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Spring 2011
Page 1
The Falcon Chronicle
Spring 2011 Issue
Marching band shows Mr. President
their swagger
By Jessica Torres
On May 28th, Bow High
School's marching band and color
guard will head down to the District
of Columbia to represent the state of
New Hampshire in the Memorial
Day Parade.
Michelle Jacques says she is
"excited for the opportunity for
students to experience being part of
a nationally- televised event."
Jacques and the students
will be in D.C. for three days.
Before they perform, the band will
visit the Mall, tour a few memorials,
including Arlington National
Cemetary, and explore the capitol’s
famous museums. The band is also
excited to see the National
Symphony Orchestra perform, said
drum majors Rachel Gottlieb and
Willie McKernon
The songs the band and
color guard will be entertaining with
are: "America on Parade" and
"Patriotic Parade Sequence."
Sophomore Julia Gunnison
said she is "excited to be with all of
[her] friends and play [her]
instrument in the streets of D.C."
The band has collected
money for the trip from their annual
citrus sales. They also hosted a
Swing Into Spring Jazz concert on
March 17th to help raise funds for
their trip.
Sophomore Audrey Zecha
summarizes her enthusiasm for the
trip with "it's going to be a party!”
“Everyone is really, really,
really excited,” added McKernon.
“People have been bouncing off the
walls about this since last year when
we found out about it.”
“It’s super exciting!”
Gottlieb said.
“It’s gonna be
awesome!”
Ms. Longnecker and Mr. House-Myers disco it up at the pep rally.
Fixing the dances
By Hannah Kearns
As of the homecoming
about it with the whole grade; they
dance this fall, there has been some
realize that something needs to
controversy regarding the dancing
c
h
a
n
g
e
.
”
going on at school dances.
“It didn’t suddenly start this
Sophomore Class Officer
way…there was a lot of outcry from
Rebecca Lefebvre summed up the
teachers and several different
school dance situation. Lefebvre said
parents from different families
that, “if the dances aren’t cleaned up
contacted the school,” Mr. Housethen there won’t be any more
Myers said, regarding the cause of
chaperones, meaning no more
t h e
i s s u e .
dances.”
After the grade wide talks in
Students were separated by
February there hasn’t been a school
grade and gender, and spoken to by
dance, however a few have been
their class officers on February 1st at
scheduled, but later were cancelled
break.
due to inclement weather. Signs
“I think the talk with the
have been posted in classrooms
grade helped students realize that the
about dance guidelines, and include
dances can still be fun even if the
rules such as “Respect Yourself” and
dancing is more appropriate,”
“Respect Your Dance Partner.”
Lefebvre said. “Sure, some students
“It didn’t get this way
might not come because of it, but I
overnight, and we’re not going to
think the students know that the
change it overnight,” House-Myers
dances can be fun without dancing
said. “I think we can figure this
inappropriately and once talking
out.”
Seniors Matt Espinosa (left) and Ryan Meaney compete in the annual seatbelt
challenege; Michael Malanga, Lee Miller, Chris St. Onge, and Brad Clark went
on to win the competition, and will represent Bow at the 18th Annual NH Safety
Belt Challenge on May 3rd. Picture by Jordan Birtz.
The truth behind class schedules
By Kylie Iasillo
A few weeks into June,
everybody seems to end up in
Guidance wanting to discuss their
next year’s schedule. Getting antsy
about the year to come, everyone
wants to work out the glitches to
have their ideal schedule to start off
the new school year right. So how
are the classes selected to satisfy
each individuals needs? In our
technology evolving world, it’s no
surprise that the computer picks. But
don’t think twice that this process is
a simple task.
After the sheets are handed
into Martha Rae in the Guidance
room she takes each individual
sheet, totaling about 600, and one by
one puts them into the computer—a
tedious task. The computer and class
selection committee then starts with
the raw classes required for each
grade; Humanities, IST, American
Studies, World Studies and BEST, to
name a few.
