PANTHERADVOCATEoct 2007 - updated.pub

The
P anther A dvocate
The Student Newspaper of Plainfield High School
— Issue One— October 11th 2007
T h e N ew M a n I n Tow n
Special points of interest:
•
Teacher Interviews
•
Changes in Plainfield
High School
•
Gowdy!!
•
Student Commentary
•
Music
•
Sports
•
Birthdays
•
Advice Column
There are numerous new staff members this year
at Plainfield High School, the most prominent being our
new principal Mr. Arcarese. Mr. Arcarese grew up in East
Hartford, Connecticut, but for thirty-four years he was in
the East Lyme and Waterford area. We sat down in his
office and had an excellent conversation. The first thing I
asked him was: what are some things you plan on changing
this school year?
He responded that there is going to be a CAPT
Scholar Breakfast and this would be for juniors who have
received a three, four, or five on their CAPT tests from
the previous year. Also there is going to be an Honor Cord
Ceremony. This is for students who have taken at least
three courses in one subject, and received an A-. These
students are also part of a ceremony where their names are called and they wear the cords at graduation.
Photograph by: Tammy Mailloux
Raising CAPT scores is also a priority. They are not what they should be. Next year there is
going to be a Advisory Program. Each staff member along with ten students will meet every two weeks
to talk about topics and discussions. Mr. Arcarese has a lot of new plans for this school year.
Another question I asked him was: A lot of kids are wondering about the extended time to get
to class; are you going to give it?
The response he gave was: “Next year we are going to try to give six minutes instead of five
minutes.” He thinks it is important for kids to have a longer passing time when they have ninety minute
classes.
I was curious as to why he wanted to become a principal and not a teacher anymore.
Inside this issue:
New Teacher Interviews
4-9
GOWDY
10
Dear Debra
11
Entertainment articles
16
Sports
26
Closing Thoughts
29
Homecoming
30
Mr. Arcarese informed me that he taught for sixteen years and he felt that he could positively
affect more kids as principal than as a teacher. As a classroom teacher he was going to affect 100 kids; he
can affect 900 kids as principal. He also told me he was a principal at Fitch High School in Groton, Chester High School, and Windsor High School.
He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelors of Science degree and then
he received a Masters degree at Sacred Heart University and also a 6th year degree in administration.
Then I asked him, what is your favorite sport? He responded basketball since he coached at East
Lyme, Fitch High School and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. His favorite baseball team, as
you’re all probably wondering, is the Boston Red Sox. I asked him what his favorite music was and he
said he likes 50s, 60s, 70s, and Country Western. One of his hobbies is traveling; he likes to visit his
brother who lives in Italy. He loves spending time with his children and grandchildren and he also likes
reading. His favorite food is lamb with roasted potatoes and rosemary and garlic.
As we finished up I asked him if he had any comments. He responded enthusiastically with this:
“I am thoroughly impressed with the students and faculty and I am happy to be here working with the
faculty. And it is a beautiful facility.”
Photograph by: Tammy Mailloux
By Tammy Mailloux
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
“Have you heard about all of the new changes here at PHS?”
The Class Behind the Paper
By Justin Deloge
Journalism. What is it? What’s it all about? Plainfield High School has
incorporated a journalism class into the curriculum. In this class we have been
learning about the history of journalism and how to become better writers.
One of our biggest projects is the school newspaper. In each issue we
have to try and find new and improved things to talk about in and outside of
school. For this first issue we were in the computer lab for an extensive amount of
time to put together all of our ideas into articles. Even during the process of putting together these articles, little controversies came up and Mr. Greene commanded us write an article about it; that’s what makes this paper so riveting. It’s
very exhilarating because you can pick what you want to write about and you can
explain how you feel about the situation.
Our journalism class has been doing projects about the history of journalism and most of the historic journalists. One of the more important people we
have learned about would be Joseph Pulitzer. He has contributed so much to the
journalism world, including The Pulitzer Prize, which is distributed by Columbia
University. We have learned about numerous court cases concerning high school
newspapers and the issues that violated high school students’ first amendment
rights. Edward Murrow is one of the most fascinating personalities in the word of
journalism. Murrow came from nothing; he had no electricity and no plumbing in
his house when he was growing up. He eventually changed the face of reporting
and helped to create broadcast journalism as we know it today. He broadcasted
live on the radio from London in World War II and he revolutionized television
news with his CBS show See It Now.
Our journalism class/Newspaper Staff would like to invite anyone
and everyone to contribute! Any letters of concerns can be dropped off in the
Panther Advocate mailbox in the library. See Mr. Greene or the Chief Editor
Allison Hoffman if you have any additional questions.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition
dies, I think the soul of America dies with it”
Edward Murrow
Top Ten Changes in PHS
2007-2008
By Heather Fountaine
1. Mr. Arcarese– The new principal
2. Morning Announcements– now visual
3. Enforcement of Stricter Rules– disrespect and being
late to classes will result in automatic suspensions and
detentions
4. Writing Ten Minutes in Every Class– writing
prompts read by Mr. Arcarese
5. Thorough Agenda Restrictions– suspensions and
detentions have been given to those without their own
signed agenda
6. New Teachers– Mr. Bartel, Mr. Bowne, Mr. Chaviaras, Mr. Decelles, Mr. Eustace, Mr. Farrish, Mr.
Hart, Mr. Lapointe, Mrs. Lavruk, Mrs. Mazzarella,
Mrs. Ortiz, Mrs. Pyrdol, Miss Rossman, Mr. Shelton,
and Mr. Zielinski
7. Max and Company– Mrs. Collins leads students in
helping others around the school
8. Black and Orange Cafeteria Poles– more school
spirit
9. Year Round Drama Plays– two in the Fall; one in
the Spring
The Fall 2007 Semester Journalism Class...Your Newspaper Staff
PAGE 2
10. The Separation of Vice Principals– Mrs. Riley is
the Assistant Principal of the freshman and junior class,
and Mr. Worth is the Assistant Principal of the sophomore and senior class
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Lunch Problems?
Commentary by Zachary DeNovellis
The students attending Plainfield High School are allowed to purchase breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria at the
appropriate times, but many students complain about the prices and quality of the food.
An example of overpriced food is the cheeseburgers. Students are charged $2.00 for one cheeseburger. You could
go to a fast food restaurant and get a cheeseburger for half the price of the school’s cheeseburgers. It’s not even like the
school cheeseburgers are mouth-watering. For $2.00 one would assume they would get a bit more food than a cheeseburger. Another example is the water bottles. For one bottle of water students are charged $1.00. It’s only water and it
costs students $1.00. Milk costs students fifty cents.
Although much of the food is overpriced occasionally the specials are reasonable. If students purchase the special
they get much more food. Specials cost $2.30-$2.50 depending on which area you purchase the food from. That is not
much more money than a basic cheeseburger. The specials are priced well, but buying single items are pricey.
The cafeteria food is not filling and even less palatable. Occasionally students do find food that they truly enjoy
eating, but the food is still pricey. Even though it is convenient to be able to purchase food at the cafeteria many students
complain, because of the amount of money they have to spend.
Lowering the price of food would be beneficial to many people. It would be beneficial to the students and their
families because they would not have to spend as much money. It would be good for the school because more students
would be able to purchase food. Overall it would help all involved to have lower food prices.
ewww there be gum under me desk
Commentary by Kimmy Reindl
It was Block Three on a Monday. My day was already going horrifically
(for starters, it was a MONDAY, need I say more?). So I innocently sat down at
my desk hoping that the spiteful early week goings-on would pass by. My leg
happened to brush up on the underside of my desk and my jeans got stuck there!
I yanked my leg away and to my disgust, a wad of ABC gum was attached to my
pant-leg!! I decided to peel it off for I had no other choice. After a quick usage
of hand sanitizer, I convinced myself to take a gander at the wad of the gum’s
former habitat. The image of what I saw is and forever will be imprinted into my
mind. There wasn’t only one or two pieces of gum there; there was a WHOLE
COLONY of them. I leapt back in fright. Why would someone do this? Shivers
went down my spine when I came to the realization that every day of this year, I
was coming into contact with another person’s SALIVA. Even worse was that I
didn’t even know them.
It just made me so mad to know that a person could be so inconsiderate
to other people and their property. I take care of the materials in this school and
so should everyone else. Our awesome tax-paying parents bought those desks
for us therefore the desks don’t only belong to the school; they belong to every
one of us to share with each other. Some people are just too ignorant to realize
that.
PAGE 3
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
NEW TEACHER INTERVIEWS
History Teacher:
Mrs. Mazzarella
By: Alexandria Vicente
How long have you been a
teacher?
What other schools did you Do you mind that people
teach at?
say your name wrong referring to you as cheese?
“I taught at Cathedral High, All
Where did you grow up?
Hollows, and St. Bernard’s.”
“No, I don’t. In Italy where the
“I grew up in the state of Ohio.”
name originated from, it is actuWhat are you trying to acally pronounced the same way.”
What college did you atcomplish as a teacher?
tend?
If you could have any su“I want to be able to ‘Give them
perpowers what would
“I attended Annhourst College an idea about where they are in
they be?
in Woodstock, CT.”
time and space’.”
“If I had a choice of having any
What other subjects have
What is your favorite food?
superpower, I would choose to
you taught?
“I like steak and I LOVE choco- fly.”
“I have taught World Civilizalate.”
tions, U.S history, Soviet Union, Germany, and Civics.”
“I have been teaching for 41
years.”
Picture taken by: Zachary DeNovellis
History Teacher: Mr. Zielinski
Plainfield High School’s Nikia Lane interviewed our very own Mr. Zielinski. Mr. Zielinski went to high school at Norwich Free Academy. He then went to college at Keene State in New Hampshire to study International Business
(which he said wasn’t his thing and only lasted about a week) and then went into teaching.
He decided to come to Plainfield because it’s a good school and he was substituting all of last year, as well as
coaching girls soccer and girls basketball. He knew that he wanted to become a teacher because he had been tutoring since he was sixteen, and he’s liked it and stuck with it ever since. Mr. Zielinski teaches freshman, World
Civilizations, and is coaching girls basketball and girls soccer. He is also coaching lacrosse at NFA again this year.
