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FALCON
A V O N
Volume XIII, Edition I
New to Avon High
AVON, CT—FALL 2015
By Riley Cunningham and Sam Moran
Amanda May Kosky (right) is our new library/media specialist. Her
first job was as a camp counselor. She enjoys watching “Real Housewives of Orange County” and listening to techno while working out.
She orders a carmel latte with skim milk at Dunkin Donuts, which she
prefers over Starbucks. Pat Bialaski (left) is also a welcome addition
to the AHS Media Center.
Angela Marie Curran is the new school psychologist. She lived at the
beach for four years near Watch Hill. She loves the book The Color
Purple and the movies “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Good Will
Hunting,” and old 80s movies. She enjoys listening to punk music such
as The Pixies or The Clash.
Dustin James Rader is the new English teacher. He thinks Leonardo
DiCaprio is “pretty fantastic.” He considers getting a job to be the most
exciting thing he did this summer. Although he doesn’t enjoy pizza, he
loves Starbucks and is currently ordering a salted caramel hot chocolate. Oh yeah, and in case you weren’t aware, he’s a hardcore Harry
Potter fan.
Look out for more new staff members in our next issue!
FREE!
Senior Parade, Door DecorationsSpark Creativity
Photos by
Ksenyia Nosenko
Charlotte’s Web Entertains
Sam Moran and Kate Casner play Patty Cake.
Donald Bartomioli is the new gym teacher. He beat cancer when he was
just two years old. Surprisingly, he doesn’t like long walks on the beach.
His favorite quote is, “Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this muscle there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof ”
from V for Vendetta. Falcon Opinion
What’s Wrong with a B?
By Alex Alamar
The goal of grades is to get
an A, but what happens when the
grade falls to a B+ or “worse” a B-?
Sure an A is great and looks good
on Powerschool or to a college, but
what’s really wrong with a B? When
someone earns a B it means that
they know 85% percent of what is
being taught, and that’s the point of
going to school: to learn. A B grade
is an above average grade, therefore
a grade the student should be proud
of. But what happens when a student does not achieve an A? Some
students simply shrug it off and say
they could have done better, others are pleased with themselves but
another group of students get upset
with themselves. A student says
after getting a B on a science test,
“I can’t believe that I got a B! This
stinks, now I won’t have my perfect
GPA!” Yes a B will give you an imperfect GPA, but there will always
be more tests, and does the B really
stink? The B is simply saying that
either the student needs to work
harder or that it was just a tough
unit for the student. So no, there is
nothing wrong with a B, if anything
it is a good thing for all types of students. A B grade is something to be
proud of for some, and something
to learn from for others.
Check Out This Brand
By Sam Moran
Do you remember when one that we would want to wear, but
person got Nike Free Runs and then we are very open to any other ideas
all of a sudden the whole school was that people have...that way customwearing them; do you remember ers can get what they want.” The
when the same thing happened with product available right now is a
Vera Bradley
long sleeve
Bags? Well
t-shirt with
the new trend
the logo lohas been escated on the
tablished, and
back and the
it is atlas bear
front on the
co. If you
right. May
haven’t heard
I add that
of this new
the fabric is
brand, then let me explain. Three really soft? The shirts are priced at
sophomores at AHS have created twenty dollars. If you have an ina brand named after the subspecies terest in trying out the new trend,
of a brown bear, ‘Atlas Bear’. Alec then you can contact the company
Wang, Chris Arciero, and Evan Pur- by email [email protected],
cell wanted to make a lifestyle com- or speak to Alec Wang, Chris Arciepany that made products that they ro, or Evan Purcell. You can also
would want to wear. Alec Wang, a find the company on Instagram @
partner in the atlas bear company, atlasbearco.
said “We wanted to make clothes
The
Falcon
Avon High School Volume XIII Issue I
Disclaimer: The AHS Falcon
is the official news publication
of Avon High School. The written opinions and expressions in
the newspaper do not reflect the
opinions of the editors, administration, or Avon High School as a
whole. Any allusions to offensive
topics are entirely coincidental
and we regret the offenses. We
are simply trying to put together
an awesome newspaper that will
make AHS proud. If you wish to
respond to an article, share a different perspective, or contribute
to the newspaper, please contact Ms. Mirabello or email her
at [email protected].
Follow us on Instagram:
AVONHIGH_NEWSPAPER
Advisor
Ms. Mirabello
Editor-in-Chief
Sam Moran
Copy Editor &
Staff Photographer
Ksenyia Nosenko
Staff Writers
Alex Alamar
Sheridan Bernard
Madison Brokenshire
Riley Cunningham
Nina Diecidue
Sophie Drake
Lauren Ducci
Lauren Factor
Ayushi Hegde
Jordan Lazinsk
Catherine Martinez
Sam Moran
Julia Rosow
Jonny Ross
Sydney White
Abby Williamson
Chris Zemaitis
Instagram Editor
Alex Alamar
Growing Up in The Bubble
By Sophie Drake
In a town where popularity is mea- Sam: “Well, in Avon, there’s not that
sured by Instagram followers, Vine- much to do...which kind of bothers
yard Vines clothing is considered me. There’s definitely more to do in
the threads of royalty, and the most Arizona, because I lived in kind of a
diverse restaurant is the Puerta Val- bigger town.”
larta on Route 44, it isn’t uncommon
S: What’s an example of a fun thing
for our quaint community to fall victhat people our age could do in Aritim to satire. This mockery comes
zona?
mostly from teens that are, in the
simplest terms, bored. Some may be Sam: “Well, there was this really
tired of the same old daily routine swagalicious arcade and golf place
that makes every day feel the same; that was SO SUPER SICK. There
others are just angry that we don’t was also this huge outdoor mall, it
even have sidewalks or our own was huge! It was way bigger than
movie theater (the closest is in the the Canton Shoppes, which, by the
neighboring town of Simsbury). But way, is full of stores that nobody our
there is something more, something age can shop in because they’re so
beyond the angsty teenage craving expensive! We’re all just breaking
for new experiences that makes this our backs trying to buy stuff there
town seem so utterly bland to the because we can’t get a ride to the acyoung people living in it. tual mall! Avon is far away from the
mall, and it’s just annoying.”