Before putting students into
their desired classes, the committee
decides how many sections of the
class will be available based on the
number of students that signed up,
and which teachers would be
available, given that each is allowed
a maximum of five classes. The
computer can then pick each
student’s electives. Seniority does
have effect on what classes each
grade level has the chance to partake
in, but everyone usually gets what
they want.
After the computer has built
each student schedules, the
committee and the guidance
department then work backwards to
balance and clear it up so they have
limited problems when they are sent
out.
Bow High School offers a
very unique class selection list that
can interest almost anybody. Some
of the most popular classes
throughout the years have been the
engineering classes which on
average get about 65 to 70 kids, all
of the AP classes offered, the
multiple writing classes, the cooking
classes taught by Ben Forbes and
Tracy Berube, and the psychology
classes.
Dean of Students Colleen
Desruisseaux said the most
fascinating class offered at Bow
High School was a semester long
dance class.
“One of the teachers at the
school was a dance instructor and
taught the class for about 5 or 6
years. It was quite a hit to go on for
so long!” Desruisseaux said.
This year there are about 9
new additions on the class selection
sheet, and most of them are
Humanities based, like Shakespeare
and Popular Fiction.
So how do new classes get
added on every year? The classes
offered at Bow High are truly in the
hands of the students. If a student is
interested in a particular class not
offered already, all they have to do
is approach a teacher and let them
know the idea. The teacher would
then go to the class selection
committee and pass on the idea if
they’re willing to teach it. The class
selection committee would confront
the board, and if they approve, we
have a new class.
“Each class is different; they
each have their own personality so
it’s interesting to see how the topics
of classes change as the years go
on.” Desruisseaux said.
So if you have an idea, go
for it and you might be sitting in that
class next fall!
Students should be getting
the rough draft of next year’s
schedule around the 1st week in
June. Remember, don’t all flock to
Guidance at once and if it comes
down to it…blame it on the
computer.
Page 2
On the Spot:
What’s the number
one thing on your
bucket list?
Ms. Coe said, “I want to write a
book!”
Senior Ali Howard said the number
one thing on her bucket list is to
“make a bucket list!”
Emily Rosato, a Junior says that she
wants to “go to Antartica.”
Sophomore Dylan Huddleston said
that he wants to “go to every MLB
baseball park in America.”
Freshman Leah Forrest said, “I want
to hack a computer.”
Spring 2011
Just Listen to Your Heart: Lessons We Can Learn from Teen Flicks
By Sophia Paslaski
R e me mb e r “V ot e f o r
Pedro”? The memorable slogan
promoting Mexican exchange
student Pedro Sanchez for class
president also drove one young man
to perform an original dance that
ultimately won Pedro the election.
One young man with an appetite for
Tater Tots, and no shame.
We can all learn a lesson
from Napoleon Dynamite, the star of
the eponymously named 2004 cult
classic.
Napoleon, a socially
awkward Idaho teenager pining for
nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills,
computer-hacking skills, and, above
all else, a female companion, is not
only a kind soul, but also possesses
an admirable confidence in who he
is and what he likes. Sure, ligers
and ninjas may not be mainstream at
Preston High School, but does
Napoleon care? Not in the least.
“Just listen to your heart,” he advises
Pedro before the last election
speech. “That's what I do.”
In fact, some of the best teen
flicks are deeper meanings in
disguise. You may not have realized
how these films served as your
guidebook to life when you were
watching them. So take a look now:
The Breakfast Club (1985); a John
Hughes classic about Saturdaymorning detention and 80's fashion.
-What they did: John Bender,
Claire Standish, Brian Johnson,
Andrew Clark, and Allison Reynolds
landed themselves in Saturdaymorning detention. For some, it's a
first; for others, it's a weekly event.
Despite the clear social divides
between the five, they learn to get
along by jointly degrading their
principal (“Does Barry Manilow
know you raid his wardrobe?”) and
bemoaning their parents’ influences
on their lives.
