Paw Print Student Newspaper - Schodack Central School District

June 2016
The Voice of Maple Hill High School Students
Dear Underclassmen,
One of the major things I learned as a freshman was to take as many classes as I could. I have to say it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to force
yourself to do, especially as a senior when you want nothing more than to
go off to college. As stressful as it was, I am going to graduate with so
many credits and have gained experience from the course material that, at the very least, will help me when I have to
go through a similar course. I wish when I was a freshman that someone told me to take the college credit wherever I
could. I am going to SUNY Geneseo next year and all the classes I took where I could’ve gotten college credit
would’ve counted. I would’ve started the year with 15 or so college credits already, which could have almost placed
me as a sophomore credit wise. Taking the classes in high school and getting the credit there is worth it; you get
more time to learn the material and prepare for the final, you get more one-on-one time with your teacher, and it is
so much cheaper. AP courses are also a must. You can get college credit if you score well enough and it is even
cheaper than college-in-the-classroom classes. They are challenging, but will help you prepare for your college years.
Plus, let’s not forget that you will be done with your test in early May and won’t have anything to do in that class after
the test.
If there’s one thing I regret during my high school career, it’s that I didn’t get involved until junior year, when I joined
S.A.D.D and became part of the newspaper club. For all of you under classmen, I definitely recommend getting involved. There are several clubs that there has to be at least one you would be interested in. Let’s see, there’s Key
Club, Ski Club, Yearbook Club, Drama Club, and more. If you are interested in a club, don’t be afraid to join it and
see what it’s all about. If you want to join a club but your friends don’t, that’s okay. You’ll make friends who are in
that club. Not only will you make some new friends, but it will help you grow as a person. You'll talk to people who
you wouldn't have talked to others or do things you wouldn't expect yourself to do. Plus, being involved will look
good on your college application, which is a bonus.
see Advice continued on p. 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
I
FY
-Calendar
-Staying
Organized
-Social
Media
P. 2-5
E
&
A
-Creative
Writing
-Carrie
Diaries
-Best
Burgers
p. 8-15
les
i
f
ro
P
-The Lucky
One
(Holocaust)
-Pizza
Delivery
Principal
p.16-25
on
.
sc
i
M
Artwork
and
Digital
Photography
p. 22-23
io
n
Se
ti
ec
S
r
-Memories
-Senior Will
-Future Plans
p. 26-31
S
s
rt
o
p
Spring
Sports
Pictures
p. 32
The Paw Print Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Kassidy Berger



Section Editors:
A&E: Allison Felts
Sports: Kerry Golden
Contributors:
Philip Finkle, Elvia Garcia,
Sarah Konig, Selena Lezama,
Maeve Morley,
Alaina Rossetti, Dylan Rossiter,
Alexus Smith
Faculty Advisor: Miss Flood
Paw Print
Editorial Staff 2015-2016
The Paw Print
Editorial Staff
would like your
input to the school
newspaper this
year. If you see
news happening,
want to write a
feature or sports
story, or take
some photos,
please let any of us
know.
Advice, cont from front
This next piece of advice is mainly for all you freshmen
and sophomores; it’s all right if you don’t know yet what
you want to do/be when you get older. You’ll figure it
out, I promise. I remember when I was a freshman and I
had no clue what I wanted to do after high school. I was
up in the air about a few options. Did I want to go into
the biology field? Or did I want to open my own bakery?
Or maybe I wanted to do something with animals? I had
no clue and was worried that I wouldn’t figure it out. My
older brother knew exactly what field he wanted to go
into when he was in eighth or ninth grade and there I
was with no idea. But I’ll let you in on a secret, I figured
it out, just like you will. Even if you get to your senior
year and you still don’t know what you want to do,
don’t worry. A lot of incoming college freshmen are undecided, and some of those who are decided will change
their major at least once during their college career. So
don’t stress over it. You’ll figure it out. If you are worried, take some electives that are similar to what you
think you might be interested in. But trust me when I say
that, in time, you will find something you’re passionate enough
about to pursue a career in. Just
breathe and try not to stress too
much.
Sincerely,
Some Helpful Seniors
Page 2
Keep current about school events!
Follow @MapleHill_HS on
Twitter!
A Note From Guidance...
Congratulations to the
Class of 2016 for all of your hard work!
Soak up all of the new
experiences to come, have fun and
make every day count!
FYI Columns
June 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
1
Algebra 2/Trig Conmon Core Exam
Thu
2
Fri
3
Sat
4
SAT I&II
Spring Concert,
7 pm
5
12
6
13
7
8
9
Spring Sports
Awards, 6:30 pm
Last day of
regular classes
Wildcat Marathon, 5 pm
14
15
16
10
11
17
18
←REGENTS EXAMS→
19
20
21
22
←REGENTS
EXAMS→
26
27
28
29
23
24
4th Marking
Period ends
Graduation,
6:30 pm
25
30
Page 3
FYI Columns
Be a Friend of the East Greenbush
Public Library
by Maeve Morley
Wouldn’t you like to take part in helping grow a stronger community? Well,
here’s a chance to be part of that!
If you go to the library or enjoy reading,
there’s an organization that helps support the library and its funding. The library is a very important resource, even a necessity, that helps enhance
knowledge and growth. Having an organization like this,
helps the library further educate people of the community.
The Friends of the East Greenbush Community Library is a
non-profit organization whose main drive is to provide resources for the community, and help support the library
and its mission. They have been been supporting the East
Greenbush Community library since the late 1900s.
The organization has about 350 “friends” (members) who
support the library either directly or indirectly. “We believe by building a strong library, it will help build a strong
community” Lynne Oudekerk, President of the non-profit,
explained. This in fact, is true. Without a library in the
community, the use of resources and knowledge would not
be spread throughout, and relationships with each other
would not grow.
To help support funding, Oudekerk and her organization
hold an annual book sale at the library. This book sale is a
major hit and people from all over the community come to
purchase second-hand books. Aside from that, they also
hold a children’s festival to help fund special events for the
library, such as summer reading programs, lectures and
concerts. Also, with the money from their fundraising, the
friends help purchase new equipment for the library, such
as new technology.
So, how can you help? Well, the organization is always
looking for more friends. Members of all ages are welcome!
The friends meet at the library every third Tuesday in February, April, June, September and November at 6:30 p.m.
An organizational meeting is held during the month of January. But, you don’t have to become a member to help out.
You can help support the library by going to
smile.amazon.com and a portion of your purchase will be
donated to Friends of the Library! So, come and support
the library! The community needs you!
Page 4
Take the reading challenge this
summer!
FYI Columns
How To Stay Organized with a Crazy Schedule
by Kassidy Berger
I’ll be the first to admit, we all tend to take on more than we can handle. So
how do you stop it from all becoming too much?
First off, if you know you have previously scheduled plans, don’t
make any more for that time/day. It might seem like common sense, but
trust me, it’s the easiest way to avoid running into issues. According to Real
Simple magazine’s “10 Guilt-Free Strategies for Saying No”, an easy way to say no because you don’t have the
time is to say “I wish I could take this on right now, but for personal reasons I can’t. Maybe next week?”
Schedule planners are your friend. The calendar app? Your best friend. It’s so easy because it stays in your
pocket all day. Take a few minutes, for example in between classes, and fill out your plans for the week.
Trust me, it helps. It clears up your mind and also helps you remember other responsibilities you have to
fulfill that day.
This goes along the lines of a calendar, but plan ahead. Plan outfits the night before, pack your backpack,
lunch, gym bag, anything you wouldn’t want to forget once you start scrambling for it in the morning.
Recognize stress factors in your life and if they are within your control, try to work on reducing them. If a
pile of homework assignments are really stressing you out, start working on them as soon as you get home
and don’t wait.
Speaking of, I am the worst when it comes to procrastinating. It’s easy to be distracted by your phone, Netflix, and pretty much everything else. As reported by skilledup.com, ways to study without distractions
include finding the right room to study in, turning off electronics, and developing a solid routine and sticking
to it.
Eating healthy also has an incredible amount of benefits. For one, it may help your immune system, therefore,
you won’t have to take time out of your schedule to care for an annoying cold. Finding healthy
alternatives to foods you eat most may help more than you know.
Lastly, getting a good night’s sleep has surprising health benefits as well. An improved
memory can help you study better. If you
are sleep deprived, then you have a much
higher risk of injury, including small household injuries, according to webmd.com.
However, getting enough sleep may lower
those chances. So getting those full 8
hours of sleep really matter!
Page 5
FYI Columns
Do You Need Social Media in Your Life?
by Allison Felts
Most teens couldn’t imagine their life without their
iPhone by their side. Social media has become a
“necessity” to most teenagers as their primary source for news, pop culture, and pretty much
anything else you can imagine. All this technology
has become part of our lifestyle, and many people
couldn’t live without it. If you think about how much
you use social media, it is hard to believe that it has
only been around since the late 90’s.
One of the first social media sites was called Six Degrees, and came about in 1997 (before most of us
were even born). Six Degrees allowed you to create
a profile and “friend” others. There wasn’t millions
of sources of information at the click of a button, or
ways to brag or show off what you did last summer.
It’s amazing how much technology has changed since
then, and how our lives have adapted to it. Now we
can see things happening live on social media, and
share it with anyone within seconds. Would you go
back to not having instant access to your favorite celebrities, peers, and family members lives? I certainly would.