He loves working in a “teen” environment, and he stated, “Sometimes I feel like I fit right in, and sometimes I
don’t. Some people actually think I’m a student here!” And that is true; many parents including my own think he
goes to school here to learn, and not to teach!
He definitely supports the principal along with all of the new rules such as no borrowing other students’ agendas.
He’s also a big fan of three hour detentions for tardy students and the improved disciplinary actions against fighting
in school.
PAGE 4
Picture taken by: Nikia Lane
I along with many other students and staff are happy to have Mr. Zielinski aboard and we hope he stays here in
Plainfield for a long time. He is a joy to be with and a great mentor- someone who we think many look up to.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Geez Louise, Mrs. Ortiz!
By Kimmy Reindl
I walked into the band room, ready to interview the new band director, Mrs. Ortiz. I was greeted by a wide grin and an eager,
“Hi, Kimmy!” It was typical Mrs. Ortiz- happy, bubbly, and full of zeal. I put the voice recorder on the desk and got ready for our conversation/interview. Mrs. Ortiz looked at my questions for her and then at me. Her voice and expression were serious. She told me she didn’t like answering questions verbally and preferred to type her answers instead. We laughed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be recorded either,” I replied. We both agreed that talking to a voice recorder is scarier than public speaking. So she opened up a Microsoft Word enthusiastically and this is what she wrote:
1. For starters, describe yourself in one word or less.
Picture taken by: Kimmy Reindl
ZESTFUL!!!! =D
2. What made you want to become a band director/ teacher?
I love music, and I get the best kids in the school. Also, I want to share my knowledge and give students a life long hobby that they will enjoy for years to come.
3. When and where did you go to college?
Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT from 2003-2007.
4. What high school did you go to and were you involved in music there?
Killingly High School 2003. Marching Band – Drum Major, Chorus, Flute Choir.
5. What made you decide to teach here at Plainfield High School?
I have seen the music department grow over these past few years and I would like to
courage more growth for the next years, and get 100% of students who attend PHS involved in music.
en-
6. What is your impression off the music department thus far?
The music department is very talented. All of the students have been working very hard and they are a great bunch to work with.
Also, my colleague, Mike Gowdy, is very intelligent in the subject and is great to work with.
7. What improvements will you make to our band?
My first goal is to make sure that everyone is on the correct foot during our field show. Also, I will highly enforce that band that
band is taken seriously, and is respected by the whole community. I want to go on overnight trips, Six Flags, and competitions.
In band, we learn about music, not just band…So we listen to all types of music, from all time periods and genres.
In a few years I would like to start a Steel Drum Band (like in Jamaica!)
8. What is your favorite instrument and why is it better than all the other instruments in the world?
Flute, because they sound the nicest and weigh less (I can fit it in my backpack!). I have played the flute for 13 years and can’t
imagine life without it. It also matches my personality – very bright and happy!
9. If you could have one theme song to your life, what would it be?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
After she was finished, she printed the document and handed it to me. I left the room with a newfound respect for her and her
theme song. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was stuck in my head. It was unbearable. =D
PAGE 5
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
Who IS Mr. Hart?
By: Heather Fountaine
Those from Plainfield Central School may be familiar with Mr. Hart, considering he was a social studies teacher
there for ten years. However, he has moved on to our very own Plainfield High School. On September 24, 2007, I had
the chance to enjoy an interview with the miraculous Mr. Hart.
The Basics
Mr. Hart attended college at the University of Rhode Island where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Secondary Education as well as a Masters in Elementary Education at Sacred Heart. He began teaching at Plainfield Central
School for the 7th grade for three years, and 8th grade for seven years. Now he teaches here at PHS where the interview
takes place. And so it begins…
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION CONTAINS THE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
Fountaine: Have you enjoyed Plainfield so far this year?
Hart: I have absolutely loved being at Plainfield High School. It’s been a huge promotion and upgrade for
me and I wonder, although I thought I was really happy at Central, I wonder how I got along down there
when I could’ve been up here the whole time.
Fountaine: Woohoo! Yay Plainfield. Okay so now for some crazy questions. Do you prefer pen or pencil?
Hart: I suppose a pencil. I make a lot of mistakes so...
Fountaine: Haha. Me too. How many ties do you own?
Hart: Oh my goodness, it’s funny you would ask me that. I have a thing where I never wear the same tie
twice until I run out of ties. I make it till April every year.
Fountaine: Wow. What are you involved in outside of teaching?
Hart: Outside of teaching I’m a Deacon in my church. I’m a chairman in the cemetery commission at my
church. I’ve worked on rebuilding cemeteries and putting the stones back up. I do a lot of family stuff
and spend a lot of time with my kids, as well as cutting wood.
Fountaine: Red Sox or Yankees?
Hart: Oh well, do you have to ask? Look at my wall. I have been since 1977.
Fountaine: Ahh, he’s a Yankee fan. This will not work. Haha. What’s your favorite movie?
Hart: That’s a tough call. Let’s go with The Patriot.
Fountaine: Sweet. Go Mel Gibson. So what’s your favorite sport?
Picture taken by: Nikia Lane
Hart: My favorite sport is baseball. I coached baseball over at Plainfield Central School for the last eight
years and running so I hope to continue with that. And I play softball in some town leagues, and we have
a game tonight as a matter of fact.
PAGE 6
Hart Interview—continued from previous page
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Fountaine: Oh sweet. Good luck with that. So what’s your all time favorite song?
Hart: Oh my goodness. That’s a tough one. I’m might have to go with “With or Without You” by U2.
Fountaine: Okay. So if you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring with you that are not
people?
Hart: Here we go here we go. I have to bring the Bible. I don’t read it as much as I should, but I’ll definitely have plenty of time to do it. And now that I’m just about to turn forty in a few weeks: reading
glasses because it wouldn’t be much good to read without the glasses, so that’s my second object. And I
could start fires with the glasses right? Haha. And my third thing would probably be a hat to cover my
bald spot so I don’t get sunburn.
Fountaine: If you could have dinner with a famous person who would it be?
Hart: Let’s see. I can go back in time? I’m going to go with Jesus.
Fountaine: Yeah Jesus. Okay so if you could have any super power what would it be?
Hart: Any super power? Jee wiz. Man, these are some crazy questions. Hahaha. Turn back time, that’s
what I would do.
Fountaine: Oooh good idea. And lastly, who’s your favorite person on the morning announcements?
Hart: Ohhh I can’t say that. I’ve had too many students on there that I know and that I’ve had in the
past. If I picked one favorite, that would exclude others, but I will say one is definitely the peppiest. I’m
not going to say who that is but I do enjoy a certain individual with a lot of pep.
Fountaine: Haha. Oh well thank you very much for your time.
The Life and Times of Mr. Decelles and his Ostentatious Goggles
By Stephanie Desrosiers
Photograph by Zachary DeNovellis
Mr. Decelles, the new integrated science teacher for ninth graders and environmental science teacher for 10-12th graders, was interviewed the other day by this reporter to learn a little more
about his life.
Mr. Gerald Decelles attended Manchester High School and then attended Eastern University
College. I asked why he decided to teach at PHS, and what inspired him to be a teacher. “For the
chance to teach environmental Science, and all the great teachers I had inspired me to be one,” was
Mr. Decelles response. At first Mr. Decelles didn’t want to be a teacher. Growing up he wanted to be
an engineer, but halfway through high school he wanted to become a police officer. Once New York
was attacked on 9/11 he joined the military, and then he started working towards teaching.
I then asked Mr. Decelles about the new rules made here at PHS. Although he did not know
what the rules were before this year he had comments on the new rules. Mr. Decelles agrees with all
the new rules, because when he heard about the behavior of the students in the previous years he knew
that something had to be changed and that Mr. Arcarese is taking great control over the pupils and
influencing them to become better students. If anyone hasn’t, drop in and welcome Mr. Decelles to
our new school.
PAGE 7
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
RETURN OF SPIDERMAN
Picture taken by: Jessica Chandler
By Jessica Chandler
It was 2:10, on Thursday September 19, and I was in
the library getting ready for my interview with Mr. Jeremy
Lapointe. I sat down and began chewing on my sweatshirt
drawstring while waiting. A minute went by, and I began
spacing out. Suddenly, through the mist I saw him walking.
He apologized for his lateness, and sat down. I pressed
“record” then began in the interview…
JC: What did you have for breakfast?
JL: Oatmeal.
JC: Was it good?
JL: Yes.
JC: What high school did you attend?
JL: Plainfield High School.
(Later I found out he graduated in the year 2000!)
JC: What school did you get your teaching
degree from?
JL: Sacred Heart University.
JC: Have you worked at any other school
besides Plainfield High?
JL: Plainfield Central School.
JC: Are you a Red Sox or Yankees fan?
JL: New York.
(At this point, the librarians exclaimed, “YAY!” in their agreement with Mr. Lapointe. Obviously, they are Yankee fans
too.)
JC: You’re an Eagle Scout. What did you do for an
Eagle Scout project?
JL: Alright…I did a landscaping project for the church I belong to.
JC: Choose one: Disney or Warner Bros?
JL: Disney.
JC: Why?
JL: *ponders in thought* I love Mickey Mouse!
JC: Did you have any special job you did this past
summer?
JL: I was an assistant waterfront director at a camp.
JC: What are your hobbies?
JL: My hobbies…Hiking, biking, playing basketball and soccer
with my friends.
JC: What are your plans for the future?
JL: Lets see…To either stay in the area with my girlfriend or to
move south or west. We haven’t decided yet.
JC: Spiderman or Superman?
JC: Why did you choose to come to Plainfield High School?
JL: Because I went to high school here and because it was a
new school, I was interested in seeing how it changed since I graduated.
PAGE 8
JL: Spiderman.