In the first week of October, AHS
was visited by a group of students Sam’s thoughts on the topic show
from the Deutsche Schule Barcelona such a different perspective of Avon.
in Spain for an exchange program. Most of us have lived here our enIn the presentation that they had tire lives, so we don’t know any difprepared for the Spanish classes, the ferent. Personally, I can’t imagine
students mentioned the many night- moving to Avon at an age of such
clubs that they all regularly attended. curiosity and zeal for new things,
The AHS students that were present, especially after growing up in a
myself included, were in disbelief; town that clearly had more appeal
not only were there a multitude of to younger people. Sam also menthese clubs, but some of them had tioned the price we have to pay to do
an age requirement of only fourteen the limited amount of things in this
years! This got us thinking: how dif- town. We beg our moms for money,
ferent would our lives in Avon be if plead for a twenty minute ride to the
we had access to the same sorts of mall until we’re practically threatplaces that our Spanish peers have? ening to hitch-hike, and then finally
Would patterned partying be some- get there only to realize that the cash
thing as regular to us as going to the we have on us is barely enough for
Canton Shoppes? Would our parents a cup of frozen yogurt and a pair of
feel differently about us staying out, socks. Likewise, the town’s need
knowing that we were experienced to get in touch with the youth of its
enough to make the right choices? community is unquestionable. It
Would we end up more mature by is easy to feel a little gypped when
being exposed to more adult situ- there is a strip-mall right near your
ations than we currently are? Our house whose stores include O’Live
questions were endless.
A Little, a shop dedicated entirely
to olive oil, and The Paper Store,
Now, with all of these ideas being
whose goods are pretty self-explanput on paper, it would be quite an
atory.
exaggeration to say that Avon is the
absolute worst place to live. Every- So just how different would we all
one that resides here is incredibly turn out if we weren’t raised in such
lucky to have peace of mind know- a sheltered community? We cering that it is a safe, wealthy com- tainly aren’t exposed to the same
munity that has the means to fund environments that teens our age face
excellent schools, music, and sports in New York City, Los Angeles, or
programs. Having access to these any urban community for that matamenities is something that many ter. Does living in such a bubble
places in the world do not share with create a certain shock for us in our
us. But living in a sleepy suburban later years? For now, we may never
town compared to the busy, metro- know; but while we are young, it is
politan areas right over the border essential for us to make the most out
leaves a certain something to the of what many call the “best years
imagination.
of our lives” while we still can. We
may not have the nightclubs, or the
To examine these ideas, I recently
hustle and bustle of Times Square
interviewed Sam Moran, a sophoright outside our doors; but we still
more that moved to Avon from Arihave the spirit of our youth and the
zona when she was thirteen.
friends by our sides that we will creS: Did you find that there were a lot ate lifelong memories with, which,
of activities to do in Avon when you in reality, is all we’ll ever really
first moved here?
need.
2
Falcon Opinion
Why Bernie Sanders Will Be the Death of Our Great Nation
By Chris Zemaitis
I was a day late when it came to
watching the first Democratic Party debate on CNN but decided to
“live” tweet it anyway. I, myself, am
a Republican, and after watching
the five candidates go at it for about
two hours, I can conclude that I still
am. Crowd favorite Bernie Sanders
and his democratic socialist views,
to me, are repulsive. He only put
together one statement that someone could consider to be a coherent
thought, which was the fact that if
the circumstances called for it, he
would be willing to lead our country into war. Obviously, the Senator from Vermont talked in detail
about his plans to make public college tuition free, to raise the hourly
minimum wage, and to combat
the wage gap in the United States.
In theory, the idea of free public
college tuition sounds brilliant.
Anyone with the grades to get into
a public college and university can
attend, free of cost. However, what
people do not realize is that this
plan would be government funded
through citizens’ tax dollars. That
is a bit of a drawback, but at the
same time, that is how we as Americans are able to have “free” public
education from elementary school
through high school. Where Sanders’ plan is really flawed is how he
plans to have this tax money raised
to fund his plan. He wants the upper class, and only the upper class,
to be taxed in order to cover the
cost of this reform. However, despite these men and women having
money to spare, it is quite wrong to
pin such a large sum on such a small
percentage of Americans. Most of
the people who would receive the
greatest benefit from the potential
reform are lower and middle class
citizens. However, they would not
have to pay a cent of a tax increase picture. These men and women risk
under Sanders’s plan. America’s their lives to ensure the blessings
elite one-percenters would be fund- and liberties that the Constitution
ing the tuition of thousands upon grants us, yet will earn less money
thousands of mostly lower and mid- than someone doing a job that is
dle class college students. At least really designed for teenagers and
Hillary Clinton’s plan, which incor- other students who don’t yet have
porates a mandatory work study for the skills necessary to compete
ten hours per week, makes slightly for more skilled jobs. To increase
more sense. The real way for this minimum wage would also potento be handled, if the issue becomes tially decrease the motivation to do
that pressing, is to have a propor- well in school and college because
young people
tional tax increase
would see that
dedicated to the
if they can earn
public college tuover $30,000
ition. For example,
per year doif people were giving a job that,
en a five percent infrankly, isn’t
crease to fund this,
hard, then that
it wouldn’t matter
could decrease
how much each
motivation to
person made. Each
Image courtesy of politico.com
study. Thirty
person would be
thousand dolgiving the same proportionate amount to fund the lars may not sound substantial,
program, rather than the weight but that is above the poverty line
of the program being put on the for a single individual. For these
shoulders of America’s elite. reasons, an increase that dramatic
would be terrible for our country.