If you think about how much of your time social media takes up, you realize that time could be spent reading, studying, exercising, or planning for your future. The time it takes to plan your posts, photos, or tweets could be going to
something more productive. Sure, it is a lot of fun taking photos with your friends to post on Instagram, but it can
become excessive. People seem to become addicted into seeing all of the new social media trends first, and using their
social media status to try to be a trend setter. As teenagers, I feel we should be preparing for our lives and not obsessing over others lives on social media.
As we become obsessed in repeatedly checking our followers and likes; millions of things are happening around us.
Somebody’s life can become completely dependent around their social media status. Extreme FOMO, or fear of missing out, is what people feel if they don’t see everything that is going on the minute it happens. Then when they take a
break to enjoy life, they will surely tweet about it later. There are millions of things we can be learning about, that
aren’t coming from Twitter. I don’t understand the appeal of putting everything about your life out for public consumption.
I feel that even though we can keep up with every single detail about everything, we shouldn’t necessarily need to.
Social media is a fun and interactive way to get instant news, but I could definitely live without it. I would have more
time to focus on school, work, and planning for college. It would be different living without all of this information at
my fingertips, but that's how it was before 1997. Alaina Rossetti, a sophomore gave her opinion, “I could, but I definitely wouldn’t want to. It keeps me connected, and I love that.” Maeve Morley, another sophomore said, “It depends
on the situation, but probably. I wouldn’t mind being without it.” So maybe it’s not just me who wouldn’t mind not
having my apps telling me what everybody else is up to, what about you?
Page 6
FYI Columns
How to Become a Millionaire
by Selena Lezama
There are two different types of people in this world. There are ones who dream of falling in love and being happy for
the rest of their lives. And then there are ones who dream of having loads of money to buy whatever or go wherever
when they want.
I believe I am a little bit of both, but if I was to choose one, I’d want the money. Who needs love and happiness when
you've got all the money in the world to buy whatever you want to make you happy? If you want to cuddle, buy a
puppy. If you want to get a fancy degree, hire a scientist to clone a smart version of yourself to go to school and pass
your exams for you. Money solves everything.
To help all of you who dream of being surrounded by money 24/7, I have come up with some fast and easy tips to
begin your journey to becoming a millionaire.
Tip #1: Keep your money out of your greedy hands
I know this might be a very tedious job but if you really want to be filthy rich you are going to have to save all of your
money. Even the pennies count. So the next time you feel like stopping at McDonalds to get something off the dollar
menu, you better think again because that dollar brings you one step closer to achieving your goal. And if your mom’s
birthday is coming up next week, you cannot buy her anything! You don't have the money or time to waste on getting
her a gift. When you're rich you can get her as many gifts as you want, but for now you’re going to get out a box of
crayons and a piece of lined paper to make her a nice, colorful birthday card.
Tip #2: Invent something that people would actually use
You need to become the next Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs if you want to have a lot of money! If you have just a
little bit of creativity in you, this shouldn't be that hard. Just believe in yourself and you'll be rich!
Tip #3: Win the lottery
The odds of winning the lottery is 1 in 14 million, according to Wonderopolis.org, but if you are smart and lucky it
shouldn't be that difficult. And yes I know, when you win the lottery you don't get the exact face value, but at least
you get some money that can lead you to getting more. I understand if you are not 18, then you're going to have to
wait a few years to play the lottery, but in the long run when you win, it would all be worth it!
Tip #4: Be talented
The title describes it all. If you are good at playing sports, can
sing, act, or anything else extremely amazing, you'll be rich.
Tip #5: Marry a millionaire
Let's be real, some of these tips are going to be really hard to
do, so in order to become rich, you need to marry the rich.
And if you’re not up to doing this step, then being a millionaire might not be for you.
Overall, these are extremely helpful and simple tips to guide
you in the right direction. If you can do all these steps you'll
be rich in no time! So, good luck! You're gonna need it.
Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Creative Writing Corner
“Ad astra per aspera”
Alexus Smith
April 6th, 1948
My favorite time of year is spring and summer but this is the day that I hate
most. I hate that on such a beautiful day I’m in such an awful mood. It’s Charles’ and I
wedding anniversary. All this day does is remind me that a year has gone by of me
being forced to be married to this evil man. Trapped at 19 years old in a world of hell.
Most girls my age are waiting with their beautiful children for their lovely husbands to
return from war. Meanwhile I am sitting here wishing mine would die in war. I cried
last night, and I cry now, it’s only a matter of time before I have to will myself downstairs to spend the day celebrating with my forced family.
For this section of The
Pawprint, student
work will be
showcased. Please
submit your short
stories, poetry and
artwork to Miss Flood
or a member of our
“Evelyn unlock this damn door now!” Charles pounds on the door and I Editorial Staff.
rush over to my chest and bury my notebook in the clutter.
I rush to the door and unlock it, almost as soon as I unlock it Charles
swings the door open knocking me to the floor. I get up and wipe my hands on
my dress and Charles grips my arm.
“Let go of me,” I demand earning me a slap to my left cheek.
“Talk to me like that again. Get dressed I told you an hour ago we were goin’ to my mother's,” he barks
and even though I’m already dressed that’s his way of telling me I need to change.
WIth that he walks out leaving me standing there with a pink cheek and a purple polka dotted arm. I rush
to my closet and pull out a blue polka dotted dress and blue shoes. I sit down at my vanity and cover my face and
arm as best I can with make up. I pin back my brown hair and apply cherry red lipstick.
“Evelyn!” Charles voice booms through the small farm house.
I walk down stairs and out to the car with Charles who has that awful look on his face. When we arrive
Charles forces me to hold his hand and gives me a look that tells me if I don’t smile he’ll surely make me smile.
Our mothers give us kisses and join us with the rest of the family. We are greeted with my smiles and happy anniversaries. I hate being here, but I have no choice.
“Alright everyone I have an announcement,” Charles clears his throat.
“The military has offered me a very good job and I will have to be away for 3 months,” he says loud and
clear and I’ll be damned if the look on my face wasn’t happier than a kid on christmas.
“That’s wonderful Charles but who’s going to take care of the farm and watch after Evelyn,” His mother
says in her sweet honey voice.
“I’ve hired a friend to take care of the farm and Evelyn is to help him and I’d like you guys to check up on
her once in awhile,” He says this more like demand.
The rest of the afternoon I sit and small talk with everyone as Charles keeps a watchful on me. I can’t help
but to wonder which friend he’s chosen to care for the farm, I don’t like any of them. As I sit there thinking I look
up to find I was left unaccompanied at this splintery picnic table. My eyes travel along the swirls in the wood and I
find myself trying to find my name in the swirls. I reach up and take a pin from my hair and then start to drag it
along the weathered wood to imbed beautiful curves of cursive.
“Evelyn stop that!” Charles snatches my pin from my hand and gives me a scornful look.
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Arts & Entertainment
“Ad astra per aspera” continued from page 8
“What?” I snark and everyone turns toward us.
“Are you a child? Look your hair's a wreck and you’ve ruined the beautiful table!” He exclaims clearly trying to embarrass me.
Knowing I’ll take a beating for it later I say, “Sorry dear but I believe I’ve just now made it beautiful.”
“Everyone thank you so much for this lovely afternoon but we must go home now,” He smiles and grabs
me fiercely by the wrist practically dragging me out to the car.
As soon as we get to the car he slams the door and we’re on our way. He’ll probably go out to drink tonight so I plan out the rest of my night in my head. As we enter the house he slams the door behind us and immediately reaches for my neck pushing me up against the wall. I would have been more scared if i hadn’t already
known this was going to happen.
“You lousy, no good, piece of crap!” Charles again strikes me like he did earlier but this time with a tight
grip on my throat.
He tosses me to the ground like nothing and storms out of the house. I lay there and let warm salty
oceans pool beneath me. I don’t know why I cry anymore because it’s the same stuff every day nothing’s going to
change. I get up and blindly walk to the bathroom, I run a warm bath and then write a little before I fall asleep.
It’s been a month since Charles left and every day I sit on the porch and watch the sunrise with a peaceful
smile on my face. Charles’ friend, David, usually keeps to himself except to ask me small questions about the farm.
He comes off a little creepy but for the most part he’s pretty nice and quiet. Everyday Old man John comes by to
give me the newspaper he’s received and already read. He hasn’t been to the house the last few days though and
that worries me a little. In the distance I see a young man running down the long road to my house with something in his hand. As he nears I can see the outline of his broad shoulders and the way they’re slumped heavily.
“Hello, Evelyn, I’m Baylor John’s grandson,” He stretches out his arm as he walks up the front porch steps
but the the old wood splinters and his right boot goes straight through.
“Well, hello there Baylor,” I laugh uncontrollably and I see the deep red appear upon his sweaty cheeks. I
take a moment to look at his features, Deep brown eyes with messy brown hair and a strong jawline.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry I’ll fix that I promise,” He rushes his words.
“Oh darlin it’s okay,” I breathe out.
“I’ll be coming here every day anyways so might as well fix it up for you,” He says with a sad smile.
“What do you mean you’ll be here everyday, pardon me but why are you here now?” I ask with a wide
smile, something about him just makes my heart race.
“As I said I’m Jon’s grandson and he told me that I should bring the paper to you and apologize for the
days missed. He passed away a few days ago,” He turns the paper over in his hand.
