October - Weston Public Schools

Wildcat Tracks
October 2013
Powder Puff for class of 2014 in Question
Rachel Mordecai
STAFF WRITER
WHS senior girls are
anxiously awaiting the final
decision of the administrators
on whether or not the powder
puff game will be held on
Wednesday,
November
27. There has åbeen some
hesitation to have the game
due to past experiences with
injuries and trash-talking
between Weston and Wayland
participants.
Weston seniors have
been strongly fighting to keep
the powder puff tradition going.
This year, however, they are
up against an added challenge
- administrators. Seniors pray
that they will win the debate
and hopefully, beat Wayland
too.
This
time-honored
tradition occurs at many
Massachusetts high schools.
This annual girls flag football
game is known to be a popular
event.
Some administrators
have been reluctant to continue
the powder puff tradition this
year and in upcoming years as
well.
“In general it makes
me nervous because I know
that there is a lot of training that
goes into our football team and
getting them ready to tackle, to
play in a way that is safe and
productive,” said Assistant
Principal Erica Cole. “I know
that the powder puff team does
practice, but they don’t have
anywhere near the supervision
or the training (or padding),
that the football team does, so
it makes me nervous for their
health and well being.”
The injuries and trashtalking between the girls on both
teams are the primary reasons
why
some
administrators
are hesitant to continue the
tradition. However, Principal
Anthony Parker said he is
working with WHS seniors to
find a safe way to continue the
tradition.
“The last couple of
years there has been an increase
in bickering and tension,” said
Parker. “This year we’re trying
really hard to work against
that and [senior] Talia Cramer
is taking the lead and really
saying we want this to be fun,
we want this to be fair, we
want this to be something that
people will enjoy. Talia came to
me this year and said that they
wanted to work with Wayland
to be different. And I respect
that and I’ll support that. I think
the concept of powder puff is
great, but remember it’s a game.
It’s supposed to be fun, it’s not
supposed to be personal.”
In the senior grade,
girls feel very strongly about
powder puff and some think it’s
unfair to girls not to continue
the tradition.
“The big trash talking
between Wayland and Weston
for the past couple of years have
played a part, but they are our
rivals so that it not abnormal,”
said senior Sharlea Brookes.
Brookes
said
she
believes that the trash-talking
could be kept to a minimum
Last year’s participants anticipating play from the sidelines
PHOTO/Hannah Graves
Halloween Spirit
Campus preparing for some goolish
fun
Page 2
involved
in
during the game.
making
the
Many of
decision met
the girls in the
to create a
senior class find it
proposals as
offensive and unfair
to why the
that powder puff
game should
may be cancelled.
continue.
“Yes, it is
B r o o k e s
sexist. Girls know
has
gotten
what
they
are
involved
getting into when
with
this
they sign up to
game
from
play. If there were
attending
injuries in a guys’
all
annual
game, there is no
powder puff
doubt in my mind
that they would Alumni Maddie Linde and Sarah Peters at last year’s powder puff games from
the time that
still have the game game PHOTO/Hannah Graves
she was a
without a second
game.
freshman. thought. It’s flag football, not
“Wayland is obviously She strongly believes
even tackle, so it is just as
our rival, so it makes the that this event should take
violent as any gym class would
competition that much higher. place and expressed concern
be,” said senior Patty Atkinson.
I think it’s fun going against that there were not more female
WHS’s rivalry against
another town like Wayland faculty members present at the
Wayland sparks some of the
because it creates a competition September 28 meeting.
adrenaline. Since Wayland
where all the girls who normally “I don’t think it is
is Weston’s long-time rival,
wouldn’t play sports together justified [not to have the game]
Atkinson and Brookes believe
can all come together to beat because the majority of the
that it wouldn’t make sense
our rival team,” said Atkinson, faculty are men, and they are
to have it against anyone
“Powder puff is supposed to determining a game primarily
but Wayland. Brookes said
encourage school pride of for the female students that
the match with Wayland has
everyone in Weston getting only happens ONCE a year.
historical significance because
together and cheering each Not twice, not three times,
the rivalry has existed since her
other on as a whole.”
ONCE. UNO,” said Brooks.
mother’s generation.
Rather than talking There have been some
“Wayland and Weston
about the game to fellow injuries in the past that have led
have been rivals forever and
students, a group of students up to the hesitancy to continue
every sports game is so intense.
who are captains of fall sports the tradition, but to senior
With better competition brings
and members of the student Caroline Peters, co-captain of
better effort and energy. It’s
council and student government Weston Wayland Varsity Crew,
cliché but ‘Let the better team
have been working towards the injuries haven’t been all
win,’” Brookes said.
convincing the administrators that bad.
The rivalry between
to have the game.
“As far as I know, girls
Weston and Wayland sparks
On Sunday, September have gotten bloody noses and
fierce competition making it
28, Brookes said that the maybe a sprained wrist during
interesting to spectators as
students and administrators the game,” said Peters.
well as fun to those playing the
Atkinson believes that
if the game is cancelled, many
people in the school will be
disappointed.
“This effects the entire
senior class, as well as other
grades who enjoy coming
to watch the games,” said
Atkinson, “All of the senior
girls want to participate in the
game and I know not only we
will be upset if we aren’t able to
play, but the boys who wanted
to coach us will be upset, the
rest of the senior boys who
2013 graduates take the field with force.
PHOTO/Hannah Graves
Drop in Boston Magazine
Ranking
Looking into WHS’s response
Page 3
Cont. on pg. 3
Infinite Campus Demysitified
New software explained
Page 5
Wildcat News
October 2013
Page 2
Halloween Spirit at WHS
Gearing up for the Halloween Assembly
Patty Atkinson
EDITOR
The
Halloween
assembly
scheduled
for
Thursday, October 31, will be
the first Halloween assembly at
WHS in three years. The senior
class is the only class to have
experienced the assembly due
to past weather inflicted school
cancellations on two consecutive
Halloweens.
Halloween at WHS is
a time for all the students, and
even the teachers, to embrace the
fun of Halloween by dressing up
in different types of fun, spooky,
or ridiculous costumes.