Another idiotic proposal by the liberal hopeful was the proposal to Sanders’ also complained about the
raise minimum wage to fifteen dol- wage gap in America, citing that
lars per hour. Let’s do some math fifty-seven percent of new wealth
here. If a man or woman were to in America went to the top one perwork a full time job at McDonald’s cent of the nation. However, this
(minimum forty hours per week) is because of one of our country’s
and were to earn fifteen dollars per great standout features: a capitalist
hour working, they would earn at the free-market economy. The United
minimum $31,200 annually before States has always maintained the
taxes. This sounds great, but think principles of the American Dream,
about it. Minimum wage is called which state that a man or woman
so because it is given to people who can achieve whatever he/she wants
do work that requires minimal skill. in this great land because America
If the teenager who is making your is a great land of opportunity. This
milkshake at Wendy’s is making is actually exemplified by the cormore every year than a sergeant in porations who take in billions of
the Army, who annually will make dollars each year. They symbolize
a salary of $26,172 (goarmy.com), the hard work, dedication, and atthere is something wrong with this titude that are encompassed by the
mere idea of America. To say that
each man, woman, and child should
receive their fair share of that money is preposterous. That money was
earned through hard work and commitment to the product and the company and those who were a part of
that should not receive money. Also,
to combat Sanders, there are actual
benefits to the corporate system.
These companies are huge money
makers first and foremost, but they
are also huge sources of job creation. However, when it comes to
manufacturing, we are losing jobs
because of the American corporate tax, which sits at about thirtysix percent. Therefore, companies
realize it is more profitable to use
labor overseas than it is to actually
manufacture stateside. If we were to
lower the corporate tax in America,
it would become a reality to see the
creation of thousands if not millions
of jobs for unemployed Americans.
Bernie Sanders is a smart man, do
not get me wrong. However, what
he fails to grasp is the reality of the
situation in America. To bring in
full-on socialism all at once would
be too much for our mostly capitalist nation. While we do have some
socialist aspects, like public education, social security, and Obamacare, the biggest concerns are the
uneven taxation he deems necessary to carry out his programs,
which by definition is anti-socialist
and the imminent threat to what is
so unique and distinct about our
country: the principles of a free
market economy and the American
Dream. His programs and beliefs, if
they came to fruition would shatter
what America has come to represent
over the past 239 years. If you vote
for Sanders, you are voting against
America.
What Happened To Smiley-Face French Fries?
By Jordan Lazinsk
Halloween has come and
gone, and as young children indulge
in their pounds and pounds of candy, I can’t help but harken back to a
time when life was much simpler. I
didn’t return home to several hours
of homework. I came home and
was able to watch TV, have a snack,
and even take a nap. Nothing was
stressful, and there was nothing to
stress over. I have been thinking of
elementary school. One of the fondest memories I have of elementary
school, and, quite frankly, of my
childhood, are the themed lunches
we had after every major holiday.
Green eggs and ham on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, heart-shaped chicken
nuggets on Valentine’s Day, and
spooky-themed cookies on Halloween. A staple of these meals,
however, were the smiley-faceshaped french fries we had. Once
introduced to these caricatures, all
other lunch materials paled in comparison, and no lunch would ever
be the same without these friendly,
delicious faces.
pour some ketchup on your tray,
push the face down on the ketchup,
and you instantly have a beautiful
picture of a man bleeding from the
eyes and mouth. How exquisite! Today’s school lunches
The shape of smiley-faced
are lacking this unique creativity,
french fries led to their dual use
which in turn leads to academic
as not only a food, but a device of
failure. That’s right, the absence
entertainment as well. Just simply
of smiley-face french fries causes
students’ grades to
fall. Just look at the
facts: In elementary
school, I never got a
grade below a gold
star. Nowadays, my
grades are not even
in that echelon; I
am given a meaningless amalgamation of letters and
numbers. Surely,
any academic inPhoto courtesy of www.tumblr.com
stitution would understand the importance of smiley-face french fries
given these authentic statistics.
In conclusion, if smiley-face
french fries were returned to school
lunches, grades would be higher
across the school, a better climate
for education would be created, and,
most importantly, students would
unite over their love and admiration
for their favorite potato friends. If
any of the beloved cafeteria staff
is reading this, please consider returning smiley-face french fries to
school lunches. To the administration, I am confident that this change
would change the school in several
ways, all for the better. Let’s all join
together in the fight for #SmileyFries for all!
3
Falcon Opinion
How to Survive Writing a Paper After Midnight
By Sheridan Bernard, Catherine Martinez, and Ayushi Hegde
Admit it: we’ve all been
there. We have (yet again) left an
entire essay to the night, or rather,
morning, before its due date. This
occurs more often than one would
like to think. Papers, studying, or
projects - regardless of the type of
work you’ve left to the last minute, this is not an unfamiliar situation, but not because we work hard,
or because we are too busy to do
things in advance; we are just terrible procrastinators, to the point
where we’ve developed an earlymorning-paper-writing-routine that
goes something like this:
Body paragraph. I need to use the
bathroom. Body paragraph. I’ll take
a five-minute break, we think, and
suddenly it’s been an hour. Everything hurts, and we are uncomfortable; adjusting our position on the
bed barely helps. We want to scream
so we do so, but very quietly so as
to not wake anyone up. We want to
cease existing. We wish that we had
planned this better.
To help you survive this
draining process, the authors of this
article have painstakingly compiled
a detailed, step-by-step guide to
effective paper-writing after midWe are curled into a ball be- night.
tween the blankets of our bed, the
A Detailed, Step-by-Step
night air ringing with the sounds
Guide to Effective Paper-Writing
of crickets and our family’s gentle
After Midnight
snores several bedrooms away. Our
laptop lies open before us, hum1. There is no possible way
ming and warm and shrouding us
to write a good paper after
in a glow that makes our bleary,
midnight.
sleep-deprived eyes burn. We. Are.
