Algonquin Harbinger Volume 34 Issue 1

Students reflect on how their lives have changed

HARBINGER

The Student Newspaper of Algonquin Regional High School

PHOTO ELLIE OUANO

From the Editors: WHAT A LONG TWO YEARS

It’s been a rough few years. There’s no doubt about that. With so many health re strictions and changes, it’s safe to say that the pandemic has drastically changed ev eryone’s life—for good or for bad, or may be even both.

The Harbinger itself has certainly ex perienced both ups and downs. Back in 2020, our annual trip to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Conference in New York was one of the first scholastic events canceled due to COVID. That can cellation felt devastating, but little did we all know, it was the first of many. Like all of the other clubs and organizations, we were unable to hold in-person meetings for over a year, and we could no longer produce print issues for you all to enjoy.

These were certainly trying times, but the pandemic also allowed us to focus on the virtual facets of our publication. Our website flourished, with new articles be ing published daily. We also saw substan tial growth in our social media presence

(shameless plug: @ARHSHarby on Insta gram and Twitter). So, although the past two years have brought an endless cas cade of challenges, we’ve taken this op portunity to re-invent The Harbinger.

We, like so many of you, wish we could return to the “normal,” pre-pandemic life, but as we look back on all we’ve accom plished in the last two years, we’ve real ized the importance of embracing change. Although the classic broad-sheet newspa per was definitely a hit at Algonquin, we hope you welcome this magazine-style issue of The Harbinger—our attempt to create something fresh and new.

This transition came with much con sideration from the entire Editorial Board. It seemed like it’d be impossible to alter what we’d been doing for so long, but what better time than now? After a twoyear dormancy of print issue production, we’re ready for change, and we hope you are too.

Website Instagram Twitter

This print issue was created by senior Jadyn Jacobs, junior Jula Utzschneider, senior Melissa Dai, senior Jessie Lambert, senior Amy Sullivan and junior Ben Schanzer.

PHOTO LINDSAY COPPENS

EDITORS & STAFF

PRINT

EDITORS

MELISSA DAI Editor-in-Chief

JESSIE LAMBERT Managing Editor

JADYN JACOBS Photo Editor

BEN SCHANZER Asst. Managing Editor

AMY SULLIVAN Sports Editor

JULA UTZSCHNEIDER Opinion Editor

EDITORS

SRISHTI KAUSHIK Online Editor

TISYA SINGH Online Editor

RIYA MAHANTA News Editor

SOPHIA MURRAY News Editor

CLAIRE BAI A&E Editor

BRIANNA TANG A&E Editor

KATHERINE WU A&E Editor

ANDREW ROBERTS Online Sports Editor

ASSISTANT EDITORS

ELLIE O’CONNOR News

MARYGRACE SARRASIN News

AMELIA SINCLAIR News

ZOE MANOUSOS Sports

MAGGIE HAVEN A&E

JEFFREY DRATCH Opinion

JULIETTE PIOVOSO Opinion

JOCELINE GIRON Online

SAHANA SIVARAJAN Online

PRIYA MARALIGA Photo

KATY O’CONNELL Photo

Mission Statement

The Harbinger strives to: Report in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner; Be fair and impartial in its coverage; Accurately portray the culture of the student body; Give voice to the students of Algonquin; Entertain and start conversation; Maintain professional standards

SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Lila Shields, Grace Bouzan, Leann Jenks

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Rushil Singh, Caroline Lou, Olivia Kardos, Dayeon Lee, Tucker Paquette, Victoria Andreev, Yahya Ibrahimi, Michael Chiocco, Dominic Frallicaridi, Connor Lee, Theo Le Bourdonnec, Chloe Mitchell, Julie Pinto, James McBride, Justice Huang, Charlie Hynes, Nicholas DeSouza, Mia Gorman, Daniel Elabbasi, Taylor Queenan, Aidan Dilo, Annie Zhao, Ryan Weiner, Thomas Hauck, Leona Sungkharom, John Oliveira

Verina Hanna, Hannah O’Grady, Claire Devlin, Zach Ely, Maggie Fitzgerald, Caroline Macaulay, Gwen McDougall Grace Griffin, Mason Casellini, Ashleigh Girard, Sofia Baldelli, Linda Hu, Delaney Cosentino, Arielle Chin, Luke Utzschneider, Hannah Thompson, Nick Klein, Ananya Pandit, Kate Michel, Lily Chan, Holly Cavanna, Ava Arcona, Meredith Sainsbury, Ellie Ouano, Sania Hasan, Meredith Wu, Karma Bebawy, Joey Shay, David Periera

Jacob Lipkin, Matea Rowe-Bond, Grace Herdman, Kasey Jacobs, Axel Soderquist, Claire Xu

ADVISERS

Lindsay Coppens & Michelle Sheppard

Editorial Policies

The Harbinger is the official news publication produced by Algonquin Regional High School students. The Harbinger has been established as a designated public forum to inform readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. The Harbinger is not reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of The Harbinger is determined by and re flects only the views of the student staff, its editorial board assumes complete legal liability for the content of its pub lication.

The expression of opinions by readers is encouraged through letters to the editor. Letters should not exceed 300 words, must be signed, and must include the writer’s phone number for verification. Letters may be submitted to arhsharbinger@gmail.com.

Organizations interested in advertising in The Harbinger should contact editors for rates and policies. Advertising that appears in the publication is not necessarily endorsed by The Harbinger or its staff members.

Concerns about published errors may be submitted to arhsharbinger@gmail.com. Staff members strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if a significant error is printed, editors will determine the manner of a correction.

Typography and layout are done entirely by the staff which distributes approximately 1,500 copies to the school community, paid subscribers and advertisers. The Harbinger is printed by School Paper Express.

The Harbinger is affilliated with The New England Scho lastic Press Association, The Columbia Scholastic Press Association and The National Scholastic Press Association.

CJ Bourbeau, Joe Lamburn, Owen Jones, Cooper Newfield

WALSH TURNS 90

TWO YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC

A look back at how the past two years have changed us as a community and individuals

OPINION NEWS PROFILES ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

mental health, homework, ineffective teaching, race and the death penalty, reading classics, ALICE, class levels

sub shortage, ALICE, Dick Walsh turns 90, ADL’s ‘A World of Difference’, two years of COVID, mascot change two senior Marines, racecar driver, twin alumnae aides, Printing for Prosthetics cafeteria cookies, Seussical & Radium Girls, Poetry Out Loud, performances, reviews, blogs

SPORTS marathon runner, strongman, speed skater, badminton player, season recaps, girls’ hockey state champs

FROM TOMAHAWKS TO TITANS

DICK

PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

Students should be encouraged to take mental health breaks in school

KATHERINE WU A&E Editor

If I had a dollar for every time some one complained to me about school-re lated stress, I’d probably be rich enough to drop out and live stress-free for the rest of my life.

With the start of normal school after a year of online learning, students are feeling academic pressure more than ever. I can’t speak for everyone, but as an ambitious student and athlete, I have too often caught myself on the verge of mental breakdowns, having to balance sports, homework, chores and sleep.

Oftentimes it feels like the only way to escape all the stress is to miss school, but a day at home can lead to even more stress upon returning. Work piles up, and for many of us students, it feels like faculty only care about us get ting our work done. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Rather than being reactive, our school should be proactive in prevent ing stress and anxiety-related break downs. We students should be encour aged to speak out about our mental state and take breaks when we need to. Whether this means stepping outside to take a few breaths during a Chemistry lab or spending an extra day on home work, students should not be punished for prioritizing their mental health. Mi crobreaks, brief activities as short as a few seconds, have even been shown to increase productivity and make work

more enjoyable.

During the summer Olympics, USA star gymnast Simone Biles decided to withdraw from the team and individual all-around final competitions because she needed to focus on her mental health. Biles, commonly regarded as the “greatest of all time,” received both support and backlash for her decision, with some social media users calling her a “quitter.”

Taking breaks can feel uncomfort able. They may even feel wrong. How ever, there is a difference between a “quitter” and someone prioritizing their own well-being. A “quitter” pulls out just because they don’t want to do some thing, while someone putting them selves first understands they may not be able to do their best in the moment. They may need to step back so they can return with better performance. This is the case for both academics and athlet ics.

Like Biles, we should recognize our limits and be able to step back when we need to. The courage it takes to speak out will be beneficial long-term. If an extracurricular or class becomes too overwhelming or starts to cause more stress than enjoyment, it’s okay to stop. It’s not selfish; breaks are necessary.

According to a Google Form survey of 105 students from Nov. 15 to Nov. 19, 82% of students have experienced

GRAPHIC RUSHIL SINGH

an increase in stress since the start of the school year, with over half rating their stress levels an eight or above on a 10-point scale (10 being “Very High” stress).

Additionally, 44% of respondents don’t know how to access profession al mental health support at Algonquin. Some students report they would like to, but think that no one knows how to help them or that taking the time to talk to someone isn’t worth it because it would take away from time for school work and ultimately lead to even more stress.

By allowing students to speak out about their issues and prioritize their own mental stability, we can help pre vent anxiety and depression among our student body. As students, we should recognize our limits and take breaks when needed, even from activities we may have once loved or felt defined by. Only by being open about mental health can we begin to prioritize and better ourselves.

This article was published in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

A&E Editor Katherine Wu believes students need time during school to focus on their mental well-being.

Excessive homework negatively impacts mental health

JULA UTZSCHNEIDER Opinion Editor

When the bell rings to end last period every day, I feel a sense of relief. However, this feeling soon wears off as I realize just how much work I have to do after the al ready-stressful school day ends.

While homework can be beneficial, more often than not, it is assigned excessively and unnecessarily. Teachers give a significant amount of homework, often due the next day, and this excessive work can be detri mental.

A 2013 study conducted at Stanford University found that students in top per forming school districts who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance in their lives and alienation from society. The study suggested that any more than two hours of homework per night is counterpro ductive. However, students who participat

ed in the study reported doing slightly more than three hours of homework every night.

And, yes, the amount of homework giv en to students depends on the course level they take. But, with increasingly competitive college acceptance rates, many students feel forced to take these more challenging courses. This is a huge problem, especially as teachers give homework only thinking about their own class, not the five or six others stu dents have.

Additionally, when it came to stress, more than 70% of students in the Stan ford study said they were “often or always stressed over schoolwork,” with 56% listing homework as a primary stressor. More than 80% of students reported having at least one stress-related symptom (such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems) in the past month, and 44% said they had experienced three or more symptoms. Less than 1% of the stu dents said homework was not a stressor. Not to mention, the time spent on these

assignments could easily be spent doing something enjoyable. Many students feel obligated to choose homework over prac ticing other talents or skills. Teachers should encourage extracurriculars, rather than mak ing it impossible for students to partake in them.

In terms of what teachers can do, it’s quite simple, really. Homework is intended for students to either practice a subject, or to cover topics teachers couldn’t during the al lotted class time. It should not be busy work that just wastes a student’s time.

Teachers should be giving students work that is absolutely necessary (not busy work), and eliminate it altogether where they can. It is extremely important that students not only get through high school, but thrive and enjoy it too.

Too much lecture-based teaching bores students

RYAN WEINER Staff Writer

When I come to school every day, I dread having to do nothing but listen to teachers talk for hours. I enjoy learning, but I have never enjoyed school because of this inability to keep me interested and engaged.

There are some benefits to lecturing, but in general, it is not an effective method for students. If students are not interested or engaged in the topic, they are unlikely to pay much attention or focus.

A 2013 study conducted at University of Washington found that students taught with traditional methods were 150% more likely to fail than students who were taught with more active teaching methods.

Of course it is necessary to have lec ture-style lessons sometimes, but it is also possible for teachers to have the same im pact on their students through projects and individual exploration of a topic. Many teach ers say they will assign this type of work, but end up not implementing it in their lessons.

When students have more interest in what they are being taught, it makes them want to learn more, and, in return, obtain higher grades. According to researchers in a study recently published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” stu dents are poor judges of their own learning, and while strategies that require lower effort (such as passively listening to a lecture) are often perceived to be better, in reality, they

are less effective.

In an optimal world, students should be excited and determined to come to school and learn, but that is often not the case. While teaching methods are not the only problem, they do account for a large amount of the issues that students have with being focused, engaged and interested.

To make up for this, teachers should at tempt to add individual exploration of top ics into class time, rather than just having the same mundane lectures and homework every day. Making school interesting to the student body could drastically improve mo rale and learning for many students.

These articles were previously published on arhsharbinger.com.

Opinion Editor Jula Utzschneider writes excessive homework hurts more than helps. GRAPHIC CAROLINE LOU

Racial disparities in death penalty reveal significant issues with justice system

JULIETTE PIOVOSO Assistant Opinion Editor

When Julius Jones was 19, he was convicted of a murder he claims he did not commit. Sentenced to death in 1999, Jones has suffered the conse quences of his supposed actions, ban ished to solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

However, on Nov. 18, 2021, Okla homa governor Kevin Stitt granted Jones clemency, halting his execution hours before he was scheduled to die for a killing he maintains he did not commit.

According to the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerat ing wrongly convicted individuals, “Ju lius Jones was at home having dinner with his parents and sister at the time of the murder; however, his legal team failed to present his alibi at his origi nal trial. His trial attorneys did not call Mr. Jones or his family members to the stand.”

Jones also does not match the eye witness description of the person who committed the crime. Most notably, the other witness, Jones’ accomplice Christopher Jordan, claimed he was the getaway driver while Jones killed the man. Despite the fact Jordan’s appear ance matched the eyewitnesses’ hair description, “in exchange for testifying that Mr. Jones was the shooter, Mr. Jor dan was given a plea deal for his alleged role as the “getaway driver,” according to the Innocence Project. He served 15 years in prison and is now free.

“Three people incarcerated with Mr. Jordan at different times have said in sworn affidavits that Mr. Jordan told each of them that he committed the murder and framed Mr. Jones,” accord ing to the Innocence Project.

A staggering 4% of incarcerated individuals are innocent on death row, and the impact of racial bias in Jones’ case is too disturbing not to ignore. Not

only were 11 out of 12 jurors white, but one juror referred to Mr. Jones by a rac ist slur, suggesting that he be taken out behind the courthouse and shot.

Yet, these inconsistencies are not solely a reflection of the corrupt indi viduals involved— it is a magnification of the flawed and inequitable criminal justice system that viciously strikes any person of color.

Although Julius Jones was granted a pardon, the 41-year old will now serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. Life in jail, without a mere retrial for a crime that has substantial count er-evidence to exonerate Jones? Does this surprise you? If it does, unfortu nately, it shouldn’t. This injustice has been reused and recycled since the very beginning of our country’s application of the death penalty.

