Algonquin Harbinger Volume 32 Issue 3

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news

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05

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14

Sneak peek at new courses offered next year

Don’t despair if you’re single on Valentine’s

Part I of “Art Glow Up” explore’s Dantz’s photos

Swim, dive teams make a splash in regular seaons

opinion

news

Get to know candidates ahead of MA primary

The Student Newspaper of Algonquin Regional High School

sports

a&e

79 Bartlett Street, Northborough, MA 01532

February 2020

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arhsharbinger.com

VOL. 32 NO. 3

In 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was brutally killed for being gay, sparking a national conversation about LGBT hate crimes and leading to the play, ‘The Laramie Project.’

Now, in 2020, The Harbinger explores the experiences of the LGBT community at Algonquin.

16%

of students have felt discriminated against because of their real or perceived sexual orientation

5%

have felt discriminated against because of their real or perceived transgender identity According to a Harbinger survey of 215 students conducted through Google Forms from Jan. 12 to Jan. 27

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Junior Miranda Slingluff, who plays Romaine Patterson, Matthew Shepard’s best friend, sits on the stage during rehearsal.

‘Laramie’ retells story of gay man’s murder MELISSA DAI & CLAIRE BAI Assistant News Editors

Twenty years after “The Laramie Project” hit the stage, the Algonquin Dramahawks will portray the struggles of the LGBT community through this production based on real events.

“The Laramie Project” centers around the true story of a

gay man’s brutal murder through a unique documentary format. The play will be performed by a cast of 20 on Feb. 27 and 28 in the Black Box theater.

In this crime, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student, was brutally beaten and killed for being gay by two homophobic men near Laramie, Wyoming in October 1998.

‘LARAMIE’ continued on p. 11

Community strives to support LGBT identities GABRIELA PAZ-SOLDAN & CATHERINE HAYDEN

Walsh said.

Walsh believes that fostering acceptance of LGBT identities lies in a collabEditors-in-Chief orative approach between the administraValentine’s Day 2020. It’s the start tion and student-run clubs, such as the of a new decade and almost five years af- Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA).

“This is a grassroots effort in that we ter the legalization of same-sex marriage do look to some of the clubs to do this across the U.S. But at Algonquin, do students of all sexual orientations and gender work,” Walsh said.

Though LGBT topics are not part of identities feel comfortable celebrating love the state-mandated curriculum, this mateon this holiday? rial is covered in sophomore Health and According Fitness. to a Harbinger “I feel like “I know we need to do a survey of 215 every student, students conbetter job of educating each regardless of ducted through their sexualGoogle Forms other on what it means to ity, needs to from Jan. 12 to not fit into the standard feel included,” Jan. 27, 16 perHealth and Fitcent of responbinary sexual orientation.” ness Melissa dents say they Ar vanigian have felt discrmiDR. SARA PRAGLUSKI WALSH said. nated against PRINCIPAL To supplebecause of their ment what real or perceived they teach sexual orientain class, the tion and six perhealth teachers cent say they have felt discrminated against because of bring in two Algonquin alumni to discuss their real or perceived transgender identity. LGBT topics.

“I bring them in just as an added bo“I know we need to do a better job nus for the kids because sometimes I feel of educating each other on what it means to not fit into the standard binary sexual like students get a lot more, not only from orientation,” Principal Dr. Sara Pragluski supplementing different ways such as bro-

chures or pamphlets or different websites, but also from other speakers other than just myself,” Arvanigian said.

According to the Harbinger survey, 14 percent of those who identify as a sexual orientation other than heterosexual have not told anybody, and 24 percent of those who identify as transgender have not told anybody.

Senior Gretchen Lawson, who is gay and nonbinary, has only felt comfortable coming out in some of their classes. They have told three of their teachers about their LGBT identity.

“From being in class and just getting to know them, I felt comfortable enough like ‘Hey, I don’t really want to hold back who I am, and I think that I’m comfortable enough to tell you,’” Lawson said. “I also pick and choose who I want to come out to because of the kids in the class. I have some teachers where there’s kids in the class that I’m extremely close with, and it’s a small setting, so I don’t feel scared to just be like ‘Hey, this is me.’ But some other classes...I don’t know how they’ll react, so I might just keep it to myself.”

Adjustment counselor Deborah Guterman supports students one-on-one who might be struggling to find acceptance for their LGBT identity. She and other adjustment counselors can advocate for them with teachers and help connect them with other resources within the

building or outside counseling.

Guterman believes some training such as professional development classes can help empower faculty to support students who identify as part of the LGBT community.

“There’s a professional development class being offered to teachers this coming March,” Guterman said. “...That’s one of the offerings is to gain a fuller understanding of what we can do as a school to just understand the needs [of LGBT students] and to provide more support.”

This professional development class has also been offered in past years.

Though adults can provide support, Guterman underscores the importance of students’ own role in creating an accepting community.

“Adults try to assume supportive roles or advocate, and that’s great,” Guterman said. “But I think it’s very effective when students can have a say and can get involved and just let themselves be known.”

Guterman would like to see more education surrounding LGBT topics as part of the required curriculum.

“With anything, I think if we can integrate [LGBT topics] into our regular everyday activities, it’s going to mean more,” Guterman said.

See more on pg. 8

2 NEWS The Harbinger - February 2020

Assabet Valley Collaborative classroom embraces individual learning for students with disabilities HALEY MICHEL

have frequent meetings to reassess these goals.

Staff Writer AVC nurse Rebecca Blanton While Algonquin prides it- would like Algonquin students self on its inclusivity, there is to know that although her stuone classroom that is often over- dents face challenges with health looked by students: room A113, and learn in different ways, they where the Assabet Valley Col- still want to be engaged with the laborative (AVC) hosts REACH community at Algonquin and III, a program for students with adore it when other students reach out to them. special needs.

“Our students love, love, Directed by teacher Jaime Bedford, the classroom hosts love to be near their peers,” Blanseven students from surrounding ton said. “They would absolutely towns, all of whom are nonver- love it if a student said hi to them bal, have limited vision and pre- in the hallway. They won’t react dominantly use wheelchairs to the same way [as other students when acknowledged in the hall]. travel.

“These are students who They might just smile. They have the right to access an edu- might just stop what they are docation and be in a school with ing and look.”

Some students who went their typical peers,” Bedford said.

“They are capable of learning, to Trottier are familiar with the program since REACH II, the and they do.”

When walking into the small, middle school version of the brightly lit room at the corner program, is hosted there. Trottier students are where the A encouraged to hallway meets take a class that the E hallway, “Our students love, gives them the AVC students love, love to be opportunity to can be found volunteer in doing crafts, near their peers.” science experiJAIME BEDFORD the Collaboraments and lisCOLLABORATIVE TEACHER tive classroom.

“I did Coltening to stories, as well as participating in the laborative in eighth grade,” sevariety of therapeutic services nior Joe Greene said. “Back then offered to them through the pro- it was a relaxing period; most of the time was spent walking gram.

It is clear that the teachers around the halls with the stuwant their students to succeed. dents and talking to them.”

However, since at Algonquin They move at the pace of each individual student and work to- this opportunity isn’t a registered gether to figure out equipment class like at Trottier, many stustudents need to fully access their dents don’t think that volunteerworld. They carefully take data ing with the AVC is an option. on each student’s progress based Others can’t fit it into their busy on the goals outlined in their In- schedule of academics, and some dividualized Education Plans and students aren’t even aware the

PHOTO HALEY MICHEL

Collaborative student Nate laughs with one of his teachers, Yvonne Belcher, in the Collaborative room.

program exists.

Students at Algonquin are in fact able to volunteer with the AVC during the school day as an independent study. This option is encouraged by guidance counselors, it just isn’t widely known about by students.

“The class [at Trottier] has a lot of value,” Greene said. “If [the opportunity to volunteer at Algonquin] was more publicized, then more students would surely take it.”

Students who are interested in volunteering with the AVC program can speak with their guidance counselor or stop by A113 for more information.

PHOTO HALEY MICHEL

Collaborative student Austin takes a quiet moment after lunch.

Administration emphasizes anonymity of Say Something

GRAPHIC KARMYN SHREEVE

Students have questioned whether the See Something Say Something app is truly anonymous.

BEN SCHANZER Staff Writer

After hearing student concerns, the administration has reassured students the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is anonymous.

Say Something is a reporting system whose mission is to give students an anonymous method to report safety or general concerns to both school officials and law enforcement. However, since its implementation in November, many students have expressed concerns about whether the system is truly anonymous.

The administration has reassured students that the reporting system is anonymous at class meetings and through emails.

A statement regarding the anonymity of tips, from Sandy Hook Promise (SHP), the group that manages Say Something, was sent to students in an email from Principal Dr. Sara Pragluski-Walsh on Dec. 19.

