April final

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The Norwalk High School

Paw Print “How the Bears make their mark”

April 2013

In This Issue

NEWS:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: OPINION:

VOLUME VII, ISSUE 4

SPORTS:

Study Halls Fall Short

• 84 study halls over 8 periods • 2160 seats filled total • 1.3 study halls per student

Da n i e l

Squicciarino R e p o rt e r One of the biggest issues Norwalk High School faces is the abundant number of students in study halls. Many students end up in study halls instead of their chosen electives, which can be very frustrating.

Period 7 alone finds 463 students in 18 study halls. Over all 8 periods, there are a total of 84 study halls with a whopping

“When a student has multiple study halls, to colleges that student will seem less ambitious.” ~Principal Roberts

On April 2nd, X students donated blood in the NHS Blood Drive

IDs Guard Students E M e ly Chen R e p o rt e r Word on the street is that school spirit will definitely increase with the addition of green and white ID lanyards for every student and staff member at Norwalk High School.

Many people describe the events of December 14, 2012 as life changing.

Twenty-six innocent people, twenty children and six adults, lost their lives during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a mentally unstable man who had access to semi-automatic guns. This day has made many schools in the nation consider new safety policies.

NHS is one of them; security concerns and a buzzer system were added at NHS within the last month. Due to the Newtown disaster, staff will now be required to wear an ID in school.

“Students are already required to

have an ID, so we can identify each person in the building,” said Principal Roberts.

The librarian at NHS, Ms. Payton, stated, “ID cards will separate students and staff from visitors and strangers.”

According to Dr. Munrow, a teacher in the science department, “Teachers have already received their lanyards and ID cards, and are now trying to find a way to raise money for the students.”

NHS is not the only school that will be changing procedures. Shelton High School and Trumbull High School have required their students to wear their ID cards for years and security at these schools has been at its best ever since according to students that currently go there.

A former student that went to Shelton High, Glorianna Restrepo (’15), stated, “It was weird when I came to Norwalk High and no one was wearing his or her ID cards like my old school.”

It is a new generation, and unfortunately it is time to make necessary security changes and adjustments.

Photo Credit: Lucas Keogh

2160 seats filled, which is higher than the number of students enrolled in the entire school. This indicates some students have multiple study halls.

Principal Roberts acknowledged that the number of study halls at NHS is a problem. “The reason for this high number is due to a combination of factors,” said Roberts. Reasons he mentioned included a lack of electives, not enough elective teachers, the way the school’s schedule works, and the number of courses the Board of Education requires students to take.

Once a student reaches senior year, they may not need many more credits in order to graduate. Because of this, many seniors simply enroll in study hall instead of choosing electives to take. “In some

ways senior year is even more important than junior year,” said Darius Colson (’13). “If colleges see you’ve taken AP classes in the past and that you slacked off your senior year, they might be less likely to accept you.”

Many students worry about how being in study hall might affect their chances of being accepted into college.

Teachers often say that a high number of study halls can impact a college-bound student.

Principal Roberts commented, “When colleges look at student transcripts, they look at grades, the rigor of classes, and even attendance. When a student has multiple study halls, to colleges that student will seem less ambitious.”

When compared to other schools, one can plainly see that a school with this many study halls is not very common.

Zachary Laug (’15) is a student who attended NHS as a freshman, but is now enrolled at AITE in Stamford. “At AITE we don’t even have study hall, as we only have 4 classes a day that are an hour and a half each. Our schedule makes you take as many credits as possible,” he stated.

Some students when stuck in study hall do not take full advantage of the opportunity to complete schoolwork.

Others, when faced with multiple study halls, simply have no work left to do.

“When I’m in study hall I usually talk to my friends,” said Mitesh Parmar (’15). “I pretty much never do homework because I forget.”

Hopefully a solution to lowering the number of study halls lies in the near future. Principal Roberts stated that he is working with the department head and administrators at the Board of Education in order to make the schedule best for students.

Photo Credit: Lucas Keogh

Photo Credit: Lucas Keogh

Students in study hall find different ways to spend their time.

NEWS

2

The Paw Print April 2013

Alex Morsanutto: Student Turned Filmmaker M At t h e w B ro w n Media Editor

Pink Shirt Power Nicole Dunsmore Editor

in

Chief

As bullying remains a substantial issue among teenagers, Norwalk High School has stepped up to lessen it.

Peace Works, an organization at NHS started by Jessica Jaramillo (’13), promotes an environment of respect and emphasizes a bully-free lifestyle.

On February 27th, Peace Works sponsored Pink Shirt Day to raise awareness against bullying. “The purpose of Pink Shirt Day was to show the union between students who truly believe that bullying is a problem. I wanted to raise awareness for the school,” stated Jaramillo, president of Peace Works.

The idea for Pink Shirt Day originated from two high school students in Nova

Norwalk High students showed their support of this international organization by dressing in pink. “In my perspective, Pink Shirt Day was successful because the students in my club felt as if they were making a change,” expressed Jaramillo.

“Many students supported the cause and we collected over 200 signatures from those who wore pink. They were excited and wanted to join the club and model for future photography projects,” mentioned Ana Galarza (’13), vice president of Peace Works.

Peace Works will continue to stress anti-bullying through new projects.

Galarza explained, “During high school, physical abuse is not that prominent, we want to decrease bullying in social media and verbal abuse. One out of ten students drop out of high school because of bullying; we want to make sure students make it to graduation.”

Jaramillo announced, “We are very

anyone who donates to his film by using the fundraising website Kickstarter would be much appreciated by him and his crew.

The film is set to be shot between April 17th and May 1st in Fairfield County and the film is expected to be distributed by July of this year.

From Norwalk to New York City, Alex Morsanutto has proved that he has a knack for being behind the camera. Morsanutto has a great future ahead both in the film industry and life itself.

To learn more about Alex’s film go to www.littlelionfilm.com Photo Credit: twitter.com

Dr. Seuss once said in his critically acclaimed children’s book, Oh the Places You’ll Go, “You’re off to great places!

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting… So go on your way.” For Alex Morsanutto (‘09), there have been good places to go since high school.

Morsanutto began his journey as a filmmaker right in Norwalk High School, taking Mr. Seaburg’s “History in the Making” course at Norwalk High. From there he went on to make two documentary films, The Bath School Disaster and The Challenge Space Shuttle Disaster. His films were able to take home many awards at the NHS film fest, including the “People’s Choice” award.

After realizing his talent for cinema he went on to say, “Man I am pretty good at this.”

Morsanutto is a senior at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Ever

since he transferred there from SUNY Purchase, he has made a name for himself at the prestigious university.

Morsanutto is currently working on his thesis film at NYU titled Little Lion. It the story of a man who relives his childhood as he prepares for an act of violence.

The short film is based on actual events from one of Morsanutto’s family member’s history. He is passionate about the film and he has been working on it since last July.

Before he started production of Little Lion, Morsanutto spent last spring in Prague, Czech Republic. Over the few months he spent there, he was able to film a story of a Prisoner of war camp. His film was able to become much acclaimed.

He then submitted the film to NYU film professor Susan Seildman, and she gave him the opportunity with twelve other film students to make a thesis film after the great work they created.

Morsanutto is the director, producer, writer, and is the lead role in Little Lion. He plays the role of the older Ryan Williams in the film.

Morsanutto explains that “Fundraising is the key” and he said that

Alex Morsanutto, director of the new film ‘Little Lion’

Making Peace at NHS Haley Doran Opinion Editor Peace Works is a new and up-and-coming organization run at Norwalk High School.

It promotes an environment of respect, and emphasizes a bully-free lifestyle.

Senior Jessica Jaramillo, president of Peace Works, decided to start this organization because she wanted to make a change. She believes that many people are not aware that bullying is a huge issue in our school, and that most people see it as something irrelevant.

“If people don’t speak up and look for support, that is fine, but I want to reassure that anyone who has fought with or still tries to battle bullying will never be alone,” said Jaramillo.

Recently, Peace Works had a No Name Calling Day as well as a Pink Shirt Day. The No Name Calling Day, which was an original idea from Sherri Wintermute, the A-House intern, was a great success.

“Although the students who signed seemed to have such a strong front, the names they were to write down and throw in the trash were very hurtful,” Jaramillo continued about the No Name Calling Day, “We got about 300 signatures for

our collage that is hanging in the school’s cafeteria, and it surrounds the No Name Calling Day poster.”

In the future, the Peace Works Club will be making a public service announcement featuring members of the club as well as other students who want to take part in this project.

So far the feedback that Jaramillo, along with her Vice President, Ana Galarza (’13), have received has been very positive.

Through the school community’s support, they were able to create a Facebook page, “Peace Works”, where students are able to stay updated on all the future events that Peace Works will take part in.

Jaramillo hopes that this organization will make a huge influence on the NHS community. “I hope to be the voice for those who are too afraid to speak up and show that Peace Works is capable of making a big impact,” Jaramillo continues “I know I will leave this school with the confidence of knowing that the next president and vice president of the club will proceed to walk in the footsteps Ana and I have molded for them.”

Peace Works meets every Tuesday at 2:20 in Ms. Milne’s room. The club welcomes new members interested in joining their organization on its route to success.

Photo Credit: norwalk.itsrelevant.com

Photo credit: http://norwalk.itsrelevant.com/

Students participate in Pink Shirt Day to take a stand against bullying.

Scotia, David Shepherd and Travis Price, when they made the selfless decision to stand up for a ninth grader at their school who was harassed for wearing a pink T-shirt. The two boys informed students to wear pink to school the next day in protest of the bullying and they distributed pink tank tops themselves.

excited for the biggest project that is a public service announcement, but details will not be given until we actually put it on our Facebook page called Peace Works!”

To learn more about their significant organization or to view pictures from their projects, visit facebook.com/ PeaceWorksOrg.

Norwalk High students wear pink on Pink Shirt Day

NEWS

The Paw Print April 2013

3

Former Swimming Coach Swims Back to NHS Stephanie Czulewicz R e p o rt e r

Photo Credit: Karen Ham

After ten years with Norwalk High School Girls Swim team, Coach Rebecca Rubin is retiring from coaching the team. A surprising twist that none of the girls were expecting is that the previous coach, Pam Raila, will be coming back in the fall season as head coach of the Lady Bears.

Captain Lauren Czulewicz (’14) expects nothing but success from the new team. “I see us being just as good, if not better!” She said “We work hard at practice, and we have a lot to show for it.” With her senior season right around the corner she does not expect too much of a change. “ It’s all based on tradition and the new coach has done this before for many years.”

