If the last two years of living with COVID-19 have shown us anything, it is that the normal we knew on March 12, 2020 is a life no one will ever get to live again. In times like today, it is crucial to find a silver lining— that is what can keep us, humankind, going.
Due to COVID-19, we had been thrust into a world of online learning and socially distanced living. Just as it was necessary to adjust to that reality, we must now come to terms with our new world, both socially and educationally. The new normal is one of con stant doubt, and life will never be what it was three years ago. But our current situation is the closest thing we have to that version of “normal,” and there are some things we can be sure of.
As a school, we can look forward to school wide events. This spring, the juniors and se niors both had proms, occasions that many had looked forward to since freshman year. Additionally, Algonquin hosted the first out door Carnival since 2018, whose live music and food trucks were enjoyed by many.
Despite this returning excitement and joy, it is also important to acknowledge some of
the more serious things that have been on students’ minds. Our nation has experienced numerous tragedies in recent months, includ ing the events in Uvalde, Texas and the other 245 mass shootings since the start of 2022. The Supreme Court has drafted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that could alter the lives of women across the country. While it is important to be discussing these topics and standing up for our values, it is equally important to be taking care of ourselves and allowing ourselves time to rest and recuper ate. Summer is quickly approaching, which provides students, teachers and community members an opportunity for reflection and recovery after a stressful year.
Moving forward into the summer and into next year, it will be important to find a bal ance between continuing to address difficult and serious situations while still enjoying and appreciating the fun aspects of school and home life. There will certainly be ups and downs, but we look forward to going on that journey with you.
JULA UTZSCHNEIDER Editor-in-Chief
RIYA MAHANTA Managing Editor
BEN SCHANZER Managing Editor
PRIYA MARALIGA Photo Editor
KATY O’CONNELL Photo Editor
MARYGRACE SARRASIN News Editor
ELLIE O’CONNOR Asst News Editor
SAHANA SIVARAJAN Business Manager
AMELIA SINCLAIR News Editor
ZOE MANOUSOS A&E Editor
JEFFREY DRATCH Opinion Editor
JOCELINE GIRON Multimedia Editor
GRACE BOUZAN Sports
MAGGIE HAVEN A&E
LILA SHIELDS Opinion
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
Melissa Dai, Jessie Lambert, Srishti Kaushik, Tisya Singh, Jadyn Jacobs, Claire Bai, Brianna Tang, Amy Sullivan, Juliette Piovoso, Andrew Roberts, Leann Jenks, Rushil Singh, Caroline Lou, Olivia Kardos, Dayeon Lee, Zach Ely, Tucker Paquette, Victoria Andreev, Yahya Ibrahimi, Sania Hasan, Ava Arcona, 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, Meredith Sainsbury, Ellie Ouano, Sania Hasan, Meredith Wu, Karma Bebawy, Kate DiTullio
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Lindsay Coppens & Michelle Sheppard
In the six years I have attended Northbor ough-Southborough Public Schools, I’ve nev er had a non-white teacher.
As a student of color, this has impacted me and my education. Even though all my teach ers that I’ve had were wonderful, I never felt represented.
Diversity is critical; without diversity in places such as schools and offices, key voic es are not being heard and that is our loss. At Algonquin, minority students are constantly looking through windows and never through a mirror, which is not ok.
Algonquin’s profiles of student population and of teacher population on the MA Depart ment of Elementary & Secondary Education reveal that our school district has a lot of work to do to make sure all students are being seen and represented.
Research from the Learning Policy Institute shows that all students benefit from having teachers of color. Increasing teacher diversity will not only improve learning for all students, but it will also close achievement gaps which will lead to less differences in success rates among students.
Diversity is extremely significant for stu dents of color so they feel represented and have someone to look up to. The same re search shows that students of color will have higher test scores and are more likely to grad uate high school when they have teachers of color.
Now, looking back from this year, many key events like George Floyd’s death have opened people’s eyes to discrimination and brutality.
Algonquin has made commendable efforts like having the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
teach kids to become peer leaders. Howev er, if we want to make minority students feel welcome, we should hire a more diverse staff to make them feel represented.
Principal Sean Bevan shares this same phi losophy.
“It is incredibly important to recruit teach ers of color at Algonquin,” Bevan said. “Re search shows that a diverse faculty has never been here. However, all districts want to have a more racially diverse faculty.”
Additionally, there is evidence that minori ty teachers leave their field at higher rates than white teachers. Some teachers report feeling isolated and misunderstood in schools where they are the only, or one of few, teach ers of color.
Bevan acknowledges this same sentiment.
“We do have few educators of color; how ever, they are not with other teachers of color so they may feel isolated,” Bevan said.
One of the reasons why Algonquin might have few teachers of color is because of our mainly white towns. Due to less diversity in Northborough and Southborough, teachers of color may choose to work in other towns and cities at schools with a more diverse community population.
Heather Richards, the Executive Direc tor of Human Resources of the Northbor ough-Southborough Public Schools, is striv ing to make a difference and recruit teachers of color.
“One of the things that I have done is cre ating a Linkedin presence since that is the premier professional networking site and the district uses this tool to assist in recruiting educators and staff of color by visibility in
specific groups as well as 1:1 recruiting,” Rich ards said. “We also advertise in diverse publi cations [online and print] such as The Banner and El Mundo to increase visibility with op portunities.”
According to Richards, the District has re cently applied for diversity grants with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide resources to assist in increasing the staff of color.
Richards is one of the many people striving to make a difference in our school. However, is this enough? I think that the district is cer tainly trying to hire teachers of color, but a lot more work needs to be done.
Our community is filled with great people working together to make the world a better place for now and for tomorrow. To make sure that all perspectives and experiences are val ued and for more students to be able to see themselves reflected in the educators, our district should make every effort to hire more teachers of color. Additionally, we should continue to include public reporting on the diversity of students and faculty.
All students, faculty, administrators and community members should embrace the idea that diversity is crucial in schools along with believing that academic excellence de pends on a diverse faculty. If both adults and children make it their mission to cultivate inclusion and celebrate diversity, we can be come an even more inclusive school where every student thrives.
This article was published in April 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Early in 2022, the College Board an nounced many changes to the SAT exam, which has long been a part of high school stu dents’ college applications. Some of the major changes include the test shifting completely online and the length decreasing from three to two hours.
The SAT has a long history of adjustments to the exam content, but this new announce ment has brought the most radical changes by far. It’s clear from the choices the College Board made that they are trying to appeal to students in a time where exam scores like the SAT and ACT are losing importance in the col lege admissions process.
With the lack of SAT testing sites due to the pandemic, about 75% of schools have switched to test-optional or test-blind during the 2021-22 admissions process. This has left the College Board scrambling to regain cred ibility and relevance for the SAT—a test that brings in a significant portion of the College Board’s $1.1 billion in annual revenue.
To be honest, I’m truly glad to see it. As a
first-generation student in the US, I remem ber the shock my family and I felt as we paid the College Board fees left and right for ex ams and sent test scores to colleges. This part of high school has become an industry that milks money out of students who are just try ing to begin their lives.
Standardized testing has been challenged recently, as colleges are finally taking into consideration that not everyone can be evalu ated the same. That’s why while these chang es to the SAT are improving opportunities for students, it doesn’t save the SAT from a future where testing and exams could be completely reformed; none of these changes address the big issue. The SAT has created a world where a student’s ability to achieve a good score is influenced by their wealth, privilege and race.
On the other hand, I find it hard to criticize the recent changes due to the lengths the College Board has gone to to make the test more available and inclusive to all students. The College Board promised a shorter test, comprising smaller reading passages and a conjoined math section. Students won’t have to rush to fill in answer sheets or sit around waiting for the proctors to complete their te dious procedures.
However, the new auto-save feature to prevent students from losing their progress due to internet issues does not solve all the problems with the digitized test. Many schools across the country (and internation ally) cannot afford devices for students who do not have personal devices. The cost of each test remains $55, which adds up, con sidering students usually end up taking the test at least twice. How is the College Board planning on dealing with these significantly larger issues that trace back to the core of the current education system, which has now become an industry?
The SAT is losing relevance but is certainly not becoming obscure in the near future. In the meantime, students can enjoy the tempo rary relief these new changes bring and hope for better days for upcoming high schoolers.
This article was published in April 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Millions of women across the US could soon lose their legal right to abortion, ac cording to a leaked Supreme Court majority opinion. The document, published by Politico late Monday evening, suggests the possible overturning of the 1973 decision that legal ized abortion nationwide.
According to the majority opinion draft, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the court would overturn Roe’s holding of a federal constitutional right to an abortion. If the court strikes down the Roe v. Wade ruling, individu al states could ban abortion if they wish. This would mean that over 36 million women who can become pregnant would lose access to this relevant medical treatment.
“If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” President Joe Biden said in a state ment on Tuesday.
Banning abortions does not reduce the practice; it just forces women seeking abor tions to do them unsafely. In areas where abortion is illegal (or highly restricted), wom en often resort to hazardous means of ending their unwanted pregnancies, including self-in flicted abdominal and bodily trauma, inges tion of dangerous chemicals and reliance on unqualified abortion providers, among others. From 2010 to 2014, the number of abortions
that occured in countries where abortion is illegal was nearly identical to countries where it is legal. People will seek abortions whether they are legal or not.
Meanwhile, when women can legally ac cess abortion, it’s one of the safest medical procedures. In the United States, abortion has a safety record of over 99%—a percentage that will likely plummet with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Parenthood should not be forced. Children are more likely to grow up in a suitable envi ronment when their parents actually want and have the ability to care for them.
Furthermore, an abortion ban would dis proportionately harm those with low incomes and individuals in rural areas. People without access to the resources and support they need to travel out of state may be forced to carry pregnancies against their will or seek abortion outside of the healthcare system.
Human rights are non-negotiable. Women have made incredible strides in recent years regarding equality and progress, Roe v. Wade included. This decision would erase nearly 50 years of precedent and could open the door for more oppressive legislation in the future Ending Roe v. Wade is an attack on person al health. It is a fundamental right for individ uals to make their own wellness decisions. It is important to realize, however, that this fight
is not over yet, as the leaked document is merely a draft. We must continue all efforts to uphold the decision made in Roe v. Wade and prevent its overturning.
To contribute to the cause, you can contact your representatives at every level of gov ernment, and remind them of real-life conse quences to abortion bans. If possible, you can also donate to the National Network of Abor tion Funds where your contribution is split between nearly 80 different abortion clinics across state lines.
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
GRAPHIC KARMA BEBAWY AMELIA SINCLAIR News Editor
A quick Google search will tell you Snow White was only 14. Another will tell you Prince Florian was 31. He was a middle-aged man who courted a barely pubescent girl. Ew. Now, what’s more horrifying is that this is le gally allowed in Massachusetts.
Currently, Massachusetts has no legal min imum for how young a child can be married as long as they have parental consent. With this in mind, any student at Algonquin can just be married off to the suitor their parents desire. There is currently a proposed bill that could eliminate this loophole. While it has been unanimously passed by the State Senate, it is still being deliberated by state legislators.
