to take the momentum into
the rest of the season.
Remaining Games:
Panthers @ Waterford 10/23
Panthers @ New London 1030
Panthers vs. Stonington 11/6
Panthers @ Ledyard 11/13
Panthers @ Griswold 11/24
ACE
going out to eat to just hanging out. Yes, we may argue
,but what family doesn't.” Ricky and Griffin aren't just
teammates at Plainfield High School they also play
AAU volleyball for Velocity, where they have tournaments almost every weekend.
Nicholas Burlingame
It's been a different season for what seniors Natalia
Ricky and Reese Griffin have experienced in their high
school volleyball career. One of their main players,
senior Tessa Marandola has suffered from a torn ACL.
Tessa was injured after falling in a weird way. As Ricky
says of having to compensate for the loss of Marandola, " it's a change in the dynamics but we just have to
keep practicing and can't look down upon it. We are
lucky we have Kayla to step up and fill in the role of
Tessa. She isn't Tessa but she is a senior and gets the
job done and we all respect that."
Ranked Third on Maxpreps, Ricky is an outstanding
leader and a lot of the younger players look up to her
just like when she was younger and looked up to Hailey and Morgan Griffin, Reese's older cousins. “Here
at Plainfield High we get a lot of support, the football
team usually goes to every home game and most of
our friends and family come out to watch us play,"
Ricky said. " I'm going to miss high school volleyball
when it's all said and done I'm just hoping I can make
it a good year for me. I'm looking to dominate the
court the rest of this season," said Griffin.
As seniors Ricky and Griffin are a competitive duo on
the court. They know each other like the back of their
hands because they have played with each other since
freshman year. Ricky and Griffin stated, " the team is
like a family; we do stuff together all the time, from
11
Roller Coaster
Season
Photo and Article by: Hunter Lundin
Abby Burdick dribbling past the Fitch defense during
Plainfield’s 4-0 win over the Falcons
On Monday, October 5th, the lady Panther’s soccer team defeated the Fitch Falcons 4-0. It was an impressive
shut-out win for the team and was an all-around dominant effort. They got off to a fast start with an early goal
scored by junior Abby Burdick, her seventh goal in nine games. Julie Jordan, a senior, also scored a first period
goal, kicking in a rebound off of the goal post.
The Panthers were in control through the first period and maintained that control throughout the rest of the
game. Two more goals came in the second period, one from junior forward Shannon Sweeney that was assisted
by Burdick; the other goal came from freshman Hannah Dagenais, and was her first career goal. The Panthers
dominated possession in both periods, so much that Plainfield’s goalie only had to save two shots the entire game
while Fitch’s goalie, Susanna Mewha, saved 19 shots against Plainfield.
The ladies’ win ended a two game losing skid, both games being shut-out losses to Killingly and Waterford. They
have been consistently inconsistent, losing one game but winning the next in some cases. In other cases they can
go on a two game winning streak and then lose their next two. They will have tough competition this season,
especially East Lyme, a team that crushed them 8-0 early on in the season.
The team does have three five-plus goal scorers on the team (Sweeney, Burdick, and Jordan); however, they are
going to need more offensive support from the rest of the team if they want to win more consistently. Manfredi’s
play at goalkeeper has been impressive, as she has saved eighty percent of shots on goal. Her consistency will play
an important role in the Panthers’ upcoming games.
However, Coach Zielinski says that his team’s best attribute is their teamwork. He says that they are passing the
ball to each other more often and work together. “They may not always get along off the field, but they are great
teammates,” he explained. He added that the girls have a pasta party before every game and that the camaraderie
amongst the girls is great.
The girls need seven wins on the season in order to make the state and conference tournaments, and Zielinski
believes it is possible for this team. “I’m hoping out of five games, we can at least win one,” he said. Despite the
team’s rocky start, the great teamwork and friendship between the lady Panthers can be the x-factor in getting
them on track and winning more games.
12
Fall Fun in CT
By: Abby Burdick
Lapsey Orchard
• Location: 403 Orchard Hill Rd. Pomfret Center, CT
06259
• Activity: Apple/Pear picking, Free horse drawn
wagon rides (Sundays only)
• Schedule: Open Daily 10am-6pm
• Other: Fresh Apple Cider
STERLING, Oct. 4, 2015- Complete half your fall outing staples at Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm from exploring a
corn maze, to pumpkin picking, to enjoying apple cider donuts and pumpkin ice cream. Ekonk has it all.
I had the pleasure to enjoy all of the above yesterday,
Oct. 4th. I started my afternoon by hunting through
stalks of corn in search of nine Stations trying to answer 13 questions in order to receive free ice cream.
