New Beginnings for NHS Hatters - Hatboro

March 2015, Volume 84 Issue 6
The Hat Chat
Member of the National Scholastic Press Association
New Beginnings for NHS Hatters
Photo By: Cindy Arbaugh
Jung Kim
Staff Writer, ‘15
The National Honor Society Induction
recognized character, scholarship, leadership and service in the new inductees on
March 13 at 1:45 PM in the auditorium.
Over fifty students were welcomed into the
renowned society as they were called up to
receive recognition.
Ms. Harkins, previous NHS adviser, had
the honor of being the keynote speaker.
The leaders of NHS spoke about character,
scholarship, leadership and service as the
induction as well. Immediately after the induction, there was an induction reception
for parents and peers to congratulate the
new members.
In the weeks following the induction,
the incoming members will have to complete a total of twelve community service
hours.
There will be a chapter service project
that will involve the current members and
inducted members of NHS on April 26. It
will be an opportunity to accumulate some
service hours as well as involve both juniors
and seniors of the group.
One of the first actions on the agendas
is the new members will complete will be
to nominate officers for next year’s group.
As NHS continues to grow in numbers and
new beginnings, the current adviser, Derek
Fromal, is ready to take on the challenge.
When asked about his feelings about the
next group of students, Fromal said, “I’m
very excited that they applied and so many
of them were accepted.”
He mentioned that the new members
should not “forget what got you inducted in
the first place.”
As it is his first time managing the club,
Fromal will not change many of the group’s
customary policies and events. However,
“There will be a reevaluation after this
year,” he said.
red & black
Photos By: Jaimee Stoczko
Upcoming Philly
Concerts
Entertainment, pg 4
Gern Goes to
Model UN
Features, pg 2
Grinding:
Yay or Nay?
Editorials, pg 7
Lady Hatters
Swim and Dive
Sports, pg 8
Williams,
O’Reilly and More
News, pg 6
Features
Interacting
WITH
Jaimee Stoczko
News Editor, ‘16
Interact
As of March, members of
Interact Club have the opportunity to volunteer with
Manna on Main Street seven
days a week.
Manna on Main Street,
a food pantry/soup kitchen
dedicated to “ending hunger in
the North Penn region,” began
in 1981 as a small organization
in a different location. The organization has since grown to
not only accommodate locals
with food, but to also provide
financial support, motel stays,
and even classes in finances,
job readiness, and computer
literacy to help people back on
their feet. Manna also hosts a
yearly holiday meal and backpack distribution.
“The best aspect of Manna
is really seeing the impact
of what we do,” said Janae
Hoffler, the correspondent
responsible for training Interact members to volunteer
with Manna, “When someone
walks through our doors and
hands me a financial donation
because Manna helped them
or a loved one in a time of
need…that’s affirmation of our
work.”
After training club mem-
bers during directed study,
Hoffler encouraged students
to sign up for shifts and volunteer as often as they desire.
Using a scheduling website,
members are free to do as little
or as much as they desire with
the organization. Meanwhile,
they will not only be gaining
hours for the club, but also
making an incredible contribution to North Penn region
families.
Junior Maddy Dall, Interact officer, was the main proponent for starting the connection between Manna and
HH. “Interact has never done
anything like this,” said Dall,
“Usually people in the community reach out to us to have
us help them with events, but
now we are finally reaching
out to help by ourselves.”
As Interact members begin
volunteering, Manna is preparing for another location
change in 2016. “It’s going to
be a larger place with lots of
classroom space, a café, and
partnerships with our neighboring organizations,” said
Hoffler, “It seems like a long
time away, but the preparation
makes it feel like tomorrow.”
2
Humans Of
Hatboro-Horsham
Everyone has a story to tell. This month, “The Hat Chat” found
a random student in the hall. That student is then interviewed
in hopes of discovering not only their story, but what makes
them unique.
Photo Courtesy of AP Wire
Kyumin Lee
Sophomore
Photo by Tori Swiacki
“Since I am part of another ethnicity I think it’s pretty
nice to learn about my origins.”