“ALL tip submissions are truly anonymous,” the email read. “No exceptions. All tip information remains inside a closed loop, extremely secure system which uses two external gateways. The only way we (Sandy Hook Promise) can even TRY to break anonymity is with a … warrant from law enforcement. Even then, there are no assurances we could ID an IP protocol.”

According to School Resource Officer Kevin Fruwirth, to get a warrant, an affidavit, a statement containing evidence that is submitted to a judge, would have to go through the necessary legal channels and the report would have to be extremely significant for the police to try to break anonymity.

Director of Guidance Lisa Connery explained that when tips are submitted they are immediately sorted by urgency level, determining who can see them.

“They have two different categories, what they call life-threatening and nonlife-threatening,” Connery said.

According to Connery, anything deemed life-threatening is sent directly to the Northborough Police Department, with the school being alerted after the investigation.

Tips deemed as nonlife-threatening are forwarded to the school’s response team.

“[The team is] Dr. Walsh, Mr. McGowan, myself, one of our school adjustment counselors, Mrs. Guterman, and our school psychologist, Dr. Lipton,” Connery said.

Despite this, many students still believe Say Something isn’t anonymous.

In an informal poll of 143 students of all grades, conducted during lunch from Jan. 6 to Jan. 9, 113 responded that they do not think Say Something is anonymous.

Assistant Principal Andrew McGowan said this misconception concerning anonymity may be because students often identify themselves when making a report.

“It is truly anonymous,” McGowan said. “As anonymous as the tipster makes it.”

While most of the surveyed students believe the app doesn’t attach a name to reports, many think their IP address is recorded when a tip is submitted. An IP address is an identifying number assigned to each device using the internet. While it couldn’t be independently confirmed if this occurs, McGowan said the school has no way to view an IP address.

Despite the administration’s reassurances, junior Edward Gostick believes that, if necessary, the school or police can see who submitted a report.

“I think it is mostly anonymous, but if push comes to shove, they will find out who put what on the website,” Gostick said.

If students still have concerns about anonymity, Fruwirth and Connery both emphasized that the app is just one tool among many to give students an outlet if they have a concern.

“If people aren’t comfortable using the app, just talk to someone you’re comfortable with,” Fruwirth said.

“There are ways to keep somebody confidential if they so choose.”

Fruwirth can be contacted at kfruwirth@town. northborough.ma.us if anyone has concerns.

NEWS 3 arhsharbinger.com

Where do the candidates stand?

Democratic candidates’ policies on major campaign issues MELISSA DAI & CLAIRE BAI Assistant News Editors

This year’s field of Democratic presidential candidates currently consists of 11 running for the party nomination and hoping to remove President Trump from office. The Massachusetts primary election is March 3.

These are the leading five candidates according to recent national polls and their stances on various campaign issues. The candidates not covered include entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, billionaire Tom Steyer, billionaire and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and Colorado Senator Michael Bennet.

Joe Biden

Amy Klobuchar

Pete Buttigieg

Elizabeth Warren

Bernie Sanders

Former Vice President, Delaware

Senator of Minnesota

Former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana

Senator of Massachusetts

Senator of Vermont

(77)

(59)

(38)

(70)

(78)

Health Care

• build on Affordable Care Act • expand coverage to low-income Americans

• supports universal health care • change Affordable Care Act

• supports “Medicare for All who want it” • decriminalize mental illness and addiction

• supports Medicare for All • supports Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act

• supports Medicare for All • expand medical care to dental, hearing, etc.

Climate Change

• supports Green New Deal • implement 100% clean energy • rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement

• supports Green New Deal • supports No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge • rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement

• supports Green New Deal • establish clean electricity standard • rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement

• supports Green New Deal • supports Blue New Deal (for oceans) • implement 100% clean energy

• supports Green New Deal • move away from fossil fuels • rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement

Gun Policy

• ban distribution and sale of assault weapons • institute universal background checks

• institute universal background checks • prevent domestic abusers from owning firearms

• institute universal background checks • prevent domestic abusers from owning firearms

• hold gun dealers and manufacturers accountable • institute universal background checks

• ban sale and distribution of assault weapons • institute universal background checks

Economy

• supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 • create union jobs to expand the middle class

• reduce disparities in wages and retirement savings • opposes monopoly power

• supports equality in entrepreneurship for minorities • invest in rural jobs, businesses and entrepreneurs

• supports “wealth taxes” • supports reducing income inequality

• supports taxes on extreme wealth • supports reducing income inequality

Education

• supports equality of educational opportunity for all • invest in better school resources

• supports tuition-free one- and two-year community college degrees • increase teacher pay and funding

• supports equality of educational opportunity for minorities • invest in better school resources

• supports universallyfree public college • cancel student loan debt

• supports free college for all • cancel student loan debt • invest in public schools

All information from the candidates’ websites

PHOTOS COURTESY THE WHITE HOUSE, UNITED STATES SENATE, PETE BUTTIGIEG AND UNITED STATES CONGRESS

In Brief SBIRT screening discusses drug use with sophomores The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol, a discussion involving drug use, is going into effect for all sophomores this year.

In this state-mandated protocol, a specially-trained school nurse or counselor will ask each tenth grade student four questions from a script regarding drug use in a private, oneon-one conversation.

School nurse Sheree Caron wants to emphasize that the screening is entirely confidential.

“The only way we would be allowed to call a parent or even include another member of the school community…is if we felt that the student was at risk for harm to themselves or others,” Caron said. “If that’s not the case and if there’s no evidence of that, then it is completely confidential.”

Melissa Dai

Chinese exchange program cancelled due to coronavirus The recent coronavirus outbreak in China has led to the cancellation of the Chinese exchange program of 25 students that was set to take place on Feb. 2 and 3.

“Early on, it was unclear on what the spread was going to be and how serious it was,” social studies teacher Brittany Burns said. “We were doing the exchange trip through a company that was based in China but had a representative here, so there were a lot of messages and phone calls going back and forth to keep tabs on the situation.”

Although the distance between Wuhan, the location of the initial outbreak, and Chengdu, where the students were coming from, is 900 miles, the program was still canceled because the Chinese government restricted all nonessential travel.

Aaliyah Yan See full article at arhsharbinger.com

School implements mindful moment to reduce stress The second semester bell schedule includes a 10-minute mindful moment on Tuesdays through Fridays to help with students’ stress levels and mental health concerns.

According to Principal Dr. Sara Pragluski Walsh, during the pilot schedules last year, students and faculty both articulated that they found the day to be too stressful, leaving little time to make connections.

MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey data also supported the fact that students needed a break in their day, according to Walsh. Walsh believes students will make good use of the mindful moment.

“I trust you, and I know that you will use those 10 minutes to help your mental health, social/emotional wellbeing and academics,” Walsh said.

Catherine Hayden & Gabriela Paz-Soldan

Library introduces therapy dog to improve mental health For many students, school can be a stressful place, but there is a positive change likely coming to Algonquin that most students can look forward to: a therapy dog.

Parker, a three-year-old black lab, is owned by librarian aide Joann Amberson. While Parker would not be available in the library on a daily basis at first, Amberson hopes to incorporate him into the T-Hawk family as much as possible.

“We’re shooting for two days a week,” Amberson said. “And if it works out, maybe we could get it approved for daily. And then classes could come down and book a little Parker time.”

Parker could possibly come in during testing weeks such as finals week or during AP tests.

Colin Kerrigan & Jason Michalik See full article at arhsharbinger.com

4 NEWS The Harbinger - February 2020

Get the inside scoop on new courses

In the 2020-21 school year, six new courses are launching and for the first time, two pathways are being introduced.

Early Childhood Pathway Students interested in an education-based career can take the new Early Childhood Pathway to Certification. Students who follow this pathway will work with the students in the Tiny Tomahawks Preschool learning about curriculum, psychology, teaching and much more.

Students on the pathway will take at least three classes within this program and gain 150 hours working with the preschool children by taking courses like Early Childhood Development and Learning Through Play.

Students who complete the pathway can become certified as a preschool teacher through the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) when they graduate.

Grace Campbell

Culinary and Hospitality Management (CP/H) Do you want to further your work in the Culinary and Hospitality fields, both in cooking and baking techniques and in management skills?

If so, Culinary and Hospitality Management is the class for you.

Students will learn fundamental cooking and baking methods, as well as effective ways to manage restaurants, catering businesses, stadiums and arenas.

“The course is designed to give students an opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and technical skills in both culinary arts and the hospitality management area,” Applied Arts and Technology department head Mary Beth Pappas said.

This 2.5 credit course is available to students in grades 10-12 who have taken Nutrition and Culinary Arts 1.

Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends (CP/H) Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends is a new English elective being offered to students in grades 11-12. The class will include reading fairy tales and horror stories as well as many creative writing activities such as students writing their own fairy tales.

“The course will appeal to students who grew up reading fairy tales and the Harry Potter books and who are now interested in series like Game of Thrones,” English teacher Matthew Querino said.

Querino said he has worked hard to create an exciting curricula which will appeal to those willing to read and expand their knowledge on all things magical.

“I’ve taken the best parts of my previous electives and added new material based on my current students’ interests,” Querino said. “I’m putting everything I have into making the curriculum engaging, relevant and enjoyable.”

Philosophy (H) Students in grades 11-12 will once again have the opportunity to delve into the world of knowledge, reality and the values of existence by taking the Philosophy elective offered by the World Languages department.

According to World Languages teacher Angela Moll, this class will open students’ eyes to the world around them and will benefit every student’s life.

“Philosophy offers an intrinsic value of reading the great works of philosophy and shaping your thinking about the world in which you live,” Moll said. “It lets you form your opinion about the rights and wrongs of the world.”

Grace Campbell

Kayla Albers

Culinary and Hospitality Pathway The Culinary and Hospitality Pathway offers basic and complex courses in culinary studies along with a hospitality and an urban gardening component.

There are four courses on this pathway: Nutrition and Culinary Arts 1 and 2, Horticulture and Urban Gardening, and Culinary and Hospitality Management.

This pathway combines hands-on practice with classes on nutrition and the production of foods, and allows students to understand the operation of the culinary and hospitality businesses.

“It’s designed for anyone, whether they are looking to learn a little bit more about culinary arts, about gardening [or about] hospitality management,” Pappas said.

Students who participate in this pathway will have the opportunity to acquire industry certifications, such as the ServSafe Food Handling certification.

Amy Sullivan

Amy Sullivan

Mixed Media (CP/H) Students of all grades will be able to take Mixed Media, a new take on Algonquin’s past sculpture class.

“We revamped all our course offerings to breathe some new life into what students can take,” Fine and Performing Arts teacher Rebecca Duffy said.

According to Duffy, the class will play off of the previous three-dimensional sculpture class while also including two-dimensional works to introduce students to new contemporary artists. This new class will let students explore a whole new world of art.

Grace Campbell

Spoken Word and Oral Tradition (CP/H)

Learning Through Play (CP/H) Learning Through Play is a new course for students in grades 11-12 which focuses on the psychology behind the way children play.

Students will complete projects like observation journals and making a new toy prototype for the Tiny Tomahawk Preschool children. If you are interested in pursuing a career in education and enjoy working with children, this is a class for you.

To take Learning through Play students must have taken Early Childhood Education (with a C+ or higher for CP, or B+ or higher for H).

Colleen Mulligan

Spoken Word and Oral Tradition is a new English elective offered to students in grades 10-12 that will teach students the skills and abilities they need to create and perform their own spoken word pieces.

“My hope is that it will draw people who are interested in the dynamism of the spoken word genre as well as folks who are seeking a new challenge with an unfamiliar mode of writing and presenting,” English teacher Seth Czarnecki said.

According to Czarnecki, the course will lead up to an “evening of slam” where students will perform one of the pieces they worked on in class before live audiences.

Kayla Albers

ILLUSTRATIONS BRIANNA TANG

Plastic, Styrofoam ban implemented in cafeteria

Ban resulted from Tanikella’s efforts to pass Northborough proposal SHARADA VISHWANATH

the proper preparation. It went through town once [in 2018], but it did not pass, everyone voted As of Jan. 1, plastic bags and against it.”

Tanikella pushed through Styrofoam have been banned in Northborough, prompting the the initial set back continued to cafeteria to switch from Styro- put in the effort. Tanikella even added Styrofoam to the profoam to paper trays.

The push to ban plastic bags posed ban.

“The following year [after and Styrofoam was led by junior Sravya Tanikella with help from the unsuccessful vote], we tried members of Interact Club, of again and I put in a lot more effort,” Tanikella said. which she is president.

“I worked every week “My efforts startfor 10 months, maked my freshman year, ing presentations, when I began to write raising awareness and bylaws and began to doing a lot of work actually put forth the regarding [the ban].” first petition for banFor Tanikella, ning plastic bags,” an important part Tanikella said.

Sravya Tanikella of the effort involved She faced many challenges before succeeding in letting businesses know the ban passing the bylaw on April 24 of was coming. Tanikella’s Interact last year at the Northborough Club teamed up with Sustainable Northborough, an environBoard of Selectmen.

“Unfortunately, I was work- mentally focused committee, and ing completely alone [the first spread the word.

“We talked to lots of busitime],” Tanikella said. “I didn’t have the proper support sys- nesses,” Tanikella said. “We tem, the proper resources, or talked to the big businesses up Assistant Online Editor

PHOTO ANNABELLA FERRAIUOLO

Juniors Olivia Kelly and Sarah Saeed enjoy eating their lunch on the new paper trays in the cafeteria after the ban of Styrofoam trays.

on Northborough Crossing, but we also talked to all the small businesses here, in the center of town. I feel that it spread the needed awareness around town.”

Styrofoam has been banned in Northborough, but the cafeteria will only be eliminating Styrofoam completely once the exist-

ing Styrofoam runs out.

“The Styrofoam we pretty much got rid of entirely,” Food Services Manager Dianne Cofer said. “There are just a few cups left. I can just throw the excess away, but I might as well use it.

[The ban is] more of an expense to us now because the paper

products are three times as much as the styrofoam.”

Plastic bags are still allowed in Northborough, however, they can not be made out of thin plastic. Thicker plastic is usually made out of recycled material and is still allowed.

“There is still plastic, but the thicker ones are also more expensive which pushes retailers to purchase paper bags instead,” Tanikella said. “Also a lot of retailers opt for selling reusable bags instead.”

Tanikella finds the fruits of over 10 months of effort personally gratifying.

“My family and I were out shopping, and I used to see rows and rows of plastic in Walmart or Wegmans, but they’re all gone now,” Tanikella said. “It feels as though my effort I put in even in this little town is going to make a big effect on thousands of people, which is surreal. I’m starting to see the change I wish I saw in the world.”

OPINION 5 arhsharbinger.com

Valentine’s Day: Best day to be single

AALIYAH YAN

Opinion Editor

To some, it may seem unfortunate I’ve been single on Valentine’s Day for my

GRAPHIC KYLA PELHAM

whole life (a whole sixteen years).

For those sixteen years, I’ve had to watch couples get each other the cutest gifts, and I can practically feel the love radiating off of them. It’s times like these

where sometimes I wish I were in a re- Walmart and up to $80 from other places) lationship. After all, the last time I got a and the jewelry is always expensive. You gift on Valentine’s Day was when we were also don’t have to spend money on a date forced to give them out to the whole class at an expensive restaurant. back in elementary school.

Save money you would normally But I’m here to tell you to stop pitying spend on others, and spend it on yourself. yourself because Valentine’s Day is actu- Good thing no one knows you better than ally the best holiday to be single on. yourself, so you know exactly what to get First of all, think of all the stress on Valentine’s Day. The best kind of love you will save yourself by not having to is self-love, and as always treat yourself by get someone a gift having a relaxing day. on Valentine’s Day. Now with all the Save money you There’s always the money you’ve saved on people who aren’t Feb. 14, you can spend would normally quite in a relationit on the plethora of spend on others, and discounted Valentine’s ship stuck wondering if they should even items. The second spend it on yourself. Day get the other person it becomes Feb. 15, all a gift or not. And those seasonal things go then there are the people who don’t even on sale. Discounted chocolates that come know what to get their significant other. If in huge variety boxes are always a plus, and you’re single, you don’t have to even think honestly, things just taste better knowing about gifts for your partner. you got them on sale.

Also, be thankful for all the money So stop thinking about being single you’re about to save. In 2019, the average on Valentine’s Day so negatively; after all, amount a consumer spent on Valentine’s we are the real winners saving ourselves day was $161.96, making it a total of $20.7 the stress and money that comes from an billion dollars in the United States. I swear overhyped holiday. And you can think of when it hits Valentine’s Day, everything it this way, give it a couple of days and the goes up in prices. The candies are more roses and cards will be in the trash anyexpensive because they are shaped like ways. hearts, the flowers cost more ($20 from

T-Hawks Respond

What Would Your Dream Date Be? Evan Greenwald Spanish Teacher

“We’d see a comedy show in Boston. Then after we’d go to dinner at a fancy restaurant in the North End.”

Fariha Khan Sophomore

“Going to the movies or the mall.”

Meredith Rafferty Junior

“Dinner on a volcano!”