(Hence the title of this interview…)
I pressed “record” again and the interview was over. We
both stood up, talking about how the Yankees are beating the Red
Sox and left.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
New Accent in the Math Wing
By Justin Deloge
Photograph by Zack DeNovellis
Ms. Lavruk is one of the new additions to Plainfield High School. If you have Mrs.
Lavruk as a teacher you know that she’s not like all the rest of the faculty here at the school.
She is from Russia; she has a very strong Russian accent. She grew up in Russia and her primary language is Russian.
I asked her why she wanted to become a teacher. She started teaching in Russia.
Her first choice though was to become an engineer. When the Soviet Union collapsed the
industry wasn’t that great any more so she needed to find something new. She started private tutoring in 1994. This was almost like a full time job for her because she had 30-35
lessons each week.
I tried to get some random facts out of her like her favorite food. She is from a
different country so I sort of figured that she might not know many American food yet and I
was right she likes mostly Russian food. I can’t really remember the names of the food, but I
know that she likes the Russian salad, soup and pies. She still cooks all of her native food for
her family.
I asked her how she liked Plainfield High school so far. She told me that as soon as
she walked through the doors she loved the school. She loves the attitude of Mr. Arcarese
and Mr. Worth because they always wonder if she has any problems and if so they would try
to help her with those problems. She loves everything about the school so far.
There is a lot of differences of teaching in Russia and here in Plainfield High School
as we would all expect. She loves the new change of having so many resources to help her
teach like her smart board, she makes powerpoint presentations and she has transparencies.
She also has more assignments for students and more worksheets. In Russia they only usually
followed one textbook and stayed in one ballpark, and here we jump around a lot. One of
the big differences would be the block scheduling. In Russia they had forty-five minute
classes just like we had at the old school. One of the huge differences for her is the back in
Russia they start studying chemistry and geometry since the seventh grade, and they study it
every single week until they graduate. Here we study chemistry for only half a year and then
forget it for the rest of out lives. Another huge difference was that the kids in Russia are all
in the same class with each other until the eleventh grade. They were in the same building
until the day they graduated. Just imagine how great of friends everyone was. It was probably so hard for them to leave each other once they graduated.
Outside of teaching everyone wants to know what their teachers like to do for fun.
Mrs. Lavruk is involved in a Phizer mixed bowling league and she is involved in figure skating for seven years. She likes to swim; she loves to swim in the ocean for about forty-five to
fifty minutes. She likes to go to the spa. She is very involved with her son. He is a senior at
Fitch High School and is a part of the dance team, soccer, and lacrosse team as well.
Then for my final question I asked her what she liked to listen for music. She travels at least fifty minutes each way to come to school so she listens to a lot of music during this
time of travel. She likes Russian music and is not a big fan of heavy metal. Of course she
listens to the R&B and hip hop music because her son is our age and likes that music so she
really has no choice but to listen to it. She also likes to listen to some classical music when
she travels.
This interview was very interesting to do because I learned a lot about how different countries have school, and learned a lot about her culture. Ms. Lavruk is a very interesting women and I hope everyone gets a chance to talk to her and get to know her better.
PAGE 9
“It’s gonna be hot, so get your oven mitts on…”
A regular Jack of All Trades, Mr. Michael Gowdy, choral instructor, has proven himself by his 3rd year teaching here as Music Maestro of
Plainfield High School. But after his decision to take on both the Improv and Drama Clubs as well as the Select Singers group, Gowdy has revealed
several other talents as well, including directing, acting, and improvisational skill…
It was truly an astounding experience being in the first day of auditions for the new theater program. There was a certain indescribable
excitement in the air, as everyone waited to see how it’d go. Improv games were played, projection was tested, and a general good time was had
by all.
This reporter got a chance to not only sit in the first auditions for the fall theater productions, but even get a short interview and learn a
bit about the music man himself…
So Mr. Gowdy, what prompted you to take over the theater program here?
I’ve always had a strong passion for theater, most of my entire life... I’ve been doing a lot of community theater stuff too, and since I’ve
gotten to Plainfield I’ve really been looking forward to seeing some… big theater stuff. I wanna take it and take it to the next level with everyone
here… Actually where my passion started was from high school, and they worked really really hard with me. I kinda wanna pass on what they
gave to me…
How do you think you’ll change the program or improve on it from when Mrs. Aichele was theater director?
Basically she was doing one show a year, I’m looking to do 2 major productions... The goal for this year is to do these one act plays in the
fall [November 9th and 10th] and to take on a full Broadway musical in the spring… “Bye Bye Birdie”. It’s a fun show. Cheesy and all that good
stuff… something in the fall more low key and then the musical, what I consider to be more of a standard musical, something that was on Broadway that’s well known, a lot of schools do it. I know she [Aichele] did some smaller plays, which is fine, it’s a good starting point, and I want to
take it to that next level.
We’re just beginning the theater program at Plainfield High, what do you think of it so far?
I think it’s fabulous. It’s just fabulous. We’ve already had a few rehearsals, and kids will just come out in hoards. Fill up the stages… I
feel like there’s a lot of interest and the kids are into it… So I’d say we have about forty children for the one act [plays in fall], let’s see if they all
stick with it… we hope they do. And for the musical hopefully we have just as many. Lots of guys. Need lots of guys. That’s it.
I hear that there’s a select singer group. Is that a new group?
It’s sort of a continuation. I picked up [from] chamber singers. I’m kinda taking that group. We had auditions again for this year. And we call it
select singers but we’re gonna come up with a new name. I’m … expanding what they do, not just chamber music or acapella music but a variety
of things… I like the idea of field singers. We might stick with that. I think that’s pretty nifty… *dramatic like.* make it unique to the Plainfield
area.
Do you feel that taking on the theater aspect will take away from your choral teaching?
I don’t think so. I’m trying to space things out… give everything its fair share. Give enough time to give all the groups the… same treatment I
suppose. I don’t think so. Drama’s mostly after school….
PAGE 10
Pictures taken by Jordan Thornhill
The Great
Gowdy
Interview by
Jordan Thornhill
Gowdy Inter view Continued
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
So just because I need to ask you this… pirates or ninjas?
*with lisp*
My goodness. I’d have to go with pirates. Don’t we all just love Johnny Depp?
Fantasy or Sci-fi?
You know It really depends on what day you catch me. I guess I’d have to say sci-fi. I’ve always been a trekkie nerd, blame my dad for that. Star
wars too. I mean there’s cool fantasy too. I’m torn, I’m torn. But I guess I’d go with sci-fi. Space, aliens and stuff, that’s cool.
So If drama club challenged D&D club to mortal combat, who do you think’d win?
I would say… I guess actually the D&D club because the drama kids would probably get bored and, like, forget what’s going on and start to do
something else. They’d probably leave. I know I would.
Sweetness. Alright, let’s go into your teaching career more. What kind of classes have you taught in the past?
Well I’ve mostly taught here in this school. 3rd year, I’m really getting up there. Old guy, I know. . . band, Music Theory, Guitar, Electronic Music, chorus… Before I got here I taught part time Elementary music for special ed. classes. It was quite the experience, I had a great time doing it,
but it was just part time. I was teaching… 6 classes at 5 schools so that’s a lot of driving around. Didn’t like it. Who would? But the kids were
really fun.
So did you always want to be a teacher?
I was in high school, my senior year when I actually decided what I kinda wanted to do cause I know: ‘I love music’, and I was about half way
through and I was like ‘what the heck am I gonna do with music to actually have a career and not just like live in the streets, as most musicians tend
to. Suffering artist, right? Suffering artist, suffering, starving. I like food. I like to sleep. You know, so I said ‘teaching sounds like a pretty
good opportunity to do that’. My mom was a teacher. So I was like ‘alright, I’ll check it out.’ And I like kids and I like music… so I did the
schooling… went to Central CT State University.
College at times I definitely questioned what I was doing. I think everyone does. You go through a lot of phases. ‘this is way too much work,’ you
have your ups and downs, but once I got out, and I got a real job, being here, I had a great time, it’s a blast. Get to do what I like and… there’s
kids here and they definitely make my day interesting. Every day is a little different. So I think if I worked behind a computer all day… I’d hate
myself, or something. It’s just boring. [Teaching’s] good if you like music. And kids.
Do you have a few last words for everyone out there?
Yeah, if anyone wants to get me something to drink I really like iced coffee but it has to be flavored like vanilla or blueberry which they did have at
one point in time. Something like that would be fantastic, cream and sugar also. Other than that… I own like 180 ties. Something stupid like that.
Or maybe like 100, I don’t know. And people, if you wanna give me ties I like different weird ties. It’s great. Yeah, there we go. Say hi. To me.
Sometime. Buhbye!
Dear Debra
Dear fellow students,
This year we have added a few new things to the PHS school newspaper. One of the many things is an Advice Column.
Rules for the advice column:
•
Write anything you want to the advice columnists as long as it is appropriate
•
Jot down any questions or bicycles that you have and put them in The Panther Advocate mailbox in the PHS library
•
Make sure that you address your concerns to “Debra”, NOT Mr. Greene or Oprah or Abby or Tom Buchanan
•
You may remain anonymous: you don’t have to sign your name.
PAGE 11
The
ART
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
PHS ART NEWS
Miss Sumner
By Katelyn Kennedy
The most important thing I learned
is that she is more than a teacher to
her students; she is their friend. Miss
Sumner went to college at Quinebaug
Valley Community College and Eastern Connecticut State University. Her
favorite thing about her college experience was creating a sculpture of a
giant frog! The frog weighed about
fifteen hundred pounds and was five
feet nine inches tall and was made out
of concrete.
Miss Sumner informed me of other aspects of her life. She enjoys triple chocolate delight ice cream and seafood. Her son listened to Weird Al when he was in
high school, so she listened to it too. Did you know that before she became a
teacher she dreamed of becoming an artist? Once she went to South Africa for 3
weeks. She also was married for 32 years! GO MISS SUNMER!! She would
rather have an alpaca farm than a llama farm unlike MR. GREENE, who dreams
of having a llama farm.