Question topics ranged from Sterling history to turkey
facts. Sadly, Plainfield High School (PHS) student, Sarah Blanchette and I did not complete the puzzle. Next,
we waited for the 11 minute tractor ride while petting
some donkeys. On the tractor ride, we passed 3000 turkeys and were able to pick pumpkins. To end our day,
we enjoyed pumpkin ice cream and bought apple cider
donuts to bring home. Blanchette claims the ice cream,
“Tastes homemade and fresh every time. It is easily the
best ice cream around.” We both got loyalty cards and
will be returning for more.
Dark Manor
• Location: 25 Main St. Baltic, CT 06330 (Exit 18)
• Activity: Haunted house (25 rooms, corridors, and
passageways)
• Schedule: Open October 22-25, 28-31 (Times vary,
check website)
• Other: $20 General Admission, $10 Matinee Admission, Food available
Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours at The Mark Twain House
• Location: 351 Farmington Ave. Hartford, CT 06105
• Activity: House & graveyard tour, creepy tales,
Twain history
• Schedule: October 23-24, 29-30 (6pm, 7pm, 8pm)
• Other: Tickets for purchase online, Featured on
Syky Channel’s Ghost Hunters
Pumpkin on the Point Festival
• Location: The Saybrook Point Inn & Spa 2 Bridge
St. Old Saybrook, CT 06475
• Pumpkin carving demos, farm stands, DJ, photobooth, pumpkin painting, hayride
• Schedule: October 31 (11am-6pm)
• Other: Free to all ages, Pumpkin themed menu on
PANTHER NATION • NOVEMBER
2015 Salt (Resturant on location)
13
sale at Fresh
Bakers Dozen Closing??
PLAINFIELD, Oct 19, 2015- Sad news has come to ear lately that the beloved “Baker's Dozen” of Moosup,
Connecticut is coming to a close in January 2016. Moosup residents will have to shed a tear when the day
comes that Bakers actually does close. It is very popular for its food and hospitality and known well by a
range of patrons. A recent poll indicates that 64 of 100 Plainfield High School students would rather consumer Baker's products than Dunkin Donuts for several reasons. Bakers Dozen employee Hannah Shaw
stated that the Moosup Bakers “makes the best tips out of all of them” which definitely has something to
say about the quality of employees there.
People may ask where will the Moosup employees go? Well here's your answer: Shaw stated that the
change just kind of “changes the way our schedule works because of the new people transferring in.” In
a short note, the kind people will not be left without jobs. Those employees deserve the jobs because it is
also said that the Moosup bakers makes a huge amount of money. Not only do the employees make the
atmosphere much better than Dunkin but the portions that you receive at Bakers from personal experience are huge, you surely get what you pay for.
Baker's Dozen also looks to give back to the community, which will keep on happening with Snak Shak
being in Moosup and will maybe start in the Bakers in PLainfield and Brooklyn. . This past spring both
the High School Baseball and Softball teams had competitive fundraisers that featured coupons to Bakers
and Snak Shak. Although the Bakers in Moosup is closing, Snak Shak will still open in the Spring and
Summer of next year and hopefully many years to come because I myself and many people think the food
is delicious. The Moosup Bakers and its parent company have been a huge part of the Moosup community for years, it will be missed by many, but i'm sure the loyal Bakers customers will continue to get their
normal food and coffees or iced drinks from the different locations.
By: Colby Greenhalgh
14
KEITH COOLIDGE:
SEXUAL OFFENDER?
WRITTEN BY: SHELBY WARGAT
MOOSUP- Aug. 19, 2015- The name, Keith Coolidge,
could now be forever tarnished with the disgusted word
´sexual offender,’ if he is convicted, due to his own deceitful actions that took place on August 17 and 18 in
the Snake Meadow Hill Road forest area of Moosup,
CT. Keith Coolidge is a 33 year old man, who took a
young woman captive into the woods and sexually assaulted her through a two day period. The female victim of this horrific tragedy escaped Coolidge and was
quickly taken to the hospital to be medically treated.
Immediately after the Plainfield Police were
notified of the female victim, the department began to
investigate this travesty to find the man responsible for
sexually assaulting this female victim. Keith Coolidge
has been reported to live throughout different sections
of the Moosup area, but his last known address was
located on Snake Meadow Road. The Plainfield Police
soon found his whereabouts and was able to arrest him
without an incident. Keith Coolidge is now being held
on the charges of First Degree Sexual Assault, Unlawful Restrained First Degree, and Third Degree Assault.
Evan Delaney is a junior at Plainfield High
School and a resident on Snake Meadow Hill Road in
Moosup, CT where the appalling incident occurred.