The swimmers are not the only ones excited about this change. Mr. Mones, Norwalk High School’s very own sports director said, “ We are excited, she is a

former NHS swimmer and she used to around it.” coach.

Coach Raila was involved with the There is also a new assistant coach swim team as head coach for 18 years before that swam for NHS a few years ago. It’s Rebecca Rubin here at NHS. After speaking a nice balance.” Mrs. Moffet agreed, “ with Mrs. Raila about this upcoming fall Rebecca always had high expectations! We season. She answered “ I don’t have any expect nothing different from Pam.” Being a coach, Mr. Mones believes that coaches have their own style on the way they run things.

“The changes that we would see are probably the way practice is ran, every coach has their own style. She is used to the pool, her whole job revolves Former Swim Team Coaches, Rebecca Rubin (left) and Dana Hausser

specific goals as of now, I would need to meet the girls and get to know them and their goals for this season.”

People may start to wonder if anything has changed, and if the girls are different from the previous teams Pam has coached.

Coach Raila said “ Very much so. I think that it will be one of the biggest challenges.

It has been 8 years, so I know the girls will be different. I have noticed it in my lifeguards and I see it in the hallways. But our goals are all the same, we want to win and do well. I think we will be just fine.”

A question that we all are wondering is the factor that made coach Raila decide to coach the Lady Bears once again. “ I think it was a matter of timing, I thought my next position would be in rowing and then this position opened up so the timing was perfect.” Coach Raila plans to take it year by year in coaching the girls and is excited to get back into what she did for many years before.

NEASC to Enter NHS Kindness Opens Doors Lillianna for the Average Teen Byington B u s i n e s s M a nag e r

Norwalk High School is now adjusting to the NEASC standards in order for students to be prepared for the 21st century.

NEASC stands for New England Association of Schools and Colleges, they represent accredited schools. There is a committee formed that has already created NHS’s own Core Values & Beliefs Statement and it reads as follows: “Norwalk High School, a community of students, teachers, administrators and families, embraces its diversity and encourages intellectual curiosity. We value a safe, accepting culture rooted in a rigorous, relevant curriculum rich with technology and artistic expression.

We must challenge students to become knowledgeable, ethical citizens capable of making independent and collaborative decisions in real-world settings.

We must prepare students for the social, civic, and technological demands of the 21st century in order to effectively participate in an ever-changing global society.”

The BEARS acronym was generated to enable everyone to completely comprehend the changes that will be made.

Students will follow B for behave, E for engage, A for academics, R for respect, and S for safety. A design is being developed

by AP art student, Olena Khyomyk.

“The NEASC committee is inspired to bring together the entire NHS community, it is really about our school and our community not just about meeting

NEASC standards,” said Mrs. Kopple, co-chair of the NHS NEASC committee.

The committee formed in March 2012 and will be implementing school-wide academic, social, and civic competency rubrics in Fall 2013. These rubrics will be in effect starting next year and will be school wide, applicable to every course level.

Mrs. Kopple stated that they are, “Looking for ways to roll out the core beliefs and to get these ideas into the hearts and minds of students and keep it as the forefront for what we do.”

Co-chairs for the committee are Mrs. Aarons, Mrs. Kopple and Mrs. Rodriguez, and the administrative chair is Ms. Marinaccio. However, this is not just a committee, it will be a school wide effort.

With any new project comes obstacles.

Mrs. Kopple said, “Looking at past surveys, about 25% of students do not feel connected, and we want to re-engage those students.”

This is a work in progress that has input coming from teachers, students and administration, who are excited to get involved. Development will include a video web series documenting the journey, other multi-media sources, marketing, design and more.

“Our committee wants to reengage and connect students, teachers, and the administration, at large—we are all in this together,” said Mrs. Kopple.

To learn more about NEASC and the core beliefs visit the NHS website, click the link to NHS Reports and then NEASC or NEASC rubrics, to see what great changes are coming next.

J o r da n Keyes R e p o rt e r While high school may seem embedded in the fury of emotion and drama, apathy is in fact the main culprit in defining the typical Norwalk High student.

Looking strictly at holding doors, many students do not do this polite and elementary task for others at all. In a study of 100 students here at Norwalk High, only 35% actually held the door for others.

In the halls, when students are not talking to friends, they are rather aloof; mindlessly walking to class, not seeming to care about anyone other than themselves.

When discussing the severity of this issue, Doug Bretherton (‘14) said that it is “A developing issue in our generation…

People don’t give a crap about each other.” On the other hand, Thomas Jankovic (‘16) mentioned that he, “Hasn’t noticed much” in observing people holding doors for each other. Both account this problem to be of bigger situation than it appears, stating that technology and parents are the main culprits.

In addition to this, even when students do hold the doors for others, merely 6% even thank or acknowledge the door holder with a smile or a similar act, fur-

ther relating to the apparent lack of manners at Norwalk High. Band Director, Mr. Rivera, stated that, “Students don’t understand the concept of common courtesy.”

Mr. Rivera overall thought that this issue was “split”, in that, “Either students are both very polite and well mannered, or the exact opposite.”

This brings up the issue of where a lack of proper manners, and furthermore unruly behavior, originates. Physics teacher, Mr. Lipp, believes it relates to “societal norms”, how it is normal today for these behaviors to occur and generally accepted to be okay and not rude. Mr. Lipp claimed that this dilemma started 10-15 years ago.

In his generation (the 70s), times were “much different”. For example, “[A guy] was expected to give up his seat to a girl or to someone older than you.” Riding the NYC subway frequently over the last couple of years, Mr. Lipp stated that, “No one does it anymore.”

All-in-all, this very apparent problem of students simply not caring enough to hold doors for their fellow peers is at the pinnacle today when compared to previous generations and times. On an optimistic basis, Mr. Lipp hopes that the epidemic “is a cultural phase”, and looks for it to “swing back the other way like a pendulum.”

Photo Credit: Julia Chiappetta

Photo Credit: Norrwalk High School Website

A visual representation of the new BEARS acronym created by Ms. Gleason

Student politely holds door open

NEWS

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Juniors and Seniors Show Off their Style Lucas Keogh News Editor Many high school students in Norwalk High School fashion is a large part of their social life, and with prom around the corner, many students are looking for outfits to wear.

The Norwalk High School Fashion Show is an event hosted annually by the Post Graduation Party (PGP) Committee, in which Norwalk High juniors and seniors show off new spring outfits and prom

suits and dresses to fundraise for PGP.

“This fashion show raises money for [PGP], and it’s the biggest fundraiser we have that raises money for the event,” said Mrs. Costa, one of the heads of the fashion show committee.

Throughout the show, many upperclassmen showed off different outfits.

The junior class wore spring outfits for the new season, while the senior class donned tuxedos and dresses for the upcoming senior prom.

“I’ve seen a lot of pictures of my friends in it last year, and it made me very interested,” said senior Jonathan Torres, who added “Obviously I missed out last

year, and it looks a lot of fun so I’m happy to be in it.”

The show also had an intermission between the juniors and seniors performance, in which the fashion show participants performed a fake “talent show”.

“I was able to put the best talent together and the show went great,” said Matt Brown (’13), who put together the intermission show. “We had Nick Lampman doing stand up comedy, Eric Arena dancing to Justin Timberlake’s Suit & Tie, Emily Rybnick and Shelby Vetare doing a rendition of The Prayer, and finally Tyler Brown, Edwin Rosales, and Michael Bonebrake dancing to Bye Bye Bye by N-

The Paw Print April 2013

Sync.”

All in all the show had an attendance of about 300 people and raised a total profit of $5128 through payments for tickets, as well as 50/50 raffle tickets, DVD sales, and much more.

This year’s show definitely seemed like an improvement to the people involved and in attendance. “Every year it improves,” mentioned Mrs. Costa, “Every year we look at what happened the year before, and we try to adjust to make it better for the participants, better for the organizers, and better for the people attending.”

Page 20 for photos

Announcements Impact Class Time

Surprisingly, Teachers Do Not Live in Caves

Julia C h i a p p e t ta

Toni-ann M at t e r a

R e p o rt e r Announcements at Norwalk High School are, on average, seven minutes long every day, which adds up to 1200 minutes a school year.

There are so many events that occur at NHS, it makes communication about those events a difficult long process of announcements. “We used to have homeroom every day where we could hand things out to the students, but we don’t have homeroom everyday anymore, so we need to have announcements,” said Mr. Cundiff, a math teacher at NHS. Since announcements are so lengthy, it cuts out of teaching time. “The announcements are long and I try to keep my students quiet enough so we can hear them, but a lot of teachers don’t,” stated Mr. Seaburg, a teacher in the Social Studies department.

Plans for next year may slightly change this. “Mr. Karl and I are starting a class called Broadcast Journalism and we’re going to work with the Paw Print. Every Friday, we’ll have broadcast students doing

the announcements and even have some opinion pieces,” explained Seaburg.

At Brien McMahon High School, they do not have announcements. If there are any announcements to be made, it will be said during lunch, but there is no formal way of spreading the word.

Woodside High School, in California, has a mix of a live anchoring program and pre-recorded ads and infomercials made by the students as their announcements.

They cover events such as what clubs are meeting that day, what teams are playing and where, and what sort of dances are coming up.

Most students do not even pay any attention to the ongoing announcements.

“Since they’re so long and draining most students tend to tune it out,” said Christine Busardo (’13).

Announcements seem like a waste of time to most students, so maybe there is a better, more efficient way of doing it. “When I actually need or want to hear them, it’s impossible and frustrating because nobody else cares. A weekly pamphlet would make a lot more sense,” said Taylor Plunkett (’13).

For NHS, announcements in the morning are the only form of communication available for now.

R e p o rt e r We all know that awkward feeling when you see a teacher outside of school.

Students think that teachers are always grading papers, making up tests, or coming up with new projects to throw at us, but believe it or not, teachers have lives outside of school too. They have families to spend time with, plans for this weekend, and even some interesting hobbies that no one knows about.

Photography teacher Mr. Franco really enjoys cycling, and has even rode his bike across the United states.

Choir Teacher Mrs. Pettibone takes Dressage Riding Lessons. She has her own horse for her lessons and really enjoys riding. Unfortunately, Mr. Pettibone will not let her learn how to do any jumps with the horse because of Mrs Pettibone’s history of becoming easily injured.

