South Hadley High School
Spotlight
Issue 3
April 2016
KEVIN PEARCE: ‘There’s no ‘I’ in friendship’ p. 6
Volume 96
Spotlight
Spotlight, currently in its 96th year, is South Hadley High School’s student-run, open forum publication. Students create all content and make all editorial decisions.
Inside this issue
News 3
What’s in your backpack? 5
Crash Reel 6&7
Opinions 8
Editorials 9
Reviews 10&11
Our staff
Maritza Roman, Editor in Chief mcrspotlight@gmail.com Brianna Ingham, Managing Editor brispotlight@gmail.com Andrei Danilchenko, News Editor amdspotlight@gmail.com Samantha Carey, Sports Editor srcspotlight@gmail.com Jailene Rodriguez, Student Profiles Editor jgrspotlight@gmail.com Lexi Bogalhas, Features Editor lrbspotlight@gmail.com Renee Stoltz, Photo Editor rmstspotlight@gmail.com William Schenker, Spotlight Intern wschenker117@gmail.com William Ortyl, Contributing Writer wnortyl@gmail.com Ethan Ortyl, Contributing Writer erortyl@gmail.com Mr. B-G, Adviser pbillmang@shschools.com CONTACT US
Facebook: SHHS Spotlight Twitter: @SHHS_Spotlight YouTube: SHHS Spotlight Web: southhadleystudentpress.com Phone: (413) 538-5063 Ext. 3505
2 ABOUT | Spotlight | April 2016
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 12
A note from the staff
We are pleased to bring you the third Spotlight of the 2015-2016 school year, and excited about the change to a news magazine. In an effort to better serve readers and establish a link between our print and online products, we will be posting news and other timely stories to southhadleystudentpress.com, while making fea-
tures, reviews, opinions, and photo collages the focus of the news magazine. Spotlight welcomes your feedback as we work to improve our offerings. Students interested in joining Spotlight may contact any staff member or Mr. B-G. Thanks to our advertisers and Easthampton Savings Bank for their ongoing support.
VOCATIONAL PROGRAM EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES School offers enhanced wood and culinary courses
By Andrei Danilchenko and Sam Carey Traditionally, students have gone to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative to partake in classes that the high school does not regularly offer. It is a vocational school where students learn trade skills such as culinary arts and technology. According to South Hadley school superintendent Nicholas Young, it costs the district $11,000 to send one student to the vocational school for half a day, and $18,000-$20,000 to send one student for a full day. To help save the district money, Young decided to add a vocational program to the high school. There is going to be a culinary arts and carpentry section. Currently, there are 54 students who travel to the vocational school, and there are 89 applicants for next year. “The more disconnected people become from education, the more difficult it is to get resources,” Young said. For the culinary arts program, the school is going to convert the transitional
Staff photo by Andrei Danilchenko
apartment and home economics room into a kitchen and bistro where students can sell baked goods and sandwiches that they have prepared to the student body. The money made will go to benefit the vocational program. The program is designed to teach students higher-end culinary and business management skills, as well as bring a different environment to the high school. The school is scheduled to make modifications to the culinary rooms during April vacation.
“I don’t think the home-ec room will be in use by our students for the remainder of the year after April vacation, because I think it is a long process,” said high school principal Diana Bonneville. In addition to the expanded culinary opportunities, the school will also offer an advanced carpentry program, as well as a new woodshop room and an additional vocational teacher.
SHAKE N’ BAKE: Students Matt O’Brien (left), Zabe Solivan (middle), and Zachary Ippolito (right) enjoy milkshakes that they made in the culinary program.
For more on this story, visit southhadleystudentpress.com
New alarm light aims to improve safety By Andrei Danilchenko The high school has installed a new alert system to warn people outside the school in case of an emergency. It is designed to flash during an emergency to make sure parents and other people outside do not come to the school, in an effort to make way for any emergency personnel who might arrive. “When officers respond, they’re going to be coming in and looking for the threat,” said school resource officer Steve Fleming. “The only people that should be in the hallway are people who are possibly up to no good. We wanted the ability to have a light out front which would flash and mean ‘stay away from the school.’” This system will make it so that the school can be easily reached by responding officers and emergency personnel, as well as keep people outside safe. The flash is designed to warn parents and other non-emergency personnel to not enter the building during a crisis. The light is installed at the top Staff Photo by Andrei Danilchenko of the front arch of the school. It’s controls are located in the BLUE TIMES TWO: Physical education teachers Eric Castonguay main office. It is scheduled to be operational by the end of and Shane Harrington pose in front of the new alarm light. April break. April 2016 | Spotlight | News 3
4 | Spotlight | April 2016
What’s in your backpack ? Spotlight interviewed two students from separate grades to see what was inside their backpack
Jessica Bridges -senior • • • • • • • •
two folders a graphiing calculator two notebooks a book:Hamlet by Shakespeare handbag a bunny sharpener pencil pouch a snack: snadwhich crackers
Tiana Walker -freshman • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
South Hadley High school agenda one one-subject notebook one three-subject notbook a book: The Old Man and the Sea two latin textbooks English textbook one folder a shirt chapstick whitout a charger pencils highlighters loose papers
Staff photos by Jailene Rodriguez
April 2016 | Spotlight | Features 5
'Crash Reel' captivates the student body “When I watched ‘Crash Reel’ I learned that skiing and snowboarding are really dangerous sports, and even though it’s dangerous, people still do it because they just love to be involved with the sport. You also have to be really careful and always wear a helmet when you’re doing something like that.” Harris adds, “I also learned that it’s really hard to overcome a brain injury, but with the love and support of family, and your own inner perseverance, you can learn to make the best of it.” Leslie Tane, a teacher who was very moved by the movie, said what she took away from it. “The most interesting thing to me was the way that my advisory seemed to think that everything was going to turn out alright and at the end they thought he was going to be a famous snowboarder again, like it was going to be a happy ending.” said Tane, “I think that now that I’m older, an adult, the meaning of the ending was that he had to accept that this was his life now and had to make the best of it. It’s more realistic and poignant for the movie to end that way. For him to realize this is the way it is, and this is what you have to deal with.”