Henry Simon Freshman

“We’d watch Huey, Dewey, and Louie and then get drinks at a fancy restaurant.”

COMPILED ALYSSA SBORDONE

Money jeopardizes fairness of standardized tests KAYLA ALBERS

While exams might test intellectual abilities to some degree, they don’t prepare students for the future: the Staff Writer goal of education in the first place.

Teachers are pressured to “teach to the test” in that Each year, as the college deadlines approach, applicants are forced to fill in many students’ most dreaded they target specific curriculum covered on exams, neglecting other curricula and limiting students’ education. number: scores received on standardized tests.

Whether it’s the SAT, ACT or even state standardized According to a national study recorded by the Center on tests such as Massachusetts’ MCAS, students across the Education Policy in 2007, 44 percent of school districts U.S. take the same version of an exam, with the objective reduced time spent on sciences, social studies and the arts of fairly comparing scores, hence the name standardized. by an average of 145 minutes each week to place focus on Despite the system’s attempt at giving students an math and English curricula.

This lack of wide-ranging educa“equal shot” at success, exams such tion puts students at a great disadvanas the SAT and ACT are limiting.

Companies such as tage. While students might not have Kids in less fortunate parts of the interests in math or English, they are country don’t have access to test The College Board forced to learn more expansive curripreparation and face inferior educamake egregious cula in order to earn better scores on tion systems than we have in Massatheir exams. chusetts, and even for students who profits from exams The pressure students face to come from places with more advanat the expense of do well on exams affects mental and tages, their test scores might not acphysical health. According to an article curately represent their abilities. families around the written for “The Sacramento Bee” by Companies such as The Colcountry.

Susan Ohanian in March 2002, “testlege Board make egregious profits related jitters, especially among young from exams at the expense of famistudents, are so common that the Stanlies around the country. Despite 38.1 million U.S. citizens living in poverty, exams cost obnox- ford-9 exam comes with instructions on what to do with a test booklet in case a student vomits on it.” ious amounts of money.

More and more colleges are becoming test-optional; With AP exams costing $106 each, and SATs at $47.50 with optional essay for $64.50, profits add up. Al- more than 700 colleges are currently test optional, which though fee waivers and reductions are offered for those decreases some of the pressure put on students but does with documented need, The College Board still generated not solve the problem.

While more fortunate students can pay for, and have $1.1 billion of revenue in 2017.

College Board wins again!

GRAPHIC DANA GAUDETTE

access to, exam preparation classes, such classes focus on ways to trick the system. Yes, tutors are available, but the majority of students invest their time in learning how to take a test, such as the process of elimination.

Kids nation-wide should have the same advantages or lack thereof. If an exam is to be given, it should be given fairly. Students from less fortunate districts lack access to advantages such as classes and tutors and are being scored on the same exam given to students from more fortunate school systems who have access to exam preparation classes and tutors.

While standardized testing may make filtering through applications easier for boards of admission, the system should be altered or gotten rid of completely; standardized tests should not be imperative to one’s success in the future.

6 OPINION The Harbinger - February 2020

Memes help Generation Z, millennials cope with possibility of World War III

GRAPHIC DANA GAUDETTE

People of the Gen Z and millenial generations escape to a protective bubble to share memes about World WIII with their peers as a way cope with the world we live in.

CRISTINA STASSIS Opinion Editor

Once the news broke out about how President Trump had commanded the assassination of a top Iran general, Qassem Soleimani, a massive trend of World War III memes hit several social media platforms including Twitter and TikTok. This lightheart-

ed reaction is a classic example of how both Generation Z and millenials use jokes as a coping mechanism for serious topics.

As a Gen Z, whenever something bad happens there is always a meme about it somewhere because that’s just what we do.

It’s easy to crack jokes about the possibility of another world war and what would happen if you were drafted. By doing this,

it helps some people alleviate the amount of stress, fear or anxiety they feel about it.

Creating memes around the subject and cracking jokes about it is better than constantly dwelling about the future and what it may bring. It helps people adjust to what is happening around them by communicating with their peers through social media so they feel less alone.

People are only using dark humor to mask their sense of dread for what may happen down the road. One glance at a meme and you might not think much of it, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that some people don’t know much about the topic they are making fun of or don’t know how to properly express how they are feeling.

Most of the WWIII memes revolve around the fear of the draft getting reinstated or how unprepared ordinary Americans are in dealing with combat. However, the people actually creating these memes in the U.S. are the ones who are least likely to be affected by conflict. If there was a war, it would be fought in Iran so the average U.S. citizen wouldn’t have to worry about their home becoming a battlefield.

In perspective, making memes about an event that would potentially scar a large amount of people seems insensitive. It doesn’t account for all the lives that would be lost and the trauma associated with that.

This dark humor is a product from growing up in a world where bad news is normal so we are all a little desensitized and nothing really provides any shock factor anymore. It has been normal to laugh at serious issues for a while and now it has taken root in our culture.

Though this may seem absurd and inappropriate to older generations, this form of coping helps millennials and Gen Z make light of otherwise dreary events that occur in the unstable world we live in today.

Tweets using humor to combat stress

COURTESY TWITTER

Teachers should utilize BYOD more in classrooms ANDREW ROBERTS Staff Writer

Every day, hundreds of students bring their own computers to school as part of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program that was introduced about a year ago. Yet most teachers have struggled to adapt to the program, teaching similarly to how they did before the program began.

On a daily basis, everyone is often given multiple handouts, and aside from an occasional online assignment, the devices stay in our bags, adding extra weight as we complete assignments and take notes on paper.

Teachers spend a good amount of time getting these

handouts ready. But these handouts aren’t made with paper and pencil. They are typically made using software such as Google Docs. Everyone in the district has a school email and a Google Drive account. Physically making copies and giving these printouts to every student is not only a waste of time but also a waste of paper. It would be a lot easier for teachers to share these handouts and have students complete them digitally, using resources like Google Drive.

Yes, not all students bring computers, and some families may not be able to afford a computer for each of their kids. But there is a device-rental system at Algonquin, and I feel that people would get in the habit of borrowing devices if they knew the devices would be used more often. According to a June Harbinger article, only 60 to 90 devices were borrowed each day during the 2018-19 school year.

As a Chromebook owner, I have utilized my device in school. I keep track of my homework in a document on my computer. In addition, I often ask my teachers if I can type my notes and assignments, even when given a handout.

Teachers may struggle to trust their students to stay on track when doing assignments on a computer, as they also have the option to browse the internet or play games when using computers. There are some situations where computers are not ap-

GRAPHIC LINDSEY RODMAN

propriate. This is especially true when it could facilitate cheating.

But we’re in high school. If a student wants to blow off an assignment by getting distracted on their computer, that should be on them. Aside from making sure students aren’t cheating, I don’t believe teachers necessarily need to monitor students closely when they are using their own computers.

There are some assignments that are difficult to do on a computer, and teachers may be concerned about drastic changes. But the majority of my assignments are doable on my Chromebook, and it would make less work, not more work for teachers to use BYOD to their advantage.

Even if teachers don’t think to use BYOD more, there are things we can do to utilize our devices. Self-advocacy is huge. It’s not hard to ask our teachers if we can take notes on our computers, and I’ve done this in the past. I hope device rental is encouraged more and teachers find efficient ways to use BYOD. But regardless, we can use BYOD to make the school day easier for everyone.

OPINION 7 arhsharbinger.com

Communication should be clearer with sensitive issues

Harbinger The Algonquin

The student newspaper of Algonquin Regional High School 79 Bartlett St, Northborough, MA 01532 508-351-7010 arhsharbinger@gmail.com www.arhsharbinger.com

Volume 32 Issue 3

Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief

Catherine Hayden & Gabriela Paz-Soldan

Online Editor Liza Armstrong

Photo Editors

Olivia Battles & Jonny Ratner

News Editor Laura Anderson

Sports Editors

Jenny Lambert & Karthik Yalala

A&E Editors

Ava Aymie & Macey Poitras-Cote

Opinion Editors

Aaliyah Yan & Cristina Stassis

Assistant Photo Editor Annabella Ferraiuolo

Assistant News Editors Claire Bai & Melissa Dai

Graphic Caroline Raps

We’ve grown up with school shootings. They have been ingrained into our minds since Sandy Hook. Almost every year since, there has been a major school shooting that makes nationwide headlines. Unfortunately, the Northborough-Southborough community is not immune to these threats, but there are ways in which those in power can help us feel safe in these situations.

While we have been fortunate enough to never have had a school shooting within our walls, our middle schools and high school have had multiple false threats about possible attacks, the most recent in Dec. 2019. These threats are frightening, but a lack of early and clear communication from the administration made the situation even worse.