Child marriage is far more dangerous than what the cliché fairytales show. In Massa chusetts, parents have the unlimited power to choose when their children are “ready” for marriage. They could look at their five-yearold if they wanted and just decide they must
have an undying love for a thirty-year-old man. This opens up the door for various types of abuse and manipulation at the hands of their “partner.”
According to a Human Rights Watch ar ticle, girls are more likely to be subjected to child marriage than boys, and this increases risks to their health including STD transmis sion, depression, PTSD and later-in-life heart disease and/or obesity.
Considering the primary demographic of married children are girls, the risk of teenage pregnancy increases. Additionally, the risk for sexual violence is increased regardless of the victim’s sex.
A 7 News Boston investigation “found most couples are younger women, some as young as 14, married to older men, some times a decade or two older.”
Children married off have a new influx of responsibilities involved with being a mature partner. There is no way for them to be able
to devote themselves to friends, education and simply enjoying their childhood. It’s un likely they’d be able to maintain grades while maintaining a household. The neglect of their education limits their opportunities after school, including job options.
If a minor wants to escape an abusive mar riage, they cannot legally file for divorce until they are 18. They also have extremely limited resources for shelters or safe houses for do mestic violence, which could potentially trap them in a violent situation.
Beyond the obvious detriments to the chil dren involved, Massachusetts officials should also be held accountable for their blatant al lowance of pedophilia. Grown adults marry ing children is far much more than a fairytale; it’s disgusting and puts everyone involved at risk.
This article was published in April 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
In recent weeks, students and teachers have adapted to challenges arising from a na tion-wide paper shortage that has decreased availability and increased costs of paper.
As a result of the pandemic, the cost of paper across the country has dramatically increased, and the availability of copy paper has plummeted. Director of Finance for the Northborough-Southborough Public School District Rebecca Pellegrino explains that the issue dates back to the beginning of the pan demic.
“It is my understanding that at the height of the pandemic, the demand for copy paper plummeted, and as a result, many of the paper mills either shut down or converted to corru gated paper,” Pellegrino said. “As the demand has ramped up, those mills have chosen not to revert back to regular paper because of the cost that’s involved. The mills that are in op eration are experiencing staff shortages, and there is also a shortage of paper pulp.”
In June of 2021, the cost of one case of pa per was just over $25. According to Pellegrino, the district is now paying more than $44 per case of paper. That is a 59% increase in the cost of paper—a direct result of the shortage— which could grow even more as time goes on.
“We are actually being told that over the
next few months, prices are only expected to increase as a result of all of these factors,” Pel legrino said.
According to Pellegrino, the public schools in Northborough and Southborough are not alone in this experience, as the shortage is af fecting schools all over the country.
“It’s my understanding that this is a na tion-wide issue,” Pellegrino said. “We’ve done a lot of research trying to find paper from oth er suppliers, and the costs have exploded for all of the various vendors that are available.”
The district itself has very little control over how and when paper will be readily available again, but it has been collaborating with com panies such as W.B. Mason in order to supply paper to the schools. On Feb. 10, 160 cases of paper were delivered to the school.
Principal Sean Bevan is empathetic towards teachers who have had to adapt their lesson plans in order to accommodate the paper shortage, and he appreciates everyone’s co operation.
“It’s almost entirely how teachers’ instruc tion is heavily reliant on paper,” Bevan said. “A lot of it simply falls to teachers to, yet again, adjust their instruction, as they have been used to in the last two years. This is yet an other impact of COVID, and yet another time
when our teachers, who are already working very hard, are being asked to be innovative and flexible and understanding.”
Some teachers and students have been impacted by the shortage differently than others. Lauren Hesemeyer, who teaches Ge ometry at the College Prep level, thinks it has been challenging to accommodate the lack of paper.
“Since I teach Geometry (CP), which re quires a lot of visual math like diagrams, it has really become a tough decision as to whether I decide to print my homework packets or not print my homework packets, just because if we decided to have everyone hand-write ev erything, it would take twice as long for us to get through a lesson,” Hesemeyer said.
Despite these challenges, Hesemeyer is grateful for online resources, which she dis covered during the period of digital learning, as they have helped her keep her classroom running smoothly and reduce her paper us age.
“I am trying to save paper on any in-class activities that I do, so I use websites online like Classkick, Blooket, Kahoot and things like that,” Hesemeyer said.
The English department has also had to adapt to the paper shortage, but according to
English Department Head Jane Betar, consid erable effects on students’ learning have yet to become an issue.
“It hasn’t had a significant effect because we grew so accustomed to digital learning,” Betar said. “However, some of our grade lev el groups have been taking a step back and working more diligently with annotation, and I think this is when print copies of text are real ly necessary. Then again, there are even ways around that.”
Similarly to Hesemeyer, Betar appreciates how well the period of digital learning has pre pared students and teachers for the shortage.
“Because of digital learning and our quick shift to digital life, teachers aren’t as con cerned,” Betar said.
The district is unaware of when the issue will be solved, but Bevan looks forward to positive changes that will be integrated within the coming months that may ease the stress of the shortage.
“I think we’re all just very hopeful that sev eral things are going to change over the next couple of months,” Bevan said. “The mask change has happened, and I think the weather will improve, so people will be able to spend more time outside, which students certain ly enjoy. I think there’s going to be a lot of
changes, and this will be yet another one we are going to have to adapt to.”
While the district continues to work with distributors and the public schools, Pellegri no appreciates the patience and cooperation teachers and students have shown.
“I’m just thankful that people are being pa tient and that they’re understanding that this is outside of the district’s control,” Pellegrino said. “I know that there have been many dif ferent obstacles we have had to overcome over the past two years, and a paper shortage is not one that we could have foreseen, so I just really appreciate that everyone is pitch ing in and willing to do what it takes so that the district can conserve [paper].”
As the shortage continues, Bevan hopes people will continue to persevere and co operate in order to minimize the effects and solve the issue.
“I have an appreciation for this as a chal lenge for teachers,” Bevan said. “Like any thing else related to COVID, it will take time and we will get past it, but in the meantime, it’s going to be tough.”
This article was published in March. 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Sophomore Sasha Sheydvasser, along with Student Council, helped raise $3,471 to help support Ukrainian citizens during the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Sheydvasser has a personal connection to Ukraine, which played a role in her decision to start this fundraiser.
“My family is from Russia; my mom and dad’s friends live in Ukraine,” Sheydvasser said. “I saw what was happening, and I could not stand on the sidelines. The [Ukraine in vasion] is an important issue that I must act upon.”
Student Council member sophomore Cas sie Melo helped Sheydvasser with the en deavor, along with other Student Council members.
“Sasha reached out to me and had an idea to help raise funds for Ukraine; they were cu rious to see if the Student Council could do anything to help with that [Ukraine fundrais er],” Melo said.
When the ideas merged, Sheydvasser and the Student Council started to make their plan. Eventually, Sheydvasser started adver tising for the fundraiser and created posters with the help of Melo and the Student Coun cil.
“I invested my energy during every single lunch that I could to come to the [fundraiser booth],” Sheydvasser said. “I made sure there was space in front of the cafeteria and made
posters that were hanging in the hallways.”
The Student Council used social media to help spread the word about the fundrais er. Sheydvasser also gave out pins with the Ukrainian flag colors she made herself to stu dents and faculty who donated to the fund raiser and supported the cause.
“[Principal Sean Bevan] came up with the idea with the pins,” Sheydvasser said. “My mom, dad and I created the pins by using the pin machine at the school.”
Sheydvasser believes it is very important to help people across the world. The initial amount collected was multiplied by a factor of four due to a matching donation from her father and an additional matching donation from his employer, Autodesk.
“Donations are the least we can do,” Shey dvasser said. “They’re helpful for [Ukrainian citizens] and could be put into good use.”
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Many students have expressed discontent with next year’s new bell schedule which was determined with the help of teachers, students and administrators, and will include “double” periods, a seven day rotation and “Titan Monday.”
The bell schedule has changed five times since 2018, partially due to the COVID pan demic, as well as the administration shift to a new principal in 2021.
The first step in creating a new schedule was to survey the school population. Admin istration surveyed staff members about their preferences in May 2021, while both teachers and students were surveyed in March 2022.
According to Principal Sean Bevan, be tween the two surveys, about 150 students and 150 teachers responded. However, stu dents and teachers have different opinions on what makes a good schedule.
“[double class periods] were teachers’ top priority in May [2021] and bottom priority in March [2022],” Bevan said. “Students wanted minimum class length.”
Bevan said this disparity in opinions made it difficult to pick a new schedule. He also ex plained that different departments have vari ous preferences and teachers within depart ments have contrasting views as well.
Administrators assembled a committee which included three students and several staff members to help decide on a new sched ule.
“[The committee’s purpose was to] find the best balance of different priorities,” World Languages teacher and scheduling committee member Shawn Staines said.
Bevan emphasized that there is no perfect schedule, and the committee faced the chal lenge of identifying options with more bene fits than drawbacks. They presentented two
similar options, both featuring a seven-day, waterfall rotation and double periods, for the faculty to vote on. They narrowly selected the option that included “Titan Monday,” which ensures that all classes meet for a shortened period every Monday to start the week.
Junior Fred Probst was involved in the scheduling committee to provide input on the students’ behalf. Probst expressed that the goal was to find “the best balance.”
Probst believes one of the new schedule’s benefits is double periods; however, he un derstands that many students will not like them.
like missing one class per day (except “Titan Mondays”).
Some survey respondents said they like the idea of dropping a class most days and that the new schedule will be “a nice change”.
When asked about the disadvantages of next year’s schedule, 70% of students disliked the fact that the schedule will be different every week due to a seven-day rotation on Tuesdays through Fridays, 66% of students disliked “double periods” (lasting 75 minutes) and 41% of students disliked 50 minute aver age class periods.
One survey respondent wrote, “I do not like the idea of double classes, and I think that they are unnecessary. I also do not like that the pattern is not based on the day of the week, but changes irregularly.”
Another respondent explained their con cern with 75-minute “double” periods.
“Having long periods for over an hour present certain advantages mostly for higher level courses but the disadvantages will im pact everyone,” the survey respondent wrote. “Teachers and administrators don’t under stand the challenge for some students to re main on task and engaged during classes and if these lengths are extended more students will be both roaming the halls and not getting as much from a longer lesson as they would a concise lesson.”
“[Doubles] allow for a skipped period each day, and…allows for longer labs in AP scienc es, and longer tests don’t have to be spread over two periods,” Probst said.
According to a Harbinger survey of 135 stu dents from May 3 to May 8 through Google Forms, students have mixed feelings of what they see as advantages of the new schedule. Sixty-six percent of students like seeing all classes on Monday, 53% of students like the full rotation of periods and 50% of students
The majority of survey respondents ex pressed dissatisfaction with next year’s schedule. When asked about how satisfied they were with next year’s schedule on a scale of one (very unsatisfied) to five (very satisfied), 78% of students answered a three or below.