People of color have accounted for a disproportionate 55% of those current ly awaiting execution, although they make up only 40% of the U.S. popula tion.

In addition, the American Civil Lib erties Union also condemned the death penalty by citing evidence from The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). As stated by the non-profit organization, “comparing Black and white offenders over the past century, many were of ten executed for what were considered less-than-capital offenses for whites, such as rape and burglary. (Between 1930 and 1976, 455 men were execut ed for rape, of whom 405—90 percent— were Black).”

Our nation is making considerable strides through public advocacy and protests: we collectively raised aware ness of Mr. Jones’ wrongful conviction, stopping his execution. However, this is not enough.

According to the American Civil Lib erties Union (ACLU), “Since 1973, more than 170 people who had been wrong ly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated.” Of these over 170 people, 91 have been Black.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Assistant Opinion Editor Juliette Piovo so argues the Julius Jones case sheds light on racism in the justice system.

GRAPHIC JULIETTE PIOVOSO

The Great Debate: Classics

Reading classics in English class is important

ANNIE ZHAO Staff Writer

“My teacher made me read it” is often the mantra fol lowing a traditional curriculum of classic literature. Wheth er it’s because they’re less modern or are perceived nega tively due to their classroom presence, few students would choose to read a “classic” book such as “Lord of the Flies” or “Moby Dick” over a contemporary novel.

However, classics have never lost their value, especial ly to readers, society or the education system. They are classics for a reason.

Classics have withstood time and have resonated with hundreds of thousands and even millions of people. The quality, relatability and demand of classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird”, which has sold over 40 million copies, is clearly illustrated through their survival through time and decades of change in ideas and culture. Although written long ago, these books have an element of timelessness.

Through these books, students can experience life through the eyes of someone living in the past. Reading classics in a modern context allows students to examine and understand an often prejudiced past. The messages and stories depicted in these books have impacted gen erations of people and should continue to do so into the future.

When purchasing new books, the English department shouldn’t only look at updating their curriculum to make it more contemporary and accessible. They should also con tinue investing in classic literature like “1984” or “Animal Farm” and should buy enough copies of these books so all students have the opportunity to read them.

Contemporary novels may be more modern, relatable and comfortable for students, but classics challenge stu dents in different ways and provide an outlet—the class room—for students to digest, praise or criticize those works. Furthermore, older works challenge students to an alyze unfamiliar language, literary ideas and writing styles under the guidance of their teachers.

In the past few years, Algonquin has been trying to expand the reading list to include more diverse contem porary novels, but I strongly believe classics should stay mandatory as well.

Classics should

be

with contemporary books

replaced

TISYA SINGH Online Editor

Most of us are familiar with the many classic texts required in high school English classes: “The Catcher in the Rye,” “Of Mice and Men” and countless others. As someone who enjoys reading, I try to have a positive attitude about classics. Even so, it’s often difficult to understand the text or find it engaging. I can only imagine how students that don’t like to read feel about, one, being forced to read, and two, having to read something they’re most likely not going to understand or find relatable.

Noticeably, students are feeling an increasing disconnect to books. Fewer and fewer teens are reading outside the class room. When assigned classics such as “The Great Gatsby,” which is set in the early 1900s, students often find the text difficult to comprehend as it is written in a language and style that’s much different than what most teens are accustomed to. In addition, most classics are intended for an adult audience, further making them harder for students to comprehend.

As a result, students often take shortcuts, such as using SparkNotes, for their reading assignments. In this case, they are seeking summaries written in a modern format, which means they are not truly capturing the essence of the classic writing style. When students are actually interested in a story, they are more likely to complete the reading and participate in class discussions and assignments, therefore learning more from the text.

Many claim classic novels should remain in high school En glish curricula because their lessons are timeless. While this may be true, there are also recent novels which contain the same important themes while being more relatable to readers.

Some also say the messages of old novels can be applied to the modern world, but that isn’t what they were intended for. They weren’t written for the future but for their contemporary time period. Although the main concepts can be adapted to ap ply to today, it’s better to select novels by authors who are living now, those who understand and have experienced the problems of present-day society.

Classic books are definitely classics for a reason, but they are boring to high school students. In order to have students learn and engage more thoroughly with assigned texts, English classes should switch to more contemporary literature.

Longer versions of these articles were published in March 2022 on arhsharbinger.com.

ALICE drills are inadequate, must be changed

JULA UTZSCHNEIDER Opinion Editor

Over the past few years, gun violence in schools has become increasingly prev alent. Since 2018, the United States has seen a total of 93 school shootings in which at least one person was injured or killed.

These malicious actions have forced our generation to practice active-shooter drills. Algonquin, in particular, has cho sen the ALICE exercise (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate), designed to simulate a situation with a “real shooter.”

Depending on where the “shooter” is an nounced to be in the school, teachers can decide whether they want to barricade their doors or evacuate to a safe zone out side. Although this idea seems beneficial in theory, it has several flaws.

While fire drills are relatively lowstress procedures, active shooter drills incite higher levels of fear because they are much more realistic. These drills can traumatize students, especially those who have already undergone traumatic expe riences earlier in life. Furthermore, some ALICE drills include a description of the threat in the announcement initially given to students. During one that took place my freshman year (2019-2020), for example, a police officer actually dressed up in said description, was located in the announced hallway and went into classrooms yelling at students as if he was a real threat. Was that really necessary to prepare students for an active shooter situation?

On the other hand, the ALICE drill that took place in December was simply a planned lockdown—how does this tru ly help students prepare for the worst? Families received three emails prior to the drill, informing them of the date it would occur (Dec. 10), what they would need to do (barricade) and a general list of instruc tions. While I understand that students need some warning, they might as well

have been led step-by-step through the exercise. In a real situation, there wouldn’t be any preparation or additional time.

Not to mention, with the school’s change in PA system this year, the speak ers in many of the classrooms and hall ways are barely audible. I myself remem ber being in the H200 hallway during the accidental announcement through the automated phone system that initiated a lockdown. However, along with many oth ers, I did not know this at the time, as I had not heard the loudspeaker. Had that been a real threat to the school, I would’ve had no idea. To me, this is absolutely terrifying and frankly unacceptable.

There are several things administra tors can do to fix these issues. Firstly, we should not be told when these drills will take place. It completely defeats the pur pose if students and staff know when they will occur, as we will be able to prepare. In a real situation, we wouldn’t have that luxury. Secondly, there should not be an actual “threat” present. It is unnecessary and honestly quite scary to see this in the hallway, no matter how fake they may be. While this was not present at our last drill,

Algonquin has done this in the past. Third ly, the administration absolutely needs to fix the PA system. These shootings are often unpredictable, and I would hate to see students unaware of a threat simply because they couldn’t hear the announce ment.

Basically, Algonquin needs to find a middle ground. The drills should not cause trauma among the student body, but at the same time must prepare us for the real situation. We should be practicing them often to be ready for the worst, no matter how unlikely it may seem.

This article was published in March 2022 on arhsharbinger.com.

Opinion Editor Jula Utzschneider writes that ALICE drills do not adequately pre pare students for high-risk situations. GRAPHIC CAROLINE LOU

FIX THE LEARNING GAP

Add a new level between Honors and CP

JEFFREY DRATCH Assistant Opinion Editor

Class selection has come and gone, and we were all forced to decide how to spend our next academic year of classes. In some cases, students started off by talking with their teachers but were left with that horrible feeling of not receiving their desired recommendation.

The entire process is extremely stress ful, as it furthers the already huge divide between students and teachers. So many students want to challenge themselves by taking higher-level classes such as Hon ors or Advanced Placement but might not have the grades necessary to move up from the standard College Preparato ry (CP) level. At a school like Algonquin, where Honors courses in some subjects are extremely rigorous, some students may not have the means to challenge themselves.

The best way to fix this is by adding an additional class level right between CP and Honors. Not only would this new class level allow some students to further chal

lenge themselves, but it would also create a better environment, where students take classes that are the right fit for them academically.

Many teachers put emphasis on mak ing sure that students are placed in the right class. As a result, moving up from a CP class to Honors can be extremely difficult. Often, there are components required to move up, such as a minimum grade requirement and a teacher recom mendation, causing some students to be limited in the speed they should be learn ing at.

In the course selection process last school year, I was forced to move down from an Honors-level Algebra class to a CP-level Geometry class for sophomore year. After completing much of my current CP Geometry class, I feel like I could cer tainly be learning at a faster pace, and I would thrive in a higher level class. How ever, I know that being in an Honors-level Geometry class would be too fast-paced for me and would possibly worsen my learning environment.

All of this could have been avoided by creating a mid-level course between

Honors and CP. While it would certainly be a large task for each department to add an additional course level to many of their classes, it would help students learn at the correct pace. Creating this new level might also encourage students to challenge themselves a bit more, or move down to a more appropriate level.

In addition, this change might help create smaller class sizes for all levels, as students would be distributed into three main class levels instead of the current two. As a result, students would have a more individualized learning experience, while teachers would be able to provide each student with the resources they need.

While the process of creating a new course level would challenge the school’s resources and budget, it would make for a better learning experience and give op tions to every student regarding how they would like to be challenged.

This article was published in March 2022 on arhsharbinger.com

Opinion Editor Jeffrey Dratch argues that the transfer between Honors and College Prep classes is difficult. As such, there should be a class in between to further help guide students. GRAPHIC OLIVIA KARDOS

ShortStaffed

ARHS suffers from repercussions due to substitute shortage

JADYN JACOBS Photo Editor

Both this school year and last school year, students and staff have been impact ed by a lack of substitute teachers.

The lack of substitute teachers is a problem not just for Algonquin, but for schools across the country. According to a Time Magazine article published in No vember 2021, “More than 75% of school principals and district leaders said they were having trouble finding enough sub stitutes to cover teacher absences this year.”

Due to the shortage, multiple classes have often been relocated to the cafeteria or auditorium to be covered by one sub stitute teacher.

“If someone knows they’re going to be out, then I can pre-arrange a sub to come in,” Sub Coordinator Diane Egizi said. “If someone calls out sick in the morning, I call subs in the morning around 6:30 and ask them if they can come in for the day. The problem is that a lot of times we don’t have a lot of subs… I’ve already scheduled everybody. So, that’s when we end up with the cafeteria studies.”

Egizi says there have been more subs this year than last year; since the pandem ic began, there have been three additional

building subs.

“Building subs are obligated to come in three days a week,” Egizi said. “So no matter what, those three people are here three days a week. Even if there wasn’t somebody out, [the building subs] would still come in because that’s what they’re contracted to do. But it never happens that we don’t need them.”

According to Egizi, the starting pay for a substitute in the district is $95 a day, and this rate increases based on whether or not they are a building sub and what their teaching license is.

Egizi is thankful for all the subs at Al gonquin.

“The subs do a great job and have real ly helped us keep the school open the last two years,” Egizi said. “They are unbeliev able with what they do.”

Principal Sean Bevan has tried his best to manage the increased teacher absences and shortage of substitute teachers.

“Every school is struggling with filling [substitute] positions,” Bevan said. “Even in a good year… we don’t have a huge number of applicants... We have been try ing to be as efficient as possible by having subs in large spaces where students can

get their work done.”

The substitute shortage was also a problem last year, but the amount of space available for large groups of students was different.

“The difference last year is that the C gym was set up for lunch, so you could have a substitute teacher in there with three classes,” Bevan said. “The cafeteria is more casual…kids’ behavior in the cafe teria is not as classroom-appropriate as it was in the C gym.”

Bevan is unsure whether students’ re moval from the classroom due to the lack of substitutes is affecting their education.

“I think some of that is TBD,” Bevan said. “What’s different now than it was before is a teacher would leave an assign ment, whether it be a hard copy or on the board, and now Canvas has simplified the ability to give their exact students their work. The role of the sub is different than it used to be.”

Substitute Anne Ernest has substitut ed on Wednesdays through Fridays since September 2021. Ernest was a classroom teacher for 22 years and loves subbing.

“It’s very enjoyable; I love this job,” Ernest said. “All the teachers have been

Students work in the auditorium, where classes have been relocated due to the shortage of subs. PHOTO JADYN JACOBS

responsive to my questions, and the ad ministration is nice.”

Ernest, however, finds it harder to sub in the cafeteria or auditorium than in a classroom.

“It is a little more confusing to make sure each student is accounted for, and it’s nearly impossible to keep students on task with what they should be doing,” Ernest said.

Substitute Michelle Rehill has been a sub for Algonquin since she retired as the ARHS librarian in 2017.

As a substitute before the pandem ic, Rehill said she was almost always in a classroom with one class, but lately, she has been substituting in the cafeteria and auditorium because of the number of teachers who have been out.

Rehill has found substituting last year easier than this year.

“At the beginning of last year, when we were hybrid, it was so quiet always having that small cohort of students,” Rehill said. “I know it wasn’t best for the students only being here two days of the week, but they paid more attention and were able to stay on task.”

Social studies teacher Gina Johnston

has noticed the lack of subs the past few years, and she believes that not being in the classroom affects students’ education.

“I think it’s giving them more excus es to not do work left by their teachers,” Johnston said. “Because if there’s a sub stitute teacher in the class with them, it’s more effective, it’s more one-on-one, and they can see what the kids are doing.”

However, Johnston thinks Canvas has helped alleviate the negative impact on students.

“I think Canvas is great,” Johnston said. “For [my class, Understanding the Past through Film], I can say exactly what you need to do and the minute that you need to pick up watching a film. But if kids choose to do or not do it, we as teachers have no control over that, so Canvas has made leaving sub plans so much easier.”

Johnston understands that it’s hard for students to focus on their work when there is a sub.

“We as teachers forget it’s a bonus of being a kid that you show up and your teacher isn’t there,” Johnston said. “Obvi ously people don’t want that… but think back to when we were kids. I loved it when I had a sub…”

Sophomore Audrey Helwig has no ticed a lack of subs this year and last year, as she has been in the cafeteria and audi torium more this year than in past years.

“When I have to go to the auditorium or cafeteria, I kind of like it so I can work on other classes or just have a break from school and talk with friends,” Helwig said.

It has been a bit of a shift for teachers, students and substitutes to use spaces like the cafeteria and auditorium for class es, but Bevan appreciates all the substi tutes for their hard work.

“I think the school would have a hard time operating without them, and they do a hard, thankless task sometimes,” Bevan said.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Examining ALICE drills: Are they worth it?

AMELIA SINCLAIR Assistant News Editor

Before December 2021, this year’s freshmen and sophomores had never practiced an ALICE drill at Algonquin. In light of this, Principal Sean Bevan believes the Dec. 10 ALICE drill was a success.