Pak Sends Them Packing at Model UN
Gern Pak
Puzzles Editor, ‘15
On February 26, student members of the
Institute for Domestic and International Affairs (IDIA) from Rutgers University hosted
the Philadelphia Model United Nations (PhilMUN). The theme this year was “The Middle
East in Transition” and Hatboro-Horsham’s
team was able to participate.
It was my first Model UN conference, so I did
not know what to expect. I felt strange to bring
a travel bag to school and it felt even stranger
to leave during school hours. At around 1:00 in
the afternoon, I left with my Model UN friends
and our adviser, social studies teacher Saul
Flieder, and headed to the Wyndham Hotel in
Philadelphia where PhilMUN took place. The
eight students from Hatboro-Horsham participating in the competition included myself,
Cameron Willison, Tal Gilad, Sarah Moore,
Smriti Shah, Angela Mei, Bryce Phillips, Ben
Kron, Alex Hoffman and Mike Drennen.
The goal of every Model United Nations
conference is to simulate the functions of the
United Nations. Every school is given a member state to represent and they must research
the background of their countries so they can
act out how the country’s delegate would act
in the real political world. These “delegates”
attend committee sessions that replicate organizations within the UN such as the UN Security Council to discuss global issues. I partnered
with Cam to represent the Russian Federation
in the UN Development Programme.
Each committee session requires delegates
to discuss two topics and draft two resolutions
that aim to resolve each problem with other
delegates who hold similar positions. For our
first topic, Rights and Education of Migrant
Workers, I thoroughly researched Russia’s
stance against illegal migrant workers. However, I have never been to such conferences before and I felt very nervous whenever I stood
to speak. I heard this thumping sound in my
heart and its frequency accelerated every time
I made an error.
Despite my nervousness, I actively gathered
other students who held a similar position to
draft my own resolution. However, my lack of
experience with Model UN forced me to rely
on more experienced members to write the
resolution.
After we finished our first topic, we were
informed that all committees would be participating in a “crisis committee.” A crisis committee depicts a global emergency, and this year it
was the fall of Yemen’s capital to the Houthis,
which required an immediate response from
world leaders to form operations that would
help counter the problem. The crisis committee requires its participants to stay until everyone agrees upon a resolution.
I hoped for the resolution to pass quickly so
we could sleep earlier and because I genuinely
thought an early response is required to resolve
an emergency. More energetic members of the
committee seemed to have a very different idea
because many started debating furiously over
operations that could help the refugees of Yemen. Many delegates retreated to the corners
of the room to either nap or look at their phone
hopelessly while the active delegates aimlessly
spent time arguing over use of either railways
or airplanes to supply the refugees. I enthusiastically took part in the debate until Cameron
and I felt too tired to continue the discussion.
The committee ended at 2:00 a.m.
The second topic, Reconstruction in the Aftermath of Conflict, began the next day. Unlike
the first topic, Cam and I relied on Christopher
Walker, the British delegate, and his resolution
named “Shewatta.” According to Chris, “Shewatta” is supposed to mean clean water. He
merged many ideas from other groups and he
almost single-handedly wrote his resolution.
The Philadelphia Model UN officially ended
with its elaborate closing ceremony. I shared
my social media accounts with my PhilMUN
friends, but I knew I would not be seeing them
again. This was my first as well as the last Model UN conference because I will be graduating
this year. Although not being able to meet with
them saddened me, I thought of the possibility
of joining IDIA as a college student. Perhaps, I
may meet them not as a fellow delegate, but as
a chair next year.
3
Features
HATBORO-HORSHAM ROBOTICS
Nam Tran
Senior Staff Writer, ‘15
Walk into the main gymnasium after
school on most days, and you will find students playing basketball or volleyball. Walk
into the main gymnasium from Friday, Feb.
27 to Sunday, March 1, and you would have
seen robots. This was not the set of a science
fiction film, though; it was the Mid-Atlantic
Robotics (MAR) Week 1 district event, hosted by the school since 2012.
Alumnus Debbie Musselman, who has
seen every competition since Hatboro-Horsham first started hosting, said, “We have
improved the way we run our competition
over the past few years and have become a
model for others that host competitions.”