Special Education teacher Mrs Ray likes to write and paint in her spare time.

She is currently working on two novels, as well as a series of collage paintings.

Speech/language pathologist Ms.

Anstead designs jewelry as a hobby. “Every year I donate jewelry to the senior class for their graduation party. This year I am designing a necklace, bracelet and earings for the Side By Side auction in May,” said Ms. Anstead. She also loves to garden. “My students and I have a flower garden over by the band room and a vegitable garden near Naramake.

Teachers have a lot more to do than just make up lesson plans. So next time you see a teacher out of school, ask about their riding lessons or jewelry designs. Next time you walk into class and your quiz is not graded, be patient; your teacher might be cycling across the U.S.

Mrs. Pettibone’s horse, Kaleb

Attention: Libraries will be Closed... Again C o u rt n e y Ta p p e r R e p o rt e r

“I feel like half the time I try to go to the library, it’s closed” ~Samantha Steele (’14)

than for schoolwork,” said Andriana Goodchild (’15) There is no policy on how often the library should be closed because it is a “school administration decision,” stated Tony Daddona, interim superintendent of

schools, via e-mail.

Even though opinions on the library may vary, it is a resourceful place for many students to work throughout the school year.

Photo Credit: Lianne Metter

The library is the central focus of Norwalk High School, making it easy to understand why it is closed so often.

The NHS library is dedicated to providing quality academic resources and support services in our school. It houses over 20,000 volumes for research and enrichment as well as a number of magazines and newspapers that support the curriculum of the school. Additionally, the Library Media Center offers resourceful online databases that can be accessed anywhere and at anytime through the Internet.

Teachers, administrators, and parents are very involved in the library. The school library is a large area with quiet space; so it

is useful to many Norwalk High students.

“The library is usually a nice and quiet atmosphere to work for people who need to,” said Mahika Jhangiani (’15) On the contrary, some students believe that the library is closed too often, hindering their studies.

“I feel like half the time I try to go to the library, it’s closed. That may just be my bad luck, but it’s still inconvenient,” said Samantha Steele (’14) The NHS library serves, on average, one hundred fifty students a day. The goal of the library is to educate its community of students and others to be effective users of information and learning resources.

“The school library is closed from time to time for testing, whole class research or projects, student meetings held by guidance counselors or housemasters, etc. We try to keep at least a portion of the library available for students from stuffy halls, but there are times when the library must be closed,” said Mrs. McCormick, the librarian.

Although some students are affected by the closing of the library, others are not affected at all. “The closing of our school library doesn’t really affect me because I personally usually go to the public library.

But, some people take advantage of the library and use it as a hang out spot rather

The Paw Print April 2013

DEBATE

5

Debate: Shaking it Down, Harlem Style Lucas Keogh News Editor

Kylie Coppola S p o rt s E d i to r Harlem Shake is a catchy song that was first released by DJ/Producer Baauer in May of 2012 as a free download off of iTunes. As of recently the song has become outrageously popular due to the “meme” dance that fans have recently Photo Credit: Matt Brown

The Harlem Shake is a new type of Internet meme that has been flooding social media sites such as Youtube, Reddit, and Facebook. But it seems as if the people participating in this new craze have no idea what the Harlem Shake really is.

In these videos that hundreds of people have uploaded, they all do the same thing. For 15 seconds, one person dances alone in a room full of people while a song called “Harlem Shake” plays on the video.

Then, once the “drop” of the song happens, the camera cuts to a video of everyone in the room “dancing”, which really entails people making inappropriate gestures, flinging their shirts in the air, or jumping up and down.

One such video was made by a classroom of thirty people in Detroit, and ended with every student getting suspended because the video included humping a live duck and parading around with nothing but underwear on.

What these people do not seem to know is that there really is a dance called the Harlem Shake, and it has been around since 1981. It is a dance that has been almost synonymous with the New York City neighborhood for over thirty years.

The people in these meme videos obviously do not know what the dance is or how to do it, so instead they just decide to act insane for fifteen seconds.

To post videos of yourself dancing like a lunatic is like to pose for the middle school yearbook – in ten years you are

going to look at it and be ashamed of yourself. It’s the same as getting a tattoo of someone’s name after being on one date with them, or streaking during graduation because you think it will be funny. If you participate in these videos, chances are you will not have the authority to delete it, and your friends will be able to mock you in the years to come.

The main motivation behind why these people do this seems to be because

acceptance on the Internet is the new craze. Not only do people spam their Instagram photos with endless hashtags to get more visibility, but they also publicly embarrass themselves in Youtube videos just so thousands of people will see it.

Of course, there are some that believe the videos are harmless, that they do not mean anything, and that people should not get so upset. But when someone cannot be on the Internet for thirty seconds without seeing a reference to this repetitive and boring meme, it can get obnoxious.

paired with it.

The song is a progression of harsh snare drums, lion growls, and a contagious bass line that makes people want to dance.

It also incorporates Plastic Little’s 2001 song “Miller Timer”, when it says “and do the Harlem shake,” giving it the name.

The dance, in a literal sense, is just one person dancing to the song in a crazy and provocative way until the bass drops, and then everybody around joins in doing the same type of flailing movement, causing a flash mob of chaos and hilarity.

Since the videos have been made, the single has now made Billboards Top 100 and the Dance/Electronic Songs list. It also made number three on the Scottish and UK Singles board all within these two short months of 2013.

With the amount of views it got in the amount of time it has been posted, it certainly is a video for the YouTube Hall of Fame. Most of the time when you hear people discuss this trend the most common response is that they either think it is hilarious, or that it is completely pointless.

The great part about it is thst its meant to be that way, there is not point to it. It is simply just a fad tat has caught on to make people laugh.

It is very common for colleges to be posting videos, as well as sports teams, and people who just have free time on their hands. If you go on a search engine and search Harlem Shake, do not expect to get any less than eleven million results.

The Youtube channel called “TheSunnyCoastSkate” were the first to do this, and since their video has been uploaded it has gotten over fourteen million views and forty thousand spin-offs, including Norwalk High Schools very own version, “Harlem Shake Bear Style”, which you can find on YouTube and Facebook.

You could definitely say that an epidemic has begun and there is no telling when it will die down. For now, just enjoy the crazy videos being posted everywhere.

What’s your take on the Shake? Go to nhspawprint.com and take our survey.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

6

The Paw Print April 2013

They’d Like to Thank the Academy M At t h e w B ro w n Media Editor February 24th, 2013 was a day where the right things happened and dreams came true. The 85th Academy Awards was a night filled with Hollywood’s biggest stars, heroes, and living legends. With over 40.3 million peopling tuning in, it was a night that many people will never forget.

The night was extraordinary from the red carpet to the final awards, it was simply a lot of fun to watch.

Before the ceremony began, the red carpet event was interesting to see, from amazingly beautiful women, to the men who had class. It was a great pre-show of looks which can help inspire people in this world to take some pride in what they wear.

Once Seth MacFarlane walked on to the stage at the Dolby Theater, you knew this was going to be a night one would not forget.

Seth MacFarlane was a perfect host. From a scale of one to ten, one being the worst and ten being the best, Seth MacFarlane no doubt got an eleven

on his hosting duties. MacFarlane was hilarious, monumental, and downright entertaining as the host to Hollywood’s biggest night and deserves the best recognition for his work.

The music performances were out of this world from Adele performing “Skyfall”, Jennifer Hudson singing her melody from “Dreamgirls”, to the cast

of Les Miserables performing an excerpt from their film. Everyone who performed that night deserved a standing ovation.

Every single film or person who won an Oscar

that night deserved and earned his or her place in Hollywood history.

The awards during the ceremony, many up and coming movie star to Hollywood legends were able to take home Academy Awards that night from Quentin Tarantino winning Best Original Screenplay for Django Unchained, Jennifer Lawrence winning Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, Ang Lee for Best Director for Life of Pi and the monumental Daniel Day-Lewis winning his 3rd Best Actor Oscar for Lincoln was a sight to see.

The big winner that night was Argo for its historic win of Best Picture. After seeing the legendary Jack Nicholson and the prestigious Michelle Obama presenting the award, the rest was history.

It was inspirational to see Ben Affleck go in front of Hollywood with an Oscar in his hands after all the hard work he put into his film. Just another prime example proving that hard work pays off and as he said to the world; “It doesn’t matter that you get knocked down in life, all that matters is that you’ve got to get up.”

The 85th Academy Awards was one of the best things to be put on a TV screen and no doubt will be a night to never forget.

Excellence in the Art of Improvisation J o r da n Keyes R e p o rt e r Hundreds of strangers blankly stare at the musician as the blinding lights from above pour down.

There is no script – just their instrument and inner emotions, of which need be fully synced in order to dazzle the crowd.

In essence, this is improvisational soloing. Undoubtedly, especially considering public speaking is one of the biggest fears of high schoolers, improv can seem daunting to an outsider. It involves getting up in front of a large crowd and then doing an act you have never done before. In such, the soloist takes ideas from their head, and spontaneously acts.

In the way of jazz, the soloist feels the rhythm

and style of the song, and uses that along with musical scales and chords, and simply plays out of the blue. It is a skill that is brought up through relentless practicing and by listening to different styles of music and getting ideas from them.

Charles Tinnen (’14), a member of both the Norwalk High jazz ensemble and jazz orchestra, states, “Improv is taking the rules of music forming it into something that is truly your own; sometimes, it is bending the rules, and sometimes it’s following them so strictly that it’s just like another part of the song.”

As a person who has done improv before, it is a great way to release your inner emotions, a sortof catharsis. Tinnen agrees, continuing on to say, “I love music, so that’s how I can put my own two cents into it.”

Sara Golding, Norwalk High School Alumna (’00), who is the current director of the Norwalk

High jazz ensemble, and holds B.S and M.S in music education from Western Connecticut State University, describes improv as more technical. “[It] comes from hearing the chord changes that the composer writes and the musician uses them as a guide to formulate musical ideas, combining the pitches with certain rhythmic ideas to come up with a coherent thought.”

For anyone hesitant in trying to do an improvisational solo, Golding believes if, “…people are hesitant to try to improvise because they’re afraid that something they’re going to do is wrong, they just have to go out and do it, because you learn from making mistakes.”

Taking up any instrument and playing to your heart’s content is what improv is all about at the root, and because it is all based on a person and their individual ideas, it can never be perfect, nor wrong. Improv is an experience worth trying.