“Oh my,” Is all I could choke out and I find myself reaching for the young man and crying into his chest.
“I’m so sorry, I should be the one comforting you. You must think I’m so foolish.”
“No darlin’ it’s okay cry all you need I’ve got nothin’ to do today,” He smiles and I find myself still holding
on to him.
“Evelyn who is this?” David clears his throat and I pull away from Baylor.
“Oh this Baylor, John’s grandson, John has passed away,” I sate wiping away my tears and smiling.
“And the porch?” He points with his greasy rag.
“Sorry sir, I broke it,” He steps down from the porch.
“You best be on your way then,” David squints.
With that Baylor starts walking slowly down the road and David grabs me by the wrist bringing me inside
the house. He then throws me on the couch forcefully trying to take off my clothes and I start screaming but he
covers my mouth.
“You little whore, I saw you with him. What makes him so much better than me baby?” The look on his
face is the most evil face I’ve ever seen and I’m struggling beneath him.
“Ad astra per aspera” continued on page 10
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Arts & Entertainment
“Ad astra per aspera” continued from page 9
I bite his hand and that gives me enough time to let out a good scream for help.
“What the hell! Get off her you sick bastard!” Baylor came rushing through the doors and ripped David
off of me.
I quickly put my clothes back on and stood there watching the brawl. Baylor’s eyes were filled with rage and his
knuckles were bloody. I plead for them to stop but they keep going.
“Baylor please stop,” I cry and he grabs David by the shirt and throws him out the front door.
“I don’t care if you work here or whatever but you need to leave and never come or I promise I will kill
you!” He booms and David races off in his car.
I stand there shaking with my arms wrapped around me knowing my hair's a wreck and my makeup is streaked
down my face.
“Evelyn, are you okay?” With concern in his voice he frantically searches me looking for answers.
I don’t answer I just stand there shaky and barely able to breathe. Baylor reaches for my hand and I gladly except,
I point up the stairs and he takes me to the bathroom. He turns on the bath and turns to leave.
“Um don’t leave, wait downstairs please?” I mumble and he nods.
That night I tell Baylor everything. I tell him about my forced marriage with Charles, how he bought the
farm from my family, the abuse now, and the abuse as a child. At night I take him to my favorite spot on the roof
and look at the stars.
“Why’d you come back to the house cause surely you would’ve been a far enough distance away to not
be able to hear my screams,” I say finding O’rion.
“I forgot to leave the newspaper,” he half laughs and so do I.
Later that night I go to my room and I set him a spot on the couch. I walk up to my room and go over to
my chest and pull out my notebook.
May 13th, 1948
I don’t know why it’s so easy to talk to this guy but it feels like we’ve been best friends forever. Maybe it’s just the
events of the night pulling us together but whatever it is Iike it. I’m not aloud to have friends other than Charles’ friends’
wives and they’re all stuck up rich people. There is definitely something special about this kid I can feel it. The way his
brown eyes reflect the constellations and his messy brown hair gleams in the moonlight. His muscles cast shadows against
his own body using the night skies light to refract the light. The words just seem to cascade effortlessly from his lips and he
speaks in such a polite, poetic way.
May 25th, 1948
Baylor Skai Edwin, what a bizarre yet beautiful name. He’s brilliant too, not only does he speak like a poet but he
thinks like a philosopher. He has such a vast variety of knowledge and I could listen to him talk all day.
May 31st, 1948
He’s been helping me everyday on the farm and David hasn’t dared come back yet. Charles’ mother stopped up
the other day and I had to have Baylor hide in with the cows for 3 hours. Baylor hugs me everyday when he sees me in the
morning and when he goes home at night. He does the thing where he spins me around and says ”ad astra per aspera”
which means “to the stars through difficulties”. I guess it’s the motto of Kansas or something, I don’t really know but it’s
cute so I laugh and say it back every time.
June 1st, 1948
Today was hands down the most fun day of my life. Baylor and I messed around all day chasing each other with
chickens, throwing mud in the pigs pen, and mostly painting each other instead of the chicken coop. Later that night as we
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Arts & Entertainment
“Ad astra per aspera” continued from page 10
looked at up the stars and made up stories about all the different constellations. He told me that if he ever had a kid he
would name it Darwin because “he was a great philosopher” and I just smiled.
June 3rd, 1948
Today Baylor kissed me. I kissed him. We kissed each other.
June 10th, 1948
I think I’m in love with Baylor Skai Edwin.
June 13th, 1948
It’s been one month since Baylor rescued me from David and this is the happiest I’ve been in my life. I’ve never
had anyone treat me the way Baylor does. I’m used to having bruises and cuts and forceful kisses as love but with Baylor I
can feel actual love just by the way he looks at me with his big toothy grin and dimples. I stopped wearing my ring. I have
no idea what to do when Charles returns but I’m pretty sure half the town already knows what’s happening here.
June 25th, 1948
Charles’ mother has sent me a letter. She says she knows about my affair and that everyone knows and Charles
will soon be notified. I don’t care though, I don’t see it as an affair.
July 4th, 1948
Baylor bought us our own fireworks and he lit them off. I ran around with sparklers and we ran to the lake and
jumped in. I never had fun as a kid so this is a whole new experience to me.
July 8th, 1948
I got news that Charles will be gone for almost two more months. Baylor stays in my bed this night.
July 13th,1948
I let Baylor read my notebook, he says that he’s going to write me something beautiful someday. I tell him I hope
one day we can be together, just the two of us. He agrees but looks away, we both know it’s impossible.
August 18th, 1948
I missed my period this month so I scheduled a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. Charles will be home in five
days. Baylor and I have been spending every second possible together.
August 20th, 1948
I found out that I’m pregnant. Me and Baylor cry because we don’t know how this will ever work. Charles will be
home in 3 days. As soon as he comes through the door I know he’ll pound on me like never before and Baylor will surely
get in the fight of his life.
I’m a nervous wreck as I get dressed and do my hair and makeup. Baylor told me he’d be back soon he
had to go get something from his house. I look at myself in the mirror and smile at my appearance. I look like a
whole new person, I feel like a whole new person. I not only feel happier but look happier. I hear Baylor open
the door and he comes hopping up the stairs with a big smile. He has a small envelope in his hand and he slides it
in the cover of my notebook.
“Ad astra per aspera” continued on page 12
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“Ad astra per aspera” continued from page 11
“Don’t be nervous, everything’s going to be fine,” he says standing behind me in the mirror.
“You know that’s a lie,” I pout.
“After today you’ll be free,” He smiles and I swear I see a hint of sadness in his eyes.
I hear a car park and a car door slam and I bolt downstairs. Baylor follows a couple seconds later with one
hand behind his back but I don’t question it. He stands back and I open the door the same time Charles opens it
wich send me tumbling back to the floor. Baylor immediately helps me up and puts me behind him shielding me
with his body. I realise that what he had behind his back was my notebook and he shoves it in my hands and
quickly whispers ‘run when I say so’. Charles raises his arm and points a gun right at Baylor from a distance. I’m
already crying.
“Run!” Baylor shoves me toward the door just as I watch a bullet explode his head.
I scream so loud I’m deaf but I run through the fields towards Baylor’s home. I get pretty far and I fall. I clutch the
ground in despair in my right hand and reach out toward the place I used to love but hate so much with my left. I
lay there slumped on the ground with a tear streaked face and a quivering lip. I scream desperately for it all to
stop but no sound comes. The love of my life can no longer breathe the words “I love you” to me on top of the
old roof. We can no longer carve our names into the weathered wood of the barn, or lay upon the soft grass in
the warm summer breeze. I need to keep running but my legs are dead weight and I can no longer stand. I feel the
burning hatred for the one I was forced to love. The one who killed the loving, caring man I truly wanted to be
with. Of course he won’t get punished, he’s got too much money and a big ego, anyone would cover this up for
him.
“Evelyn!” The foul man angrily exclaims.
I just lay there sobbing in that soft grass grasping for what used to be.
8 months later
The envelope that Baylor put in the cover of my notebook said not to open it until baby Edwin was born.
So as I sit here with her in my arms I open the letter.
Dear my lovely Evelyn,
I know this day is hard for you but I’d like for you to keep smiling. I’m gone, long gone. Charles killed me and I knew that
he would. I know that you got away and that you’re safe now and I know that you and my baby are sittin pretty in Canada
with my sister. I also know you’ve read all my poems I wrote about you in the back f your notebook. I just wanted to say I
love you Evelyn and that will never change. I know you miss me terribly, I miss you too. Make sure you tell baby Edwin that
I love them very much and make sure you tell them how we met and about our lovely summer together. I’m sorry that I
can’t be there but I love you so much my lovely Evelyn.
Ad astra per aspera,
Baylor Skai Edwin
I kiss the top of our baby’s forehead and pull out a locket from the envelope. There’s a picture of me and
Baylor on one side and an empty side that has “Baby Edwin” engraved where it’s photo shall rest.
“I love you my little girl,” I whisper with tear filled eyes, “My little Skai Darwin Edwin.”
Page 12
Arts & Entertainment
Inside Carrie Bradshaw’s world before Sex and the City
by Allison Felts
The Carrie Diaries and Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell tells the stories of
teenage Carrie Bradshaw before her luxurious life in New York City. From growing
up in small town Connecticut, to living in New York while attending a summer internship for writers; these books have it all. If you’ve already seen The Carrie Diaries
or Sex and the City on TV, or want a fabulous book about high school, drama, and
coming of age; this is for you. Young Carries’ perspective on life, love, friendship, and
style (all during the 1980’s) gives the reader an insight before her life as a writer begins.