Students from many different schools congregated in the gymnasium to cheer on robots that they created themselves over the
course of six weeks, and it was as hyperactive
and loud as any sports event.
This year’s competition featured 37 teams,
including Team 708: Hatters Robotics. Approximately 2,200 people were in attendance, filling the main gymnasium, auxiliary
gymnasium, gallery, and cafeteria.
Not only did we provide the competition facilities, but also the volunteer force
required to host an entire robotics competition. One volunteer was alumnus Amanda
Piergallini, who said, “Being able to come
back and volunteer with the competition
was completely different from competing.
Being able to be the Master of Ceremonies
gave me the chance to get to know all of the
teams and realize that all the teams competing know so much and were given so many
opportunities to learn and have fun while
doing it.”
One student volunteer, sophomore machinist Thomas Abraham said, “One team
came to me a little over 4 pounds overweight,
and I was able to get them within constraints
so they could compete. After helping [another] team by fixing a system, the entire team
came to personally thank me.” Experiences
like these were common and were what
made the event really stand out: everyone
was ready to help others.
The robotics competition is part of the
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), created
by Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers. Each
year, the organization releases a game that
each robotics team worldwide must design,
build and program a robot to play. After that,
each team must put their robots in a bag, and
can only open the bag for six hours between
competitions.
This year’s game was called “Recycle
Rush.” The objective, as Junior Steve Dull
said, is “[to] put stacks on stacks on stacks.”
Gray shipping crates, called “totes,” were
stacked on top of each other. Then, green
recycling containers are stacked on the tote
stack. And then, the team can stack pool
noodles on the recycling containers.
Each match consists of a 15 second “autonomous” period, in which the robot moves
based on pre-programmed actions to move/
stack yellow totes or green recycling containers into a marked “autozone.” This is
followed by a 2.25 minute “tele-operated”
period, in which two drivers per team work
together to operate the robot and make
stacks.
There is also a strong collaboration between teams. Rather than each robotics team
always being against each other, three robotics teams work together to form an alliance
in which they work together to score points
during each match.
In addition to this, opposing alliances can
work together to stack yellow totes found on
each alliance’s side in the middle of the field,
an action called “coopertition.”
The competition begins with qualifier
matches, in which the alliances are randomly
selected. Each alliance plays their matches,
and each team’s scores from each match are
averaged to find their rankings.
From there, the top eight teams pick from
the other teams elementary recess-style, until permanent alliances of three teams each
are formed.
Our Team
Our team’s robot this year was officially
named “The Banshee.” It featured a chaindriven elevator to stack totes, and a claw to
lift the recycling container. The name “The
Banshee” was chosen because of the claw,
which made a loud buzzing noise as it moved
along two very long screws, called Lead
Screws.
As with any engineering endeavor, however, there were always bugs to find and fix.
Our team was no different. Sitting in our
team’s pit, a ten feet by ten feet area where
the team can keep all of their supplies to
work on their robot, I was able to witness
this process first-hand as the lead programmer.
The pit experience was described by Junior
John Piergallini, who was dubbed last year
as “one of the best drive coaches in MAR”
by another team’s drive coach during a live
stream (making him world-renowned). Piergallini said, “You get five minutes in the pits
to fix the robot. That’s it. Half the robot can
be broken, but you have to get it ready for
next match. There’s no time to mess around
or not know what you’re doing.”
While this was a worst case scenario, most
matches have closer to a half hour in between. Regardless, with the amount of things
that may need fixing, it might as well be considered five minutes.
Most of the tinkering and repairing this
year was done on the claw, which eventually
lost one of its lead screws in an attempt to
make a better-functioning system. The system was taken apart and reassembled multiple times before the end of the competition, leading to a faster lift time and a higher
pitched noise.
The other main area of adjustment was in
the software, mostly done in the autonomous
modes.
Additional sensors were used to detect
when actions were completed, and distances needed to be driven were tested. All the
while, the practice field attendants were covering their ears as “The Banshee” screeched.
Even with issues with the robot that had
to be addressed, our robotics team were se-
lected to play in the play-off matches. Most
of the team did not plan on moving on, and I
personally had begun packing up our pit.
