October 2015 by Buccaneer Bulletin

uccaneer ulletin Oswego High School’s Student Voice

What’s Inside...

Page 2 NEW November Calender Pages 7-8 Homecoming Happenings Page 15 OHS Volleyball Victories Volume 1

Number 1

October 2015

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Honors

Regents

“Little Women” Hits OHS Stage November 6 & 7

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The (wo)Man With The Plan: Who designs our planners?

Electives You Didn’t Know

Existed!

Oswego, New York

Editorial

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This month’s cover was inspired by the stress and struggles all students face at the beginning of the school year, and is personiﬁed by model Michaela Callen as she poses in front of all of her school work. The shot was taken by the Buc Bulletin’s Maddy Plyer and the layout for this month’s cover was created by Olivia DeLorenzo.

○ The beautiful new planner cover! ○ Cell phone privileges in the cafeteria ○ Mr. Greene’s return to the gymnasium ○ All the buses have been on time... so far ○ The golf team is undefeated...again!

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○ Student parking...why are so many teachers missing? ○ The reinforcement of a sexist dress code ○ No phone privileges during study hall ○ The lack of announcemens about important events ○ The continued lack of choices in the cafeteria. Thanks Michelle Obama!

STAFF Editor-in-chief Amber Canbek

Business Manager Victoria Armet

The Buc Bulletin hopes that all new and returning students, as well as the faculty, staff and administration have a good school year.

November 2015 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday 5

NO SCHOOL

Webmaster Hannah Cali Clublicity Morgan Haynes

12 13 -Picture Day BOCES PreMakeup NO SCHOOL sentation @8:25 am

Reporters Trevor Bradshaw Sophia Loazya Sports Writer Alexander Haessig Webmaster Helper Dylan Pappa Advertising Designer Christian Cary Chief photographer Maddy Plyler Ad Designer Elijah Dandrich

NO SCHOOL

NHS Meeting

Managing Editor Kelly Skinner Advertising Represntives Maia Delaney Eli Restuccio

Saturday

- Early release -Fall play @7:30 - Drama club fall play @7:30

Senior Writer Chase Pelton Layout Editor Olivia DeLorenzo

Friday

Parent/teacher conference @6-8 pm

College Financial Aid Night @7-9

The Buccaneer Bulletin is a newspaper published seven times a year at the Oswego High School in Oswego, New York. The paper is designed and written by students. Any questions may be sent to the editor at acanbek@oswego.org. This month’s What’s Your Opinion was created by the Advertising Designer, Maia Delaney. The editorial was written by the Editor, Amber Canbek, and voices the opinions of the rest of the staff members at The Buccaneer Bulletin.

Sports Editor Tyler Dohse Photographer Nick Back Art Director Dakora Brown

Buccaneer Bulletin

@BuccaneerBulletin

@BucBulletin

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Editorial

Students stressed to the max WHAT’S YOUR

“If I’m not good enough for this college, what am I good for?” This is a question many teens ﬁnd themselves asking these days. With t he cutthroat competitiveness of the college admissions process, many teens seem to be falling to pieces from the stress they are put through. With soaring tuition prices, acceptance rates declining rapidly and the scariness of the current job market, students are under more stress than their parents ever were at their age. Students today are applying to between ten to ﬁfteen schools just to heighten their chances of getting into a school. According to The College Board, there is also an increase in students participating in sports, clubs and different AP courses to be noticed by the college that they are begging to get into. Today, some students will probably go as far as selling their soul just to get into a college of their choosing. Although eight hours of sleep is considered healthy for teens, it’s not unusual to see teenagers up past midnight with a cup of joe and disco-tech music playing to aid them while they stay up studying. The average student usually has a total

of six hours of sleep or less. Lack of sleep leads to fatigue, loss of concentration, and irritability. These symptoms of an unhealthy sleeping pattern can lead to a drop in school performance, anxiety and depression. Those that stay up late also gain weight as staying up saves up calories. Though, it’s not only the uncertainty of getting into college that makes teens stressed, it is the cost and job prospects as well. “Desperate times lead to desperate measures.” This quote proves true as students take every chance they can get to exceed in school. Every state, from California to New York, has a cheating scandal making the headlines of every newspaper. Cheating rings are created during SAT and ACT season, thus creating more restrictions and security becoming stricter at the tests. Teens have different ways of coping with stress. The average student relieves stress with gaming, exercise, Internet surﬁng and television. Unfortunately, there are those who go to more threatening lengths such as self-harm, prescription drugs and even suicide. Social media and websites like College Conﬁdential only

fuel the ﬁre of competitiveness as students exchange grades and strategies, with the hope of becoming and being better than their peers. The unhealthy lengths teens go through has turned heads around America as parents and experts take a look into the average student psyche. There are some schools across the country limiting the amount of AP courses they allow, taking AP courses away altogether or calculating the work load of each class for each student and limiting the number of classes they take. To cope with stress, it is vital to keep active and meditate in some way or another. Strong social ties are crucial as well since many students cut those ties due to school work and studying. Visiting colleges also helps rejuvenate a burnt out student as it makes them less scared of the world after high school. Some colleges even offer a “gap-year” program, where students spend their time working for the school, traveling, or volunteering to give themselves relief before delving into college workloads. Do not let school justify your existence. It gets better.

OPINION?

“What do you plan on accomplishing this school year? Dane Richardson Freshman “Becoming Vice President for the Freshman class and being a role model in athletics.”

Laurin Furlong Sophomore “Ninety or above grade point average.”

Nate Greene Junior “Passing Chemistry and getting as many credits as I can.”

Alex Flack Senior “Date as many girls as possible.”

Mr. Parrotte Physical Education Teacher “Lowering failure rates.”

Editors Note: This issue’s comic was drawn by Katie O’Gorman. If you have any questions about this issue’s editorial please contact the editor at acanbek@oswego.org.

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News

Little Women hits the stage

By Olivia DeLorenzo Layout Editor Louisa May Alcott published the classic novel Little Women in 1880, and this November, the two-act adaptation graces the Oswego High School stage. The story is centered around the lives of four young sisters and their experiences in late 1800s America with scarlet fever raging and their father away at war. Meg, played by Leah Mullen, is the prim and proper oldest sister with a bossy attitude who acts like a second mother to her younger siblings. The second oldest is tomboy Jo, played by Rachel Leotta, who is chided by her sisters for her bold ideas. Next comes the sweet but sickly Beth, played by Keelan McGreevy, a soft-spoken musician

with a close bond to Jo. The youngest sister is Amy, beautiful but babied by her mother and used to getting what she wants, played by Hannah Strzelinski. The four sisters are surrounded by a myriad of interesting characters, including their loving mother Marmee, played by Natalie Griffin, the loyal servant and family friend Hannah, played by Olivia DeLorenzo, and handsome boy next door, Laurie, played by Doug Schneider. The girls find themselves growing up, sometimes reluctantly. Meg seeks to join high society, attend parties and rub elbows with the high and- mighty. Jo, although she wishes for herself and her sisters to remain young girls forever, matures greatly and finds success in the publishing industry

and makes a vast sacrifice to help her sick father, played by Aiden McGreevy. The show is being produced under the direction of Mr. Garrett Heater, music teacher at Fitzhugh Elementary school and accomplished director. In the past few years, Heater has directed several shows at OHS, such as Lizze Borden Took an Axe, Evita, and Pippin. Additionally, Heater will be directing this year’s musical Damn Yankees and spring play, Macbeth. Little Women opens November 6 and 7, tickets are $10 and all are encouraged to attend, as well as drama club meetings to be announced, and auditions for Damn Yankees on November 11 and 12 after school in room 120.