The first novel, The Carrie Diaries, covers Carrie Bradshaw’s senior year of high
school. The book is Carrie’s diary, and is very relatable. Older Carrie, from Sex and
the City, shines through making the book like a flashback if you’ve already seen the
show. In the story, Carrie is ready for her life to start, but is stuck in the midst of
drama, a boyfriend, and writing for her school newspaper. As she navigates her way
through the year, she learns about relationships, friendships, and family. She applies
to a summer writing program in New York City, but is denied. Carrie’s adventures
still bring her to New York City, where her new life will begin. Candace Bushnell
keeps the readers glued to the pages as she reveals the adventurous past of Carrie.
As the second novel reveals new characters, fashion, and the big apple, Carrie’s story flips to a whole new world.
The sequel, Summer and the City, takes place after Carrie finishes high school, and
sets off to New York City after finally being accepted into the summer writing program. This is where Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York come into
Carrie Bradshaw’s NYC life. As she meets these characters, who become her best
friends for life, she learns how to live in the big city, and get her writing noticed.
This story is an amazing sequel to The Carrie Diaries, and her lifestyle from Sex and
the City starts to look familiar. Carrie Bradshaw’s life will relate to any teenage girl
who wants to experience the world, and leave her small town life.
These exciting novels by Candace Bushnell are a fast read for anyone. For anyone
who loves New York City, fashion, drama, and excitement; these books are perfect.
These books tell how Carrie Bradshaw's life becomes revolved around her love for New York City.
Page 13
27
Arts & Entertainment
The Best Burgers in The Capital Region
by Dylan Rossiter
When it comes to finding a good burger we all know
we can head on over to Five Guys, Burger 21, Juicy
Burgers And More or my personal favorite Smashburger(get a BIG burger with cheddar, bacon, lettuce,
tomato, red onion, smash sauce and best of all a fried
egg). If you’re not down for driving 500 miles for a
burger, you could always swing by the local McDonald’s,
Burger King or Wendy's for a “FRESH BURGER,” but
hey, eat at your own risk. If you're looking for a more
upscale experience, I’m here to help. Below are a few
of my favorite local places to go grab an American classic without feeling like you're at the local high school
hangout burger joint.
Chez Mike
Sink your teeth into this 8oz handcrafted black angus chuck burger piled high with whatever you want. I usually go with cheddar, bacon, lettuce. tomato, red onion, and a sunny side up egg, finished off with house made
ketchup. The burger is served with a side of homemade fries and certainly won’t leave you hungry. For just
$10.99 it’s one of the more wallet friendly dishes on the menu. Make sure to save room for dessert, but stay
away from the very much overrated flourless chocolate cake. Chez Mike is conveniently located in Hannaford Plaza in East Greenbush near Greenbush Dental.
Garden Bistro 24
This local chain has quickly grown into a familiar site around the Capital District. Unlike Chez Mike which is
very similar in nature (both are technically French cafes) GB24 appears to have a few minor yet serious issues totally not food related. Also unlike Chez Mike, GB 24 has more than just one burger on it’s quickly
revolving menu, they have 6. My personal favorite is the Bacon Blue Burger, served with a heaping of fresh
cut fries. For $15.50 you get a handcrafted burger with bacon, gorgonzola, lettuce, tomato and caramelized
onions plus that heaping of fresh cut fries. GB24 prides itself on using locally sourced produce and NY
raised organic grass fed beef. If only they cared about service as they do about the food that comes out of
the kitchen. It took 3 hours for us to have appetizers, entrees and desserts. I don’t mind waiting for good
food but when it comes I expect it to be hot and not sub luke warm. For dessert, like any good French café,
they offer crepes. Perhaps I was a little spoiled by my fresh crepes on the streets of Paris, but what came
out of the kitchen was an embarrassment to the French. Now I have to say it probably would have been
better if it wasn’t ICE cold and clearly had been sitting in fridge all day. All in all ,my GB24 experience has
historically been 5+ stars but stay away from the Latham location until they can get their act together.
Grazin' Diner
Don’t be scared away by the name, landscaping or fact that it’s in Hudson. This remodeled
1950s dinner serves 100% local food right off the family farm in Columbia County. I go
with (take a guess, a bacon, egg and cheddar burger piled high with lettuce, tomato, and red
Page 14
“The Best Burgers in The Capital Region” continued on page 15
Arts & Entertainment
Enjoy an Afternoon in France
by Maeve Morley
“I’ll have the Tuscan Summer, please” I tell the waitress behind the counter. My parents and I venture over to
a table by the window. Sitting down, I survey the scene around me. Half a dozen or so tables placed around
the brightly lit room. Everything about the room and its decor hints: French; from the wide, chalkboard
menu written in colorful scrawl above the counter, to the relaxing music creating a picturesque scene of a
sunny afternoon sitting down at a sidewalk cafe in the streets of Paris. And that is the main motive of this
cozy, cheery-looking cafe in downtown Albany. The French Press Cafe & Creperie is only relatively new, but
every table is almost filled the three times I’ve been there.
Not only does the cafe create a pretty French scene, but the
food is amazing. The menu includes everything from french
press coffee to 15 “noteworthy endeavors” of crepes. If
you’re not happy with any of the choices, feel free to build
your own crepe, or order a baguette sandwich. In less than
ten minutes, the waitress brings your food out to you, it’s
that quick. So, who doesn’t want to eat at a restaurant that
serves delicious food to you in no time at all? Definitely not
me!
Address:
5 Clinton Square, Albany, NY 12207
“The Best Burgers in The Capital Region” continued from page 14
onion. Add an order of fries and a homemade vanilla milkshake and you'll be happier then
a pig in a mudslide. It may be called a diner but it certainly doesn’t have diner prices, so
bring the checkbook.
New World Bistro
Besides my expert opinion, this hipster restaurant has the claim of serving the best burger in the Hudson Valley according to the Times Union. There’s not much to the burger itself other than that it’s big and delicious. It comes as seen on the menu with lettuce tomato and onion, but as you can probably guess, I add
bacon, cheddar and an egg. All in all, everything at New World is great and the homemade dessert is second
to none. After you’ve stuffed yourself with deliciousness, head on over to the Spectrum for an affordable,
old fashioned movie experience.
Other
Here are a few other options that I personally don't love to eternity but others rave about:
The Standard(Crossgates Mall)
The Pump Station(Downtown Albany)
Druthers( Albany Warehouse District)
Wolves 111(Colonie)
Page 15
Profile
The Eagle Scout Survives
by Sarah Konig
Have you ever gone camping, roasted marshmallows, and seen a kid’s hair catch on fire? Well Alex Konig has.
One time when Alex’s troop was making s’mores in his backyard, one of the kid’s had never cooked a marshmallow before. The kid’s marshmallow caught on fire, he screamed, “Oh my God,” and threw the stick with
the flaming marshmallow up into the air. The hot marshmallow came off the stick and into another kid’s hair.
This might not be the perfect definition of scouting however Alex’s other experiences showcases what scouting is all about. Scouting prepares boys or the real world, citizenship, outdoors and careers. An Eagle Scout is
the highest ranking in Boy Scouts. What you probably don't know is that Alex is an Eagle Scout.
For Alex’s Eagle Scout project he installed a flagpole at the North Chatham cemetery, in North Chatham.
This specific cemetery has about 100 veterans buried there and had never had a flag flown there until October of 2015. His reason behind fulfilling the Eagle Scout rank was that Alex's mother is one of seven children
and all of her three brothers are Eagle Scouts. His mom pushed him to fulfill the Eagle Scout rank as well.
Alex’s project, from the start of the fundraising process to the finished standing flagpole, took well over a
year. The fundraising alone took 5 months. The overall project was over $600. As a scout, Alex took a great
deal of time to write letters to ask for donations. When asked if he could change anything about the process,
he stated, “I wouldn’t change anything. I’m glad I accomplished this goal.”
Alex started his journey as a Scout when he first met Mr. Noll at the annual CES Community Fair, when he
was in kindergarten. Mr. Noll was the face of scouting in Castleton, and an assistant scout master, at the
time. Mr. Noll stated that you had to be in first grade to be in Boy Scouts. He waited until the next year and
began Boy Scouts. Eventually, many of his friends began losing interest and dropping out; in 5th grade he quit
scouts. A few years later, when Alex was 13 years old, one of his friends that he played baseball with asked
him if he wanted to come to one of his Scout meetings in Nassau. Alex wasn't too keen on going but his father dragged him and told him, “If you don't like it after the
first meeting you don't have to again.”
Well do you think Alex liked it or what? He enjoyed the
meeting so much that he never missed a meeting since that
one that his dad dragged him to. Alex kept ranking up and
up in the system, and was getting more and more involved
in the ways of Boy Scouts. One summer Alex participated in
the National Youth Leadership training and eventually became an Eagle Scout on April 12, 2015.
When Alex was a Boy Scout, his dad was the Den leader
of his troop. Kevin, his father said “I liked being a leader because I could teach kids outdoor skills and other tools in life
that they would need, that I already know and they do not.”