2. You can minimize the pain
Exhausted. Our fingers clack feverinvolved in doing so, but
ishly at the keyboard as though inyou must first accept the
dependent from our dead arms, and
fact that your paper will be
though we suck in rattling breaths,
awful. I mean, if you wantthey do not seem to reach our lungs.
ed a good paper you would
Our head is buzzing, and we are not
have started it a while ago,
sure whether this is caused by the
so this probably isn’t really
lack of sleep or by the cup of cofan issue. Or you have some
fee clutched in one hand. We are
serious procrastination isnowhere near done, but already our
sues. *points at the authors
fingers itch to open another tab, to
inconspicuously*
take a break that we are somehow
sure our meager efforts have mer3. Since the paper is already
ited. We are cold. We are hot. We
going to be pretty terrible,
need to use the bathroom. We need
go ahead and just aim for
a snack. Our feet have fallen asleep,
a comprehensible paper at
and our toes are tingling. Our hair
most. We all fail sometimes
is a greasy, tangled mess. We are
/a lot.
desperate for sleep. We briefly con4. Find a buddy that has also
sider closing both our laptop and
procrastinated. This will
our eyes, but the thought of enterallow you to realize that if
ing class empty-handed tomorrowyou die while writing this
or rather, in a few hours- compels
paper, at least one person
us to work faster. We cough, and
will truly understand what
are immediately sure that we have
you went through. Also, you
somehow contracted the black
can occasionally text them
plague. We rub our eyes. We stretch
incomprehensible strings of
and crack our knuckles. We want
words in all caps to indicate
to reach for the headphones on our
your distress without waknightstand, even though we know
ing anyone up.
perfectly well that music will slow
us down. One o’clock. One-thirty.
5. Drink caffeine! It’s probably
I should have started this yesternot the smartest idea, and
day. Introduction. Body paragraph.
when you get to school in
a few hours you’ll feel terrible, but for now it’ll work.
Hopefully. Either that or
shovel some plain sugar into
your mouth. That works too.
6. DO NOT OPEN ANYTHING IN NEW TABS,
because you will be sidetracked for way too long.
We speak from experience when we say that two
A.M. is not the best time to
read the fascinating Wikipedia article on goats, nor
the best time to embark on
a “brief” YouTube marathon (please, we all know
that no such thing exists).
And don’t even think about
opening Netflix, it always
starts counting down to the
next episode, and you most
definitely do not need more
stress of ‘deciding’ what to
do. *Writes one sentence in
the thirty seconds between
episodes*
7. Also, look. We know it’s
hard, but right now, it’s really not a good idea to contemplate anything along
the lines of the inevitability
of death, the futility of human efforts, or trivial lives
in comparison to the vastness of the universe. At this
point, you just have to accept that there is no point to
doing anything ever and that
we will all die eventually;
that being said, you should
still probably write the essay.
8. Use spell-check and reread
what you’ve written, because at such ungodly hours
of the morning it is really
easy to mix up words and
letters. Trust us; you’ll realize this too late when your
teacher circles the word
‘metabolism’ where you
meant ‘metaphor’. At least,
you think that’s what you
meant. You’re not entirely
sure yourself.
9. Actually, just try to find a
way to ensure that the pa-
per will be read and edited
by a sane person, because
when it’s three in the morning, it can be extremely hard
to find mistakes in bad sentences. When you’re tired,
you might write something
along the lines of: “Romeo
and Juliet is the ultimate
eraiojgrhuailh ghruaeilhAHURILgreang;!!!” and then
think, Yep, that looks about
right. DO NOT use your
aforementioned procrastination buddy for this. They
will only correct ‘eraiojgrhuailh ghruaeilhAHURILgreang;!!!’ to ‘ashdfdwemc’ instead.
10.Stretch occasionally, because muscle cramps. Are.
The. Worst.
11.Try really hard not to get a
song stuck in your head. Or
do, because it doesn’t really
matter at this point, does it?
12.BUT BASICALLY.
13.This was a terrible idea.
14.You should have done this a
week ago.
15.You are in trouble.
16.👍
This guide, keep in mind,
was written very late at night by
three extremely tired people, who
were awake until, like, two yesterday morning writing an essay due
fifth period. Therefore, we (the very
tired authors) are far too familiar
with the death traps that late-night
projects and essays can create. They
are the monster that lives in the
murky back of your mind, bringing
panic as it creeps towards the front,
until we drearily smack it back
down into those lowermost depths
after several hours’ work in the early morning. It sulks and hides until
eventually it begins its slow climb
up again, because guess what? Your
teachers have assigned another essay… yeah, that metabolism metaphor seems just about right. Thank you for reading the first issue of The Falcon for 2015! I know...it's December. It may be a little late up and coming, but hey better late than never! I just want
to say that this issue is full of some great articles, many of which were written by
brand new writers. I am thrilled to be the editor this year, and hope to bring new
life to our school newspaper. I want this paper to represent the student body, and I
believe that in reading these articles, you will feel like I achieved my goal.
Thanks for reading!
Sam Moran
Editor-In-Chief
4
Falcon Features
7 Reasons to Love Fall
By Lauren Ducci
New England is known for having a beautiful fall season. Most times when
you ask someone from here what their favorite season is, it’s fall. Why?
Because it’s great! These are some of the best things about fall.
Fashion and Beauty Delights
By Julia Rosow
It’s that time of year again. The weather gets colder, the holidays
inch closer and everyone has one and one thing only in mind. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. So I’m sure as all of you know, or should know,
the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion show was recently filmed. It seems
like that is the only thing the world is talking about right now, or at least the
1. Comfy sweaters
One of my favorite parts about fall is changing out my tee shirts for my only thing I’m talking about right now but what’s the difference? Anyways,
sweaters. They are so soft and comfortable, and I just feel so warm and huge household names such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid join the covfuzzy when I wear them. There are many cute options for clothes in the eted runway alongside supermodels Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel,
fall, and the most important thing is you can be comfortable while looking Adriana Lima and Lily Aldridge. Sometimes, I just wonder what it would
feel like to be in the presence of the most beautiful women in the world. I
good
mean let’s be honest ladies, if you don’t want to be a Victoria's Secret Angel
2. Food
Pumpkin everything. Lattes, muffins, munchkins, doughnuts, pie. Apple or look like one, you clearly don’t have your priorities straight. So I truly
hope that all of you tune in to watch the angels take on the runway and
cider, fritters, pie, etc. I could go on forever.
make every other human being look and feel like crap! If you don’t, be sure
3. Halloween
Tues, Dec 8th, 10/9C on CBS
Halloween is such a fun holiday! You can dress up as ANYTHING you to search it online.
want, go to fun parties with friends, AND get free candy! Honestly, I can’t
think of anything I would rather want to do.