Hamilton to be pushed off ten By Kelly Skinner Managing Editor This past summer the United States Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, announced a plan to put a woman on a newly designed ten dollar bill. Considering the driving force behind this redesign was the organization Women on 20s who advocated for the removal of Andrew Jackson, many are wondering why Alexander Hamilton was chosen to be demoted. Ironically, Secretary Lew made the announcement of the change in front of the statue of Hamilton centered in front of the Treasury building. Hamilton fought in the Revolutionary War, served as aide-de-camp for General George Washington, attended the Constitutional Convention in which he was the only delegate from New York to sign the finished document, and authored most of the Federalist Papers. The publication of the Federalist Papers helped bring about the ratification of the Constitution and since then have become instrumental in the document’s interpretation. Hamilton also became the first Secretary of the Treasury. During his time in office, he fought to implement his brilliant yet controversial financial plan which was vital for the young country’s survival. Mr. Ed Stacy, an economics teacher at Oswego High School, called Hamilton one of the “classier and smarter Americans whose only fault was dueling

Aaron Burr”. This duel led to Hamilton’s death in 1804. Hamilton’s legacy is remembered in the statue of his likeness outside of the U.S. Treasury building, his home in Harlem, NYC, which has been turned into a museum, and of course, he is immortalized in the Federalist Papers and the very nature of the United States economy. However, even with these memorials, Hamilton often fades into the background of United States history. Mr. Joshua DeLorenzo, a teacher of United States history, speculated that Hamilton’s lack of a connection to a modern political party is what made him an easy target for removal. His lack of star power like that of George Washington or Benjamin Franklin also makes him vulnerable. Hamilton’s portrait on the ten dollar bill has proved essential in keeping Hamilton alive in the memories of the American people. Without the honor, he may fade further into obscurity instead of getting the recognition he deserves. There is no doubt that women should be honored on currency if they deserve it. But what woman so far could compete with Hamilton’s extraordinary contributions to our country? Some of the candidates up for the position are Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks. Yes, these women have contributed much to society, but none have achieved the magnitudinal impact of Hamilton. Without Hamilton, the

nation these women helped to shape and strengthen would not have survived its first fifteen years. “It is best to honor a woman when there is a real political movement of consensus instead of just deciding it is time to honor a woman and then scrambling to find one worthy,” said DeLorenzo. Let’s not put a woman to put on our money purely for the sake of being able to claim that we honor both genders equally, but let us instead find someone to add to our currency who can replace their predecessor because they have done more and done better than those who came before. It would be far easier for a woman to be more deserving than their predecessor had the group Women on 20’s objective been fulfilled and Andrew Jackson had been slated for removal. Andrew Jackson was a hater of paper currency, the president who vetoed the National Bank, and the man who defied John Marshall’s Supreme Court ruling to move Native Americans on the infamous Trail of Tears. Mr. Benjamin Richardson, who teaches OHS Inc., said “Jackson put us in financial ruin as moving federal funds out of the National Bank led to the Panic of 1837, and was a questionable figure in United States history.” Although, DeLorenzo said,“I love Andy J”, he also said that Jackson would be the best choice for removal if neces-

sary; however, he doubts this will happen due to the Democratic Party’s allegiance to their founder. Even in Jackson’s era he had enemies. Henry Clay, a member of Congress during Jackson’s presidency, described the former general as, “ignorant, passionate, hypocritical, corrupt and easily swayed by the basest men who surround him.” Jackson is also credited with the start of the patronage system, which is rewarding political supporters with public offices. Considering Jackson accused John Quincy Adams of a “corrupt bargain” when Adams appointed Clay to Secretary of State after Clay pushed for Adam’s presidential victory in 1824, Jackson’s use of this system is especially hypocritical. It is baffling how a man like Jackson got a place on our nation’s currency in the first place and it is far more baffling how a man such as he will keep his place while our economic founder is removed. Many of the replacements would not even be in the running for a place on currency had they been men. Choosing a woman does not demonstrate equality if the only reason for choosing the candidate is because of her gender. Hamilton’s contributions to our country must not be forgotten because we are desperate for political correctness. Please tweet in support of Hamilton using the hashtag, #TheNewTen.

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Columns

Opportunity knocks for OHS students

By Chase Pelton Senior Writer When senior year rolls around, students have an opportunity to look back at all the classes they have taken over the years, but it is also a time to look at all the missed opportunities whether it is due to ignorance of the opportunity or failure to plan ahead. Every department in the Oswego High School has courses that students have never heard of or never considered taking that would be valuable to them in the future.

In the technology department there is a Career and Technical Education endorsement that, if completed, will be added onto students’ high school diplomas. This endorsement involves taking mostly television Photo courtesy of Alex Haessig and media classes alongside more Technology departmeant leader, Jamie Sykut (left) oversees students Tyler Dohse (middle) and Nick Masuicca (right) as typical CTE classes such as Career they partake in a CTE required class. and Financial Management. Earning allowing students to take two college level dents work through the mandatory math this endorsement shows to colleges that foreign language courses. These courses classes and get more experience in the students have dedication to a certain field are also offered at discounts from what field of math. and took advantage of courses that will they cost at colleges. Any student looking There is also a broad opportuniapply to their everyday lives. In the near to earn as many college credits as possity for students involving the three credit future there is also a CTE endorsement ble or a foreign language degree should foreign language requirement for the adfocused on the engineering courses that strongly consider these courses. vanced regent diploma. If a student earns is pending approval but the department five credits in either, art, music or techleader, Mr. Jamie Sykut, is optimistic about nology, the foreign language requirement its approval. is lowered to one credit. This waiver only Meanwhile, the social studies deworks however if all five credits are earned partment has more than its fair share of in one of the three fields, they cannot be forgotten courses. The department has a spread throughout the three. This option few classes that are available, but only if is for students who struggle with a foreign enough students sign up for them. A half language or are passionate about muyear Syracuse University Project Advance sic, art and technology and would like to (SUPA) course in personal finance, and free up schedule space for more of those a half year anthropology course are both classes. It is also strongly recommended available if enough students show interest to discuss this option with a counselor and sign up. The department would love to For book lovers and writers there are and parents as colleges would still prefer offer the classes and hope that someday many courses that can satisfy your into see students take the three foreign they can have them again. One class that terests. The English department offers a language credits. In many cases colleges they were recently able to offer is a half Modern Novels class and the elective A will also require students to take foreign year course about the Civil War and ReconTouch of Evil, which are half year courses language in college to make up for taking struction thanks to student interest. that you can. In both classes, students are so little in high school For students interested in a career in tasked with reading and discussing popuAs far as students not fully planning out science, two courses have recently been lar and well written stories. A Touch of Evil their course plan in high school, guidance added. Oceanography and Meteorology delves more into books that touch on the counselor Rachael Henderson weighed in. have been brought back recently after ininner darkness of man, and tasks students She said “Students just don’t think about terest was shown from staff and students with analyzing and discussing the novels, their next two or three years, they focus on alike. The classes alternate daily, students while Modern Novels deals with popular what’s going to happen tomorrow.” switching between meteorology one day novels that have come out recently in While it is normal to not have everythen oceanography the next. AP Biology order to analyze the complexity of modern thing planned out in freshman or sophowas first offered last year and helps stulife. more year, it still benefits students to take dents interested in a career in science to If numbers are your calling the math courses that interest them. If a student is experience a college level course. AP Bio department offers numerous courses to interested in engineering, start down the being another opportunity for students to help students develop their skills in math engineering path. If a student is interested earn college credits and go more in depth and gain tips to help out with the mandatoin biology, start down the course to more in the field of science. ry math courses. Graphing Calculator One advanced biology courses. Later in school College level options do not stop there, and Two help students learn tips with the it will be easy to turn off from a course however, both Spanish and French stucalculator for algebra and trigonometry reschedule, but it will be hard to join one dents who reach levels four and five can spectively. There is also a Math of Sports, later on, so it is important to at least try take college level 201 or 202 depending a half year course that develops skills in out something you are interested in and go on which level is offered that year. The algebra by using real life occurrences in from there. following year they take the next level sports. Both of these courses help stu-

Students just don’t think about their next two or three years, they focus on what’s going to happen tomorrow.

buccaneerbulletin.com National Honor Society

National Honor Society is a volunteer organization advised by social studies and SUPA teacher, Mr. Ed Stacy. NHS participates in many events including the Run for Dennis fundraiser and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital letter writing campaign. Ofﬁcers include President Kelly Skinner, Vice President Natasha Mezza, Secretary Elaina Rando, and Treasurer Victoria Armet. “NHS is an organization whose four pillars, character, scholarship, leadership, and service represent the traits of successful individuals. Joining NHS does not only symbolize a commitment to obtaining community service hours but is also a pledge of self improvement; to work to embody these four ideals and use them in the quest for excellence,” said Skinner. If you’re interested in volunteering and helping others out, NHS is for you. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month in the cafeteria after school. Applications to join NHS are due in March. See Mr. Stacy in room 150 for more information.