Kevin liked creating different activities for the kids to make
at each meeting. During the holidays, he would have the
troop make birch log candle holders. Kevin would help the
“The Eagle Scout Survives” continued from page 7
Page 16
Profile
The Chief Warriors
by Kassidy Berger
Maple Hill has a new super duo. That duo comes in the form of seniors Alex Stuto and DeAysia Cerrone.
This past winter, you probably saw them running around school during advisory and lunch blocks. Dubbed
‘Emily’s Warriors’, the fundraiser for Mr. Segarra’s daughter Emily was a major success. Their goal? $500.
Simple. That goal was blown out of the water within the first 5 days of selling tickets. Their time and effort
was noticed by the entire Schodack community, especially after the unveiling of the $1,163 raised for the
Segarra family.
“We heard what happened and we wanted to show student support,” commented Alex. “I got so much support from my parents, teachers, and people from outside the community too.”
She goes on to add that her cousin died from leukemia, the disease Emily is currently fighting. When Alex’s
cousin was battling leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children, she went to fundraisers
and there they were raffling off gift cards. This is where Alex got the idea for Emily’s raffle.
According to the American Cancer Society, leukemia accounts for 1 out of 3 cancers in children. Researchers
have yet to discover any strong ties between specific risk factors and leukemia, but having certain genetic
conditions such as Down’s syndrome may increase a person’s chance of getting leukemia. Leukemia occurs
when genes in bone marrow cells mutate. Oncogenes are genes that help cells grow, divide, or stay alive.
Their match are tumor suppressor genes, which slow down cell division and cause cells to die, which is a natural occurrence in the human body. Any mutation that affects the balance of these genes could result in a
form of leukemia. Since there are no known risk factors, early prevention for leukemia is hard. Researchers
are working hard to find connections in the mystery disease of leukemia, and Alex and Deaysia are just doing
what they can at Maple Hill to raise awareness of the disease.
Of course, the prizes were not the only point to the fundraiser. Alex and Deaysia also stepped up to the
plate to host this year’s Variety Show, and
they wanted to do things a little differently
this year. In between acts, names were
pulled for each of the prizes, which added a
different kind of entertainment factor at
the Variety Show.
“I definitely think the prizes with the most
competition will be the prom tickets and
half off the senior class trip,” Alex said
when asked before the Variety Show which
she thought were the top prizes.
She also added, “I just want to inspire others to do something like this for something
they care about.” This dynamic duo will be
missed next year at Maple Hill and we hope
they will continue to inspire others wherever they go.
Page 17
Profile
The Lucky One
by Maeve Morley
On an early Saturday afternoon at exactly 11:00 a.m., one might be walking down a quiet street lined with
old, Victorian houses in Chatham, and hear the clear, lilting musical notes of a violin drifting out of a partiallyopened window. This is the house of 75 year old, Lily Harvitt, lover of music and life, who just happens to
be hosting a string-quartet practice inside her house at this very moment. When you look at her, you see a
tiny woman whose age hasn’t nearly caught up with her yet. When she smiles, her eyes look at you full of
warmth and happiness. She tells you she loves to play the violin and teaches lessons to a number of students
at her house. She doesn’t tell you she’s a survivor of the Holocaust, a lucky one out of six million Jewish lives
that were claimed by the Nazis during World War II. This is her story.
How it all started:
At five years old, Lily wasn’t at school, or at home with her parents in Amsterdam, Holland. She was with a
Christian family whom she’d never met before, carefully hidden from the Nazis. When everything started to
go downhill in Amsterdam, her parents tried to leave Holland and travel to the U.S. but, unfortunately, they
couldn’t leave Europe. There wasn’t anyone to pay the money to, because the Nazi’s were in control of the
country. From the years 1942 to 1945 (end of war), Lily was safely stowed away in a house that wasn’t her
own. Lily’s father communicated with those who worked for the “Underground,” a network of people who
were determined to keep the Jews safe and away from the Nazis. It was very difficult, many people who were
in the same boat as Lily’s family, didn’t know who to trust. Eventually, two families volunteered to take in the
Harvitt’s. One family would take in Lily’s parents, and another would take in Lily herself. This was due to
safety standards, since it was easy to hide one person, especially
Lily who was a child. But, it wasn’t easy to hide a whole family.
Lily’s father couldn’t deal with the heartbreak of Lily’s separation
from the family. He asked her mother to drop her off at the Hans’,
who were a Christian family. When Lily’s mother left her there,
Lily sobbed and sobbed; she didn’t understand why her mother
would abandon her. As her mother left and walked away quickly,
she heard Lily’s screams all the way down the street. That was the
start of Lily’s time as a hidden child in the Holocaust.
A hidden child:
Lily’s time in hiding had its ups and downs. The Hans were like a
second family to Lily. Mr. Hans was a dentist and the family’s income was moderately comfortable. Lily’s best moment of all was
meeting her foster sister, Nell who was eleven years old. She
cared for Lily as if she were her sister. Nell was very musical and
played the violin, and Lily felt an immediate liking towards her; she
thought she was wonderful. She also enjoyed Nell’s brother, Amal,
who was a very serious student and was quiet, though not as much
as Nell. Her foster sister had violin lessons every week and her
teacher would come to her house. Lily would watch enraptured,
since Nell was a beautiful violinist. Nell even made her a violin
“The Lucky One” continued on page 7
Page 18
Profile
“The Lucky One” continued from page 6
made out of cardboard, which Lily would pretend to play. As she grew to love the violin, she started taking
lessons along with Nell. Unfortunately, her time in hiding wasn’t all music and fun. Lily was always stuck in the
house, she couldn’t go to school, or outside to play. The Hans were very strict about not allowing her to
look out the window, for fear someone might see her and report it. The neighbors across the street were a
husband and wife, and the wife was rumored to be German. They turned out to be spies for the Nazis during
the war. When the sound of planes in the sky were heard, the Hans and Lily would hide behind the stairs.
Lily heard the sound of the bombs raining down on the city and the loud explosions they made. They would
all pray, and one time Amal said, “We’re all in God’s hands now…” Two or three months into her time in
hiding, Lily became very sick. She couldn’t eat or sleep, and became very depressed. It turned out to be
homesickness. After two months of still being sick, the Hans arranged a meeting with Lily’s parents. At night,
her parents came over and talked to her. After that night, Lily understood what the war was and that her
parents left her there to keep her safe. During the war, food became scarce for everyone in Holland. Fortunately, Lily didn’t have a large appetite and didn’t eat very much. But, it was hard for the rest of her family,
especially the adults who were full grown people. They were strictly on rations, and the family only got one
loaf of bread for the whole week. When people started to die of starvation, Lily and her foster family ate tulip bulbs out of the garden. Surprisingly, Lily didn’t mind eating them, they were similar to the way onions
taste. The war was long, and even longer for the civilians who had no food at all.
The End and Now:
Eventually, in 1945, the war ended and Lily re-united with her parents. Lily was delighted to see her parents
after such a long time, but she also found it very difficult to leave her foster parents behind. During the three
years she was there, Lily became very close with her “second family”. At mealtimes, they’d read both the Old
and the New Testament, unlike the Jews who would only read the Old Testament. It was hard to convert
back to her traditional Jewish lifestyle. Lily was one of many children who were hid during the Holocaust and
survived. Today, she tells her story to those she considers close
friends. To this very day, Lily is still very much in love with violin
music, counting this her 70th year playing.
“The Eagle Scout Survives” continued from page 16
kids drill holes into half of a birch log and then staple evergreen branches onto the log. Since Alex started
Scouts so young, he has picked up on all of the camping, hiking, fishing and hunting skills he needs at this
point in his life.
Kevin said that Alex really learned how to be a leader in his troop, church, and community, from scouting.
Alex also learned how to excel in outdoor skills such as camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. Alex has
learned how to communicate with others better, from scouting. When attending Delaware Valley University, Alex has met a lot of people who are Eagle Scouts, and has found that it’s nice to have a common interest with other people, especially being four hours from home.
Page 19
Profile
Pizza Boy Turned Principal
by Dylan Rossiter
When you typically think of how your principal got to his fancy office, you probably wouldn't think of a stint
in jail or delivering pizzas. Believe it or not, this describes our very own Mr. Agostinoni.
The Road To Maple Hill- As a young boy, Mr. A didn’t really see overseeing a high school on his path
through life. Instead, he pictured himself pulling over scofflaws and taking down felons. While at Cairo
Durham Junior-Senior High School in Cairo NY, he was a lifeguard at Zoom Flume Water Park. Also while
in high school Agostinoni played soccer, which would later heavily impact his decision to pursue a degree in
criminal justice at SUNY Brockport. While at Brockport, Ron continued toe tapping the ball out on the soccer field but stepped away from soccer after freshmen year. It was at Brockport that Mr. A got a sample of
Chartwells (well, kind of) by delivering pizza (cardboard with plastic on it) for Dominoes. After polishing off
a degree in Criminal Justice, it was off to the slammer for Ron. No, not as an inmate but as a rough and
tough guard. It was then on his days off from the house of corrections that he fell in love with a more forgiving job choice of education.
Once graduating high school, very few ever want to walk back into the place that for so long felt like a prison
with no way out. Well that's exactly what Mr. A did, going back to the same halls he ran for so many years,
but this time on the other side as a history teacher. A big part of his lesson plans must have been the history
of the Dallas Cowboys because as we all know, that's all they have: history. Well at least that's more than
Cairo's got on Maple Hill, which is nothing but hung heads and disappointment .