The Bloopers and Blunders of “Lincoln” Lillianna Byington B u s i n e s s M a nag e r “Lincoln” was a box office hit film that portrayed the landmark presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

However, not everyone was thrilled with this award winning movie, due to the inaccuracy that represented Connecticut’s Slavery vote.

Congressman Joe Courtney took it upon himself to seek the truth after watching the movie and becoming perplexed at the fact that the movie had gotten the facts wrong. A Congressional Research Service obtained the records for all four representatives from Connecticut and they all voted yes on the 13th Amendment; the movie had actually shown two CT representatives voting “nay”.

Connecticut is being portrayed as a state that voted against one of the most valued changes in US history, the abolishing of slavery. For CT to be a part of this historic moment and then not be

included for the history and time that this film remains, will leave CT with the wrong impression forever.

Courtney sent a letter to the Director of “Lincoln”, Steven Spielberg, to address the inaccuracy with the crucial scene in “Lincoln,” where the House of Representatives vote on the 13th Amendment which, when passed, would abolish slavery.

In Courtney’s letter to Spielberg he wrote, “placing the State of Connecticut on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is a distortion of easily verifiable facts,” and “The four members of Connecticut’s delegation ... deserved a better legacy than the screenplay portrayed.”

Screenwriter for the movie, Tony Kushner, said on CNN, “I’m sorry if anyone in Connecticut felt insulted by these 15 seconds of the movie,” but “this is a dramatic film and not an attack on their home state.”

According to the Hartford Courant’s Brian Dowling, “Congressman Joe Courtney says Steven Spielberg owes Connecticut a correction,”

Courtney is asking that the movie b e corrected before the movie is released to DVD. While this is an exceptionally good historical Hollywood film, it is not fair for future generations to incorrectly remember that Connecticut voted “nay” on abolishing slavery when in fact it had voted yes.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Paw Print April 2013

7

NHS Winter Guard and Percussion Performing at their 2013 Home Show

C o u rt n e y Ta p p e r R e p o rt e r On March 16th 2013, Norwalk High School hosted its annual home show for the winter guard and percussion.

Many people enjoyed this event for various reasons. It is a time where people from Norwalk High can express themselves in an artistic light in front of others. Members of the school may know what color guard or percussion is, but may have never understood what it was about until the day of the show.

The show was not only enjoyable for spectators, but

the performers had a great time as well.

“I had a lot of fun performing in the home show because it was my first year spinning with the open guard and it is exciting to perform in front of people you know,” said Emely Chen (’15) The home show is a great opportunity for members of the color guard and percussion to show their peers exactly what they can do. Many of these joyous feelings were not only felt in the color guard, but transitioned to the winter percussion as well.

“I was really happy at the home show. I did not even care what place we got because everyone had so much fun and the crowd was amazing. Probably one of the best nights I’ve had in a while,” said winter percussion member, Sarah O’Connor (’16).

However, not all opinions of the home show were happy. It has become hard for others to realize

Photo Credit to Eric Rudolf and Ralph Mulford

it is their senior year and they will never experience those feelings again. Although they may go on to different color guard or percussion groups in the future, no feeling can compare to hearing your friends and family support you in your very own high school.

“It was a bittersweet feeling knowing that this was my last time performing in the Norwalk High School gym with this guard. I could not be happier that it ended on a good note,” said Ellie Holleran (’13).

There are many mixed emotions on the performance from different guard members and percussion members. But, I am sure that all were pleased with the outcome. The color guard reached its highest score yet with an 83.9 and the winter percussion did well with an 85.05.

Spotlight on: Ellie Goulding Twenty-five-year-old British electro-pop singer Ellie Goulding made her way into the public eye A&E Editor when her debut album, Lights was released in February 2010. Since then, her success in the U.S. skyrocketed her fame after the hit single “Lights” maintained a steady spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for thirty-five weeks.

After three thrilling years in the spotlight, Goulding has since performed at the White House as well as a party following the wedding reception of the royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton. She has also toured worldwide performing and had her song “I Know You Care” featured in the new film Now is Good starring Dakota Fanning.

As an empowering contrarian, Goulding’s broad range of talent produces a mash up of hits from the upbeat, techno-pop “Anything Could Happen” to her beautifully mellow and moving rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song”. Her lucid voice is one that can be easily recognized on radios across the globe.

It is evident that as her fame has skyrocketed, her originality and whimsical persona has not succumbed to the pressures of the spotlight.

Her sound is the lovechild of Kate Nash and La Roux, with a twist of the clichéd bubbly-blonde style.

One should get used to seeing her name in lights, because Ellie Goulding sure isn’t slowing down anytime soon. As her already electrifying sound spreads all around, the world is eagerly awaiting what she has in store next.

Erin K e l ly

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

8

The Paw Print April 2013

Concept Albums Throughout History Erin K e l ly A&E Editor Musicians who are passionate about their work have a lot to say about certain issues, emotions and ideas.

For those who just cannot seem to fit it all into one song, they create what is known as a concept album, an album that entirely focuses on one recurring theme or story.

Many famous artists including The Beatles, with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, and The Who, with “Tommy”, have been known to create incredibly influential concept albums that dig deep into issues such as death, heartbreak, questioning of sanity, and self-discovery.

Perhaps the most successful concept album of all is Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, released in 1973. Selling over forty million copies worldwide, to this day it is ranked as the greatest and most influential album ever. It explores the many stresses of human life, such as time, money, war, death and insanity.

Today, many artists continue to release concept albums that circle around familiar themes.

In September 2010, Linkin Park released “A Thousand Suns”, reflecting on human fears and nuclear warfare. Icelandic singer Björk released “Biophilia” in 2011, centering lyrics on space, galaxies and the solar system. More recently, front woman Marina Diamandis of Marina and the Diamonds, created a fictional character, “Electra Heart”, whom she uses to title their concept album featuring the American female as a “Primadonna” and a “Homewrecker”, to name a few tracks.

There are so many themes and important issues out in the world that have been expressed through music, and with concept albums, these themes are brought more into the spotlight. With an entire album devoted to a central idea, it is brought to life and makes people view the issue as something that should be focused on in every day life.

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NHS’s Choir Concert Welcomes Spring Julia C h i a p p e t ta R e p o rt e r The Norwalk High School choir just had their spring concert on April 1st, which included all four choirs.

The beginning choir sang two songs, one of them including the popular song “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz while the advance choir sang a variety of songs by as a group. The women’s ensemble sang a few songs, and did a special performance of Adele’s songs “Rumor Has It/Someone Like You” which included the girls dressed in outfits other than the traditional black gowns. The chamber singers per-

formed songs as a full group then broke up into a women’s quartette and a men’s group performing special pieces.

To end the concert, the choirs performed a group number for the first time ever. Usually, they do separate songs and performances, but this year the choirs sang the song “America The Beautiful” as a group. Principal Roberts read a speech that went along with this particular version and then joined the students to sing the rest of the traditional song.

The show was not the same as it usually has been. “This concert will be unlike most in the past,” said choir director, Ms. Pettibone.

The concert was a show of great variety, which had all types of music ranging from gospel to pop music.

Lillianna Byington B u s i n e s s M a nag e r

“While t weeting and poking may seem like fun that brings friends closer to each other, it is turning those 200+ friends into one: the computer screen.”

Social networking will equate to an anti-social society.

While tweeting and poking may seem like fun that brings friends closer to each other, it is turning those 200+ friends into one: the computer screen.

With all of the options to choose from now, AIM, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. it seems like a “must” to be affiliated with. Posting the right picture can mean the difference between talking to the right and wrong people. Unfortunately, these sites seem vital to teens and to this generation.

As one of the few teens that resists all forms of social networking, it is how the teens around me have their lives consumed by these other world interactions that I have developed my opinion.

The name “social network” is certainly throwing people off as well. While the networking part may be true, the word “social” is more misleading than a blind crossing guard. Chatting with friends and staying in touch with “what’s happening” may seem social, but it truly is seclusion. That phone or computer screen cannot give someone life experiences or prepare them for the real world, it can only harm valuable social skills and damage reputations.

While it may be too soon to see documented side effects, they are still prevalent. According to Hilary Stout at the New York Times, “With children’s technical obsessions starting at ever-younger ages — even kindergartners will play side by side on laptops during play dates — their brains may eventually be rewired and those skills will fade further, some researchers believe.”

Posting on social networks is world wide, even what users think is private, is not. Posting a picture, that might not have been the best decision, can last a lifetime. Deleting no longer solves a problem, at least not for what is put on the Internet. It is called the World Wide Web for a reason, but people tend to forget that.

Another unfortunate consequence of the networking system is the feeding of information to predators without even knowing it. By posting information of yourself, it is public for any stranger to see and prey on.

Ultimately, the name should be changed to antisocial networking as it is changing the way generations will communicate for the worse.

D E B A T E

• WHICH APP DO YOU USE THE MOST?

Sara Restrepo (’13)

Tumblr, because I like seeing all the different blogs.

Emily Curran (’15)

Tumblr, I find myself using words or phrases people on Tumblr would only understand.

Amanda Tauolacci (‘16) @amandatauolacci Twitter. It’s very interesting and fun. It’s a good place to vent.

Fiorinda Iacono (‘15) @fiorindaiacono Twitter because that’s where I find out important information.

Sean Butler (‘13) @seanbutler Twitter, it’s entertaining.

Maureen Naval (‘13) Instagram; I like seeing pictures of food.

Megan Giglio (‘15) Instagram- take pictures when I’m with friends and want to share them with people.

Charles Tinnen (‘14) @charlestinnen Twitter, childhood ruiner.

Ian McGrath (‘13) @ianmcgrath Twitter, I tweet for retweets.

Javaughn Henry (‘14) @seanbutler Twitter, it’s the most entertaining.

Nicolle Saez (‘13) Instagram because new pictures are up every hour.

Jenna Thomas (‘15) Instagram, I like taking and looking at pictures.

Hannah Froelich (‘16) Francisco Torrealba (‘13) Mike Falbo (‘15) “It is something that the gov- “It helps me see the differences “It makes it worse.” ernment uses for control.” in the world.”

Heard in

How has social netwo

Zach White (‘16) “It got me more interactive with my peeps.”

Karina Brito (‘14) “It prevents me from going to sleep at night.”

D E B A T E

Social networking has become a prominent component in everyone’s lives, which has drastically changed the way everyone connects to others and most importantly, the world.

Inevitably, some believe that social networking has been detrimental to teenage society.