-What we learned: We learned an
amazing 80's rock song that goes
like this: “We are not alone, you find
when your cover's blown, there'll be
somebody there to break your fall;
we are not alone, 'cause when it cuts
down to the bone, we're really not so
different after all!” Also, we learned
a few choice 80's dance moves to
bust on the tables in the library.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986); the
charming tale of Matthew Broderick
in a leopard-print vest.
-What they did: Ferris Bueller
(Broderick) doesn't like school. In
fact he's fairly certain he'd be better
off without it.
So instead of
attending class one fine spring
morning, he shows us how to fake a
sick day with clammy hands—“You
fake a stomach cramp, and when
you're bent over, moaning and
wailing, you lick your palms. It's a
little childish and stupid, but then, so
is high school”—and ditches,
dragging his friends with him.
-What we learned: “Life moves
pretty fast. If you don't stop and look
around once in a while, you could
miss it.” Enough said.
High School Musical (2006);
Disney's Zefron-esque depiction of
the struggle to fit in as a popular
basketball player who sings.
-What they did: Got their heads in
the game...or something, I stopped
caring after the opening credits.
-What we learned: Disney doesn't
know about high school.
Carrie (1976); the horrifying and
heart-wrenching story of what goes
on in Stephen King's mind.
-What they did: Carrie (Sissy
Spacek) is a lonely young girl, the
victim of parent-inhibited social
inadequacy, whose only desire is to
fit in. But her certifiably insane
mother has forbidden Carrie to wear
the bell-bottomed jeans and Farrah
Fawcet locks of the times. Her
mother's overbearing religious
beliefs essentially confine Carrie to a
life spent locked in the closet
praying to the Lord Jesus for
redemption of her sins, despite the
lack of actual sins committed.
What's worse, Carrie's resulting
shyness and blatant abnormality in
school makes her an easy target for
bullies. Which, as it turns out, is
quite unfortunate for the bullies, as
Carrie also possesses the power of
telekinesis.
-What we learned: A couple of
things. 1.) Don't cross paths with a
angry telekinetic girl. 2.) Don't pick
on the innocent. Carrie had enough
trouble at home, and the last thing
she needed was trouble at school,
too. And, as is the way with a good
tale of the supernatural, that trouble
was bound to manifest itself in some
lethal way sooner or later.
Footloose (1984); how rock 'n' roll
and Kevin Bacon saved a
Midwestern town from religious
dictatorship.
-What they did: Ren McCormick
(Bacon), the cutting-edge new kid
from Chicago who likes gymnastics,
introduces a town of religiously
oppressed teenagers to sweet dance
moves and the musical stylings of
Kenny Loggins. After dancing out
his feelings and doing some flips in
an abandoned warehouse that just so
happens to have a gymnastics bar
fastened securely to the wall, Ren
persuades the town's reverend to let
him and his friends put on a senior
prom. Finally, aided by the power
of 80's dance beats and a snappy red
tux (complete with velvet bow tie),
Ren and his classmates rock out to
the film's namesake, “Footloose,”
and save the day.
-What we learned: Oh so much: 1.)
Never lose faith in the power of
rock. 2.) Never lose faith in the
power of dance.
3.) All your
personal problems can be solved
with a cassette tape and an empty
warehouse.
4.) Winning Six
Degrees of Kevin Bacon just became
that much easier.
Wayne's World (1992);
-What they did: Though the film's
main characters, Wayne Campbell
(Mike Myers) and Garth Algar
( Dana Car ve y) , ar e of an
undetermined age, their explicitly
teenage behavior makes this stroke
of comedic genius a teen flick.
Having been discovered on local
cable television by producers in
nearby Chicago, Wayne and Garth
finally have the chance to shift
production of their weekly talk show
“Wayne's World” from Wayne's
basement to a professional studio.
Along the way, they head-bang to
“Bohemian Rhapsody” in Garth's car
(“The Mirthmobile”), “party on,”
and...actually, it’s nearly impossible
to summarize this movie, so forget
this.
-What we learned: 1.) On an
insatiable desire for expensive items
(such as a Squier Stratocaster):
“Stop torturing yourself, man, you'll
never afford it! Live in the now!”