“We went from a position of knowl edge about ALICE but not practical ap plication, and we were able to get there pretty quickly,” Bevan said.

He believes there is no significant weak point to the drill, but instead numer ous minor weaknesses gathered through feedback from students and staff.

“Every ALICE drill generates for us a list of ways we can continue to improve,” Bevan said.

According to Bevan, there are also protective procedures in place that stu dents are unaware of.

“[Unnamed procedures coupled with ALICE drills] keep us safe in ways that are invisible by design,” Bevan said.

According to a New York Times article, Megan Carolan, vice president of research at the Institute for Child Success said, “There hasn’t been a strong body of evi dence that these drills are helping.”

Some believe the most recent proof to support this point was the four deaths of the Oxford High School shooting that occured on Nov. 30, 2021.

In the article, Karen McDonald, the Michigan prosecutor whose office is over seeing the criminal case in relation to the Oxford shooting, said, “The [ALICE] re sponse was executed perfectly, yet four children were killed and multiple injuries occurred. We really can’t train ourselves out of this tragedy.”

Some ARHS community members wonder if ALICE drills work and are worth the possible stress.

“I think it’s very natural for people to feel anxious or stressed just about the thought of [an ALICE event] happening,” Director of Guidance Lisa Connery said. Connery explained that stress and anxiety research shows how stress can impact our problem-solving abilities in the moment. In high-stress situations, like school shootings, the drills are designed to combat that potential impact and al low students to follow ALICE procedures they’ve subconsciously embedded.

“The hope is if anything were to hap pen that we would naturally be able to fall back on what we already problem-solved,” Connery said.

Connery stressed that if students do feel stress, they are always welcome to pay a visit to their guidance counselor or a school adjustment counselor.

“I think the concept itself is going to cause some low-level stress,” Connery said.

According to a Harbinger survey of 127 students conducted through Google Forms from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, 26% of re spondents said they felt “very safe” with current ALICE protocols, 58% reported feeling “somewhat safe,” 14% feel “some what unsafe” and 2% feel “very unsafe.”

In the words of an anonymous Harbin ger survey respondent, “The ALICE proto cols are very effective and give students/ teachers the option to choose what meth od is best for them. However, small parts of the protocol still need improvement.”

Another survey respondent wrote, “I

just feel uneasy about the whole thing and wish it was less stressful.”

Sixteen percent of the respondents reported that ALICE drills have impacted their mental well-being at least once.

Senior Tobias Moore thinks it’s nearly impossible to try to cover all dangerous possibilities, but overall, he finds the drill effective.

“The fact that we have the drills shows that we’re preparing and that anything could happen,” Moore said.

He finds some level of stress is inev itable in the process of preparation, but he personally doesn’t experience extreme levels of stress.

“At least in my case, the fact that it’s clarified that it’s just a drill really helps [ease anxiety],” Moore said.

Junior Alexander Reineke finds value in the drill itself, but he wishes it account ed for times outside of the classroom. He feels that simply sitting and talking doesn’t fully prepare students in case of an emer gency.

“Generally speaking, they are [effec tive], but sometimes the way that we do them isn’t necessary [helpful],” Reineke said.

In the fall of 2019, English teacher Seth Czarnecki experienced the intense anxiety ALICE drills can cause.

“I believe there was a mistake made by law enforcement which made the experi ence in my class extremely real and trau matic for the people that experienced it,” Czarnecki said.

Czarnecki recalled that during a live ALICE drill where police were present in SWAT gear, an administrator called for the commencement of the drill over the announcements and described the cloth ing and location of a hypothetical active shooter. Only seconds later, Czarnecki said, a police officer dressed as the shoot er burst into the classroom and yelled at the class for not moving fast enough.

“It was within seconds of the an nouncement going, so there was quite literally nothing we could have done,” Czarnecki said. “So if that was a real shoot er, my students and I would have died, and that was the lesson that day.”

Czarnecki believes that concepts like school shootings should be presented much differently, without the added trau ma of role-playing and weapons.

“I think what’s important is for the school to find that sweet spot between making sure people are prepared and knowing what the procedure is without traumatizing them and creating more anx iety through the process of preparation,” Czarnecki said.

According to Czarnecki, there have been conversations between Algonquin and the Northborough Police Depart ment regarding the execution of these drills since then. He finds that the more recent drills, such as the one on Dec. 10, have been more around the “sweet spot” he envisions.

“I know that this is a hard line to walk as a school because the U.S. does have the highest frequency of school shootings in the world, and every time that happens, it’s like an alarm goes off in other public schools, but I also think we need to be measured and think long-term about the things that we’re doing for and to students in the long run,” Czarnecki said.

Some students and community mem bers have been alarmed by recent social media threats and references to gun vi olence. While the frequency of recent threats directed towards Algonquin may have raised some unrest, school resource officer Kevin Fruwirth believes it’s just an unfortunate trend.

“Kids will share things that they might

consider as a joke and not realize the ram ifications or the effects it has on other stu dents,” Fruwirth said.

Fruwirth emphasizes the importance for students to stay vigilant about their surroundings and to report any unusual behavior to a staff member.

“Look at the big picture,” Fruwirth said. “You as the individual would know the person and their behavior, and if it’s concerning, then absolutely report it.”

Students can also report concerns through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System.

Tips reported to the platform are im mediately relayed to school administra tors and are seriously investigated. Even if the student reported on is not a threat to others, the school works to decide if further steps should be taken to intervene and help.

“Our purpose is to support all stu dents and if there is a student with con cerns, and if they need support beyond academics, we’re here to do that as well,” Connery said.

This article was published in Jan. 2022 on arhsharbinger.com.

Students evacuate the building during an ALICE drill on March 9. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

& YEARBOOK

Walsh reflects on time at Algonquin as he turns 90

In honor of his 90th birthday on Dec. 5, Algonquin icon and mainstay Richard “Dick”

reflected on his 68 years as an athletic director, coach, teacher and volunteer at ARHS.

JESSIE LAMBERT Managing Editor

How does it feel to turn 90?

“To me, it’s just another birthday. I know I will continue to get up every day at four in the morning and come here. I have always had some sort of ‘pattern’ for my days, like I did with coaching, which I like to stick to.”

You were a long-time physical education teacher, football and baseball coach and athletic director, and you have remained dedicated to Algonquin since your official retirement. What has kept you coming back to ARHS every day?

“I just love it here. I like the kids, the teachers and the facility. I always have to be doing something, so when I retired, I sat down with the superintendent and asked what I could do to still be involved here.”

How has Algonquin changed over the years?

“I think that our school spirit and com munication has changed the most. I don’t

have a phone or computer, but I know those are a large part of school now in many aspects.”

What has stayed the same?

“I think the kids have stayed the same. Even though there are so many things happening in their lives, like being housebound from COVID-19, they haven’t changed at all.”

What are some of your best memo ries as a teacher and a coach?

“The year we won the championship in football. That was the only undefeated team in the history of my time as a coach here, so it was a good moment to win that championship. I have so many memories, but that one definitely stands out because a lot of those kids on the team have come back to see me.”

How did it feel to have the football field and track dedicated to you?

“When I retired, my wife wanted to have a big party for me. I didn’t want the party so I asked, ‘Instead of the party, how about a nice, new track?’ and we got it. So, they decided to name the field and track

after me. Now, my next goal would be to get a turf field because we are one of the only schools that doesn’t have one.”

What might students be surprised to learn about you?

“I went to high school in Boston, at Boston Latin School for all boys, where I took four languages. Every day, I took the [train to school] from where I lived in Dorchester, and I think I learned more on the train than I did in school. Coming from Dorchester to Northborough was a real shock, but I ended up loving it here.”

What are your hopes for Algonquin in the future?

“I hope we can keep bringing the school together. The students have gone through many changes these past few years, and it’s tough for the kids to keep up with. I would like to see some consis tency because it will not only help the kids but the teachers too.”

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Richard “Dick” Walsh has been a valued member of the ARHS community for over 60 years. PHOTOS PRIYA MARALIGA

Walsh

New ADL program empowers students

SOPHIA MURRAY News Editor

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has brought a new, student-led program to Algonquin, facilitated by English Lan guage Development teachers Selvi Oyola and Suzanne Stimson, to create safe spac es for important conversations on topics such as diversity, inclusion and discrimi nation.

The ‘A World of Difference Institute: Peer Training Program’ runs through the district’s middle schools and high schools as a two-year program for peer leaders. Oyola and Stimson serve as the advisers for freshmen, sophomores and juniors who complete the training process.

Stimson explained that the first part of the program consists of three days of peer leader training, facilitated by the ADL to develop the students’ leadership skills and communication in order to fulfill their role once training is complete.

“When we talk about communication and leadership skills, we are talking about using those skills to facilitiate conversa tions where they’ll be addressing bias, prejudice and discrimination,” Stimson said.

Post-training, peer leaders will meet with the advisers once a week to plan a monthly school-wide program. The stu dents will create and run these programs, keeping in mind the goals of addressing important issues and giving underrepre sented voices a chance to be heard.

“They’re going to learn how to run ‘A World Of Difference’ programs across our

school by increasing awareness of differ ences, in personal and group identities, by building upon their communication and leadership skills and by actively promoting respect for all at our school,” Oyola said.

The director of English Language and Equity for the district, Rhoda Webb, said bringing this opportunity to the middle and high schools has been a long time in the making with collaboration in the last year between ARHS Principal Sean Bevan, Melican Principal Michelle Karb and Trot tier Principal Gary Hreschuk.

“We were all searching for programs that would give students leadership as well as learning opportunities that would serve them for life,” Webb said. “We came to the conclusion that the best program to bring in for leadership roles and learning from peers was the ‘A World of Difference’ program.”

Bevan feels as though this will be a milestone for addressing issues within the school.

“Schools have relied on adult-led pro grams to address inclusivity and equity, and this program relies instead on the immense power of students impacting change in their school with their peers,” Bevan said. “So, I think that the topic itself is very important, and the model that the program uses will be more effective than others I have seen.”

According to Bevan and Webb, other schools that have participated in the pro gram have been very successful in receiv ing the desired results.

“I understand from staff at schools

that use this program that the student leaders come together as a cohesive group and work closely to develop engaging pro grams for other students,” Bevan said. “I am hopeful that they will be challenged but also that they will find the experience to be gratifying and rewarding.”

Oyola and Stimson are excited that the students will get to work with repre sentatives from the ADL, as they special ize in programs like these and make sure students are empowered to become lead ers and have important discussions.

“The facilitators of this program are very knowledgeable in this field and they will provide a vault of valuable information for all of us, but I am most excited about getting to work with students from differ ent backgrounds that I may not normally get to work with,” Oyola said.

“If we truly want our students to grad uate and live our core values, this is a very important program for students to be ac tive agents, because the skills that they are going to learn will be lifelong skills,” Webb said.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Sept. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Selvi Oyola and Suzanne Stimson are the faculty leaders of the new ADL Program at ARHS. The overarching goal of the program is to deepen students’ under standing of the importance of respecting and valuing each others’ commonalities and differences. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

Two

years into the pandemic: IMPACT OF COVID ON COMMUNITY

JESSIE LAMBERT, RIYA MAHANTA, AMY SULLIVAN Editorial Board

From quarantines to safety precautions, from modified teaching and learn ing to athletics cancellations and reconfigurations, COVID-19 changed much of day-to-day life at Algonquin. Individuals struggled with mental health and rethought future plans. However, much good came from the “new normal” that is now simply normal.

COVID-19 has impacted practical ly every aspect of life over the last two years, but schools, including Algonquin, have had some of the biggest challenges to overcome.

Principal Sean Bevan, Head of Guid ance Lisa Connery and Athletic Director Mike Mocerino share how COVID-19 has impacted the school as a whole, their re spective departments and the lives of stu dents and staff.

After the initial school closure and fully remote classes from March 2020 through the end of that school year, Bev an and a team of assistant principals and facilities staff worked throughout the summer to ensure the building was safe to reopen in the fall. As guidelines and re-opening plans shifted over the sum mer, the administrators and facilities staff had to plan for adequate social distancing and optimal safety.

“For this building, the challenge is that it is really big,” Bevan said. “Not ev ery school is as expansive as ours. We had to measure each classroom, count how many desks were in each one and determine what other extra furniture was in each room. We spent weeks and weeks walking around the building with measur ing tapes, meter sticks and clipboards to

document what we knew about the build ing so we could come up with a plan to open the building safely.”

COVID-19 has also impacted stu dent-athletes and spectators. With impli cations such as pod groupings of teams and a Fall II season between the 2020-21 winter and spring seasons, sports have managed to continue through the pan demic (with the exception of the Spring 2020 season). Additionally, consistent masking, limiting spectators during COVID-19 flare ups and sanitary mea sures were put in place to keep athletes and community members safe.

“Over two years, we’ve enforced many safety measures that provide safe athletic programs,” Mocerino said. “Appreciating the efforts of so many just to provide a season for our student-athletes, I think our coaches, students and staff have done an amazing job adjusting and complying with the changing policies, not wanting to jeopardize their season.”

Sports provide benefits to students beyond competition. From improving students’ physical and mental health to allowing them to strategize and collab orate with others, the benefits are vast. COVID-19 restrictions have introduced new challenges to student-athletes.

“Changes to their daily academic and athletic schedules, the ability to social ize with their peers in a group setting and constant adjustments to their daily routine are a few examples of how our students continue to face mental and physical challenges and barriers to sport participation associated with COVID-19,” Mocerino said.

In guidance, Connery has seen the emotional effects COVID-19 has had on students.

“We have had more students than normal struggling,” Connery said. “Wheth er they are struggling academically, orga nizationally or having trouble managing their time, there has definitely been an increase in mental health issues.”

Connery has also had a handful of stu dents change their after graduation plans over the last two years.

“There are more students who have decided to take a [gap] year off and work because whatever school they had decid ed to go to was all virtual,” Connery said. “Many students and their families don’t want to spend all that money just to learn remotely.” In addition to the many chal lenges students faced due to the pandem ic, staff members were also impacted.

“As the pandemic wore on, the chal

Senior Jason Levin (right) checks his phone, fully-masked, while waiting to be subbed into the soccer match. Se nior Adam Mowry (left) lowers his mask to drink water after subbing out of the game.

PHOTO MATEA ROWE-BOND

lenge we [staff and administrators] all faced was to maintain a high level of en thusiasm for the work when the work was fatiguing,” Bevan said. “I think it was hard for teachers to plan new lessons that looked totally different and that were en tirely remote or to teach in a hybrid envi ronment that was fundamentally different from anything they have seen in their en tire career. The challenges of supporting the staff have shifted as the pandemic evolved, initially being concerned with health and safety, but then shifting to in structional excellence as well as increas ing the morale and enthusiasm in a learn ing environment.”