Miss Sumner and her students are very busy this year .“This year we are
planning to do some paper sculptures, printmaking with Art1b, sculpture
class, Agent of Social Change, we are doing the empty bowl project, we are
doing some tile instillation for the gardens and the bird baths made last year”
Miss Sumner.
Photograph by Zachary DeNovellis
As I sit here and write this all of the thoughts I am learning in art float
around in my head. The values and shape and design… anyway, I got the
chance to sit down and talk with Miss Sumner for a couple of minutes and I
learned more about her life than I thought I would.
Art students enjoyed making three different art books at an all day workshop with
art students from area high schools on
September 27th. Ms. Dobrocki instructed
how to make a book cover with a spine
and accordion pages during a three hour
workshop with a rotation of twenty-five
students each hour. Ms. Sumner assisted
beautifully. Students were treated to a
complimentary lunch after they shared
their books with students from other area
high schools.
Ms. Dobrocki will take art students on a
Plein Air painting trip to a state park in
Pomfret on October 11.
Also, students in Ms. Dobrocki’s Art I A,
Art II and Painting II are preparing painted
murals which will be hung on the walls of
PHS. Watch for them.
We are creating art note cards for sale in
the school store of student art work. You
may choose any six cards for $3. Support
the art students and the art department by
buying now while the $3 sale price is in
effect.
Note Cards can be purchased--$3 for 6
cards.
The pottery club (yes there is a pottery club) and independent study students
are all making bowls for the Fill the Bowl project. We hope to open it to the community and people can bring friends they can learn how to throw pottery. In April
students can buy a bowl and fill it with soup, bread, or sweets (with help from the
National Honor Society). We are hoping to make 300 bowls and are asking for soup
donations for people in the community and the staff of the school. But this could
only happen if two things happen, one we get donations of soup and two we get
enough bowls made. As a closing statement Miss Sumner likes working here because the students take art to a new level and it’s amazing. Let’s go out there and
notice art!
Michelle Chenail
Charcoal Drawing
Art II
PAGE 12
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
Pestilence
By Alexandria Vicente
Equine Encephalitis Virus has been spreading through the state of Connecticut.
Plainfield was the first town to test positive for EEE. Theodore Andreadis from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station said, “It is not unexpected to find Eastern Encephalitis Virus in the eastern Connecticut since this region has had a
history of the virus.” The virus is so dangerous because of the fact that it can be fatal; one in three people infected with the
virus dies. The Plainfield school officials took control by rescheduling after school sports after they found out there were
some mosquitoes that were infected in Cedar Swamp. Researchers say that safety precautions need to be taken until the
weather becomes colder or at least until the first frost comes. These following precautions were written by the Connecticut
Public Health Department:
Precautions:
Minimize time outdoors at dusk and dawn
Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair
Wear shows, socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Clothing material should be tightly woven.
Use mosquito repellent when it was necessary to be outdoors. Always use according to label instructions. The
most effective repellents contain DEET and Picardin.
Measures to reduce mosquitos around the home include:
Dispose of water-holding containers, such as ceramic pots, used tires, and tire swings.
Drill holes in the bottom of containers such as those used for recycling
Clean clogged roof gutters
Turn over objects that may trap water when not in use, such as warding pools and wheelbarrows
Change water in bird baths on a weekly basis
Clean and chlorinate swimming pools. When pools are not in use, use pool covers and drain when necessary.
Use landscaping to eliminate areas where water can collect on your property.
If bitten and infected some of these symptoms may appear: (Symptoms begin to show anywhere in between three to 10 days)
Fever/ headache
Body aches/ stiff neck
Swelling of the brain/ Loss of consciousness
Lack of energy/ muscle weakness
Vomiting
Skin Rash
PAGE 13
http://www.eqc.ky.gov/special/issues/Mosquito.htm
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Anime Club
By Matthew Brown
Venture with me, as I enter the realm many people will never see or understand. This is a world where love, passion, romance and desire
fuel all. This is the world where men die at the drop of a hat.
This. Is. Anime.
Last Friday, I took on the meticulous task of experiencing a day in the life of an “otaku” (someone obsessed with Japanese culture). I went
to our school’s anime club unaware of the events that would proceed. It seemed innocent enough, walking into the library, seeing a large
congregation of boys and girls wearing nothing but black shirts they got from Hot Topic. To give you a better perspective of this sea of
black, 1/10th of the people there WEREN’T wearing black. I took this in stride, however, as black is the uniform of any counterculture in
this day and age.
However, as soon as the leader/president of the anime club, one Ryan Bourque started rallying the kids to participate in the greeting session, I was faced with the reality: This was going to be an experience paralleled by nothing I had ever experienced before. From the get go,
a good portion of the participants seemed to operate solely by their own agenda, making lewd comments and clichéd jokes to garner attention from the opposite gender. Taboo? What’s that? It was obvious that this of a club for anime as well as club for adolescents to spend a
little more time with their peers.
This is not to say that there weren’t true anime enthusiasts, however. Most of the upperclassmen seemed to be more interested in sharing
their cultural interests. It was fascinating seeing the balance between the people who were there just to exist, and the people who were
there to contribute to the club’s purpose.
Eventually, the group went outside, where everyone (including myself) made an introduction of himself or herself. The lack of social confidence to speak in a large group amongst many of the students was very evident. The more popular animes (seemingly the only animes
people knew) in the group were unbridled classics such as, “Naruto”, “Full Metal Alchemist”, “Bleach” and “Death Note.” For the uneducated, these anime shows are also the most popular animes in the world; it confused me seeing how relatively no one in the group had any
knowledge of shows that weren’t extremely mainstream – other than the upperclassmen. Amongst the chaos that was ensuing throughout
the entire meeting, a boy who shall go unnamed was challenged to eat a live cricket.
On a final note, it seemed as if the group was full of exactly what you would expect: like minded teenagers with a lot of social repression
coming together to discuss and embrace a cultural niche they all share. The club definitely has potential and with more organization, could
be one of the most effective clubs in school history.
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp
PAGE 14
thesportsguys.files.wordpress.com
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
D o g F i g h t i n g S c a n d a l H i t s H i g h Po i n t
By Barry Maily
Now we have all heard about Michael Vick’s ankle breaking moves on the football field. But now
there is another reason he’s making news- the dog fighting scandal.
In the last few months there have been new developments in the story. One of the larger developments is that Michael Vick was indicted for sponsoring dogfight operations so horrific that dogs either died in the
pit or they came close to it. Also if they didn’t perform well they were shot, drowned or electrocuted. Vick and three others were charged for
competitive dog fighting, training pit bulls and doing this across state lines.
The new developments that are now coming in about the story are that, the dogs were trained, housed, and fought at a property
owned by Vick in Surrey County, Virginia. Another update in this case is that the name of the dog fighting group is called the “Bad Newz Kennels”. Vick and his associates could face up to six years in prison.
John Goodwin of the Humane Society stated, “Some of the grisly details in these filings shocked even me, and I’m a person who is
faced with this stuff everyday. I was surprised to see that they were killing dogs by hanging them, and one of them was even killed by slamming it
to the ground. Those are extremely violent methods of execution, they’re unnecessary and sick.”
The indictment also showed some details like this one: In March of 2003 Michael Vick’s pit bull lost in a fight so he killed it by wetting it and electrocuting it. Also when authorities started to investigate, they seized sixty-six dogs, fifty-five of them were pit bulls. They also
seized equipment commonly used in dog fighting. Also half the dogs were tethered to car axles with heavy chains that allowed the dogs to get
close to each other but without making any physical contact. This is a standard dog fighting technique, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The NFL is also punishing Vick. He has been suspended indefinitely. And if he does get convicted, if they don’t ban him from the
NFL, than he will be out for at least six years. This is because at that time he would be out of jail. It is good to see the NFL is also cracking down
on Vick.
It is unfortunate that all sport superstars can’t be good role models for young children. If you think about all the things going on in
sports today we could probably come up with at least one bad thing that most superstars have accomplished whether it be dog fighting, steroids or
other drugs. It is very unfortunate that in many cases, children in the United States and other countries are wanting to emulate these criminals.
Information taken from http://www.usatoday.com and http://www.espn.com.
Sterling Entrance: Danger to Children
Commentary by Zachary DeNovellis
The new school in Sterling, Connecticut is a magnificent school. It is well built, and many impressive ideas were put into creating this new facility. As good as the new school is there is one major flaw with it. The flaw is the placement of the entrance way. The
entrance is on a dangerously curvy road. Even though there is a sign before the entrance warning drivers that there is a school ahead,
many drivers still speed. The lack of foresight used in placing this entrance way is a danger to the students.
There have been numerous fatalities on that particular road. Every year there are multiple car crashes. The road is not a safe
place for a school entrance. Placing the school on that road is a danger to the students and everyone who has to use it.
The winter is a dangerous time for drivers on any road, but this particular road is on a steep hill and the road itself is extremely
wavy. All it takes is one vehicle losing control to cause an accident. The road has to be incredibly well maintained during the winter.
The town will have to pay extra attention to the road and the Sterling entrance. If the town ignores that area it will be a danger to the
children attending Sterling Community School.
Many of the surrounding roads are also hazardous. The area that was chosen for the Sterling school has many steep hills and
twisting roads. The town will have to be especially cautious with foul weather. The placement of the entrance has the potential to seriously harm or possibly take the lives of the children attending Sterling Community School.
This entrance is dangerous, but there are many simple solutions. The road should be straightened out in the area of the entrance.
By straightening out the road the drivers will be able to see the entrance more clearly. Also the town could widen the road and add a
turning lane. By making these changes the children and teachers entering the school will be safer. Combining these solutions will drastically reduce the number of accidents on that road; by applying these changes the town will protect the lives of many children.
PAGE 15
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
Confused:
Movie Gallery
By Jessica Chandler
It was the summer, and I was inside the Movie
Gallery, getting a movie. Then I heard it. The clerk said
they would be having a COLOSSAL sale. What was the
reason for this sale, though? The store would be closing
due to the fact that Rite-Aid bought out the whole building which included Brooks and Movie Gallery. My heart
sank. I couldn’t go to get movies anymore! (But the biggest disappointment was that I couldn’t rent Spiderman 3
when it would be released on DVD!) Some coupons that
came with a Movie Gallery calendar were now useless.