“I honestly did not think we were going to
be selected to move on,” said junior Mikayla
Walls, part of Team 708’s drive team. “I was
really excited when our team was picked by
another team.”
On our alliance were Raider Robotix
(Team 25) from North Brunswick, New Jersey, and Vulcan Robotics (Team 1218) from
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Our team was chosen partially for our
autonomous ability, specifically the ability to
move over the white scoring platform without dropping totes and recycling containers everywhere. However, we did not move
onto the semi-finals, placing 5th out of the
eight playoff alliances.
One award that our school won this year,
as well as in 2013, was the Gracious Professionalism (GP) Award. It is an award given
to one team per competition for displaying
good sportsmanship “in the heat of competition”, helping others, preserving, and having
a winning attitude.
This year, the judges wrote the following about our team: “This team consistently
gives back to the other teams at the event.
Their strategically placed pit is advantageous
to all, and they tip their facilities, shop, and
hats to everyone.”
The first competition is always the
hardest, regardless of whether it is for sports,
robotics, or another organization. In addition to dealing with the hardships that comes
with that, our team also offers assistance to
every other team that are having the same
struggles. This can be anything from fabricating a new part, to assisting with connecting a team’s laptop to their robot on the practice field.
Not to mention, our team set up the entire
event over the span of two days. This year,
set-up took place all of Thursday night, and
part of Friday afternoon. Converting half of
the first floor into a robotics competition is
no easy feat, involving hundreds of zipties,
hundreds of feet of tape, and a lot of time.
Team 708 is a team that makes you feel
like family, not just a group of students trying to win a competition.
That is one of the things that makes us
more inclined to be gracious professionals. It
is about more than just the robot. Senior Pat
Walls said, “I will miss the good times I have
had, seeing that this is my last competition
at Hatboro-Horsham.” This is the mindset of
many seniors after their last competitions,
with many coming back as volunteers, such
as Amanda Piergallini and Debbie Musselman.
At the Springside Chestnut Hill event,
Team 708 won the Chairman’s Award,
the highest award a team can receive. It is
awarded to the team that best exemplifies
the FIRST program, and is a model for other FIRST teams to emulate. Because of this
achievement, the team is now qualified to
go to the MAR District Championship from
April 8 to 11, with a chance to move on to
the World Championship in St. Louis, Mo.
from April 22 to 25.
4
Entertainment
upcoming
Philly concerts
Alana Karras
Entertainment Editor ‘17
Nick Arbaugh
Staff Writer ‘16
Jam On The River
After a six-year hiatus, Jam on the
River returns Saturday, May 16.
In previous years, this hugely anticipated event has been held at the
Electric Factory, but with the return of the festival comes a new location. This year it will be held on
Philly’s Festival Pier, a well-known
venue for all you outdoor concert
buffs. With the new location comes
some changes to the show. Previously, Jam On the River had been a
well-represented mix of genres, but
this year it’s coming back with a
predominately electric sound. The
line-up for this year’s show includes
Lotus, Papadosio, Electron, Savoy,
Dopapoos, The Werks and Twiddle.
Make music philly
Although this isn’t technically a
spring concert, this amazing festival deserves its spotlight. Make
Music Philly is not your average
concert, and it is more than an unbelievable experience. On June 21,
or “world music day,” the entire
city will come together for a day
of free music. Designed for all ages
and all genres, Make Music Philly
sets up concerts all around the city
all day long. These concerts include
both organized events, as well as
informal performances from amateur musicians. Not only is this a
great way to be exposed to new
sounds, but it is also an opportunity
to show off your own. Make Music
Philly will set up amateur musicians with venues. (More information on how to sign up is available
on their web page.) Make Music
Philly provides a day full of music
that spans the entire city. With over
240 performances, you’re bound
to fall in love with a new sound.
Radio 104.5
8th birthday show
The Radio 104.5 Birthday Show is
an incredibly well-known event.
Its line-up has never ceased to
amaze fans, and this year is no exception. Performing this May 10 at
the Susquehanna Bank Center is Of
Monsters and Men, Death Cab for
Cutie, Hozier, Passion Pit, Walk the
Moon, Awolnation and Vance Joy.