As one survey respondent wrote in regards to next year’s bell schedule, “It seems new, but I’ll get used to it.”
Junior Noah LaBelle turned his passion into action by creating the Massachusetts Youth Activism Collective (MYAC), an organization that connects students across the state and conditions them to become leaders in social change.
Beginning in the spring of 2021, LaBelle was able to kickstart his initiative with months of planning and the help of others. Early on in the process, juniors Sara Medina, Sarah Coldwell, Rajat Lakapragada and Fred Probst joined LaBelle as co-leaders to help run the organization. The group holds virtual Zoom meetings every other Sunday to dis cuss and plan courses of action in response to current societal problems.
LaBelle was initially motivated to start this youth collective because of his participation in the Mascot Study Group, which explored retiring Algonquin’s Tomahawk mascot. In this group, LaBelle researched the drawbacks of Native American mascots and contributed to the recommendation to change the mascot.
“The experience opened my eyes as to why there aren’t more ways for students’ voices to be heard, not only on this topic alone but on a multitude of other topics,” LaBelle said.
LaBelle created MYAC as a place where students could work together to change so cial issues.
“It’s sometimes easy to look at all the prob lems there are in society right now and think everything is too all-encompassing and too hard to really address, but what we’re hoping to do with this group is to narrow down that list of four issues even further and put all of our group’s energy behind it,” LaBelle said.
The group currently has approximately 40 members from both private and public schools in communities as far away as Bos
ton, but LaBelle hopes to gain more MYAC members who are interested in student ac tivism.
“I want to get to a point where we have even more members representing an even more diverse community, both from a geo graphic perspective but also from different racial groups and people with different socio economic statuses,” LaBelle said.
According to Medina, LaBelle uses his pas sion for student activism to lead and inspire others to create change in their community.
“Noah puts in a lot of effort and definite ly has the qualities of a leader,” Medina said. “He listens to everyone’s opinions while also implementing his own ideas.”
Those interested in joining MYAC or learn ing more about the collective’s initiatives should visit the organization’s website.
“I think it’s really important that this isn’t just an Algonquin initiative alone,” LaBelle said. “We want to be able to make an impact on multiple communities across the state in stead of just specifically Northborough and Southborough.”
Hundreds of ARHS students gathered out side the rotunda to protest gun violence in America on Thursday, May 26.
Led by junior Noah LaBelle, the Massa chusetts’ Youth Activism Collective held a walkout from 9:40-10:01 a.m. to protest gun violence and honor the victims of the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
LaBelle planned the 21 minute-long walk out in light of the recent mass shootings mak ing headlines across America.
“It’s mind boggling that [mass shootings] can keep happening everywhere,” LaBelle said. “Ten days before Uvalde, we saw 10 people in Buffalo get killed simply because they’re African American at a grocery store.“
During the walkout after the initial congre gation, LaBelle read aloud the poem “No Man is an Island” by John Donne to the students and faculty.
This was soon followed by other collective members, reading the names of the casu alties at Robb Elementary School, taking 21 seconds of silence following each name. Af
A longer version of the article was pub lished in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
terwards, a speech was given by junior Rajat Lakkapragada delivering a call to action for students to continue to share their voices and petition for change.
“The best possible outcome [of the walk out] would be an increase in initiatives to promote student voice, decision making and making changes,” LaBelle said. “I founded this group called the Massachusetts Youth Activism Collective with that exact purpose. It’s meant to give students a voice to be the change they want to see in the world.”
According to Principal Sean Bevan’s email to parents shortly after the demonstration, the collective was in touch with him prior to the walkout allowing him to prepare with staff accordingly. Bevan was proud to attend the walkout and praised the student-leaders for their initiative.
“I have been a principal for more than a de cade, and I sometimes have the privilege of seeing students participate in powerful civic action and engagement, which is what I ob served today,” Bevan wrote in his email. “The protest was well organized and conducted safely. At the end, the organizers discussed ways they plan to impact change, including by
contacting lawmakers to strengthen gun laws to prevent future school shootings.”
Sophomore Sam Sutton attended the peaceful protest with hopes that efforts such as this would be mirrored throughout the country and spark some needed change.
“Gun violence in school is really not okay and we all need to be out here to stand up against it,” Sutton said.
LaBelle has similar hopes and urges stu dents to not let this walkout be the entirety of their actions. He stressed that students need to continue to contact members of legislature and share their voices in order for change to be made.
“We just need people to not let this be a one-time thing, not let this be a symbolic mea sure where people are just exiting class for 21 minutes,” LaBelle said. “It’s really important that everyone goes beyond this and makes an active effort to promote policy change, talk to legislators and do everything we can to make sure this never happens again.
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Members of the Northborough and South borough communities have opened their arms and homes since January to assist local Afghan refugees as they flee from Taliban control in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, overtook the Afghanistan government in 2021, and continues to gain power and op press citizens, especially women. Some of the recently enforced restrictions include requir ing women to be completely covered in pub lic, not allowing women to have jobs, and not welcoming women outside of their homes.
In response to Taliban control and restric tions, over 74,000 Afghans have sought ref uge in the United States within the first six months of the Taliban taking power. Two Af ghan families have moved to Northborough and Southborough in recent months, and mul tiple families and organizations have worked to help these refugees.
The Probst Family of Southborough opened their home to an Afghan refugee family of four in January of this year, which soon became a family of five when the mother gave birth to a baby in February. This growing family need ed a place to reside, and ARHS senior Reed Probst’s family stepped up to assist them.
“When the United States pulled out of Afghanistan my family started realizing that there are going to be a ton of refugees coming over, “ Probst said. “I don’t know what initial ly prompted them to do this, but I think my parents recognized the situation and they saw that we had space in our home.”
The Probsts are fortunate to have a re cently finished basement, where the refugee family has access to all necessary accommo dations. The family consists of the two par ents, 6 year old daughter, 3 year-old son, and newborn baby, who Probst looks forward to spending time with each day.
The Probst family are working to help the refugees be completely independent, with hopes of achieving this goal around summer of 2022. The family has already made im mense progress, with the father maintaining a job, the children in public school and daycare and the whole family learning English.
The Probsts enjoy hosting this family and have gained the support of their community.
“I think the best thing for me is just see ing the whole community come together and help them out,” Probst said. “We have people giving them rides, bringing them to the store, teaching the kids and parents English and so many people have come to volunteer. It’s been great to see all of that happen.”
With all the challenges and rewards this experience has brought him, Probst hopes to continue doing these types of projects in the future.
The Northborough Neighborhood Support Team (NST) is a volunteer group working to assist a local Afghan refugee family of two, a single mother and her son.
After members of Trinity Church of North borough learned about Ascentria, an organi zation that helps resettle Afghan families until they are in a definite living situation, they cre ated a team of roughly 20 people to 30 peo ple. Shortly after beginning fundraising, the NST was assigned a family to prioritize and aid in their transition to American life.
ARHS Social Studies Department Head Brittany Burns is a proud member of the
NST’s Fundraising and Finance Team. She said their overall goal is to support the family for as long as they can.
“Our goal in the end is to be able to support a family from six months to one year, and right now it looks like we will be able to support them for a year, which is really exciting,” Burns said.
The NST is taking steps similar to the Probsts, such as helping the family learn English, getting the parent a job and enroll ing her in driving lessons. Recently, the NST painted, cleaned and finalized an apartment for the family, which they just moved into af ter residing with a member of the team.
The NST hopes to reach their goal of raising $50,000, and are happy to report they have almost achieved that. As the group continues to work, Burns is proud of her team and her community.
“For me it’s about what I want this commu nity to look like, and I want this community to be a place that’s welcoming, where people feel at home in the same way that my daugh ter and I felt when we moved here,” Burns said. “Part of it is making the place you live, the place you want to live.”
Ways to donate and other information can be found on the Northborough Neighbor hood Support Team website.
For the first time in three years, the annual Relay for Life event was held offline, on the Algonquin track on Friday, May 13.
Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the Amer ican Cancer Society meant to symbolize the never-ending fight against cancer. The fund raiser ran from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m and featured many activities and ceremonies. Members could create or join a team, and during the event, participants of each team took turns walking around the track, with one person from each team walking at all times.
“It really is a special day,” mathematics teacher and club adviser Lauren Hesemeyer said. “We’re all in a good mood, we’re there for a good reason and it’s just really special to see everyone there together.”
According to Spanish teacher and club adviser Sarah Lawlor, the fundraiser has not been the same since COVID. As of April 18, the club had raised $3,896.
“I would definitely say it has not been as successful a fundraiser for the last two years because it’s not an actual in-person event, so people couldn’t do much around it,” Lawlor said.
Hesemeyer, who attended Algonquin as a student, believes Relay for Life is not as big as it used to be, but predicted that it would have a good turnout this year.
“When I was a student here, and partici pated in Relay for Life, a lot of the student body went to the event; it was the place to be,” Hesemeyer said. “We all came together for that common cause of supporting those who are affected by cancer and fundraising money for them. Now, I think it’s hard to get students involved..”
In addition to walking around the track, Relay for Life hosts and features a survivor dinner before the event, opening ceremonies,
a speech delivered by a cancer survivor (ju nior Alyssa Sbordone), a speech delivered by a caretaker (junior Audrey Richardson) and a luminaria ceremony during which partici pants crack glow sticks and put them in bags on the track.
“I love the luminaria ceremony,” Law lor said. “It’s really nice because my father suffered from cancer, and you know other people are going through it, but until every body’s together, you don’t realize how big of an effect it has on a lot of people. It’s always nice to come together with people who’ve
had a shared experience.”
Both advisers enjoy hosting the event and love seeing the community come together for a common cause.
“That [luminaria] ceremony gives me the chills,” Hesemeyer said. “Every year. It never fails. We light up the track with some glow sticks and we put them in the luminaria bags to represent who we’re relaying for, so that’s one of my favorite parts as well.”
This article was published in May. 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL(Bottom) Participants in the Relay for Life event start walking as the sun sets on May 13, 2022.
PHOTO KATY O’CONNELLAlthough prom is a night of fun that is named one of the most monumental events for high school students, many experience stress as they face pressures regarding fash ion, money and appearance.
According to a Harbinger survey of 135 students from May 3 to May 8 through Goo gle Forms, only 7% of the students who went have felt no prom-related stress in the past few weeks, leaving 93% who have felt at least some stress leading up to prom. Of that 93%, 26% report that they feel a large amount of stress or anxiety.
For those who don’t conform to tradition al gender norms or identities, prom can be an entirely different experience compared to cisgender classmates. Junior Jay Guarino, who identifies as nonbinary and attended Ju nior Prom on April 30, enjoyed the dance but has difficulty understanding the logic behind prom culture.
“I feel like there’s just a certain pressure to dress the way that people expect you to dress, and then even if you don’t, it could be received poorly,” Guarino said.
Guarino decided on a dark green velvet suit as their outfit for the night, coupled with del icate silver jewelry and a white boutonniere. They had their mind set on wearing a suit
months before they actually went shopping for prom.
