April 2019

Inside this issue: Meet the boys of Mr. LHS 2019

THE

LANCERSPIRIT

Volume 42 • Edition 6 • April 2019 • Londonderry High School

CONTENTS

4 Editorial 5 Meet the boys of s Mr. LHS 12 My struggle is not your a aesthetic 14 Busy hallways suck 16 Payeur takes final bow t for LHS 18 LHS Drama Club a presents The Addams a Family

Cover photo by Lilly Grodt

The boys of Mr. LHS prepare for showtime on April 18 @7:30.

Full story on page 5.

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20 Guess who? LHS Staff Prom Edition

THE

LANCERSPIRIT

Mission Statement

The Lancer Spirit is the news publication of Londonderry High School, which includes both a news magazine and a website.

The staff of student journalists strive to accurately and ethically report events and topics that are relevant and interesting to the LHS community.

Liz Iaconis Morgan Torre Tim Gore Kait Bedell Nick Desrosiers Anna Drabik Rachel St. Louis Marissa McKay Amy Overhulser Sean Cavanaugh Jazz Conde Kate Ehl Juliana Hamel Zachary Malcolm Blake Melnik Myah Teague Brian Boyle Eliana Patterson Thomas Fougere Lilly Grodt Maxwell DesRosiers Kat Provost

Editor-in-Chief Asst. Editor-in-Chief Magazine Chief Online Chief Sports Chief Arts & Entertainment Creative Writing Features Features Food Lifestyle Opinions Opinions Sports Sports Art Business Manager Design Multimedia Photography Podcast Webmaster

Mrs. DeWinkeleer Adviser

Karla Sandoval Ash BarNoy Joe Behling Colleen Bernard Josh Berube Rylie Blondin

Jason Bonta Sara Campagna Courtney Clark Evan Cormier Bella Cossette Taylor Cruz

Scholastic Press Affiliation: The Lancer Spirit has been recognized by the New England Scholastic Press Association and has been nationally recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association.

REPORTERS Chris DeWolf Mike Foley Laura Haas Kat Hallee Sara Hemenway

Katie Huggins Tyler Kayo Jack Kelley Amy Maffattone Bella McCutcheon

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Distribution Process: The Lancer Spirit is distributed to 1,600 students, 220 staff members and the Londonderry community at no cost to them.

April 2019

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LANCER

SPIRIT

EDITORIAL

Map by Fla-shop.com

Seniors, get on the map on LSO. Submit your

Did you know you can make LSO an app on your phone?

Here’s how: On your web browser, go to

LancerSpiritOnline.com.

Click on the arrow/ square button.

Then select “Add to your home screen” and you will have your very own LSO app on your phone.

It’s so easy to stay informed.

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decision to Naviance and Main Guidance, and Lancer Spirit editors will add you to the online map. Check out the map on LSO by scanning this QR code.

Editorials represent the opinion of The Lancer Spirit editorial board.

Deciding about college? You do you.

National College Decision Day is approaching quickly. When we reach May 1, seniors will have made their final college and career decisions, and The Lancer Spirit staff would like to offer some advice to these young adults.

As fellow students, making the same tough decisions about the next four years and beyond that the rest of our lives, we would like to encourage our classmates to make the decision that is best for them come this final decision date.

Ultimately, your decision about college or planning a career should be based on what will make you the happiest, most successful version of yourself.

Your school counselors can guide you toward universities or jobs that they believe are the right academic fit for you, but you know yourself better than any

staff member at LHS does.

Your parents can help you figure out ways to make college, or the transition to your adult life in general, financially accessible, but it is up to you to take responsibility for your future and put in whatever work it may take to reach your goals.

Your high school friends can talk about their dreams to spend college together, and you can choose to spend the next four years with your best friends from LHS. If that’s not what you want though, it is always okay to fly the coop.

What we’re saying is pursue your passions. For the first time in our young lives, the world is ours. You are free to make whatever decision you want, and The Lancer Spirit staff wishes all of the seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Editorial Policy Readers are encouraged to express comments and opinions about content or other relevant topics.