When asked about Keith Coolidge, his facial expression quickly showed his seriousness and worry. ¨I have
seen a picture of his mugshot, and from seeing his face
and knowing what he has done… I definitely now think
of him as creep and a sexual offender,¨ Evan stated
this when beginning to discuss the wicked events that
occurred in mid-August. This situation has affected
many students and people in the community in a variety of ways. Many students feel affected by this situation because they have seen Coolidge walking down
familiar streets, in the Cumberland Farms in Moosup,
CT, and everyday events. Several citizens thought that
this wouldn’t happen so near to them, and have fear
about this situation possibly occurring again so close
to home. On the other hand, Evan does ¨not feel affected by his [Coolidgeś] actions because I know that,
unfortunately, this happens a lot, but I was weirded out
and shocked about the news because he lived near me.¨
Keith Coolidge, over the duration of the past
six years, had to serve two years and a month in jail
and had to live with probation because of sexual assault charges, trespassing, failure to appear, threatening, and breaching peace. Keith Coolidge is now
being held on a 500,000 dollars bond and was due on
the 21st of September to appear in the Danielson Superior Court. The Danielson Superior Court has decided to send this case to the Part A Court because of
this case’s seriousness. This unfortunate tragedy that
took place in the Moosup area has shocked many and
is beginning to create awareness throughout our town
about this difficulty. In the year 2015, there is one sexual
offender for every 1,029 residents at the town of Plainfield, CT; could Keith Coolidge be added to this list?
Keith Coolidge’s mugshot
15
Team Katalina
Written by: Adreanna Hannan
Kyle Cook, Plainfield High School's very own football
player, has a story that hits very close to home. It’s
a story of something he has to see his little sister go
through every day when he gets home from school,
and every football practice. His sister, Katalina Litchfield, is a three year old girl right here from Plainfield
and she has an extremely rare and incurable Primary
Immunodeficiency Disorder. This means she was born
with the Immunodeficiency Disorder, which makes
her more susceptible to viruses. Because of how her
immune system functions, she is not able to kill off
bacteria, infections, cancer cells and other threats.
Katalina has a low antibody level count, defects in
antibodies, defects in the cells and proteins of her
immune system. In the United States alone, there are
only 6,000 children under the age of ten with a Primary Immunodeficiency and only 1,300 children under
the age of five with this disorder. Some people with
CVID have symptoms as young children, while many
others may not develop symptoms until their 20s or
30s—or even later.
Katalina also has other issues with her immune system
that makes her Primary Immunodeficiency a more
dangerous condition. This is why it's important to
continue with her IVIG treatments; if she continues
to have pneumonia, upper respiratory infections,
croup and other lung disease, it will start scaring
her lungs and will impact her life span. She has had
pneumonia four times, upper respiratory infections
three times, croup twice, RSV twice and plenty of
colds that seem to never disappear. She also has issues
with vaccines:they put her at risk for other infections.
The most common primary immunodeficiency types
result in an inability to make a very important type
of protein called antibodies or immunoglobulins,
which help the body fight off infections from bacteria
or viruses. In addition to increased susceptibility to
infection, people with PI may also have autoimmune
diseases in which the immune system attacks their
own cells or tissues.
16
"I never imagined my
daughter would be
born with a Compromised Immune
System Disorder or
have to have an IV
chest port. You can
imagine the emotional and physical
toll this takes on the
entire family, and the
incredible financial
woes that come along
with it. We haven't
paid off her last few
hospital stays, genetic testing, IVIG infusions that need to happen every
month, ambulance trips, Emergency Room visits, lots
of doctor appointments, her two upcoming surgeries.
The medical bills continue to pile up and add more
stress..." Theresa Wildes, Katalina's mother explains.
As of the week of October 11th, the Wildes' family has
had to pay over $100,000 in medical bills due to two of
Katalina's surgeries.
A benefit will be taking place at Putnam Elks on Saturday, November 14th from 5pm- 10pm. There will be
raffles at the benefit including: Patriot football tickets
and an overnight stay at Mohegan Sun. Also, 'TEAM
KATALINA' shirts will be sold at the benefit. Katalina’s
mother would have anyone who is thinking of attending know that ….. Please consider attending this event
to help a local family in need."This fight will never be
over for my princess and it's extremely frightening not
knowing what the future holds. I cannot begin to the
amount of bravery my princess has shown."