While there have been more than enough struggles, Connery, Bevan and Mocerino have seen some lasting posi tive changes and lessons as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I hope people have realized that they don’t have to be involved in every single thing,” Connery said. “They can find one or two things they are passionate about and enjoy them and have fun. I also hope ev eryone can just take a step back and give themselves some personal time.”

Connery also believes the pandemic has been an opportunity to appreciate the

value of their relationships with others.

“The power of connection is what I realized during the pandemic,” Connery said. “Sometimes we take for granted the relationships that we have in life, the sig nificance of them and how important they are to our well-being.

Mocerino believes the pandemic was an important learning opportunity.

“[The biggest lesson of the pandem ic is to] never take anything for granted,” Mocerino said. “We learned how to adjust, multitask, be compassionate and be ac commodating. We are all in this together and we all want the best for our students.”

Bevan is proud of how the community adapted to the pandemic and is hopeful for the future.

“I think everyone worked incredibly hard to help kids stay learning, stay en gaged, and to let students know that we as staff and as a community care for them and want to see them happy and healthy,” Bevan said. “Now we’re coming out of the pandemic as a unified staff and commu nity.

Two Years of COVID Coverage

from arhsharbinger.com

District prepares for possibility of local COVID-19 outbreak

Scapegoating Asians for the pandemic is not acceptable

COVID cases require more transparency, communication

In-Depth

Two years into the pandemic,

COVID-19 Q&A with medi cal advisory team members: Breaking down the virus

Students adapt as COVID impacts work places

The cost of keeping ARHS healthy

Worry rises with increasing Omicron cases

Student spectators invited back to sporting events following COVID related restrictions

Read these stories and more in our COVID section:

PHOTO MATEA ROWE-BOND

Pandemic provides time to cultivate student’s business

JAMES MCBRIDE Staff Writer

While the initial months of the pan demic were a struggle for many, some students, like senior Elijah Khasabo, have taken the pandemic as an oppor tunity to develop a new interest.

Khasabo has grown his business, Fusion Trading, by helping his 20,000 subscribers learn to trade in the stock market.

Khasabo focused his free time on football for the last eight years until the increased stock market volatility during the Trump administration and the pandemic. At age 17, Khasabo’s interest in the stock market spiked; he became quite passionate about trading and quickly started growing his portfo lio through day trading stocks.

“The market was super volatile at that time which made day trading fun and profitable,” Khasabo said.

During quarantine and the hybrid school year of 2020, Khasabo, like many other students, struggled to stay occupied. This prompted him to make a list of twenty things he wanted to achieve, which resulted in him wanting to start a business.

“I was at a low point,” Khasabo said. “I didn’t like my job and I was los ing some close friends.”

Then, Khasabo started trading.

“I loved trading and would wake up and trade every day,” Khasabo said.

Khasabo wanted to take his love for trading to the next level. Khasabo began brainstorming what he wanted his busi ness to be and after about a month, he came up with Fusion Trading LLC.

“It took about three weeks for me to come up with the idea,” Khasabo said. “Then, after about a week of nonstop work, Fusion started production.”

Fusion Trading mentors and tutors people on ways to predict the market, as well as how to trade as safely as possible. Once signed up for the subscription ser vice, traders get access to a Discord serv er in which they can view alerts and get advice from professional and profitable traders.

“Fusion launched and the advertise ments started to blow up,” Khasabo said. “Then, subscriptions started rushing in.”

Fusion Trading gained a massive Tik Tok following very quickly by sharing its most profitable alerts in videos that quick ly translated into 20,000 subscriptions in the first three months of operation.

Khasabo is extremely satisfied and proud of what his business has become.

“It was crazy seeing what I could ac complish at 17,” Khasabo said.

School committee votes for mask-optional policy

In-Depth

students share their struggles, triumphs

five minutes, but it was still pretty scary.”

The fever, which lasted nearly four days, was just one of many symptoms she experienced.

“I felt very weak and I was so tired; I have never felt that tired before,” Naqvi said. “One day we went to the mall after we had passed the contagious period, and we only walked around for thirty minutes, yet I was still so tired.”

In addition to these symptoms, Naqvi had to deal with constant coughing, which she still battles.

PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

Struggling with physical effects of COVID

RIYA MAHANTA News Editor

Sophomore Iman Naqvi is one of many ARHS students who has tested positive for COVID-19. She traveled to Pakistan in February 2022, where she contracted the virus, hindering her travel plans and harm ing her physical health.

Naqvi, who is vaccinated and traveled with family to visit her grandfather, test ed negative for the virus before boarding her flight and felt fine when they arrived. However, she started to feel sick after only three days overseas.

ROVING REPORTER

“My aunt who was at the house that we stayed at did not know she had COVID-19, and once she started feeling sick, my family and I started feeling sick shortly after,” Naqvi said.

At first, Naqvi and her family thought the sickness was just allergies, but they later tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to quarantine for five days.

“The first night was the worst,” Naqvi said. “I had such a high fever, around 102 degrees. I was just sitting there, and prob ably because of the fever and dehydra tion, I fainted. I wasn’t out for long, maybe

“A few days into the illness, I devel oped this awful cough,” Naqvi said. “At times I couldn’t breathe, and it still hasn’t gone away, despite over a month passing since I tested positive for COVID-19.”

Continuous coughing due to COVID-19 has negatively impacted Naqvi’s physical health.

“The cough continued after I got home, and my back started hurting a lot,” Naqvi said. “One day I woke up, and my sides were hurting a lot; my mom thinks this pain might be caused by a rib frac ture.”

Because of her illness, she never got to visit her grandfather but is grateful he did not become infected.

“Although I am really sad I didn’t get to see my grandfather, I’m glad my family and I did not put him at risk for COVID-19 and that he is safe,” Naqvi said.

“I’ve become much more aware of health stuff and taking care of myself. I also met a lot of people and developed new friendships.”

“One good thing that came out of my pandemic experience was the time I got to study for stuff. It helped me fully prepare for high school really well, and I am really grateful for that.”

“I think the best part is everyone is more hygienic and everything is cleaner. I feel better going out to public places knowing that it is more sanitary.”

COMPILED BY ZACH ELY, YAHYA IBRAHIMI & DELANEY COSENTINO

Christina Kennedy, senior Sitan Zhan, sophomore Nabia Tang, sophomore

What’s something good that has come out of your pandemic experiences?

ROVING REPORTER

In-Depth

Students share their struggles,

Saud Aljohani, freshman

“Not being able to do what I wanted to do. I felt like there were always things in the way and stopping what I wanted to do.”

Wilde, senior Jackie Garvey, Administrative Assistant

Experiencing the ups and downs of the pandemic and its impact on mental health

JESSIE LAMBERT Managing Editor

Senior Juan Benatuil is one of the many students at ARHS to experience both the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on his mental health.

“I am really happy that even with the pandemic, I was able to commit to college for lacrosse.”

At the beginning of the pandem ic, Benatuil says that the comfort of his family contributed to bettering his mental health.

“The first lockdown actually had a very positive effect on my mental health because my parents were really good at knowing how to keep me and my siblings busy,” Benatuil said. “I am such a family person, so it was actually really uplifting to just be with them do ing things like game nights and going on walks.”

“I would say the most difficult for me was while we were out of school and not being able to interact with the students.”

NICK KLEIN, JESSIE LAMBERT & TISYA SINGH

Although Benatuil started the pan demic off with positive experiences, these feelings shifted after he con tracted COVID-19 in December of 2020 while in Texas with his family.

“My entire extended and immedi ate family and I all got COVID-19 at the same time while we were in Tex as,” Benatuil said. “So on top of missing school and work for two weeks, I also

was very worried about the health of all my relatives.”

While in his quarantine, Benatu il’s grandfather passed away due to COVID-19.

“Having my grandfather pass away was a huge eye-opener for me during the pandemic,” Benatuil said. “I had never experienced these effects of COVID-19 other people had been ex periencing until that point.”

Despite his negative experiences, Benatuil has found effective ways to deal with these challenges.

“I feel like there are so many things, like on TikTok or Instagram, that show you how to take care of yourself, which I have been trying to do more,” Benatuil said.

Benatuil describes his important takeaways from all he has learned over the last two years.

“I have had a lot of self-growth,” Benatuil said. “I was able to take a lot more time for myself and grow closer to my family and the friends I already had, which really helped me find my self.”

PHOTO P RIYA MARALIGA

COMPILED BY

Jaiden

What was the most difficult part of the pandemic for you?

PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

triumphs during the pandemic

PHOTO P RIYA MARALIGA

PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

Pandemic plays role in postgrad year decision for senior

AMY SULLIVAN Sports Editor

Senior Anna Grace Hjerpe is one of the students who has decided to take a post-grad year instead of immediately attending college after high school. Hjer pe’s decision was largely influenced by the effects of COVID-19 on her high school career.

“I think COVID-19 affected my plans because I wasn’t really able to tour a lot of

colleges, and I think I didn’t get a real high school experience since sophomore year and beginning of junior year,” Hjerpe said.

Her father, who also had taken a postgrad year after high school, contributed to Hjerpe’s decision as well.

“My dad definitely did [influence my consideration of a post-grad year],” Hjerpe said. “He did a post-grad year at Worces ter Academy, so having that in the back of my head definitely played a role. I think

also just playing basketball and not real ly knowing what school I wanted to go to next year and major in [was a factor].”

Hjerpe is considering playing bas ketball at the collegiate level and feels a post-grad year will help her gain more exposure for recruitment, especially since her exposure to recruiters was limited due to COVID-19.

“The coach [at the school I choose] is able to reach out to the colleges I am in terested in, and they have a lot of open gyms and stuff that is preseason,” Hjerpe said. “All the coaches come and see all the players play, which is different from at Al gonquin, where no coaches really come. It’s definitely different.”

Hjerpe also feels a post-grad year will provide some similarities to a college bas ketball experience and allow her to make decisions for her future.

“I’m hoping [playing basketball] will be a lot more like the college experience be cause it is at such a higher level, so I want to see what that feels like and if I would want to do that for another four years,” Hjerpe said.

Overall, Hjerpe is excited to go to a post-grad school next year and is still de ciding between local academies.

“[I’m looking forward to] a higher ac ademic level and an athletic level, too,” Hjerpe said.

In-Depth

From Tomahawks to

TITANS

An in-depth look into the historic mascot change

MELISSA DAI Editor-in-Chief

After the monumental decision to retire the Tomahawk in April 2021 and a thorough nine-month-long renaming pro cess, Principal Sean Bevan officially intro duced students and teachers to the new mascot, the Titans, on Feb. 11. Now, in the two months following the announce ment, the ARHS community has begun to rally around the new symbol.

“Changing the mascot is no small feat, and I think the community was very re spectful in the process, conversations and discussions about it,” Superintendent Gregory Martineau said. “What has torn other communities apart has not torn us apart, and I think there’s a high level of re spect that the community should be proud of. There might be some disagreement on where we landed, but I think overall, the process has spoken to the core values and respect of our community.”

Although the school has officially changed the mascot in name, there is still much to be done. As Algonquin continues its transition to the Titans, several obsta cles await.

The Game Plan

Administrators outline logistical steps of transition process

Transitioning the school from a pre vious mascot of 63 years to a brand new one is no small undertaking; with this sig nificant change come numerous logistical hurdles administrators must manage.

According to Martineau and Bevan, the first step in this lengthy process in volves finalizing the Titans logo and its variations.

“Right now we’re in the final stages of working with a graphic designer to create a package of featured logos,” Bevan said. “There will be around five iterations of the mascot that will become the images we’ll use on uniforms, stationary and things like that.”

Although these five iterations of the Titans will vary in format and appearance, Bevan has taken steps to maintain consis tency.

In-Depth

The prototype of the actual Titans logo, which is still in the works.

SUBMITTED SEAN BEVAN

“Principal Bevan has worked on mak ing sure we have a branding guide, so what fonts, icons and symbols we use will be standardized,” Martineau said. “When you look at the prior mascot, there were all sorts of different versions of that, so standardizing this one will be really im portant.”

To ensure the inclusion of student voices in this design process, Bevan or ganized a focus group of four students, giving them the opportunity to commu nicate their thoughts and concerns to the graphic design company, Phoenix Design Works.

“Students have provided feedback on the graphic design, so whatever the final product is, that will represent some of the feedback that students have provided,” Martineau said.

Following the finalization of the logo, administrators will tackle the facet of the school where the Tomahawk is current ly most prevalent: the athletic program. With the gym floor, team uniforms and athletic banners still sporting the Toma hawk, this process will be a long and com prehensive one.

“We need to replace a percentage of our uniforms, insignia around the building, in our gyms which includes the playing surfaces and scoreboards and specific ath letic department and team-issued equip ment,” Athletic Director Mike Mocerino said in an email interview.

Some sports’ uniforms never displayed the Tomahawk at all—a feature that brings the athletic program one step closer to of ficially adjusting to the Titans.

“Around 30 to 35% of our current uniforms actually don’t have the Toma hawk on there at all, so they don’t need any changing,” Bevan said. “So we already have a baseline of 30 to 35% that we can rely on, then we can start chipping away on other things.”

With so many aspects of the athletic program that require change, one may ex pect costs to skyrocket. However, Bevan and Mocerino are hopeful the transition will remain relatively cost-neutral, as the

new mascot will slowly be phased in in accordance with the already-established athletic maintenance timeline.

“At every point of decision-making, we’re going to balance the need to do it quickly without absorbing a huge amount of unanticipated costs,” Bevan said. “We have a cycle that we use to replace our sports uniforms, so we’re trying to stick to that cycle, but instead of ordering new uniforms with Tomahawks on them, we’re putting Titans on them.”

Mocerino has established an approx imate timeline for the athletic program’s shift to the Titans.

“I think we are on track to make a full transition within the five- to seven-year plan with the goal of transitioning sooner, if it does not place financial distress on the school and athletic budgets,” Mocerino said via email.

He also accredits the Algonquin Ath letic Booster Club for their hard work and support during this unprecedented time.

“In addition to what we normally pro vide through the athletics department, we’re extremely fortunate to have an Ath letic Boosters program that is so support ive and helps supplement the experience our student-athletes will have here at Al gonquin,” Mocerino said via email.

Along with these large-scale changes, administrators are also pursuing other mi nor but meaningful steps in the transition to the Titans.