Leave a comment beneath stories on lancerspiritonline.com or write a Letter to the Editor.

Letters can be sent to mdewinkeleer@londonderry.org or simply use the “Contact Us” tab on LSO. To see the full editorial policy visit lancerspiritonline.com and click the “Editorial Policy” tab.

The Lancer Spirit presents

Mr. LHS 2019

$10 e r a s t e Tick

Thursday, April 18,2019

LHS

GYM

7:30

Meet the guys on the next page!

P.M

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Meet the boys of

Mr.LHS 2019 Kyle Berard “My life goal is to take my rightful place and become the 4th Jonas Brother.”

Cam Ness “These past four years weren’t like High School Musical at all.”

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Mike Crowley “With a million dollars I would order one million items off the McDonald’s Dollar Menu.”

Eric Nowak “If I could be any food, I would be fettuccine, because at first I’m hard and cold, but when you get to know me I’m soft and irresistable.”

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Pat Hagearty “Infinity war makes me cry. ‘Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good.’”

Pat Cohen “My man crush is Zac Efron because people say that perfection can’t be obtained, but have you ever seen this man without a shirt?”

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Evan Cormier “The Notebook makes me cry because if it doesn’t make you cry, then you’re a heartless troll.”

Ian Goodspeed “‘Don’t Stop Believing’ is the theme song of my life because no matter how many happy little accidents I make, I can always believe in myself to make more.”

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Devin Janas “Concussions aren’t real.”

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Jimmy Fitzgibbons “When someone says ‘GOAT’, I think of the great Andy Soucy.

That man built an ARMY of a marching band.”

Harry Feig “If all else fails, and life becomes unlivable, there is always a pretty vibrant homeless community in Hawaii to call home.”

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MY

STRUGGLE AESTHETIC is not your

» Ash BarNoy, Reporter

[This article contains mentions of eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm. If you are sensitive to these topics, this article may not be for you.]

There are days in my life when I cannot ask to go to the bathroom, tell a teacher if they’ve made a mistake, or tell someone if I’m feeling uncomfortable. There are days where it feels like the whole world is glaring at me and I can’t even ask if it’s mad at me. There are days when I sit in my room begging anyone to tell me what’s wrong with me, yet I know that I wouldn’t be able to bear hearing the answer.

My life with social anxiety is not a “beautiful tragedy.” My life with social anxiety is debilitating, it’s hard, and above all else, it is not for you to mock and romanticize.

It’s not easy to understand mental illness if you don’t have one, but to romanticize or desire one for an aesthetic is a slap in the face to anyone who has to suffer from them every single day.

Suppose you had a physical terminal illness and someone notices a scar from a surgery or your pale skin. They write poems and make art about your disease. They say that you are “hauntingly beautiful” and that your suffering is “poetic.”

All you want to do is get better, and while you try everything you can to feel normal again, their words tell you that your disease is nothing more than an aesthetic and that you are nothing more than your disease. That people admire your illness and don’t care whether or not you recover. That if you die, you are a lovely tragedy.

Art, poetry, and music based around mental illnesses are not inherently evil. There’s a difference between representation and romanticization. To represent a mental illness,

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even in primarily negative lights, is still helping people reach a level of understanding of what the illness does to a person and their brain.

Representation through art, music, and writing act as an outlet for people with mental disorders that represent their personal struggle with a disorder and don’t seek to generalize a whole mental illness.

Some examples of representation include John Green’s novel Turtles all the Way Down, which follows a teenage girl with OCD. Much of her character is based on Green’s own personal struggle with OCD, and the plot is heavily based on her disorder and how it impacts her day-to-day life. Another example is the Broadway musical Next to Normal, which follows Diana Goodman who suffers severe depression and a suicide attempt before being hospitalized due to her disorder.

When a mental disorder is represented in a piece of media, a level of research or personal experience is put into it so that the emotions and symptoms of characters seem authentic.

