Volume XIII; Issue 9
Monday, December 22, 2014
cavchronline.com
Lions, tigers and Burr, oh my! L
John Robbins ‘15 Contributor
ive music has always been important to the HBHS community. Whether it’s performing with the HBHS Concert Band or jamming out with the Honors Jazz Band, music is a special art form that many HB students enjoy. Some students take their music to the next level by forming bands and making their own music as Andrew Carr (guitarist), Ben Cooper (vocals), Zach Nardone (percussion), and Chazz Rodgers (bassist) have done. The group created a jazzy jam band called Burr. The beginning of Burr was the result of Nardone and Rodgers’ frequent jamming with Carr in his basement. One day, Cooper went to one of these jam sessions. He thought the band was very talented, so he started developing vocals to go along with their music. The group then decided to fully commit to forming a band. The band’s name, Burr, comes from a bear Carr once observed walking through his yard. Carr proceeded to instagram a picture of the bear with the caption “Oh hey Burr.” Nardone and Rodgers thought it would be a great name for their band. Burr focuses on giving meaning to their music by just playing whatever comes to mind. When asked about why the group chose to do this, Carr said, “You just feel the music.” Carr
also said, “I was really influenced by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Leaves.” He went on to say that HBHS band teacher Dave Umstead, “really helped me become a better musician, but he is also a really cool guy.” When asked why he got into music, he said, “My dad played guitar when I was young, and I thought he was the best at it, until I realized he wasn’t.” He said that he decided to play guitar in the second grade and has been playing ever since.
When the band first started, they decided to record an album. Since then, the band has reached the final stages of the release of their first EP, Warming Of the Days. The EP has six tracks, but because it’s a jam band, some of the songs are 12 minutes long and others are only 30 seconds. Warming of the Days was recorded by NHTunes, a recording studio in Manchester, New Hampshire. Carr said “The instrumentals were recorded in three hours and we had one hour for the vocals, Which is really fast but two of the members were leaving for college.” When asked about the album cover, Carr said “It is an amazing painting by Carlie Howard ‘14, that tells a story of how the seasons affect you as a person. The painting goes from purple, to blue, to yellow, and then to red. I like the painting because there aren’t many straight lines and it represents our music the way that
Punctuality: The Politeness of Kings Adriana Radosavljevic ‘17, Guest Writer Creak. The classroom door opens as the teacher continues to speak. The late student walks unsurely towards the teacher, shoes squeaking against the floor. She stands there holding a pass until the teacher pauses to take it, the class watching her every move. No one wants to be late–at times, it can be beyond cringe-worthy. But besides the obvious embarrassment, what consequences does being tardy really have? Due to “Freshmen Fridays” in the library, school librarian Christine Heaton has had many experiences with interruptions: “When students are seated and ready to go… it’s already five minutes into class; I’m ready to go, I’m ready to start, and I will start. Now the one or two stragglers who come in, they’ve missed the introduction; they’ve missed the
beginning. And now it’s, ‘Where are we? What are we doing? What’s going on?’ Now it becomes a distraction.” Not only do late students miss class, but they also limit the educational experience of others. Students aren’t the only culprits, though. “When teachers are late, class is started late, and that takes away time when the students are supposed to be learning,” said Rebecca Nelson, ‘17. Because of this, tardiness can have even more drastic consequences further into the future. Therefore, “You are not likely to get good college or job recommendations, and you might have some missed opportunities,” says Nelson. Though sleeping in may have seemed like a good idea in the moment, a detention after multiple instances just doesn’t give the same feeling. Recorded detentions may resurface,
Photo Credit: Noah McGrath
it’s abstract.” One of the songs on the album, “Cleveland Hill”, emphasizes this. Carr explained, “The song is about how over the winter you learn a lot about yourself because you are self focused, smaller, and more depressed. So, although you are sad, you are in touch with more of your feelings and stuff, and you realize more about yourself … when summer comes along, people think of depressing things as easier to push behind themselves and just live.” Nardone and Rodgers are currently away at school, so the band has sought out a new drummer and bassist to fill in. For their new drummer, they chose Mike Mosca ’15.
the bassist, Chris Smith was chosen because “He is a really good bassist and just a really cool guy.” Carr added, “I like to call him Seth because he looks like Seth Rogan.” The band hopes to stay small because they don’t want to risk losing the style of the band which was an essential part of the band’s foundation, and they hope to keep on jamming together.
Story behind the glory
Carr said “Mike Mosca, this awesome drummer, he is probably one of the best drummers I know. Actually he is ‘The’ best drummer I know.” As for if sought; colleges have the option of viewing specific applicant records upon request. Punctuality not only affects the tardy individual, but those who were punctual, too; this has a huge effect on impressions. According to Kyong Radosavljevic, an electrical engineer at Raytheon, “Short term is that you were tardy for that event, but the long-term consequence is that they will not respect you because they think that you will be tardy all the time.” Once someone has made up their mind about another, it can be quite difficult to change their opinion. Students, teachers, and professionals all seem to have the same perspective, no matter whose fault it actually is. Heaton said, “Even if your reason for being late is a valid reason–you were off saving the world or something–it doesn’t matter. It’s always because whatever you were doing was a priority over what you need to do. And sometimes people need to take a stronger look at their priorities.” Tardiness can leave a lasting bitter taste, especially if it is continuous. Nelson stated that tardiness represents a lack of responsibility and
commitment, along with the idea that you must not be “a diligent person.” Whether one means to be late, or not, simply does not have effect–the consequence is always the same. Radosavljevic also said, “It makes me stressed out [when I am behind schedule] because I have to get the same amount of work done in a shorter period of time.” For many, additional strain is added through a time crunch. When it comes down to it, punctuality simply cannot occur for every event of every day. Nevertheless, whether at school, the office, or social events, it is in each person’s best interest to appear on time.