Given that 104.5 is “Philly’s alterna-
Life In color
In just a few short weeks, on
April 11, a national sensation
will come to Philadelphia boasting the talents of artists such as
Steve Aoki and David Solano. The
Life in Color music event will be
taking place at Festival Pier on
Penns Landing, and is bringing
the “world’s largest paint party”
to our area. What started in 2006
at Floridian college campuses is
now a world renowned live musical experience that is sure to get
hardcore EDM (electronic dance
music) fans’ hearts thumping.
With over 500,000 tickets sold
annually and event audiences
reaching peaks of 25,000 people,
the Tri-State area will truly stop,
if only to start back up for one of
the most mind blowing musical
extravaganzas ever.
tive station,” this is a predominately
alternative sounding show, yet that
doesn’t mean there isn’t variation between the artists’ sound. Although it
is held on Mother’s Day and it is in
Camden, this concert is well worth
the hassle. The venue includes both
seated areas and a “lawn,” where you
can set up your beach chairs and experience a day of music with friends.
1) The snow turned into rain. 2) Snowman’s face is more silly. 3) The scarf became striped. 4) The butterfly on the left side turned into a bee. 5) On the post sign, the capital “I” in “SPRING” turned into a lowercase
“i”. 6) The leprechaun’s nose became more round. 7) The leprechaun’s two front teeth became three. 8) The Sun behind the rainbow became a moon. 9) The four leaf clover the leprechaun is holding became
a three leaf clover. 10) The leprechaun’s pants grew longer. 11) The leprechaun’s jacket does not have a pocket. 12) The leprechaun’s ear became round. 13) The two clouds in front of the rainbow united to
become one. 14) The chain on the leprechaun’s hat disappeared.
Find
the
difference
between
the
two
pictures!
There are 14 differences between the two pictures.
All drawings by Sang Pak
All drawings by Sang Pak
1. Gold
2. Ireland
3. Four leaf clover
4. Rainbow
5. Pot of gold
6. St. Patrick’s Day
7. Leprechaun
8. Spring
9. Flowers
10. Allergies
11. Pollens
12. No breaks
13. Green
World Bank:
Drawing by Izak Kron
M arch W ord S earch ! Editorial Cartoon
Generated with http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.
March 2014
Puzzle Page
5
6
News
King Abdullah II of Jordan Promises Revenge
Vishal Gorawala
Staff Writer, ‘17
In response to the
brutal execution of a Jordanian pilot at the hands
of ISIL, King Abdullah
II of Jordan has vowed
revenge, promising an
“earth-shattering
response” beginning with
the execution of two terrorists in Jordan’s custody, Sajida al-Rishawi,
a failed suicide bomber,
and Ziad al-Karbouli,
a jihadist. Jordan also
promised massive aerial
strikes against the terrorist group. King Abdullah,
a trained fighter-pilot,
was rumored to be personally leading the airstrikes, but these claims
were soon refuted by the
Jordanian government.
“King Abdullah II
condemned ISIL’s
actions, calling them
‘outlaws of Islam.”’
In early February, reports emerged about a
video showing the pilot,
Lt. Muath al-Kasasbeh,
being burned to death in
a cage, sparking outrage
across the world. Af-
ter al- Kasasbeh’s plane
crashed over Syria in
December, he was reportedly captured by
ISIL. The group then
demanded the release
of al-Rishawi. Jordanian officials demanded
ISIL show proof that alKasasbeh was still alive
and in return they would
release al-Rishawi only
their pilot was still alive.
ISIL then released the
video showing the 26
year old pilot’s execution, which then led to alRishawi and al-Karbouli’s prompt execution.
Religious
leaders
voiced their indignation
by calling the execution “un-Islamic.” King
Abdullah II condemned
ISIL’s actions, calling
them “outlaws of Islam.”
He also refrained from
using the name “ISIS” to
describe the group; he
instead chose to use the
acronym “ISIL” and the
word “Daesh,” which
means “to crush underfoot” in Arabic, refusing to acknowledge
the group as a physical state as the name
“ISIS” would suggest.