Whether it presents a recovery or not doesn’t mean it’s not still positive representation; representation is meant to inform through sharing experiences and help develop an understanding and minimize any stigma surrounding the disorder.

However, the purpose of romanticizing is not to inform or offer solutions; the sole reason people romanticize or self-diagnose mental illnesses that they do not have is for the attention it brings them and the self-pity from social media that they can thrive off of.

If the social media site Tumblr hasn’t already popped into your head at this point, it should, as it is the breeding ground for some of the most disgusting romanticization of mental disorders anyone could hope to see.

Some examples of blatant romanticization include a post declaring that “suicidal people are just angels that want to go home,” “depression is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign that you’ve been strong for too long,” a poem comparing self harm to “painting where the canvas is your wrist,” and various tags and communities that not only support but encourage eating disorders.

It’s absolutely sickening.

One could argue that any kind of representation for mental illness is positive, including romanticization, that people should desire to feel an acknowledgement for what they’re going through.

But that’s wrong.

To do this roughly translates to “I see that you’re sad, but you should be happy that people are talking about what you have.

You should be happy that people want to be you. You’re getting attention. Why aren’t you happy?” for people who actually have to suffer the symptoms or repercussions of a mental illness.

Romanticizing and reducing the seriousness of mental illnesses isn’t just something that’s simply wrong to do; it’s dangerous. The more mental health issues appear to be more of a trend than a serious threat to someone’s health or even their life, the less serious mental health problems will be taken, and the less people will receive treatment for issues they actually have.

In an interview with Dr. Stan Kutcher for The Atlantic, Kutcher explains that this trend in romanticizing and identifying with clinical disorders is a result of common misconceptions, or the stigma, surrounding these disorders, specifically when it comes to the misuse of the word “depression,” which is common in high school students.

“People use the word ‘depression’ if they can’t find their keys, or if they’ve had a fight with their mother or father, or if they’ve had an argument with their boyfriend or girlfriend, if they didn’t make the school team or didn’t do well on an exam,” Kutcher said. “When we use the word ‘depression’ for every negative emotional state, the word loses its meaning.”

Once a disorder isn’t taken seriously and the gravity of the disorder and its symptoms are watered down and it “loses its meaning” as Kutcher said, society as a whole won’t take

it as seriously and treatment will be harder and harder to come by. It has the potential to completely spiral out of control if this continues.

Not only will other people not take disorders seriously, but people won’t take their own potential mental health concerns seriously and may never seek treatment if the idea that mental illnesses are desirable to have is still circulating in the media.

A parent won’t take their child to a therapist when they start experiencing depressive episodes. A working citizen won’t get any mental health days off to help them cope with their bipolar disorder. Everyone has it now, right? It’s just another crazy trend or a series of excuses for blowing off school or work, right?

No, it isn’t. This needs to stop, and it can only stop if the collective mindset of people who do and don’t suffer mental illnesses alike changes.

Everyone needs to take action in order to make a change. If someone says something that makes an illness or disorder out to be something to be admired or desirable, for example “She’s so thin and pretty. She must be anorexic to look the way she does,” they need to be called out. Toxic behaviors and ideas will not stop on their own.

If someone says anything that would place mental illness in a glorified or positive light, the only thing that can break their trance is facts.

Remind them that mental illnesses kill thousands of people every year in one way or another and impact millions more. Remind them that for as much attention as people get for a disorder, that the mentality that they have will silence hundreds more if they don’t stop ignoring how horrible the reality is.

People suffering from mental health issues are not asking to be saved by anyone, but anyone can help save people suffering from mental health issues by helping them destroy the stigmas around their diseases and ensuring that everyone is promised a safer, healthier future.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is concerned about mental health issues, call 1-800-950-6264.

MENTAL HEALTH

STATISTICS 1 in 5

adults in America experiences mental illness in a given year.

Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14.

Three-quarters of all chronic mental illness begins by age 24.

Suicide is the

Suicide is the

leading cause of death

leading cause of death

10th

in the United States.

90%

2nd

in the US for people ages 10-34.