Student Council Student Council, advised by Mr. Vayner and Mrs. D’Aangelo, is about “volunteering to help better our school,” said Student Council President Christian Davis. Some events Student Council participates in are Christmas in the elementary schools program and the faculty ﬂag football game. They also are involved in various fundraisers to fund scholarships which are given out to senior members. This year’s ofﬁcers are President Christian Davis, Vice President Kelly Skinner, Secretary Derek Carmella, Treasurer Olivia Flint, and Sergeant of Arms Olivia Dowdle. Student Council meets every other Thursday in Mrs. D’Angelo’s room. If you are interested in joining, pick up an application on her door.

Drama Club Have you always wanted to act, be in plays, or just want to make some friends? If so, then Drama Club is right for you. In an interview with the Club Adviser, Mr. Dumas, he said he wanted Drama Club to be more professional this year, so he wanted to make the year a uniﬁed season based on the theme “A Season To Die For” including plays that deal with death in a very serious way as well as some that coin the playful side of the phrase “to die for.” The ﬁrst play in November will be Little Women, an American classic based on the novel. In the spring, MacBeth by William Shakespeare as well as a musical comedy called Damn Yankee will be performed. President Olivia DeLorenzo looks forward to the Drama Club being more involved in local events such as the Young Playwrights Festival and Shakespeare Competition.

Clublicity

Freshman Class The Freshman Class is led by class adviser Mrs. Richardson and President Jenna Bradshaw. Class officers hope to raise money for future events. The freshman class’ first fundraiser will be a bottle and can drive on October 24. The next fundraiser will be at Fajita Grill on November 30. On December 7 there will be a Canale’s fundraiser, and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest December 23. The students are invited to wear their ugly Christmas sweaters for a dollar donation. March 11 through 29 will be a Gertrude Hawk candy sale. Freshman class meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month in room 151. Rreshman are encouraged to attend. For more information on the freshman class you can contact Mrs. Richardson in room 151 or at nrichard @oswego.org.

Sophomore Class The sophomore class advised by Mary Koskowski and Kaylee Morse is getting ready for fundraisers this year. This year’s class officers are President Abby Douglas, Vice President Turner McElroy, Secretary Grace Bruns, and Treasurer Ellie Lisec. Fundraisers include a Yankee Candle fundraiser which will start on October 19. From November 23 to December 4, the class will be selling customized Christmas ornaments. From March 21 to April 2 they will be selling Buccaneer magnets, and on April 8 the class will be having a Morp Dance for freshmen and sophomores with more details to come. Their last official fundraiser will be a car wash on June 5. The class hopes to have a Fajita Grill fundraiser in November, a Canales fundraiser in February, and a pancake breakfast in the spring. Sophomore class meetings are the last Tuesday of each month and all sophomores are welcome to attend. For more information, please visit Mrs. Morse’s in room 143 or Mrs. Koskowski in room 217; class officers also have any information you might need.

Junior Class The junior class, with advisor Tai Jackson and President Luke May, needs to raise money for the 2016 prom and senior year activities. The other class ofﬁcers are: Celia Fitzgerald as vice president, Mikayla Trapasso as treasurer, and Madison Bell as secretary. The main fundraiser for the junior class is the Junior Variety Show in April to raise money for prom. The month of October includes three fundraisers for the junior class including the Powder Puff game on October 5, a McDonald’s fundraiser on October 10, and a pancake breakfast on October 25. Cookie dough will be sold in November and delivered in December. Candy grams will be sold during lunch periods starting December 7. A chicken BBQ will be in May as well with more fundraisers to be announced. All juniors are welcome to attend the class meetings held every other Tuesday in room 186. Prom Committee meetings will start in the month of January every Friday and will also be in room 186 open to any junior willing to participate in the creation of prom.

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Clublicity

OHS Inc.

Travel Club

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in a real workplace? If so, then OHS Inc. is the class for you. In this class, orchestrated by Mr. Richardson, students can combine their graduation requirement for Economics and Participation in Government. The curriculum entails students hired in a workplace as employees where they can collect salaries and have sick days. Different class periods of OHS Inc. become divisions of a national corporation. There are many leadership roles from CEO to managers in each class. Although Mr. Richardson teaches the class, students assume more of the leadership of the class as the school year progresses. “It’s like I create the road, the mile markers are the curriculum, and so long as the students are going down the road they’re fine, but they drive the car,” said Richardson. OHS Inc. has two main events that go on during the year. One of these is the bake sale which occurs during parentteacher conferences and involves OHS Inc. classes competing against each other selling baked goods. The other is the sale of Oswego Buccaneer apparel and takes place just prior to Christmas break. Usually the school store, which is run by the OHS Inc. classes, is open by this time of the year. However, the addition of a human resource officer has left Richardson searching for a new location. If students are interested in OHS Inc., Richardson encourages them to ask their counselor. Richardson stated, “It really is the only class in our school that completely fulfills the business curriculum.”

There are lots of clubs and events that make Oswego High School enjoyable. One of the many clubs that we have at OHS is Travel Club. They have traveled to Italy, Greece, Germany, England, Ireland, France and more according to Mrs. McPherson. The club travels every other year with the next trip to Italy in the summer of 2016. Travel club meets once a month in room 174. “We participate in fundraisers as well as research and discuss the places we are going to visit on our next trip,” McPherson said. They are always accepting new members, so if you are interested in experiencing another culture, check out Travel Club. Although class ofﬁcers have yet to be elected, Mrs. McPherson and Mrs. Williams are the club advisers and you can contact them at lmcphers@oswego. org and swillia2@oswego.org.

Senior Class

Seniors, don’t look past high school just yet as the senior class of 2016 has a lot in store for the upcoming school year. There are countless activities and events put on by the class adviser and officers. Mrs. Palmitesso is now the lone advisor following the retirement of last year’s co-advisor, Mr. Mirabito. This year’s officers are as follows, president is Clare Donovan, vice-president is Alex Haessig, secretary is Kyra O’Gorman, and treasurer is Mariah Metcalf. This year’s officers are ecstatic for all that senior year has to offer and are looking forward to planning all the class’ events. “I’m wicked excited to plan this year’s activities. My goal has always been to make senior year special and fun for the class so I hope to do just that,” Donovan stated. Each officer is in charge of organizing two of the eight events during the year. This year started with the annual Powderpuff football game, while another upcoming event put on by the senior class is the winter semi-formal which will be held on December 12 at the Elks Club. The senior trip will be here before you know it and it is critical to get all payments in on time. Listen to the announcements for further details regarding the trip. There are numerous other activities such as countdown to graduation, senior class night, graduation dinner dance, senior picnic, and graduation itself. Be listening for announcements regarding the activities, and follow the class of 2016 on Twitter (@OSWEGO2016), and Instagram (@oswego2016). You can also like the Facebook page, “Oswego Class of 2016”. If you have any further questions you contact Mrs. Palmitesso at tpalmit2@oswego.org or stop by room 273.