Sure we could probably get Netflix or go to Blockbuster in
Dayville, but the Movie Gallery was only ten minutes
from my house! I am sure that everyone doesn’t live that
far from what used to be Movie Gallery. Everyone could
go get movies for a really cheap price really quickly!
But the Brooks in Moosup wasn’t the only one
that changed into Rite-Aid. Now everywhere I see a
Brooks there is a blue banner above it that reads “RiteAid Coming Soon”. I saw several in Rhode Island on my
way to Warwick. Why has Rite-Aid suddenly taken over
Brooks? Is it that Brooks became a new company called
“Rite-Aid”? Alas, I do not know these answers.
So it was after the sale had long-passed, and I was
under the impression that Movie Gallery and Brooks is
now “Rite-Aid”. Brooks changed, but Movie Gallery didn’t. I was on my way to school, and I noticed it. Instead of
saying “Rite-Aid” there was a large square sign in the
window that read, “For Lease”. But I wondered continuously: wasn’t it supposed to be Rite-Aid?
The sign still says “For Lease” and I am still full of
grief. No longer am I able to rent or buy movies/video
games to my heart’s content. So what will we do if we
want to rent movies? We could travel all the way to Dayville, wasting gas. OR Movie Gallery could return! Everyone in, or nearby, the town would be cheerful! (And I
could rent the Spiderman 3 DVD!) All in all, this entire
situation is confusing.
OCTOBER MOVIE MANIA: Release Dates
October 5th:
The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising
The Heartbreak Kid
My Kid Could Paint That
Finishing the Game
Feel the Noise
The Good Night
Weirdsville
Michael Clayton
October 12th:
We Own the Night
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Why Did I Get Married?
Sleuth
Lars and the Real Girl
Control
October 19th:
30 Days of Night
Rendition
Things We Lost in Fire
Reservation Road
Gone Baby Gone
The Comebacks
Wristcutters: A life story
Photograph from http://www.ew.com
October 26th:
Dan in Real Life
Saw IV
Rails & Tails
Information Taken From:
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/comingsoon.html
PAGE 16
http://movies.zap2it.com/movies/movies/comingsoon/0,1259,--,00.html
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
H ap py B i r t h d ay To :
October 1
Meaghan Dailey
Heather Rathbun
Krystle Guillemette
Todd Dubreriul
Mathew Rioux
Caitlyn Duncan
Hans Wanner
October 16
Micheal Malbaurn
Jarrad Norgren
October 24
Anthony Taylor
Mr. Nelson
October 17
October 2
October 9
Gena Racine
Danielle Allard
Mrs. Fitch
Mrs. Hoffman
David Foss
Brad Kleberg
October 25
Gregory Lehto
Carol Whitman
October 18
October 3
Sean Curley
October 10
Kyle Landry
Kimberly Roitaille
Mrs. Ortiz
Dylan Lefevre
October 4
Zachary Credit
Rebecca Ward
Mr. Hart
Danny Vinal
Katelyn Adams
October 7
Joshua Bryan
Zachery Bourque
Robert Boutin
Meagan Miller
Meaghan Lewis
Deanna Pegg
Crystal Cholewa
October 22
October29
Alexa Collelo
Dante Longo
Tayler Perreault
Kayla Cote
Mr. Zenowitz
Mr. Maffuid
October 23
October 30
Joshua DeLorge
Stephanie Davis
Victoria Lane
Trevor Nisbet
Jeremy Desrosiers
Ms. Burdick
Bryan Scharlack
Eric Fuller
October 15
Sarah Whitmore
Alecia Fontaine
Kayla Becotte
Eric Willis
Paul Magrey
Justin Davis
Mr. Kelley
Tyler Perry
October 28
Nicole Dumaine
October 13
Kaleigh Bourque
October 20
Shana Blair
Kathleen Lamotte
October 8
Kayla Charlwood
October 21
October 12
Amber Etheridge
Mr. Kasperian
Samuel Estrada
Jessica Sasso
Kayla Mineau
October 6
Dr. Culver-Rymsza
October 19
October 11
Joshua Randeau
October 5
Nicholas Bellavance
Elle-Jordyn Goslin October27
Christopher Heroux
Zachariah Silvestri
October 26
October 31
Stephany Jacome
Tammy Mailloux
Zachary Savage
Cassandra Theriaque
My Favorite Band
Street Light Manifesto
The Scene Aesthetic
My name is Paul Ayres, and my favorite band in the whole wide world is
Street Light Manifesto!! My favorite song by them is “Everything Went
Numb.” I like them a lot because they’re AWESOME! I’ve seen them once in
concert which was in Worcester, MA. I plan on seeing them much more seeing as they are my favorite band in all! J
My name is Bethany Simpson and my favorite
band is The Scene Aesthetic! My favorite song
by them is called “Beauty in the Breakdown”.
I’ve never met them but I want to so bad!
They are so cute, and I love them! Every time I
hear them sing my tummy gets butterflies!
http://www.supermusic.sk/obrazky/
Cartel
Bowling For Soup
Hello, I’m Matt Radant, and my favorite band is Bowling for Soup!
My favorite song by them is called “2113”. Their music just
reaches me at a very deep level, and I can’t get enough of it! I’ve
never met them, but I sure would like to. I like them because
they don’t take what they do seriously, and their goal is to make
people smile by their music and just have a good time.
http://mog.com/pictures/wikipedia/937304/Bowling_for_Soup.jpg
Have a favorite band? Let Nikia know about it!
Drop off your information in the library in
The Panther Advocate Mailbox!
My name is Nikia Lane, and my favorite band is Cartel!
Cartel is Will Pugh on vocals, Nic Hudson on guitar,
Kevin Sanders on drums, Joseph Pepper on guitar and
Jeff Lett on bass. I think that they are absolutely amazing because I can relate to their music so well and I’m
completely in love with Will’s (the singer) voice! I saw
them in concert one time and I plan to see them much
more. I went to Six Flags New England this past summer with my boyfriend Tayler, and much to my surprise we went to see CARTEL! I was ecstatic and right
when I got there I wanted it to last forever! After the
show we waited around a bit and we actually got to
meet them!! I got right up there, when it was my turn
of course, and said “HI Will, Kevin, Nic, Jeff and Joe!”
And they smiled, laughed and told me that was awesome how I knew their names! Also I was wearing a “I
Love Cartel” shirt that I had made in Graphic Design
class right here in Plainfield High School. I would like to
thank Mr. Bitgood for helping me with my shirt, because if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have gotten my
shirt signed by Cartel! Every time I hear one of their
songs playing I get all tickled inside and I just want to
get up and dance and sing along.
http://assets.m80im.com
http://image.listen.com/img
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
The Story of Ville Valo
By Ashley Rider
Some people’s goal in life is to grow old in a mansion, living off retirement money. But, there’s always the kid who went through school, not
caring and relying on being a rock star. Among the many of these gifted “rock stars” was a man name Ville Hermanni Valo. He was born on Nov. 22,
1976. He grew up in a town called Vallila, which is a small town in Helsinki (capitol of Finland). Soon after he was born, he and his family moved to a
small town called Oulunkylä. There his father transitioned from being a taxi driver to opening an “adult boutique store”. Before Ville hit it off with his
music career he also worked in the “shop”. Ville also had a brother named Jesse, who was a boxer.
Even as a kid he had an inspiration to play and listen to music. Around the age of three he played the bongo drums. He started playing the
drums because a friend of the family, who was an Elvis impersonator, would come over and sing and he would bang to the drums. As he got older, Ville
enjoyed listening to bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Then he became interested in the genre of classic rock, like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Neil Young. Ironically, he was also inspired by Elvis.
In 1995 he started his first band called His Infernal Majesty. His band included his old schoolmates
Mikko Lindstrom (AKA-Lilly Lazer) and Mikko Heinrik Julius Paananen (AKA-Migé Amour), Juhana Rantala
and, Antto Melasniemi. The current members of the band are Ville Valo, Mikko “Linde” Lindestrom, Mikko
“Mige” Paananen, Janne “Burton” Puurtenen, Mikka “gas lipstick” Karppinen. The genre of the band was a mix
of Goth, heavy metal and dark romanticism called “love Metal”. Later, the name was condensed to HIM. The
same year they released their first demo, but it wasn’t very successful.
A year later the band released their first album, called 666 Ways to Love. This was only available in
Finland. There were only 1,000 copies made so, today the album is worth up to $700 dollars a piece. On December 19, 1999, their second album, Razorblade romance, was released in Finland. A month later, on January
24, 2000 it was released in the Europe, and in May it was released to the U.K. This record hit it big in Germany and in Europe. In Germany, it was placed on #1 for sales charts, it went platinum, also was, and still is,
the biggest-selling single in Finnish music history. Today they also have a few more albums: Love Metal (April
14, 2003), Deep shadows and Brilliant Highlights (September 24, 2004), and Love Said No (November 4,
2004), Dark Light<amazing album> (May 30, 2006), and finally Venus Doom (June 7, 2007). All of their
albums are stellar and you can tell they worked really hard. Dark light was the first Finnish album to hit gold in
the United States. When HIM was new in the United States, they weren’t very popular, until Valo’s best
http://bestmusic.wz.cz/interveiws/ville3.jpg
friend and biggest fan, Bam Margera, aired their music on his MTV show Viva La Bam.
When their first record was released in the United States, it was released under the name of “HER”. There were 1,000 copies sold under this
title, and are really hard to find. There was a jazz band in Chicago with the name of “HIM”, and they didn’t want to give up their rights of having that
name. So, finally HIM bought their rights to be able to have the same name in the US.
HIM performs really well live, trust me I’ve been there!! Ville does have one fear of performing; he has a fear of sharing microphones. He
claims it shares germs. Valo states: "When you play gigs, you're sharing other people's microphones and stuff, and they get covered in spit, you can graze
your skin, whatever. I've heard about musicians doing that, and I don't want to get something and go spreading it around." So, just to be sure, he gets a
blood test every six months.