Perhaps it was then pulling out of C-Town with a BIG red L on the stats sheet that he first fell in love with
the beauty of the Hill. Who am I kidding there's nothing pretty about this town (except the girls) well anyways you get the segue. “I’ve always known about the school, playing them in sports and such,” Mr. A said in
regard to our cheery little school.
Before arriving to his air-conditioned office (one of the only places in the school, besides the entire school in
the winter), he would head on down to Saugerties for a laugh or two. The quaint little town on the hills of
the Hudson (Very much like Castle-Tucky) is the hometown of the one and only Jimmy Fallon. Well the
wind and legacy left by Fallon certainly wasn’t enough to make Mr. A’s jokes any funnier. Actually, maybe a little, “When the
cowboys win the Superbowl…”. After time
in Saugerties he would again head back to
Cairo before arriving at the Hill.
A different kind of principal- When you
think of your principal, chances are you
don't think of a tech guru or football enthusiast but that's exactly what Mr. A is to so
many of his students. “He’s the type of
principal I could just sit and have a regular
“Pizza Boy Turned Principal” continued on page 22
Page 20
Profile
Jeremy Rossetti- G.I. Joe to G.I. Jeremy
Alaina Rossetti
Imagine being in a dark room filled with young men standing close to one another. Gas mask encasing your face, taking
deep breaths preparing yourself for what is going to happen next. Gas tablets are then released, your sergeant tells you
to remove your mask, and now the true terror begins. Taking your last deep breath, you start rehearsing the soldier's
creed, “I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team…” Snot is everywhere, tears running down
your face. Not taking any breaths, hoping for it to be over as soon as possible. Finally you are finished, while rushing
out of the gas chambers, men are puking, crying; it’s finally over. This is a typical drill that any infantryman in training
would have to do. This is not the only drill that eighteen year old Jeremy Rossetti would have to complete down in
Fort Benning, Georgia.
Before OSUT
Jeremy Rossetti was born in New York, raised in Castleton and attended school at Maple Hill. Jeremy for as long as he
could remember, wanted to join the army, “I have always wanted to serve my country and make everyone I know
proud.” Growing up, Jeremy had only planned on going to the army. Jeremy’s mother, Karen Rossetti, said that he was
always determined to go into the army since he was eleven years old that she clearly remembers. Jeremy has been doing cadets for five years for the first Saturday of Every month and sometimes more than once a month . Jeremy also
volunteered at the ambulance for his senior year, and really enjoyed the rush he got from helping people that needed
him. Jeremy has always wanted to serve his country and his community, because of the sense of accomplishment he
gets when he does.
OSUT
What is OSUT you may ask? OSUT stands for On Site Unit Training. Others may look at OSUT as a boot camp, and
they are fairly correct. OSUT just trains young men and women for whatever field that they have chosen. Jeremy chose
to go into infantry. Infantry are the men and now recently women that are first on the battlefield. When asked why he
chose infantry, Jeremy responded with, “I wanted to feel like I was doing something, not just hiding behind the lines.
Not saying that the other jobs are not as important, because they are,
they just weren’t for me.” Jeremy left for Fort Benning, Georgia on August 17, 2015 and wouldn’t return until December 4 of the same year
Jeremy spent almost four months at OSUT, doing hard drills and being
trained how to become an infantryman.
During OSUT
Fort Benning is an Infantry camp that trains young men and women how
to do infantry correctly. The young men and women have received some
of the best training. They are put through drills that pushes them to levels they never knew their body could. When asked about the tough drills
that Jeremy had to do he responded, “You come out now knowing that
you are truly capable of anything. It is really amazing what the human
body is capable of.” Jeremy had to train in some of the toughest conditions and do harsh drills to make sure he is ready to fight when he is
needed, and that he knows exactly what to do. Jeremy states that one of
the hardest tasks he had to do was FTX. FTX stands for Field Training
Exercise. During FTX, Jeremy and his Bay had to go out in a field and
spend ten days and nine nights there. Jeremy said that was definitely one
of the hardest drills he had to do. Although some drills were difficult,
there was still some fun at OSUT. Jeremy and his Bay never forgot their
“Jeremy Rossetti- G.I. Joe to G.I. Jeremy” continued on page 23
Page 21
Profile
“Pizza Boy Turned Principal” continued from page 20
conversation with and in no way shape or form know that he’s my principal,” one student said. It’s this
kind and genuine feeling that has earned Mr. A the respect of students and teacher alike. “You can tell he
really cares about the students,” longtime History teacher Mrs. Wollner said. “Even when he’s mad at
you, you know he’s mad because he wants the best for you,” another student added.
The level of care Mr. A brings to the table for his students is equal if not greater to that of the faculty and
staff that work under him. “He takes the time to design to people's ideas and really invest himself,” Wollner went on to say. This level of care for his team comes from a belief that with good teachers, great students can be made.
Looking ahead- The future: it’s the thing we love, hate, look forward to or dread, but we can’t
change. In a time when most professionals look to climb to the tippy top of the top, many would think a
principal with the credentials of Mr. A would exploit the Hill for what it's worth and move on. Meaning
really just move on to a bigger school. Well, it’s in this environment that Mr. A thrives. When asked why
he loved the idea of a small school compared to a big school like Shen Mr. A opined, “I Love how much we
can all come together, it’s not that big schools can't, it’s just that it's more of a community here.”
Mr. A also believes that because we are so small, it simply allows teachers and administrators to collaborate making enriching program adjustments. When pressed about the impact of the capital Project on student opportunities, Mr. A replied, “We’ll be able to offer more programs in new spaces.” This could not be
any closer to the truth, think about it you'll have more educators, in more space, with 21st century equipment. To your humble correspondent it sounds like a recipe for success.
With all the success Mr. A has had over the years, there’s got to be something he wishes he could do over
again, right? Nope, not a thing. Well, he might wish to take his words back if the Cowboys somehow win
the Super Bowl in 2017 (I have about as much of a chance in passing the Chem Regents as the Cowboys do
in even making the playoffs). Anyways, “If the cowboys win the Super Bowl in 2017, we are canceling classes (all but Mrs. Balogh’s) and having a parade,” Mr. A said.
Clockwise from top left, artwork by
Kyler Randall, Arianna Papas, Alysa
Kelly, and Reny Hoffman
Below by Tessa Olmstead
Page 22
Profile
“Jeremy Rossetti- G.I. Joe to G.I. Jeremy” continued from page 21
humor while they were at training. Jeremy says that his Bay and him wanted to see how many of them could fit into a
porta potty and long story short, they could fit eleven men. Jeremy gained many strengths during OSUT along with
friends and memories that will last him a lifetime.
The Graduation
After almost three long months of OSUT training; Jeremy finally got to graduate as an American Infantryman. Jeremy’s graduation was held at the Infantry Museum in Georgia. Both of Jeremy’s parents attended his graduation on
December seventh. The graduation itself was held out on the field, but the field that families were all seated on wasn’t just any field; this field had soil from every war America had ever fought in. The field had great significance to all
the men and women that have fought for our country and now all the men and women that will fight and serve our
country in the future. When the ceremony began, the infantrymen fired their blank rifles into the air, all of them
were in neat orderly lines, no mess ups to be found. They conducted a “reenactment” of what they would do as if
they were entering the battlefield. All the men were dressed in their uniforms matching one another and looking almost as one. Not all the men were called by name for graduation, but there were awards given out. Karen Rossetti,
Jeremy’s mother described the graduation as very well organized, “They explained everything that the men had to
wear when going out into battle and how much it weighed. It was all very impressive.” After the ceremony concluded, Jeremy and his Bay finally got to go home, some longer than others; Jeremy explained that some of his buddies
only get to be home for ten days before being deployed to Alaska for around three years.
What About Now?
Jeremy is now home with his family. He is catching up with family and friends that he has missed while he was away.
Jeremy has missed many things about New York but most significantly, “I missed my family, my friends and the good
food!” Jeremy’s family was surely happy to see him and to catch up with him as well. Right now Jeremy is relaxing and
getting back into the swing of things, but plans on starting up school again. Jeremy is currently enlisted in the National
Guard and plans on starting to take classes at Hudson Valley Community College in January for the two year paramedic program. After his two years at Hudson Valley, Jeremy wants to enlist into the army, and is prepared to get
deployed wherever they need him. Jeremy wants to be a part of the Army for as long as he can and doesn’t have any
permanent plans for what he wants to do afterwards. For now, Jeremy is soaking in his freedom and is helping the
community as much as he can before his time comes to protect the freedom of others.
Clockwise from left to
right, artwork by
Shirah Strock, Ginger Jobin,
and Becki Lauridsen
Page 23
Profile
Roman(ing) Around the World
by Allison Felts
Bucket List: Travel to every continent by age 30
North America √
South America√
Europe√
Asia√
Africa
Australia√
Antarctica
You may not know Ms. Roman as an expert traveler, but our
technology teacher here at Maple Hill has been to countless
countries. She has experienced so much outside of the Maple Hill
world; as she has explored cultures of 5 continents. Ms. Roman
has gone on adventures such as hiking the Huayna Picchu in Peru,
and eating crickets at the Donghuamen Night Market in Beijing.