They believe that teenagers have lost valuable communication skills by being hidden behind a computer screen, phone or tablet. In reality, it has given everyone more opportunities to communicate easily with the world and beneficial in many face to face social experiences.

As a prospective college student, the past couple of weeks and most likely throughout the rest of my career, I will use social networking religiously.

Through social networking, I have communicated with new people who I will be attending school with who are located throughout America and in foreign countries. If it were not for social networking, making these connections with these people before school starts would be impossible and would make going to a new place without knowing people a lot more terrifying.

Eleanor Yang Su interviewed Professor

Christine Greenhow of the University of Maryland who found that students build strong relationships when they are connected to friends through social networking such as Facebook.

“When kids feel connected and have a strong sense of belonging to the school community, they do better in school.” Greenhow continued, “They persist in school at higher rates and achieve at higher rates. It’s pretty promising that engaging in social networking sites could help them to develop and deepen their bonds over time.”

Although it may seem that younger generations are the only people that gain from social networking, adults use it to their advantage as well.

For example, a website such as LinkedIn has created a resource for adults to post their resume in order to find connections from old jobs and potentially become connected to future clients or jobs.

Overall, social networking is positive for people of all ages because it is an additional form of communication. It creates a fast and simple way to reconnect with old friends as well as branch out and find people who share common interests.

Haley Doran Opinion Editor

• WHY DO YOU THINK SOCIAL NETWORKING IS/IS NOT IMPORTANT?

the Halls:

orking affected your life?

Christian Bonebrake (‘14) “I procrastinate through it, whenever I’m bored I use it.”

Shannon Long (‘13) “I like it, but people rely on it to learn about others.”

Brendan Brown (‘16) “Everything gets around faster.”

RJ Kenez (‘15) “I hate some of it, but some is good.”

Ryan Suchsland (‘14) “It’s funny to watch people fight on it.”

Staff Box The Paw Print

Norwalk High School 23 Calvin Murphy Drive Norwalk, CT 06851 (203) 838-4481 ext. 1808

The Paw Print would like to thank all Journalism students for their work in the creation of this newspaper.

The following names are the students who worked to produce the paper.

Editor in Chief Nicole Dunsmore ___________Design Team___________ News Editor Lucas Keogh Arts & Entertainment Editor Erin Kelly Opinion Editor Haley Doran

Staff Writers Troy Brannen Emely Chen Julia Chiappetta Stephanie Czulewicz Jordan Keyes Toni-ann Mattera Lianne Metter Winter Salazar Daniel Squicciarino Courtney Tapper Sean Welch

Media Manager

Advisor Mr. Karl

Matthew Brown Sports Editor Kylie Coppola

A special thank you to Father’s Club, without their support, the Paw Print would not be possible.

Business Manager

Along with Sharon Cadden for her photos and support.

Lillianna Byington

High School: Four Long Meaningless Years Four years of high school means four years of an opportunity to find one’s passion.

Erin Something that gives one a reason to K e l ly merely get out of bed every morning, knowing that the day they are about to A&E Editor face will have at least one thing to look forward to.

As a senior about to graduate, looking back on my high school career I cannot say I have found that kick. In fact, the only reason I get out of bed every morning is to ensure that I don’t H any of my classes and I am able to graduate on time, knowing that my future at college in a few months will be a thousand times more productive than what I am doing now.

It seems that I have reluctantly accepted this seemingly endless cycle of waking up, facing boring classes, eating, sleeping, and repeating.

However I cannot help but wonder if I dug this hole myself. It is not as though Norwalk High does not offer a wide variety of classes for someone to take in order

discover their passion.

But perhaps it is deeper than just the course syllabus. Many seem to complain that even the honors and A.P. courses are not exactly what they are cracked up to be. Just because a course is challenging in the workload does not mean that the students gain some sort of worldly knowledge. Bombarding students with tests and essays does prepare one for the collegiate lifestyle in some senses, but does it really teach one how to dig deep into their minds and cook up completely original thoughts and ideas?

Looking back, I wish I spent more time truly digging deep into my mind instead of concocting some fabricated thought created last minute because I knew it would sound good to a teacher and get me a good grade. I never got to experience a truly thoughtprovoking assignment in which I actually wanted to spend time on to sound like me.

What I want for students who graduate after I do to realize is that high school is so much more than memorizing the Pythagorean Theorem or being able to recite a Shakespearian soliloquy. It is learning how to use your mind and apply it to the many trials and tribulations to come in life. Our minds are our most precious gifts in life, and it would be a shame to put it to waste.

Appropriate behavior and manners run on a two-way street. One cannot expect to be treated politely if their own actions are unkind. However, at Editor in Chief Norwalk High, some teachers and staff members seem to forget this fact.

The behavior of students is always focused on and reprimanded, but the conduct of adults seems to pass unacknowledged. Some display a rude and pretentious demeanor toward students, for what seems like no reason at all, and yet still demand respect.

These inconceivable manners may stem from the belief that students, as teenagers, are inane and immature and therefore cannot be treated cordially due to this low status. These staff members fail to realize that students are nearly adults and are competent beings.

Teachers seem to blame parenting for students’ manners, but do not

account for their own influence. As adults involved in students’ lives, they also have an impact on their behavior. If students are treated with respect, they will resound it.

Teenagers and adults constantly conflict because of the apparent clash of power. Teenagers have their own ideas and concepts that get squashed by adults’ belief that they know better. Teachers and staff members take on a superior standpoint and end up creating an unfair and unreasonable situation for students.

Students are left with no control over the circumstances and can only wait to graduate and move on to interact with people who are more open minded and understanding.

To the teachers and staff members at Norwalk High who treat students respectfully, you are infinitely appreciated and receive our grateful respect.

Teachers and Staff at NHS Lack Manners Nicole Dunsmore

NHS Family Comedy Night!

Tom e u l l i Sh Late Nigohnt

n all O F n y m See As th Jim Wi

May 10, 2013 6:30 PM at Norwalk High

$17 Pre-Show $20 At the Door For tickets & info call: (203) 943-0961 or email: NHSComedy@gmail.com

Am

eric Got a’s Tal ent sem i-fin alis t:

Eri c tlem an

Dit

To benefit NHS Band & Guard Program, Norwalk Education Foundation, NHS Sports programs and NHS ROTC

The Paw Print April 2013

Spring = Promposals Toni-ann M at t e r a R e p o rt e r As spring time gets closer, so does prom.

Students are not too concerned about what they will wear or who they will go with, but instead many are worrying about how to ask their date, also known as “promposals.”

“Who wants to go to prom with a boring person who asks in a boring way?” joked Chris Lato (’14). Of course it is nice to be asked to prom in a creative way, but there is no need to stress over it. Some people go way over the top with these promposals, and go through unnecessary trouble just to make sure their own promposal beats everybody else’s. Chris Cotaling (’14) said, “I think that people just get too stressed over asking. Just go up to them, let them know the deal, and go to the dance.”

Students have been asked to prom in so many creative ways. The question “Prom?” has been placed inside of fortune cookies,

OPINION

written out on a pizza with pepperoni, asked by creating scavenger hunts, or even flash mobs. Meghan Beluk (’13) shared, “My boyfriend asked me to the junior prom two years ago by getting five of his friends to write out “P R O M ?” on each of their stomachs. It was very cute.”

Promposals really do matter to some people, but some others argue that it is somewhat stupid or a bit overrated. Bridget McCallum (’14) said, “If it’s done in a really interesting and cute way then it shows effort and is appreciated, but the point is only to establish a date to prom. Why does the way in which you establish that matter?”

Many students in relationships only ask in a creative way because they think that their partner would be upset with them if they did not.

Promposals can be cute, but going over the top with it is just ridiculous. The point of asking a date creatively should be because it is fun. Promposals should not be a competition on who asks the best way, and is definitely not worth stressing over.

Photo Credit: Mike O’Callaghan

Graduate Mike O’Callaghan (‘12) asking current senior Meghan Beluk (‘13) to prom during last year’s spring production of Bye Bye Birdie.

Your ‘H’ Took My Seat Julia C h i a p p e t ta R e p o rt e r

M at t h e w B ro w n Media Editor

“It doesn’t matter that you get knocked down in life, all that matters is that you’ve got to get up.”

These strong words were spoken

by Academy Award winning writer and producer Ben Affleck after his film Argo took home a best picture award during this years Oscars.

After hearing those powerful words, they motivated me for the rest of high school, college, and the rest of my life in general to go out for success.

Unfortunately in the world today, we may not see many people who are motivated. This is not just another piece to tell students to go out there and make their dreams come true, but these are words that will finally help make themselves better and change their lives forever.

To the freshmen of this fine school, continue the great work that everyone has been doing. Keep on doing well during the first year in high school. Never be afraid to ask for help from the Link Crew and the people around. Never think that nothing cannot be done at NHS. Everyone has something great about himself or herself.

To the sophomores, enjoy each

moment and prepare for the next step on being an upperclassman at NHS. Never fall through on assignments and never think that something cannot be done and always be prepared through out the year.

To the juniors, this may very well be one of the toughest years of life. With SATs, APs, and all other things that an 11th grader may go through, it may not be easy to give into the stress. All someone needs to do is simply believe in themselves, never give up on one assignment, always be the best and end off junior year with an impact. That impact will go a long way the following year.

To the seniors, embrace the final days of high school. This is a great time in our lives, continue the great work and just embrace each day. This is a class of great people, remember to be the greatest at it and rise to the top.

The darkest nights are always followed by the brightest days. This is not just a corny opinion piece to help brighten a person’s day. This is just someone who sees the potential in everyone and just wants to them do something with themselves Never forget that this is a school with true winners, leaders, and perseveres.

This is one of the best places in the world and now it is time for the people in that school, to make their mark in the rest of the world.

Prepare Students, do not Keep us Busy Lianne Metter R e p o rt e r As a second semester senior, I have often contemplated my readiness for college level academics.

Even by taking AP and Honors level courses, many students do not know whether they are studious enough for the rigor of college classes. Personally, I have a free spirited view of schoolwork. Trudging through a hundred of the same formulaic math problems does not sound beneficial when the material is already understood.

Most teachers do not share this viewpoint, some go as far as issuing a detention for one missing assignment.

As much of a bother this is, there is no denying it pushes students to work harder, and focus longer, therefore making them better students.

On the other hand, some teachers take a more liberating view of schoolwork. For instance, final grades are based on the tests, essays and projects, rather than using dozens of assignments per quarter that lessen the effects of any polarizing grades.