4. Apple Picking
It’s always enjoyable to go apple picking with friends or family. You get
to enjoy yourself in the clean, crisp air while spending time with people
you care about. Plus, apples taste SO good in the fall.
5. Hay Rides
Hay rides are bales of fun! (Ha, get it?) I love getting a group of people
together and going on one. A big bonus: you can see all of the beautiful
scenery and the vibrant colors that makes fall in New England, well, fall
in New England.
6. Cozy Fire
Fall is officially the time to break out the fuzzy socks, drink tea, read
a good book, and sit next to a fire for hours, without having a care in the
world. There’s just something comforting about a cozy fire.
7. Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and many people agree. It’s
great to spend time with family you may not see on a regular basis. While
you catch up with them, you also get to eat amazing food!
There are so many activities in the fall; you will never run out of options.
www.victoriassecret.com/fashion-show/shop
Enjoy it while it lasts!
Holiday Gift Ideas
By Riley Cunningham
As we approach the holiday
nice candle. This gift would
season, everyone will be growing
be nice for mom or maybe
excited about hot chocolate, firea friend that appreciates
places, baking, presents, and decodecor. Also, this is a great
rating your home. With all the exgift to keep your loved one
citement, it’s easy to forget that you
in the holiday spirit with
have to purchase presents for your
a pick like peppermint
friends and family as well. Well,
or gingerbread. Or, for
don’t stress, we, here at the newsmore of a winter feel,
paper, have you covered. Here are
go for a scent like
some perfect gifts to get your loved
Yankee
Candle’s
ones this holiday season.
“Winter
Wonder1. Gift Cards - it may not be
land” or “Balsam
the most sentimental gift,
and Cedar.” but you can’t go wrong with
4. Jewelry - jewelry
a gift card. Everyone will
makes a great gift for both
appreciate a few helpful
men and women. Whether
dollars towards purchasing
it’s sparkly earrings and
something at their favorite
a bracelet for the girls, or
store. iTunes gift cards are
a nice watch for the guys,
an especially good gift bejewelry is always a hit.
cause… who doesn’t love
5. Shoes - guys and girls alike
music??
love a great new pair of
2. Makeup - any girl would
shoes. From the new Air
love a new eye shadow
Jordans to a strappy pair of
pallette, or sparkly new lip
heels, it’s easy to find the
gloss. It is the perfect presshoes your loved ones will
ent because it allows for evadore.
eryday wear.
6. Baked Goods - this tasty
3. Candles - now, I know what
treat is personal and shows
you’re thinking: candles?
the receiver you’re thinkThat’s so boring! Well I
ing about them. Bake your
know I’m not alone when I
neighbors a nice tin of cooksay that I love the scent of a
ies, or send your aunt some
peppermint bark. No one
can resist a treat during the
holidays!
7. Something Personal - to
really show someone you
care, try and think of something special that only that
person would love. Think
about your best inside
jokes, and find a funny
gift based on that. Or,
if you are just going
for a personalized
touch, think about
buying a mug or
phone case with that
person’s name.
8.Concert Tickets too used to spending all
your time at Hoyts or sitting
at Chili’s? Buy a gift that
allows you and your loved
one a chance to do something exciting, for once.
Go see a $20 concert at the
House of Blues in Boston,
or a play at the Warner Theatre in Torrington. Spend
the day in New York City
or take a drive and go shopping in Vermont. New opportunities for quality time
are one of the best gifts anyone could give.
9. Something Crafty - haven’t
you always been told that
just a handmade card will
make any mother smile?
Lucky for you, that hasn’t
changed. While a macaroni
necklace may no longer
make the cut, a handcrafted
gift is one of the most meaningful things to give. Make
a scrapbook, knit a scarf,
sew a throw pillow, or paint
a landscape. Get crafty! Any
mom or grandma would
love your attempt at art! 10.An Ugly Sweater - if you’re
loved one has a good sense
of humor, and ugly sweater is the perfect gift. Find
something big and comfy
that they would love to
wear around the house on
a lazy snow day, but something they’d be mortified
to be seen wearing in public. From crazy patterns, to
embarrassing phrases, they
are easy to find. While it
may not be the most practical gift, an ugly sweater
will make anyone laugh and
smile. Have fun with your gifts
this holiday season. Hopefully this
article has given you an idea or two
about what to purchase for your
family and friends this year. Photo by www.ebay.com
5
Falcon
Arts & Entertainment
Playdate Delivers
By Chris Zemaitis
Playdate - Playdate
Release Date: 9/27/15
Genre: Alternative rock
Available on Bandcamp ($8+) & iTunes ($8.91)
Run Time: 20:41
Television Picks
Twin Peaks (1990)
2 seasons
4.7/5
By Jonny Ross
30 Rocks (2006)
7 seasons
4.2/5
Set in a picturesque Wash- I originally fell into “30 Rock”
Newport Beach, California indie In terms of the individual’s perfor- ington town, “Twin Peaks” follows after binging on two insanely
rock quartet Playdate delivered mance, each member brings their the investigation of the mysteri- funny Netflix shows (“Parks and
their long awaited eponymous de- own special vibe. The singer and ous murder of a Laura Palmer. The Recreation” and “Unbreakable
but album via Bandcamp. Due to lead guitarist, Dan (couldn’t find show is made up of many different Kimmy Schmidt” (both must
their marketing via Vine celeb- his last name), has a distinct dron- genres, making it a universal choice watches). Once I started watching
rity and friend, Josh Kennedy, ing voice, who sounds like the love to watch. “Twin Peaks” is mostly a “30 Rock,” I noticed clear deparand the strength of their Oasis EP child of Ian Curtis, Robert Smith, crime drama, but it can also be hu- tures from my two previous shows.