Ms. Roman’s “excitement to see the world” started ever since
she was a kid. Her parents’ stories about traveling all over the
United States were her inspiration. With this upbringing, she was
destined to eventually explore the world; instead of having birthday parties she travelled all around the Northeast with her parents. As she became older, she wanted to travel the world. This
opportunity came to her in college.
Ms. Roman went to college at SUNY Oswego and studied Technology Education. She became a world traveller in college, but
didn’t study abroad. Ms. Roman couldn’t study abroad because she had so many lab hours to complete. She was part of
the Global Cities Program which introduces students to a city through studies. “You got three credit hours for successfully completing the class, and the class consisted of learning about the places you were going to travel to,” Ms.
Roman explained. After the classes were done, the students actually went to travel the city. “...When you traveled to
that country you knew of any religious or cultural beliefs, and norms that would be rude to ignore,” Ms. Roman added
as an advantage of studying the city. For Ms. Roman, it was a semester of classes that met once a week. After that, they
went to the city for seven to ten days. “It was really nice to travel with a group of people my own age and with similar
interests,” Ms. Roman said. She went to Paris and Beijing, and this earmarked her international travels.
Ms. Roman has travelled to countless countries all over the the world. She has been to New Zealand, Australia, China,
France, Peru, Scotland, Ireland and all over the United States. She has travelled to Hawaii, Alaska and all of the east
coast; totalling more than half of the states.
The farthest away from the United States that Ms. Roman has traveled to is Australia, and that is 10,000 miles away.
She went there last summer, along with New Zealand. Ms. Roman says she loves travelling because of the people she
meets. She travels on a budget, and it gives her more opportunities to put herself out there. She meets a lot of people
bunking and backpacking places, and ends up with connections all over. For example, she met siblings in Peru that were
from Australia, and last summer when Ms. Roman went there she met up with them. As Ms. Roman meets many interesting people on her trips, she also has the opportunity to try interesting food.
Page 24
Profile
The Donghuamen Night Market is located in the capital of China, Beijing. One of the most interesting stories Ms. Roman had was when she ate fried bugs there. “I'm still convinced it was the largest cricket I have ever seen, stuck on a
stick,” Ms. Roman explained. According to CNN’s journalist, Clarissa Wei, “When I saw the words ‘night market’ on
the Beijing city map, my stomach rumbled at the thought of vendors with assorted dumplings and classic Chinese
sweets. But when I arrived at Donghuamen Night Market (北京东华门夜市), a street food landmark in Beijing, the
plates were heaped with bugs and unconventional animal parts.” This is where the world's largest food selection can be
found, and Ms. Roman described the insects as, “fried to a crisp so it didn't have a lot of flavor. I remember feeling a
little disgusted simply because consuming bugs is unconventional for me, but I will try just about anything once.” Even
though Beijing had fried crickets, it didn’t meet up to New Zealand’s natural beauty.
One of Ms. Roman's favorite countries she’s gone to is New Zealand because of the surroundings. “New Zealand is
one of those extremely rare places that no matter where you look it's beautiful,” she explained, “Everywhere you
looked there were snow capped mountains, waterfalls, and teal blue crystal clear glacial water. I think it would be extremely difficult for someone to resist falling in love with New Zealand's natural beauty.” Although New Zealand’s surroundings were aesthetically pleasing, she loved Peru because of it’s historical and cultural beauty.
“Machu Picchu is probably the most historically beautiful place I've ever been,” Ms. Roman explained about Peru. Peru
is another one of her favorite places because of it’s historic and cultural beauty. While she was there she hiked the
Huayna Picchu. “While we were hiking up to the Temple of the Moon, it was raining and we were climbing up above
the clouds. The hike is extremely steep, narrow, and unguarded; at times we were climbing on our hands and knees,”
Ms. Roman explained. “Once we got to the top though, we sat for a little while to rest and it stopped raining, the
clouds cleared out and we had the most magical view of the ruins.” The Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher
Reynolds describes Cusco as “a blend of Spanish and native Quechua bloodlines, and Cuzco's stone skeleton is enveloped in one of the most muscular tourist economies in all of South America. Catering to jet-setters and backpackers
alike, the city hums with swishy restaurants, cheap hostels, upscale boutiques, tacky souvenir shops and hundreds of
posh hotel rooms…” As for planning these magnificent trips, Ms.
Roman has it down to the wire.
As a very meticulous planner, Ms. Roman plans where she wants to
go first, and then lets everything else fall into place. On the other
hand, when she is on her trips she doesn’t have up to the last second planned out, but goes with the flow. By now, she’s an expert at
planning her trips, but how does she decide where to go? Well, her
goal is to travel to every continent by the time she turns thirty, and
she only has Africa & Antarctica to go. Ms. Roman wants to go everywhere, in the U.S. and around the world. After she goes everywhere she wants to go, the cost and if she travels with someone
will dictate where she goes. Next, she plans to go to Antarctica.
However, to travel there she’ll have to go with an expedition
group, and go November through March. It will definitely be her
most expensive and well planned trip, and she doesn’t know when...
yet. Ms. Roman is starting her research now, and is excited to see
all of the natural beauty of Antarctica. Even though Antarctica will
be one of Ms. Roman’s most exciting trips, how will she find a
bracelet charm here? Ms. Roman has a charm bracelet, and collects
a charm from everywhere she travels to. Each charm is unique in
it’s own way, and reminds her of places she’s been to. She finds a
charm everywhere, no matter how difficult it is. She said the hardest place to find one was in Cusco, but Antarctica will be much
harder. As her track record has proven that she’s an adventurous
soul, Miss Roman is surely up for the challenge.
Page 25
Graduation: Senior Memories
Favorite High School Memory
Favorite K-8 Memory
Michela Rossetti
Freshman year when I walked into the
boys bathroom, proceeded to GO to the
bathroom and when I was walking out,
Jake Davis, a senior, held the door for me
on his way in.
When Trevor Dorward climbed to the
top of the rope in gym class, and he was
supposed to climb down but he slid all the
way down and the feathers on the rope
were flying out of it.
DeAysia Cerrone
Spirit Week and Dances
Morning Program and the playground
Reny Hoffman
Tenting in my backyard last summer with
Paul, Aidan, Brendan, Jack, Jud, and Jake
Roberts.
When all of my friends and I went into
school with morph suits on and were
forced to take them off.
Kristine Probst
Spirit Week and the Pep Rally
The stick run in CES
Paul Scott
All the days spent aimlessly skating around Getting sent to the office with Aidan for
the village with my friends.
having a water fight in the courtyard of
the middle school.
Trevor Dorward
Playing Lacrosse
Philadelphia Trip
Kayla Carlin
I have too many small memories that
mean so much. I must say that Andy Jenkins dive bombing for an empty bag of
Twizzlers thinking it was full at a track
meet was great though.
Climbing to the red tape on the rope in
Mr. Ashby's gym class.
Alex Pomykaj
Making videos for classes with friends.
Reading class with Mrs Carlson in 6th
grade
Courtney Unser
Glowfest
Meeting Jacob Adler
Kerry Golden
Winning prom queen at senior prom!
The king was pretty great too!
When we acted out the book Stone Soup
in Mrs. William's second grade classroom!
I will never forget the stone soup gang!
Kyle Hurysz
My favorite high school memories are my
participation in the Varsity Baseball program and New Visions Law & Government. Both of these programs taught me
crucial skills and instilled indispensable
values of hard work and determination.
My favorite memory from CES is the lipsync that Hannah Shanno and I performed
in when we were in the third grade.
Michaela Mueller
Cross-country seasons, practices, meets,
invitationals, warm-ups, cool-downs and
spaghetti dinners with some of my favorite
people in the world. Good luck next season!
Mrs. Carreau's 8th grade science class.
Especially the day she dented the floor
using metal ball bearings to prove that
gravity causes all objects to fall at the
same speed, regardless of mass.
Amanda Kern
The exciting and always fun spirit weeks
and Fall Sports Weekend.
Field day, the field trip to Mystic Seaport,
and building different things with Legos in
Mrs. Harris' fifth grade science class.
Lauryn Krupa
Junior year when I went to the
NYSPHSAA Outdoor Track and Field
Championships and placed third for the 4
x 100 meter relay with Sarah, Cameron
and Bridget.
Being in Mrs. Harris' homeroom, science
and reading class in fifth grade. In her
room, we raced crayfish, dissected owl
pellets (poop) and I was introduced to my
favorite book and my favorite book series.
Alysa Kelly
Playing volleyball with the best team ever.
Playing Spritely in the Snow White and
the Seven Dwarves
Page 26
Graduation: Senior Memories
Favorite High School Memory
Favorite K-8 Memory
Skylar VanAlstyne
Playing volleyball for Bacon and becoming
close with some of the best friends I've
ever had.
Field day.
Jacqueline Brathwaite
Volleyball season during senior year
I moved here in the seventh grade and my
where I got to play my favorite sport
favorite memory of middle school was
alongside some of my favorite people. It
leaving.
was non-stop laughs, fun and hard work. I
am still so proud of my team and the family that we have become. I'll never forget
our time together and the coach that
made it all possible and taught us so
much.
Kayley Fountain
Representing my school in Varsity Tennis
and Softball.
Dutch Apple Cruise with squad.
Alex Stuto
My favorite high school memory would
probably be the Emily’s Warriors Raffle
and hosting the Variety Show with my
best friends!
My favorite Elementary school memory
would probably be when I was apart of
the Chicken Soup and Rice play with
Mrs.Moore's kindergarten class.