Photo credit: Adriana Radosavljevic ‘17
Corrections from last weeks issue: - Meghan Cole is supposed to be spelled “Megan Cole”. - “Hours and hours of work went into reminding the majority of the Hollis Brookline community how untalented they are” This phrase was not intended to be rude or condescending, but instead paint a picture of the musical talent at Classic Rock Night.
Teacher of theMaddy Month Poulin ‘15,
Transition from sports to the rest of your life Mike Morgan ‘15, Contributer
It’s a heart-breaking ordeal--to absorb the idea that, in all likelihood, you will never play on a high school sports field again. “I already started crying last year,” said Haley Recke, ‘15. Seniors across Hollis-Brookline have been confronted with that reality this year. Whether they have already finished or are almost at the journey’s end, the pain is all the same--the teams,
town and friends our athletes have grown up with are very nearly gone for good, regardless of whether the students go on to play in college.
Soccer player Evan Porter, ‘15, said, “It feels as if I’ve lost a family member,” he said. “It’s definitely sad,” said Matt Fothergill, ‘15, a basketball player. “You just gotta let the good times roll.” Finding someone from the senior class of Hollis-Brookline who was unfazed by the prospect was nearly impossible, and rightly so--bidding
farewell to the bonds of friendship, forged through the trials faced by so many teams, would get the better of anyone. Many groups of athletes have played together since their first time on the field, whether during high school or as early as elementary grades. The school’s athletes will go far and wide, and will likely play on many teams across the nation and the world. But they grew up here, and as they leave, they leave behind bonds that will surely ripple across the rest of their lives.
Contributer
Photo credit: Maddy Poulin ‘15
Who is Hollis Brookline’s December Teacher of the Month? The high school’s popular club, HB the Change, has decided to start recognizing the hard work of the teachers at HB. The members of this club hope to bring a new aspect to the appreciation that students have towards their teachers. Ann Melim, who organizes HB the Change, explained that this movement stems from the group “want[ing] to recognize people in the school for the hard work they do and what they bring to the community as a whole.” The group randomly decides at each of their biweekly meetings who will be nominated as the Teacher of the Month. They have a list of all the faculty members in the building, and pick a random number, count down, and the faculty member whose name is associated with that number becomes that month’s recipient. The members then interview the other teachers in the department. Interviews are designed to find out the nominees’ favorite sayings, what they enjoy doing, and essentially whatever makes them special as an individual. This month, the group nominated math teacher Christina Brown. She was “honored” when surprised with signs lining the school’s driveway, recognition courtesy of HB the Change.
JUST HEAR THOSE SLEIGH BELLS Before JINGLING RING Snow TING TINGLING TOO COME ON ITS LOVELY WEATHER Halloween FOR A SLEIGH RID TOGETHER WITH YOU OUTSIDE THE Thanks-SNOW IS FALLING AND FRIENDS ARE giving CALLING YOO OO
How early is too early to play Chrismas music? Next weeks question: What is the best winter activity?
Answer at cavchronline.com
Economics: the art of investing Maggie O’Hara ‘17, Community Editor
Throughout November, Katherine Pine’s sophomore-filled Economics classes learned how to work the stock market. Around 75 of Pine’s students participated in a stock market simulation, in which they received $200,000 of play money to invest however they chose to, within the guidelines of the project. The goal of the simulation was for students to see how their money grows or stagnates in the stock market. In each of the three classes, two awards were given. The first was the
“Doughiest” prize, awarded to the person in each class that made the most money during the simulation. The other award given was Most Diversified, and it was given to the students of the class with the most diverse, or well-rounded, investment portfolio. The student that earned the most money during this project was Jasraj Sidhu ‘17, earning a whopping total of nearly $26,470.
This year’s HB Idol talent Alexander Cate ‘15, Opinion Editor
The stars aligned once more on a brisk December night in Hollis, NH. HB Idol charged the auditorium by
storm as HB’s finest took the stage for a “battle of the lungs”.
To begin the night, hosts Kayne Robert ‘16, and Ben Goodman ‘15, lightened the mood with several musically themed jokes. As is tradition with HB
Brown said she “just loves the thought behind the whole idea to recognize people in the building. It makes people feel so good walking into the surprise.” HB the Change is a group set in place to “make people feel special, and accepted,” says Melim. The group meets every other Wednesday in room 224; all are welcome to join. The Cavalier Chronicle is produced by Hollis Brookline High School students. The articles published represent the views of the staff and do not represent Hollis Brookline High School, HBHS faculty, or administration. As this publication is intended to be a tool for learning, please bring any concerns related to the newspaper to the attention Adviser Lin Illingworth. She can be reached at lin.illingworth@sau41.org
Photo credit: Nellie Putur ‘15
Abby Kotelly ‘17 and Andrew Carr ‘16 at HB Idol. Photo credit: Matt Harmon ‘15
Idol, the first half was entirely made up of Elementary school students. It was already obvious that most of these kids are going to have bright vocal careers ahead of them. The high school portion included songs from all ranges including an Oliver Fetter rendition of “Too Close” and Hannah Modelski’s performance of “Riptide”. The finalists included Takuma Okada ‘16, Abbey Kotelly ‘16, and Matt Falcone (and his all-star band) ‘15. Abbey brought out Andrew Carr to play the guitar for her, while later on, Takuma Okada sang and played the piano for the audience. At the end of the night, it must have been a tough call for the judges. The finalists performances were stellar, but ultimately, Falcone took home the Chipotle gift card. His performance of “Take me to Church” really sealed the deal for his victory. All of the acts were incredibly well done. Since, it is well worth the price of admission, HB Idol is a must see for next year.