“We’re working with local newspapers to let them know that we’re now the Ti tans, and they’re already starting to refer to us as the Titans,” Bevan said. “I would

also like to find ways to send some small items like Titans stickers down to the mid dle and elementary schools so that they can start to get the younger grades to un derstand that this is our new mascot—one that they can hopefully get excited about.”

Titans or Tomahawks?

Algonquin reacts to major mascot change

After 63 years of the Tomahawk mascot, the major shift to the Titans has prompted mixed reactions within the community.

Many—including social studies teach er Brian Kellett, who has been a part of “Tomahawk Nation” for nearly 15 years— have been receptive to the mascot change.

“I think that a high school mascot is something that can be fun; it can be something that you can rally around,” Kel lett said. “If we can get back to the idea that this is supposed to be something that brings us together, that it’s supposed to be unifying at its core, then I think that’s a great thing. It’s been no issue for me to adjust at all, and I don’t see how it would have anything but positive and fun impli cations to try out a new mascot.”

Several students view the transition as a school-wide effort to be more respectful and inclusive.

“I think the mascot change was per fectly fine,” sophomore Landen Jorgensen said. “I think it’s good that we’re moving

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toward a more modern ideology of what represents our school.”

“I think [the new mascot] represents a good change,” sophomore Mckenzie Wood said. “It represents how we are evolving as a student body and how we’re evolving to be more inclusive.”

Many students have embraced the new mascot for various reasons. Accord ing to a Harbinger survey of 127 students conducted through Google Forms from March 16 to March 22, approximately 46% of respondents say they are “satis fied” or “very satisfied” with the Titans.

“It’s nice because Titans are big and strong, and that’s something that I think Algonquin is,” senior Celine Goncalves said. “The Titans represent a new begin ning. Algonquin can do better now, after COVID, with this new mascot.”

“I’m really excited about the name ‘Tiny Titans’; that’s really cute,” Wood said. “That’s probably the main reason why I decided that the Titans were actually a decent mascot.”

Although some students welcomed the idea of change, they would have pre ferred an alternative to the Titans. On Feb. 4, the student body voted on their ranked preferences for the five mascot finalists: Eagles, Falcons, Nor’easters, Thunder and Titans.

“I really liked the Trailblazers and Nor’easters; even though those were kind of generic, they were still more American because they represented our school in terms of geography,” Jorgensen said.

“I don’t really like the new mascot,” freshman Jacob Lipkin said. “I understand and respect the reasons for changing the old one, but I just wish they changed it to something I liked better. My first choice was the Nor’easters because I thought it was really interesting and unique.”

And others, like Wood, were surprised about the results of the student vote.

“It was kind of a shock,” Wood said. “I was confused when it was announced because a lot of the talk around Algonquin was based on two primary mascots—the Eagles and the Falcons—just because they were birds of prey, and that was popular.”

Moreover, some individuals find the Titan to be a problematic mascot due to its Greek origins. According to Jorgensen, the Titan’s association with Greek my thology could lead to another controversy surrounding the mascot in years to come.

“The Titans are named after a Greek myth, and I think it’s insulting to take their history without permission and use their myths as a mascot,” Jorgensen said. “We’re still stealing from someone, and I thought the point of this transition was to

stop stealing and create something new. I don’t think it’s as offensive as the Toma hawk was, but it’s still stealing.”

Despite any initial shock or displea sure, many students have accepted the Titans as the new mascot. However, some are still hesitant to move on from the Tom ahawk, unhappy with the change itself. According to the Harbinger survey, 22% of respondents are either “unsatisfied” or “very unsatisfied” with the Titans.

“The Tomahawk has been the mascot for my freshman, sophomore and junior years, and it’s just been very familiarized to me,” senior Jack Roiter said. “I’m a big athlete; I’ve played on teams every spring and fall season, and we already have all the Tomahawk jerseys, chants and songs.”

“I just saw the Tomahawk as a symbol for Algonquin; I didn’t see it as a weapon or tool,” senior Ben Davison said. “I didn’t really see the main reason behind [the mascot change].”

According to Bevan, members of the senior class tend to be the most reluctant to transition from the Tomahawk.

“Not to generalize the whole senior class, but out of all four grades, I think that seniors are uneasy and are having the hardest time adopting the new mas cot,” Bevan said. “The Titans mascot just doesn’t roll off the tongue for them, since

In-Depth

they’ve been in this town and at this school for a long time. I also think there’s a bit of an identity happening here, where seniors are seeing themselves as the last of the graduating classes that were really Tomahawks through and through.”

This remaining persistence to renew the Tomahawk mascot—a sentiment still prevalent among the senior class—has not gone unnoticed to other students, either.

“During the girls’ hockey champion ship, the chants were all ‘Go T-Hawks,’” Jorgensen said. “The seniors started up the old [‘oh, ole ole’] chant, and I found that to be incredibly disturbing, especial ly because Mr. Bevan and Mr. Mocerino were both there, and we changed the mascot a few months ago.”

Although many current upperclass men are reluctant to accept the mascot change, administrators and students alike recognize that future classes will likely be more receptive.

“I think that, for juniors and seniors, there is a sense of loss for some because they’ve identified as a T-Hawk for most of their high-school career,” Martineau said. “I think there’s also a level of real excite ment in our middle schools and our fresh man and sophomore classes, and they’ll be able to plant the seed moving forward around the Algonquin Titans and what that means.”

“As the years go by, it’ll be easier for the freshmen to come in and be the Titans right away,” Roiter said.

Looking Forward

ARHS community considers future as Titans

Almost two months have passed since the Titans became Algonquin’s new mas cot. So what does the future hold?

According to Bevan, giving the com munity time to process the change will be the key to a smooth transition.

“Time will help to have our community embrace the Titans,” Bevan said. “When our kids start wearing Titans gear and as sociating that gear with their teams, their friendships, the wins and losses on the field and their performing arts events, I

think it’ll just start to permeate the culture of the school.”

Kellett shares this sentiment, stating that more visual exposure to the Titans symbol will help students and teachers better adjust in years to come.

“It seems to me there’s a lot of people who are in the process of getting used to it, but maybe haven’t fully been exposed to it visually as much as they will be,” Kel lett said. “I think that’s going to be a big part of the transition.”

Students have also made suggestions to administrators on how they could fa cilitate the adjustment process. One such recommendation, on which several stu dents agree, involves creating and distrib uting more Titans merchandise around the community.

“Making new gear would be great,” Wood said. “I’ve already seen teachers wearing Titans shirts, and those shirts are in the school store right now, but I think we should have a wider range of gear.”

“The school should give us options on how the merchandise looks and let us choose,” Davidson said. “That would make me like the Titans more.”

Meanwhile, Jorgensen said it would be beneficial to concentrate on rallying the lowerclassmen behind the Titans, rather than expending too much effort on converting the upperclassmen.

“The hardest challenge this year is get ting the senior class on board,” Jorgensen said. “I think targeting the younger classes might be more helpful in the long run.”

As the community continues its jour ney under the Titans mascot, adminis trators reassure students, teachers and alumni that the mascot change was not intended to erase Algonquin history, but to embrace the future.

“I’ve had conversations with alumni, and what I keep hearing from the alum ni I’ve spoken with is that they’re always going to be a T-Hawk, but they’re excit ed for the future,” Martineau said. “That’s exactly the message the school moved forward with—that we’re not erasing the past. People should still be proud of being a T-Hawk; a shift to the Titans is just look ing forward to the future.”

This article was published in April 2022 on arhsharbinger.com.

ROVING REPORTER

Caroline Lou, freshman

“I [voted] for the Titans because I think there’s a lot of ideas of art for the Titans that could be cool.”

Ava Ellis, junior

Eddie Wen, sophomore

“I [voted] for Titans. Titans is cooler than the rest of them; they all sucked.”

COMPILED BY TISYA SINGH, CLAIRE BAI, ZOE MANOUSOS

“The Titans because I like that mascot picture the best. I don’t know any other schools that have that as their mascot, and I feel like if we were the Ea gles or the Falcons, we’d be the same as another school.”

Which mascot was your first choice?

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CONNOR LEE

Staff Writer

A quiet passion to continue the long line of U.S. Armed Forces members in his family influenced senior Coltn Lane’s deci sion to join the Marine Corps.

Lane, who will head to Parris Island, South Carolina for a 13 week boot camp in July 2022, looks forward to an active, challenging lifestyle. He believes his ath leticism and leadership abilities will be beneficial factors for him within the gru eling Corps.

“I’m confident I could pass boot camp in my current shape, but I want to do oth er training that will be a bit harder so I do need to improve physically,” Lane said. “Mentally, however, I’m confident that I’m strong on that end.”

Lane isn’t the only one who believes he will be successful within the Marines.

“Coltn may not be super vocal, but he leads by example and has a natural lead ership mentality,” senior Nick DeSouza,

Lane’s football teammate, said.

Lane said he has noticed almost no dif ference in the way people treat him after making his decision. Set on growing into a great man and leader, Lane’s decision to join the Marine Corps does not come out of a desire to be recognized. Instead, he looks forward to making his family proud and to experiencing the fun side of the ac tive and challenging Marine life.

“I just thought that [the Marines in my family] were the toughest people ever and I wanted to be a part of the military like they were,” Lane said.

Lane will represent Algonquin and his family as he looks to a new beginning in his life, and he hopes this path will take him further in life.

“I’d want to use my experience to go into executive protection, but ultimately I want to come out being a better version of myself,” Lane said.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Senior Coltn Lane, a future Marine, poses on Dick Walsh Field on Nov. 5, 2021.

PHOTO CONNOR LEE

FUTURE MARINES

Gil graduates early to enlist

JOHN OLIVEIRA Staff Writer

Senior Chris Gil, who began training for the Marines in June 2021, graduated in January to join what many consider to be the most challenging military branch.

Gil was in the Delayed Entry Program, a Poolee training program for those who have enlisted in the Marines but have not yet gone to bootcamp.

According to Gil, Poolees do work outs together twice a week, in addition to his own almost daily workouts. Once a month, all the 60 to 80 Poolees in Worcester County meet up for a workout, called a function.

Gil has always wanted to join the mil itary. After learning about the military’s benefits, his decision to join the Marines, because of the challenge of what’s wide ly considered to be the hardest military branch, was clear. Marine’s must com plete a 13 week boot camp and meet very high physical and mental demands. Other branches like the Army and Navy have 10 and nine week boot camps.

“To be able to be proud to have that title of a Marine is definitely a big factor in choosing that branch,” Gil said.

According to Gil, the military offers many benefits, such as paying for college, job opportunities and a good paycheck.

“Coming from a not-so-wealthy fam ily, college wasn’t the best financial op tion,” Gil said. “I’m going to college while I serve.”

Gil plans to take classes on top of his full-time job as a Marine.

“In the Marines, you have what’s called working hours which depend on your job,” Gil said. “It’s usually [an eight-hour shift]. After that, you go to a classroom and eventually get your degree.”

Currently, Gil has a contract of four years active duty and four years inactive reserve, which he decided on after work ing with a recruiter, Staff Sergeant Ratliff.

“[Recruiters] set you up and they talk with your parents,” Gil said.

Gil selected a combat engineering job.

Combat engineering is about building, repairing and maintaining buildings, roads and power supplies frequently while un der fire or in dangerous combat environ ments. The job is very important because they’re often on the front line.

“I chose it because it gives me, from what I’ve been told, the satisfaction of in fantry, but it’s not infantry,” Gil said.

In January, Gil shipped off to boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina to begin his journey.

Gil recommends more students should be open to learning about a future in the military.

“Talking to a recruiter of any branch and opening your eyes to the benefits is something everyone should do,” Gil said.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

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Senior Chris Gil

PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU

Ledoux speeds through life in his racecar

RYAN WEINER Staff Writer

From racing go-karts to real cars, sophomore Ryan Ledoux has been driving on the track for years.

Ledoux, a racing enthusiast, has been an involved member of the motorsports community since 2017. Since his father introduced him to racing when he was young, he has spent countless hours honing his skills and becoming an accom plished driver.

“I got into racing through my family,” Ledoux said. “I originally started racing three years ago. I started to do track days to get seat time. Then, this past May, I did my first race. Since then, I have been to three three-day race weekends, and they have been a blast.”

The first generation Mazda MX-5 Miata, known for its incredible handling, is Ledoux’s vehicle of choice. Although he competes in the stock racing class, in which no vehicle performance modifica tions are permitted, there is still plenty of speed.

From Thompson Motor Speedway in

Connecticut to Monticello Motor Club in New York, the speed is a constant factor to his passion for driving. Ledoux said the adrenaline rush from driving at upwards of 120 miles per hour around a track hooked his interest and has kept him driving as much as possible.

“I enjoy driving because it is such a unique experience,” Ledoux said. “There is nothing like it, in my opinion. You get such an adrenaline rush, and it requires so much focus, accuracy and precision. It feels so good when you do certain corners right.”

According to Ledoux, car repairs are expensive, so he taught himself to work on and fix his own car.

“I plan to use racing as a hobby or reward for my hard work,” Ledoux said. “Racing is expensive, and there is no mon ey to be made in the sport. I need to work hard outside of it to afford it and use it as a motivator to get things done.”

Although racing is a significant part of Ledoux’s life, it does not affect his in teractions with others much off the track. However, many people are surprised to learn about his hobby, especially consid

ering his young age.

“Racing does but it doesn’t affect my life,” Ledoux said. “It’s something I certain ly keep on the down low and don’t talk about it much, but when I do, it’s a great conversation starter.”

Ledoux believes that if somebody en joys racing simulators and wants to try real racing, they should start with go-karts and learn the basics first. This can save money, time and effort if the person decides they do not enjoy driving.

“If you are looking to get into rac ing, I definitely suggest starting out with go-karting,” Ledoux said. “Then, I would suggest taking your street car, making it safe, doing a few upgrades, taking it on some tracks and seeing if it’s something you want to get into before you go all out.”

Although he does not have his junior operator’s license yet, he still races cars regularly, proving that anybody can par ticipate if they have the desire.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Sophomore Ryan Ledoux poses with his family’s Porsche 911 GT3, which he races for charity. PHOTO COOPER NEWFIELD

THROUGH EVERY LIFE STAGE

TWIN SUPPORT AIDES HAVE CALLED ARHS HOME

MIA GORMAN Staff Writer

First Tiny Tomahawks then Algonquin graduates, twin-sister instructional sup port aides Shawna and Vaughn Abolin have spent much of their lives in ARHS classrooms. Now back as faculty mem bers, their opposite personalities help them succeed at their current jobs.

The Abolin twins have been a part of the Algonquin community since they were four years old, and they both have early memories of being in the Tiny Tomahawk program.