King Abdullah II
stated that he has not
watched
the
video
showing the pilot being executed, calling it
“propaganda.” However,
he said that he would
seek support from other
countries in defeating
Daesh, looking towards
nations such as Syria and
Iraq, calling the fight
against ISIL a “Third
World War.” However,
King Abdullah II said
that it was not the West’s
place to interfere, although he has shown his
appreciation for support.
O’Reilly and Williams: The Ethics Question
Ethan McInerney
Unpaid Intern, ‘17
Brian Williams, the
lead anchor for NBC
Nightly News, was suspended for six months
without pay after exaggerating about his experiences in Iraq. Fox News
anchor, Bill O’Reilly
also had his journalistic integrity questioned
soon after. As a result,
the public has put more
of an emphasis examining journalistic integrity.
Terpack, a retired soldier
there in 2003, Williams
apologized and said,
“This was a bungled attempt to thank one special veteran and by extension our brave military.”
In turn, NBC News
said that it would conduct an internal investigation about William’s
story in Iraq. Deborah
Turness, the president of
NBC News, called Brian Williams one of “the
most trusted journalists
Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News, called Brian Williams one of “the most
trusted journalists of our time.”
In his 2003 speech to
honor the soldiers who
fought during the invasion of Iraq, Williams
said, “... during the invasion of Iraq, when the
helicopter we were traveling in was forced down
after being hit by an
RPG. Our traveling NBC
News team was rescued,
surrounded and kept
alive by an armor mechanized platoon from the
U.S. Army 3rd Infantry.”
However, Sgt. 1st Class
Joseph Miller, the flight
engineer on the helicopter that Williams was
on, confirmed that their
helicopter took no fire.
After the segment
aired on February 2, 2015
with Williams and Tim
of our time.” However,
the chief executive of
NBC Universal, Stephen
Burke, said, “[Williams]
has jeopardized the trust
millions of Americans
place in NBC News. His
actions are inexcusable
and this suspension is
severe and appropriate.”
In a memo sent to all
staff of NBC News, Turness added, “As managing editor and anchor of
Nightly News, [Williams]
has a responsibility to be
truthful and to uphold
the high standards of the
news division at all times.”
Through the memo,
Steve Burke said, “This
has been a painful period
for all concerned and we
appreciate your patience
while we gathered the
available facts. By his actions, Brian
has jeopardized the trust
millions of Americans
lar time period last year.
O’Reilly’s claims range
from 1972 to 1984. His
first claim is that he was in
Florida in 1972 and per-
single instance where he
conflated his background,
stories, or sought to inflate his already obviously large sense of self. I be-
“All journalists, be it in print or broadcast, are held to a set of standards to
maintain the integrity of journalism.”
place in NBC News. His
actions are inexcusable
and this suspension is
severe and appropriate.
Brian’s life’s work is delivering the news. I know
Brian loves his country,
NBC News and his colleagues. He deserves a
second chance and we
are rooting for him. Brian has shared his deep
remorse with me and he
is committed to winning
back everyone’s trust.”
Shortly following the
allegations against Williams, Fox News anchor
Bill O’Reilly became the
subject of controversy.
Like Williams, O’Reilly
has been accused of false
journalistic
encounters. However, O’Reilly
has not been suspended. Fox News continues
to support one of their
most popular anchors,
supporting his claims.
Since news outlet
Mother Jones had disputed O’Reilly’s claims on
February 19, his viewership has gone up 11 percent compared to a simi-
sonally heard the shotgun
blast which killed George
de Mohrenschildt, a close
friend of Lee Harvey
Oswald. He also said he
has seen nuns executed
while in El Salvador. He
also claims to be in combat while covering the
Falklands War in June
of 1982. And, he stated
that he was in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War in 1982 as
well as in 1884 when he
claimed to witness “Irish
terrorists kill and maim
their fellow citizens in
Belfast with bombs” in
Northern Ireland. The
disparity between the evidence that Mother Jones
provided which ruled out
the possibility of O’Reilly
being in these places and
O’Reilly’s original claims
gave the public a reason to doubt the source
of their daily news.