on Bandcamp, they developed a and Morrissey. His guitar playing is morously strange and delightfully “30 Rock” has a truly original mixsmall following on the Internet. nothing short of exceptional. While terrifying. Viewers may find them- ture of heart and humor blended by
he isn’t the next Hendrix, he brings selves having to hide themselves the masterful Tina Fey. Even though
I downloaded this album with high great melodic solos to the forefront. from the sometimes nightmarish there are seven seasons, the time
hopes. Their EP tracks “Oasis” and Rhythm guitarist and cancer sur- visuals that appear quite often. The
spent watching “30 Rock” feels val“Pay Per View” both had potential vivor, Elijah Chavis, uses distinct,
acting is top notch, making all the ued and quick. It took me a whole
to be chart toppers, and both made weird and cool chord progressions
characters very relatable and be- summer to finish this show, but I
the new album. After listening to to highlight Dan’s voice. Basslievable. “Twin Peaks” would ap- can’t believe that those countless
the full 9-track album, I can say the ist Sean Flores lays down some
hours spent on the couch watching
two songs were not a fluke. In its funky lines as the foundation of peal to both teenagers and adults.
Tina and Baldwin’s hilarious banter
nearly 21-minute run time, the band the band’s alternative sound. Louis
are over. The writing is first class
channels The Cure, The Smiths, Knickerbocker, (according to his
and the acting is award caliber. Alec
The Stone Roses, The Sex Pistols, Instagram, that’s his actual name),
Baldwin’s portrayal of an NBC exThe Clash, My Morning Jacket, is the one pounding the skins and
ecutive is wildly wholesome and
Phantom Planet and so many other his performances are the most notesharp. This show will catch any
alternative rock heroes. They cre- worthy. Anyone who has seen a
viewer›s attention, even if it is quite
ate truly elaborate emotional piec- live performance or even video of
mature in its themes and comedy.
es in these short time frames (no them knows that he looks so calm
Image courtesy of
song runs longer than 3 minutes). while playing but plays some of
www.scriptmag.com
However, this is perfect for the in- the fastest, most furious beats outcreasingly short common attention side of metal. His performance
spans that our generation possesses. rounds out the sound in an aggresBy Lauren Ducci
sive but sonically conscious way.
There is a distinct difference in the
Music is a big part of our Some of the lyrics go “I was too
feel of the first half and second half Overall, this album may be one of lives. I don’t know about you, but young to understand what it means
of the record. The first half uses the best debuts I’ve heard. The al- I can’t go a day without it. Every- / I couldn’t wait til I could be sevsolely clean guitar and has a mel- bum’s lyrics are nothing special, where new artists are trying to get enteen / I thought he lied when he
low, beachy vibe, reminiscent of simply talking about everyday a name made for themselves, and said take my time to breathe / Now
Phantom Planet and Gantez. How- life, but they are more just a tool Alessia Cara is one of those artists. I wish I could freeze the time at sevever, the second set of songs, quite of showing off the vocals. I give Cara is an 18 year old from Canada. enteen.” These lyrics are very acculiterally, turns on the overdrive and the album an overall 9.5/10 stars.
She wrote a song called “Here” and rate. We often waste so much of our
plays short, loud, bombastic punk
soon enough it was named one of time wanting it to pass, and we end
rock songs. While the instrumentaKey tracks:
the best Canadian songs of April. up not living our lives. “Outlaws”
tion is a tribute to hardcore heroes
At Your Convenience
She performed it on “The Tonight is another song on this EP. I like
like Black Flag, Dead Kennedys,
Pay Per View
Show” with Jimmy Fallon in June this one a lot, but I like “Here” and
and Minor Threat, they still have
Get It Straight
and later opened for Tori Kelly. Per- “Seventeen” better. It’s a good song,
a perfect balance of vocal melody.
Skin Head
sonally, I love this song! I’ve heard but it’s not as catchy as the others.
it many times before, but I just dis- I feel the same way about another
covered that she was the artist. This song on her EP, “I’m Yours.” The
By Nina Diecidue
Nathan Sykes is a 22 year old Brit- Ever Know” is instrumental as song is about people who secretly last song on Cara’s EP is “Four Pink
ish singer and songwriter. In 2009, well. This song is good for when the hate parties or wallflowers. It’s a re- Walls.” The lyrics of this song are
at the age of 16, Sykes joined the weather is rainy and cold or you’re ally nice tune that I often get stuck very good, and it has a nice tune. Of
now very popular boy band The not feeling great because it sets the in my head. I definitely recom- all these songs, “Here” is definitely
Wanted. On August 23, 2013, Na- mood of how your feeling. Nathan’s mend listening to it. Another song my favorite. Alessia Cara is a very
than released his first solo debut most recent single “Kiss me Quick” of Cara’s is called “Seventeen.” good artist and she is worth listensingle with former girlfriend Ariana is arguably his most popular solo I really enjoyed this song as well. ing to. Go buy her EP!
Grande called “Almost Is Never song yet. This song veers away
Enough.” This song is very slow from his last two singles in the sense
By Lauren Factor and Madison Brokenshire
paced, vocal, and subtlety soulful. that it is a little more upbeat. NaThis song is ideal when you are sit- than could be compared to a young
ting on the couch scrolling through Michael Buble mixed with Justin
your apps or you are in the mood Timberlake because throughout all
to relax and or take a break from three of his songs you can hear the
homework. In 2015, he released jazz and soul that he has incorporattwo more songs: the first one ed into his music. Nathan Sykes is a
rising music star, his music
called “More Than You’ll
is unique and I would defiEver Know” and then after
nitely recommend checkcame the wildly popular
Image courtesy of
ing out his songs.
“Kiss me Quick.” Staying
rcovenant.org
Image courtesy of
with his soulful routes, the
www.capitalfm.com
song “More Than You’ll
Alessia Cara Review
Nathan Sykes: Rising Star
Fall Haiku
In fall the leaves change,
From green to yellow or red,
Or orange or brown.