2.) On whether you should give in to
your urge to hurl when asking a girl
out: “I say hurl. If you blow chunks
and she comes back, she's yours.
But if you spew and she bolts, then
it was never meant to be.” 3.) On
American champagne versus “real”
French champagne: “Ah yes, it's a
lot like Star Trek: The Next
Generation.
In many ways it's
superior, but will never be as
recognized as the original.” 4.) On
how to get assistance in a music
store: “I know! I'll use the 'May I
Help You' riff!” 5.) On playing
“Stairway to Heaven” to test a
guitar: “No 'Stairway?' Denied!”
6.) On marriage: “Garth, marriage is
punishment for shoplifting in some
countries.” 7.) On deciphering the
language of your dog: “What is it,
girl? Wayne's been kidnapped by
aliens! Oh, I misunderstood.
Wayne's outside. Thanks, girl.” 8.)
On love: “I love you, man.” “And I
love you. Because I've learned that
platonic love can exist between two
grown men.”
“It’d be nice if you could pull me into town.” Aaron Ruell (left) and Jon Heder
in the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite.
Spring 2011
Page 3
To the Editor: Students need enthusiasm
By Anonymous
It has come to my attention
over the past few months that at
Bow High School, we’ve had a
general decline in the student
population’s motivation and
enthusiasm. Students don’t support
other programs as much, it’s
difficult to get kids involved, and the
garbage has gotten out of hand.
These challenges are ongoing and
certainly are not unique to Bow, but
they have become increasingly
apparent and difficult to manage.
Garbage is the easiest to
address. Students often leave milk
bottles under benches, sandwich
bags in the hall, and crumpled paper
on the floor. This is ridiculous
considering that you can walk just
fifteen feet to find a garbage can or
recycling bin. Has this generation
really become so lazy as to leave
trash where ever seems most
convenient and hope someone else
will pick up after them? It comes
down to a matter of motivation and
pride. It’s easy to think that someone
else would pick up a stray piece of
paper, but if you wouldn’t do it, why
should anyone else? Students need
to be responsible and take pride in
the state of their environment.
Considering the fact that each
student spends nearly eight hours
(close to ten for athletes) at school
all day, you'd think they might like
to have a respectable place to be
during the day. If students can’t
manage to respect themselves by
taking care of their own garbage,
how can they be expected to respect
other around them and create a
positive learning environment?
Motivation and enthusiasm
have seemed scarce this year, even
in places where they are usually
abundant. Any attendee at a boys’
basketball game would hope to see
the stands absolutely packed full on
a Friday night. Yes, the stands have
been nicely filled, but it seems that a
spark is missing. The cheering is
often negative, as though the fans
can’t think of anything good to say
about their team, so instead they just
rag on the opponents’ team. The
performing arts department has been
suffering terribly from the lack of
support from students and families
alike. The plays and concerts put on
by the department have been poorly
attended. Many students don’t even
know what works have been
performed by the drama kids and the
music students. The high level of
achievement by the band is also
unknown by the student body. Six
musicians from the band will be
performing with the all-state band,
and yet many students have never
seen these musicians in a concert.
The band has hosted the NHMEA
Large Group Festival for many
years, but fewer and fewer students
are involved in the music program.
The image of the music department
was once shining and glimmering,
and though many of the same
students participate in band, not
many new students have involved
themselves. This resulted not from a
decline in the music department
itself—in fact the band has improved
and performed at much higher levels
this year than in years past—but
from a lack of students wishing to be
well rounded and try new things.
It is high time that students
realize that high school is a place to
get involved and try new activities.
Students must motivate themselves
not only to be responsible, but to
accomplish their goals. It’s simple to
slide through high school passively,
but that is four years of development
and experience wasted. Try a new
sport, pick up an instrument, start a
new hobby. And if you can’t do one
of those, at least support someone
who does. Go see a concert, watch a
ski race, go to a play, help with a
senior project; don’t just try things
for yourself, show others that you
care. Reach out to your friends and
let them know you want to support
them.