“Especially with queer students, I feel like it depends on if you’re out or not, or how much you’re willing to express,” Guarino said. “For me, I was already out, so I could express my self however I wanted.”
Sixty-two percent of the Harbinger survey respondents said they felt at least some pres sure for their prom outfit to meet social or societal expectations.
While most attendees chose to stay in line with classic prom gowns and suits, some saw the event as an opportunity to defy standards of regular promwear. However, their stylistic choices were not guaranteed a positive re ception.
“With a couple of my friends, they made the bold decision to express themselves how they wanted when they weren’t really out to everybody,” Guarino said. “And they had to deal with how everyone else took that.”
In the era of gender-bending fashion, pop-culture icons such as Kid Cudi and Harry Styles have led todays’ teens to be more dar ing when it comes to design. Principal Sean Bevan, who chaperoned the junior prom, was pleased to see the amount of students whose outfits reflected their generations’ changing outlook on style.
“We saw all kinds of different outfits that didn’t play by super traditional gender norms… and I kind of wish that was some thing as a society we were able to achieve sooner than now,” Bevan said.
Junior class adviser Kerriann Lessard also noticed some of the same changes at the ju nior prom.
“Choice [on what to wear] is really great because you feel less pressured to wear a cer tain look or a certain type of outfit, while still being able to get dressed up,” Lessard said.
For junior Katia Nicholson, finding a dress she felt comfortable in was one of the more stressful parts of prom preparation. She end ed up choosing a strapless navy blue dress.
“I didn’t have a lot of options to begin with,” Nicholson said. “There aren’t a lot of dress shops that sell plus size dresses.”
Many students also find that the costs of going to prom are far too steep for a relative ly short event. According to the Harbinger survey, 46% of respondents spent more than $400 on prom-related expenses, and 13% re ported spending more than $700.
Junior Will Hayden found themself ques tioning the logic behind overspending at prom.
“People blow the bank on a dress they wear once, and then they grow out of it,” Hayden said. “People get a limousine to drive them three miles.”
Though the cost of prom varies from stu dent to student, the Harbinger survey showed that 56% of students paid for at least a por tion of the expenses with their own money.
Students are not the only ones who expe rience monetary struggles surrounding prom. Due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, businesses selling prom-related products have raised prices in recent months in order to make up for lost profit, which im pacted the event planning and ticket prices.
“Even between the last prom that Algon quin had, everything is more expensive be cause businesses are trying to cover costs from when they couldn’t hold events,” Les sard said. “Those who planned the events have their own stresses as the day nears.”
“When I went to junior prom, I took notes on how it was going,” senior class adviser Evan Greenwald said. “I learned from the first prom. I’m sure there will be some stress [the day of the senior prom].”
The constant chatter of who’s going with whom, who rejected whom and so on cre ates another worry for promgoers: the ex pectation to find a date before time is up. In general, the issue of finding a date has seen a downward trend in relevancy during the past few years, as prom dates become more of a casual situation. According to the Harbinger survey, 66% of students took or plan on tak ing a date to prom.
Hayden, like some other promgoers, didn’t find their friends to be very concerned with finding a date.
“I saw a lot more people going with groups of friends, or with a date but not with some one they’re romantically involved with,” Hayden said.
Hayden also found that the student body
was accepting of, or at least unconcerned with, the choices others made in terms of who to take.
Bevan agrees that vast improvements have been made since his generation attend ed prom regarding the LGBTQ presence at school functions.
“I think we’re in a much better place [com pared to back then], but it wasn’t always that way,” Bevan said. “You look back on my high school experience and there just weren’t that many kids who were out… I think things have loosened up in a way that’s really healthy.”
The Algonquin school community contin ues to make progress in terms of inclusion and creating a comfortable space for all. Stu dents are free to express themselves however they feel, putting a spin on tradition while still preserving the timelessness of events like the prom.
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
MEREDITH SAINSBURY & HANNAH THOMPSON Staff Writers
As a result of months of planning, the first outdoor carnival since 2018 brought students joy, relaxation and fun in the sun on May 13.
Due to the 2019 carnival rain out and the cancellation of the last two carnivals because of the pandemic, this was the first traditional spring carnival the whole student body has experienced. Student Council and specifically the events committee worked hard to coordi nate food trucks, inflatables, yard games and much more.
Student Council President junior Ben Schanzer was a vital part to the planning pro cess to ensure a fun experience.
“Now that everything is slowly going back to normal, we especially wanted to give the seniors a nice farewell as they have not been able to take part in much due to COVID,” Schanzer said.
In order to pull this off, Schanzer was re sponsible for managing the estimated $2500 budget. Schanzer found that sponsors such as Wegmans, who donated $1000 worth of gift cards, and Lowe’s Variety Meat Shop were key to keeping costs low.
“Our teacher staff played a big part in run ning the various events that were present at carnival,” Schanzer said. “Mr. Godbout and Mr. DeCosmo were our grill masters of the day where they made burgers, hot dogs and other barbecue items that the students were able to enjoy.”
With the help of Student Council adviser John Barry, Schanzer and the rest of the Stu dent Council were able to use his institution alized knowledge of past spring carnivals to make this year’s just as special as they were before COVID-19.
“Carnival brings a sense of pride to the
student body,” Barry said. “We work to give students an inclusive experience, one where they can say there was something for me at carnival today.”
Many inclusive events, both on the fields and in the building, were offered such as a photo booth, various yard games and sports, inflatable games and waterslides, trivia in the auditorium, robotics demonstration and operation, Improv Show and live music, and henna and caricatures.
Events Committee Chairperson senior Ava Ellsworth was the backbone to coordinating the events that were present at carnival.
“Most of the events were hosted by the clubs of Algonquin,” Ellsworth said. “Clubs ei ther hosted yard games, sports tournaments or sold food, as well as took on the responsi bility of the budget for their own event.”
According to Ellsworth, carnival has had a large positive impact on the school commu nity.
“I think carnival is unifying for the school because all clubs are able to come together and participate in a full-school event to use it to promote their club but also to just have fun,” Ellsworth said.
Longtime Algonquin community member
“As time went on, some things were elimi nated, such as the dunk tank, and some things were added such as ice cream trucks,” Walsh said. “As long as the kids have fun, it will be a good day.”
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Students slide down the inflatable slipand-slide during the carnival on May 13, 2022. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL
Juniors Kyle Coleburn and Nova Deyo have a conversation at the first carnvial in three years. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL
Students clap along to the live music provided by student performers at the 2022 carnival. PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL
Students play in the bouncy house.
PHOTO KATY O’CONNELL
Sophomore Henry McLarnon purchases cotton candy from sophomores Sophia de Luna and Juliana Oyola at Algon quin’s first carnival in three years.
PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
Special education teacher Ann Fuhrman will be retiring at the end of this year follow ing eight years of helping Algonquin students thrive through her educational support and kindness.
After working in the school’s lan guage-based program teaching English to freshmen and sophomores with specific learn ing disabilities, Fuhrman is ready to move on to the next page of her life. However, while looking forward to the future, she will miss aspects of teaching.
“What I have enjoyed the most has been working with the kids,” Fuhrman said. “The interactions with the students is what I’ll miss the most.”
However, there are definitely parts that she won’t miss and feels relieved to not have to do once this year closes out.
“Paperwork is a lot,” Fuhrman said. “Writ ing IEPS, doing progress reports and going through all of these documents takes a long time.”
Department Chair of Instructional Support Felicia Rutigliano is grateful for all Furhman did for the school.
“She positively impacted a lot of students and families here in our school with her spe cialized strategies of teaching students with specific learning disabilities how to read and write better and become more confident in their academic skills,” Rutigliano said.
While she will miss her students, according to Rutigliano, the students will also miss Fuhr man as she brought her kind nature to the classroom every day and taught them to have a more positive outlook on life.
“She was always taking care of her students in special ways,” Rutigliano said. “In the win tertime she would have a hot kettle of water for them so that they could make hot choco late anytime they wanted to. She was just very
kind in that way and always had their back.”
Fellow special education teacher Alison Chan, who has known Fuhrman since she be gan at Algonquin, will miss her and cherishes her experiences teaching with her.
“She and I worked really closely together her first year that she was here,” Chan said.
“We were in the same classroom and It was one of the best years I have ever had here.”
Chan admires Furhman, not only as a teach er, but as a person.
“She is a positive person and she pushes her students, but as a coworker, she’s not afraid to speak up,” Chan said. “My favorite part of working with Ann is that she definitely would just make me laugh every day.”
Fuhrman has thoroughly enjoyed working at Algonquin and will carry many fond mem ories with her in the future.
“When I first came here, I loved the atmo sphere,” Fuhrman said. “It was very support
ive.”
Although Fuhrman says her plans for the future are still up in the air, she hopes to move south within a few years and plans to do things she has always been interested in but never had the chance to do before retire ment, such as going back to school.
“I want to take some art classes, and I actu ally wouldn’t mind taking some science class es as well,” Fuhrman said. “I’m doing it for fun, not for a career.”
Along with learning, she also plans to do other fun hobbies like painting, but her main focus will be on getting herself stronger through more physical activity to help her recover fully from surgery she had a couple years ago.
“Part of my plan is to get my muscles back,” Fuhrman said. “I’m looking forward to improv ing myself the most.”
After over a decade of teaching at Algon quin, math teacher Nancy Hart is retiring from her position to spend more time with her family and pursue personal interests.
Hart, who has taught a variety of math classes, received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and her Master of Arts in Secondary Educa tion at American International College.
As part of Hart’s previous career she trav eled around the country teaching customer classes on how to use software, which got her to consider teaching as a profession.
“My three children went to Algonquin,” Hart said. “I had friends that taught at Al gonquin, so I knew the school and the qual ity of the education as well as the caliber of the staff. I was also coaching freshman field hockey already and it was a short commute since I live in Northborough.”
Hart’s years spent at Algonquin have brought her much joy.
“I really love the students,” Hart said. “ I love connecting with them. They’re fun; they teach me things. Sure, they’re challenging, but I love this age group. I also really love my colleagues here. They’re super supportive, collaborative, and fun.”
Because of Hart’s dedication to her job and close relationships with her colleagues, many will miss seeing her every day.
“She is such a hardworking team player,” math department head Elizabeth Dore said. “She will do anything for anybody. She cares so much about her students. She’s fantastic.”
Dore admires how Hart adjusts her teach ing style to better help students.
“She is going to ask her students a series
of questions to help them understand why something works,” Dore said. “She will help a student through anything, but while she’s nurturing, she still asks challenging ques tions. She wants a lot from her students, and I think that she really helps instill confidence in kids who are ready to do the work.”
Fellow math teacher Eileen Cronin has been teaching next door to Hart for over 10 years.
“We always tag-team with each other,” Cronin said. “I often open the door [in my classroom] that connects to her classroom, and I’m going to really miss that collegial rela tionship of helping each other out and being there for each other.”
Sophomore Ryan Roberts has had Hart as a teacher since freshman year.