The Quiet Ones are Nice Too: A Profie of Mr. riley
the curriculum exactly some teachers teach to help students,
so they bend the curriculum depending on the student's level.Mr. Riley falls under the second category. Every teacher
has a way of teaching and every teacher has a different way
to deal with people who don’t do work. “There is no golden
rule,” Mr. Riley said when asked the question:every student
is different, nobodys knows what is going on in a student's
life and you just have to find a way that works. Most students that do not do work, drop out of high school, so you
can not be to sure who will stay and who will go. Out of
all the teachers at PHS, Mr Riley is the best choice to be
teacher of the year. Who will win the honors next year? If
you have a suggestion, you should definitely pass it along to
Mr. Worth, Mr. Bitgood, or Mrs. Riley.
There is something to be said about the relationship between a student and a teacher. Upon entering Plainfield High
School one might see the Typical teachers. The teachers that
monitoring the hallways, the teachers that only seem to be
concerned about what trouble the students get into, and then
there are those teachers that people don’t know about. Most
likely never to be seen outside the classroom. Sometimes
it’s the student body that needs to get these teachers known.
Whether it be the Student Council, Journalism class or a
single student, someone must work to get their work acknowledged.
The first teacher that all students should be very
familiar with when entering PHS is Mr. Riley. It is of no
surprise to anyone that he was chosen to be the most recent
Teacher of the Year. Acquiring this award is a perfect fit for
being the kind of guy Mr Riley is. I was fortunate enough
to speak with Mr. Riley about his win. He was honored but
nervous about it. The fear of a bombardment of questions
and attention would make anybody feel that way, teachers
have feelings too. Having to teach three classes: Animation I, Animation II and Engineering,. Mr. Riley has a class
block to himself he spends it grading projects or helping
other students.
Mr. Riley has enjoyed every day of work except
one. One day his class was dropped from a year round class
to a length of only twenty-two days, but he stuck through
with it because the reason why he enjoys teaching is that
he likes passing information to others. The thing that motivates him to teach and work as hard as he can is the chance
to help students now and in the long run.
Some teachers teach to just teach and they follow
17
Senior Spotlight:
Artistic Aaron
Ms. Sumner. He has an independent study with her and
she taught him many important skills such as how to
throw bowls better and many different techniques so he
can progress in his clay work. She had said to me that
“Aaron is a quiet and gifted student that is a true bird ornithologist, still water runs deep.” Another one of his favorite teachers is a Ms. Demuth as well as Mr. Mariano.
Aaron has lived in Plainfield his whole life and walks
to school every day no matter the weather. He is a
very talented kid and has learned mostly everything
from Ms. Sumner and Ms. Demuth. Some of his clay
work is very interesting and I see how it could win
these awards. This year he is taking English, Science,
Pottery II as well as an Independent Study for Art.
He will continue art as he gets older and try to make
more ceramic pieces to show and possibly win many
more awards. Maybe even for his painting and drawing that he also does. He said how his years in the high
school have been great and he has learned a lot so far
and only has a little bit more to go before he can graduate.
Ryan Shippee
Written October 12, 2015
Aaron Bourque is a very smart and talented kid who
does a lot for his community. Some of his talents include pottery painting and drawing. He has taken art
all through his high school years and will be graduating
early. He also is very interested in birds and takes photographs of them and of nature.
This interest has led Aaron to be part of the Audubon
Society. He is a bird bander which means he track birds’
migration by banding them. usually catch small songbirds to track and see where exactly they go and travel
to throughout the year. They do catch many different
birds but mostly stick to the small song birds. Aaron
also works at his parents’ business which is Central Coffee Company. He works as an office assistant. For the
Audubon, Society he also leads bird walks and tours
through the nature. One activity he likes to do is take
photographs and he does this of many different things
as a type of hobby.
One of Aaron’s talents is pottery and at the Woodstock
Fair he won a few awards. He won the Superintendent’s
Award for his ceramic butterfly. He won first place in
another category for his ceramic octopus and a second
place for a ceramic owl. One of his favorite teachers is
18
Dynamic Duo:
A Spotlight of “Shakenzie Mackmara”
Photos and Article by: Hunter Lundin
It all started in seventh grade when Shamara Haye was
a brand new student at Sterling Community School.
She was sitting in her homeroom class when Angie
Benoit introduced her to Mackenzie Pompey. Once the
two girls got to know each other, they both knew at that
exact moment that they would become inseparable,
best friends. The first day they met, they created a crazy game where they could travel to different universes
through holes in the floor.
Haye’s and Pompey’s colorful personalities drew them
together, and they light up the halls of Plainfield High
School with their great attitudes and flamboyant dances. While students are busy studying and learning in
their classroom, you can occasionally find the duo “Hitting the Quan” or doing the Dolphin. On
a scale of one to ten of
craziness, they would
rank themselves a
9.9-10, and they are
“100% confident” that
they will win “closest
friends” for the senior
superlatives.
