Peer Leadership Weekend challenges students; Activities encourage leadership, communication, teamwork EMILY CUNNINGHAM Entertainment Editor On Thursday, May 5, 50 NH students embarked on a unique leadership experience alongside teachers, traveling to Sandy Hill Camp and Conference Center for a weekend they would not soon forget. 13 years ago, NH journalism and English teacher Jennifer Chandler organized Peer Leadership Weekend, a weekend for juniors and sophomores who are nominated by their teachers to participate. Ever since, the experience has given students leadership abilities and a new confidence in themselves. She says that the weekend “gives them an opportunity to work hard and to meet people with whom they might not ordinarily have an opportunity to interact. In the end they can all walk away with a sense of accomplishment
and pride.” The weekend left a mark on those who went on PLW in the spring of 2010, including juniors Luke Boegner and Nicole Racine. Boegner comments, “I really enjoyed the talent show where I was able to recite the Old Spice commercial. I felt as if I gained a lot of confidence afterwards and now I’m less afraid of embarrassment.” Racine says, “At PLW I was able to meet and form bonds with people that I’ve never met. I hope that the people going this year get as much out of it as I did.” Going into PLW, the students did not know what to expect. Before the weekend began, Sophomore Kyle Olchewsky said, “It’s a weekend with teachers. It can’t be fun.” After the weekend, he said, “It was more fun than I thought it would be and it really taught teamwork. Some teachers
were nicer than they are in school.” English teacher and previous teacher attendee, Mr. Fitzgerald had high hopes for the weekend. He comments, “I expect good weather, a lot of laughs and
I mean, not only does it [PLW] make us better aware of how we can help our school, but it also empowers us to do something. -Christy McCall fun times, and hopefully Mr. Dougherty doesn’t snore too loud.” Throughout the weekend, the students engaged in many leadership activities, including a ropes course that the camp
provides. Junior Christy McCall said that the ropes course was “so scary! But when I heard everyone cheering for me, it wasn’t really all that hard. And having everyone tell me how proud they were of me for conquering my fears made me feel even better about my accomplishment.” The students and teachers are put in groups and asked to complete many tasks that vary from year to year, all of which put their leadership to the test. When they arrived back at school, many had positive comments about their experience. Junior Dan Urban says, “I thought [PLW] was awesome! It was good to see the people that you sometimes see in the hallway but don’t really know who they are. Then you learn more about them and realize that they’re all good kids. Seeing the teachers outside of school was really cool too because you’re
in the classroom all the time with them and they’re really serious, but then [on PLW] you see the fun side and how you relate to them as well.” English teacher Carla Harward has attended PLW for the past 4 years and says that she enjoys it because the students “learn a lot about themselves that they don’t know, accomplish tasks that they never thought they could, and work with people that they have never worked with. I think it’s a great experience. I hope that the students come back with a better sense of how to make a change in behaviors, perceptions, and overall school environment to make it a positive place.” McCall says, “I think it does really great things for North Harford. I mean, not only does it make us better aware of how we can help our school, but it also empowers us to do something.”
Osama bin Laden killed by US forces Photo credit: Mundabor.files.wordpress.com
Americans are cheering and celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. American forces recently killed Osama bin Laden in a hideout located in Pakistan.
COURTNEY AJELLO Business Manager On May 2, Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, was killed in a firefight near the Pakistan capital with elite American forces. Osama bin Laden was the lead terrorist behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon that killed more than 3,000 people. “Justice has been done,” said President Barrack Obama in an announcement at the White House while a crowd cheered outside. Hundreds more gathered at Ground Zero in Manhattan to celebrate the news according to cnn.com. Many students and teachers at North Harford High are happy about the death of Osama bin Laden. “Wow, oh my god, we did it. We finally managed to catch him and make him pay for all of the lives he took,” said senior Shelbi Blackiston. “He got what he deserved. He was a terrorist who was ok with killing innocents,” said teacher Julio Fernandez. Obama chaired 5 National Security Council meetings on the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and gave the order to plan an attack on his suspected compound on the morning of April 29. Obama gave final order for the attack Sunday morning, May 1 according to abcnews.com. The helicopter raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan was carried out by CIA paramilitaries together with the elite Navy SEAL Team Six. “There was intense firing and then I saw one of the helicopters crash,” said Nasir Khan, a resident of the town. US officials believed he was hiding in caves, but was found in a custom built hideout in Pakistan according to msnbc.com. “Bin Laden’s compound was huge and extraordinarily unique and about 8 times larger than other homes in the area,” said U.S. officials. The hideout had intense security measures which included 12 to 18 foot outer walls topped with barbed wire and internal walls that sectioned off different parts of the compound, officials said. You could only access the home by 2 security gates. The military operation took mere minutes. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation,” Obama said. “After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.” Bin Laden was shot in the head, officials said, after he and his bodyguards resisted the assault. Three adult males were killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons. One of bin Laden’s sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al Qaeda. US officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and 2 other women were injured. “First off, if you want to kill a snake you got to cut his head off and I think we got the snake and cut the head off with the death of bin Laden,” said Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.