While there are several legal reasons students can’t be given every single detail about these circumstances, administrators should be more transparent with students about what is happening in the building in which they spend six or more hours each day.

As students, we have a right to know if our safety is threatened and what we can do to avoid this potential risk. We also deserve to know all we legally can about dangerous situations.

Yes, administrators and others can make the argument that some students might be alarmed by the details, but we have all grown up in a culture in which this is our reality. We are familiar with the ALICE drills, the bulletproof backpack and the ample coverage of American school shootings. It’s

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still scary, but many of us don’t know any different.

Algonquin is safe, but we all know it’s not immune to these risks.

Many of us are more scared by the secrecy than the facts. Of course, many of the details have to be withheld from current investigations, but communicating this with students directly is better than letting the rumors manifest. We are understanding people, and we are not mad that we couldn’t know.

We were mad because many of us were never told the reason that no information was given.

Communication is key. It helps to eliminate rumors (which were profuse in the weeks following the threats) and provides us, students who spend much of our waking hours here, a sense of calm and stability in our current culture of gun mania.

While this information was eventually shared, letting students know as early as possible can eliminate many of the rumors and uncertainty that lead to our fear. Through the simple act of clearly telling students and faculty as early as possible what they can know and reasons other information must be withheld, we would feel much more secure during these tumultuous times.

This unsigned editorial reflects the views of The Harbinger Editorial Board.

For up to date sports coverage, videos and slideshows vist arhsharbinger.com

Mission Statement The Harbinger is a student run publication which strives to: • Report in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner • Entertain and start conversation • Be fair and impartial in its coverage

• Accurately portray the culture of the student body • Give voice to the students of Algonquin • Maintain professional standards

Assistant Sports Editor Amy Sullivan

Assistant A&E Editor Brianna Tang

Social Media Editor Cecelia Cappello

Assistant Online Editors

Elena Neilson & Sharada Vishwanath

Graphic Coordinator Sofia Abdullina

Adviser & Photo Adviser

Lindsay Coppens & Michelle Sheppard

Contributing Staff Kathryn Zaia, Jula Utzschneider, Allison Tobin, Matt Smith, Ben Schanzer, Lexi Myerson, Emma Moore, Haley Michel, Jason Michalik, Abby Martinek, Madelyn Kostiw, Colin Kerrigan, Aaron Hafiani, Amanda Ferris, Abby Araujo, Kayla Albers, Maryam Ahmed, Andrew Roberts, Caroline Raps, Shakila Sivarajan, Sahana Sivarajan, Dana Gaudette,Tejas Maraliga, Ethan Moyer, Pranitha Polavarapu, Caroline Raps, Colleen Mulligan, Grace Campbell, Owen Jones, Jason Parker, Kyla Pelham, Karmyn Shreeve, Alyssa Sbordone, Lindsey Rodman

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 reflects only the views of the student staff, its editorial board assumes complete legal liability for the content of the publication.

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 published 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 1500 copies to the school community and paid subscribers six to eight times a year. The Harbinger is printed by School Paper Express.

The Harbinger is affiliated with The New England Scholastic Press Association, The Columbia Scholastic Press Association and The National Scholastic Press Association.

8

FEATURE

The Harbinger - February 2020

Seeking acceptance

Four students share their experien

“[Nature] reminds me of the fact that I have a support system, even if my parents aren’t supportive,” senior Marina Khan, who sits in the woods by the hiking trails, said.

Marina Senior Marina Khan, who is asexual and nonbinary, found a supportive community at Algonquin that she lacked at her previous school.

Khan came to Algonquin as a freshman after attending a private Muslim school where she says many people were homophobic.

“I had told a bunch of my friends there that I was questioning, and one of the girls told me that I need to look to God and I need to basically suppress [my sexuality],” Khan said.

At Algonquin, however, Khan found allies of the LGBT community and feels that her identity is accepted by both students and faculty.

“I came to Algonquin thinking that I was going to be a freak, so when I found out that I wasn’t, it was so nice because I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m not alone,’” Khan said.

“People don’t hate me because of something that I literally cannot control.”

Despite the support she has found, Khan is sometimes hesitant to talk about her identity because she is afraid it might be received poorly.

“I say I like boys and girls, so a lot of times people will assume that I have no morals or I’m confused,” Khan said.

“People will tell me to pick something or they’ll assume that I’m a slut.”

Khan finds it challenging when these assumptions prevent her from speaking about who she is.

“You’re surrounded by people who seem very happy to see you...but you know if they found out about this specific part of you, they wouldn’t be so happy,” Khan said.

At lunch her freshman year, Khan heard people mocking different gender identities, an experience that has stuck with her.

“They were talking about all the different types of nonbinary and saying that they don’t exist and basically saying that there are only two genders,” Khan said. “It made me feel like they’re not very open. They don’t really know what they’re talking about.”

Khan believes educating students about the LGBT community during Biology class would help promote acceptance.

“I’m trying to bring out what the original presidents gave to me and trying to be that rock and foundation,” junior and GSA president Maxwell Vere, who sits during a GSA meeting, said.

Maxwell

Junior and Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) president Maxwell Vere, who is homoflexible, polyamorous and transgender, feels that most students are only tolerant of his LGBT identity rather than accepting.

Vere faced discrimination when he came out his freshman year.

“When I first kept coming out to people, they were really awkward about it and teasing and shoving or making jokes,” Vere said.

One student bullied Vere for a year and a half about his LGBT identity. “[He] would say ‘I wish you were still a girl. You looked prettier as a girl’ or those sort of things or like ‘I can turn you back straight and female,’” Vere said.

Even now, Vere still faces bullying. He overheard other students this year calling him a “faggot” and a “tranny” behind his back in the lunch line.

Vere believes that though most teachers are accepting of the LGBT community, they can sometimes be part of the problem by not taking a stand if they see other students getting bullied.

“Some [teachers] can be quite ignorant to it especially if they see people getting picked on for it,” Vere said. “I’ve seen people get picked on directly in front of teachers, and teachers just walk by. I think that’s a problem in general, not just about the LGBT community” Overall, Vere urges his fellow students to be more sensitive when it comes to someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Stop trying to make jokes about people just because of something like that they’re romantically interested in the same gender or they identify as not what they were born as,” Vere said.

“At the end of the day, I had othe had people who I knew supported am,” senior Raphael Pazi, surround said.

Raphael

Senior Raphael Pazi has fel at Algonquin for being gay, bu group and position as a class o find acceptance for his LGBT i When Pazi came out his f made comments about his se to his face and behind his bac particular, when he was leaving with a few of his girl friends a boys, really struck him.

“One of them was like ‘W here?’ and he looked back and el, what are you doing here?’” showed me how ignorant peopl feelings.”

Most of the time, howeve these comments directly. “[I remember] people talkin being like “Oh, he’s gay. That’s hang out with him,’” Pazi said.

Though he struggled to hav by some, Pazi always had his fri “I didn’t really care [tha things] because my community friend group, was very supporti Pazi is one of the few op grade, which he feels gives him “I feel so judged because going to be like ‘Oh there’s th “...I’ve always hated being like t because of my sexuality.”

Pazi was elected as the Cla ident three years in a row and t president. Running for a class o was pivotal in his journey of f his LGBT identity.

“As a gay person, acceptin ing myself in front of the whol was a turning point for me,” P like ‘Oh, I’m going to find and I’m going to put myself out th that I’ve become.”

FEATURE 9 arhsharbinger.com

e...

nces of being LGBT at Algonquin

er people behind me, and I d me and supported who I ded by three of his friends,

lt discriminated against ut his supportive friend officer have helped him identity. freshman year, people exual orientation both ck. One experience in g the boys’ locker room and passed a group of

What are you girls doing was like ‘Yeah RaphaPazi said. “...That just le can be of someone’s

er, Pazi would not hear

ng behind my back and s weird. I don’t want to

ve his identity accepted iends to rely on. at people were saying y, my most immediate ive,” Pazi said. penly gay males in his m unwanted attention.

I feel like people are he gay kid,’” Pazi said. the center of attention

ass of 2020’s vice-presthis year, he is the class officer position, he says, finding acceptance for

ng who I am and pushle school and my grade Pazi said. “Because I’m d accept who I am, and here as this new person

ACCEPTANCE OR TOLERANCE? Statistics from a Harbinger survey of 215 students conducted through Google Forms from Jan. 12 to Jan. 27

“The first GSA meeting I went to was when I first started to feel better about [my identity],” senior Mary Youssef, who sits outside the room where GSA meetings are held, said.

Mary

Senior Mary Youssef, who identifies as “someone who goes with the flow,” struggled to find her identity, but with the help of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA), gained the confidence to come out.