Besides being “hypebeasts,” Shamara and
Mackenzie are also
stars on the girls’ track
Shamara and Mackenize
team. Both of them being crazy
had the opportunity to run at New Balance Outdoor
Nationals along with Brooke Brouillard and Julie Jordan. “Running there, and the experience, it was just extremely fun and crazy to go there,” Haye explained. The
1600 meter sprint medley team that Haye and Pompey
were a part of came in second place in their iteration;
however, the team was disqualified due to an accident.
and outdoor track seasons; their hopes are high and so
are their goals. “I want to do the 400 at Nationals. That’s
my goal: to run an individual event,” Haye remarked. “I
want to throw jav[elin] at Nationals,” Pompey added. In
order to qualify for competing in an event at Nationals,
Pompey would have to throw the javelin 104 feet and
Haye would have to run the 400 meter dash in a time
around 57 seconds. Both girls have some work to do,
but they are confident that they will be able to reach
their goals by the end of the outdoor track season.
Through their high school days, Haye and Pompey
have made some lasting memories together. They have
been together throughout events such as Junior Prom,
the Homecoming dances, and especially Nationals.
Both of them agreed that their favorite memory so far
was sophomore year’s Homecoming Dance. “I really do
think we jumped the whole time, no breaks,” Haye said.
It is senior year, so that means they that there is little
time left to spend with each other before they graduate. Haye and Pompey hope to make the best of their
senior year, as they have already had some memorable
moments during Spirit Week and at the Homecoming
Dance of 2015. They are hoping to make lasting memories of indoor and outdoor track, the popularly-demanded pep rally (if the school has one), Senior Prom,
and the annual Holiday Hill senior class field trip.
However, Pompey stated that “just being a senior” itself would be memorable. She and Haye believe that as
long as they are together through their last year of high
school, it will be a landmark year in their friendship to
be looked back on in a hundred years, because it seems
these two unique girls will be friends until the world
ends.
The girls are extremely excited for the upcoming indoor
19
Junior Spotlight: Dancing
Around The World
Written by: Adreanna Hannan
From the studio, to the stage, Ailiegh Galante sure knows how to take the
spotlight. Between her solo performances, duets and group performances she sure is ready for her next upcoming competition. Preparing for a
competition includes much more than consistent practice. Galante is surrounded by support in the form of her coaches and peers. Galante explains
that, “Dance is family. The studio is family. I’ve met all my friends through
dance.” Without that community pushing her forward, Galante wouldn’t be
able to succeed the way she has. Dance has become her life.
From November 28th to December 5th, Galante will be traveling to Germany with the American Tap Team for the IDO Tap Dance World Championships. In Germany, she will be performing two different routines, with two
different groups from America:A large group, consisting of sixteen people,
and a smaller group consisting of seven people. She will compete in the
adult competition for both formations and smaller group.
The IDO Tap Dance World Championships will be held at the SACHSEN
arena in Riesa, Germany. The Tap dance portion of the competition will be
held from December 1st through December 5th. With six different categories, containing a children, junior and adult portion of the competition,
each country competing gets a total of three entries per category in each age
group. Galante will be competing against seven other countries: Canada,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Russian Federation, Slovenia, and South
Africa. With the fierce competition, Galante vows to give it her all and push
herself every step of the way to be the best she can possibly be.
The IDO Tap Dance World Championships is a big event, which is even
broadcasted on the televisions in Europe. Known as the "International Riesa
Dance week,” TV programming will feature the IDO World Show Dance
Championships 2015 and the IDO World Tap Dance Championships 2015.
People from around the world will be watching in awe at the amazing talent
to be performed at this event. Galante will not only shine in front of the
judges, but in front of the whole world too.
Between rehearsing routines for Alyson’s School of Dance in Colchester,
Connecticut; where she both teaches and rehearses fourteen classes a week,
in every dance form available, she somehow still made time to audition for
the American Tap Team and make it. Galante is one of the five members on
the team, out of thirty-five people that auditioned. For a girl who performs
for people like it's second nature, she is sure to make everyone proud when
she takes the stage in Germany. “I’ve danced most of my life, for fourteen
years actually. Dancing is everything to me, it’s more than a sport, it’s my
life. Everything I do is related to dance. If I didn’t do dance, I don't know
where I'd be now.”
20
More Than just Anne Franke: A sophompore spotlight
By: Jason Sweet
This girl is a natural helper, part of the Safe School Climate Committee, a member of Colorguard, Perkins
Advisory, Pottery Club, and a Costume Manager for
the school plays. I could probably go on about what she
is a member of and what she participates in but most of
all she is Anne Frank in our upcoming fall play. However, this girl isn't just known as playing Anne Frank,
she is much more: She is Natalie Goulas.