If teachers have drilled one thing into my head about college compared to high school courses, it is that we are on our own.

This independence sounded good at first, as if it was liberating us as students to work only in which ways we pleased. However,

with high school teachers offering little discipline to missing work, what I once thought was a case of senioritis has just become laziness.

If in college we can count on being independently responsible for our work without high school policies to necessarily reflect this, as students, we are left subject to the rationale of each individual teacher.

In high school, this poses an issue in itself because we have to balance the different types of learning that each teacher wants us to follow.

In this issue of college preparedness, the give and take of teacher involvement has become a neverending struggle.

Should teachers try to create a college level environment and give students the freedom to fail if they so choose?

Or, on the other hand, should they push them to succeed by forcing them into doing work?

Teachers should employ more hands-off tactics to give students the responsibility skills they will need in the future. This way, students will also figure out what works best for them personally in terms of how they learn best. If so, high school would definitely take on a new, useful simulation of the real world.

Photo Credit: sodahead.com

Photo Credit: webclipart.about.com

There are plenty of electives to take at Norwalk High School, but not enough are available.

A student “H’s” their chemistry class and suddenly takes up another student’s spot for a forensics course in the upcoming year; a student who plans to go into the field of forensics in their future. Each student at NHS must have three science credits to graduate, and if a person “H’s” one of those classes, they have to make it up to earn their diploma.

One kid’s laziness overrides someone’s necessity and desire of knowledge, which is hardly fair.

Some teenagers enter the building as students who want to learn, while others walk in with the attitude that school has no real purpose other than to pass the time of day. Students here want to learn and want to take classes that are different and interesting, but the kids that simply go to school here and are too lazy to even show up for class do not see the importance in education. These people ruin it for others.

Some students do not want to sit in study hall four times a day during their senior year, so they search for electives that sound fun and maybe even challenging.

They sign up for a class and might not even get in because it may be full of kids who need the credit to graduate.

When a student does get into a class they want to take, it may be filled with kids who need the credit and ruin the learning experience for everyone who wants to be there. They may just complain the entire time or spend the period testing their teacher, seeing how far they can go before getting into serious trouble.

Because of people like this, the real students in the school have to suffer and probably waste their day away in study halls. Not only is that sinfully boring for the student, it also does not look good for college. Colleges want to see that the student did not slack off their senior year; they took different courses and did well with them. It makes it difficult and frustrating for those students.

It is unfair that the people who do not put in any effort at school get to take the courses that real students would love to take. If laziness gets people nowhere in the real world, it should not get them anything in high school.

Matt the Motivator

13

OPINION

14

The Paw Print April 2013

Immigration Reform Brings Controversy Nicole Dunsmore

Editor

in

Chief

Talk of immigration reform has stirred up controversy and misleading concepts about the effects of illegal immigrants on American citizens.

Some people, especially Republicans, believe that illegal immigrants have harmed the American economy and should not be allowed to stay in the country. Donald Trump recently tweeted, “Republicans must be careful with immigration—don’t give our country away.”

However, many fail to realize that illegal immigration has not impaired Americans, it has benefited them. Undocumented workers do not take jobs from skilled workers; in reality they do the opposite.

An economist at the University of California, Giovanni Peri, compared the labor markets in states with high immigration levels to states with low ones.

Contrary to popular belief, he found that undocumented workers do not compete with skilled laborers, but in fact they complement them.

An article in The New York Times Magazine covered an undocumented worker from Guatemala, Pedro Chan, who works on construction sites. “Pedro Chan’s ability to take care of routine tasks on a work site allows carpenters and electricians to focus on what they do best. In states with more undocumented immigrants, Peri said, skilled workers made more money and worked more hours; the economy’s productivity grew.

From 1990 to 2007, undocumented

workers increased legal workers’ pay in complementary jobs by up to 10 percent.”

Illegal immigrants only negatively affect workers with similar skills to them.

“Labor economists have concluded that undocumented workers have lowered the wages of U.S. adults without a high-school diploma,” according to The New York Times Magazine.

Therefore, Donald Trump should not be concerned in his financial stature. Yet he tweeted, “If you think we have a problem with Social Security and Medicare now, try

taking in millions of new citizens all at once.”

His statement represents some of the false information circulating among citizens. He did not take into account the fact that illegal immigrants pay for these programs through taxes, even when they do not receive the benefits.

“Undocumented workers contribute about $15 billion a year to Social Security through payroll taxes. They only take out $1 billion (very few undocumented workers are eligible to receive benefits). Over the years, undocumented workers have contributed up

to $300 billion, or nearly 10 percent, of the $2.7 trillion Social Security Trust Fund,” affirmed The New York Times Magazine.

Countless immigrants may have entered the U.S. illegally, but in their stay they have promoted the American economy and will only continue to as they remain in the country. Those who disagree with their presence can surely move elsewhere.

Immigration Reform: Which Party do you agree with?

D vs R

Fight for immigrants born in USA DREAM Act for now; comprehensive reform next Path for undocumented aliens to earn citizenship

Treat immigrants born in USA equally as one not born in USA Make E-verify mandatory nationwide Use biometric data to better track foreign travelers

Reform the INS; reduce immigrant backlog

Only legal immigrants, through tightly controlled borders

Protect immigrants from exploitation by employers

Reform & toughen immigration system to emphasize family All survey info was taken from ontheissues.org

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The Paw Print April 2013

OPINION

Sleepless at NHS Da n i e l

Squicciarino R e p o rt e r

Photo Credit: Haley Doran

Love Who You Are E M e ly Chen R e p o rt e r

Haley Doran

Opinion Editor Every morning the Norwalk High School parking lot is an accident waiting to happen. Between parents dropping off their children in a second non-existent drop off lane and aggressive drivers who refuse to let pedestrians have the right a way, the parking lot becomes a very dangerous place.

Understandably, the morning rush causes many parents, students, and teachers to charge into the parking lot around 7:15, whether they are running late for work or need time to go to their lockers before class. Although this rush in the parking lot is inevitable, people should take safety more seriously for other drivers and pedestrians who are in parking lot.

Neighboring high schools like Darien High School have signs and speed bumps to caution drivers who are coming into their lot.

“We have a speed limit of 15mph,

which is posted pretty regularly around the parking lot area. Our school has three entrances. Each of those has a speed bump before you actually get onto school grounds, which I think is the most effective method of controlling teenage drivers, who have a tendency to go really fast,” said Katherine McKay, an editor of the Neirad, the Darien High School newspaper.

Unfortunately, Norwalk High School is not equipped with these helpful safety resources. As opposed to speeding through the parking lot hoping not to hit anyone, people should have the common courtesy to let students and teachers cross the parking lot. The couple of seconds it takes for those to cross will not ruin your schedule.

In addition, parents should not create a second lane to drop off their children.

Instead of creating a second lane come earlier to school or just wait in the lane like every other reasonable person has to.

Not only does that solve problems for the people crossing the lot but would also solve the unnecessary traffic for people who are trying to park.

Norwalk High School Parking Lot

Strict Studyhall Rules C o u rt n e y Ta p p e r R e p o rt e r

Photo Credit: Matt Brown

Study halls are a waste of space in many students’ schedules when they cannot use it to their own advantage.

T h e definition of a study hall is “a period of time in a school curriculum set aside for the preparation of schoolwork” according to dictionary.com.

Study halls are supposed to be a place where students can relax, study, or get a head start on homework – and not feel stressed. Lately, some study hall teachers have imposed new policies on their students, one being the “silent study hall”.

This means that there will be no talking or unneeded noise during the study hall period.

Most students understand that the noise level of a study hall can reach an unbearable volume and may need to be stifled at times. But, the idea that a study hall should have no noise at all is unnecessary. That is precisely what the library is for; the library is a place where anyone in the building can work in a large, quiet place without any disruptions.

It can become very frustrating when

a student is trying to complete his or her homework in study hall. They may go to ask their peers a question on their assignment and are then told to “quiet down” by a teacher. Some teachers claim that they have work to do so they do not like their study halls getting too rowdy. But even adults ask their colleagues for help with certain assignments.

N o t allowing the use of the bathroom or visitation of one’s locker is another restriction made by some study hall teachers.

Te a c h e r s complain that students have more than enough time to go to the bathroom or their locker during passing time. Many students have locker locations at polar ends of the building; making it hard to be in class on time. So, if one decides to go to his or her locker during passing time and is late to study hall, they get reprimanded for that as well. It is a lose-lose situation for many students.

A study hall period is the perfect time for students to exchange books and retrieve necessary items. It is a great benefit to many because not everyone is able to have a study hall. With study hall teachers hindering that privilege, it leaves students unprepared for class and not able to successfully complete the rest of their day.

Photo Credit: Courtney Tapper

In this generation, many girls and sometimes boys, feel they have no choice but to starve themselves. The goal is glowing, tan skin and overworking one’s bodies just to feel good or 'fit in'.

The media is to blame, it is always advertised that being a size zero would mean that a girl is healthy or becoming the color of a citrus fruit is ‘cute’. This is not the case; we are all born into a world of diversity. If every girl in the world looked like they came out of a Victoria’s Secret magazine, then we would not find originality or beauty in anyone.

Everyone should be comfortable in his or her own skin no matter the size or color. We should not be told what to look like or think; everyone has his or her own

opinions and it should not take over oneself. What matters is how someone thinks about themselves and only themselves.

Health studies say insecurities can lead to long-term sadness or depression.

Due to all of this pressure to be this one figure it causes girls to suffer from eating disorders, anxiety, stress, and many other horrible diseases that no person should ever go through.

It is time for adults and teenagers to stop obsessing over how they look and become comfortable with whom they are because someone out there loves them for who they are and not how they look on the outside.

As long as ones body is healthy, then it should not matter how he or she looks compared to others. In the end of the day just remember that everyone is beautiful in their own way. Do not let anyone say otherwise.

Chaos in Parking Lot

Photo Credit: Matt Brown

According to Norwalk Public School’s Guide to Subject Offering 2012-2013, honors classes are a “program for the highly motivated and academically talented,” and require that students “must demonstrate a high level of motivation for learning.”

What this description does not mention, however, is the enormous amount of time these classes take outside of school.

M a n y teachers have long claimed that the honors program is mentally stimulating and more challenging than most classes.

Once enrolled in these classes, however, students may find that sometimes the work is not as much challenging, as it is time consuming. The amount of homework is particularly excessive and can take two to three hours a night, sometimes more.