6
Falcon
Arts & Entertainment
Why 2015 Was the Rebirth of Hip Hop Music
This year has experienced
some of the worst pop music I’ve
ever heard without a doubt. Rock
music is dead and probably will not
be returning as it has been wussified
to the point that bands like Imagine
Dragons, Fall Out Boy, and Panic!
At the Disco are considered “edgy.”
Artists like Meghan Trainor, Taylor
Swift, and Shawn Mendes reigned
supreme on the airwaves and made
me wish I was hard of hearing on
more than one occasion. However,
2015 proved to not be a complete
waste of a musical year. Hip hop
suffered the year of the talentless
Iggy Azalea and the further rise of
Migos in 2014. However, December signaled that times would be
changing when J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive dropped. This year
was the greatest year for hip hop of
the decade because not only did we
see the re-emergence of old styles,
but it also resulted in the popularization of relatively new sounds.
Complex Magazine has
proven that they do not know what
they are talking about when it comes
to music when the website reviewed
Kendrick Lamar’s masterpiece To
Pimp a Butterfly and said that it
was fully unenjoyable because it
was “too black.” That particular
album, when it released in March
was the first proof that the sign of
change sent by J. Cole would fulfill
By Chris Zemaitis
itself. The eerie jazz instrumentals deserved peak with Future’s album
marked a change in sound like no DS2 (Dirty Sprite 2) and the joint
other. King Kendrick created an al- mixtape with superstar Drake What
bum that was about the music rather a Time To Be Alive. The sound is
making an album full of bangers the love child of the existing club
like is so easily done by many new- scene, the sound of the south like
comers like Rae Sremmurd, Rich T.I. and Outkast, and the drill scene
Homie Quan, and Young Thug. Two in Chicago from young stars like
albums followed suit in the month Chief Keef and King Louie. It is
with two members of the former aggressive, dark, and epic. This
collective Odd Future, Tyler, The sound is exemplified by songs like
Creator and Earl Sweatshirt, releas- “Jumpman,” “Digital Dash,” and
ing their new albums Cherry Bomb “Thought It Was a Drought,” which
and I Don’t Like ****, I Don’t Go have a psychedelic quality to them.
Outside, respectively. Both artists It is a sound that I can only see
preferred to go the Kendrick route evolving and becoming the basis
and create pieces of art that strayed of a lot of future (no pun intended)
away from the popular sound. They hip hop. Ty Dolla $ign is obviouscreated contrasting energetic and ly following suit with his mixtape
bleak career capstones that helped Airplane Mode and the upcoming
prove that hip hop could survive in album Free TC. Other influencers
the mainstream without any catchy in the scene include Travi$ Scott,
singles. The capstone of the year whose efforts with Major Lazer and
and the best album of 2015, in my on his solo album Rodeo show that
opinion, Surf by Donnie Trumpet the emerging subgenre of rap is a
& The Social Experiment followed multifaceted one; the music is not
this trend to simply pursue artistry. repetitive or boring. Even Surf, deWhile songs like “Sunday Can- spite being a jazz rap record, dabdy” and “Familiar” are catchy and bled in the sound on its crowning
mainstream sounding, they lyrical- track “Familiar,” which featured
ly are not shallow like other artists. local Chicago heroes Chance The
The focus on the art rather than the Rapper, King Louie, and Atlanta
sales is what is driving hip hop back based rapper Quavo. This proves,
to its roots.
despite its mainstream sound, it,
On the contrasting spec- without a doubt, has the potential to
trum, the sound emerging from the become a mainstay of rap music
dirty south finally reached its well- Furthermore, gangsta rap
Calm Down About New Holiday Cups at Starbucks
By Ayushi Hegde & Catherine Martinez
Starbucks is delicious. True, tially the iOS 7 of Starbucks, and mas did not magically get appointit’s overpriced and overrated and people are so mad that they’re actu- ed the two colors of green and red
probably not as healthy as we think ally threatening to boycott the cof- just because they look good togethit is, but who doesn’t get a little too fee shop chain. People are calling er (although they are complemenexcited when they hear the words the move a “war on Christmas” and tary colors, y’know). Red and green
‘pumpkin spice’? Most normal accusing Starbucks of “being afraid are symbolic for Christmas. Red is
people, probably, but that’s not the of celebrating Christmas.” It’s hi- the color of holly berries, whose
point. The point is, Starlarious and a little plant grows in the winter. This red
bucks is great and they
bit worrisome. Basi- is known to represent the blood of
make great drinks.
cally, there is a small Christ when he died on the cross.
So why is everynumber of Christians Green is used to represent everlastone freaking out about
- members of a group ing life, as pine trees are still green
their new holiday cup?
who already make up in the winter when everything else
Basically, if you
the majority of the dies.
That all being said, we do
don’t know what we’re
religious and cultural
talking about, there are
representation in the still love the holiday season, and
a few very angry, very
United States - who nothing excites us more than bepassionate people who www.grubstreet.com are mad that they’re ing able to wear fuzzy scarves and
believe that the new cups
not getting enough drink my peppermint mochas while
aren’t “festive” enough. These new representation. Look, we 100 per- there’s snow on the ground. The
cups, by the way, are CUPS. They cent understand that Christmas is end of the year, regardless of your
are RED PAPER CUPS that people an important part of Christian cul- religion, is universally meant to be
drink from before throwing out, and ture, religion, and traditions, and we an accepting period of love, joy,
people are mad because these paper promise that we respect that. But and just overall good spirit. So if
cups don’t feature enough Christ- not everyone in the U.S. is actually you are one of those people who is
mas-y imagery. In the past, the cups Christian, and do you hear anyone angry about the lack of festivity and
have proudly displayed wintery threatening to boycott Starbucks “Christmas spirit” featured on the
scenes complete with snowflakes, because they never make Diwali- new holiday cups from Starbucks,
please take a moment to reexamine
reindeer, etc., whereas this year the themed cups or drinks?
company has gone for a minimal
What’s even more worri- your priorities and, in the true spirit
approach of red ombré.
some is that the color red is already of Christmas, calm down.