More than 90% of people who die by suicide show symptoms of a mental health condition.

All information gathered from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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BUSY

HALLWAYS

SUCK

All art by Olivia DeWinkeleer

» Jillian Morani, Reporter

So you’re walking down the hallway, minding your own business, when oh no! Here comes someone who is ready to bump, push or bodycheck you just to get to class. Then you turn a corner and run into a couple making out. Turn another corner, and you smack into that kid who is walking so slowly, it’s almost like he’s going backwards.

You know these people. In fact, YOU just might BE one of these people.

The Loiterers

There you are, ready to walk to class and here stands a student. Now, this student doesn’t look like they’re in a rush. You can just go around them… right? WRONG. You try to go around them, and they step right in your path. You do the awkward “I’ll go left and you go right” dance for about ten million years. Eventually, this person just stops moving and looks at you. They wait for your next move. You reach your foot to the left, ready to sprint around them. Counting down until you run into them AGAIN. There is no way around these people other than through. But you can’t go through a person, that would be gross. Maybe class isn’t worth it. Maybe you could just lay on the ground and cry because there is no way around this guy.

The Star-Crossed Lovers A teen romance personified, these two can’t keep their hands off each other. He has Chemistry, she has gym.

The distance is unbearable. He is her oxygen. She is his life support. Forty-five minutes becomes an eternity.

He takes her hand and pulls her into a tight hug, for they know the next time they see each other will be years from now. Somehow, they manage to make out all the way to class without looking where they are going because being in a relationship so serious gives you a sixth sense that guides you to class while still looking at your love.

They stand in front of the door. You don’t want to touch them, that awkward tongue movement they are doing is making you gag. This is way past PDA. Way, way, way past it. She’s literally about to swallow this guy. So, all you can do is shield your eyes until they tear apart from each other like an atom splitting, like the space-time continuum breaking, like infinity coming to an end.

The nurse’s office is starting to look really appealing.

The Zombies Their feet drag across the ground, their bag is a disheveled mess, their speed is slower than a grandma walking through molasses, they only have one thing in mind… Brains.

Standing near them is surely a signed death wish. They can sense the fear permeating off of you. Trying to go around these guys is like standing in the middle of a turtle race. It’s dangerous.

If you tell them they’re slow, they won’t understand. They DON’T understand. They’ll trudge through the hallways even slower than before. You have places to go, and people to see. You could definitely outrun this guy, but there is no way around a horde of zombies unless you’re fixing to get your brain eaten.

The “Make-Walls-Great-Again” People There is something wrong with how this group of kids don’t leave any space for students to get by. This crowd of people loves the idea of building a wall so much, that they build one daily right at LHS. This wall spreads across the entire hallway.

You’re surprised there isn’t border control or some form of security guard checking your ID to get through.

Maybe you can jump over or dig a tunnel under them. Well, they are fully grown high school students, and jumping over them is a really stupid idea. So instead, you try to squeeze through the gaps of their human wall.

However, before your body even touches them, the wall becomes one massive structure that not even the strongest man alive could break through. You decide you’re never taking this route to math class again.

The Tourists

It’s hard not to spot this person. Fanny pack, tropical shirt, sun screen slathered on, a woven hat and a camera resting on their chest. These are the tourists. They know exactly where they want to go, when they have to be there, and why they are going. The only problem is… the hallways of LHS are new to them all of the sudden. They are indecisive on which way the English classrooms are.

If they come in groups, you’ll usually find them bickering about who is right with their directions. If you come in contact with these people, they might ask you for directions. Don’t be intimidated by their sunburnt bodies, they can’t hurt you as long as you are in your familiar land.

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The “Wait-I’m-going-the-wrong-way” People Much like the tourists, these people are constantly changing direction. The only real difference is that these guys have been here longer than anyone else, and they STILL don’t know which way they are going. They know they have art class, but they forget where it is.