“The
Halloween
assembly is definitely one of the
most fun assemblies because the
whole school gets the chance
to participate, and if you don’t
participate, you really stick
out like a sore thumb. There is
always a fun parade or games
planned for the assembly,” said
senior and co-president Sharlea
Brookes.
Dressing up for the
Halloween assembly has been an
annual tradition in WHS since at
least 1995, according to science
teacher Janet Kresl Moffat. The
assembly works to spark school
spirit by allowing students to
sport costumes they normally
wouldn’t get chance to wear in
class.
“I think it’s good to get
back into the spirit of Halloween,
with the last few years with the
storm there hasn’t been as much
Halloween spirit. With people
being excited for Halloween
and fall, I think it’s good to get
back into the rhythm of people
feeling good about Halloween,”
sophomore Alex Heywood said.
Freshman, sophomore,
and junior classes only have
stories of past assemblies to
learn from. Having no prior
knowledge, many are left in the
dark about WHS Halloween
traditions.
“I don’t know anything
about the Halloween assembly
because we have never had one
before, I am excited to see what
happens,” sophomore Emma
Marlow-Benedict said.
Since the middle school
assemblies differ entirely from
Students showing spirit for the holidays.
PHOTO/Jenna Weissman
normal high school assemblies,
current freshmen are even more
unfamiliar with the traditions.
“Assemblies in middle
school were always so boring,
nothing like the assembly we had
on the first Wednesday,” freshman
Jack Griffith said. “I have never
heard of any of them in the past,
but from what I can guess, I think
the Halloween assembly is going
to be a lot of spirited people in
costumes. I think it’s going to be
a lot of fun; you’re never too old
for Halloween.”
Past
Halloween
assemblies have been known
for the entire school community
embracing
the
traditions
Halloween entails - from costume
contests and candy, to outrageous
outfits.
“When
we
were
freshman the assembly was so
fun because the seniors were so
rowdy and always got everyone
really into it. I remember the
senior guys were cupid, which
was really funny,” said senior
Jessie Nahigian. “I just hope
that [MC’s] Brett and Peyton
will make it really good because
no one else has experienced it
and I want the freshman and
underclassmen to realize how fun
it can be.”
The
seniors
are
enthusiastic to show the curious
underclassmen what exactly
these Halloween assemblies are
all about.
“Our grade is definitely
going to have a really big
outcome. I think the younger
grades are kind of going to dress
up but not really, just because
they don’t really know how into it
Alumni Reid and Jesse performing a scene from Blades of Glory in
costume. PHOTO/Jenna Weissman
people usually get because none
of them have experienced it
before,” senior Patrick Timperio
said.
The
15
seniors
interviewed
hope
the
underclassmen
fulfill
their
expectation of school wide
participation.
“I am worried that the
freshman aren’t going to dress
up because they think it is going
to be weird, when in actuality,
they’ll be judged for not dressing
up,” senior and MC Peyton
Provenzano said.
Contrary
to
these
seniors’ apprehension towards
underclassmen spirit, many of
the sophomores and juniors are
ready to take on the challenge of
dressing up.
“I am probably going to
go all out. We were talking about
the hockey team wearing roller
blades in the school or something.
I think it’s better if you go as a
group than if you go by yourself,”
sophomore Ben Hamblett said.
Sophomore Jess Mosher
said that this Halloween assembly
will be the model for all future
assemblies since it will be the
only one for underclassmen to
build from.
“I think that if people
start dressing up really well right
now then it might set a precedent
because if people don’t dress up
now, then next year they will
probably be like ‘oh nobody
dressed up last year, so why
should I dress up this year?’ But
if people dress up for this year
and if everybody goes all out like
people want them to, then I think
that it could be really good,”
Mosher said. According
to
Provenzano, the specific plans
for the Halloween assembly will
be a surprise, but the seniors are
confident that spirits will be high.
“We have to leave
behind a legacy and step up the
spirit level. I am proud to help
represent the class of 2014,
everyone truly brought the spirit
to the first assembly, we just have
to keep it going,” Provenzano
said.
Dressing up for Halloween
Jacqueline Chen
STAFF WRITER
Thinking of dressing
up for Halloween this year? Join
the crowd! With WHS’s highly
anticipated Halloween assembly
just around the corner, students
and faculty are definitely in a
ghoulish spirit.
Halloween,
formerly
known as All Hallows’ Eve, was
initially influenced by Celtic
harvest
festivals,
according
to halloweenhistory.org. The
Ancient Celts believed that on
October 31, the worlds of the
living and the dead overlapped.
They feared that the deceased
would come back to life and
damage crops. In order to appease
these evil spirits, masks and
costumes were worn to mimic
them.
When WHS students
and faculty were asked to reflect
on contemporary Halloween
costumes, most mentioned the
most amusing costumes that
they have worn to celebrate the
holiday.
There was a very
wide range of costumes WHS
members laughed about wearing
in years past. Some people
chose to sport funny costumes,
while others donned frightening
apparel, getting into the true spirit
of Halloween. Animal costumes
were a popular trend amongst the
student body.
From freshman Joey
Lambo’s turkey costume to Zoe
Snow being “a cat for seven years
in a row”, a variety of animals
have traipsed through the halls of
WHS.
However, costume
ideas are not just limited to our
furry and feathered friends.
Some people loved their
costumes so much that they could
not take their costumes off, even
after October 31.
“In preschool my mom
made me a snow white costume
and I ended up wearing it
everyday” said freshman Lizzie
Racklin. “Now there’s a rule
about not wearing costumes at
my preschool.”
Freshman
Ariana
Seepersad could not quite fit into
her sister’s hand-me-downs.
“I wore my sister’s old
witch costume and it was way
too big,” said Seepersad. “I fell
everywhere.”
Students and faculty did
not only reminisce about amusing
costumes, but also joked about
the wardrobe malfunctions that
came with the holiday.
“I was 10 and I was
big into Pokémon,” said senior
Mike Brewer. “I thought it was
the coolest thing ever. I got a
Charmander costume with a tail.
I thought it’d be cool to bike
around. The tail got stuck in the
spokes of my bike and it broke
off.”