“What I enjoy about Mrs. Hart’s teaching style is that she always makes everything structured,” Roberts said. “Every single day there’s something to do, it’s understand able and you’re able to learn it. The next day you’ll have another thing to learn and it really prepares you well for the tests. I have really enjoyed her teaching style throughout both years that I’ve had her.”
Hart has had a big impact on girls’ sports during her time at ARHS. She has coached freshman and JV level field hockey as well as JV girls’ tennis. She also began the Figure Skating Club, and helped to start girls’ golf, which became a co-op team with Westboro in its first year.
She was recruited by physics teacher and former varsity field hockey coach Dan Welty to coach with him.
“She has always been so positive and sup
portive of me and the field hockey program,” Welty said. “She was so good at working with the freshmen. She’s very much a motherly fig ure for those freshman girls and really helped them acclimate to Algonquin and become a high school athlete.”
Currently, the math department is in the process of hiring a new math teacher for next year.
“Regardless of who comes in, it will be very hard to fill her shoes,” Dore said.
Hart looks forward to retiring to take care of her mother, who is 96 years old, as well as spending more time with her 1-year-old granddaughter who lives in Vermont. She also wants to continue her athletic pursuits, make improvements on her house and do volunteer work.
“I am excited to retire,” Hart said. “I would like to do things that I didn’t have time to do like golf, skiing and pickleball. I love to be out side and enjoy things like that.”
As Hart approaches her retirement from teaching at Algonquin, she wants students to take away an important lesson from her:
“I don’t fool myself into thinking that ev eryone loves math, because I know that they don’t,” Hart said. “But if they learn nothing else, I just want them to learn that you should always persevere through problems. If they apply that to life, that would be wonderful. Just persevere and keep trying.”
Special education teacher Lisa Klockner will retire after serving, supporting and dedicating 12 years of her life to the Algonquin commu nity.
Klockner worked closely with students in the RISE program as well as students with emotional disabilities. She helped them man age their workload, overcome challenges and motivated students to finish their high school years.
Klockner has dedicated a lot of time to the RISE program and was the first teacher in the program.
“We tried to create a program where we could meet the needs of students who might otherwise have had to go to a different school,” Klockner said. “Part of RISE is that we have smaller group classes with an emotional regulation component built into the program for students. Teachers get to know the stu dents better with small classes; they can read the students better, for example knowing when students are having good or bad days.”
Social studies teacher Stephen Godbout worked in the RISE program for a number of years and believes Klockner played a signifi cant role in those students’ lives.
“She is a rock for complicated kids, wonder
ful kids but that can sometimes be complicat ed,” Godbout said. “Through her predictably and holding kids accountable yet doing so in a compassionate way, I’ve seen so many stu dents become better students and people be cause of the positive and helpful impact she has had on their lives.”
According to Godbout, Klockner is a role model for all teachers.
“The building could be burning around her and she would be calm,” Godbout said. “With her calm demeanor and professionalism, she is a role model for every teacher in this build ing, young or old.”
Recent graduate and RISE student John Pedulla credits Klockner for his completion of high school.
“Mrs. Klockner was more than a teacher in the RISE program; she spent her time helping not only me but also others get through high school,” Pedulla said. “She helped so many people graduate and without her I don’t think I could say I would’ve.”
According to Pedulla, Klockner went the extra mile to support her students in any way that she could.
“Mrs. Klockner gave and didn’t expect any thing back in return,” Pedulla said. “She would
bake cakes for the students on their birth days and bring in snacks; she would ask what people would want and bring it in if it meant helping the students through issues. I can’t be more grateful to her and she will always have a huge impact in my life.”
Klockner feels pride in seeing the growth in the students she worked with.
“I think to see some students that we had over the years who we thought would have a hard time graduating finally graduate was satisfying; I just hope I played a small part in helping them get to the finish line,” Klockner said.
Although Klockner will miss the Algonquin community, she is excited to move to Mary land with her husband after retiring.
“I just feel like it’s time to retire; we already bought a house and I am ready to move onto the next chapter in my life,” Klockner said. “I look forward to traveling, just being relaxed and being able to do what I want to do.”
Congratulations to math teacher Maggie Perreault on her retirement
Educational Support Professional and for mer elementary school teacher Joan Buzzell is retiring after years working at Algonquin and in the district.
Buzzell has worked as a special education aide at both the high school and elementary levels. She looks forward to her retirement and has many plans for the future.
“I just have so many things that I want to be able to do, and the time to do it,” Buzzell said.
Buzzell has mostly enjoyed making connec tions with students and helping them learn. She especially values being a part of their ac tivities and accomplishments.
“The kids are interested in learning,” Buzzell said. “I loved hearing from the kids about the prom, and the carnivals have been great.”
Before working at Algonquin, Buzzell was a third grade teacher at Proctor Elementary
School in Northborough. Her last third grade class graduated from Algonquin this year.
“It’s been fascinating to see those kids and see how they develop into the people I thought they would be,” Buzzell said.
Buzzell has already been making plans for the future. After retirement, she plans to spend more time outdoors and to further de velop her small business.
“I’m looking forward to spending time hik ing with my dog and my friends,” Buzzell said. “I also have a small business. I love crochet and doing craft fairs. It’s been hard to devote a lot of time into setting up my website, so I’m going full force into that.”
Special Education teacher Sherry No lan-Hess is very happy for Buzzell and her retirement, but is sad to see her leave.
“It’s sad for myself and for my students,”
MARALIGANolan-Hess said. “We enjoyed having her. She is very enjoyable with the kids in the capacity that we need her in.”
Nolan-Hess believes Buzzell will be great ly missed by students and faculty who have worked alongside her.
“I think her presence is comforting for teachers and students,” Nolan-Hess said. “Her presence will be missed.”
Despite looking forward to retirement, Buzzell will miss Algonquin.
“I will miss working with the kids and work ing with the other teachers,” Buzzell said. “But I’m looking forward to the future and all of the possibilities that await me.”
Access program tutor Mary Ellen Wolfe will retire after dedicating six and a half years to supporting, uplifting and guiding Algonquin students in their academic careers.
Wolfe works closely with students who have been absent for a substantial period of time for various reasons ranging from mental health struggles to physical injuries.
“While working one on one with students, I enjoy the ability to get to know them and sup port them,” Wolfe said. “I work with students who have missed school for different reasons, and I support them in transitioning back into school, getting their work organized, and tu toring them in areas where I can.”
Wolfe previously served as a long term math substitute at ARHS, and she teaches developmental math at Quinsigamond Com munity College. Her background in education enhances her skills and helps her create a pos itive learning environment.
Throughout her time at ARHS Wolfe was
not only able to connect with students, but also impacted her colleagues.
“Having been a teacher, she was really able to reach a lot of students and to help them feel successful despite challenges that were happening in their lives at the time,” adjust ment counselor Sarah McNulty said.
Director of Guidance Lisa Connery believes Wolfe was well-suited for her position as a tutor.
“I think a combination of her wonderful personality and how calm and approach able she is, along with her skill set that she brought from a tutoring perspective is really what helped her find success in [the Access] program,” Connery said.
Wolfe’s colleagues will miss her bright per sonality.
“She has been a ray of sunshine; she is real ly just a happy, easy-go-lucky person,” special education teacher Alissa Luippold said. “It’s going to be hard to not have her around the building for sure.”
Wolfe plans to take history courses and continue her teaching at QCC. In addition to her education-related plans, Wolfe will take piano lessons and looks forward to visiting family and friends in warmer locations such as Florida and California.
“I hope to leave the idea that a quiet, sup portive space is very beneficial for a student environment,” Wolfe said. “It’s been a plea sure working here and having the opportunity to work one-on-one with students.”
New Assistant Principal Janet Brown is ex cited to begin work and join the Algonquin community on July 1.
Brown, who has been an educator since 1993, was an English teacher, an English de partment head, and is currently the vice prin cipal at Narragansett Regional High School. She will be replacing Interim Assistant Princi pal Ron Sudmyer who has been in the admin istrative role since Tim McDonald resigned in October 2021.
Principal Sean Bevan believes Brown has many strong qualities.
“The progression of Mrs. Brown’s profes sional growth really stood out to me as some one who was incredibly diligent, detail orient ed, making strides toward building leadership potential and energy and who thinks about the holistic needs of students but also thinks about what teachers need to feel valued and do their best work with students,” Bevan said.
One of the reasons Brown applied for the position at Algonquin was because of the pos itive community.
“I applied to Algonquin for the people; I lived for many years in Shrewsbury, so I was familiar with Northborough and Southbor ough as a community,” Brown said. “When I heard about the job, I was in a meeting with Algonquin’s two current assistant principals, and I was impressed with them and their work.”
Additionally, Brown appreciates that there is a pattern of alumni returning to work at Al gonquin.
“I really liked the idea that Algonquin has a rich community of students returning to be come teachers,” Brown said. “A prime example would be Principal Bevan and his experience of being a teacher at Algonquin for years and then going on to be a principal in a different high school but then choosing to return to this community, which tells me Algonquin is a great place to be and work.”
According to Brown, there is a lot that goes into being an assistant principal.
“I think an assistant principal is a support and service position, and so I support the school community as a whole but more spe
cifically the ninth and eleventh grade,” Brown said. “There are lots of different facets to the assistant position; the ones that I think are the most powerful for me are helping stu dents find their voice, grow their ideas and find opportunities for engagement, growth and development.”
Brown enjoys working as an assistant prin cipal and especially finds fulfillment from helping students succeed.
“I feel very privileged when everything is going right and students are full of ideas, but also with those students when things happen and school discipline is necessary and there are some real growth opportunities for stu dents,” Brown said. “I appreciate being able to work with students when things go wrong and also being able to help support teachers and to help them grow and learn.”
Bevan believes Brown will bring a valuable skill set to Algonquin.
“We were looking for somebody who could establish strong relationships with kids and teachers, help us build on already strong teaching practices and strengthen relations
with kids, and Mrs. Brown is somebody who can build on those areas,” Bevan said.
In addition to other qualities, Brown holds a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduc tion teacher certification.
“I am excited to be able to work with stu dents and faculty in opportunities presented to me in stress reduction practices that I have a great deal of study in,” Brown said.
When Brown isn’t at school, she spends her free time with her family and dogs, enjoys making stained glass, skiing and cooking.
“In high school I used to work at a pizza and sub shop, and I can still make and hand stretch my own dough and throw it up in the air,” Brown said.
Although there may be some challenges, Brown is excited to begin her journey at Al gonquin.
“A challenge I look forward to is coming into an established community and getting to know everyone,” Brown said. “I have a tre mendous sense of gratitude to be given this opportunity and I am overjoyed at the pros pect of coming here next year.”
While many people are afraid of heights, freshmen pilots-in-training Greg Alberti and Paneet Kandola find nothing more gripping than being in control of an aircraft thousands of feet above the ground.
Alberti began his aviation journey as a student pilot during the summer of 2016, while attending a free youth flying program held at Minute Man Airfield in Stowe, MA. According to Alberti, he and his father were lucky enough to be assigned the best plane in the airport along with a certified instructor, marking the start of his six-year-and-count ing aviation journey.