So, they take a leap of faith and head in the completely opposite direction of the art section. They aren’t entirely lost though. Halfway through going the wrong way, they realize they are, in fact… going in the wrong direction. So, they pivot on their heel right in front of you as you are still walking and slam into you. They don’t even say sorry.

They just know that they will be late for class if they don’t book it. They bang a u-ey right into you, push through oncoming traffic, and cause most of the traffic jams in the hallway.

The “Hey-Bro!-It’s-been-a-while!” People You don’t know why this kid has so many friends, but every two feet they seem to recognize someone else they know. Maybe it’s a childhood friend, a person on the same sports team, or a teacher that really doesn’t want to be “buddy-buddy” with them. You can feel the bro energy dripping from the person. You can feel their friendliness in the air.

You get it, you have friends too, but do you have to break through an entire crowd of students to slap your friends on the butt? No. The answer is always no.

They only way to avoid these people is stay away from anyone who is looking like they are asking for a buttslap.

The John Cenas SLAM! BAM! POW! SOC! KAPOW! These are not the noises you want to hear as you walk to your next class. When you hear these noises, run for cover. There is bound to be a future WWE wrestler nearby.

These guys will always surprise you with how rough they can be with their… friends? They can body slam, creating massive cracks in the walls; They can throw, denting all the lockers in a three mile radius; Most of all… they can punch so hard the person comes spinning into you.

You don’t know why they’re fighting. Sometimes they’re smiling and “doing it for fun.” Other times it’s personal beef. All you should know is that they are dangerous can send you to the nurse before you can utter the words “help me.”

The Shadow People Woah! You don’t know what just knocked all of your books out of your hand, but you certainly know it’s dangerous. It felt like a tornado ripped off your bag and chucked it at the nearest object or person. It’s impossible to actually see these people, as they are as fast as the Flash.

They are quicker than a cheetah, faster than a JR-Maglev, faster than sound and dare I say…faster than light. They give you a cold chill, like when you watch a scary movie and you know the jump scare is coming up. They are always watching, always planning their next move, and always hungry for speed.

If you aren’t careful, you could lose all of your homework to these kinds of people. You might even lose a limb if they hit it too hard.

The Stare-Downers These are the people that are completely enthralled by what’s on the ground or in their hands.

They don’t blink, ever.

They don’t have the time to blink.

They need to text their significant other, need to check Instagram, need to play a game, need to do something on their phone. You aren’t sure how they haven’t walked into any—oh wait… The one mystery about them just went out the window when they bumped into you and said sorry like they had the life force sucked out of them.

What is even so important on the gosh darn phone anyway? They’re going to walk into a wall!

The Stare-YOU-Downers The intentions of these life forms are unknown. By the way they are staring at you, you’re pretty darn sure that they hired a hitman for you. They make you uncomfortable just by staring, and you don’t even know how! Maybe they aren’t staring you down… is there something in your teeth?

Do they not like the way you dress? Why are they coming closer? Should you run? Can you outrun them? Their heads are tilted down so dark shadows form under their eyes, their gaze is unrelenting and staring into your soul, their face is completely stone solid.

How can you avert their gaze? Just stay calm and keep walking. Just try to ignore the daggers they stare into your spine when you turn the corner.

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The LHS Drama Club family becomes

The Addams Family » Eliana Patterson, Design Editor

Let’s not talk about anything else but Londonderry High School’s Drama Club production of the Addams Family musical played at the Derry Opera House on April 4, 5 and 6.

The production followed the story of the eldest Addam child, Wednesday, who’s in love with a boy named Lucas. When a dinner brings the two families together, each individual party must deal with personal struggles throughout the night. Even though this more adult themed show had harder expressions and emotions to act out the “students were ready to take on the challenge,” Director Mrs. Nelson said.

“It was a really fun show, but it was going to be hard to do,” Nelson said. “In the end, we had the singers that had the talent to sing and musicians to tackle the complicated score of music.”

To put each cast member with their best fit in the show, students went through a set of auditions that would later decide who would play each part.