“I could remember walking the hall ways by the lunchroom and just seeing all these big kids and hoping that I could come here one day,” Vaughn Abolin said. “Little did I know I’d be staying for a while.”

While Vaughn Abolin loved meeting the other Tiny Tomahawks, Shawna Abolin had a difficult time sharing her sister with their classmates.

“As a little kid, Vaughn was my best friend,” Shawna Abolin said. “She was the only friend I knew, and when there were other kids in the class, and they wanted to play with Vaughn, I felt like they were stealing her away from me and I would cry.”

Although they have grown up to gether, their opposite personalities have continued to distinguish them since their

preschool days.

“Shawna is more reserved, and I’m more bubbly and outgoing and sometimes embarrassing,” Vaughn Abolin said. “I’m like a peppy cheerleader.”

With their differences, they each bring unique strengths to their instructional support jobs, where they work one-onone with students to help them manage their work.

“[Shawna] is hardworking, dedicated and she’s like a mama bear to the kids,” Vaughn Abolin said.

“[Vaughn] is definitely out there,”

Shawna Abolin said. “She’s amazing with the students.”

The sisters love having the opportuni ty to work together, although they never expected to end up with the same job.

Both sisters had IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) as Algonquin stu dents and received help from aides, which they believe gives them an important per spective to share with their own students now.

“When we work with students in classes, we can kind of relate and know how they’re feeling, how to gauge, how to spread everything out and make it easier for them to work,” Vaughn Abolin said.

In the future, Shawna Abolin hopes to teach English, and Vaughn Abolin hopes to teach math. They are currently taking classes that will help them achieve these goals, on track to further their careers and continue working at Algonquin.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Twin sisters Shawna and Vaughn Abolin attended preschool at ARHS, graduated from Algonquin and now work as support aides. PHOTO ELLIE OUANO

Abolin twins as Tiny Tomahawks. SUBMITTED SHAWNA ABOLIN

Abolin twins as students at Algonquin.

SUBMITTED SHAWNA ABOLIN

Printing for Prosthetics builds handy devices

The Printing for Prosthetics Club met on Nov. 3, 2021. Pictured (left to right) are seniors Lilly Mitchell, Hayley Norton, Grace Morin, Caroline Kelly and junior Jula Utzschneider.

PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

Norton, who is mainly responsible for printing, has devoted up to four hours a day just to calibrate the printer.

ANNIE ZHAO Staff Writer

The Printing for Prosthetics club lends a hand to anyone who may be missing one by creating and donating artificial limbs.

Last year, seniors Hayley Norton and Caroline Kelly started the club after dis covering the Enabling The Future Founda tion, a non-profit organization that match es volunteers with children and adults in need.

Printing for Prosthetics works close ly with the Robotics club, and they share club adviser Dan Strickland’s 3D printers. What makes Printing for Prosthetics dif ferent from Robotics is they print with skin-friendly plastics. Each limb is con structed with wires, Velcro and screws.

“The first few hands we made were [funded by] me and Hayley,” Kelly said. “But we wouldn’t be able to do it without the school’s printers. 3D printers are very expensive.”

The Enabling the Future Foundation has connected Norton and Kelly to indi viduals with missing limbs to donate their

creations to. They strongly emphasize the importance of giving back to the commu nity in this manner.

“We are able to print hands that actu ally work and know we make a difference in people’s lives,” Kelly said. “And [these recipients] don’t have to pay a penny.”

They can also create limbs at a frac tion of the price of traditional prosthetics, which usually cost around $5,000. Print ing for Prosthetics is able to make one for less than $100.

“[We make] this apparatus with some thing that’s very intricate and well-de signed,” Norton said.

So far, funding the creations has proved troublesome, as the club relies heavily on donations from Norton and Kelly themselves, but that hasn’t been the sole issue in starting this club. The actual printing process has also brought chal lenges.

“With working with computers, tech nology and science, there are so many different steps and problems you have to tackle at once, like calibrating the printer and getting it to the right setting,” Norton said.

“That’s the science behind it that I ac tually liked, so I didn’t mind,” Norton said. “All you need to do is learn, so you can do it well.”

After building two hands and one pro totype, the co-founders were excited to receive their first active case this fall.

“It’s impressive that [the prosthetic] can work and can pick things up,” Kelly said. “You wouldn’t expect that some plas tic with some wire could actually pick up things.”

Overall, Kelly and Norton agree that their favorite aspect of Printing for Pros thetics is the community that has gath ered together to create these resources for people with missing limbs.

“I hope people realize we have the re sources to [print],” Norton said. “Because anyone who wants to participate can… All you have to do is show up.”

The Printing for Prosthetics club meets in Strickland’s room, C116. Contact Norton, Kelly or Strickland via email for more details.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Cafeteria Cookie Craze

Learn the inner workings of the popular treats

JUSTICE HUANG & JOHN OLIVEIRA Staff Writers

The cafeteria’s chocolate chip cookies, created with cooperation, new ideas and lemon juice, are a delicious treat that have much of the student body asking for more.

Cafeteria Baker Leslie Foley crafted a recipe that tastes delicious while still fit ting the school’s regulation of being whole grain.

“There are semi-sweet dark choco late chips…there’s half whole-wheat and half all-purpose flour, there’s brown sug ar, white sugar, vanilla, a couple of secret ingredients, maybe some ground oats so there’s more whole grain, and I put some lemon juice in which is supposed to make a chemical reaction to make the cookies softer in the middle,” Foley said.

Foley makes the dough the day be fore it is baked in a time-consuming pro cess. She said making the dough, slicing and baking the cookies and bagging each cookie takes her about 40 minutes per task.

“I just made a big pot of dough, and we’ll roll those out in my bake room,” Fo ley explained. “I have a helper, and we’ll roll the dough out and then we’ll actually freeze it, so the next morning I will slice those rolls and bake cookies.”

In the past, the cookies were not made in-house but were store-bought, reheated and sold. However, evolving regulations meant that the store-bought cookies were no longer up to code, so Foley had to cre ate a new recipe with the guidance of a previous food services manager.

“I got a recipe from home, we worked on it, [the food services manager] got an intern from Framingham State, they did all

the calculations, and since then I’ve been making them daily,” Foley said.

Cafeteria Manager Dianne Cofer said the cookies come close to selling out ev ery day.

According to a Harbinger survey of 127 students from Jan. 2 to Jan. 5 through Google Forms, 71 respondents said they buy at least one cookie a week, and of those students surveyed, 58 rate the cookies a five out of five for flavor.

“I like the texture the most,” sopho more Ananya Pandit said. “I like the thick ness of them.”

While the cookies are loved by most students, some are not fans.

“I don’t know how they make it, but it just tastes like playdough,” junior Elenna Peroni said.

Some teachers also enjoy eating the chocolate chip cookies.

“I’m a big fan,” English teacher John Frederick said. ”They do a terrific job de livering a delicious treat.”

According to Cofer, each cookie costs about 40 cents to make, and they are sold for a dollar. The income from cookies is reinvested in cafeteria meals. Cofer says the whole-grain and whole-wheat cookies also have the added benefit of being much healthier than other options.

“If you’re going to eat a cookie, I think

it’s just a healthier cookie to eat,” Cofer said.

On average, Foley bakes 500 choco late chip cookies each day.

“I love doing my job,” Foley said. “Who doesn’t like the smell of a cookie baking?”

Foley enjoys making others happy with her baking. She is proud of the re sults, especially when the chocolate chips form smiles in her cookies.

“When people come to work they’ll say, ‘Oh, it smells so nice in here,’” Foley said. “Sometimes my cookies smile. I make people smile with my cookies, and some times my cookies smile at me, and I actu ally have pictures of smiles in my cookies.”

Foley said that seniors leaving Algon quin at the end of the school year can go down to the cafeteria to obtain a minia ture version of the cookie recipe to bake at home—a small reminder of the good life at Algonquin.

This article was published in Feb. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Sophomore Olivia Mullen holds the cookie she bought from the school caf eteria on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

PHOTO ELLIE OUANO

BEHIND THE SCENES OF ‘SEUSSICAL’

Cast and crew collaborate to light up stage with first musical since pandemic

CLAIRE BAI & BRIANNA TANG A&E Editors

With upbeat music, lively dance rou tines and vibrant set designs, the audi torium came alive with a massive collab orative effort through the first in person musical performance since the start of the pandemic. “Seussical,” a show based on the works of Dr. Seuss, was performed four times between Nov. 18 and Nov. 20.

“After not doing shows in the past year and a half, there have been a lot of challenges,” musical director and science teacher Brian Kelly said. “I think the cast is really excited to be back on stage again with a live audience since we did a lot of virtual performances last year.”

As the stage director, Kelly oversees the entire production from backstage to directing actors’ expressions and move ments, working closely with chorus teach er Olivia Goliger and choreographer De nise Day. Performers did not have to wear masks if they are fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID result within 48 hours of the show.

Based on Dr. Seuss’s books, the musi cal is a whimsical and lighthearted choice for the return of live performances.

“We are finally back; I think that is really big for ARHS drama,” technical di rector senior Jared Lipkin said. “It is a fun show; I think people can come and expect to have a fun time and laugh. It’s some thing everybody needs.”

Cast Members

Since their audition workshops on the first day of school, the cast members of “Seussical” adjusted to a rehearsal sched ule similar to that of musicals before the

pandemic.

“It definitely feels like it has been a long time since we had something like this,” senior actress Sarah Boush said. “I felt like I had to readjust to it, but once I did, it has been so exciting and the most normal thing we’ve had in the arts depart ment in a long time since we didn’t even have concerts last year.”

The cast featured Boush as Gertrude McFuzz, senior Thomas Davis as Mr. Ma jor, senior Juan Benatuil as the Cat in the Hat, senior Andrew Wallace as Horton the Elephant, sophomore Gianna Davidson as Amazing Mayzie and freshman Leyton Jackson as Jojo, along with the Who En semble.

Many cast members feel that this mu sical gave them the opportunity to con nect with other students.

“Especially because we missed such

a long period, we have finally gotten to work with some of the freshmen and sophomores who we haven’t worked with before,” Who Ensemble member senior Cassidy Brannon said. “It has been really nice to get to know them.”

According to Boush, compared to pre vious musicals, “Seussical” is more light hearted and fun.

“After such a dark year and not having anywhere to perform at, I think the choice of Seussical was to bring something light and really fun,” Boush said. “Even if we were jumping back into it aggressively, it has been really fun and uplifting.”

Pit Orchestra

The pit orchestra, led by Fine and Performing Arts teacher Eric Vincent, provides the cast with musical accompa niment. In the week leading up to the mu sical, they had rehearsal daily for three to

Freshman Leyton Jackson, who plays Jojo, and senior Juan Benatuil, who plays the Cat in the Hat, perform together. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

four hours.

While musicians could continue play ing during the pandemic, the adjustment to performing for a long duration has been hard.

“The pieces are long and pretty dif ficult since it’s such a long show,” pit or chestra member junior Madeline Jiang said. “I’m excited to perform, but nervous about knowing my own part.”

Electric bass player senior Connor Ve itch was excited for the orchestra to come together during the final performances.

“For me, the bass parts are usually really long and boring,” Veitch said. “How ever, I am looking forward to everything coming together while we perform with the cast.”

Stage Crew & Set Design

Alongside Kelly and their mentor Dan Strickland, the set design team created the musical’s set and props. Co-led by junior Alex Reineke and assistant stage manager sophomore Autumn Stewart, a team of around four people worked every day after school, often for several hours.

The team is responsible for brain storming, designing, painting and cutting up all of the pieces of the set. Compared to last year’s student-led play, “Paralleled,” the set of “Seussical” is much more com plicated and requires more coordination efforts.

“[‘Seussical’] is different from ‘Paral leled’ because it is working with different people and there are more pieces,” Stew art said. “There is more that we have to do for this one and less people to help.”

As technical director, Lipkin oversaw all the backstage production and sched ules communications and rehearsals, while training the younger students. As this was the first school musical since the pandemic began nearly two years ago, many students were inexperienced with many of the technical aspects.

“This is the first time we have been back in our space and have been able to reacclimate ourselves with our home,” Lip kin said. “It’s exciting to have such a large student interest, especially in the back stage part. I’m optimistic that we are start ing to see the end of the pandemic, and with it, a new chapter of ARHS drama.”

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

‘Radium Girls’ radiates on stage

PHOTOS

Junior Nathan Spadafora performs as General Genghis Khan Schmitz in “Seussical”. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

(Above) Junior Daniel Boush starts the play off with a short mono logue. (Below) Senior Sarah Boush and junior Sara Hoskins perform a scene in which their characters are working at a watch factory.

KATY O’CONNELL

JUNIOR PLACES FIRST AS STUDENTS TAKE STAGE IN POETRY OUT LOUD FINALS

RIYA MAHANTA News Editor

Six students competed in the Poetry Out Loud finals on Tuesday, Jan. 25, with junior Mariana Oliveira placing first.

Nearly 400 students recited poetry for their classes, but the competition quickly narrowed down to just six finalists: seniors Shrutika Kumar and Emma Belfer, juniors Mariana Oliveira and Sonya Libman and sophomores Isabella Palit and Sasha Shey dvasser. Kumar and Belfer placed second with 263 points each. Oliveira prevailed with 269.5 points, moving on to represent Algonquin at the regional competition on March 12.

“I was shocked when they called my name as the winner,” Oliveira said. “I hon estly wasn’t even planning on competing in the first place, so by no means did I ex pect to be the finalist.”

Oliveira performed “Truth is I would like to escape myself” by Nour Al Ghraowl and “Summer” by Chen Chen. She said she wouldn’t have participated in this compe tition had it not been an assignment for English. Many finalists share the same sentiment.

“I am glad I participated in the compe tition; it was a fun experience, and I don’t think I would’ve done it if it wasn’t an assignment for English,” Kumar said, who performed “How to Triumph Like a Girl” by Ada Limon and “After Apple-Picking” by Robert Frost.

Meanwhile, Palit, performing “Car toon Physics, Part 1” by Nick Flynn and “The Lost Land” by Eavan Boland, did not participate for an assignment or extra credit.

“I snuck into the junior/senior tryout,” Palit said. “None of my classes were do ing Poetry Out Loud, and I wanted to, so I kind of just walked right in and it was fine.”

English teacher and Poetry Out Loud organizer Lauren Frantz believes this event isn’t just about reciting poetry and trying to win.

“Poetry can be something that’s very

meaningful and comforting, and when people memorize poems, you kind of keep them with you, and they can provide advice, comfort, entertainment or even make you feel better anytime because it’s always in your head,” Frantz said.

The contestants were evaluated on their physical presence, voice and articu lation, dramatization and evidence of un derstanding by a panel of judges.