Sailing Club The ﬁrst week of June and the last week of August is when Sailing Club starts and ends. They meet up at the yacht club by Breitbeck Park on Tuesdays and if there is too much wind, no wind, or if it is raining they meet on Thursdays. The club starts at 5:00 pm and it takes around 40 minutes to get the boats in the water and to set up the sails, the club is out on the lake for an hour or two depending on the weather. The club president last year was Megan Anderson and the club has yet to choose a president for this year. “I became a member of sailing club without having any prior experience on boats and I learned a lot. It was a fun experience and I encourage anyone interested to join.” stated Kelly Skinner, a club member. The club members change all the time. In the beginning of the summer there are around 14 to 15 people and towards the end there are seven or eight people. Allison Anderson, the club’s advisor, hopes this year that around 15 people will join and stick with it all the way to the end. “I can’t imagine my life without sailing, the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been because of sailing has changed me forever,” Anderson said. Throughout the summer, there are four to ﬁve club meetings and around 10 days of sailing. If you would like to get more information about the club, Anderson’s email is Anaders4@oswego.org and her room over at Oswego Middle School is room 15.

Senior Class Treasurer Mariah Metcalf Editor’s Note: Clublicity was created by the contribution of many of the newspaper’s staff members. This includes: Sophia Loayza, Christian Cary, Eli Restuiccio, Kelly Skinner, Maia Delaney, Trevor Bradshaw, Dylan Pappa, Alex Haessig, Dakota Brown, Nick Back, Tyler Dohse, Olivia DeLorenzo and Amber Canbek. Any questions may be submitted to the editor at acanbek@oswego.org.

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Homecoming Football Game The Oswego High School football team had a tough game against Jamesville Dewitt, with the score to 12 to 46 at this year’s homecoming football game on Saturday, October 10. The football team has been really struggling this year trying to get a foothold on the season. The players said they are trying hard to win some games. They are putting in the time to get better and improve as a team, as well

Homecoming

reﬂection on Homecoming activities

as trying to stay motivated. Both the offensive and defensive lines put their all into the game. There were a lot of great plays and great effort from the team as a whole. They never lost the motivation to keep going, and held their head up even when things were looking gray.

Pep Rally Spirit Week

Spirit week was held prepare you for homecoming if you were not already pumped. It was created to get kids excited for school and to have fun. Spirit week was October 5 through October 9 and Saturday was the homecoming. The prep rally was held on Friday October 9, which was a half day. The pep rally ran from 9:15 to 10:30. The pep rally began with the marching band drum line that also preformed during the festivities. The cheerleaders lead the cheers and the fall sports teams were introduced. The pep rally included hungry-hungry hippos, tug-of-war, noodle pass, scooter race, pie a teacher, toilet paper wrap, and balloon pop. At the close of the pep rally Dr.Sweeney was announced as our new principal. Each day of spirit week was different; Monday was ‘Merica Monday so people suppose to dressed up to show American pride. Tuesday was Turn-Around Tuesday where students dress as teachThe prep rally was held on Friday October 9, which was a half

ers and vice versa. Wednesday was “On Wednesday, We Wear Pink”

day. The pep rally ran from 9:15 to 10:30. The pep rally began with

which was for breast cancer awareness, so people wore pink. Thurs-

the marching band drum line that also preformed during the festivi-

day was Throw Back Thursday, for students to dress in a fun style

ties. The cheerleaders lead the cheers and the fall sports teams

of a past decade. Finally, Friday was Buc Blue Friday to dress up in

were introduced. The pep rally included hungry-hungry hippos,

your favorite Buc shirt and shown your school pride.

tug-of-war, noodle pass, scooter race, pie a teacher, toilet paper

The junior class ofﬁcers got together with Ms. Jackson to come

wrap, and balloon pop. At the close of the pep rally Dr.Sweeney was

up with these ideas, so we owe a big thanks to the junior class of-

announced as our new principal.

ﬁcers and Ms. Jackson for making spirit week fun and entertaining.

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Homecoming

Powderpuff Game

Monday, October 5, the senior class of 2016 defeated the juniors in a rough and tough Powderpuff game with a final score of 16-0. The girls and their coaches practiced every Sunday for 4 weeks, learning stances, plays, and technique. By the time of the game, Wilber Field was flooded with black and white jerseys, and the bleachers filled with friends, parents, and teachers who came out to cheer on the girls. The juniors started the game equally matched with the seniors, neither side moving more than 15 yards from the center. Jenna McManus and Cassidy King led the offense with speed and agility while Caitlin Gorton led in tackles. The seniors started the second half with a touchdown scored by Ciara Talamo on a trick play. Mariah Metcalf protected the seniors’ end zone with her quick speed and ability to anticipate plays. Overall it was a great game, both teams played their hardest. Better luck to the class of 2017 next year.

Homecoming Dance The Homecoming Dance, like last year, ran from 7-10 at the Elks Club on October 9. The dance preceded the homecoming football game against Jamesville-Dewitt and Buc Fest. People from all grade levels attended and voted for Homecoming Royalty. This year’s Homecoming Royalty included Joey Wallace and Mikayla Trapasso as prince and princess, while Peter Grifﬁn and Michaela Callen were crowned King and Queen. The music was upbeat and even though the Elks Club tends to become a little warm, everyone continued to have a fantastic time and a great night.

Buc Fest Sponsored by the Buc Boosters, Buc Fest was held on Saturday October, 3 from 10:30 to 1:30 as part of Homecoming activities. Many students and families showed up to enjoy the activities and to support the Bucs. There were many activities ranging from pumpkin painting, hair and nails, bouncy houses and face painting. Everyone who came enjoyed the food such as fresh lemonade, pizza, and fried dough.

The homecoming dance brought the student body together and got everyone pumped up for Buc Fest and the football game the next day.

Features

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Local musicians take journey of lifetime By Victoria Armet Business Manager This summer students Brynn Adner, Ana Alcasid, and Chris VanGorder, along with Oswego High School chorus instructor, Robert Dumas, went on a two week musical tour around Europe. The adventure started in Pennsylvania at Albright College from June 28 to July 1 in order to give the students a chance to rehearse all the songs they would be performing throughout the trip. On July 1, the real fun began when they left JFK Airport. When they ﬁrst arrived in Italy, the ﬁrst thing the three noted was how many people were riding bicycles. Within twenty minutes of disembarking, almost everyone in the group was almost run over by the onslaught of bikes. However, the bikers were quick to stop to listen to the group perform.

Photo courtesy of Christopher VanGorder

There were 96 people on the trip in total and they were split between band, chorus, and jazz band, while some participated in more than one. In each city, the group would put on a performance for the natives. While the trip came with a full blown itinerary that explained how everything was going to happen, most of the time was spent wandering around and enjoying the areas they were in. Although some guided tours were offered and certain meals and performances were required, the students were mostly free to enjoy what each country had to offer. Each student brought money to buy souvenirs but also to pay for lunches and anything else one could think to buy. The three came to a collective agreement that

a person was better off buying cheese and crackers from a market for lunch than shelling out for a fancy meal because you never knew what you would be getting. One of the other students on the trip discovered a store in one of the cities that sold real swords and suits of armor. Naturally, he spent all his money in the store, buying everything someone could think to have if they wanted to be a medieval knight. All of his items had to be shipped back to the United States. Adner and Alcasid loved the medieval German town of Dinkelslaie which included its own moat and wall while having a perimeter that can be walked in a little over an hour. When the group arrived in Dinkelslaie they were welcomed with the traditional drinking of wine (though the students had apple juice), singing, and trumpets. While at Dinkelslaie, Alcasid and Adner discovered a duck pond ﬁlled with baby ducks, a random slide, and a door in the wall with a question mark on it. They also stumbled upon a gate with a pole next to it, which Adner pulled, only to later ﬁnd out that they were “conjuring a ghost”. In a village in Austria called Westendorf, Adner and Alcasid bypassed the guided tour at 8:30 because it was much too early and decided to take a gondola ride. When they met up with friends, the group decided to hike up the mountain. The trip to the top of the mountain was supposed to take three hours, but four hours passed and the group had failed to even make it halfway. The problem? They had been following the ski trail arrows the whole time because they started in the wrong spot causing them to become extremely lost in the surrounding woods. After this, riding the gondola up seemed like a better option.

the wind blowing through your hair as your blood is pumping from the rush of the climb.