“The process was quite a crazy challenge but in the end it was worth it,” freshman Paige Boyon said who plays Alice Beineke, the poetic mother to Lucas, played by Andrew Johnson.

Boyon was just one of the 25 students that had the opportunity to be a part of a unique spin on the classic Addams Family story.

Senior Andrea Cashin has been in the LHS drama club since she was a freshman, having played Flounder in the 2018 production of The Little Mermaid. This year, she was given the chance to play one of the leading roles, Wednesday Addams, the moody grown-up teenager in love.

“Most people know Wednesday to be the young, creepy deadpan girl in the family, but in the musical she’s all grown up and in love with a boy,” said Cashin.

For Cashin it was fun exploring the emotions of embarrassment, happiness, sadness, love, and heartbreak in a two act show while

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keeping the classic Wednesday attitude the audience was used to.

“It was just very special to me to play this part and it meant a lot that I could do this with some of my best friends for a final time,” Cashin said.

Cashin recalls the seniors she has looked up to during her past four years and how bittersweet it is to be in their place and to be graduating this year.

“Now that my friends and I are the seniors, it was amazing to watch them work hard for and grow in their roles,” Cashin said.

While Cashin took her final bow on the LHS stage, she was joined also by her fellow seniors Noah Payeur who played Gomez, Abigail Palmer (Morticia), Michael Crowley (Mal Beineke), and Lexi Nimetz (Grandma), who have all been in the LHS drama program for many years.

“I love all the friends that I’ve made in this program,” senior Noah Payeur said. “I love how much Val and these kids are so dedicated to the show.”

Payeur is espicially glad to be finsihing his senior year playing Gomez Addams.

“Gomez is the kind of funny dad figure in the family; he just moves with the flow of trying to be the patriarch in charge,” Payeur said. “When he’s really just in the shadow of Morticia.”

Morticia Addams was portrayed by Abigail Palmer who’s been in every Drama Club production since her freshman year.

“It’s really fun and enjoyable role to play because Morticia’s a dancer, which I love, and she was dark but also comedic,” Palmer said.

The members of the dysfunctional family include Sophomore Betsy Brown (Pugsley) and Junior Connor Fongeallaz (Lurch) and also the dead relatives portrayed by the ensemble who bring their characters to life through makeup and costumes.

“I really like the costumes and makeup,”ensemble member Maya Lincoln said.

“It gives us a way to express our characters without speaking.”

Characters who are also very expressive throughout the show are the Beineke Family, played by Crowley, Boyon, and Johnson.

Senior Mike Crowley portrays his transformation from a stubborn father to a youthful man enthused by rock and roll.

“The plot twists and the way they’re pressed by the characters really keeps the audience entertained,” Crowley said.

Although there are many twists and turns between the two families, Addams Family is a love story. With the chemistry on stage between the individual couples and the moon, there’s no denying the teamwork behind the scenes that makes the members of the Drama Club a real family.

“I love the cast endlessly and these are the people I choose to spend my time with and enjoy the time spent,” Palmer said.

When one cast member talks about another cast member—whether it’s complimenting them on their talents, their dedication to the show, or just their overall personality—they seem to have nothing but praise for the other.

“I like being surrounded by a bunch of people who like the same thing as me and working hard to create something we’re proud of,” Cashin said.

Each cast member knows that when they step into rehearsal they’re going to be greeted with welcoming hands and cheerful attitudes in a good environment.

“When I’ve had a bad day at school or I’m just sad, I always think that I get t go to rehearsal soon and that always makes me feel better,” Sophomore ensemble member Gabrielle Page said.

Support from fellow cast members doesn’t

just end at rehearsals, it’s brought over to every music event, coffee house, or opening show that they’re in.

“One of my favorite memories was only a few seconds long when Noah finished singing “Not Today” for the last time, and he sounded amazing, we were all so proud of him,” Cashin said. “When he came off stage, the cast members waiting in the wings all cheered, and I looked around and everyone looked so happy.”

While the drama club will be without some talented people next year, the group members have no doubt they will put on another amazing show and keep another closeknit group of kids together.