“It is my third or fourth time judging, and I really love it,” science teacher and judge Brian Kelly said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids to be able to show what they can do talent-wise, but also it’s fun to hear the students’ own in terpretations of the different poems; it’s just a really cool event.”

Accuracy is a key factor of the overall score, which requires reciting the poem exactly word for word for full marks.

“I would stand in the mirror and recite the poem over and over again and do the actions to make sure I didn’t look ridicu lous,” Libman said, who recited “Then and Now” by Tom Clark and “Catch a Little Rhyme” by Eve Merriam.

Although repetition is key for mem orizing poems, it comes with some chal lenges.

“The hardest part of the whole pro cess of preparing was trying to keep the fun aspect in the performance,” Belfer, who performed the poems “the world is about to end and my grandparents are in love” by Kara Jackson and “Mingus at the Showplace” by William Matthews, said. “I was reciting the poems over and over again and didn’t want to lose the emotion and performing aspect of the poem in the monotony of repetition.”

Kumar encourages more people to step out of their comfort zone and partic ipate in the event.

“I think more people should try Poetry Out Loud and not write it off so quickly,” Kumar said. “Participating in the event made me think I should try new things and get out of my comfort zone because I actually had fun reciting those poems, and I really didn’t think I would.”

This article was published in Feb. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

First place winner junior Mariana Oliveira delivers her second poem, “Summer” by Chen Chen, in the Poetry Out Loud finals on Jan. 25. PHOTO JADYN JACOBS

A&E

POWERFUL PERFORMANCES

(Top left) Sophomore Sa vannah Staples does an incredible performance of “Hold Me While You Wait” by Lewis Capaldi at the Sachem’s Haunted Coffee house on Oct. 28.

PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU

(Top right) Jazz II plays at the Jazz Night on March 1.

PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU

(Middle) Senior Connor Veitch, sophomore Elliot Yee and senior Reed Probst play the string bass in Full Orchestra during the Holi day Concert on Dec. 21.

PHOTO BRIANNA TANG

Junior Aidan Kane (left), senior Emily Ferencsik (middle) and senior Sarah Boush (right) sing during the Chamber Choir performance on Oct. 27.

PHOTO BRIANNA TANG

Fine and Performing Arts teacher Eric Vincent congratulates a student in the Symphonic Band on their NSMA Music En richment Award in November.

PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA

10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ‘10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU’

COURTESY DISNEY+ LEANN JENKS Senior Staff Writer

The classic 90’s romantic comedy, “10 Things I Hate About You”, directed by Gil Junger, never fails to provide a good laugh and some comfort, still holding up 23 years later.

Based on Shakespreare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew,” “10 Things I Hate About You” tells the story of two teen aged sisters, social butterfly Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) and ill-tempered Kat (Julia Stiles), whose protective father decides that Bi anca may only date when Kat does—an unlikely scenario given Kat’s antisocial behavior. Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Lev itt), who is quickly infatuated with Bianca, schemes to pay Patrick (Heath Ledger), a mysterious rebel whose ideology clearly conflicts with Kat’s, to take Kat out on a date, therefore allowing Bianca to date as well. The film’s title is based on a poem Kat writes describing the ups and downs of her romance with Patrick.

So what do I love about “10 Things I Hate About You”?

I love Kat’s character. She avoids all of the rite of passages that come along with being a popular high school student who is eager to fit in. Although the movie portrays her as “the shrew,” according to Cameron’s friend Michael (David Krum holtz), she is much more than that, and I utterly agree. Underneath her angry exte rior, the viewer can see her maturity, intel ligence and thoughtfulness shine through.

I love how the age gap between Bian

ca and Kat is evident. Bianca is the defini tion of a sophomore: naive and eager to fit in. On the other hand, Kat, a senior, has embraced her uniqueness and maturity.

I love Bianca’s character development. Although her development isn’t the focus of the movie, she turns from a rude and selfish teenager into a thoughtful, more sophisticated version of herself.

I love the depiction of their public high school. It is full of all the things you would expect: cliques, scattered guidance counselors and antagonistic jocks.

I love the soundtrack. Packed with classics like “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Bad Reputation”, it fits perfectly with the vibe and is the cherry on top of an al ready great movie.

I love the way that the movie tackles issues more complex than its rom-com counterparts. The movie takes a deeper look at how society handles women who are outspoken and opinionated through Kat’s character. Guys are appalled at the thought of dating “a difficult woman,” one even suggesting that he wouldn’t date Kat even if they are the last two people on earth, assuming there are sheep. She is continuously treated with disrespect all because she is not afraid to speak her mind.

I love the classic ‘90s nostalgia. Whether it be through the movie’s edit ing, the clothing, the soundtrack or simply some of the expressions characters use , this movie is a time capsule.

I love that there are no dry characters. Everyone has depth and adds some thing to the plot, whether it be humor, quirkiness or emotion. Even the guidance counselor, a typical static character in many other movies, adds comedic relief and definitely some peculiarity.

I love the inclusion of completely random scenes. At one point, Cameron’s friend accidentally bikes off a cliff while the whole school watches him tumble over the edge just to get up a few seconds later victoriously pumping his fist as the students cheer. Scenes like this add no value to the plot, and are purely for co medic purposes to sporadically break up the movie.

Mostly, I love the way I don’t hate this movie, not even close, not even a lit tle bit, not even at all.

Yes, this is not a life-altering mov ie. Some scenes are not realistic and can cross the border of being cliché. However, viewers do not always want a dose of real ity or a thought-provoking plot that makes them rethink life. Rather, “10 Things I Hate About You” is the ultimate comfort movie, providing comedic relief, emotion, entertainment and a feel-good ending.

A longer version of this review was pub lished in Jan. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Scoops N Bites: healthy takeout alternative

ELLIE O’CONNOR Assistant News Editor

Scoops N Bites, an Indian take-out restaurant and ice cream shop in West borough, is an easy option for vegetarians or vegans looking for a delicious and filling meal at a reasonable price.

As a vegetarian, I am well aware of how difficult it can be to find a satisfying meal at most restaurants, and Scoops N Bites presents a unique alternative in a take-out form. The fully-vegetarian menu provides diverse options, representing a balance of Indian and American food, with the most notable being their vegan ice cream, smoothies, sandwiches and bowls.

Browsing the website, ordering over the phone and picking up our order at the restaurant, located in the Westboro Downtown Crossing shopping plaza, was a relatively easy experience with a total wait time of about 25 minutes and a total cost of $28.66 for four items.

For an appetizer, I enjoyed the samo sas ($4.40), which ended up being my per sonal favorite of the meal with their crisp and flakey crust and savory filling.

The Mumbai veggie burger with cheese ($8.99) wasn’t like anything I had tried before. The dish consisted of a pota to patty on a bread bun with a garlic and coriander chutney spread. It was very fill ing, but a little dense and starchy due to the ingredients.

My mom ordered the edamame bowl, but didn’t love it, nor did she believe it was worth $9.99. The flavor was a little bland, and the green peppers overpowered the edamame and potatoes. However, it was still a decent option for a salad.

Lastly, I ordered the vegan cookies and cream ice cream ($4.99) for a des sert, a hand-made specialty according to the website. Prior to this, I had never had vegan ice cream before, and I enjoyed the icy texture and its delicious, unique flavor which was more coconut-y rather than vanilla.

As a whole, I felt very satisfied after my meal, thanks to the hearty food, which is unlike the usual vegetarian options you see at other restaurants. The restaurant is a good option for everyone: vegans, veg etarians and anyone in search of a healthy alternative. However, with so many choic es (including Indian street food and Amer ican-style soups or sandwiches) on the menu, there are bound to be some that are hit-or-miss for certain people.

If you are looking for a convenient, healthy restaurant, check out Scoops N Bites for a memorable meal. It’s located at 57 E Main St Unit 129, Westborough, and is open for take-out only.

which was released April 9. In June, Swift announced that “Red” would be released Nov. 19, but she released the album a week earlier, on Nov. 12, leaving fans de lighted.

“Red,” was a country album, but Swift has since moved on to a different genre. The deluxe edition of “Red” has 22 tracks, but “Red (Taylor’s Version)” has 30.

In “Stay Stay Stay,” and “The Last Time,” Swift’s growth is striking, as her voice sounds more mature and has less of the characteristic country whiny tone. In “Girl at Home,” Swift decided not to stick to the original acoustic sound and added many more layers and instrumentals.

Another concept that sets the (Tay lor’s Version) albums apart is “The Vault,” a set of tracks in each album re-recording that Swift wrote at the same time as the songs that made the original cut. “The Vault” brings something new along with the nostalgia of all of Swift’s old songs.

“Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” is one of the best collaborations on the album. Bridgers’ and Swift’s tones blend together so well, with a mix of beautiful harmonies and moving lyrics.”

‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ shows artistic growth

RIYA MAHANTA & MARYGRACE SARRASIN & KATHERINE WU

Country singer-turned-pop star Taylor Swift has been busy in the studio re-re cording her old albums after her ex-man ager, Scooter Braun, purchased and sold their masters (the song credits-and there fore profits) to Shamrock Content Capital Fund.

This meant Swift did not own her music, which led to her decision to re-re cord those first six albums that were sold. Songs with the label “(Taylor’s Version)” in dicate that Swift owns the record.

The re-releases began with “Fearless ,”

Perhaps one of the most unique songs is Swift’s new 10-minute recording of “All Too Well.” Swift originally wrote “All Too Well” as a 10-minute song, but decided to cut it down to six minutes before giv ing it a spot on her original “Red” album. However, the re-released album present ed Swift with an opportunity to release the full, original version of “All Too Well” including all of Swift’s original lyrics, which fans have expressed their love and rela tion to.

With the release of this song, she also directed “All Too Well: The Short Film,” starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, which left fans delighted.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” is the most recent album Swift has re-released, but certainly will not be the last. She plans to re-record past albums “Taylor Swift,” “Speak Now,” “1989” and “Reputation.” There has been no official confirmation from Swift herself, but fans have been making their predictions as to which al bum will be released next, and are looking forward to seeing what Swift will reveal.

Longer versions of these reviews were published on arhsharbinger.com.

Blogs

THRIFTING THROUGH THE BOROS:

Next to New

KATHERINE WU A&E Editor

I love thrifting. I visited Savers for the first time about three years ago and have been in love with thrifting ever since. I’ve gone so far as taking a day trip to New Hampshire just to visit the unique Goodwill outlet store. Even though I’ve shopped at many mega-thrift stores, I hav en’t gotten the chance to check out any of our local thrift stores, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.

I will be diving deeper into each local thrift store in five categories:

Styles: What types of styles does this thrift store carry?

Condition: Are these items usable/ wearable?

Brands: What sorts of brands does this store carry?

Price: How cheap/expensive is the pricing? Is it worth buying secondhand?

CustomerService/Environment: How was the experience itself?

The first thrift store I explored was Next to New, a “unique resale boutique” in Northborough. It had been on my buck et list for a while.

Styles: 4/10

When I first walked in, I was greet ed by many accessories. I was impressed by the wide variety of accessories, but I wasn’t as impressed with their selection of clothing. Since I mainly thrift as a sus tainable alternative to fast fashion, I look for items I will actually wear. I know thrift stores can’t control the donations they get, but there was just nothing special about most of the clothes there. On the plus side, there was a large variety of sizes.

Condition: 9/10

There were definitely some accesso ries (specifically wallets and handbags) which looked brand new. Compared to Savers, most of the items there appeared to be good quality and in good condition.

Brands: 5/10

With the exception of some accesso

ries, most of the brands I saw reminded me of T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s.

Price: 6/10

While there was a “$1” rack, most of the clothes inside were priced higher than those in other thrift stores I’ve visited. The items not on the “$1” rack ranged from around $3 to $20. I felt like I could’ve found most of the items I saw cheaper elsewhere, but I do appreciate that a por tion of the proceeds are donated to a dif ferent charity each month.

Customer Service/Environment: 10/10

I think the most enjoyable aspect of Next to New was the experience. I loved the sense of community within the store, with most of the customers casually talking to the cashier.

Overall: 7/10

Next to New is definitely the place to visit if you’re looking for new accessories, but it wasn’t the best for clothing. Even though it wasn’t my favorite, I recommend checking it out at least once!

and abuse from her overbearingly re ligious mother (Piper Laurie) at home. When strange occurrences start happen ing around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom by the empathetic Tommy Ross (William Katt), Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.

Fright Factor: How scary is the mov ie?

Rating: 5/10

While this movie isn’t necessari ly scary, it is certainly twisted. The first “scary” part comes when the movie is over halfway done, so take that as you will.

Plot: Is the storyline/script interesting?

Rating: 8/10

On the surface, it seems like the typical “teen girl gets bullied and then becomes popular” movie. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Carrie has been bullied all her life, and is finally able to get revenge at the prom. Without spoiling anything, it is not in the way you would expect.

Quality: How well is it produced? How good is the acting?

Rating: 9/10

“Carrie” was produced exceptionally well. Obviously, the special effects are not as good as those seen today. However, it still holds up. Not to mention, the acting is fantastic. Spacek did an incredible job of portraying Carrie while also evolving as the sensitive teen became more sure of herself.

Entertaining: How fun is it to watch?

Rating: 10/10

THE SCARIEST THINGS:

JULA UTZSCHNEIDER Opinion Editor

Hello everyone! This week I watched “Carrie” (1976), directed by Brian De Palma and adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 novel.

This movie follows quiet and loner teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) as she faces bullying from classmates at school

Honestly, this is one of the most en tertaining movies I’ve seen in a while. There were multiple (but not too many) storylines to follow, which made it very interesting to watch, especially as they all came together toward the end. Addition ally, the length of the movie was perfect. Many horror movies nowadays go on for so long without much substance. “Carrie,” on the other hand, was long enough to get you hooked without going on forever.

Overall Rating: 8/10

This cult-classic, with its dark and vio lent turns, is an excellent movie to watch any day of the year. While not inherently scary, “Carrie” is still an amazing film.

Longer versions of these blogs were published on arhsharbinger.com.

COURTSEY RED BANK FILMS

Sports

Xu runs Boston Marathon to support autism community

ANDREW ROBERTS Online Sports Editor

Senior Enchee Xu ran the Boston Mar athon on Monday, Oct 11. to raise money for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Au tism, a local non-profit organization that helps individuals and families affected by autism live life to the fullest.

As Xu was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, he and his mother, Connie Cao, knew they wanted to run to support the autism community. They reached out to the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the organization in charge of the mara thon, to find a group to run with. It was BAA employee Jack Fleming who referred them to the Flutie Foundation.