Senior Colin Larocque
had to think on his feet and make
a quick costume change after an
unexpected accident.
“Three years ago, I wore
a muscle superman costume. I got
out of the car and the cape got
stuck in the door and ripped my
costume in half,” said Larocque.
“I ended up trick or treating in
boxers and a tank top.”
To
our
teacher’s
dismay, embarrassing Halloween
experiences are not limited to
only students.
“I showed up to a college
Halloween party dressed up as
a full on clown, not realizing
the adult Halloween costume
‘expectations’,” said history
teacher Pauline Chaloff.
While most people used
Halloween as a fun holiday to
dress up, English teacher Henry
Moon wrecked havoc in his
hometown.
“Me and two college
buddies built a Challenger Space
Shuttle and lit it on fire, and ran
down the street in it,” said Moon.
The
enthusiastic
responses to our poll foreshadow
a very exciting display of eclectic
costumes at WHS’s Halloween
assembly.
Wildcat News
October 2013
Page 3
WHS Drops from 1 to 11 in Local Rankings
Sophia Kinnealey
EDITOR
WHS has continuously
held its reputation as one of
the top five “Best Schools in
the Greater Boston Area” as
determined annually by Boston
Magazine for the past ten years.
Except for this year. This year
WHS took an unexpected drop to
No.11.
The fall in ranking was
a surprise but the administration
jumped into action analyzing the
information and figuring out ways
in which WHS could improve in
the areas bringing us down.
Principal
Anthony
Parker has been working with
committee members and other
branches of faculty throughout
the school in an effort to bring
attention to the lower ranking and
determine the root of the problem.
He believes that multiple tfactors
went into the overall scoring but
one large element was last ye,ar’s
Advanced Placement test scores.
In 2012 Weston was
recorded as having 87.7% of all
AP test takers scoring between
a three and a five on their AP
exams. This year however, the
percentage fell to 79.2%.
“A large part of [the
results] had to do with a drop in
AP scores in specific courses,
having under 80% [of students]
score a 3 or above,” said Parker.
The school board
is conscious of what that
percentage really means for the
school, said Parker. And they
are working on creating some
solutions that will improve
results in future years. Parker
proposed the idea of potentially
making AP exams optional for
students, hence heightening the
number of students legitimately
eager to do well and limiting
those who are only there to meet
their class requirements.
Parker is also mindful
of the issues with seniors
revolving around the AP exams.
He said that seniors put in less
effort than underclassmen do on
the tests since their scores have
no real relation to whether they
will or will not be accepted to
college. The extremities of score
differentials between a senior
scoring a 3 or above versus a
junior scoring a 3 or above is also
significantly lower.
“We clearly have to do
something different with seniors
because by the time seniors take
their AP exams, they’re done,”
said Parker. “They’re in college
and they just have to report that
they took [the tests].”
“You don’t have to
report the scores, so what does it
mean for them,” Parker said.
WHS’s scores would
improve if students were given
the choice to take the exam and
seniors were provided with a
more structured drive to score in
the highest percentile, regardless
of its relation to college.
The question is also
being raised if some of the
gateway courses, such as APUSH
or APStat, should be a bit more
stringent about who gets in, said
Parker. The classes should be
filled with students striving not
only to be successful but also to
take the scores and the course
itself seriously.
Some of the students
around the school also feel
directly affected by the change in
ranking and are glad to know the
members of the administrative
team are actively working to help
WHS progress positively as a
whole, regardless of where WHS
falls on “Boston Magazine’s”
scale.
“[The
rating]
discouraged me because our
school should not be overreacting
to what a magazine says,”
said senior Sharlea Brookes.
“We should fix what needs
improvement to create an even
better school community, whether
number one or 100.”
Many others took the
news as a positive learning
experience for WHS as a
community and something that
can be used to drive everybody to
work harder.
“I feel like in Weston we
have a high standard for how we
judge ourselves. But going down
11 spots isn’t that bad all things
considered,” said junior Benton
McCanne. “Being number one
comes with a lot of pressure,
especially in Weston where we
have a high reputation for being
one of the best public schools. It
might be a good thing, a helpful
break.”
The ways in which
“Boston Magazine” obtained
their information is also a topic
of interest, said Parker. Their
statistics
are
considerably
different from the ones WHS
collected, which makes it difficult
to understand which sections
of their acquired information
are good representations of our
school and which are not.
A source contacted
from “Boston Magazine” for
this article would not clarify
the process used to compile the
rankings, and would not provide
comment on their reporting of
WHS’s graduation rate.
“You know [with] the
graduation rate, they’re just
wrong,” said Parker.
Weston’s
change
in ranking was a shock for
everybody, especially because
it was such a large drop in the
course of a year. But regardless
of how WHS is ranked “we are
a sound school and we are an
excellent school,” said Parker.
Changes in Special Education Department
Julia Metraux
STAFF WRITER
WHS and WPS’s special
education
department
have
undergone drastic changes for the
2013-2014 school year.
According to Principal
Anthony Parker, changes at
the high school include hiring
more teachers to help students,
providing more guidance to what
students will do after graduating
from WHS, and scheduling
outside of school activities to
improve students’ confidence and
independence.
The class Skills, which
a majority of students on an
Individual
Education
Plan
(IEP) have in their schedule,
focuses on helping students with
specific classes in which they
are struggling. For example, if a
student is struggling in math but
not English, the student would
receive help in math more of the
time, according to Patrick Kelly,
the head of the special education
department.
In the past, students in
Skills have struggled with the
lack of one-to-one attention. To
solve this problem, additional
teachers have been hired to
support students and be the case
manager for the students’ IEP’s.
“I definitely think an
improvement is that there is
more guidance, which definitely
helps everyone,” said junior Peter
Constable.
Kelly said the teachers’
role in the Skills curriculum has
also changed.
“The roles of the
Skills teachers, who are also the
students’ case managers, have a
more direct role in the education
that the student receives. For an
example, in years past teachers
have generally spent most of
the time working on a student’s
plan, but now these teachers are
attending their students’ classes,”
said Kelly.