When people find themselves working late into the night, they end up losing sleep that they need to function properly. The National Sleep Foundation claims that teenagers need nine and a half hours of sleep a night. How is it possible that with sports practices, clubs, and jobs

to attend, some students are able to even wake up in the morning?

Without the right amount of sleep, one can feel lethargic and tired, and cannot apply all of their effort to anything they do. Among other things, this can be harmful to one’s grades as well as their health. In order to stop this, teachers could collaborate more closely, and lighten up the workload every so often. Spreading out assignments over time and allowing students to rest would also be allowing them to function more actively in school.

Not only does homework cause students to lose sleep, but it can also cause them to miss out socially.

Students often do not have time to spend with others because they are constantly working. This can damage the relationship between a person and their friends or family. The less they see each together, the more they grow apart and become alienated from each other.

While being is honors has many rewards, some students may regret missing out on sleep, friends, and family.

Better teacher collaboration, as well as occasional breaks, would be beneficial for students both academically and socially.

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OPINION

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The Paw Print April 2013

Boy Bands The Formula That Always Works Erin K e l ly

A&E Editor In a split second, the most common reactions to someone bringing up Justin Bieber or One Direction in a conversation are usually heinous facial expressions followed by rants on how talentless and undeserving they are in the music industry.

But did anyone ever stop to think about whom these pretty boy musicians are targeted towards?

It seems as though the power of millions of pre-teen girls with Internet access has been underestimated across the world. When one is a young female, it is quite easy to become obsessed with famous teen boys. Their music, generally centered around love and catching the attention of the opposite sex, tends to put a teenage girl in a fantasy that the song is about them. That one day, Justin Bieber or Harry Styles will show up at their front door to whisk them away in a limousine and live happily ever after.

This mindset, combined with a strong mob mentality, produces hundreds of thousands of fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and everywhere else in the cyber

world, spamming non-“Directioners” or “Beliebers” with unrelenting raves about their wedding plans to become the future Mrs. Bieber, or how “Louis is the funny one!” and “Niall is the adorable one!”

None of these boys asked for their fan base to be so, well, crazy (although one can assume it is not much of a nod to their self-esteem). As they began their careers, I am sure all they wanted was to get their music out in the public and their names known. However, thanks to their fan base that mostly consists of screaming teenage girls, their fame and success has skyrocketed to the point that perhaps none of them wanted in the first place. Not to mention the boys’ agents and record labels who take full advantage of the fact that these teenage girls are what puts those fat checks in their pockets.

So, next time you’re about to bash these pretty boy pop stars, take a moment to realize that their music was not targeted towards you and your iPod filled with Lil Wayne, Keith Urban, or The Libertines. Put the blame on their insanely obnoxious fans and money-hungry managers for being all over the Internet. And remember that these boys are human beings, just like the rest of us, who happened to catch an extremely lucky break in the music industry.

The Credit I Deserve Sean Welch R e p o rt e r

Sean on the ice, a time he believes should count for gym credits, as they do in other states

Name all these bands

Be Good & Not Weak M At t h e w B ro w n Media Editor

Steubenville High School football players Ternt Mays and Ma’lik Richmond found guilty of rape.

Photo credit: cbssports.com

When was the last time I was in a gym class, let us think all the way back to September 2010, keep in mind it is 2013, I was a freshman in first quarter.

Being a junior and I am very excited to take part in three quarters of gym my senior year. If only that statement was true.

A period of gym takes up a spot in anyone’s schedule were varsity athletes could take another class that they are truly interested in or a study hall to help them balance school work while many afternoons are taken up with sports or possibly band. If sports or band were added as Physical Education credit it would increase participation in sports or band, which can help with schoolwork, and self-esteem in a student.

Come any sports season athletes have to take part in a gym class when they know right after school they have to take part in their sports, which they need to be ready to compete. Being in a gym class can either tire students out before they have a big game later in the day.

Athletes in Norwalk High School compete in many sports; some athletes compete in all three-sport seasons. Even if they are not playing they are going to the gym or working hard to step up their game.

In gym class students can get hurt and that can take away students chances to play the sport that truly matters to that athlete.

In Florida they count Marching Band, JV and Varsity sports, Dance classes,

and ROTC as Physical Education credits according to Florida Legislation House Bill 967. If this was implemented at Norwalk High School athletes like myself would not have to worry about getting in all their gyms and be able to take a class they are interested in that will more help prepare them for college and life.

No offense to the Physical Education Department, but for most student athletes they already get exercise out of school and have knowledge of their sport, and in many cases, multiple sports.

In most colleges and universities across the country that require a P.E. credit they count club sports and varsity sports as credits, such as the University of Vermont.

Adding varsity sports as a gym credit can increase involvement around sports at Norwalk High School to encourage students to join a team because it gives a credit counted toward school. Joining a team can really boost a person’s self-esteem and help freshman as well as seniors meet new friends.

Are you a fan?

On the night of August 11th, 2012, a community of people had their lives change forever. Steubenville, Ohio was just another town in our country, and over the past few months, it has been the location of a highly profiled tragedy.

That night, while at a high school party in Steubenville, a high school teenager who was intoxicated, was soon humiliated through social media. The victim was photographed, undressed, and transported to various places during the night. Steubenville High School football players Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond sexually violated her. Many teenagers witnessed Mays and Richmond, vaginally penetrated her with their fingers while she was unconscious, and in the state of Ohio, that is an act of rape. Mays and Richmond

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were tried as juveniles and were found guilty of rape.

After witnessing all of the stories of that fatal night, it truly made me reflect.

Five years ago this case would not have been national news. With the influence social media has in society today, this story may have not been as covered as it wound up being at the end of the day.

The other lesson I learned is, to always do the right thing when you have the chance to.

If I happened to be in Steubenville that night at that party, I would have done the right thing that night, no matter what people thought of me. That innocent girl did not deserve to be violated and humiliated.

I may not know the girl personally, but I know that no girl should feel violated or uncomfortable. If I were at that party, I definitely would have told those people to stop, I would have tried to get that girl out of there to save her and the people around her, the embarrassment that they felt from this event.

It is insane to know that that night, there were people standing there and letting that girl get hurt. It is insane that no one did the right thing and tried to stop this from happening. This is a crazy world out there and sometimes, we may not know, what we have to do in certain situations.

No matter if it is a kid being picked on, bullied, or just being harmed in any way, they should be stopped. Instead of standing around in the crowd, it is time to stand up for someone else.

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The Paw Print April 2013

SPORTS

Keeping up with the Winter Sports Sean Welch R e p o rt e r This winter season at Norwalk High School definitely did not disappoint with many athletes going all FCIAC or All State.

Boys basketball was the talk this winter season with seven seniors comprising this year’s team. Starting off the senior squad was Billy Alexander (‘13), captain Jabari Dear (‘13), Luke Sweeney (‘13), Nick Boccanfuso (‘13), captain Saeed Soulemane (‘13), Sean Butler (‘13), and William Polite (‘13). The team went a combined 13-9 overall and 11-8 in FCIAC, they ranked 8th in Fairfield County.

Girls basketball had a tough season winning four games, three of which were in the FCIAC, which is considered one of the toughest conferences for girls basketball. Emma Oyomba (‘13) led the team this year.

Ice Hockey co-op with Brien McMahon won two games. They beat

Fitch/East Lyme/Lenyard both times at Sono Ice House. The team had tri-captains Anthony Arena (‘13), Will Ayles (‘13), and the McMahon Senior Alex Farris (‘13).

Also goalie Anthony Chiaramonte (‘14) went All State, first team.

Boys and girls indoor track had a very good season like always. The boys relay was all FCIAC this year and a handful of FCIAC honorable mentions.

Outdoor track and field looks promising for this upcoming spring season. For the girls indoor team Tamia Taylor (‘15) was all FCIAC in the 55m Hurdles.

Boys swimming worked through a tough season coming out with three wins.

Sherman Lau (‘13) who attends AITE and swims for the team won the 100 Freestyle at FCIACs. Last but not least wrestling individuals did very well having three wrestlers going to states, Nery Çeron (‘14), Evan Reisch (‘13), and Jimmy McInerney (‘13) who all did well in competition.

Congratulations to all of the winter sport athletes for a great season!

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SPORTS

18

The Paw Print April 2013

Boys Swimming Breaks Records

season by AITE’s Sherman Lau (’13) and Anthony Dell’Isola.

For Lau, he came in first for the one hundred freestyle while also breaking the school record. As for Dell’Isola, he broke the record for the five hundred and the two hundred freestyle race.

“Individually and team wise this was our best season yet,” said Coach Doug Marchetti.

“This season overall was a success for us, especially considering that we only had three seniors to carry the entire team,” said Jake St. John (’13).

“Our team was very young this year and we have seniors we are really going to miss…we also have some sophomores who contributed this season too,” continued Marchetti. “We should be well off for the next couple of years,” he finished.

Over all it was a very successful year for these men, and we are expecting great things for the oncoming season.

Photo Credit: Sharon Cadden

This past winter the Norwalk High School boys swim team S p o rt s E d i to r had a season for the record books.

The team that is made up of Norwalk High, Brein McMahon, and AITE, they had an overall record of three wins and eight losses.

Although that is a record that does not reflect their full potential the team has had a great season and accomplished a lot. As a team they placed 9th in FCIAC and in individuals they did great as well.

Anthony Dell’Isola (’15) placed third in the five hundred free style and made All State. Eddie Donovan (’16) placed thirteenth in the two hundred IM and ninth in butterfly as well.

As for records, three school ones were broken during this

Kylie Coppola

Anthony Dell’Isola swimming in the teams meet against Darien.

Wrestling for Success Serving us Right Kylie Coppola S p o rt s E d i to r Over the course of the winter sports season the Norwalk High School wrestling team had a good feeling about it, however it was somewhat of a “subpar year” for them.

Coached by Job Fernandez, and led by captain Evan Reisch (’13), the team definitely had structure and high expectations for the season. However since they came out with more losses than wins, the season did not go as planned. “We didn’t do as well mainly because of the injuries we had on the starting lineup,” said Fernandez.

Through out the battle against the healing the injuries and replacing the starting the lineup, the team did have two individuals place at the class tournament, and also qualified for the state opens which was captain Evan Reisch and Nery Ceron ’14).

“It was a rough season, but we really came back towards the end, we really do have a lot of talent on this team,” said senior wrestler Jimmy McInerney (’13) about the recently finished season.