Photo courtesy of Christopher VanGorder

pened while in Westendorf when they hiked up a mountain. When asked why this was his favorite part, VanGorder said it was because of how it made him feel. “To be on top of the world with the mountains and valleys sprawled out in front of you, and the wind blowing through your hair as your blood is pumping from the rush of the climb.” The group visited many other places, including Venice where Adner ate a whole pizza by herself and took another gondola ride, and Vienna where professional Viennese waltzers entertained them and taught the group how to waltz. During the trip, the groups were given the opportunity to sing and play in many beautiful churches, built grandly in older times that echoed the voices and instruments perfectly. Adner noted that the grand architecture and attention to detail was stunning. More students have already been offered the opportunity to go on the trip with the invitation arriving by mail. Adner, Alcasid, and VanGorder strongly recommend that anyone given the option seizes the chance to go on this trip of a lifetime.

VanGorder’s favorite part of the trip hap-

Artist’s work lives on through planners By Victoria Armet Business Manager

The beautiful 2015-2016 planner covers were designed by 2015 graduate, Brenna Riley. Riley came up with the design by taking into consideration the sites Oswego is known for: the lighthouse, lake and sunsets. When it came to deciding how to create the new cover, Riley came to the decision that a well done graphic design rather than a bunch of random words was a great idea. The man on the cover is ﬁshing through all the possible courses and options students can take at Oswego High School. Having art caught on the line was Riley’s way of show-

ing what she considered to be the most important class. Riley has been involved in art

for as long as she can remember. She has always loved being able to express herself through images. Throughout high school Riley created different pieces for the multiple art classes she took but her personal favorite was a pic-

ture of her friend, Meghan. The pictures was created with prisma colors and displayed colorful long hair. Although Riley does not have a favorite type of art and ﬁnds all art to be beautiful, she is more of a graphic artist and tends to use graphite. Students can enter the competition to design the cover by being involved in a graphic design class. Typically, a graduating senior is chosen for the following year. Mrs. Martin was the driving force behind Riley’s decision to study art at Nazareth College where she is working towards becoming a graphic designer.

Photos courtesy of Brenna Riley

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Features

Are honors classes worth the stress? The type of course you take does not matter as much as the effort you put in. By Hannah Cali Webmaster

Most parents want their children to take honors classes even if the student does not want to take the course. Sometimes it is not the work that is stressing out the student, it is the workload of the course that does. Parents usually want their children to take these classes so they are ready for college, but are they academically ready to take in what these teachers are having them learn in the honors courses or the AP courses? Do these students really know the material? Taking honors classes does not mean that that you will be ready for college when you get out of high school. It will help some but not enough to be able to take in all of what you learned in those four years because every teacher is different and every class is different. Sometimes a teacher does not have very high expectation for a class where another teacher does. Most of the time, kids who take honors classes skip some of the most important things. For example, my sister took Pre-AP World History in ninth grade, and in tenth grade she took regular Global 10. She struggled a lot because she did not know some of the material. They skipped over things or things just were not taught as well as others. She has told me many times to stay away from honors classes because of things like that. Sometimes, it is the parents constantly riding the kids to try harder and harder even if they are doing as much as they can. Sometimes kids who want to take honors cannot because of how they did a year before they even thought about taking the class. Most colleges want students who are hard working, show up to class, and do their work. Sometimes people who do not take honors courses and take Regents courses have more time to play sports or attend events. There is not as much stress when it comes to taking Regents classes. The class is not as rushed or going too fast. Students who cannot take honors classes and thought they could often feel that they are just too stupid for the class when really they just did not fit all the qualifications like they were supposed to. Not all of the work that is given out in honors classes will help when it comes to the work in college because every college is different along with teachers and their teaching styles and how much work they give. Should students feel that they have the option to take honors classes or not? They do not get a choice because their parents want them to get into a good college, but sometimes colleges do not care. It all depends on where you want to go for college. Mrs. Lisa Schultzkie, OHS math teacher, said, “Best situation the student chooses honors and not the parent. AP and honors have increased workload and there has to be self motivation. I feel honors students are ‘more’ prepared for the college workload and have more experience with time management than a Regents student. Instruction is also different in a Regent’s class compared to an honors class. I feel honors are similar to a college class. Grades will not be inflated in college, minimal if any extra credit, study guides are self made not given by the instructor to name a few changes in Regents courses a student is not accustomed to. A Regents student who is self motivated and earns above average has the same chance.” A student from OHS who wished to remain anonymous said, “One of the only reasons some of these students know what they’re doing is because they’re getting told what to do by the teacher.” Whether you take honors classes or Regents classes depends on the college that you want to go to.

Honors classes help students develop skills that will be useful throughout life. By Kelly Skinner Managing Editor At Oswego High School we are privileged to have the opportunity to partake in honors and advanced placement classes. The students who choose the honors and AP path have and will benefit from the extra work, stress, and struggle. Honors classes not only help students look more appealing to colleges, they also give students an opportunity to delve deeper into a subject area and help them develop soft skills such as time management, organization, and teamwork. The Center for College Readiness said, “AP Students are more likely to major in their AP subject or a related discipline.” Clare Donovan, a four year honors student is proof of this statement. “I was really confused about what I wanted to do and when I felt at home in my Honors English classes, it hit me that an English teacher is where I belong,” Donovan said. The added rigor of Honors English allowed Clare to learn more about a subject to eventually find her passion. In my own experience, AP Physics has had the opposite effect. For about two months of my life, I was interested in becoming an aeronautical engineer. After taking AP Physics, I realized that it was not something I would enjoy. Had I taken the easier Regents Physics I may not have discovered this due to the fact that it did not go as in depth into the subject matter. On the other hand, when I took AP U.S. History, I was able to immerse myself in a subject that I was surprised to find I loved and plan to pursue a similar field in the future. Besides discovering what you are passionate about, honors classes are useful in honing soft skills such as time management, organization, and teamwork, which are all attractive skills to not only colleges but employers as well. A student in honors classes for all four years, senior Brynn Adner, gives credit to larger projects for developing her time management skills. In honors and AP classes, students are assigned larger projects and are given due dates sometimes weeks in advance. This forces students to schedule time to work on a project over a period of a few days in order to avoid pulling an all-nighter the day before it is due. This type of assignment also encourages students to be organized to keep track of due dates. Hard work from these classes also facilitates teamwork by pushing students to help one another with homework and studying for tests. Beyond all this, honors classes also provide an edge in the college admissions game. Colleges know that the rigor of the advanced courses prepare students for higher-level learning. Christian Davis, for example, claimed that Mrs. Nelson’s tenth grade Honors English helped him to develop writing skills that will prove vital not only for completing college work but also for writing a solid college essay on his application. Colleges also look to see which students challenged themselves in high school and which ones repeatedly took the easy way out. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure,” said Collin Powell. If students do not have the opportunity to work hard and to experience some failure, they will never learn the necessary skills needed to be successful. Honors and AP classes provide these opportunities and are preparing OHS students for life beyond high school.

Point/Counterpoint is an opinion piece written by different staff members each month. These pieces are not meant to offend others but simply state opinions and opposing views. Questions can be sent to the Editor-in-Chief at acanbek@oswego.

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Artists

Bradshaw aspires to inspire others

By Amber Canbek Editor-in-Chief This issue”s Artist of the Month, Katie Bradshaw, is well on her way to a career in front of an easel. Bradshaw became serious about pursuing in art freshman year when she took a studio class with Mrs. Peterson. She knew she wanted to be an art teacher when she met Mrs. Vancampen. “She inspired me so much,” Bradshaw claims, “I wanted to inspire kids like her.” Bradshaw claims that her best experience through art is being able to volunteer at the art room in Kingsford Park Elementary School. “I get to teach art lessons almost like I have my own class.” As she entered the world of art, Bradshaw relied on her family to take the plunge. Encouragement from her father, who was also an artist in high school, made all the difference.

Photo courtesy of Katie Bradshaw “Ribbons and Bows” is one of Bradshaw’s favorites. Bradshaw created the picture using colored pencils on colored paper. The image won second place at the Salmon River Art Show.