Ville Valo has an obsession with smoking, to make his voice sound “better”. He quotes, "I'm down to sixty cigarettes a day now. It used to be
more than 100. The more you smoke the better your voice gets. Guitarists have wah wah pedals to make them sound better….." Due to how much he
smokes, he now has asthma. Currently he is in rehab for smoking and alcohol addiction, but he is apparently going to keep on drinking.
Valo has been arrested a couple times. The most interesting story was the time he threatened to kill his neighbor in Finland. Valo claims he was
putting him and his ex-fiancé down and being a jerk. Reportedly, Valo through a vase at his door and had to be restrained in cuffs when the cops arrived.
Valo quotes, “He was claiming that we were junkies to people he didn’t know. I heard it through my friend’s mother in the park. I’m gonna sue him for
slander. We’ll see what happens”.
Ville Valo also has ten tattoos. On his leg, he has a demon with a serpent. On his waist, side neck, and chest he has a heartagram; also on his
chest he has the word “May”. He also has two tattoos of poet’s portraits, and a heart with “DILLIGAF…..when in love” written inside (DILLIGAF stands
for “Do I look like I give a F# #k”). On his left arm he has a vine sleeve tattoo (this took forever to get done due to the fact that both Valo and the tattoo
artist had to get drunk and listen to Megadeth just to do the tattoo) and on his hand saying J, for Jonna on his wedding finger. On Valo’s back, he has
Edgar Allan Poe’s eyes. The most interesting tattoo is “Nidiot” on his butt, which is an inside joke with Bam Margera. Also, they have the same side and
waist tattoos. His first tattoo was the heart on his wrist, but now on the top and bottom it says “When I love I Love”.
Ville Valo has become a thriving artist in today’s music scene. Hopefully this self-made artist won’t self-destruct any time soon.
PAGE 19
Information taken from andlovesaidno0.tripod.com
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
Kur t Cobain: Suicide or Murder?
By Jake Wills
Picture from-WWW.smh.com/au
Kurt Donald Cobain was the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for his
band Nirvana. They were one of the greatest grunge/alternative rock
band in the world and had millions of fans.
Aside from all the fame, Cobain had many problems in his life.
He had to deal with extreme depression, chronic stomach pains, emphysema, a psychotic wife and being a hardcore heroin addict was no picnic
for Kurt. Cobain was also very suicidal and attempted to kill himself several times with drugs and alcohol.
Cobain was found dead in the room above his garage, referred
to as “The Green House.” He died on April 5, 1994 but wasn’t discovered
until three days later. Found in the room was Cobain’s body with a shotgun laid across his chest, a so called “suicide note” pinned onto a flower
pot with a red pen, and his heroin kit and needles. The cause of death was
immediately determined as a suicide by self- inflicted shotgun wound to
his head. I’m here to tell you that this is a bold faced lie and that he did
not kill himself, he was murdered. Here are the reasons why.
The heroin is proof against the suicide theory. All Kurt’s life he
had chronic and excruciating stomach pains. Not one doctor could figure
out the problem, so he turned to heroin. He tried it for the first time in
1986 for three days straight and had no stomach pains, and because heroin is a narcotic, this wasn’t a surprise but it was a
huge relief for Kurt. After that, he was determined to get a habit as self medication for his stomach. By 1990, Kurt was a full
fledged heroin addict. He was shooting $500.00 worth of Mexican black tar heroin a day, which is the most potent and pure
heroin you can get. It has a pureness of usually 70% to 90%. Most heroin is at 40%.
When Kurt was found dead, his heroin blood level was 1.52 mgs per liter. This would require a minimum dose of
225 mgs of heroin. That is three times the lethal dose and could kill even the most hardcore addict three times over. With
that much heroin, once he took that belt off his arm and it hit him, he would have been instantly incapacitated and would
NOT have been able to pick up a shotgun and kill himself. Therefore, someone else must have been in the room with him
when he died.
Courtney Love, his fanatical wife, also played a part in his untimely demise. For quite some time before Kurt died,
he was in the process of divorcing Love. Kurt’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain’s Nanny said that Courtney was obsessed
about Kurt’s will.
When his body was found, there was also a note that was immediately determined as a suicide note saying goodbye to his wife and daughter. Yet there is no part in that note that indicates it being a suicide note except for the last four
lines. In the rest of the note Kurt announced his intent to leave Courtney Love, Seattle, and the music business. The last
four lines indicate it being a suicide note, but the handwriting is completely different than the rest of the note. This indicates
someone else wrote the last four lines to make the crime scene look like a suicide. In addition, Courtney was in possession
of a second note after Kurt was found dead. She didn’t tell anyone about this note until months after his death when information slipped out about it during an interview for Rolling Stone.
If you want to learn more about Kurt you can read the biography Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross.
Information taken from www.wikipedia.org/Kurt_Cobain.
PAGE 20
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
WEIRD AL
By Katelyn Kennedy
Let’s go out!
Friday night September 21, the crowd fell silent as the singer approached the stage. We
heard a loud voice say: “Please welcome Weird Al Yancovich!” Then from the crowd came a huge
roar. The moment he started to sing I was in a trance (forgetting about the ice cream that was in the
bowl melting) I did not care about anything else: he was Weird Al Yancovich, my idol, the guy I have
dreamed about and worshiped since the first time I heard the song “Like a Surgeon” which is a parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. I had been waiting for this moment for months since I had found
out I was going to a Weird Al concert. I had prepped and had everything ready for days and there I
was listening to him.
He started off the night with the song “Polkarama” At the end of that song he took a five minute break and then he started to sing “Canadian Idiot” yet another parody this time making fun of
Green Day’s “American Idiot” In the middle of that song he had these cannons that shot out red and
white streamers! The crowd went wild for that and the fake money that fell from the ceiling during his
“I’ll Sue Ya” song which is more like a rap. The concert was amazing. I remember every thing about
it! He did a beautiful job with this “The Saga Begins.” But my favorite song of the night was “You’re
Pitiful” which is a parody of the song “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt. Did you know that Weird Al’s
CD Strait Outta Lynwood was number ten on the Billboard Charts which gave him his first top ten
album ever? “Go Weird Al We Are all Proud Of you!” This reporter has never cared about anything more but nothing pleases me more than to know Weird Al has a new song out! So next time
he’s in town go and see him. I recommend it!
mog.com
jakescruggs.blogspot.com
PAGE 21
Local Heroes
Some people look for heroes in his or her bookshelf, reading his or her comic books whilst fantasizing about overcoming the odds. Others look for heroes in the skies,
watching them soar above mere humans to altruistically
come to our rescue. People oftentimes forget that you can
find the most noble of heroes in your own backyard, or
even fourth block gym class. This is the case with PHS
alumni Kyle Dugas. A recent graduate of Marine bootcamp, Kyle has clearly come back a new, stronger person.
Leaving to go to the Marines out of family tradition, he comes back in full uniform. His handshake is firmer, his posture is perfect,
and his eyes NEVER avert from focus. However, it all flows. It’s natural.
Upon arriving at boot camp, he quickly noticed the myriad of bugs that far outnumbered him and his fellow soldiers. Standing in line, as bugs land on them, and suck the
blood out of them, they aren’t allowed to swat away.
“Did you eat this morning?”
“Yes, drill sergeant.”
“Well they need to too.”
Kyle says that the boot camp experience was like breaking him down completely, going
to base level, and then building him from the ground up. It was hellacious, but every
second of it, he knew it was for the greater good, for himself AND his country. The
experience wasn’t without his fun, however. During weapons training, Kyle reports
having shot three rockets out of a large, shoulder-based rocket launcher. This was his
favorite part.
In the future, he plans to make a career out of the military, as an engineer. However,
first he gets to spend four years at home, in college. Two weekends a month, he’d go
up to the base in Springfield, Massachusetts and work. He is fully aware, and fully
ready to be shipped out to Iraq, Iran, or “wherever the hell we’re fighting eight years
down the road.” He is this ready because he always wanted to do this. He knew he’d be
a soldier. This is what our military should be comprised of. True soldiers.
Remember, heroes don’t always wear capes.
PAGE 22
Photograph by Matthew Brown
Photograph by Nikia Lane
By Matthew Brown
Sheeley vs. Greene
By Justin Deloge
One day in our journalism class Sheeley and Mr. Greene started arguing about
who can run faster. As you can see we have a very productive class going on here. They
kept going on and on and finally they decided to take it to the track.
Photographs by Matthew Brown
The day of the race there wasn’t that much trash talking going on, but there was
a lot of stretching. Greene was stretching from the moment we walked into the room
until the moment Heather said go, and I think that might have given him the slight advantage. The start of third block on Thursday Sheeley and Mr. Greene took the track, and let
me tell you the class was pumped. Once Heather Fountaine said go they were off and
running. Sheeley started off well, just as well as Mr. Greene. As the race went on
Sheeley kept losing gas, and slowly but surely she kept getting slower. Mr. Greene on the
other hand stayed consistent. When they met running on the other side of the track we
were all thinking there was going to be some trash talking going on, but I guess all Sheeley
said was that he was cheating. I personally think she was just being a sore loser, but that’s
just me. As Mr. Greene rounded the final corner we all new he was going to win the
race. Once he crossed the finish line he was interviewed by our own Nikia Lane and
Stephanie Desrosiers. They asked him how did he feel, and Mr. Greene responded, “I’m
exhausted.” Do you like that feeling, they asked next, and he said, “No,” (while panting
and trying to catch his breath...see picture) Now that this conflict is all said and done, Mr.
Greene is the winner, and Sheeley is the loser plain and simple.
My Existential Life Commentary by Matthew Brown
On a cold, muggy morning accompanied by the upcoming winter, I look back in retrospect at my summer. What have I done? What did I
do? I look back, and all I see are my hedonistic plights which do nothing in the end but harm me, and hold me back. I wonder, “If I exist to
do nothing but simply satisfy my primal urges, why am I here? Can’t there be something bigger, something to guide me?”