“I was afraid about coming out and then being wrong about it because then taking that back is a lot harder than saying it,” Youssef said.

When Youssef began attending GSA meetings her freshman year, she started to feel more comfortable with her identity.

“The first GSA meeting I went to was when I first started to feel better about it because at that point, I was like ‘Pansexual seems like the right thing,’ and we were going around and if you wanted to, you could share and someone else said [they were pansexual],” Youssef said. “I vaguely knew her, so I was like ‘Ok, it’s right. It’s okay. I’m validated.’”

In her experience, Youssef has found both the student body and faculty to be largely accepting of members of the LGBT community.

“Sometimes I just come out, and I’ve never had any reaction at all,” Youssef said. “It wasn’t a bad reaction. It wasn’t a good reaction. It was just ok, and I feel like that’s the best reaction.”

However, when Youssef told a male friend who she was romantically involved with about her sexual orientation three years ago, it immediately ruined their relationship.

“It felt horrible honestly because we had gotten really close,” Youssef said. “He cut off the emotional relationship that we had and that kind of sucked because he was one of those people you tell almost everything, and then he was like ‘Nope, bye.’”

65%

of students have heard a slur being used at Algonquin aimed at the LGBT community

10%

of students ranked the student body’s attitude towards those who identify as a sexuality other than heterosexual as “mostly embracing”

33%

of students ranked the faculty’s attitude towards those who identify as a sexuality other than heterosexual as “mostly embracing”

14%

of those who identify as a sexual orientation other than heterosexual have not told anybody

24%

of those who identify as transgender have not told anybody

20%

of students have used a slur aimed at the LGBT community

RESOURCES

Algonquin GSA - Meets Tuesdays after school in D219.

GLSEN - Provides free resources for GSAs and organizes LGBT programs for schools to promote inclusion.

For free and confidential support, call: LGBT National Youth Talkline 800-246-7743 The Trevor Project - 1-866-488-7386 COMPILED GABRIELA PAZ-SOLDAN & CATHERINE HAYDEN PHOTOS JONNY RATNER & OLIVIA BATTLES

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A&E 11 arhsharbinger.com

Voices speak up about hate in ‘Laramie’

‘LARAMIE’ continued from p. 1

This month is the 20th anniversary of the first ever performance of “The Laramie Project.” Directed by Fine and Performing Arts teacher Maura Morrison and science teacher Brian Kelly, the play consists of a series of monologues from letters, interviews, testimonies and journal entries from people who spoke up about the hate crime in Laramie.

“It’s an opportunity for a lot of kids to get involved and to learn the story of [a significant] hate crime of our recent time,” Kelly said. “It shows that we’ve come so far, but also not necessarily far enough in the way that we treat other people and in the perceptions that we have of other people.”

Shepard’s murder is one of the most well-known hate crimes in recent American history and lead to an upsurge of advocacy for hate crime legislation. In response to his murder, the US Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009.

“What this murder did is it sparked a lot of national and international activism and acknowledgment of hate not only for homosexuality, but for racism and tons of things that were happening around the country and across the world,” Kelly said.

In addition to the powerful subject, Morrison was drawn to the play’s unconventional form.

“It’s a documentary-style play, so it’s very different from a play where characters are interacting with each other in a storyline,” Morrison said.

The monologues will be performed by the ensemble cast of 20, each with an equally important role.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Waiting to say his lines, senior Mike Cowdrey-Vautier sits silently at the front of the stage during a recent “Laramie Project” rehearsal.

Hannah O’Grady

Marin Klein

Sophomore

Junior

What character do you play?

“I’m Sherry, who was the landlord of one of the murderers.”

What character do you play?

“I am the judge of the whole murder trial.”

What are some takeaways that you have from playing your character?

“I think we want to send the message that there are still good people in the town [of Laramie], and there are still people willing to fight and stand up for people who are oppressed like this.”

What are some takeaways that you have from playing your character?

“Definitely the message of holding yourself accountable for hate and actively working to stop it to avoid waiting for a horrible event like this to happen. Be aware, because Sherry never saw the murder coming.”

Chris Carreras Junior

What character do you play?

“I play Reverend Fred Phelps. He acts in the story as someone who’s very outwardly against homosexuality and tries to fight the movement for gay rights.”

What are some takeaways that you have from playing your character?

“There are people in the world who are bad, and you can see they’re monsters but this guy, he’s just another person out there that people listen to because he sounds very logical. A lot of people don’t think of him as a monster.”

PHOTOS JONNY RATNER

Students participate at MMEA Central District Concert Brianna Tang & Macey Poitras-Cote Assistant A&E Editor & A&E Editor

This year, 15 musicians from Algonquin were accepted to perform in the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Central District Concert Festival. Auditions took place on Saturday Nov. 16, and those who were accepted performed at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Saturday Jan. 18. Justin Wang (violin) and Hannah O’Grady (voice) will participate at the All State Music Festival at Symphony Hall in Boston on March 7.

Orchestra

Three Algonquin Orchestra members, freshmen Madeline Jiang, Gracie Sheng, and sophomore Justin Wang participated in the MMEA Central District Orchestra Concert.

The audition pieces were given to the Orchestra during the summer, and they had until November to practice. The rehearsal process consisted of two after-school rehearsals followed by a dress rehearsal and concert all within one week.

“Each rehearsal is between four to five hours, but they’re really fun,” Wang said. “The community is great and I have a lot of friends.”

The orchestra performed three pieces: “Act III Prelude from Lohengrin” by Wagner, “Symphony No. 5, Mvmt. 2”

by Tchaikovsky, and “Slavonic Dance, Op. 46 No. 1” by Dvorak.

“I think the performance went well and it sounded really good,” Sheng said.

Six chorus students, senior Preston Green, sophomore Hannah O’Grady, junior Miranda Singluff, junior Sravya Tanikella, senior Matt Webster and sophomore Aimee Yu, participated at the MMEA Central District Chorus competition.

Chorus

Choral students were given a piece over the summer to practice and rehearse for their audition.

They also practiced the piece in groups prior to the audition. “[The piece] wasn’t English, so I went to [fine and performing arts teacher Kathrine] Waters for help, and we all went to her for help,” Yu said.

For the audition, each person sings the prepared piece, then they get about 16 measures of a piece they have not seen before to sight sing and lastly they have to sing different intervals of notes.

“Basically, you get a rubric and you are graded on it [during your audition] and if you get a certain number of points you receive an All State recommendation,” Yu said.

Four students from Algonquin received an All State recommendation: Green, O’Grady, Yu and Tanikella.

The All-State Conference and Exhibition will take place March 5-7.

Band

This year, four Algonquin concert band members and one jazz band member participated in the District Concert.

Freshman Cam Jackson, sophomore Anastasia Gaskamp, junior Anna Roumiantsev, and senior Ayah Basmeh were the four concert band members.

The concert band played four unique pieces for the musicians to play.

“I liked how the conductor picked two modern pieces and two older pieces,” Roumiantsev said. “It was a variety and different from what we usually do.”

Junior Scott Alberti was the only member from Algonquin playing in the jazz band. Sophomore Andrew Lee was accepted but unable to attend due to a math competition.

“Districts is one of the most fun experiences in school and out of school for me,”Alberti said. “You meet friends there and you get to know people; almost everyone is there for the music which is awesome.”

12 A&E The Harbinger - February 2020

Photos that tell stories

ART GLOW UP

Harby’s V-Day Playlist

part 1

From freshman to senior year, Algonquin students’ artwork has developed and excelled in numerous ways. Over the next few print issues, Harbinger will explore the “glow ups” of some senior art students. First up, senior Kayla Dantz has shifted from taking “pretty pictures” to telling impactful stories through her photography.

MACEY POITRASCOTE A&E Editor

Senior Kayla Dantz has advanced her photography skills through the numerous art classes she has taken during her time at Algonquin.

Dantz started by taking Art 1 and Sewing her freshman year, and she is currently taking AP 2D Design, AP Photography and Advanced Art 2. Through the classes she has taken, she has been able to improve her work.

“I think my concepts have gotten stronger,” Dantz said. “I used to take photos just to make pretty pictures but now I feel more inclined to tell a story.”

Dantz gives credit to the classes and assignments she has done to improve her work.

She also credits her college application process.

“Applying to art schools often means explaining your work and writing artist statements, which pushed me to create things that I wanted to explain,” Dantz said.

When Dantz was first getting into photography, she shot some photos for a friend of hers. The feedback she got from her friend fueled her passion for photography.

“She told me that the way I took pictures of her made her feel so much better about

herself,” Dantz said. “That’s probably the best compliment a photographer could ask for and I feel very rewarded after getting that kind of feedback from people.”