“My family is the greatest support system,” Bradshaw exclaimed. “They tell me when my art is good or when it needs work. They’re wonderful about going to shows and seeing my work.” With her family cheering her onto new challenges, Bradshaw feels free to be herself and does not mind the critics. “I embrace criticism of my art. It only helps me grow and become a stronger artist,” Bradshaw claimed. Her family is not her only support system, though, as she gains encouragement from her fellow classmates at OHS as well. “The other artists here are great. They all work really hard. We all inspire and support each other. It’s great.”

There’s no set process, ideas come anytime and anywhere. Art allows Bradshaw to experiment with her self-expression. She claims that using different kinds of art help her express herself in different ways. Bradshaw said, “It typically starts out with how I’m feeling, and then goes from there. I get inspired from something throughout the day. I’d see something cool and want to put my own twist on it. There’s no set process, ideas come anytime and anywhere.” After high school, Bradshaw plans on attending SUNY-Oswego to get her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and proceed to earn her

Photo courtesy of Katie Bradshaw “Tropics” was created using Bradshaw’s junior year acrylic paint on canvas. The picture won an award at the Salmon River Country Art Show.

masters so she can become an art teacher. Bradshaw’s art has received many awards such as a Silver Key at Scholastics for her self-portrait “Crazy for Candy”, second place at the Salmon River County Show for her piece titled “Buttons and Bows”, a Fulton show award for her drawing, “Eye of the Beholder” and many more. Besides art, Bradshaw is a member of the school’s National Honor Society. In her free time she enjoys playing the piano, tennis and reading. Bradshaw is also a commendable photographer. With her pieces that look like photographs and passion for art, it was not a hard decision choosing Bradshaw as this issue’s Artist of the Month. The Buccaneer Bulletin wishes Bradshaw success with her future career in art and hopes that she continues to receive awards this year.

Talented musician bops to the top By Victoria Armet Business Manager Leah Taylor has been singing ever since she joined chorus in third grade at Fitzhugh Park School. Currently one of the two sophomores in the exclusive Chamber Choir, Taylor is now considered to be one of the best in the school. Taylor is a soprano in Chamber Choir but has the ability to sing just about anything in the soprano or alto range. Even though altos are sometimes dubbed the ‘better singers’ due to the fact that they rarely receive the melody, Taylor said that “I prefer being a soprano because I like the higher register better.” Currently, Taylor’s favorite piece to sing is “Guadete.” This Latin piece is of a progressive style and was written as a Christmas carol for the 1582 Piae Cantoes. The beauty of the accompaniment and the soothing lyrics are what Taylor loves most about the piece. Along with being in chorus, Taylor has also been involved in performing in the musicals put on by the schools throughout her school career. Although Taylor prefers singing, she enjoys the acting part of the

musicals as well. While at Fitzhugh, Taylor received roles in both Queen Hyppolyta and The Movie Martians from Mars in which she was part of the ensemble, and Camp Havorford and the Haunting of Havorford Hall in which she received a lead role as a bully. Both plays were written and composed by her chorus and music teacher Mr. Heater. Camp Havorford is one of Taylor’s fonder memories because the role she received clashed with her personality but she still managed to pull it off. As for more recent years, Taylor was offered a role in the ensemble of Evita when she was in eighth grade, a role she both enjoyed and was grateful for. Last year Taylor was part of the ensemble for Pippin. This year Taylor will be performing once again and is hoping to get possibly a minor role. In order to get where she is with her singing, including being in Chamber, Taylor has put in practice and effort in order to perfect her singing ability. Mihoko Tsutsumi, a favorite among most choral students, gives Taylor voice lessons once

a week. Taylor also has been going to the competition called Solofest in which students perform for a score since seventh grade and has received exceptional marks each time. Among the honors choral students can receive, All-County and All-State are some of the more well known. In order to be considered students have to audition for the group. Taylor participated in All-County in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade and recently discovered that she made All-State this year, a huge achievement. With her talent for singing, Taylor was invited to join the American Music Abroad Program which three students from OHS participated in over the summer. Taylor is very committed to the trip and hopes that everything will work out in order for her to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity. “I will do whatever it takes. It’s a lot of money but it’s worth it,”Taylor said. Along with Chamber, Taylor also made the Symphonic Orchestra. All though Taylor has played in All-County in the past and enjoys the instrument, she

Photo courtesy of Leah Taylor

prefers singing and has made this her priority instead. Taylor is also involved in JV volleyball, Sailing Club, Student Council, Travel Club, helping out with her class, and honors classes. Although this may seem like a lot, the talented Taylor knows how to balance everything in order to achieve much in all aspects of her busy life. As a sophomore, Taylor does not have to worry about graduation and life after high school for a while but she does know that she wishes to continue with music. However, music will ultimately end up being more of a hobby since Taylor is hoping to become a doctor of osteopathy.

buccaneerbulletin.com Entertainment

Walking Dead spin-off loses viewers By Victoria Armet

Business Manager

Based on the huge popularity of the show The Walking Dead, AMC decided to create the spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead in order to pull in more viewers and draw attention to the upcoming sixth season of TWD that premiered on October 11. Airing on August 23, the spinoff of The Walking Dead managed to become the cable premiere with the most viewers to date. However, as the weeks progressed fewer and fewer viewers watched, dropping by about 30 percent by the third week. With this said, the show is still doing well compared to most others on television. Part of the problem Fear the Walking Dead is running into is that it is competing with Sunday night football. TWD took a while to overcome this unfortunate scheduling issue as well so this is not anything new. Fear the Walking Dead in based in Los Angeles, California and stars a different cast of characters than the original show. The point is to explain what it was like when the zombie apocalypse started and the initial fear that came with the outbreak since that information is skimmed over in TWD when Rick Grimes woke up from a coma after everything had occurred. Whereas TWD is very similar to I am Legend in that it does not have much music, Fear the Walking Dead is filled with the average horror movie music. This makes the show a little bit more difficult for the typical TWD viewer to handle and the scenes much more intense. The show starts with Nick Clark (Frank Dillane) waking up in a drug den. As he searches for his friend, Gloria, Nick starts to realize that something horrible has happened based on the blood stains and dead bodies. Gloria is discovered eating one of the others and Nick bolts out the door and into the street. Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) come to see Nick in the hospital. Maddie shows she is in charge and knows what she is doing, which will be helpful in the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Due to this very dramatic scene

of sprinting through a street, breaking three ribs, and getting hit by a car, viewers immediately saw a glimpse of what they hoped would be a fast paced show with at least a similar amount of gore as TWD.

Centered around a family twith a drug addict, a school counselor and her teacher boyfriend, and the goody-two-shoes sister who rebels by having an artistic boyfriend, the show came off as a little bit more cliché than some would have hoped. This paired with the English teacher boyfriend’s ex-wife and son seems more of a tactic to create tension than really build characters. Throughout the first two episodes, the characters are trying to figure out what the

massive disease is that seems to be spreading among school children. Naturally, it is a student who thinks it is a good idea to bring a knife to school who first introduces the idea of total catastrophe which Maddie Clark (Dickens) scoffs at, claiming that he has read too many stories on the Internet. Given the fact that Maddie and Travis both seem to be decently educated people, it is difficult to watch them through the first few episodes. Nick drags them into a sticky situation when he tries to reconnect with his drug dealer. Their initial reactions continue to be to tell the person they can help them. When Maddie finally accepts what is going on, she comes off as harsh because she is unwilling to help her neighbors and instead sets up a game of Monopoly for her family to play. However, she does better than Travis who only manages to gain more people for their group by requesting to hide in a shop when the people of Los

Angeles decide to revolt against the ‘police brutality’ they have witnessed. Daniel, the store owner, claims that Travis and his family are weak, shown by their inability to kill the neighbor, leaving it for the army to take care of when the husband returns. So far, Daniel seems to be correct. Before the group has the chance to escape the city and flee to the desert away from the terror that has already begun, the army moves in, building a fence around the neighborhood. They claim to be helping by bringing those they can find to safety while clearing out the city, but Maddie discovers that they have been shooting those who appear uninfected. When Daniel’s wife is taken away due to the injury she sus-

Photo courtesy of Christiantoday.com

tained when the group escaped the store and Eliza, Travis’s ex-wife, convinces the doctor to also take Nick due to his drug problems, Daniel takes things into his own hands. With his past in El Salvador, Daniel is practiced in the art of torture, which he demonstrates on his daughter’s army boyfriend, Andrew Adams. Due to Travis’s need to be the peace keeper between the army and the citizens, he finds himself dragged into the battle zone. Travis fails to prove that he can understand that the undead are no longer “people.” However, he is present to discover that the army is deserting the town. With this new information, plus what Daniel gained from torturing Adams, the group goes out to get their missing people back. The biggest problem here was not just the fact that Daniel’s wife was already dead; it was the way the group decided to gain access to the compound.