“Our success for next season is completely contingent upon the athletes’ level of dedication and commitment during the off season,” Fernandez continued, while having a positive attitude about the oncoming season.

Lillianna Byington B u s i n e s s M a nag e r

As the season begins, the Norwalk High School boy’s tennis team will break out their rackets and start playing.

While the boys played hard last year, they hope for improvement this season.

According to the FCIAC spring standings, last year the Boys Tennis record was 2-13.

Coach Papapadopoulos stated, “I am hoping we can win more games than last year.” He continued, “ We are going to practice more, and focus on conditioning with all the players.”

This year the team will be lead by senior co-captains, Steve Gasparini and Matt Favazzo.

Captain Matt Favazzo said, “We would like to see the team enhance their skills and learn to love the game.”

The Norwalk High boy’s tennis team is put up against some of the most competitive towns in the state, such as Staples, New Canaan, and Darien. “ There are so many great teams that we play against, where their school’s focus is on tennis. They are big challenges,” said Coach Papapadopoulos.

Hopes are high that the boy’s tennis team will work towards victory and improvement for their upcoming season. Come out and show your support for the boy’s tennis team!

Girls Tennis to Come

Coach, Mr. Hariton, and Captains, Kat Hollyday and Jacqui O’ Hara, will lead the tennis team this year. To find out more about their game schedule visit the Norwalk High website and look out for an article in the next issue.

PROM GOWNS AND DRESSES

“TRUNK SHOW” ONE OF A KIND DESIGNS Senior wrestler Jimmy McInerney shaking hands with an opponent before his match begins.

Good Feeling for Golf Da n i e l

Squicciarino R e p o rt e r As athletes prepare their throwing arms and practice their free throws for the upcoming spring sports season, one group of athletes warming up their swing is the NHS golf team.

Consisting of students from all four grades, the golf team plays in the toughest conference in Connecticut at a variety of different courses, such as Oak Hills.

Ray Kodel, coach of the golf team, is looking forward to the new season and has a lot of confidence in his players. He also has high expectations for the team this year. “I feel that with the combination of returning players, a few new guys and offseason practice, we should be able to lower our scores in match play,” stated Kodel.

Given that the team plays in Connecticut’s toughest conference, matches can often get very competitive.

Coach Kodel, however, feels that the team is up to the challenge. He said, “Looking at the match experience of the kids coming back this year, I expect us to improve on last year’s team scores. Each year over the

past six years we have become a lot more competitive and improved our record.”

The captain the team this season is James Henderson (’14). James has played in every match the past two years, and was the leading scorer last year. Sophomores Robert Essig (’15), Billy Passero (’15), and Kevin Solemene (’15) also make significant contributions to the team, as well as juniors Daniel Cohen (’14) and Troy Stumpf (’14) This year, the team will be teeing off without four seniors who graduated from NHS last year: Justin Poruban, Rocco Bocchetta, Rick Bretherten and Jason Cotalling. Coach Kodel complimented these graduates, saying, “These guys showed great guidance and leadership to our present players. They also made the bus rides fun.”

The golf team’s first game was on April 3rd. The players on the team are all very excited to be playing again.

Billy Passero (’15) stated, “I’m excited for the new season. Even though we lost some valuable seniors, we have a lot of good returning players. We have the potential to be a really good team.”

The Paw Print April 2013

SPORTS

19

Girls Lacrosse Getting Ready to Go C o u rt n e y Ta p p e r

Lax it Up Boys Julia C h i a p p e t ta R e p o rt e r The Norwalk High School boys’ lacrosse team is working hard to be the best that they can be this year.

Even though they lost some key players from last year, they play to train hard and try their best to make it to the FCIAC and State Tournament once again. “There have been numerous players that have put a lot of time and effort into improving their skills throughout the year…now we are looking for those improvements to payoff in the regular season,” said Coach Mcgee, the head coach of the varsity team.

Last year, the team made it to the FCIACs and lost to Darien in the first round, then played Newtown in States and lost, leaving off with a 9-9 season.

This year, the captains are sure of a great season. “This is going to be a great season for our family, we are going to go far,” said Tyler Brown (’13), one of the two

captains on the varsity lacrosse team.

This team has a lot of goals, but beating McMahon would be a huge success. “Our team this year is made up of athletes that do not want to give up so when we take on McMahon, which is my biggest goal, we will be ready to go and ready to win,” Tyler Brown said.

This is going to be the last year for a large portion of the varsity team. “It’s definitely bittersweet knowing that this is my last year but it gives me an extra boost to prove myself. Leaving the team this year will be hard but they will always be brothers to me,” said Brandon Scicchitano (’13), the varsity goalie.

Lacrosse may be a spring sport, but these players train the whole year to prepare for the season. The players work on speed and agility training while also playing a winter league in Trumbull. Their official practices started on March 18th and their first game was against St. Joe’s on April 3rd.

Everyone is hoping for a good season!

Track Runs for Fun Lianne Metter As spring arrives, the boy’s outdoor track team starts getting ready for their upcoming s e a s o n .

In comparison to about forty students in last season’s indoor team, a decrease in members poses a threat.According to Coach Moffett, “Winning outdoor track meets has a lot to do with the size of your team. The more kids you have, the easier it can be to compete against other big teams.”

With many athletes moving from track to baseball or lacrosse in the spring, the smaller team seems inevitable.

Despite this obstacle,

Moffett expects a few athletes to qualify for States.

The team practices every day in order to prepare for the season. Moffett likes to call outdoor track “the real track season,” and indoor a “preparation season.”

With last season’s preparation, plus daily practices, the boys should be well equipped for their upcoming meets.

Last year, the boy’s outdoor team finished the season tied for the divisional championship. This year, Moffett says, “We still hope to finish as close to the top in our division as possible.”

Despite graduating many good runners, the team includes many promising athletes. Still, the larger the team is, the easier it is as a whole to compete against other teams. It looks as though this season is about quantity, not quality.

lacrosse player’s year! That time is finally here and I’m so excited to begin! We had an amazing season last year and plenty of good freshman are joining us this year that will definitely help!” said Nicole Landmesser (’15).

With seven seniors graduating last season, many wonder how this season will turn out with a different batch of players.

“We lost a lot of good players but we have a good group of girls this season too,” said Kylie Coppola (’13). “I have high expectations for this season,” Coppola continued.

This season is already starting off well, the players are ready to work and have had plenty of practice time.

The girls’ team will surely be ready for anything that comes their way.

Photo Credit: Dacia Coppola

way to practice your skills during an actual game. Since we don’t have practices for this league, everyone is kind of on their own. It makes players R e p o rt e r more independent and an overall better Although the girls’ lacrosse season player,” said Sabrina Hiller (’15).

Ending last season with a record has barely started, the team is of eight wins and sixteen losses, the already practicing harder than ever. girls were able to make it to states and The team has a winter league through the first round against Shelton. and just had their second to last The team lost in the second round th game on Sunday, March 10 . against Greenwich, and everyone is In the indoor winter league all expecting to go even further this year. games are played at the Trumbull Sports Conditioning for this team started Zone and there are no practices. This in November and has been as often as team does not have as many players every day after school.

It is open to all because unlike the school team, you players’ freshmen to senior class, and have to pay for the winter league. is strongly recommended to attend.

“The winter league is a convenient “Spring is the highlight of every

Senior Kylie Coppola (‘13) getting the ball in a scrimmage against Weston on March 26th.

Batter Up Baseball Stephanie Czulewicz R e p o rt e r For spring sports, the NHS boys’ baseball team is going into the season with high hopes.

Captain Tristan Opdahl (’13) is looking forward to his senior baseball season and is striving for that winning record. “I want to have a winning record, bat over 300 and enjoy my last high school sport ever.” As a captain, Tristan believes that practicing “ELE”, meaning everybody loves everybody, the team will accomplish more than ever.

The biggest changes he expects to see are in the underclassmen, “ They are going to have bigger roles and are gonna have to step up so we can be successful!” After speaking with Tristan about the past three years on the team, this year being his fourth, he believes that the maturity level of everybody really played an important role in building the team. “ When I was a freshman it was very nerve wrecking because I wanted to impress the coaches and everybody but now I know what I have to do.”

Captain Nick Lampman (’13)

believes that this upcoming varsity team needs to focus on team chemistry. “Last year we didn’t function as a team more as just individuals on the field.” Nick plans to take it game by game and of course improve upon last year. “ We’re coming off a bad year, we will improve.”

Nick has been on varsity baseball since his sophomore year of high school, “I’ve seen some really good talent go through the school and I’ve seen the team go from being dominated by seniors to now the young.” He added, “I have always liked the program and respected the varsity coaches, they know what they’re talking about and teach well.”

There are three captains for the spring season of boys baseball. The third captain is two-year varsity player Ricky Liscio(’13).

He also has some individual goals for the season, “Making states and getting a .500 record.” Ricky believes that not much has changed in his two years on varsity.

These three captains have nothing but positive outlooks for their last season as a Norwalk Bear and expect nothing but good things from their team. The Boys Baseball team has high set goals for the upcoming spring season and head Coach Tucci will continue to teach the boys well, as Nick stated earlier, and lead them into nothing but success.

Softball Hits Home Toni-ann M at t e r a R e p o rt e r This years’ softball team has a lot on their plate. With 8 valuable players graduated, they need to find a way to step up and work together in order to make this season a successful one.

Shannon O’Mally (‘14) said, “I feel that everyone needs to step up and be a leader. Our hopes for this season are to make both FCIAC’s and states.” Losing seniors doesn’t seem to be affecting the positive attitude of this team.

Assistant varsity coach and math

teacher Mr. Cundiff assures us that the team has many hardworking players to fill in the places of graduated players.

Mr. Cundiff said, “The line up might change game by game until we can figure out our most competitive line up.”

Many have questioned the roll of captain, since there are no seniors to lead the way. However, this is not a problem.

Tori Dugan (‘14) will take on this roll and lead the team to success. “I have big shoes to fill as captain... Although we lost a lot of good players we are all keeping our chin up and working hard every practice to get better.” commented Tori.

These lady bears are continuing to work hard and stay positive. Come out and show your support this season.

Francasca Gigliotti 249 Westport Avenue Norwalk, CT 06855 Tel:203-840-1641 Fax: 203-840-1781

PGP Norwalk High School Fashion Show

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Photo Credit: Sharon Cadden

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Read the article inside to learn more about PGP and the fashion show.

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