“It was a Bonanza A36, and we got hooked right after that,” Alberti said. “We started to go to more events, volunteer, go to the chap ter meetings, and it started from there.”
The Beechcraft Bonanza, one of 75 air crafts owned by Minute Man Airfields, has a 33-foot wingspan and a cruising speed of 190 miles per hour. Alberti practices maneu vers in planes such as these with an instruc tor present, although their involvement in his piloting can vary.
“One instructor let me do unassisted land ings, which was interesting,” Alberti said. “He was basically telling me what to do, showing
me what to do, and I did it and practiced it.”
Alberti and his father, who got his own pilot’s license this past winter, founded the Youth Aviation Club at the airfield in Decem ber 2020 with the goal of providing opportu nities to young people who share an interest in flying. The club members meet regularly, in addition to working as volunteers and attend ing tours at the airport.
“We started it so that the people really invested in aviation would have good experi ence learning early,” Alberti said.
Kandola, Alberti’s friend and neighbor, heard about the Youth Aviation Club from her parents last winter and signed up shortly after, without any prior experience or knowl edge of aviation. Kandola believes the most difficult aspect of flying is being familiar with the ins and outs of the plane’s controls.
“Before even stepping into an aircraft, knowing what everything meant was a lot,” Kandola said. “Especially since I had no expe rience. I knew absolutely nothing.”
Most people get their licenses at 17, but the two will be able to fly solo after their 16th birthdays. In order to get an official pilot’s li cense, they need a minimum of 40 solo flight hours as well as a passing grade on a written exam. In the future, Alberti hopes to attend college for aviation and become a commercial pilot.
“My dream plane to fly is a Boeing 787,” Alberti said. “But of course you have to start small, and you get seniority as you go on.”
Despite not knowing what the future holds for her in regards to aviation, Kandola wants to keep the path open in case she decides to become a pilot full-time. Like Alberti, she also plans to get her license once she reaches the age requirement.
“My road is probably going to be a lot lon ger [than Alberti’s], just because I don’t have as much time,” Kandola said.
Both Kandola and Alberti have a profound appreciation for seeing the world from thou sands of feet above the ground.
“My favorite part about flying is definitely seeing Earth from a different perspective,” Al berti said. “You’re up there seeing the ground; you’re not on the ground seeing the ground.”
To them, nothing beats the spectacular views and the excitement of being inside an aircraft, as well as the satisfaction gained from piloting it themselves.
“For me, it’s the feeling of when you’re up there,” Kandola said. “When you finally get up in the sky and the wheels take off, that’s just the best feeling.”
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
Freshman Greg Alberti completes and unassisted landing at Fitchburg Airport with his flight instructor. SUBMITTED PHOTO GREG ALBERTIAfter developing a passion for videogra phy, senior Dan Root spends his time filming and producing high-energy videos of various sports games, posting them on his Instagram page (@filmedbydan).
During Root’s sophomore year, he was in jured and on crutches for a couple months, which left him looking for a new hobby. He remembered enjoying the Video Production course he took his freshman year and decided to give making videos a shot. In discovering this love for creating videos, the trajectory of Root’s life fundamentally changed.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I might as well try this out,’” Root said. “I got one of the cameras from the school and ended up really liking it.”
Root first prepares his equipment and films various aspects of games before he begins the editing process.
“I make sure I have space on my camera, SD cards are wiped, and I just make sure I get as much footage as I can because it’s better for post-production,” Root said.
After shooting the footage, he begins the post-production process, which takes about two to six hours, depending on the length of the video. It entails organizing the clips, color correcting, adding effects and making every thing look clean and cohesive overall.
While he finds the actual process of craft ing videos enjoyable, much of his fulfillment comes from the responses other people have to them. His favorite part throughout the process is actually going to watch the games,
where many often recognize him and appre ciate that he’s there filming.
“People reposting or liking my video gives me a sense that I’m making other people hap py,” Root said. “I like that feeling of people appreciating what I put my hard work into.”
According to Root, a common misconcep tion about videography is that it requires a lot of money to get into it, as he started with basic equipment and little money.
“I just had my laptop and this tiny little Canon camera, and then I worked my way up, and now I have my editing PC and big cam era,” Root said. “Don’t let money get in the way of what you are passionate about.”
Root’s pursuit of his passion served as a catalyst for him to evolve as a person, and it opened his eyes to what he truly wants to do in the future. Now, he plans to study video production in college.
“It has helped me really express my cre ative interests and shown me what I want to do going into college,” Root said. “It has really been life changing for me.”
Root said videography has taught him pa tience and perseverance.
“You gotta persevere through those hours of staring at a screen trying to get down the most minute details,” Root said.
Videography also requires dedication— something Root has in abundance, spending almost all of his free time focusing on improv ing his skills.
“Dan is obsessed with filming; it’s not even dedicated at this point,” senior Jarad Ramos,
Root’s friend, said. “Dan does three things: he goes to school, he goes to the gym and he works on filming. That’s literally his entire routine.”
Root is glad to have supportive friends and family, who have encouraged him along the way.
“They have come up to me multiple times and told me they respect me pursuing my pas sions, and I just think that’s really cool,” Root said.
Looking towards the future, Root is cur rently looking at an assortment of cinematic arts schools. He is open to basically any path that involves filming.
“Directing and editing movies, or anything in the line of sports,” Root said. “Music videos are also definitely something I would be inter ested in, along with documentary film.”
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
(Top left) Visitors admire the artwork created by Al gonquin students at the Spring Art Show on Tues day, May 24. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
(Top right) The orchestra performs at the Pops Night concert held in Algonquin’s gym on June 1. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
(Middle) Visitors admire the artwork created by Algon quin students at the Spring Art Show on Tuesday, May 24. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
Senior Priscilla de Carvalho sings at the Pops Night concert held in Algonquin’s gym on June 1. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
Visitors admire the ceramic works created by art students throughout the year. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
(Top left) Seniors Ben Guggi na, Thomas Davis and junior Daniel Boush perform Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” at the Tri-M open mic night on April 28. PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU
(Top right) Sophomore Sa vannah Staples sings an original song at Tri-M open mic night. PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU
(Middle) Sophomore Savan nah Staples, junior Camilly Fernandes and sophomore Jon Loizeaux perform an im provised skit at the Spring Improv Show in the Black Box Theater. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
The ladies first A cappella group sings “God is a Woman” by Ariana Grande at Tri-M open mic night. PHOTO CJ BOURBEAU
Senior Cassidy Brannon performs in a skit in the Spring Improv Show in the Black Box Theater. PHOTO PRIYA MARALIGA
Make your morning caffeine routine less basic and try something new with two of my favorite home cafe recipes that are perfect for spring! These drinks aren’t ideal if you’re in a rush, so I usually only make them on week ends. For aesthetic glassware and serving trays, check out my favorites from Crate & Barrel, Amazon and MUJI.
For a twist on a classic matcha latte, try this matcha rose latte which has a subtle rose flavor and pretty pale pink color! This drink is better with rose syrup, but I wasn’t able to find any, so I opted for this TAZO Rose Pink Latte concentrate. If you’re unfamiliar with matcha preparation, this guide has simple instructions to follow. You don’t necessarily need a bamboo scoop or whisk—I have them, but they can easily be replaced with a mea suring spoon and fork or handheld milk froth er for whisking.
Ingredients:
• Rose Pink Latte Concentrate, or rose syrup
• Milk (of choice)
• Ceremonial or Barista Matcha
• Edible dried rose/hibiscus (optional, I purchased this one from Amazon)
Directions:
1. Prepare matcha by sifting (can skip if you don’t have sifter, but this helps prevent clumps) ½ – 1 tsp matcha
2. Add about 2 oz warm water and mix vigorously
3. Mix rose latte concentrate with milk of choice (to taste)
4. Pour the rose milk over ice, use a good amount of ice if you want the matcha to layer nicely
5. Top with matcha
6. Sprinkle edible dried rose/hibiscus for presentation (if desired)
The key ingredient to this drink is ube con densed milk, which can be found at Asian grocery stores (online or in-store) and on Amazon. If you aren’t familiar with ube, it is a purple yam originating from the Philippines, and has a sweeter, more vanilla and coconut flavor compared to the typical orange sweet potato you eat in America. The ube gives this drink a vibrant purple color and the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Ube Condensed Milk (2-3 tbsp)
• Milk (of choice)
• Espresso (double shot, any ground of choice)
Directions:
1. Add ube condensed milk to 6-8 oz of milk and stir well until fully combined. It is easier to use a handheld milk frother if you have one.
2. Pour ube milk over ice.
3. Top with a double shot of espresso.
This article was published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
CLAIRE BAI & BRIANNA TANG A&E Editors
Each winter and spring, girls in brown and green uniforms huddle outside grocery stores or knock on doors, signaling it’s Girl Scout Cookie season again. In this guide to every thing you need to know about Girl Scout Cookies, we will discuss the different bakeries and provide a rundown on the cookies.
Some people call the popular tan cookie with a layer of caramel sprinkled with coco nut flakes and striped with chocolate Cara mel deLites, while others call them Samoas. They’re the same thing, right? Not quite.
Girl Scout Cookies are produced by two dif ferent bakeries: ABC Bakers and Little Brown ie Bakers. The oldest bakery, ABC Bakers (a subsidiary of Interbake Foods) is based in In diana, while Little Brownie Bakers (a subsidi ary of Keebler) is based in Kentucky. Together, they produce over two million cookies each year for the country to enjoy.
Although some cookies, like Thin Mints, may share a name, there are slight differenc es between them depending on which bak ery produces the cookie. On the other hand, other cookies, such as Lemonades from ABC Bakers and Toffee-tastic from Little Brownie Bakers, are only available from one bakery.
Here, in the Boroughs, we can get the best of both bakeries. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (which Southborough troops are part of) sell cookies from ABC Bakers, while the Girl Scouts of Central and West ern Massachusetts (which Northborough troops are part of) provide cookies from Little Brownie Bakers.
Thin Mints: 5/5
Both ABC Bakers’ and Little Brownie Bak ers’ versions of Thin Mints are amazing, and they taste even better frozen. Both are a round chocolate cookie with a refreshing minty kick. Thin Mints produced by ABC Bak ers are crispier and mintier than Little Brown ie Bakers, whose Thin Mints have a richer, smoother chocolate flavor. Not too sweet, you can eat many before getting sick of them. We prefer the mintyness of the ABC Bakers version, but both are excellent.
Caramel deLites (ABC Bakers)/Sa moas (Little Brownie Bakers): 5/5
On the sweeter side, if you love co conut, caramel and chocolate, Caramel deLites/Samoas are the perfect combi nation of flavors for you. Caramel deLites have a soft, milky caramel layer, while the Samoas feature a more toasted coco nut flavor. The base is
a vanilla cookie, and whether you have a Sa moa or a Caramel deLite, both are a delicious treat on their own!