Daniel discovered a building filled with walkers so he released them to attack the compound with all the injured. By doing this, the group diverts the eyes of the compound away from themselves in order to get in, but they also prevent people from being saved by the helicopters waiting nearby. These actions result in the deaths of a large number of the injured even though Nick and his psychopathic jail mate help many escape. If viewers were not angry with the characters yet, this episode was enough to tip them over the edge. Some other scenes bugged viewers, such as Nick not only knowing how to find his way through the maze-like garden the neighbors have but also navigating it in a rush and then proceeding to find a gun in the neighbor’s house. People rioting and failing to notice that some in the crowd were eating others was also strange. But the scene that takes the cake is that after hearing Nick’s story about Gloria, Travis goes into the drug den unarmed at night to investigate. At least viewers can rest easy knowing that one of their shows did not end with a cliffhanger. The group will be heading out to sea, minus the bitten Eliza, on the large yacht owned by Nick’s jail mate, an apparent doomsday prepper. Most viewers have come to the conclusion that the show is great but there will not be as much character development as we wanted due to the choppy storyline, answers being alluded to but never given, and Nick will always be a junkie. We will watch it anyway. The show seemed to be doing rather well until the producers made the poor decision to take a week off. Yes, it was Labor Day, but new shows should be careful about the placement of episodes. The week in between could have easily turned people away from the show after it had just started. With the show having been cleared for a second season, the question now is whether or not anyone is still interested in the lackluster, naive characters and shaky plot lines.

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Athletics

Athletes of the month Jason Jones

By Tyler Dohse Sports Editor Senior football player Jason Jones plays an important part on the football team. Jones is 5’10”, 210 pounds and plays tight end and linebacker. The tight end is the person who stands on the end of the offensive line. He acts as a blocker if the running back or quarterback is running and also acts as a receiver if his team is throwing the ball. Linebacker is Jones’ defensive position, and it is one of the most important roles on the field. The linebacker stands right behind the defensive line and makes most of the tackles on the opposing team’s players. Jones feels he has done well during this season, but unfortunately he felt his talent has been hindered due to a leg injury this season. Jones first decided to play football when he “saw all of the massive hits and crazy plays.” Jones’ favorite team is the Chicago Bears, and his favorite players are Brian Urlacher and Sean Taylor. While Jones plays important positions on the football field and is involved in almost all of the special teams, he also plays an important role off the field. Eric Wallace, a sophomore on the varsity team said, “ He’s a great leader on the team that a lot of us look up to.” Jason, aka “Jonesy” is a popular guy in the locker room and if the guys need any advice or help they go to him. He’s been playing football since seventh grade and has extensive knowledge of the game. Jones shows his work ethic by working very hard in the offseason to get fit for the current season. He went through a rigorous offseason workout with former Assistant Coach Frank Bahamonde. Jones said he did many sprints to make him faster, plyometrics (jumps) to increase leaping abilities, and Bahamonde helped him bulk up. He now benches 200+ pounds, squats 400+ lbs, and deadlifts 400 lbs. Jones is enjoying his last year of Buccaneer football, but said “I am sad to know that the season is already halfway over.” Jones plays basketball as well as football, but when he goes to college he only plans to pursue football. Jones is looking into Alfred University, SUNY-Cortland, and Ithaca College. Jason Jones is definitely a worthy candidate for Athlete of the Month.

Lauren Boshart

By Amber Canbek Editor-in-Chief As an ex-lacrosse player, music enthusiast and “Miranda Sings” impressionist, not many people know that junior, Lauren Boshart, has an unwavering commitment to tennis. Boshart began playing tennis freshman year and has played on the varsity team since last year. As a successful player on the courts today, Boshart did not have as much confidence in herself and the sport when she first started. “I found it really difficult,” Boshart stated. “I never thought I’d get the hang of it.” Beginning to play on the varsity team as a sophomore came as a surprise for Boshart, but now she plays regularly for the varsity team and hopes to make sectionals. “I also hope to improve on my serve,” Boshart stated. Kelly Skinner, the senior captain of the varsity team stated, “Lauren is a very fun and outgoing girl. She has contributed to the team as third doubles last year and is now first doubles and first singles this year. She’s stepped up her game a lot since last year.” In addition to the kind words from Skinner, Boshart admires the captain and often calls her “Cap’n Kelly.” Before each match begins, Skinner calls the team into a huddle and shares an inspirational quote with the team. “This keeps me going throughout the match. You can tell that she wants the best for the team,” Boshart said. Known for singing Broadway tunes on the bus to away matches with the captain and hugging her opponents after matches, Lauren adores her team and how close they all are. “It’s easy to be friends with the girls outside and inside of practice and that really makes our playing better,” said Boshart. Outside of tennis, Boshart enjoys drawing and music. She stated that her favorite artist is Leonardo Da Vinci. Boshart plays the ukulele and sings in the school’s chamber choir. “I also like my family and hide and go seek,” Boshart stated. When watching Boshart play in a match, one would notice that she is very different than she is outside of a match. Boshart becomes very serious and focused. Boshart was chosen to become Athlete of the Month due to her enthusiasm and passion for the sport, her improvement since her freshman year and always finding a way to boost the team’s morale. “I found that communication with others can be more important than ability,” Boshart stated.

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Spikers Still On Top Alex Haessig Sports Writer The Oswego boys’ volleyball program has grown accustomed to success. and so far this year the program is maintaining its high standards. Only falling to perennial powers Baldwinsville and CiceroNorth Syracuse to date, the team looks to be Photo by Jason Proud in a prime posi- The members of the boys’ varsity volleyball team takes time away from warming up to tion for another get together for a selfie. The boys are again ranked at the top of their section. successful postCole Shurtleff, and sophomore Jason Proud season. The varsity volleyball team has won three round out the starting lineup. Haessig and Caster serve as middle of the last four section III championships and advanced all the way to the state cham- hitters for the Buccaneers, Kon is the other outside hitter with Bradshaw, Moran is the pionships in Glens Falls last season. The starting libero, Proud is the Bucs setter, 2014 season was truly magical for the proand Shurtleff’s role is a defensive specialist gram as both varsity and junior varsity went when Clark is in the back row. undefeated in the regular season with the While this year’s team has talent, workvarsity team finishing in third place in the ing together has been tough for the team state for Division II after falling to Eastport according to Coach McCrobie. South Manor and eventual state champion, have to become a lot Victor, in Glens Falls. I’m hoping to make more“We selfless. We’ve got to Much of last year’s successes can be attrib- the sectional finals for understand that it is not a one person sport, one person canuted to last year’s seDivision II and making not win a single match themniors. The team included six seniors, five of whom it beyond the regional selves. It takes everyone we have on the court and off the were starters. The loss of round would be awecourt” stated McCrobie. these seniors to graduThe team has lofty goals ation left many question some for us this year looking to the end of the seamarks heading into the 2015 season for varsity and give us a chance son. The team is determined to avenge early season losses to coach, Eric McCrobie. to head back down Baldwinsville and C-NS. “This year has been state for the state “I’m hoping to make the a challenge for me in sectional finals for Division terms of personnel, find- championships in II and making it beyond the ing out who fits where” Long Island. regional round would be aweMcCrobie stated. some for us this year and give The team went us a chance to head back down state for the through numerous lineup changes throughstate championships in Long Island.” said out the beginning of the season; however, McCrobie. they eventually settled on a lineup that Expectations are certainly high this placed the two returning starters from last year’s squad in new positions and new play- year, and even higher for next year with 13 seniors slated to return next year. However ers in the remaining slots. past that student athlete numbers look Trevor Bradshaw, one of the returning starters from last year’s team is now slotted questionable. “We’ve got three seniors this year but in the outside hitter spot after previously also thirteen juniors in the program, so of playing libero for his sophomore and junior the twenty-four student athletes in the procampaigns. The other returning starter for gram, sixteen will be graduating in the next the Bucs is junior Trey Clark. Clark is the two years. It is scary for our program, I’m starting right side hitter for the team. Clark hoping next year we get a lot of interest from was a lethal middle hitter last season but younger athletes,” said McCrobie. made the switch back to right side, a posiWith only three seniors on this year’s tion he played his freshman year. team the boys’ volleyball program looks The rest of the starting lineup features players who had limited or no varsity experi- primed for another great season next year, but they are not looking ahead yet as they ence heading into the season. Returning have their sights set on a return trip to the players from last year’s varsity team who state championships. A common saying ashave stepped into starting roles are seniors sociated with the volleyball program making Alex Haessig and Liam Moran, and sophoa return this year is, “states or bust.” more Kyle Kon. Juniors Jake Caster and