Dantz also appreciates how photography is able to tie in other outlets of art, such as her other passions for fashion and dance. She also likes the fact that messages can easily be spread through the use of photography.

“Now, I think I enjoy [ p h o t o g r a p hy ] because I recognize the unlimited volume of messages that we can spread through photos,” Dantz said. “TakKayla Dantz ing a meaningful photo can speak louder than anything.”

Dantz is currently furthering her passion for photography in AP Photo class. She is working with other students on a “sustained investigation” portfolio for the rest of the semester.

In college, Dantz hopes to combine her love for the arts with her passion for the environment.

“I’m planning on studying fashion and environmental science because I am very passionate about design and I recognize, and want to eliminate, the large role that fast fashion plays in climate change,” Dantz said.

For whatever your Valentine’s Day holds, Harby has the tunes for you.

NEW LOVE:

“SAME LOVE”

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

“Marvin Gaye”

Charlie Puth (Ft. Meghan Trainor)

“Freedom! ‘90” George Michael

“Come to my Window” Melissa Etheridge

OLD LOVE:

“Cry to Me”

Solomon Burke

“Say You Love Me” Fleetwood Mac

“Is This Love?”

Bob Marley

“Night Moves” Bob Seger

BREAK UPS:

“Since U Been Gone” Kelly Clarkson

“Baby”

Born Without Bones PHOTOS KAYLA DANTZ

Top: Senior Kayla Dantz snaps this photo of her father’s hand for Photo I her sophomore year.

Bottom: Last spring, Dantz photographed junior Allyson Cashin wearing a garmet she created herself. Cashin is supose to mock a black bird. The photo was made from a silver gelatin Holga print giving it the unique style.

Flour Bakery creates tasty pastries, savory options KATHRYN ZAIA Staff Writer

Fresh baked cookies, still warm from the oven. Cloud-like lemon meringue complete with flaky pastry. With an extensive menu offering both its signature desserts and an impressive array of savory options, Flour Bakery in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood is the optimal destination for a delicious meal or a quick bite.

Founded in 2000 by renowned pastry chef Joanne Chang, Flour entered the bakery scene with a clear mission. According to their website, they aim for “each customer’s experience to be full of delight,” and guarantee “great food, gracious

PHOTO BRIANNA TANG

Flour Bakery’s iconic sticky bun.

service, warm atmosphere, heady aromas, and irresistible displays.”

Flour’s dessert-centric philosophy is apparent within moments of entry. Decorative writing on the wall displays Flour’s motto: “Make life sweeter. Eat dessert first.”

Visitors are greeted with a display case hosting an impressive array of baked goods—exquisite cakes, still-warm blueberry muffins, rich chocolate brownies, and a pop of color from a row of fruit tarts. Although the restaurant is usually packed with customers, wall-to-wall windows create an impression of spaciousness. Seating at a counter or tables is often limited but ordering food to go or waiting for seats is well worth it.

Despite a busy environment, Flour servers work efficiently to accommodate the masses of customers while maintaining a friendly demeanor. Staff members always had a smile to offer despite the pressure of a line of eager customers.

Although I was struck by the friendly, pleasant and bustling environment, I was anticipating the food above all else. The reasoning behind Flour’s intriguingly dessert-focused motto become clear after trying their sweets.

Out of a spread of desserts ranging from carrot cake to cinnamon rolls, Flour’s homemade oreos truly exemplify their confectionary prowess. Although a take on the traditional snack, these sandwiched cookies bear little resemblance to

the simple flavors of their namesake. The chocolate of the cookies is rich and dark, lending complexity and depth to the dish; a thick layer of creamy vanilla frosting is sweeter, complementing the chocolate to perfection.

Contrary to the focus on sweets put forth by Flour’s motto, their savory offerings were delicious and satisfying as well. During my visit, I enjoyed the Greek salad—a balanced blend of lemon- thyme chicken, fresh lettuce, red onions, olives and peppers. The smooth taste is punctuated by bursts of flavor from the olives and crisp banana peppers. The chicken, meanwhile, is more delicate, with the lemon flavor just strong enough to hold its own against other ingredients.

Prospective customers should be aware of Flour’s prices, with a full sandwich or salad starting around $10. Customers may want to plan on spending a little extra on the irresistible desserts, starting at $2.50.

Algonquin students can easily visit Flour by taking the commuter rail to Back Bay Station. Although I dined at the Back Bay location, this Boston staple has eight locations, ranging from the South End to Fort Point Channel.

Flour’s bustling atmosphere and lively decor make it a fun and unique Boston destination. Whether stopping in for a satisfying lunch or just one of their signature sweets, Flour is an unsurpassable casual dining experience.

“Walk away as the door slams” Lil Peep

“Marvins Room” Drake

LOVE YOURSELF:

“I Love It”

Icona Pop (Ft. Charli XCX)

“Love Song” Sara Bareilles

“Love”

Lana Del Rey

“Interlude (That’s Love)” Chance the Rapper

SINGLE ON VALENTINES:

“Blind Valentine” Metric

“Flare Guns”

Quinn XCII, (Ft. Chelsea Cutler)

“Kiss Me”

Sixpence None the Richer

“How’s It Going to Be” Third Eye Blind

NETFLIX AND CHILL:

“Juke Jam”

Chance the Rapper (Ft. Justin Bieber and Tokwio)

“Soulmate” Mac Miller

“Just Can’t Get Enough” The Black Eyed Peas

“LOVE”

Kendrick Lamar (Ft. Zacari) COMPILED ELENA NEILSON

ADVERTISEMENT 13 arhsharbinger.com

14 SPORTS The Harbinger - Feburary 2020

Swim, dive teams finish their season in success

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

At a meet against AMSA on Jan. 16, senior Sara Prendergast competes in the 500 freestyle event.

JENNY LAMBERT Sports Editor

The girls’ and boys’ swim and dive teams dominated their regular seasons, finishing with overall records of 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.

The undefeated girls’ team placed first out of 12 teams in the Midland Wachusett League Invitational Swim & Dive Meet on Thursday, Jan. 30. The girls have been league meet champions for three consecutive years and have a 103-3 record since 2012. The boys’ team came in second in the league to Nashoba High School.

At the Central Sectional Championship Meet on Sunday, Feb. 9, the girls’ team finished 11th and the boys’ team placed 14th. Senior captain Lizzie Meschisen repeated as the one meter diving champion.

Along with Meschisen, Alexi Wong is the captain for the girls’ team. The boys’ captains are seniors Josh Tattelman and James Carroll.

“We have an amazing group of swimmers; they all

give their heart into every race,” Tattelman said.

At the league meet, the girls placed first in three of the twelve events. Taking first were Meschisen in the one meter dive, sophomore Angela Lin in the 100 meter breaststroke and seniors Samatha Hostage, Jillian Trudo, Haley Rybarczyk and Leona Sungkharom in the 200 meter free relay.

Meschisen is Algonquin’s only diver and has been a strong asset to the team throughout her high school diving career. Her dives have led the team to several wins this season. She won the sectional meet, placed third in the state last year and will compete at the upcoming State meet. She also placed 11th her freshman year and 6th her sophomore year at States. According to Meschisen, swimmers consider the State meet as an individual meet for personal bests, but scores are counted towards the team at the end.

“My goal is to win both the sectional and state title this year,” Meschisen said.

The teams beat their rivals, the Westborough Rang-

ers, in a dual meet at the Boroughs YMCA on Sunday, Jan. 12, which was a highlight of their season, according to coach Jean Fedak, Meschisen and Tattelman.

“Any meet where we expect it to be close and we pull together and win is a great meet,” Fedak said. “The Westborough meet was a great example of this. We knew they had tremendous talent and we knew that we had to stay focused and determined in order to win.”

For the boys’ team, the meet came down to the 4x100 relay.

“The entire team was standing at the end of the lanes screaming and cheering. I was timing and listening to the boys hype each other up was hilarious,” Meschisen said.

Each year, it is tradition for the winning team to throw their coaches in the pool.

“The Westborough meet is always fun and the kids love it because they get to throw the coaches in the pool,” Fedak said.

Fedak attributes the teams’ success to talent and chemistry.

“The team truly likes each other,” Fedak said. “I have always said when team members are having fun, the winning just seems to come.”

Meschisen appreciates how the girls’ and boys’ teams are unified.

“Both teams have a cohesive dynamic when it comes to supporting each other and having fun during the season,” Meschisen said. “Bus rides, pasta parties and cheering for each other during meets highlight our team pride.”

Now, the girls will participate in the Division 1 State Championships on Saturday, Feb. 15 and the boys will on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Boston University at 7:30 PM. Meschisen is proud of the team and knows she has been part of something special.