Goulas is a Sophomore at Plainfield High
School (PHS). She participated in the ensemble in last
year’s spring performance of The Wizard of Oz. Being
a graduate of Sterling Community School (SCS), she
had no prior experience of acting or performing before the end of her freshman year. The reason she was
inspired to audition for Anne Frank was because all
of her eighth grade year at SCS, her english teacher
worked with The Diary of Anne Frank, and it interested Goulas immensely. When she heard that the Drama
Department was putting on the play, she immediately
wanted to audition. Goulas “did not expect to get the
lead” since this was her first time auditioning for a lead
role and “was very surprised when she found out she
was selected to play the lead role.”
Goulas is very excited for the play. I asked her
about the differences of this play compared to years
prior. First of all most of the plays before Anne Frank
were comedies. This play is not comedy however. It
may have funny parts, but since the play is set in the
Holocaust it is a tragedy. Another difference is that the
play is a black box theatre with only 100 seats available
per show. Black box means that the audience is on the
stage while the play progresses. She is very excited to
be a part of this different and unique production in
the fall.
I questioned on how long she would like to pursue
acting, and she responded in a very positive tone
saying she would like to pursue acting into college.
Though she would not want that to be her major in
college. Goulas wants to attend New England Tech to
major in nursing but is still keeping her options open.
To achieve these aspirations, she strives to stay in the
top 10 percentile in her class and tries to keep her
schedule as flexible as possible so she can finish homework and still balance all her involvement in other
extracurricular activities.
Goulas is a striving sophomore at PHS and has many
great plans for the future and the present. Goulas is
a great help around our school and participates in
everything she possibly can. We need more of these
type of kids at PHS.
21
Welcome To The Jungle
Nick Burlingame
Even though Connor Peasely and Kyle Holt are freshman football players, they get to see the field a lot
more than other freshmen. This didn't really come
easy for Kyle and connor : "we came to the gym every
week day during the summer, pushing ourselves for
better achievements, knowing that if we keep pushing we would be able to walk down with the team
on Friday night before the game," Kyle said. With
all this hard work and dedication over the summer,
there are a few people that helped them: myself and
Tyler Ballard. "All day in the summer they told us
what to do and what will help us with our positions
they pushed us and didn't let us quit. They taught us
form for lifting weights and what would help us and
what wouldn't. And alsoso we didn't end up hurting
or pulling anything. They were pretty much like our
older brothers during the summer," Jojo said.
Because they play more games as a freshman they feel
like they get notice more in school and they appreciate that. Jojo and Kyle said "practice is fun but yet we
always get our work done. There are a few people to
make things fun around here." All this fun includes
running relays and usually every Wednesday the skill
position players play pass on the game field while the
lineman play lineman games. There are a few people
that want to spice it up at practice and do things for
fun. Alex G tells jokes and Coach Wolak does the
punt challenge.
Both freshmen already undergo the taking of
having a favorite coach, Jojo said he loves Coach Cy
because he doesn't care what other people think: He
is just going to say what needs to be said and do what
needs to be done. On the other hand, Kyle says he
loves Head Coach Smith, “he is a family friend and
he's like a father figure to me. " Mr. Smith is a great
coach, he's not only worried about how we do on and
off the field the field he sets up a study hall where
players are supposed to do their homework and he
helps his players with that. usually coaches i'm worried about how you're doing in school and just if you
play good. Mr. Smith always says how he's not coaching football he is raising men and that is what makes
him more of a father figure than any other coach.”
Kyle said.
Plainfield @ Waterford 10/23
Plainfield @ New London 10/30
Plainfield VS Stonington 11/6
Plainfield @ Ledyard 11/13
Plainfield @ Griswold 11/24
22
Fake Horror is Right Outside Your Door
Kaitlyn Lent
movie only had maybe one or two gory scenes,
but even this wasn’t all that bad. Maybe the directors should have reconsidered what they were
doing for the movie before it was produced.
Another movie that I saw that was pretty awful
was ‘Infernal’. This movie started out strangely,
with a cross turning slowly so it’s upside down
and nothing occurring after. It took maybe ten
minutes for the movie to make sense, and even
then it was questionable. Honestly, if you want
to see a good quality horror movie, go back
to the classics like The Ring, Halloween, IT, A
Nightmare on Elm Street, or The Conjuring.
The classics in halloween film productions are
probably still a lot better than whatever is currently making its way into theaters these days.
Written Oct. 8, 2015
Now that it’s October, it’s the time for horror;
whether it’s haunted houses, terrifying hay rides,
or spooky movies -people tend to love being
scared. Most of the scary movies that have come
out this year however aren’t all that scary. If anything, they’re the kind of stupid that’s funny.