I walked along, unaware of the joyous truth awaiting me. As I was walking, a rock revealed itself in my shoe, and I bent down to pull it out.
After a struggle, it was extracted, and I heard the familiar wizz of a car coming close to me, but something was different. My mind visualized
the wind and the sound coming, but it was colorful. It had life. Every facet and part of the the color spectrum came out me, all emotion and
life. It was smooth, shiny, and a thick liquid.
It was Lil Mama, and her poppin’ lipgloss.
As the 1997 Dodge Neon with the body kit drove by me, the speakers bumping that Lil Mama, my existential crisis ended. I remember why
I was here. I remembered… “MY LIPGLOSS IS COOL, MY LIPGLOSS IS POPPIN!”
And the world made sense. I saw the rich, corporate CEO in his office, smiling as he bathed in his claw
foot ivory bathtub, gold coins showering him as he laughed in delight. I saw his daughter, sitting at her
computer, iPod blaring, talking on GaiaOnline, the only concern in her fifteen years of life being how
much “gold” she has in her account. I saw the mother, feeling neglected and alone in her “old fashioned”
world where morality and family ideals still mattered, and I saw the son, with his crazy ideas about “life.”
My friends, those trees aren’t life.
Grass isn’t life.
Love? No.
Happiness? No.
Nature? No.
My friends, life can be found in Lil Mama’s lyrics, and her lipgloss. Thank you.
www.lilmamaonline.com
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
CTRF Starts Off With a Bang!!
By: Jordan Thornhill
A cannon blast as the faire gates first opened to be exact! The ninth annual Connecticut Renaissance Faire held its first opening weekend from September 29th to October 1st, the Monday of which was a day reserved for school field trips. The first day broke all previous days for attendance.
According to Stephan Pasker, executive director, the numbers range above 3200 beating last year by at least 1400 patrons. “Oh goodness,” said
Pasker, “It was the best opening weekend ever… in twenty years of directing Renaissance faires. It’s a lot of fun.”
And no wonder so many are coming to the faire! You can find everyone from pirates and rogues, wenches and beggars to gypsies and faeries,
knights and noble men. CTRF includes over forty hours of live entertainment every day. Performers such as the famed Roderick Russell, one of
only fifty sword swallowers worldwide, and Zoltan the Adequate, magician and comedian extraordinaire, grace the shires as well. Music of every
kind echoes across the grounds, from Gypsy drum beats to pirate sea shanties, the harmonious tunes of Tim and Vicky’s instrumental melodies to
Smee and Blogg the Singing Executioners’ comedic parodies. Patrons are free to try their hand at archery contests in the ‘Hitting and Stabbing Emporium’, as well as professional sword training with the Academy of Knightly Arts, and belly dancing and dancing medieval bransles in the Gypsy
encampment.
The wafting aroma of incense and glinting of silver and brightly colored tents precedes the 101 merchants selling wares on sight. You can find anything from authentic clothing and jewelry to medieval weaponry along the crowded bazaar-esque streets. Bob and Elaine Paquet, merchants since
2000 of the jewelry and trinket shop “Sachs and Byrne,” were very pleased at the outcome of opening weekend. “We thought it went well” said
Bob, “Good location… With so many other faires this weekend, for opening weekend, it went well.”
On top of all the run of the mill entertainment and merchants found at a renaissance faire, CTRF also includes fifty interactive characters from the
medieval ages following the Arthurian legend roaming the streets. Every year a new story is woven, told throughout the day by the volunteer actors of the cast. This year’s plotline, according to one of the four faire producers Dan Desilets, involves warriors of Ireland with their Princess
Isolde signing a treaty with King Arthur. Meanwhile, a strange spirit of chaos traveling with the Irish who calls himself the Green Knight challenges
Sir Gawain to the death… “It’s going tremendously,” Desilets told this reporter, “… smiles and happy faces everywhere. It just blows us away.”
And the faire is as much of an adventure for actors as it is for patrons. First time cast member Linda Clearwater, playing the role of Bounty the fey
of Harvest, stated “I love [acting in the Renaissance Faire], but I’ve never been this tired in my entire life!” Denise Cannella, cast member of five
years, musical director of two years, says “It went amazingly… people were well entertained. Performances were high quality... Great merriment
for all of us!”
The Connecticut Renaissance Faire will be open every weekend, Saturday and Sunday including Columbus Day until October 21st. Come in and
join the fun!!! For more information on the faire, whether attending or volunteering, visit http://ctfaire.com
http://www.realmenwearkilts.net/
PAGE 24
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Some September Day…
By Matt Watson
It has been six years since the events of 9-11, yet still we are burdened by the redundancy of Conspiracy Theories. They are immediately shot down and ridiculed, but perhaps if we took the time to look into the information behind these ludicrous statements, we
could have a more precise outlook on the entire situation.
We also know that it was definitely a plane that crashed into the pentagon. But according to these conspiracy theorists a plane never crashed into the pentagon. The visual evidence that
there are no scrapes, engine marks, or debris and fuselage on the lawn is pretty stunning. Also,
why is there no wing, tail, or engine damage to the building itself? Instead it’s one round hole,
about sixteen feet in height.
We know that Al Qaeda ordered Hani Hanjour to hijack a Boeing 757 and crash it into
the Pentagon. But if you look deep into information, Hani Hanjour took flight classes and his instructors said he struggled to fly a single engine Sesna 180. Yet how he made such a sharp turn at
such high speeds in time to descend thousands of feet to travel barely over a highway and crash
into the pentagon without scraping into the lawn in a Boeing, is baffling. Such a turn would’ve
caused a high speed stall and the plane would’ve fallen out of the sky. So what was it? According
to some people it was a missile. Building officials mention smelling cordite, an explosive charge
used to ignite the larger portion of a bomb or explosive projectile.
http://www.september11news.com
We know that the war on Afghanistan was just and correct. We know that the blood lost
by our friends and families on September 11, 2001 was a wake up call. A wake up call for what,
you may ask? It is a wake up call for you to ask for the truth; a wake up call for you to look beyond one side of the story.
So what if it wasn’t Al Qaeda? Osama Bin Laden was a threat all on his own, enough of a
threat to bomb miles and miles of mountainside and spend millions our tax dollars on warfare. When we gave weapons and funding to Osama Bin Laden, of course we didn’t know
he’d go rogue: that was a ludicrous belief, though he did in the end. There is a saying that
states: “you cannot kill what you did not create,” and in this case, Bin Laden was a monster
that we handfed and prematurely sent away. Cut the head off the beast, and the body will
fall.
Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein will eventually share the same fate. They have both caused
much suffering, pain and death: Bin Laden to American people and Saddam to his own. If
you believe this, look entirely into both sides of the information, as some facts support and
some deny these events. However, before you deny the conspiracy side, read some of the
details revolving around the events of that catastrophic event that happened some September day…
PAGE 25
http://hatemonitor.csusb.edu/
The official explanation of the collapse of both the Twin Towers was that fire had melted and damaged the structural integrity of
the buildings, damaging supports and allowing the building to collapse. What if we took into consideration some facts, which are commonly brought up by these conspiracy theorists? Simply put, the building’s steel framing could
not have melted with such low temperature fires.
THE PANTHER ADVOCATE
Boys Soccer
Pictures taken by Barry Maily
Cheerleading IS a Sport by Stephanie Desrosiers
Cheerleading is a sport. Anyone who thinks it’s not is wrong. A
sport is defined as a physical activity with movement, and anyone who has
ever watched someone cheer will notice it requires A LOT of physical activity. If you know enough about cheerleading then you know that it is mostly
made of movement.
Some people might say that cheerleading isn’t a sport because there
are no balls, pucks or sticks involved, but think about it: we lift people above
our heads, stretch our legs beyond the impossible and jump and strive for the
best. Cheerleading is a competitive sport full of pride and spirit. It is probably
the most spirited sport you will ever see. The girls and boys (boys do cheer)
on the squad, are like one big family.
You have to realize that although in other sports it takes more than
one person to win a game, there is always ONE star player that does most of
the work. In cheerleading everyone’s brain becomes one. We have to work
together to fully succeed. If one person is not paying attention it can mess up
the whole routine. If that time happens to be while stunting, the flier can get
severely hurt, as well as the other people in the group.
I know that football, basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse etc. are
very difficult sports, and I’m not afraid to admit it, but if you look at all those
teams that I just named, most of the athletes will not agree with anyone, that
cheerleading is in fact a sport, a difficult one at that. Everyone reading this
take a second to think about this. Everyone does want to be a cheerleader;
you might be saying no not at all, but when you stand up in the bleachers
shouting for your team to score and win the game, in reality that is known as
CHEERLEADING.
I want all those people who don’t think cheerleading is a sport to
line up and all do a toe touch, support the school teams, and then take back all
the rude remarks that people say to us on how “cheerleading is not a sport.”
Lauren White a cheerleading AICM specialist and a high school
varsity cheerleading coach says,” To us cheerleading is not a game, like football or basketball, cheerleading is a way of LIFE”
Upcoming Games:
Sat., 10/6
Lyman Memorial
Fri., 10/19
Home - Plainfield High School
St. Bernard
3:00 p.m.
Home - Plainfield High School
Tue., 10/9
3:45 p.m.
Tourtellotte
Sat., 10/27
Away - Soccer Field (Track)
Lyman Memorial
3:45 p.m.
Away - Lyman Memorial High
School
Fri., 10/12
Wheeler
Home - Plainfield High School
3:45 p.m.
Mon., 10/15
Putnam
Picture taken by Jordan Thornhill
PAGE 26
4:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
Tue., 10/30
V Boys Soccer
Tourtellotte
Home - Plainfield High School
3:45 p.m.
Away - St. Marie-Greenhalgh
Sports Complex
Thu., 11/1
6:30 p.m.
V Boys Soccer
Wed., 10/17
Griswold
New London
Home - Plainfield High School
Home - Plainfield High School
3:30 p.m.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Girls Soccer is Cool
Picture taken by Ashley Striker
By Allison Hoffman
I’m sitting on the hill next to the field waiting for the girls’ soccer game
to start. If I’m sitting on an ant hill I’m going to cry.