“Theater is such an important creative outlet for the students and for myself, ”Nelson said. “It really lets you see who you are and aren’t as a person.”

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Payeur takes final bow for LHS » Marissa McKay, Features Editor With Throughly Modern Millie, The Little Mermaid, and now a leading role in The Addams Family, senior Noah Payeur has shared his talent with the world many times over the five years of his acting career.

Payeur began acting in middle school and has been in twelve shows since eighth grade.

The first show he was in was The Little Shop of Horrors, where he played the dentist and the voice of the plant.

“I was inspired to start acting, because I wanted to try something new,” Payeur said.

“I had only really ever played sports before that. After my first show, which was also my favorite, I was inspired by my friend Abby to continue with theatre. She told me that she believed there was some real potential in me, and that I had a real knack for this.”

Though Payeur has tried other extracurriculars, such as unified soccer, he always comes back to drama, because of his true passion for acting.

“I just love that I get to see the world through someone else’s eyes,” Payeur said. “It’s just so fun.”

Photos by Lilly Grodt

Seniors Abby Palmer and Noah Payeur dance together in their final LHS drama club production.

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Photos by Lilly Grodt

Senior Noah Payeur walks the stage in his last LHS show, The Addams Family.

Over the years, theatre has taken over his life, but all of the time he has put in for his latest school play, The Addams Family, has not been wasted.

“It is 100% worth putting in all this work to be able to see the final end product,” Payeur said. “The show is incredible no matter what, because I know everybody in the cast put their best foot forward.”

He went out of his comfort zone a little and auditioned for and landed one of the main roles of this play, Gomez Addams.

“I auditioned for this part, because I just love how different it is from anything I’ve ever played before,” Payeur said. “I’ve never gotten to play the dad figure, but also the goofy part.”

For him, the play’s success this past weekend was measured in how much fun everyone involved had.

“I think the show was fantastic last weekend,” Payeur said. “I just wanted everyone to have a good time, and for people to see the show and think that it’s good. I could not have

been more proud of the great talent that I got to work alongside for this one.”

Though he loves sharing his talent with the community, being able to do that with the friends he has made is even better.

“My favorite part of the show was getting to work alongside best friends for our final show,” Payeur said. “I could not be more blessed to have a better group of friends by my side not just throughout this process, but all throughout high school as well.”

As an experienced senior, Payeur is someone that the younger kids in drama can look up to.

“I try my best to be a good role model to the underclassmen,” Payeur said. “I hope they all see me as a friend who they can come to if they are struggling with something any time.”

All of his efforts to try to be approachable and helpful to the others around him are not gone unnoticed.

“Noah is very consistent, and he always works hard,” sophomore Andrew Johnson said. “He’s definitely someone that I look up to. He’s really talented, but also in school, he’s one of the nicest people.”

Though he will leave for college to study communications, theatre, and business in the fall, everything he did for this school will not be forgotten.

“I want people to remember me as being an all around good Lancer,” Payeur said. “I hope I can be remembered as a good friend, a good student, and a good role model for the

Photos by Lilly Grodt

Seniors Abby Palmer and Noah Payeur close off their final LHS preformance with a dip.

drama club.”

As Payeur moves on from school plays to possibly working in theatre or music management, he leaves behind the message

that he lived by during his time at LHS. “I would like people to know that they shouldn’t be afraid to try,” Payeur said. “If you want to try acting, try it. Don’t let anybody tell

you otherwise. If it makes you happy, then do it. Chase happiness and passion, not popularity and approval.”

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Guess Who?

LHS Staff Prom Edition

Look beyond the high hair, young faces and puffy ruffles to see if you can guess who these staff members are.

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Turn the page for more staff prom pics and for info on where to go to find out who’s who.

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See

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Use the QR Code to the right to check your answers.

Or just go to LSO using this link:

www.LancerSpiritOnline.com Gallery

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Don’t miss Mr. LHS 2019.

Thursday, April 18 @ 7:30 p.m. in the gym Tickets are $10.