Take for example The Visit. This movie was more
of a comedy than a horror film. Like all scary
movies, it has its moments -the one or two scares
that you never expected to occur that did. The plot
twist towards the end was something unexpected
and just a little creepy. Other than this; the movie shouldn’t even be considered a horror movie.
Moving on, there had been a movie tons were
dying to see, that is not in theaters anymore.
‘Unfriended’ was a must see for some, but honestly it was annoying with the consistent clicking
and the fact that there were no scary scenes. The
23
Autumn Fashion
Favorites
Written By; Adreanna Hannan
From bright to neutral colors, fall is full of fashion
favorites. Between scarves, bags, leggings and baggy
sweatshirts, there is a lot to look forward to this fall.
With the weather looking away from hot and humid
beach weather and forward to cold and rainy days,
fashion seems to change an extreme amount over
these next few months. With many new colors coming into the spotlight this Autumn, there’s much to
look forward too. Including, Dried Herb, Desert Sage,
Stormy Weather, Oak Buff, Marsala, Biscay Bay, Reflecting Pond, Cadmium Orange, Cashmere Rose and
Amethyst Orchid are the colors to look for to fulfill
your fashion needs this Autumn. Along with these
colors, stripes, folksy tribal print, military styles and
graphic black and white are coming back this autumn!
As usual, infinity scarves are the best possible thing
to get your hands on this autumn. Also, for amazing
fashion deals, be sure to check out H&M, Wet Seal,
Aeropostale, Hollister,
PHS Drama Department Presents:
Anne Frank
Tickets-$ 8 per person
Showtimes
Nov 20- 7pm
Nov 21-1pm and 7pm
Come out to support this talented group of students
and experience the story of Anne Frank in new way.
Cooking Contest Winners
1st
Alicia Watson: Maine Blueberry Crumb Bars
2nd
Patrick Watson:Unique Pizza
Hand held electric mixer
3rd
Kelly Krawczyk:Hummingbird Cake
food processor
Rotary Students of The Month
Clothes and colors are very important to this wonderful Autumn season, but most important is shoes. For
girls, boots seem to be the biggest stapler, but for boys
the newest upcoming Jordans, KD’s, Lebron’s, Kobe’s
and many other sneakers are coming out this autumn.
The 'Air Jordan "Maroons"', the 'Under Armor Curry
Two' and the 'Air Jordan 8's '3-Peat's' will be coming
out October 24th, and the 'John Wall 2nd Adidas Signature' will be coming out October 31st. Will you cop
the newest shoes this autumn?
24
September::- Michaela Rouillard
October- Madeline Lorange
November-Hanna Rouillard
Congratulations ladies!!
Pep Rallies Too Hype?!
PLAINFIELD, Oct 20, 2015- Throughout the homecoming school week the hype was built up for the football team to take home the win against the Windham Whippets. Although the football team gets amped
in their own way, the school sure benefits them throughout the week and especially the pep rally that we
have had in recent years. Unfortunately this year there was no pep rally for homecoming.
I personally could not wait for the pep rally on the friday before the homecoming game, the gym packed
with all the students gets everybody rowdy and excited for the game even if you’re a non football player
like myself, Devin Tracey also a Plainfield student felt that “It was dumb and it was a buzz kill not having
a pep rally”. If I was getting pumped then I could not even imagine what some of the emotional senior
athletes must have felt over the years realizing that this was their last homecoming game. Spirit week is to
show all the school spirit we have throughout the week. This builds up the hype for the big ending or big
bang, the pep rally, and without one this year it just didn’t feel right. Some people might say, “oh the pep
rallies get too rowdy or out of hand,” but what else is the purpose of a pep rally before a big game? Since
I was a freshman, I had been counting down the seconds in class to finally get out and get crazy with my
school and just get amped for the game, ultimately without this, it's killing some tradition.
When some other seniors and I heard the news about there being no pep rally for homecoming we were
all bummed out. A pep rally can have a hugely positive effect on a school and may help the team take
home the win. People need to stop looking at the negatives in the situation and start looking at the positives: yea, maybe sometimes they get a little out of hand but really doesn't that show how much school
spirit we have? Or does it fulfill the purpose of even having a spirit week to begin with? Every school only
has one homecoming a year, so why not get a little crazy before it, I mean it isn't that bad to get a little
excited about a school function when most kids don't get excited at all over any school functions.