Steven Cohen hired
O’Reilly as a reporter at
WCBS in New York in
the early 1980s. He defends O’Reilly and he
said, “I do not know a
lieve the current stories
are a brew of invective
created to defame him by
left-leaning reporters.”
Cohen believed that
liberal reporters have
hurt O’Reilly’s image and
are attempting to have
him removed from the air.
Cohen said, “Bill did
not lie, did not conflate.
Perhaps he bloviate a
bit, to use his favorite
word, but even that is
of minor consequence.”
There are standards
in place regarding how
journalists conduct their
business in order to prevent such controversies.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Code of Ethics states
that, “Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists
should be honest and
courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.”
All journalists, be it
in print or broadcast,
are held to a set of standards to maintain the
integrity of journalism.
7
Editorials
The Dance that Shall Not Be Named
Jamiee Stoczko
News Editor, ‘16
Nick Arbaugh
Staff Writer, ‘16
When you walk into
a school dance, assuming you’re punctual, the
first thing you will probably notice is how awkward it is. The girls are
wobbling around in their
heels that are four inches
too high, and the guys are
pretending to be preoccupied with their photoops, hands buried in their
pockets. The air is quiet
and no one wants to be
the first to start dancing.
But after about a half an
hour or so the dance floor
fills up, and this is what
the latecomers will walk
into: a sea of pubescent
teenagers with two thin
layers of clothing between their hips, grinding
to the generic, repetitive
rap music that blasts for
the duration of the dance.
Some will grow excited upon walking in,
ripe with the opportunity
to do the same. Others,
however, will get a familiar pang of anxiety upon
realizing that this will be
yet another school-sponsored function in which
they will feel uncomfortable for three hours, then
go home. And while we
acknowledge that grinding is a major part of our
school’s dance culture,
that does not necessarily
mean it should be pardoned from criticism.
Should administrators
be breaking up the most
popular form of dance at
these events? Or should
they continue turning
their cheeks and hoping
for the best?
Grinding originated in
urban clubs, performed
very similar to how it is
today except with slightly
more distance between
the two people. As done
today, it is the product
of the sexualization of
American youth.
The mere fact that
it has seeped into high
schools across the country, with no objection,
only further proves this
idea. We’re not saying
that school dances should
revert back to Victorian
style dancing; all we’re
saying is that a dialogue
about this unspoken trend
needs to be opened.
This statement naturally begs the question of
whether or not grinding
should even be a topic up
for discussion. Some will
argue that since it does
not affect you directly,
you do not have the right
to have an opinion on it.
“It’s gonna happen anyway,” said junior Shawn
Sukert, “so what’s the
point of trying to stop it?”
While this may be
true in some respects, it is
completely false in others.
Some students may become so overwhelmed by
the uncomfortable feeling
that is inevitably brought
on by grinding that they
end up actively avoid-
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ing high school dances.
This is not to mention
teachers who must oversee the dance, then face
their students a few days
later in class. “If the student knows me, I hope
that it makes them feel
uncomfortable as well,”
said Adina Thomas, “I’ve
observed that they often
are.”
It is also important to
understand the message
that grinding sends, intentional or not. Young
women are essentially
projecting that it is okay
for a guy to come up behind them, without talking about it first, and
place his hips against
hers. This message can
be easily misinterpreted
and create a situation in
which one person feels
very differently than the
other. “I don’t go to [some
dances] because I don’t
like people all over me. I
like my personal space,”
said junior Anna Buccafuri. Many others, like
her, do not see the appeal
of grinding and therefore
miss out on a classic high
school experience.
But of course this is not
always the case. Many
times grinding is a prediscussed thing, planned
weeks in advance to avoid
the possibility of having
no one to dance with.
There is also the fact that
many girls enjoy the experience, and guys like
knowing that a girl does
not mind them up against
their backside.
Regardless of the rationale behind grinding, our
point is that it should not
be merely expected and
therefore
intentionally
ignored by society. Just
because something is typical does not omit it from
objection.