The teams seem to be talking amongst themselves- no doubt planning their
opponent’s unfortunate demises.
The “other team”, some generic-looking teenage girls in maroon uniforms,
just yelled something motivational in unison. And look! The game is starting, apparently.
Sheeley just yelled back at the coach. She’s so headstrong!
This is fascinating. They’re all so energetic! And they’re always yelling each
other’s name in high-pitched voices. They also yell instructions at each other. As do
the coaches, but I suppose that’s to be expected.
I have ants all over me. Ugh. I’m getting up to take some pictures.
The other team was actually called “Wheeler” or something.
eats nails.
According to Mr. Greene, Bolles is a warrior. Who
Number 4 just got hurt. She’s down. I don’t know who
Okay, so hopefully I’m not going to be covered in ants now. It’s actually
it
is,
and
no
else can tell me… Yay, she’s up! I still don’t know
quite fun to take pictures of these people- they’re always kicking and falling over and
who
she
is.
sliding.
I’m sitting with Matt Jenn and Co. now. It’s very disOh! The Maroonies, as I’ve taken to calling them, just almost made a goal.
tracting.
Why
must they be so loud and stupidly hilarious?
I got very anxious when this happened, because goal scoring is about the only thing I
understand about this game. The other team scoring is Bad News, I know that much.
Did Mr. Greene just growl? Or maybe he said something in a growling
manner…
Those losers behind us are getting louder every minute. But they’re cool
losers, I’ll give them that.
Five to zero? What? How did I miss that? What? SIX TO ZERO?! I am
pulling my hair out, here. And I don’t have very much hair.
And now it’s halftime. Only slightly less cringe-worthy than the game has
been so far.
Okay they’re playing again. Our team seems a bit more motivated after an
apparent scolding from the coach. On the positive side, now that it’s the second half,
I can see the action clearly without moving because now it’s all on this side of the
field.
Picture taken by Ashley Striker
WOOO! We just scored a goal! Finally! Now Matt
owes
us
all
milkshakes. William is very happy about this, of
Mr. Greene’s got a running commentary going on. “Come on, Bolles.”
course.
Only
eight minutes left in the game. Six to one! Still bad
“Oh, that was your chance!” It’s not so much a commentary as pretending that the
but
not
as
bad.
Four minutes now. I’ve kind of stopped watching
players can hear him and will take his well-intentioned advice to heart.
the game… Except to take pictures of Nicole Dumaine, who is
The action of this game is always on the other side of the field. Which is not too short to hit the ball with her head.
good, because that means the Maroonies always have the ball. I think the score is two
20 SECONDS! For the last four minutes we’ve been
to zero. We’re zero. Zero. That means none. None means Not Winning.
chanting “SHOES! SHOES! SHOES!” and “LET’S GET SOME
The other team seems so much more angry than ours. “RAWR SOCCER
SHOES! LET’S GET SOME SHOES!” over and over. We moved
MUST WIN KICK YELL KICK BITE.” Well, I’m not sure anyone has been bitten
to the Maroonies’ fans’ side a while ago, so I think we might be
yet, but I’m still holding out.
annoying some people. I also think we’re distracting the team
quite a bit, but I don’t know if it matters when we’re five down
Oh, the ball is on our side of the field! “Cut to the corner, cut to the corand there’s 10 seconds left.
ner, where’s our cut to the corner?!” Mr. Greene should write this article, geez. He’s
enthusiastic enough- in his quiet, not obnoxiously yelling way. I hate it when people
It’s all over! We lost, but it doesn’t feel like a depresswho are not coaches yell instructions at the team. Grrr.
ing loss. I mean, we’d all feel better if our team had won, but
you gotta lose sometimes to make the victories worthwhile.
Aaaand now the ball’s all the way over there again. Joy.
The Maroonies just did some strange thing where they
Matt Radant, Jenn Duberg and Co. are sitting on the hill behind us.
ran across the field and back, as if coming to greet their fans.
They’re very loud. Matt has his guitar, and sometimes they all sing along. I think it’s
Seeing as we were sitting in front of their fans, we screamed in
nice background noise but I wonder if any of the other viewers are annoyed.
terror as they approached… And then chanted “SHOES” again.
ARGH! They were over here for TEN SECONDS. And then the other
Goodness, we’re annoying.
team STOLE the ball. They’re thieves. And they made ANOTHER GOAL. Three to
Well, that’s it for me. I have to go eat Subway with
zero, in case you needed help figuring that out. Oh, shoot muffins. That’s dumb. I’m
William.
calling them the Thieving Maroonies now.
# 12, Nicole Dumaine, looks extremely determined.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Pictures taken by Zeus Seafoam
The Plainfield Volleyball Team By Jessica Collins
The Plainfield Volleyball team has gotten back together this year hoping to kick some “ace” in the upcoming
season. The Panthers on the JV team have recently met this
goal by beating Putnam on Thursday, September 27th, with
a 2-0 win, the first win of the season. They won twenty-six
to twenty-four in the first match, and twenty-five to twentythree in the second. Unfortunately though, the varsity team
lost to Putnam, but were not far behind, with the scores of
sixteen, eighteen, and fourteen.
Both the JV and Varsity teams have substantially
improved when comparing recent scores to their first couple
of games. The JV team lost by twenty points in the first
round of their very first game versus Ellis Tech, on Wednesday, September 12th.They also lost by thirteen points in the
second round, declaring Ellis the winners. But look at them
now, winning their first game! The varsity team lost by thirteen points in the first round, five in the second, and five in
the third, making Ellis the overall winners of the day, in a 30 win. The JV team had a scrimmage with Ellis on Monday,
September 17, where they suffered defeat in a hard fought
battle. They lost seven to twenty-five in the first match, and
nineteen to twenty-five in the second match, however making a large improvement from their first game on Wednesday.
One of the most exciting match-ups was when
Plainfield faced off against New London on Friday September 21st. JV had large improvements with the scores of
twelve to twenty-five, and seventeen to twenty-five, even
though they were not victorious. Varsity won their first
round with a score of twenty-five to nineteen, but lost the
next three. “We’ve got to work hard and practice everyday
and pick up new skills on a daily basis and improve on the
skills that we have,” says Coach Arremony. And improving
our skills is exactly what the team is doing! The team is making great improvements and is working hard to bring home
another win. So go Panthers and keep up the hard work!
Upcoming Games:
Fri., 10/5
V Girls Volleyball
Killingly
Away - Killingly High Gym
Mon., 10/8 10:30
V Girls Volleyball
New London
Away - New London HS Conway Gymnasium
Wed., 10/10
V Girls Volleyball
Ledyard
Away - Ledyard High School Gym
Thu., 10/11
V Girls Volleyball
Ellis Tech
Home - Plainfield High School
Wed., 10/17
V Girls Volleyball
Lyman Memorial
Away - Lyman Memorial High School
Closing Thoughts commentary by Alexandria Vicente
In the halls of Plainfield High School there are students gossiping about all the new changes for the school year ahead. The biggest change would have to be our new Principal Mr. Arcarese. With the new principal come lots of new rules as well as adjustments. Although there are a few that are beneficial, some just will not work well. Overall, I believe some of the changes are good and some of them
are bad.
The biggest change that I imagine will have a good effect on the school is the new punishments about the presence of weapons and
illegal substances on the school grounds. Now that there is an automatic arrest and a certain kind of punishment, I feel students will be more
aware of what they could possibly be getting themselves into. I feel that this works better, having the students know what will be their consequences rather then them thinking they can get away with it. Last year the problem with these issues were not spoken about enough and
when they did occur, students got away with more then they should have.
Now that the new principal is in control, I believe the school has set higher standards and now has bigger punishments, so this will
change the way students behave. Another interesting change is that we now having the morning announcements on the projector screen in all
classrooms rather then being over the intercom. Seeing the morning announcements rather then listening seems to be working better. More
students are paying attention instead of goofing around, which also helps the students who are listening to them, allowing them to hear about
a certain club or after-school activity. These are some of the new changes work well for the students as well as faculty.
Yet, I think that there are a few rules that absolutely should not have been made. Such as the new rules about agendas. If students
happen to leave their agenda at home or in their locker by accident, they can not leave the classroom. Also if someone else lets them borrow
an agenda they both will deal with the consequences which happen to be a five day suspension. I feel students should be able to borrow another student’s agenda and go if it is an emergency. They still need the teacher to sign them out; so it isn’t like the teachers don’t know
where the students are. I can understand if certain students are a bother and take advantage of their hallway privileges, but I believe that students who don’t use up the privilege should be able to leave the room whether it is using their own or another student’s agenda. Students
will appreciate this; I also think the teachers will see this as changes for the better so that they don’t have to listen to the students complain
about not having their agenda. Therefore, I feel as though some changes work better then others.
Spirit Week Winners
Photographs by Jordan Thornhill, Ashley Striker, and Samantha Young
( O f a contest that was never held )
Plainfield High School students
The
exhibited
their spirit during spirit week to get ready for the pep rally on Friday, September
28th. Spirit week went well: Monday was Twin day, Tuesday was the class color,
Wednesday was wacky day, Thursday was hat and jersey day and Friday was orange and black day.
pep rally
The
was a triumph with performances from the dance
team and the cheerleading squad: great job to them all! The Band was also stellar:
helping to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm. The student body showed their
dedication to the cause on Friday; Everyone was decked out in orange and black.
We had people who painted their faces, arms and their hair.
The football team gave a valiant effort in their game on Saturday against NFA, which resulted unfortunately in a 20 to 18 loss. At halftime they
homecoming king and queen
announced the
which were
Steve Martin and Kendall Atella. The Homecoming Dance was also on Saturday at
7pm. The theme was Paris and the decorations were ideal. J-Productions provided
great music to dance to. Overall Plainfield High School had a celebrated and
remarkable Homecoming Week!
-Samantha Young
Pictures taken by Jordan Thornhill and Matthew Brown