By: Colby Greenhalgh
25
By: Abby Burdick
Students Deserve a Say
Superintendent of Plainfield Schools, Kenneth DiPietro, has decided the Plainfield High School’s (PHS) class schedule will be
changing for the 2016-2017 school year. PHS has been operating
on a four by four block schedule. Under this system, students take
four classes in their first semester for one credit each and another
four classes in their second semester. Between the Mr. DiPietro
and a PHS teacher committee, three options have been created.
Option one is a rotating A/B block schedule. Students
would attend four classes on an A day and four classes on a B day.
Half credit courses would meet every other day for half of the
school year, while one credit classes will meet every other day for
the whole year. Teachers might be required to teach three classes
a day, six overall, despite the fact that other districts with a similar
schedule only require teachers to carry five classes overall.
Option two is an eight-period, drop two schedule. Students will have eight classes on their schedule, but will have six
classes each day, one of these classes would be an extended block.
This schedule would also require teachers to teach six classes overall, if an average class size is 22 students, this means that teachers
could be responsible for over 130 students at a time. Advanced
Placement classes may have the choice of occupying two periods
but details are still under development.
Option three is a seven period, drop one schedule with
an extended block. Students will have seven classes on their schedule, but will only have six classes each day, one of these classes
would be an extended block. This schedule would require teachers
to teach five classes overall. There is potential in this schedule for
some classes to be double periods. This would benefit classes that
prefer the 86 minutes block that we have now.
Mr. DiPietro has set a goal to decide on an option by the
end of the year to start planning for the upcoming change. He has
encouraged the committee of teachers to voice their opinions as to
what the faculty feels is the best option for the students. However,
it is ultimately his decision and it is a difficult one to make. Any
change would require the purchasing of more books and other
materials, intense curriculum revision, and consideration for how
to help students meet graduation requirements. Only the third
schedule would also require the hiring of a few new teachers.
The schedule change is necessary, but the change should
involve the students. The four by four schedule has several flaws
which are detrimental to student learning. Our current schedule
forces students to have gaps in their learning. A student could
have up to a calendar year in between a core class sequence. For
example, Seth Merritt took Spanish I semester one freshmen year
and did not take Spanish II until semester two of his sophomore
year. This time lapse can greatly diminish your retention of the
26
material from one level to the next.
Also, if students take math, science, or English in the first
semester, they are without during standardized test season, which
occurs in the spring. Music and Advanced Placement courses meet
all year round. Students are forced to take two credits in these areas, which decreases their opportunity for career exploration and
time to finish graduation requirements.
In the current four by four scheduling, in theory, teachers should get curriculum of an entire year within half a year by
meeting everyday for about 90 minutes, but in reality it does not
happen. From personal experience, Honors Biology got through
merely half of the material. Our school created Algebra III after
running into this time crunch year after year, as well. No one ever
has heard of Algebra III, but PHS has it.
These flaws have pushed our school to change for the
better of the students, but students have not been involved in the
decision. Left in the dark, we will suffer the consequences. Students should be informed of the pros and cons of both options and
allowed a voice of opinion. We should be able to weigh in on our
fate.
After interviewing three teachers and three students,
both have differing opinions on what is best for the PHS students.
Two out of three teachers were in favor of the seven-class, drop
one schedule. They felt 90-minute blocks are overwhelming for
students. Student A favored the A/B schedule because 90-minute
blocks allow more in class activities like labs, students would get
two days to complete homework, and would have the option to
take eight credits to advance themselves further. Student B favored
the seven-class drop one schedule because hardworking students
would get more chances for electives due to some Advanced Placement classes taking up less schedule room. Student C was unable
to make a decision because of the lack of information she had
about the change.
An assembly should be held to provide students with
knowledge of the change and details of each scheduling option.
Once this presentation commences, students should be able to
ask questions. Mr. DiPietro should also survey the students. The
schedule change is to benefit the student body and should include
the student body.
DONT FORGET!
IT’S TIME TO ORDER YOUR
2015-2016 YEARBOOK!
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
1. DOWNLOAD THE FREE PHOTO SHARING APP; REPLAYIT EITHER THROUGH APPSTORE OR GOOGLEPLAY AND UPLOAD YOUR FAVORITE PICTURES FROM THIS YEAR AND VIEW WHAT OTHERS HAVE
SHARED: YOUR PICTURES MAY BE USED USED IN THIS YEAR’S BOOK.
2. JOIN YEARBOOK CLUB, WE MEET IN ROOM 2109 EVERY MONDAY.

Issue #1 - Plainfield Public Schools

Transcription

Similar documents

File - History Grand Rapids

2009-2010 Facts

APAPCD - Association of Middle

your library - Plainfield Public Library

The History of Middle Eastern Dance, Part 1.

PANTHERADVOCATEoct 2007 - updated.pub

Page 26 to Page 51