Lemonades: 5/5
While they may not be as popular, Lem onades are the perfect melody of lemon and sugar in a cookie. The cookie is decorated to look like a lemon and composed of shortbread coated in lemon icing on the bottom, but they are only available from ABC Bakers. (Little Brownie Bakers has recently released a sim ilar cookie, Lemon-Ups, that are covered in a lemon glaze. They don’t match up to the orig inal, since they lack the necessary contrast between shortbread and lemon flavor.
The Worst:
Shortbread (ABC Bakers)/Trefoils (Little Brownie Bakers): 2/5
Meh in a cookie. They have no special fla vor to them, are rather dry, but would maybe work with a cup of tea.
Peanut Butter Sandwiches (ABC Bakers)/ Do-Si-Dos (Little Brownie Bakers): 2/5
Again, these cookies are edible but very underwhelming. Both bakeries’ versions are similar, both being rather dry and one-dimen sional in flavor, and you would probably need a glass of water after eating one (unless you really love peanut butter).
After five long years of radio silence from Kendrick Lamar, widely regarded as one of the most talented lyricists and storytellers in mu sic history, his highly anticipated fifth studio album ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ is here.
All eighteen tracks on Lamar’s most recent album display the growth in character he has undergone since the release of his past al bums, as well as overall progression into new sound and continued experimentation with different genres. ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Step pers’ combines aspects of lyrical rap, trap, jazz and soul that has characterized his music throughout the decades. The album saw a tre mendous first week in sales, also breaking the record on Apple Music for most streams on the first day of release.
The most prevalent subjects seen through out the eighteen tracks are the rappers’ strug gles with self-love, fatherhood, and material ism. In typical Lamar fashion, the album also contains many recurring musical themes, such as the melody sung at the very beginning and several times over towards the end. ‘Mr. Mo rale & The Big Steppers’ stays true to the clas sic storytelling of older works while maintain ing many of the newer aspects of his music seen in ‘Damn,’ resulting in what is arguably his most personal and genuine album.
‘United In Grief’ serves as a dramatic open ing track and introduction to Lamar’s long awaited return to rap. The haunting vocals at the beginning set the tone, and minimalistic instrumentals highlight Lamar’s lyrical and rhythmic talent.
In a change of pace, ‘N95’ captures the au dience with a snippet of vocals before mov ing into a trap beat similar to that of ‘Fami ly Ties’, again featuring Lamar’s cousin and fellow California native Baby Keem on the chorus. ‘Worldwide Steppers’ follows, most notable for its storyline, criticism of cancel culture, and name-drop of Lamar’s newborn son Enoch.
‘Father Time’ describes the speaker’s ongo ing struggle with toxic masculinity as a result of a tough upbringing. Despite the difficulty of his childhood, he credits his father with
teaching him valuable lessons about life in this fast-paced narrative. On this track and several others, Lamar references going to therapy and his journey to healing from past trauma.
Perhaps the most notable track on the al bum is the six-minute song ‘We Cry Together’, telling the story of a mutually abusive rela tionship in a modern context. Taylour Paige’s rasp is complimented by Lamar’s deep, rich tone in an emotionally captivating dialogue that goes back and forth between the fic tional couple. Reminiscent of ‘To Pimp a But terfly’, the instrumentals start off slow and daunting with the noise of bottles clinking featured in the background.
The second half of the album offers in
as he comes to terms with the identities of his transgender relatives. This song marks a groundbreaking point in his career, as well as rap as a whole, considering the lack of cover age for this topic in the genre. Lamar displays an accepting and growth-oriented mindset despite opposition from his peers and his religion, a refreshing departure from the ho mophobic ideals held by many rappers.
‘Mother I Sober’ is my top choice for the album when it comes to storytelling, in addi tion to its tear-jerking lyrics and vocals. The listener feels visceral pain in Lamar’s voice as he recounts the trauma of watching helplessly while his mother was attacked, and his own cousin being accused of sexual assaulting him. He goes on to deliver a powerful mono logue about generational trauma, rape and the guilt he carries from being unable to pro tect his mother.
The only criticism I have for this project, and one of the most common grievances among fans, is the extensive presence of con troversial artist Kodak Black. The rapper pled guilty to sexual assault back in 2021, and hav ing him on the album was a deliberate choice that seems to go against Lamar’s message on ‘Mother I Sober’. Lamar likely chose to keep him on the album as a denunciation of cancel culture and a way of fulfilling his promise to ‘set free all you abusers,’ but I’m not sure Ko dak Black deserves a second chance
PG LANG/INTERSCOPEcredibly important, if not slightly depressing, messages that Lamar has learned through out a lifetime of highs and lows. In ‘Crown,’ he comes to terms with his inability to make everyone happy and the responsibility that comes with being one of the world’s most celebrated artists. ‘Savior’ covers a wide va riety of topics, from performative activism to the anti-vaccination movement, with Keem returning to sing the chorus. The song’s lyr ics serve as a reflection of the past five years, both difficult to hear and hard to ignore.
For me, the most valuable tracks on the album come as the closing nears. ‘Auntie Di aries’ is a deeply personal, eye-opening sto ry told from the perspective of young Lamar
Overall, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ is a masterfully crafted project that offers in sight into Lamar’s personal life as he navigates love, violence, self-hatred and healing. He has once again proven himself as a master lyricist and one of the most well-rounded artists in today’s day and age. Whether you’ve been a fan since ‘Section.80’ or you’re completely new to the genre, this album is a must listen.
This article was published in June 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Ow ens is a masterpiece of a novel. Published in 2018, it hits a sweet spot for any reader. This book interweaves aspects of mystery, histo ry and romance, and creates a beautiful and complex story.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” follows the story of a young girl named Kya, abandoned by her family at the age of six and forced to survive on her own. As she grows older, she realizes that loneliness would kill her before starvation, and seeks for a light in the dark. With the emotional and financial help of a few townspeople, Kya grows older and even begins to learn more about herself and the world around her.
An important aspect of this book is the time jump separated by chapters. While Kya’s story begins in 1952, another story is also taking place in 1969, following the mur der mystery of the young quarterback Chase Andrews.
As Kya’s story grows closer to Chase’s, readers see certain connections in the time lines and characters, which creates a thrilling suspense and makes the book almost impos sible to put down. Not only the plot, but lov able characters such as Tate, about five years Kya’s senior, and townspeople Jumpin’ and Mabel, give the book a much needed light hearted addition.
In some novels, plots can be so complex that they are hard to follow, or just too sim ple that it makes the story boring. “Where the Crawdads Sing“ is a happy medium be tween the two. The plot is just complex and interesting enough to keep you intrigued, but it also isn’t difficult to follow along with. Within the book, certain scenes are brought into great detail and vivid imagery, while some are left a little more vague. What’s so great about this is that Owens does a fantas
tic job at choosing those scenes wisely and spreading them out.
The characters themselves could be con sidered the most prominent factor of the novel’s popularity. With a mysterious and unique main character, the side characters, whether lovable or some of the most hated, added complexity and rich interaction to the storyline, and largely contributed to Kya’s character development. Each character had distinct traits that made them stand out from each other.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” is a beautiful, unique and intriguing story, brought together with complex characters and engaging rela tionships between them. This novel is a rare gem; a story that can be appreciated by any reader and lovers of any genre. And for movie enthusiasts, a film adaptation will be coming out in July, starring actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and directed by Olivia Newman.
Donut Stand in 2018, a pop-up donut shop inside of their family’s wine and cheese busi ness. During the pandemic, when The Vin Bin’s Southborough location was closed, the couple was forced to sell donuts from a van as a drive-thru. After two years of a seemingly unending pandemic, the Lombardis have final ly decided to keep their donut shop open for good.
Creating new flavors and incredible treats is a talent not many excel at, but the Lom bardis have created the best blend of flavors all while keeping it simple and delicious. Some of their most popular flavors include chocolate covered strawberry, tahini and sesame toffee crunch, Belgian chocolate ganache, pistachio and their signature cinnamon roll.
All ingredients are locally sourced from farmers and wholesale in the New England area. Being a family business for nearly twenty years, they made many connections with lo cal farmers, who are now their main suppliers. The small shop has also partnered with local coffee shops such as Aero Coffee Roasters in Northborough, sending donuts their way ev ery Thursday morning.
Visitors are greeted with a bright LED sign upon entrance with a case of freshly baked donuts lined in front of them. From an eccen tric ‘Dad Bod Donut’ to a classic glazed, they have everything you need to brighten your day. Located with an amazing view of the Sud bury Reservoir, you can munch on donuts and watch the day pass by.
IBRAHIMI Staff Writer
The Donut Stand, a long-standing pop-up shop located in Southborough’s The Vin Bin, is here to stay.
Hanna and Mike Lombardi started the
On a recent visit, I purchased the Smooch donut for $4 and received a huge gooey do nut filled with whipped cream cheese filling, raspberry jam and white chocolate ganache. Unlike other donut places with overbearing, extremely sweet filling, this donut was light and easy to eat. Although filled to the brim, it wasn’t difficult to handle.
The only flaws that I saw and other custom ers may see with these donuts is the $4 price tag that comes with them, and you can’t sit down inside the shop to enjoy them. Howev er, it’s a small price to pay for a delicious donut made fresh with local ingredients. Other cus tomers seem to feel the same, as the donuts sell out week after week.
articles were published in May 2022 on arhsharbinger.com
‘WhereThese YAHYA
Today we will be digging into the beauty of “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), directed by Wes Anderson. This film goes into a story of a once-shiny family and their fall from grace with Anderson’s signature bright colors and amazing film composition.
The story follows the family patriarch, Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his family of grown children after they have drifted apart. His children are a tennis star on the verge of a breakdown, Richie (Luke Wilson), recent ly widowed father, Chaz (Ben Stiller) and his adoptive daughter (which she is constantly reminded of) Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) who were all child prodigies growing up with their own sets of talents.
As they grew older, Chaz and Margot grew resentment towards their divorced father who they saw as a careless parent. Royal be gins to try to rekindle his relationship with his children even though he knows nothing per sonal about them. He goes as far as to fake a terminal illness in order to see them together once more. But he has to go farther to get them to renew their relationships.
The film’s editing is done extremely well to convey the tragic, but often hilarious and touching, story of the Tenenbaums. The story is told in the format of a story book which is clearly shown at the very beginning, and the story’s quirky illustrations become the sets and characters. Parts of the story are present ed as chapters that progress the story.
Anderson also uses a lot of bright colors in many of his projects (such as “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox”) to lighten the mood of the peculiar stories he tells. In this film, there is a constant haze of yellow up until an attempted suicide, after which the color shifts to blue. The color red seems to symbolize the aggressiveness of the family, while the blue shift illustrates the character’s depression taking over for that split second.
The details of the sets and costumes bring a lot of personality to the film. The set at the center for the entire film is the Tenenbaums’
rambling mansion. The house seems stuck in the 70s with an abundance of brightly col ored furniture and appliances, and in a way the characters’ lives are also frozen in time from decades before. The inside of the house is filled with bright pinks, blues and yellows. Though the house is divided into different subsections, the overall colors combine into a light color palette.