The new cups are essen- associated with Christmas. Christ-
has thankfully reemerged as force
to be reckoned with. Coinciding with the release of the biopic
Straight Outta Compton, the legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre
released his first studio album in
sixteen years. Compton, despite being his weakest effort, proves to be
a modern masterpiece, incorporating the G funk sound that he, Snoop
Dogg, and Warren G pioneered, and
mixing it with the gangsta rap influences of his own group N.W.A.,
and modern artists like ScHoolboy
Q. This proves that the art form
that, for many, was what first captured their attention and drew them
to rap is not dead. In fact, quite the
opposite is true, as proved by a
couple records, the first of which is
Summertime ‘06 by Vince Staples.
He created an album of such sonic
fury that reminisced of All Eyez On
Me, Eazy-Duz-It, and the modern
masterpiece Oxymoron. The Game
made his triumphant return after the
very mediocre 2012 album Jesus
Piece to release The Documentary
2 and The Documentary 2.5, both
of which nearly top the original
masterpiece. Hip hop is on the rise
again, as profane and as controversial as ever but with an increasing
amount of artistry that could bring
us to its second golden age, which
I, personally, can’t wait for.
Perfumes
By Abby Williamson
Who doesn't love perfume?
The sweet smell that captures everyone's attention. The fragrances
that has everyone loving it. From
high price Chanel all the way to low
price Gap, everyone has to have it!
They all seem to have that same
sweet smell. I tend to love Viva la
Juicy along with Justin Bieber’s
Key perfume. Celebrities have over
100 fragrances. Some people even
think that the fragrances smell just
like the celebrities, which is a little
bit crazy. But honestly, perfume is
a great item that many love. One
squirt a day will brighten your day.
7
fashionlinks4us.blogspot.com
Falcon sports
FALL RESULTS
Avon Field Hockey Takes Unexpected Turn
Girls XC
At the beginning of the
10-0 won Central White Division.
season, things weren’t looking too
Class MM State Champs bright for the Avon Falcons. Eleven seniors had graduated, bringing
Field Hockey
many starting players along with
Final Record: 14-3-0-1
them. The team was left with just
three seniors: Annie Kuo, Becca
Boys’ Cross Country
Bonini and Megan Foley. It didn’t
10-0 in Conference play
help that the team was moving
2nd in two different Invitationals.
from the NCCC to the CCC, playAndrew Suter, the team’s #1
ing harder teams and larger schools.
runner, was the overall champion.
The beginning of the season, as described by captain Hannah Deppe,
Boys and Girls Crew had very
successful seasons. Both programs “showed that we needed to improve
competed in the Head of the Charles individually and learn to play as a
team.” Over time, with the help of
Regatta in Boston.
daily practices and friendly scrimGirls Varsity Soccer
mages with neighboring towns, the
Season 6-6-4
team greatly improved their skills
Tournament 1-1-0
Overall 7-7-4
By Sydney White
and bonded more so than any other
year. By the time they reached their
first game, the players “were like
sisters, always having each others’
backs,” exclaimed player Maddie Carlone. While their first fierce
game against Glastonbury ended in
a 4-1 loss, it only pushed the girls
to work harder for their next games.
Their determination led them to win
every game up until a fierce battle
against Conard. Then, days later,
a 1-0 loss against Farmington led
the team to realize they needed to
change their mindset and work 10x
as hard in preparation for the tournament. They won their first tournament game against Guilford 2-0.
Next, came the rivals from Farm-
ington. After Avon’s loss against
them the previous week, the girls
saw winning as the only option.
Farmington scored about two minutes into the game, and it wasn’t
looking good for the Falcons. Then,
with one minute left, Olivia Jackson
sent the ball into the goal, tying up
the game. The girls had an intense
team huddle before going out for
7 v 7 overtime. Then, in an amazing turn of events, Lauren Jeandell
made an amazing pass, perfectly
aimed to senior Becca Bonini. Bonini trapped the ball and sent it flying into the goal, leading Avon to
victory. Bottom line, hard work and
determination can lead a team to
victories never thought possible.
Boys’ Soccer
Record: 16-6
Won State Tournament!
Football
Record: 8-2
Won Valley Gridiron Classic 55-26
Avon Volleyball
Out of 33-team Central Connecticut
Conference:
Junior Lauren Jeandell near the goal.
Freshman Paige Deppe for AHS.
17-8 overall record
Photos by Dylan Bernetich
14-6 regular season record (earning
#14 seed in CIAC Class L State Tour- GRIDIRON VICTORY
By Sam Moran
nament, advancing to quarterfinals) Congratulations to Coach Caouette
and all the players!
In my freshman year I never conatics” club, the games are full of
really went to sporting events. I lots of cheering and excitement. It
didn’t see the point in it. However, is rewarding to know that I am supthis year I gave it a chance and real- porting my school and of course
ized how entertaining it was to go my friends playing on the field. It’s
to a game. Attending these sport- a great feeling to be joining in on
ing events are actually fun! I espe- the chorus of my fellow classmates
cially enjoy them, because I get to screaming “GO AVON!” and feelbe a part of a huge group of ener- ing the energy and excitement when
gized fans. Another fun thing about our team makes a touchdown, goal,
going to games, is when there is a etc. All I am saying is at least try
dress-up, everyone seems to go ‘all- it out once; take the time to go to
out’. Thanks to our school’s “Fal- one game and you won’t be disappointed. Zlatin displays the victory plaque.
Go To A Game
w
ho
S
s
t
or
p
p
Su
c
ati
n
lco
a
F
Andrew Suter runs to victory.
Ian McDonald and Brooke Fisher
share a winning moment at the
Gridiron Classic.
Champions Celebrate
RELAY FOR
LIFE
Please consider getting involved
with this year’s Relay For Life.
Contact: Harvey Dutil, Relay For
Life of Farmington Valley, Trichair—Bring The People. This
year’s relay will take place at
Farmington High School on May
21 and 22, 2016.
Della Hellwig passing the ball.
8