Garrett Renslow
Varsity Baseball #RoadtotheJoe
#WhereisEastField
I knocked a yogurt off of my desk during
snack and it exploded, covering Joey Rocchio and the entire ceiling of Ms. Malone's
room
Mike Garvansites
My favorite high school memory was eiEnjoying the time to learn from great
ther the all night parties or just being able teachers to get us ready for high school
to hang out with my friends during free
and the many dances and rec nights.
time and when I was playing baseball.
Kristin McInerney
Our (sorta) flawless production of Bye Bye My shining moment when I danced across
Birdie sophomore year.
the stage in a giant pizza costume to "I
Got Pizza Love" at the third grade Spring
concert.
Cara Sanders
Color Wars
Soccer
Helena Mueller
Cross country practices, invitationals and
spaghetti dinners.
6th grade English class, reading the Lightning Thief out loud and the trip to the
Metropolitan museum.
Kayla Hanrahan
Being a part of the basketball program;
bus rides to away games, tournaments,
getting the dub, spending time with my
best friends.
Morning Program!!
Greg Roe
Winning the patroon conference tennis
tournament junior year and being ranked
at sectionals.
Having Matt Schottenfeld claim to Mrs.
Fowler he asked me "What is your favorite animal" and I responded "Duck". When
in reality I tripped over a chair and said
“(expletive).”
Sami Muller
That time Carl Azuz tweeted me
Sports Study Hall
Please note: Students listed here are not the complete senior class, but were the only ones who answered the survey.
Page 27
Graduation: Senior Wills
I, Jacqueline Brathwaite, being of sound mind and incredibly sound body ;), leave my volleyball skills to Jess Hogan
and Ana Horbata; I leave my lax skills to Colby Leahon; I leave some good ski club memories to Eric Steffek and
Hunter Pomykaj; I leave my seat on the hell on wheels they call a bus to Liam Hardaker; I leave some incredible memories of many great seasons to Mr. Bacon; I leave bragging rights of having the pleasure of teaching me to Mr. Hoyt, Mr.
Frese, Mr. Smith, Mrs. McGann, Mrs. Balough and Mr. Porter; I leave some of my common sense to Mrs. VanvViet.
I, Kayley Fountain, leave my softball glove to all my current teammates and future softball players at Maple Hill. Love
you all.
I, Alexandra Stuto, leave my bad attitude to Mr.VanDerbeck and my good grades to my brother Ryan Stuto.
I, Garrett Renslow, am taking everything with me. Peace out.
I, Michaela Mueller, leave Key Club Division 18 and a Google Drive folder to Jordan Scott with a wish for her luck
and sanity, the "Harry Potter nook"/"alt cafeteria" to those who hate eating lunch in the cafeteria, the beautiful old
hardcover copy of The Scarlet Letter in the library to someone who will love it as much as I did, and my biggest thanks
to Ms. Roman and my other teachers for a great four years of encouragement and learning.
I, Michael Garvansites, leave all of the great memories that I had while at the high school with all the teachers and
classes to come.
I, Greg Roe, leave my tennis ability to my sister, Rebecca. My procrastination skills to anyone that needs them. And
my love of Chatham and Greenville to all future sport teams.
I, Kristin McInerney, leave my love for SNL to the amazing cast and crew of MHLN. Never stop being the straight
fire humans you all are.
I, Cara Sanders leave my unfinished assignments, to my teacher Mr. Frese
I, Helena Mueller, leave the library books to someone who will read them, and the front desk to stand at during advisory.
I, Kayla Hanrahan, leave begging my dad to go home early everyday to my brother Tyler and I leave my agressiveness and spirit on the court to Tori Olsen and Taylor Gerrain. Love you three forever!!!
I, Samantha Muller, leave the duty of getting a shoutout from Carl Azuz on CNN Student News to anyone with
enough perseverance and dedication to do so.
I, Alysa Kelly, leave behind my torn ACL to Bacon and my senioritis to Sid .
Page 28
Graduation: Senior Wills
I, Michela Rossetti, leave my heart to, Eric Steffek, tread lightly, my snide remarks and calling Rico Frese,
"Richeeeee" to my sister Alaina, with great power comes great responsibility, and leave my jokes that nobody laughs at
to Sarah Konig, enjoy.
I, DeAysia Cerrone leave my sass and unfinished Animal Farm journal to my English 12 teacher, Mrs. Mary
Vanvliet.
I, Renyck Samuel Hoffman, leave all of the good vibes in Schodack for Bryce Arno, stay dope brother.
I, Kristine Probst, leave my locker 359 and my intelligence to the upcoming freshman.
I, Paul Scott, leave my lady killing expertise to Mike Scott, and leave all the unfinished business with Greenville to Jack
Santore, Garrett Axtmann, John Paul Kulpa, Ethan Samarija, Bryce Arno, and the rest of the upcoming varsity soccer
team.
I, Trevor Dorward, will leave the Lacrosse team to Cole Cioffi.
I, Kayla Carlin, leave my advisory spot near Mrs. Walling to Tim Carlin, my relaxed senior vibes to Monica Strain,
and my sophomore speed to Jon Carlin.
I, Alex Pomykaj, leave my bucket hat to Matt Riordan. I leave my captainship of the wrestling team to Bryan Kern
and Fabian Kendrick (sorry juniors). I leave my good judgement to Hunter Pomykaj for the next three years.
I, Jamie Correllis, leave my attitude and RBF to Anna Horbata for her senior year.
I, Courtney Unser, leave my basketball sneakers to Taylor Gerrain for next season to put in work.
I, Kerry Golden, leave my sunscreen to Emily Roloson for her last soccer and track seasons. I also leave my bowling
spirit to Jeremy, Theo, Emilio, DROSS and Dylan Fletcher. Finally, I leave my confidence to Bridget Bennett.
I, Kyle Hurysz, do hereby declare, that my last jar of Skippy be left to Coach Frese.
I, Amanda Kern, leave the responsibility of bringing Mr. Frese baked goods every now and then to Emily Roloson.
I, Lauryn Krupa, leave my soccer jersey number 20 to my mini-me, Mariella Hirschoff, for her next 3 years on the
team and I leave my scoring abilities to someone in need (Patricia Bennett). I leave my bowling Captain's band to Emilio
(Emily Roloson).
I, Skylar Van Alstyne, leave my blocking skills to Jess Hogan, my bowling cheers to Jeremy Price and Thatcher
Deyoe, my throwing powers to Moira Kelly and my cake to Cameron Lankenau.
Page 29
Graduation: Senior Plans
Where to?
Major?
Michela Rossetti
Travel to Trieste, Italy
Retaking Senior year
DeAysia Cerrone
SUNY Adirondack
Clinical Psychology
Reny Hoffman
Ithaca College
Exercise Science
Kristine Probst
The College of Saint Rose
Sports Management
Paul Scott
SUNY Albany
Undecided
Trevor Dorward
Military
Air Force
Kayla Carlin
SUNY Geneseo
Neuroscience
Alex Pomykaj
HVCC
Business
Jamie Correllis
HVCC
Mental Health Nurse
Courtney Unser
LeMoyne
Psychology with a concentration in elementary and special education
Kerry Golden
Quinnipiac University
Undeclared Communications
Kyle Hurysz
Edinboro University
Economics/psychology/political science
Michaela Mueller
University of Hartford
Undecided
Amanda Kern
Paul Smith’s College
Baking Arts and Service Management
Lauryn Krupa
SUNY Geneseo
Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Skylar VanAlstyne
LeMoyne
Biology
Page 30
Graduation: Senior Plans
Where to?
Major?
Jacqueline Brathwaite
Work, but will attend Hartwick
College Fall of 2017. For now I am
working at Executive Woods Childcare.
Special Education
Kayley Fountain
Castleton University
Nursing
Alex Stuto
SUNY Plattsburgh
Elementary and Special Education
Garrett Renslow
University of Rochester
Pre-Med
Mike Garvansites
SUNY Cobleskill
Agriculture/ Engineering
Kristin McInerney
Pace University
Communications
Cara Sanders
Military
Navy
Helena Mueller
SUNY Plattsburgh
Environmental Science
Kayla Hanrahan
Sacred Heart university
Exercise Science, Doctorate in
Physical Therapy
Gregory Roe
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Aerospace Engineering
Sami Muller
Fordham University
Pre-Health, Psychology
Alysa Kelly
University of Vermont
Natural Resources and Conservation
Please note: Students listed here are not the complete senior class, but were the only ones who answered the survey.
Page 31
Sports
Spring Sports End of the Season Standings
Boys’ Track:
8-4 League Record (Placed 6th)
Won the Maple Hill and Middleburgh Invitationals
Girls’ Track:
14-0 League Record (Placed 2nd)
Won the Maple Hill, Watervliet and Middleburgh Invitationals
Baseball:
11-5 League Record (Placed 3rd)
14-7 overall record
Won the Canonica Classic
Softball:
10-4 League Record (Placed 2nd)
16-5 overall record (still going at press time)
Won the Maple Hill Softball Tournament
Playing in the Class C Sectional Championship 05/27
(results not yet available at press time)
Boys’ Tennis:
League Record: 5-7 (Placed 4th)
Lacrosse:
6-11 Overall Record
Earned a #6 seed in Class C Sectionals, the highest they’ve been awarded
since the start of the program.