The costumes also follow the color scheme and are simplistic, as each child stays in their style outfit throughout the film. Margot is constantly seen in dresses with horizontal lines and colors that fit the room color, and always accessorized with a fur coat. As for her brothers, Chaz is only seen in a bright red track suit, while Richie wears a brown suit with a sweatband. These outfits symbolize the traits each character possesses. Chaz is a uniform man who likes things done in the right way, Richie was once a famous tennis star, and Margot wanted to be successful and famous.
The film sequences focus on the charac ters as they each discuss their situations. One of my favorite scenes is when Royal tells his children that he is ill with cancer but his
son, Chaz, doesn’t seem to care much for his father’s situation. The shot of this scene puts Chaz in the direct center of the camera while he is surrounded by stained glass. These steady shots allow the viewer to focus on the emotion of the character, and the perfectly aligned shots make the film artistically beau tiful.
“The Royal Tenenbaums” is an amazing film for anyone who loves Wes Anderson’s film style or anyone who loves films that show a great attention to detail. The story also gives a good message to the audience; to love your family for their strengths and weaknesses. This film is currently available to stream on Tubi, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves films and beautiful cinema tography.
#5:
This fruity drink has the amazing combination of two of sum mer’s favorite fruits: mango and pineapple. When you go to or der this drink, substitute the normal green tea base with lem onade for that fresh, zesty flavor. This lemonade has a vibrant taste that can brighten anyone’s day. The only downside to this drink is that it may be overly sweet for some people’s taste, so be warned.
#4: Sunburst Melon Lemonade from Wendy’s
With a mix of watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi and strawberry, this flavorful concoction will leave you refreshed and energized. This citrusy peach colored drink is the lemonade version of a fruit salad. However, a lot of the melon flavor gets lost in the strawberry, resulting in more of a strawberry lemonade rather than a melon lemonade. But if you’re in need of a quick lemon ade fix, Wendy’s has your back.
This new addition to Panera’s menu has the perfect revitaliz ing flavor, with a whopping 259 mg of caffeine per serving. It will provide all the energy you’ll need for your summer activities. This pink colored drink contains guarana, a fruit that has many health benefits such as improving focus and boosting heart health.
#2:
Picture this: it’s 90 degrees outside with painfully high hu midity, and you just need an ice cold treat. Chick-fil-A’s frosted lemonade is the perfect drink when you need it most. This mas terpiece is a combination of lemonade and ice cream blended together into creamy lemon perfection. A frosted lemonade is al most like a lemonade milkshake, but the lemonade doesn’t over power the taste of the sweet ice cream. This unique and clever combination will surprise you!
Starbucks never fails with this summer favorite, which pro vides a tropical flavor with the inclusion of juicy dragon fruit pieces. This drink has the sweet taste of mango and fresh lem onade all poured over ice. The vibrant hot pink color is sure to catch some attention, and the flavors flawlessly blend together. This is the perfect mood booster to accompany you on a sunny beach day.
#5:
Mayflower Beach is 30 minutes away from the Cape Cod bridge, but there are beaches all along the string of the coast. The beach itself is very large, and some parts are private while others are open with a fee to park. Many people wake up extra early to race down to this beautiful beach with soft sand and clear water; however, it can be annoying at times when there is no place to sit. Pro tip: get up extra early and claim a spot because it can be hard to find an area to yourselves.
#4: Wingaersheek Beach (Gloucester)
The parking lot at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester fills up fast. The sand is so soft and white, and the water is very clear, making it a lot of fun to swim in. There are also many little tide pools and lots of large rocks that you can climb on or sit on. The beach however is somewhat small, especially depending on the tides, so you would have to leave early to secure both a parking spot as well as a good spot on the beach!
#3:
Plum Island runs through two towns, Newburyport and New bury. You have many beaches to choose from that all have park ing, and you can sit on the ocean side of the beach, go into the Parker River Reservation or you could go to the Merrimack River side of the small island. The wind usually comes off the water, which is very refreshing, and the water is cold but feels nice to go in and run out.
Narragansett beach at the tip of Rhode Island is the place to go for a morning surf. Many tourists from all over visit this place for its beauty and its quaint town with cottages, shops and restau rants. Nearby is Newport, the ritzy side of Rhode Island, where you can find cute shops and good food. Narragansett has clear blue water with massive waves, but be careful of the undertow because it can be rough at times. Parking can be a little tricky around here, but there are many spots on the side of the road with meters.
White Horse Beach is surrounded by a cute little town with fun shops and tourist places. The beach itself is beautiful and one of the top places to find sea glass. The general store is where you want to park your car, throwing a twenty to the attendant. When you step on the beach you see a beautiful painting of the American flag on a massive rock out in the ocean. The water is usually cold but on a hot sweaty day it feels extremely refreshing. The beach is filled with locals saying hi to everyone as they pass making you feel welcomed.
you had misses at five feet but were clear at 5’2”, so you’re ahead,’” de Carvalho said.
When de Carvalho found out she won, she was ecstatic. The run ner-up then hugged her and was very happy for her.
“It was a really good moment because it didn’t feel like a rivalry,” de Carvalho said. “It just felt like my hard work was paying off.”
De Carvalho said she had an unexpected rough start to the season because she wasn’t performing the way she wanted to, which made this win feel even more meaningful to her.
“It’s a waiting game, so then it becomes a mental game, and that’s the hardest part to not get in your own head,” de Carvalho said.
Initially, when she started high jump, she was nervous about jump ing over a pole backward and off one foot. But just like anything, the more she practiced it, the less nerve-wracking it became to her.
Senior Priscilla de Carvalho took a leap of faith when she cleared 5’2” to earn the first place title in high jump at the Division 2 Massachusetts Indoor Track State Championships on Feb. 20.
De Carvalho, who also competed in hurdles and the 4x200m relay at States, was confident going into the State Championships, but did not expect the outcome, as she was originally seeded sixth. At the meet, she cleared 4’10” on her first try. She then missed her first two tries at five feet, but got it on the third. Lastly, she cleared 5’2” on her first try, which gave her a leg up on her opponents.
“I went to the official and said, ‘Oh, it looks like we’re gonna go into a jump-off right?’ and he said, ‘Actually, no, you’re winning right now since
“Trust your training,” de Carvalho said. “You have to let your body do what it knows what to do.”
De Carvalho’s high jump coach, Ken Morin, has seen her progres sion throughout the years.
“If you go through the four years, it’s an immense change,” Mo rin said. “Through the growth of developing those techniques and growing athletically, getting stronger, getting quicker, I’ve seen huge changes.”
Morin explained how high jump and hurdles are extremely tech nical events, as it is unnatural for athletes at first. But de Carvalho has worked hard to improve in these events and get to where she is today.
“She is able to take coaching really well and implement it into her technique, and on meet days, get right to it,” Morin said.
Heading into her final season of high school track, De Carvalho’s biggest hopes for the outdoor season were keeping her win streak, beating Wachusett Regional High School and ending her final senior year season with more titles.
After claiming the Division II State Champi on title, senior Brogan Madden placed second in New England in high jump for indoor track.
Although his plans for the future in connec tion with track are still undecided, he is ready to use what he has learned from track in his everyday life. Madden has been competing in the high jump since he was a freshman.
“Setting personal bests does not come of ten, but it is amazing when it happens,” Mad den, who jumped 6’5” at the New England Championship meet, said. “I can’t wait for the future meets and opportunities I will have.”
Because COVID-19 majorly impacted Madden’s track season during his junior year, he struggled to perform at his greatest po tential. However, this year with less COVID
restrictions, Madden feels he was able to im prove.
“I got into better habits and techniques,” Madden said. “These allowed me to be able to get back to my successful position and be
able to push higher as well and test my limits.”
Madden says the mental aspect of high jumping is critical, along with having good physical techniques.
“When it comes to being in the right mind set at the exact perfect time, that takes real strength and patience,” Madden said.
As Madden approached his final season of track at ARHS he planned to work hard to see what he can achieve.
“There is still a lot of road ahead of me and I can still improve a lot,” Madden said.
Madden recently finished fourth in the high jump at the outdoor track All-State meet.
How did it feel to win first place at the state meet?
“I was a little shocked because I didn’t expect to win. Originally, I went [to the meet] just to have fun, but I became state champion and I was happy about that.”
How did you train throughout the season?
“I just practiced a lot. I go to this place called Patriot Pole Vault quite often, and obviously I practice at Algonquin as well.”
What were some challenges you faced during the meets or while training?
“For training, I would say the challenge is that you can never be consistent, so I sometimes have bad days, and the good days don’t always happen. Sometimes you have a bad jump, or I’ve had jumps where I didn’t even land on the mat because my jump was so bad. In meets, I think the challenging part is that mentally, you might be unprepared because you only have three chances to clear [the bar].”
Junior Adam Beckman won first place in pole vault at the Massachu setts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) District 2 State Track Meet, hosted by Hingham High School, on May 29 with a jump of 11’ 6”.
What was your main motivation to dedicate time and effort into this event?
“I just enjoy pole vault. There are a lot of aspects to it, like the bending of the pole and going into the air. It’s fun.”
What are your goals for the future with pole vault?
“I plan to do it more, especially during the summer. Hopefully pret ty often. I also want to prepare to jump even higher next spring.”
After a throw of 112’ 9”, junior Ellie West phal won first place in the javelin event at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Asso ciation (MIAA) Division 2 State Track Meet, hosted by Hingham High School, on May 29.
How did it feel to win first place at the state meet?
“I was pretty surprised, to be honest. I was really excited and really happy because I felt like my hard work was paying off.”
How did you train throughout the season?
“During practice, I’ll go down to practice [javelin], probably around twice a week. I played baseball for a while, and that taught me how to throw things. A lot of those [me chanics] sort of carried into javelin. Some of the mechanics are a little different, but there wasn’t too much that I had to change.”
What were some challenges you faced during
the meets or while training?
“There are definitely a lot of technical things to javelin, like getting it to stick. It took me a while to figure it out. Also, at the state meet, I had two really good throws and then four not-so-good throws, and so it can be inconsistent. Just trying to get a good throw every time can be really challenging.”
What was your main motivation to dedicate time and effort into this event?
“I had always wanted to try javelin. It sounded fun with my baseball background and sounded like something I would enjoy and be good at, so I had that connection. It started to pay off when I did pretty good in meets, so that motivated me even more.”
What are your goals for the future with jav elin?
“It would be great to go as far as I can with it. Next year I just hope to have the same success and to keep improving my [personal record].”
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Read these stories and more in our Sports section:
girls’ 39 The Harbinger
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(Top Left) Seniors throw their caps in celebration at graduation on June 5.
(Top Right) Senior Stella Deluty high-fives Principal Sean Bevan as she receives her diploma.
(Middle right) Superintendent Greg Martineau delivers a gradua tion speech to the class of 2022.
(Left) Senior Mari Fellenbaum shakes Superintendent Greg Martineau’s hand as she receives her diploma.
(Bottom left) Senior Lindsey Stone delivers her graduation speech as senior class president.
(Bottom right) Seniors decorate their caps for graduation.
PHOTOS KATY O’CONNELL