Kelly said the Getting
Organized for Academics and
Life (GOAL) program supports
students with more serious
learning disabilities. In the
program, students are taught life
skills and how to be independent
both at WHS and after their
graduation. GOAL program
activities include learning how to
get around Boston and farming at
Lands Sake.
The special education
department hired two new
teachers to lead the GOAL
program, Andrea Falvey and
Susan Tokey. Falvey has previous
experience working in education
in the Newton and Hopedale
Public Schools. Falvey said she
really likes teaching.
“I wanted to become a
teacher because I like working
with kids, especially those with
learning challenges. Teaching is
really rewarding and interesting,”
said Falvey.
GOAL student Kyle
Peddie said that the program’s
move to a bigger classroom and
the help he receves from his
teachers have helped him and his
fellow students.
“I like the bigger
classroom. I also really like Mr.
Smith,” said Peddie.
In its second year,
the Bridge Program provides
intensive, individualized support
to Weston High School students
who are returning from substantial
absences for emotional or medical
reasons, according to Kelly.
The Bridge Program
has helped students reintegrate
into WHS academics and deal
with personal issues, such as
suffering from depression or
severe anxiety, which can disrupt
a student’s education.
“The great thing about
the Bridge program is it helps
students
academically
and
emotionally. If a student is having
a rough day, that person can
hopefully go to Bridge and be
supported,” said Kelly.
Unfortunately, all the
changes in the special education
department were not positive.
Patrick Kelly said some tutors in
skills were let go from WHS at
the end of the 2012-2013 school
year because they lacked proper
certification to teach and thus
could not match the new model of
the Skills classroom.
Senior Maria Barrow
said that she was upset that some
tutors in the special education
department were let go because
they did not have teaching
degrees.
“I think that it is sad that
[tutors] were let go. They spend
most of their time making sure that
kids get what’s going on in class,”
said Barrow. “While they might
not teach us new information,
they still teach us good study
habits. Not to mention that it was
easy to make a connection with
Coach Seth Wyman helping a student with their homework
PHOTO/Julia Metraux
[them]. They are great people and well, and now we are in a
I will miss them.”
position where we can give more
Principal
Anthony to our students. There is always
Parker said that he is confident in room for improvement to help
the changes made in the special students,” said Parker. “With the
education department, but it is too changes we made, we need to
early in the school year to see the wait and make adjustments, but
full results of the changes.
I think good improvements were
“We served students made.”
Powder puff continued from page 1.
wanted to cheer us on will be upset, and the underclassmen who
wanted to attend and show some school spirit will also be upset.”
The powder puff games have been a tradition that some
seniors including Peters, Atkinson, and Brooks have looked
forward to. This groups of students, especially the ones mentioned,
would be very upset if the tradition were to be terminated.
“I know that I would be very upset. I can’t speak for the
whole grade, but girls don’t have to participate if they don’t want
to, and if they do want to they should have the opportunity. I’d
say that this is a pretty large issue, not just for the seniors but also
for upcoming classes. This is a tradition that we’ve all looked
forward to, and we haven’t done anything wrong for us to not
deserve to participate in it,” said Peters.
“I’d love to see powder puff stay. It’s a good tradition. But
we need to keep it clean, keep it fun, keep it civil,” said Parker.
Page 4
Ilaria Santangelo
Wildcat World
October 2013
WHS Welcomes New Faculty
the Tenacity Challenge,
helping out with Student
EDITOR
Council, and having great
relationships with students of
The leaves are changing all different ages. I felt like
color and the parking lot is I really wanted to continue
becoming more crowded and and see that through, and
that’s when you know a new year I also feel like Weston is a
has started here at WHS. Students great place with wonderful
have been taking interest in their colleagues. The collegiality
new classes, new responsibilities, in the English and history
and even new teachers. WPS has department is just amazing.
added 45 new faculty members to I’ve had so much support
the administration and staff, and there I just could not see
here at WHS we have welcomed myself being anywhere
21 new faculty and staff members. else.”
This departmental
English teacher Erin McCarty was a student teacher collegiality is what impressed
and long-term sub in the English math teacher Aviva Hamavid
PHOTO/Courtney Brenner
department last year, and is now a when she started her year asMr. McEwen in his classroom full time faculty member. The new a sub for math teacher Mary
love the environment and I think makes for an easy commute to
year stress that many students are Fierabend last year.
people are interesting and fun work, and his past experience in
“It’s a really great place and people are excited about cool work brings a unique perspective
experiencing does not only apply
to students but to teachers as well; to work; this department has a things.”
to his job.
so when thinking about workload, really great community. There Math has always been an
“This is my first year of
is the perfect balance of being inherent part of Hamavid’s life as teaching and I’ve been in industry
just remember, everyone has it.
“I feel like I’m a lot supportive and not being rigid. her mother, father, and uncle, math for quite a while so I bring a
busier just because its totally my We have access to everything
teacher Larry Davidson, perspective of chemistry from
classes this year so
are
math
teachers. industry research,” said McEwen.
I’m trying to make
Although she majored “I’ve done a lot of research, I’ve
it be unique and my
in environmental policy, spent years on it so I have that
own,” said McCarty.
her love for making perspective I can bring. I have a
“I’m also making
connections and relating wide interest so when a student
sure that all the
math to the outside asks a question I can use that
grades are done and
world is what prompted perspective and answer it in a
all the assignments
her decision to take up way they are interested in. I’m
are really worked out.
the family’s trade.
also interested in education and
It’s been wonderful
“ M a t h how something can be taught
but it’s been a lot
education is something better.”
more stressful and
that has always been
Everything
around
a lot more work this
something on the table us involves chemistry, and
year.”
for me. I like thinking McEwen’s interest in chemistry
Not
only
about how people think, was sparked by a simple everyday
teaching
English,
and I really like math. routine-cooking.
McCarty’s
course
I like it when it’s about
“Everything
involves
load is now doubled
the wrong answer, and stuff and stuff is matter and
because she is also
when it’s all about the matter is made up of compounds
teaching freshman
explanation and when and elements. Everything is
honors world history.
its not about having made or influenced by chemistry.
She is able to learn
the right answer which Even if you’re not going to be a
with her students
is kind of interesting,” scientist or a chemist you can at
as new topics are
said Hamavid. “I used least realize that everything you
brought up in class.
to always say I was see is chemistry,” said McEwen.