Athletics Buc Sports Flashback

5 years ago: ● Sophomore Luke Boshart of the boys’ varsity golf team had one of the most successful individual seasons in the program’s history. ● Boshart led the squad in stroke average and was the top finisher in sectionals which featured 97 other golfers. ● Boshart received second team all league honors and advanced to the state qualifiers. 10 years ago: ● Coach Ron Ahart won his 150th career game as the boys’ varsity soccer coach in a 4-0 shutout win against Fowler. ● The 2005 team was led by Owen Burns who was regarded as a potential Division 1 talent. ● Burns led the team in scoring followed by Bob Mandanas and Jeremy Thompson. Ahart’s squad also had solid goalkeeping from Eric Stein who recorded several shutouts during the 2005 campaign. 15 years ago: ● The girls’ varsity swim team was in the midst of one of the longest winning streaks in Oswego High School’s athletic history. ● They hadn’t lost a dual meet since September 28, 1995 against Fayetteville-Manlius. ● The streak was up to 65 consecutive dual meet victories in October of 2000. The streak also included 5 consecutive league championships. ● Former coach Debbie Mann was given credit by the athletes for instilling the love of swim in them. 25 years ago: ● The girls’ varsity cross country team had their best record to date at the time with a record of 6-5. ● Coach Jim McCaul was extremely proud of the team’s accomplishments. ● The team finished in first place at the South Jefferson Invitational and at the Freihofer’s Run for Women. 35 years ago: ● Powderpuff football was played at OHS for the first time. ● Beth Workmaster of the Class of 1982 got the idea from a friend who lived in Massachusetts. ● Workmaster presented the idea to the student council and the idea was approved by senior class adviser, Mr. Bill Runeari. ● The first two powderpuff games at OHS were touch football but this was soon changed to flag football to make the game more exciting. Editor’s Note: Buc Sports Flashback is a monthly feature of the Buccaneer Bulletin. If you have any events that you would like to see included in future Buc Sports Flashbacks please contact Amber Canbek at acanbek@oswego.org. This month’s Buc Sports Flashback was compiled by Alex Haessig and Trevor Bradshaw.

9 10 1112 11 12 Buc Bulletin: How has your experience at OHS been so far? Josh Thomas: So far my experience at OHS has been great, even though this is a big step up from the middle school. With great teachers and a good group of friends, the transition has been relatively smooth. BB: Do you plan on getting into any clubs and sports? JT: I am currently on the junior varsity soccer team, and I plan on playing lacrosse later in the year. As for clubs, I do not plan on joining any yet. BB: What are your plans for the future? JT: After high school I plan on going to college, most likely somewhere out west to study criminal defense. After college, I do have an interest in possibly joining the Air Force.

BB: What sports have you played in the past and today? JT: In the past I have played hockey, basketball, cross-country, swimming, soccer, and lacrosse. Currently, I play soccer and lacrosse, and I am struggling to decide between basketball and swimming for a winter sport. BB: What do you think of the swim team? JT: Honestly, I do not even know how to begin answering this question. Since I was eight I have been swimming competitively and the experiences I have gained and the people I have met in my opinion cannot be obtained in any other way. From practices to championships, I have been surrounded by great people. This aspect adds to make my decision between basketball and swim even more difﬁcult.

Josh Thomas Mike Beckwith

Buc Bulletin: What is your favorite class so far this year? Mike Beckwith: I really like physics because I ﬁnd the math to be really interesting.

BB: Do you play any sports? MB: I play ultimate frisbee and I go mountain biking a lot if that counts. BB: What about other extracurriculars? MB: I participate in VEX, a robotics team which makes robots to travel and compete in competitions on the local, national, and world levels. Every year I’ve done it, we’ve made it to worlds, and they’ve been held in California for one year and Kentucky for two. BB: What is one thing you couldn’t live without? MB: Technology! All of my hobbies and interests are based on it! BB: What is your pet peeve? MB: I hate when people cheat.

BB: What is a favorite memory of yours? MB: When I got hit by a car while riding my bike last year. I was ﬂying down a hill, and then suddenly I wasn’t!

BB: Who is your favorite celebrity and why? MB: Leonardo DiCaprio because he is an amazing actor! My favorite movie of his, my favorite movie period, is deﬁnitely The Wolf of Wall Street.

BB: What instruments do you play and how long have you played them? GH: I play the piano; I’ve been playing for 8 years. I also played the clarinet for 7 years, the saxophone for 4 years, and guitar for 4 years.

BB: What’s your favorite thing to do outside of school? GH: I enjoy reading, spending time at home with my family and my two dogs, Chloe and Lady, going camping, and going to the beach.

BB: What are some of your hobbies? GH: Some of my hobbies include: reading, playing with my siblings, listening to music, playing my instruments, going to Marching Band and playing tennis. BB: What’s your favorite book? GH: My favorite book is This Star Won’t Go Out by Esther Earl.

BB: What is your favorite subject? GH: I really enjoy band because we get to play music. I am a band geek all the way and since I was little I have enjoyed playing and listening to music. My plan after high school is to go to college and become a band teacher because I love hearing the instruments and the different styles of music that we get to play. For example, jazz music.

Grace Hibbert Ayla Busch

Buc Bulletin: Do you have any ideas for college? Major? Ayla Busch: Cornell University or University of North Carolina at Wilmington to major in marine biology. Eventually, I would like to study the effects of micro-plastics and plastic pollution in our oceans. I have wanted to work in the water since I was a little kid, so finally being able to explore the field of marine biology is super exciting. BB: What will you miss most about OHS? AB: I’ll definitely miss the relationships that I’ve formed here at OHS. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends to experience high school with. Although I’ll be disappointed to part ways with some of my teachers and peers, I am excited to see what the future holds.

BB: Anyone you would like to thank for your success so far and why? AB: I would like to thank my friends for always making me laugh and I’d like to thank my teachers for pushing me to achieve my goals.

BB: What’s your favorite sea animal and why? AB: This is such a difﬁcult question. I’m in love with all marine creatures, but if I had to choose, my favorite would have to be sharks. I enjoy ﬁnding fossilized shark teeth on beaches and I think it’s Want very interesting that they haven’t evolved much since they’ve to walk been in existence. Sharks are a crucial part of the oceans’ the plank? ecosystems and I think it’s important for people to Be our guest! understand that humans do much more harm to Contact sharks than sharks could ever do to humans. acanbek@oswego.org