Students play Just Dance 2 at the Pep Rally held Friday, March 18th, that was
sponsored by Peer Outreach. Students also competed at floor hockey, guitar,
and dodgeball, among other activities.
David Robillard plays his way to a win in the guitar competition at the Spring
Pep Rally. Other competitors included Derek Younginger, Connor Morrell, and
Trevor Naughton.
The Baker Free Library Presents…
Really Awesome Teen Nights
Spring 2011
A Passage to India
Friday, May 6th, 7-9 p.m.
Bow High senior Pooja Kasireddy will share
Indian culture through food, henna painting,
sari wrapping, and Bollywood dance moves.
Cooking for College
Friday, June 3rd, 6-8 p.m.
Ms. Longnecker and Mr. House-Myers show their enthusiasm for BHS at the
Pep Rally in the proper way: disco.
Bow High School
The Falcon Chronicle
Staff
Hannah Kearns
Editor-in-Chief
Kylie Iasillo
Sophia Paslaski
Jessica Torres
Advisors
Mrs. Gina Aubin
Bon appetit! Personal food coach, Margaret
Angarella, will show us how to cook and eat
healthy in a dorm or small apartment setting.
Try out appliances and create small meals and
snacks that can keep you healthy and
energized when away at college. Recipes and
food will be provided!
Page 4
Spring 2011
Winter Sports Wrap-Up
By Kylie Iasillo, Hannah Kearns, and Jessica Torres
Indoor Track
Dedication and effort,
according to sophomore Byrie
Forey, are two things the Indoor
Track team certainly did not lack.
With such a small turnout compared
to previous years the team became
very close.
“We had a lot of pasta
parties, team sleepovers, and even a
Valentine’s Day hot tub party! We
were very close and it made the
season even more enjoyable,” Forey
said.
The boys wound up coming
in 7th out of 21 and the girls 16 out
of 21 which is great for a team of
that capacity.
Everyone seemed to put
their best foot forward with Kyle
Moore placing 3rd overall in the
300m dash, Ben Evans coming in
5th overall in the 600m run, Kat
Bemis placed 8th overall in the 55m
dash and 3rd overall in the 300m
dash, Nicole Allison also placing 8th
overall for the long jump and Jono
Vinnenberg placed 3rd overall in the
1500m run in addition to coming in
2nd overall in the 1000m run losing
to the first place winner by .11
seconds.
As for the relay teams, the
boys and girls 4x200m relay both
came in 6th overall while the girls
4x400m relay team placed 6th and
the boys 4x400m relay team placed
7th with an impressive finish by
sophomore Ben Evans who “was
tripped and fell down halfway
through the race but recovered well
and finished the final 250m with a
bleeding knee.”
Some of the major
highlights would be Katherine
Bemis getting the school record in
the 55m dash, Jono Vinnenberg, one
of the captains alongside Keelan
Forey, who won “school records for
every single indoor track distance
event and Keelan Forey getting the
school record for the 500m run”
Forey said. Coming from a team that
did not lack dedication, all the
individual and team successes sure
showed in the final results.
Boys JV Basketball
The JV boys basketball team
ended the season with an 8-10
record after placing 4th in the
Hopkinton postseason tournament.
“All in all this season was a
sign for improvement and better
things to come in the future,” said
captain Alex Evans, a sophomore.
According to Evans, the
highest point of the season was the
winning streak that the team
maintained for two games, but he
said, “we were able to taste
greatness for a short period of time,
and seeing that a lot of us were
getting to play with each other for
the first time, we also were able to
b ec o me b et t e r f r i e nd s an d
teammates as the season
progressed.”
Surprisingly for Evans, what
he is going to miss most about the
season are the tough practices the
team faced after weekends and/or
losses.
“Though a lot of guys,
myself including at times, were
dreading them; I felt that they
brought us together as a team as we
had to work harder and run much
more for our careless mistakes.”
Wrestling
Hockey
The wrestling team finished
third overall for division three
wrestling this season.