“So often Erin McCarty helps student PHOTO/Samantha Swartz ‘doomed’ to teach, “Back in high school I used to do
in high school and
because I grew up in a a lot of cooking and I happened
college, at least in my
everyone used to teach these family with all these teachers. It’s to enjoy chemistry. You’re
experience, we really weren’t
mixing in proportions.
exposed to that much world
You’re heating things
history. Its really interesting for
up and you’re making
me to learn while the kids are
things. There’s a lot of
learning, the different ways to
chemistry in cooking
approach topics to really dig
I didn’t realize it at
in and see how has our world
the time but then I got
changed since ancient times and
really interested in
how our world is developing.
chemistry. “
The hands on aspect makes it so
All of these
interesting and makes the kids
teachers have one
actually get things through this
thing in common with
experience which I love,” said
special
education
McCarty.
teacher Susan Tokey,
What attracted McCarty
who all said that the
to accepting her spot as a full time
friendly staff makes it
teacher at Weston, when deciding
easy to assimilate to
between Weston and Westwood,
the school system.
was the sense of community she
“What I found
felt between teachers.
I like best about coming
“I think that both
to work at Weston is
Hamavid working with student
PHOTO/Courtney Brenner
are great school systems, and
the team of people. It’s
courses,
but
no
one
is
being
still
true,
but
my
perspective
on
it
they both have wonderful
a wonderful team of people.
opportunities for their teachers, controlling,” said Hamavid. “It’s changed.”
Everybody is very friendly and
a
great
balance
where
I
have
all
Similarly
to
McCarty
but I feel like I’ve already created
provided a lot of support which
the
resources
I
need,
but
I
can
and
Hamavid,
chemistry
teacher
a great community here with
has been terrific,” said Tokey.
also
do
what
I
want,
which
is
Alan
McEwen
was
also
a
sub
my students,” said McCarty.
Growing up with a
awesome.
I
think
students
in
last
year
that
is
now
a
full
time
“I’ve started so much awesome
sibling with special needs and a
Weston
are
great
people,
I
just
teacher.
Residing
in
Weston
work last year like working with
son with special needs is what
prompted her to get involved in
the field.
“I have a son with special
needs and a sibling with special
needs so I became interested in it
with having personal experience,”
said Tokey. “I have experience
working in a couple other places
doing similar work to what the
job I have here requires. So it was
an good match of my skills.”
Everything
happens
for a reason is what Ms. Tokey
believes. Her advice to other
students would be to keep on
going.
“I don’t think I have any
major regrets. Everything you do
in life leads to something else,”
said Tokey. “You have some
goals and you work hard and a
lot of it is just working hard. Not
being afraid to make mistakes and
learning from your mistakes and
you just keep going. That’s how
it works.”
Collaborating
with
Tokey, special education teacher
Andrea Falvey also works with
special education students that are
different ages than the students
Tokey teaches.
“My favorite part about
working in the special education
department is the people I work
with, the kids and the adults.”
Falvey explained she
incorporates many different tools
into her curriculum because each
student learns differently.
“My teaching method differs
for every kid, but some
things that I’m big on are
starting off with a warm up
activity if its math and then trying
to build on the students’ prior
knowledge,” Falvey said. “Then
I teach the lessons then modeling
what I want them to do. I like to
use a lot of visuals, and try to…
use lots of technology.”
Although learning a
language is something that does
not come naturally to very many
people, Spanish teacher Nicholas
Pezzote’s passion for the language
motives him to help his students
truly understand Spanish.
“I think the biggest thing
is to be passionate about your
subject, you have to find fun and
innovative ways to express that to
students,” said Pezzote. “I think
its really important that you find
ways to engage students in a fun
and academic way that’s student
centered, so I do lots of different
cultural
activities,
projects,
presentations, lots of hands on
learning. “
Due
to
Pezzote’s
experience as a Spanish teacher,
he has learned valuable lessons
from the language.
“One piece of advice I
would say is to try to be tolerant
to others…” said Pezzote. “You
know everybody has different
beliefs,
different
religions,
different everything, and we
all need to be more tolerant and
accepting of the people around us
to create a more positive energy.
Wildcat World
October 2013
Page 5
Budget Constraints Cause Ripple Effects
Courtney Brenner
EDITOR
Cortland Mathers. “Last year AP
French only had nine students,
and because of the budget, we
were faced with an option to
get rid of the class all together,
or create a blended learning
environment by merging AP and
Honors French.”
The decision to merge
the two classes together versus
cutting one of the courses was
a difficult choice to make.
While teachers want to make
their students happy and offer
desired courses, Sophie Kulas,
the teacher of this blended class,
was forced literally to teach two
classes simultaneously in the
blended learning environment.
This option was difficult on both
the teacher and the students.
“While the AP scores
ended up being very respectable,
the decision wasn’t easy,” said
Mathers. A similar situation
arose for students taking the
Introduction to Mandarin courses
in the middle school.
“Last year, four seventh
graders trying to take Mandarin
were required to blend with the
eighth graders due to their small
size,” said Mathers, “Due to
the sequential ripple effect that
language courses have, problems
arose because those students
are now eighth graders. We are
working to address these effects
through having students learn
Mandarin online independently”.
Kate Lemons, English
department head, has also
experienced a fair number
of budget complications in
her department. With much
deliberation, Lemons temporarily
released 10% of her budget
when she was asked in 2012.
The money was given away
with an understanding that in
the following year it would be
returned, but it wasn’t.
“Department heads are
resistant to give up something
because once it’s gone, it’s gone,”
said Lemons.
With the large size of the
class of 2014, a majority of senior
English classes have reached
their maximum capacity of 24
said Lemons.
“With the exception of
two AP English classes and one
world literature class, seven of
the ten senior English classes are
at their maximum” said Lemons.
The full classes have
created an extremely difficult
issue for seniors, because if they
are unsatisfied with a class or
have to alter their schedules,
there’s nowhere for them to go
since all the classes are full.
Some
seniors
are
denied the opportunity to double
up in English even if they are
passionate about pursuing it later.