For instance, last year’s
homecoming was DJ-ed
by Daniel Glatts, who
also works as a guidance
counselor at Souderton
High School. This was
his first time working
with Hatboro-Horsham,
and he worked with student council advisor Dave
Thomas. In addition, he
received a list of suggested songs from a group of
student council committee members, with the
understanding that would
have the final say over
what songs are played. He
said that he finds grinding
“disgusting,” but that he
tries to break it up with
other types of songs. “I
love when they circle-up
and break dance or pop,
or just the fun face-to-face
showdown,” said Glatts,
“It’s funny, in the 90s
there was a huge ‘Modern
Rock’ phase...and we did
not have to worry about
grinding as much.”
So what do we propose? Should a “31-Degree” requirement be implemented like Souderton
has? Or a “dance like your
grandmother is watching” rule like Upper Dublin? Perhaps these are ex-
treme, yet maybe they are
precisely what HH needs
to consider as multiple
spring dances approach.
No matter what, a clear
message should be constructed by administrators concerning grinding.
More specifically, it needs
to be said what is permitted and what is not. If
they are going to put an
end to the era of public
dry humping, they should
say so.
However, when asked,
Head Principal Dennis
Williams said that the
administration has “not
considered making any
adjustments to school
dances.” While this news
is good for some, it is
disappointing for just
as many others. If our
school is going to continue permitting grinding,
then it can be interpreted
that they condone it. “I’d
rather see people upright
and dancing together,”
said David Thomas, cocoordinator of our homecoming dance.
Whether they are for
or against it, the point remains the same: it is an
unspoken topic that needs
to be addressed, and soon.
If it continues to be ignored, it seems like our
school is essentially saying that the sexualization
of its students, on school
property, is permissible.
Should students be
participating, or should
it be a dance reserved for
night clubs?
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8
Sports
Lady Hatters Swimming
Michelle Reckner
Staff Writer, ‘17
The Lady Hatters
Swim and Dive team
finished their season
this year with a record
of 12-2 continuing
their streak of wins.
At Districts, Seven
althetes also qualified
for PIAA Championships. Many
members
have also exceeded
broken records this
season.
The
24
member team competed
throughout the winter
with six practice days
and two competitions a
week.
Along with their
two-and-a-half hour
practices after school,
they have two morning
practices a week from
5:45-7:00 a.m.
“In-season practices
can be really tough and
exhausting, but they
become doable when
we remember why we
are practicing so hard:
to drop time and have
a winning record,” said
Senior Perie Sumner.
A typical workout
for a Hatters swimmer includes a lot of
weights and strength
training.
On Saturdays, they
have a Crossfit session
for an hour and then
jump in the pool afterwrds for an additional
2 hours.
The Crossfit sessions are workouts that
are known for their intensity and help make
athletes much stronger.
These students also
have “carb starve diets” in addition to their
many hours of practice.
In this diet, members take it upon them-
Photo Courtesy of Michelle Reckner
selves to be healthier
and only permit themselves to eat the number of carbohydrates
equal to their body
weight in grams.
The team does this
before an important
meet so that they can
have a pasta party.
Then they go to a team
member’s home and
drown themselves in
pastas and other carbohydrates to give their
body the energy they
need. This is important
before an event like
Districts.
To qualify to swim
in Districts, there is
an automatic cut time
and a consideration cut
time to determine who
will advance.
If a swimmer qualifies for the automatic
cut time, they have
a definite spot at districts.
Photo Courtesy of Michelle Reckner
Haley Sutton
However, if a swimmer qualifies for the
consideration cut time,
they wait find out if
there is a spot for them
at Districts.
Every District competition has 42 swimmers from the surrounding schools.
At Districts, a swimmeria able to qualify
States. A swimmer
must make good times
during the comeptition
in order to qualify.
“Everyone on the
team gets along so well
and we are so supportive of each other. Our
coaches are so helpful
and we are all one big
family. Swim season is
by far my favorite part
of the year,” said Sophomore member Katie
Moore.
The Lady Hatter Swim Team
after a meet at Subarbans.
From left to right:Katie Moore,
Ali Schmitt, Marlee Murray,
Grace Fink and Cameron
Fisher.