“It was an honor to be a captain for this team, and I will forever cherish the memories and friends I made,” Meschisen said. “Everybody on the team is outstanding both in and out of the water, and I wish the team the best of luck in future years.”

Fedak is also proud of the team’s strength for so many years.

“Our strength lies in our depth, our consistency in supporting our lead swimmers, an incredible diver, great senior leadership, captains who care about teammates and T-Hawk grit,” Fedak said.

opinion

Sports form bonds that go beyond the game

Seniors commit to college

Whether playing or being a fan, sports bring people together

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Staff Writer Sofia Roumiantsev dribbles the ball in a unified basketball game on Oct. 22. Roumiantsev asserts sports have not only helped her physically, but they have also helped her develop bonds with her peers.

SOFIA ROUMIANTSEV Staff Writer

Sports may not be for everyone, but for some, they can be a source of great enjoyment. Playing sports can help one’s physical development as well as their education. Sports are an excellent opportunity to keep the body in good condition as well as building a close bond with one’s partner or teammates.

For example, my parents go running every morning together, which helps them to build a closer bond. Most people think that playing sports is just a game, but in reality, it’s a way to bond with family.

I have been doing sports all my life because I am surrounded by an athletic family. For example, both of my parents run, both of my siblings swim, and my sister also plays rugby. I am on both the Special Olympics swim and ski teams, as

well as the unified track and basketball teams. I am also involved in local sports such as Southborough Recreation soccer in the Southborough community.

Playing and participating in sports is a great way to make life-long friends and meet new people. One of my friends that I have met playing sports is junior Kate McNeil. We both like the same music. Kate and I both play in the same lead position in basketball: point guard. During the basketball games, we encourage each other with a loud cheer.

I am also an avid sports watcher of professional sports like basketball, football and hockey. I like these sports because all the players are united and they work together to accomplish their winning goals. They yell and shout to support each other which brings the crowd together.

Being a sports fan of local professional teams, you can easily make lifelong memories. For instance, I went to my first NFL game in Arizona where I watched Arizona Cardinals vs Detroit Lions. Because it was my first NFL game, I enjoyed the constant support by the yelling and screaming of the Arizona Cardinals.

Whether it is watching a football game on TV or playing outside, sports can bring a lot of benefits to a person’s life. People should get more active and go out into the community to see what they can do for a job that can make a difference in someone’s life.

Greg Rosen

New York University Baseball

“I’m excited for both the academic and the baseball opportunities and the new people I’m going to meet. I look forward to playing with the team and just developing as a person and as a player.”

Colby Gillis

Nichols College Lacrosse

“Lacrosse has been a really big part of my life. I made a lot of friends and I’d like to continue that through the next four years if I can.”

COMPILED AMY SULLIVAN & JONNY RATNER

SPORTS 15 arhsharbinger.com

Males participate in female-dominated sport

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

As sophomore Luke Tegan does a front handspring onto the vaulting horse, he prepares to land on the mat.

AVA AYMIE A&E Editor

The gymnastics team showcases the talent of two male gymnasts, sophomores Max Hanna and Luke Tegan, in a usually female-dominated sport. “[Hanna and Tegan] add an element we have never had before,” senior captain Elizabeth Shaw said. “They brought in

a new perspective and energy to the team.”

Hanna, who declined to be interviewed for this article, started competing on the team during his freshman year, while Tegan started his sophomore year. Despite the difference in gender, the boys are scored based on the same standards as their female competitors.

“It’s different [for boys] because it’s a girls’ team, so the boys have to compete in girl events,” Tegan said. “It’s harder for us to adapt toward their type of gymnastics.”

The gymnastics team competes on vault, floor, beam and floor. Traditionally males compete on vault, floor, horizontal bar, parallel bars, rings and pommel horse.

Tegan said the team has welcomed the boys just like every other female teammate.

“Everyone on the team is very nice; they “They brought in don’t really care that there a new perspective are boys,” Tegan said. “If anything, they like it be- and energy to the cause it makes our team team.” stand out more.”

ELIZABETH SHAW Most of the high school gymnastics teams SENIOR CAPTAIN they compete against consist of only girls.

“So far we have only seen one school with a guy [gymnast],” Tegan said.

This is the first time that boys have competed in gymnastics at Algonquin since the boys’ gymnastics team was cut in the 1990s.

Gymnastics is a constantly changing sport, which adds to the challenge of being on the team, Tegan claims. “[The hardest part is] trying to push yourself to change,” Tegan said. “You’re constantly adding new things to your routines and it’s hard because you are basically competing with each other to compete on the team. You have to constantly try to get better and better.”

The boys have learned different styles of gymnastics than the girls, causing them to have less knowledge about certain events.

“The gymnastics that they did growing up would only be floor and vault,” senior captain Demetra Safiol said. “Those are the only [events] that are the same, but they can do bars and beam if they want to.”

Tegan enjoys the team’s chemistry and friendliness.

“It’s like a little family,” Tegan said. “Everyone on there is super nice, there has never been drama, everyone’s really chill with one another.”

Indoor track teams break records, girls win districts Girls’ indoor track won the Central Massachusetts District Championship Meet for the first time in program history.

First place winners included junior Day Ruffo in the 300 meter and junior Anna Long in the 1000 meter. Juniors Christina DeFeudis, Danielle Defeudis, Gracie Hartnett and Ruffo also placed first in the 4x200 meter relay. Seniors Kathryn Mccarthy and Julia Kardos, sophomore Olivia Kardos and Long placed first in the 4x800 meter relay.

Both the girls’ and boys’ teams broke records throughout the season. Records were broken by five athletes.

New Indoor Track Records Senior Quinn Potter Two mile 9:55.93

Junior Cole Gamache Five kilometer 16:52.4

Sophomore Olivia Kardos 400 meters 1:05.24

Junior Christina DeFeudis Long jump 16’5.5

Junior Day Ruffo 200 meters 27.25

COMPILED AALIYAH YAN, MACEY POITRAS-COTE & JENNY LAMBERT

Girls’, boys’ soccer coaches win coach of year

Taggart honored with award for the first time

In his final season, girls’ soccer coach Scott Taggart received his first Central Mass Division One coach of the year award after an outstanding and memorable 2019 season.

Morin claims award after strong season

After a great 2019 season, boys’ soccer coach Ken Morin was awarded the MID WACH A league coach of the year.

COURTESY JEFF SLOVIN

Boys’ soccer coach Ken Morin discusses team strategy during a break in the game on Nov. 6 vs. Westborough. Morin won 2019 coach of the year.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

After winning the Central Mass. Division One championship, senior Megan Keller poses with coach Scott Taggart. Taggart was honored as 2019 coach of the year.

What do you think this award symbolizes?

“I think it’s a lot of hard work and a lot of time, but also a lot of enjoyment and it’s kind of a combination of all the years that I’ve been at Algonquin, and with it being my last, it was a nice tribute to receive.”

How do you feel about the award?

“It’s a nice honor to have but you also understand that soccer is a game, it’s a players game, and you have to have the players in order to be successful on the field. I certainly recognize that, so I really give the credit to them.”

How do you feel about the award?

“I think it’s a reflection of the guys on the team more than it is about the coach. I think maybe the reason that I was even thought of for this particular award is because everyone realized I had a really young team, and maybe didn’t expect the quality and the style of play that we were able to produce with such a young team.”

What made this season different from other seasons you have coached?

“I think the fact that we had such a young group of guys was kind of cool in the regard that they were really willing to listen and learn and go about new and different strategies that we’ve had in the past.”

COMPILED AMY SULLIVAN

SPORTS 16 arhsharbinger.com

There’s SNOW place like home (games)

PHOTOS JONNY RATNER

At halftime of a home basketball game on Friday, Jan. 31, the cheerleaders displayed the school’s name as part of their routine.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Skating past Marlboro defenders, junior Jack Shemligian moves the puck towards the goal. Marlboro defeated Algonquin 4-1.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Performing a mat return, junior Jason Vanni lifts his opponent. Vanni added to the team’s score to defeat Leominster 48-12.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

With her eyes on the basket, sophomore Danielle Adams shoots the ball over a Leominster defender. Algonquin won 55-50 with Adams putting up 24 points.

PHOTO JONNY RATNER

Sophomore Jack Borden comes to a stop after finishing his run in a meet against multiple other schools at Ski Ward on Feb. 6. At this meet, the boys’ team placed fifth and the girls’ team remained undefeated.

PHOTO JASON PARKER

After driving past Nashoba defenders, junior Jacob Carulli goes in for a layup. Algonquin won 63-34 on Jan. 2.

PHOTO OWEN JONES

Looking towards the goal, senior Ella Kea advances the puck down the ice against Framingham on Jan. 13. Algonquin won 6-0. Girls’ hockey has qualified for playoffs.