“It saddens me to tell
kids that they cannot specialize
in English this year, because as a
senior especially you should be
able to explore your interests”
said Lemons.
parents will be able to keep track selected by a committee of 20 we decided that Infinite Campus
of their child’s progress and faculty members that represented was the best fit.”
access report cards online, rather all of the different schools in the
According
to
than having them mailed
home. One benefit of
allowing
parents
to
obtain information online
is that any mistakes that
the school makes can
be easily identified and
brought to teachers’ or
the school’s attention.
With
new
software
updates,
issues and glitches are
inevitable. Recently the
senior’s weighted GPA’s
were incorrect and are
currently being revised,
according to the recent
email Principal Anthony
Parker sent through
Grapevine. There have
Marla Shay working with system
PHOTO/ Courtney Brenner
also been issues with
scheduling and transcripts.
district. The committee included McCanne,
Infinite
Campus
“Glitches
pop
up six members of WHS staff and was chosen because it is easily
unexpectedly. We are still trying faculty: Diane Kaskon, Erica comprehensible. It includes all
to work with the [Infinite Campus] Cole, Marla Schay, Richard of the information anyone would
company to figure out how to fix Escobar, Patrick Kelly and Lewis need about students in an easy-toall those things,” said integration Brooks.
use system, according to O’Brien.
specialist, Mary O’Brien. “It’s
“We spent a couple of All the modules are provided
still a work in progress. And months actually meeting and and labeled with the information
when we implemented the old having different vendors come in pertaining to students.
system we had a lot of problems and show us their products,” said
New software systems
initially too.”
McCanne. “We interviewed them do not come cheap. Most
Infinite Campus was based on a long list of criteria, and range from about $150,000 to
$300,000. Infinite Campus was
a purchase that was inexpensive
in comparison to other software
systems. McCanne described it as
have being bought in pieces, the
down payment being $50,000,
and the yearly cost being about
$30,000.
“It’s not an inexpensive
move. It’s not something you take
easily; it’s a huge commitment of
time and money,” said O’Brien.
“All of that money came from
the school department. It was
budgeted for because we needed
this system.”
The school department’s
budget comes from taxpayer’s
pockets, so each member of the
community had an impact in the
establishment of Infinite Campus
in WHS according to O’Brien.
Despite the issues that
have come with the installation
of the software, O’Brien and
McCanne are optimistic.
“We certainly hope that
over time as we fit ourselves into
this product and this product fits
itself into us, it will become a
benefit to the school community,”
said McCanne. “I think the
product is growing with us and
I’m excited that it does.”
WHS Principal Anthony Parker.
The budget limits the number of
teachers and full time employees
within the district. The 2014
budget allocates $30,436,279 for
salary and compensation.
Even though the budget
appears large, only a portion is
distributed to the high school for
hiring faculty, which limits hiring
options said Parker.
Results of the tight
Recent alterations to
Weston’s district budget have
caused a series of frustrating
outcomes in the high school
as well as sacrifices within
individual departments.
Massachusetts schools
all over the state have been
faced with financial limitations
because of the current
condition
of
the
economy,
forcing
individual
school
systems to have more
strictly
managed
funds.
Cynthia
D. Mahr, Assistant
Superintendent
for
Finance
and
Operations, personally
deals
with
the
numerous factors that
affect the distribution
of funds within WPS.
Weston’s district budget “These
include
collective
nature of the budget have created
bargaining obligations, enrollment a lot of difficulty in potentially
shifts, adherence to our class size simple tasks. One issue that has
policy, changes to the Middle and become increasingly challenging
High School Program of Studies, has been getting sufficient funds
the Superintendent’s Long Range to request additional staff.
Plan, facility needs, mandated
“We have not been
services,
and
curriculum allotted additional FTE’s [Full
initiatives,” said Mahr.
time employees]. So instead of
In efforts to avoid drastic asking for a lot of additional
cuts, the budget has been capped FTE’s, we have to figure out what
to avoid increasing the costs, we can internally rearrange for
which causes restrictions said next year,” said Parker.
Due to these hiring
limitations, many issues have
arisen regarding class sizes,
because there are simply not
enough teachers to keep class
sizes small.
“There is a class cap
of about 24, and a minimum of
about 12, ” said Parker, “Yet the
problem comes in when students
shift things around because of
changes in their schedule.”
PHOTO/Cheryl Maloney
These
financial
alterations have not only made
life difficult for Parker, but also
have a tremendous effect on
individual departments. The
Foreign Language department
specifically has faced financial
setbacks from the economy.
“One of the biggest
problems we had in the past
couple of years was within the
French program,” said foreign
language
department
head
New Operating System Brings Changes
Rachel Lipkin
STAFF WRITER
The report cards we have
received, our schedules, and even
the formatting of our transcripts
have all changed. The system we
have become so familiar with has
been replaced.
Infinite
Campus,
WHS’s new software system,
was installed in March due to
complications involving the
previous system being unable to
meet new state requirements.
“Infinite Campus is a
student information center,” said
director of technology, Dr. Lee
McCanne. “It stores all of the
demographic information about
all the students.”
This data is encompassed
in one remote, web-based format
provided by Infinite Campus. It
holds everything from important
information about previous and
current standardized test scores
to details of student health.
Carol
Neville,
the
information systems coordinator,
is developing an online portal, or
a login, for students and parents
to use in order to gain access to
data stored in the Infinite Campus
database.
According to McCanne,
Page 6
Wildcat World
October 2013
Fall Play Expected to have Audience Laughing
Patty Atkinson
EDITOR
The upcoming WHS
fall production of “Inspector
General” offers a new perspective
on an earlier play that is predicted
to have the audience laughing.
The cast and crew are creating
an original adaptation of an old
Russian production.
‘“The Inspector General
is a Russian comedy that was
written in the 1830s. It is a
comedy about this corrupt little
Russian town where a rumor
has started that a government
inspector shows up to inspect
the town and he is going to find
that they are all terrible people
and send them to Siberia,” said
director John Minigan. “There is
also a guy who has shown up in
the town who is not the inspector,
but they think that he is so they
treat him like royalty and he gets
essentially everything he ever
wanted, until the very end of the
play where it reverses itself.”