The marathon, which normally takes place on Patriots’ Day in April, was moved to Indigenous Peoples’ Day due to COVID-19. Xu and Cao ran together for the entire race.

“It’s a huge advantage being able to run with my son,” Cao said. “At the very beginning, Enchee helped me. Enchee is a very rational person, and he knows if you run fast at the beginning you’re going to get exhausted.”

Xu also felt that his mom was able to support him during the race.

“My mom helped me get good nutri tion throughout the race and made sure my legs didn’t cramp too much,” Xu said.

Both Xu and Cao ran for Dougie’s Team, the Flutie Foundation’s official run ning team, and raised a total of $18,800 for the Foundation. Mike Palmer, the cap

tain of Dougie’s Team, noted how Xu and Cao’s strategy of running together was extraordinary.

“It’s really cool to see them run to gether throughout training and then ac tually run the marathon together,” Palmer said. “Most of the time, you try to run with the same people through the entire pro cess but when it comes to the marathon, it never works out. So it was cool to see them start together, say they’re going to do it, and actually do it.”

This was Xu’s first marathon, but he spent the last couple of years working his way up to this. Cao was confident they would both be able to finish.

The Harbinger

“Enchee’s endurance level is high, and my gut told me he could do it,” Cao said.

After connecting with Dougie’s Team, Xu received a lot of support from the team and the community. Palmer was im pressed by Xu’s determination to run, de spite being one of the youngest runners at 18 years old.

“He’s an example of what people with autism can do at his age,” Palmer said. “They have no limits, and the more peo ple that hear his story, the more accepting people will be.”

Over the summer, Xu had the chance to give a speech at the “26.2 Can-Do Fest,” a Flutie Foundation event leading up to the marathon.

“I really appreciate the family, teach ers and friends who made my project a great success,” Xu said in his speech.

Between exceeding his fundraising goal and finishing the marathon in four hours and 15 minutes, Xu’s first marathon was indeed a success. Xu and Cao plan to run together once again in the 2022 Bos ton Marathon.

A longer version of this article was pub lished in Oct. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Xu and Cao near the finish line of the Boston Marathon after hours of running.

SUBMITTED CONNIE CAO

Senior Enchee Xu and his mother, Connie Cao, triumphantly cross the finish line, hand-in-hand, after running the entire Boston Marathon together.

SUBMITTED CONNIE CAO

Li speed skates his way to victory at national championship

GRACE BOUZAN Senior Staff Writer

Covering 26.1 miles in just over an hour, sophomore Jaylin Li won a national speed skating championship in Septem ber.

Li competes in inline skating, speed skating and long distance skating in cluding both marathons (26.1 miles) and half-marathons (13.1 miles) around the skating rink.

Li’s father, who was a skater himself, began teaching Li to skate when he was just 5 years-old. At age 9, he won his first half-marathon, and at age 11, he won his second. He won his first inline Nation al Championship on Sept. 19 in Duluth, Minnesota and skated his personal best, completing a marathon in 71 minutes at the Championships.

“This [National Championship] was the first time I won a full marathon at a junior age,” Li said. “[It] felt pretty exciting. It’s the first time winning a full marathon in my age group. It’s also nothing new since I already won two half-marathons at

a younger age.”

Li says his training process, which in cludes a lot of running, is different com pared to other speed skaters.

“Week for week you go [running] long distances,” Li said.” For me, I do hill work outs at Algonquin. I run up the big hill and back down about 10 to 15 times and about four to five times per week.”

Li said one of the hardest things about skating is perfecting technique, which af fects overall performance in skating.

“If you don’t get the technique right, you basically waste a lot of energy and necessary speed,” Li said.

Li’s father, Shu Li, taught him the most important techniques in order to succeed in skating.

“At an early age, he taught me all the techniques I needed to know: enforcing my technique and increasing my endur ance,” Li said. “For example, make sure knees are curved in, your back is flat, gaging your core, reducing as much air as possible, while also conserving or saving energy to make it through the whole mar

athon or race.”

According to Li, he has certainly faced challenges, especially when he thought the soreness was too much for him, and he wanted to quit. However, his dad was there to support and encourage him to continue speed skating.

“There was a moment in my career where I wanted to quit because it was so painful,” Li said. “I told my dad I wanted to quit and he replied, ‘Are you sure you want to quit?’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ But then he never let me quit… Same goes with my friend [sophomore] Sitan Zhan, too.”

Even though he just won a full mara thon, Li is not done yet: he will continue to train and never quit.

“If you make a cut, you might lose the race,” Zhan said. “If you’re too lazy to train, it might cost you the game.”

This article was published in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Sophomore Jaylin Li won a speed skat ing National Championship on Sept. 19, 2021. PHOTO JOE LAMBURN

Armlifter sets records, achieves global recognition

AIDAN DILO Staff Writer

Senior Ryan Weiner has become a global force in armlifting and strongman, winning national titles and setting world records in his weight class for the Rolling Thunder, Double Overhand Axle Deadlift and Farmer’s Hold lifts.

Armlifting is a diverse weightlifting sport that, as Weiner puts it, relies entirely on grip strength. There are numerous arm lifting categories such as the Rolling Thun der and Double Overhand Axle Deadlift, in which Weiner has lifted 180lbs and 313lbs in the 70kg weight class, respec tively. Strongarm also takes a unique ap proach to weightlifting, emphasizing how long objects can be lifted rather than how heavy they are. Weiner holds the national Farmer’s Hold record for one minute and twelve seconds at 200lbs per hand.

Weiner did not show an immediate interest in armlifting and strongman or its competitive scene when he first began weightlifting.

“I did gymnastics for about 10 years and was ready for a change,” Weiner said. “Sometime around the ninth year, our coach introduced us to weightlifting to help us get better, which ended up being more fun for me.”

It was only after meeting his coach, Richard DeStefani of Radical Strength and Fitness, that Weiner took his first signif icant step into armlifting and strongman.

“It was two and a half years ago when I first met him,” DeStefani said. “I saw potential in him, so we started working

together. I introduced him to all the arm lifting, all the grip stuff. He started getting an itch for strongman on his own. That’s when I introduced him to all the strong man lifts and how to do them.”

Weiner has made substantial progress with his coach over the past two and a half years. He has participated in and won the 2021 Teen Nationals and N.Y. State Re cord Breakers.

“When he first started, his deadlift was in the low 300lb range,” DeStefani said. “Now, he’s looking to pass to the 500 pound mark after hitting 495 pounds in August.”

In order to qualify for Nationals, par ticipants must win lower-level compe titions. For qualification for even high er-level competitions, competitors have to finish within the top three in Nationals. One might assume this creates a highly competitive environment, but Weiner’s experience shows this is far from the truth.

“[The first competition] was really fun,” Weiner said. “I didn’t really know what to expect since I had never done it before. I did okay on most of the events, but one thing I noticed was that your competitors, and even your direct competitors, want you to do really well.”

Though personal growth has been an integral part of his journey, Weiner loves the sense of competition.

“I love competition,” Weiner said. “Personal growth is awesome, but it feels

great to do very well in a supportive envi ronment.”

Weiner plans to continue pursuing his passion at both the national and interna tional levels.

“In June, I am going for the National Record in the Farmer’s Hold, and whenev er borders open up in Scotland, I’m going to lift the Dinnie Stones, which I am the youngest ever to qualify for,” Weiner said.

Weiner has also qualified for the U.S. Armlifting Team by placing in the top three in his weight class. Weiner is the youngest person ever to qualify for the team, and as a team member is eligible for the Armlift ing Professional League World Champion ship in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“Seeing Ryan from when he first came into training to where he’s at now, he’s just grown exponentially,” DeStefani said. “The sky’s the limit for him. I’ve seen other peo ple at Ryan’s level, and now they’re com peting internationally and have all these accolades.”

Weiner finds his progress and achieve ments extremely fulfilling.

“The whole experience has felt in credibly rewarding,” Weiner said. “You get to spend a lot of time and dedication to wards one goal, and when it finally pays off, it feels great.”

This article was published in Dec. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Senior Ryan Weiner, a world record holder, poses with his many weightlifting medals outside of school on Dec. 9. PHOTO JACOB LIPKIN

Junior smashes competition at international badminton tournament

Cui places third in U17 Women’s Doubles at Pan Am Junior Championship

CLAIRE DEVLIN Staff Writer

Junior Jen Cui represented the United States at the Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships in Mexico this summer, placing third in the U17 Women’s Doubles category.

After being introduced to the sport at eight years old, Cui started playing regu larly with her father. Now, she’s one of the top players of her age group in the United States. Her older brother, Alex Cui, start ed a badminton club at Algonquin before graduating in 2016.

“[My brother] started playing compet itively, and I just followed in his footsteps,” Cui said.

Cui trains multiple days per week at AC Academy and often competes at both lo cal and national tournaments. She played well in national tournaments to qualify for the Pan Am Junior Championships.

Her partner, junior Angie Huang, whom Cui has known for three years, did not train with her in advance before going on this trip.

“They live in California, so there’s a lot of distance between us,” Cui said.

Cui said that her and her partner’s at tacks on the court are a beneficial asset to their game.

Over the week-long tournament, Cui and Huang played three games and end ed with a 2-1 record, beating the teams from Jamaica and Mexico. The winner of

her category was a pair also representing the United States. In all categories, 213 people from many countries competed at the junior level.

Cui’s coach, Andy Chong, was the head coach of all 65 players on Team USA at the event. He is also her coach locally. Chong began playing badminton at age 11 and represented Malaysia starting at 16.

Chong said Cui is a very dedicated and smart player on the court.

“The way I teach a player is I teach

them how to think for themselves on the court,” Chong said. “[Jen] picked it up very fast.”

Chong has been coaching Cui for over five years. With his help, she will need to compete at tournaments through April to qualify for the Junior International Trials, which are a step to the Pan Am event Cui attended last year.

Cui is still deciding what her future in the sport will look like.

“I’m not sure [about playing profes sionally], but I’ll definitely still play,” Cui said.

This article was published in Nov. 2021 on arhsharbinger.com.

Cui poses with her badminton partner, junior Angie Huang, after placing third in the U17 Women’s Doubles category at the international tournament.

SUBMITTED

JEN CUI

Junior Jen Cui trains with her father at Boston Badminton Club in Westborough. She trains multiple days per week and competes at both local and national tournaments.

PHOTO BRIANNA TANG

(Top

PHOTO OWEN JONES (Top Right) Sprinting to the fin ish line, sophomore Joe Lamburn looks ahead as he finishes his third lap. PHOTO OWEN JONES (Middle left) Trying to stay ahead of the pack, senior Joli Dantz keeps her pace. PHOTO OWEN JONES (Middle right) Seniors Kristina Callahan and Lindsey Stone cheer with the rest of the cheerleaders during the football game on Oct. 22. PHOTO MATEA ROWE-BOND (Bottom left) Sophomore Garrett Burns dribbles the ball past Worces ter South defenders in boys’ soc cer’s 3-0 first round CMADA Division I win. PHOTO BRIANNA TANG (Bottom right) Freshman Lindsey Brown defends the ball from a Frank lin player. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

Left) Senior Caroline Kelly runs the ball down the field.

WINTER SPORTS REVIEW

(Above right) Freshman Garret Willwerth wrestles a Shep herd Hill competitor on Dec. 22. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

(Right) Senior Annagrace Hjerpe drives to the basket in a close game against Leomin ster on Jan. 13. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

(Below Left) Senior Mia Gorman executes a strad dle jump on beam during a meet against Marlbor ough on Dec. 28, 2021. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL

(Below Right) Senior Jaiden Wilde races for the puck during the game on Jan. 8. PHOTO MATEA ROWE-BOND

(Above left)Junior Harrison Stanwood attempts to dribble past a St. Paul defender on Dec. 17. PHOTO COOPER NEWFIELD

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Girls’ hockey wins Div. II State Championship in overtime

ANDREW ROBERTS Online Sports Editor

Girls’ hockey took down the Canton Bull dogs in a 2-1 overtime victory at TD Garden to win the Division II state championship on Sunday March 20.

In a new ranking system that gave teams an overall seed (or ranking) within their di vision across the state, Algonquin’s co-op team including Hudson, Marlborough, Clin ton, AMSA and Nashoba was seeded #10 in the playoff bracket, while Canton was seeded #9. While many other state championships in other sports and/or divisions consist of high er-seeded teams, there were many surprises across the 33-team girls’ hockey bracket that allowed both teams the opportunity to make it this far.

Coming into the game, Algonquin was seen as the underdog. Canton had made it to two recent state championships and this year, both their boys and girls teams made it to the Garden.

“It was a really good feeling to have a bunch of people doubting you and then come out on top,” sophomore Bryn Domolky said.

The Bulldogs started the game up 1-0. Heading into the 3rd period, Canton had the edge.

“We just needed to step it up, play our game, and focus on what needed to be done, which was scoring a goal,” sophomore Mallory Farrell from Marlborough said.

With one period left to change their fate, Algonquin decided to change their lines. They decided to put their three top point scorers on one line: Farrell (who finished the season with 50 points), sophomore Emily Johns from Clinton (finished with 38 points) and Domolky (finished with 33 points).

With support from Farrell and Johns, Do molky was able to tie the game up in the 3rd period.

“The first two periods, I think we were re ally nervous playing at the Garden and wanted to stay back and defend instead of attacking the puck,” Domolky said. “But when our coach decided to change the lines, we went out on the first shift and the momentum of the game changed. We were really determined after in termission to get a goal.”

At the end of the third period, the score

was tied up 1-1. Heading into overtime, the crowd was riled up, and Algonquin was feeling confident.

“Once we got to overtime, I was honestly a bit relieved,” senior captain Taylor Hodge said. “We had already won in overtime, and with a lot more space on the ice, I was confident that our skilled and talented players would be able to use that to their advantage.”

In the end, it was Farrell who came up clutch with the game winning goal, leading Al gonquin to victory.

“In that moment, we were all rushing onto the ice,” Hodge said. “It was incredible. I’m so proud of all the hard work we put into the sea son.”

While they will miss their seniors, the younger players on this team feel good about the future.

“I feel really confident about the future of this team,” Domolky said. “Although we’re sadly saying goodbye to a bunch of our be loved seniors this year, I think next year we’ll still have a good chance of success.”

This article was published in March 2022 on arhsharbinger.com.

Marlborough sophomore Mallory Farrell zooms toward the puck. Girls’ hockey won the state championship title in a 2-1 over time victory against Canton on Sunday, March 20. Farrell scored the winning goal.

PHOTO OWEN JONES

(Above) Sophomore Bryn Domolky advances the puck at the Division II state champion ships. PHOTO JOE LAMBURN