Senior Jon Lefebvre and
freshman Peter LaRiviere both came
in first at the state meet for their
specific weight class. Cory Berman
and Brandon Sawyer both came in
third for their weight class.
Captain Mitchell Boyd said,
“It was an up and down season at
first, but in the end I think we really
surprised a lot of people, including
ourselves, by placing third.”
The Hockey team finished
strong this season with a record of
10-7-3.
After winning the state title
last year, they had a lot to live up to.
“Everyone really knew that
we had a good chance to make it to
the finals again and the returning
players realized how hard we
worked to get there last year,”
Captain John Fanaras said. “A lot of
the players knew we needed to work
even harder to try and make that
happen.”
Fanaras also commented
that the team had great camaraderie,
and really bonded throughout the
winter.
About the season overall,
Fanaras said, “We had a lot of ups
and downs throughout the winter as
well, but we were able to rebound
and make a great run at another state
championship, we just fell a little
short.”
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Swimming
Girls JV Basketball
Bow High's swim team put a
lot of hard work into their laps, and
it certainly showed this season.
Sophomore Katrina Wiesner
broke the school record for the 100
Free, and says that her favorite part
about swim team is, "the people."
The relay team, including
senior Ali Howard and sophomores
Lindsey DeLorie, Katrina Wiesner,
and Annie Kuenning, broke the 200
Freestyle record for the school as
well.
The best part about swim
team for Annie is that "everyone is
just there to have fun."
Congratulations to the Bow
High School Swim Team for a great
season!
The Girls JV basketball
team ended their season with a
winning record of 11-6.
Freshmen Allie Krause and
Sierra Welch said that the team
dinners really made the season; they
brought the team closer and “served
as a good bonding experience for all
of us.”
Krause enjoyed “making
new friends, which helped us play
more as a team.”
This team spirit came in
handy during the game against
Campbell, after losing to them in the
beginning of the season they came
back with tenacity and it showed
how much they’d improved and
grown as a unit.
Girls Varsity Basketball
For a team that has made the
playoffs two years in a row, the
varsity girl’s basketball team sure
does have something to be proud of.
“I think our season is going
really well!”said Jill Chergey, a
predominant player throughout the
season. “In the beginning of the
season we didn't really have any true
chemistry as a team. Now that the
season has progressed, we have
really grown together and proved
that we are a team. We have all
stepped up and we all get along
really well.”
Chergey believes the turning
point to their season was the matchup against Conant where “we really
came together and realized what it is
goi ng to take to win the
championship. We had a huge team
talk and everyone stayed positive
and got pumped.”
With at least one player
from each grade contributing to their
team’s success they have ended the
season with a 13-5 record. Not too
bad for a team with only 2 seniors,
Maggie Crisman and Kendra
Toellner, the captains and leaders of
this tight-knit “family.”
“Personally, I am really
going to miss the seniors when they
leave,” Chergey said. “I have known
Maggie my whole life, and I have
been playing basketball with Kendra
and Maggie since I was in 5th
grade...everyone will miss them.”
Cali Hatem skis slalom at an alpine race.
Alpine
Nordic
Bow's Alpine team worked
especially hard this year, and it
certainly paid off.
Seniors Cali and Emile
Hatem, Junior David Cummings,
and Sophomore Anders Hanson
made the Eastern team.
Freshman Danielle Gould
said that she liked “being together as
a team," and "being able to train
midweek."
Gould skis slalom, and also
enjoys GS because they're "really
fun."
Congratulations to the
Falcon Alpine team for a great
season.
Bow's Nordic team did a
wonderful job this season with the
help of Coaches Naimie, Doneski,
and Buckley.
This year was the team's
second time sweeping podium, and
the enthusiasm came through with
fierce dedication to the sport.
Sophomore Sophia Gottlieb
said that she liked, "the team and
skiing. We're all really happy and
encouraging.
It gives a great
environment."
Sophomore Audrey Zecha
favored "being on a team. Oh, and
the pasta parties."