Rather than do a
traditional published translation
of the old Russian play, Theater
Company has decide to create
an original version of the play
written by the cast.
“We are doing an
adaptation, which means for the
first time for a fall show we are
Fri. Nov. 1
-Advisory
Schedule
-JSU Shabbat
Dinner (contact
Ms. Fried for
details)
Sat. Nov. 2
-WHS No HW
Wknd
- SAT (not at
WHS)
-3hr Community
Service 5th Grade
Fundraiser
(Jkamort@yahoo.
com)
-Open Date
(MCSTCA
Invitational @
Wrentham)
doing structured improv even
though we already know what has
to happen, which we have never
done before because we always
work with a script,” said senior
James Cebulla, one of TCO’s tripresidents.
Mr. Minigan with the
a long time, it is a really very
famous play in world theater,”
said Minigan. I though that it
would be a good one to because
there are a lot of roles, but when I
looked at it there actually weren’t
enough roles for all the people
that we have, so that’s why we are
Members of TCO during rehersal
help of the officers chose the play
in the spring last year. The current
TCO tri-presidents are seniors
Kristen Sands, Charlie Gold,
and James Cebulla the rest of the
officers are made up of leaders
from five different back stage
areas.
“I have wanted to do
[“The Inspector General”] for
PHOTO/Rachel Lipkin
doing our own version of it with
some new characters.”
According to Cebulla,
there are about twenty new
students who have joined the
fall play production who have
never had prior improvisation
experience.
“It has been a bit difficult
with so many new people this
year who aren’t as experienced.
However, I think it is helpful for
the winter show, where we will
script our own play, because the
people we have now can teach
the kids how to be successful at
improv,” said Cebulla. By creating an adaptation
of the original old-story play, the
traditional production process has
been altered to fit the needs of
creating a script.
“This play production
process has been different because
we are writing it. The first three
weeks I would go into rehearsal
everyday and choose a scene to
work on and decide what has to
be accomplished,” said Minigan.
“I put the cast into groups to start
improvising to see if they can
create their own version of the
scene, then bring it back. Then
we’ll look at the different versions
and discuss the parts that we liked
best and gradually over the first
three weeks produce the script.
Once that’s done we’ll work on
characterization and staging the
show.”
Unlike last year’s play,
“The Merchant of Venus”, which
is known for dramatic scenes and
controversial topics, Minigan said
this year’s fall production will be
comical. The cast chose to do a
comedy based on their experience
at last years’ drama festival.
November Calendar
Sun. Nov. 3
- WHS No HW
Wknd 3
-3hr Community
Service 5th Grade
Fundraiser
Sat. Nov. 9
-OPEN DATE
(Eastern Mass
Division 5
Championship @
Wrentham)
Fri. Nov. 15
-Theatre Co.
Government
Inspector
Performance (7:30
PM)
Wed. Nov. 6
-12:45 Dismissal
Mon. Nov. 11
-No school:
Veterans Day
Wed. November 13
-Activity Day
Sun. Nov. 17
-OPEN DATE
(MA State
Championships
@ Gardner Golf
Course)
Wed. November 20
-Activity Date
Thurs. Nov. 7
-Junior College
Information
Seminar in Media
Center
(8-10 A.M. 7-9
A.M.)
Fri. Nov. 8
-Advisory
Schedule
Thurs. Nov. 14
-Theatre Co.
Government
Inspector
Thurs. Nov. 21
Performance (7:30 -Writer’s Slam
PM)
(3:15)
-Movember Dodge
ball Tournament
“I think the audience
will find the play very funny. Our
favorite play at drama festival
was an adaptation of an old
comedy that we saw at finals
that Brockton High School did
and we all thought it was great,”
said Minigan. “When I suggested
that we do something similar by
creating our own adaptation, they
were really into that and it is a
very funny group of actors that I
have right now so they have had
fun creating a comedy out of it.”
The cast worked hard to
create a contemporary script that
WHS students and the audience
can easily follow and find
humorous.
“The audience will
like the fact that it is relatable
language instead of old 1830’s
Russian. It is actually stuff people
can understand and process rather
than old bad jokes. It has modern
jokes like some “Blurred-lines”
jokes are tossed in there. We’ve
got some funny stuff,” said
Cebulla.
The play will hit the
stage November 14, 15, and 16
at 7:30pm. The tickets will cost
five dollars for students, ten
dollars for the general public, and
students are free opening night.
Fri. Nov. 22
-Advisory
Schedule
Sat. November 23
-Senior District
Auditions (11:003:00)
Wed. Nov. 27
-No Activity Block
Thurs. Nov. 28
-No School
Thanksgiving
-Thanksgiving
Football Game (1012 A.M.)
-Pancake Breakfast
(7-10 A.M.)
Fri. Nov. 29
-Thanksgiving
Break
Opinion
October 2013
Don’t Have a Prom Date? Hurry up!
Courtney Brenner
EDITOR
I’m so happy that it’s
the third day of school and
I have my prom date. I’ve
been anticipating this day for
my entire high school career.
The flowers, the balloons, the
public humiliation; it was just
what I imagined. Ever since I
was a freshman in high school
I dreamt about who my date
would be, and stressed for
hours about being the one
girl who wouldn’t be asked.
Imagine having to ask the boy
yourself... so embarrassing.
Even though prom is still eight
months away, thank God I
have my date. If I didn’t get
asked as soon as I did, who
knows what would happen.
The school year just flies by,
and I probably would end
up never getting asked and
forced to spend my prom night
at home by my lonesome,
watching chick flicks with the
sole company of my Yorkie,
“Ruffles”.
I don’t even know my
date super well. We have a few
classes together, but this is the
first year that I’ve really talked
to him. He seems nice, though.
He’s on the swim team, or
maybe it’s the football team,
I can’t remember. Anyways,
he’s going to look super good
in a tux. We sit next to each
other in math, but I don’t
A Satire
know if we’ll hang out a lot I went to the dress store and
before prom. Hopefully we everything was sold out so I
are learning about something had to go in my sophomore
interesting in May, like the semi dress. It was so terrible
Pythagorean theorem,
because I know he’s
really good at it and we
could totally talk about
it for hours.
My best friend
chatted me at the end
of August saying she
had a premonition that
my date was going to
ask me. The second
she told me, I made
sure the first thing I
did was text my mom
and tell her we have to
go to Bloomingdales
ASAP. Optimal dress
shopping time is 3:30
because
everyone
doing a sport or
activity after school
will be at practice and I won’t have any
I woke up crying. Since I was
competition. My new Tory the first one to be asked, I have
loafers are so not prepared for to be the first one to post my
a race to the BCBGMaxazria dress in the group.
section. I was thinking that if I
Every
year,
the
get a teal dress, my date could junior girls have an exclusive
get a yellow bowtie, because Facebook group where they
that has always been my post their prom dresses. By
favorite color combination. posting your dress, you are
To be on the safe side though, claiming it and no one else can
I should probably order my copy you. Getting a dress that
five favorite dresses tonight someone already has is a huge
because you never know what crime, and you should expect
could happen. A few nights to be ostracized by every girl
ago, I had a nightmare that in the school. I think I heard
Fight forEDITORIAL
Powderpuff
When looking back
on high school, we all are
going to remember the
Friday night football games.
The population of WHS
gathers under the lights, in
the bleachers, watching our
classmates giving it their all
on the field. This spirit is what
brings us together as a school
community. These Friday
night football games are a
tradition that are embraced
by all. The girls are given one
shot their senior year to share a
similar experience to the boys
by participating in the powder
puff game, yet it is at risk of
being permanently eliminated
from our Weston traditions.
As a town, Weston
values tradition. The annual
powder puff game and the
Thanksgiving game unite not
only the students and faculty
of WHS, but also the alumni
that are able to support their
school once again. So many
past traditions have already
been taken away from us,
such as senior skip day, senior
pranks, and senior boot. The
girls of 2014 are taking a
stand to ensure that this is not
another tradition that will be
lost.
The
common
misconception that town
rivalries heighten the level
of violence on the field is
a gross exaggeration of
the team’s realistic goals.
Although rivalry can increase
the level of competition, it
more importantly drives both
teams to work to their optimal
potential and embody the
school spirit that everyone
strives for.
They should not
take the powder puff game
away simply because there
were problems in the past.
We acknowledge that there
has been poor conduct by
both players and spectators
while
hosting
Wayland
teams. However, the girls had
absolutely no involvement in
last year’s conflicts during the
boys basketball and hockey
games. Therefore it is unfair
that we should be penalized for
the over-competitive actions
of the boys sports teams.
With all of these
issues, we are still allowed to
compete with Wayland in both
seasonal sports and tournament
matches, which have a much
higher level of intensity and
competition.
Powder puff
was started as a single game
of friendly competition with
the Wayland girls that we
have been competing against
our entire lives. Ultimately it
is completely unfair to both
the student bodies of Weston
and Wayland to take away
this competition that everyone
has been highly anticipating
since freshman year. The girls
of 2014 have done nothing to
prove ourselves undeserving
of having the opportunity to
continue this tradition.
Page 7
a rumor that they are going to
give out Saturday schools for
stealing someone’s dress. My
group of 12 girlfriends already
otherwise you will be a social
pariah for the rest of high
school.
I need to make sure
that my date gets me the
biggest, most expensive
corsage out there. God
forbid I get anything less
than exceptional, because
they are mandatory for
pictures, even though
they fall off and break
before even making it
into the limo (or party
bus if you’re into that
sort of thing). Everything
about my prom night has
to be absolutely perfect;
otherwise my entire high
school experience will
be destroyed. I already
have a picture ready for
the hair and makeup
appointments that I had
my mom book a few
CARTOON/Patty Atkinson
months ago. I’m bringing
with me this picture of
chose dibs on our colors. But
Blake
Lively from the episode
don’t worry; we made sure
of
Gossip
Girl where she goes
they will look good together in
to Cotillion, and it’s exactly
pictures.
Another thing that I how I want to look. One time
have to be really careful about someone told me I look like
is the “short vs. long” rule. her and I almost fainted. If
Juniors can only wear long the hair dresser messes up on
dresses, and seniors can only those signature loose waves,
wear short dresses. If you are my mom already promised
a sophomore who gets asked she’d sue.
Can’t wait to see
to prom and is caught wearing everyone
at prom! And
a long dress… big mistake.
You might as well go home remember… DON’T get my
before anyone sees you in it; dress.
Wildcat Tracks Staff
The Wildcat Tracks is the official newspaper of
Weston High School, 444 Wellesley Street,
Weston, Massachusetts.02493 (781-529-8030)
Editors in chief- Patty Atkinson, Courtney Brenner
Managing Editors- Sophia Kinnealey, Ilaria Santangelo
Wildcats- Danielle Barenholtz, Rachel Lipkin, Julia
Metraux, Rachel Mordecai
Cubs- Alex Carvalho, Jackie Chen, Cameron Chioffi,
Lindsay Garfinkel, Natalia Gormley, Laura Kirn, Irene
Lang, Caroline McNamara, Brad Peters, Samantha Swartz
Adviser- Gina Chaimanis
Readers can reach us at [email protected]
Letters
Readers of Wildcat Tracks are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Articles and letters should
be emailed to [email protected]. Wildcat
Tracks reserves the right to edit all letters, which must
have the writer’s name and expected year of graduation.
Wildcat Tracks serves as a forum for student opinion.
Page 8
Fun Pages
October 2013
Pumpkin Maze
Halloween Crossword
Autumn Word Search
Looking for a festive film
to get in the Halloween
spirit? Check out one of
these staff recommendations!
1. Halloweentown
2. Hocus Pocus
3. Charlie Brown & the
Great Pumpkin
4. It
5. Conjuring
5. Amityville Horror
6. Casper the Friendly
Ghost
7. The Ring
8. Cabin In The Woods
9. Scary Movie 1, 2 and 3
10. Ghostbusters
11. The Addams Family
12. Casper
13. E.T.
14. Tower of Terror
15. The Nightmare Before
Christmas
16. Monster House