‘He had to accept that this was his life now and had to make the best of it.’ -Leslie Tane
‘Accepting yourself for you who are and making the most of your situation [is] also important’ -Diana Bonneville
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Gary King
KEVIN PEARCE: After a life changing accident, the famous snowborder encourages people world wide to ‘love your brain’. This campaign is geared towards inspiring people to wear helmets and protect themselves to prevent his, or any other accident from happening.
By Maritza Roman and Bri Ingham Crash Reel” is an eye-opening documentary featuring Kevin Pearce. Pearce is a famous snowboarder whose fame had an unfortunate turn. On December 31, 2009, the 22 year old snowboarder suffered a traumatic brain injury after riding the slopes of Park City, Utah. Training for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kevin just missed his landing during a complicated trick and took a hard fall. Pearce’s buddies, “FRENDS” who say “there’s no ‘I’ in friendship”, witnessed the accident and understood the situation immediately, finding him unconscious and bleeding. Transported to University Hospital in Utah, doctors struggle to keep Pearce alive. When Pearce woke up from his coma, although a relief, it is the beginning of a long road to adjusting to his injury, and now lifelong disability. Diana Bonneville, the principal at the high school says, “A parent in School Council recommended it to me, which I brought to the Advisory Committee. Since our theme this year revolves around 6 FEATURES | Spotlight | April 2016
acceptance of differences, I thought it would be a great movie to show. Watching Kevin having to relearn how to do everything and the impact on the family, especially his brother with “Up Syndrome”, hopefully taught students about empathy.” “Depending on who you are and what you’ve been through, the meaning behind the movie differs. It could be to live life to the fullest, or even to be happy for what you and have and do what you love.” Bonneville said, “The message of accepting yourself for you who are and making the most of your situation was also important. When David said he hated his disability and his family told him he was special and perfect the way he was touched my heart, as well. I hope students put themselves in other people’s shoes and try to be more empathetic when dealing with people who are different than them.” Spotlight also asked the opinion of the movie from a students perspective. Senior Samantha Harris shared what she thought of the film.
‘There’s no “I” in friends’ -FRENDS Apil 2016 | Spotlight | FEATURES 7
creating a safer lock down system By: Maritza Roman
Creative Commons image by: Department of foreign affairs
Over the past years, many schools and districts have been trying to perfect their lock down systems to protect students and staff against potentially dangerous intruders. Generally, the plan during a lock down is to have students hide in a corner away from doors and windows. Picture a group of students sitting in one corner in a semi-
Creative Commons image by: Tim Lauer
dark classroom. The only thing between the students and the intruder is a wooden door. Once the intruder breaks down that door, the students are not protected anymore. The perpetrator has a full advantage of doing harm, because the students will be all bunched together in a small place. Have you heard that saying “it’s like shooting fish in a barrel”? Well, that’s what it would be like. One solution to fix this problem would be to have the
Creative Commons image by: Lance Neilson
students spread out within the room and throw golf balls toward the intruder, aiming for the face. Another possible solution, and a more cost-effective one, would be to get simple things such as a rock or stones that students can launch at the intruder. At the end of the day, schools should do what is best to keep students safe.
Summer Camp Offers Fulfilling Experiences By: Lexi Bogalhas
The wood cabins are old and creaky, the electricity and technology are non-existent, and the lake water is murky; I grew up here. Camp Bonnie Brae, my summer home for the past 12 years, is the place that has shape and molded me into the person I am today. Camp Bonnie Brae was the first girl scout summer camp established in 1919. The camp traditions, enthusiastic counselors, and endless activities throughout the weeks you spend, keep the girls coming back year after year. The campers range from ages 5-17. Bonnie Brae is a safe place; a sanctuary for most girls.
‘It’s an opportunity to unplug from daily life and have a chance to be themselves.’
Staff photos by: Lexi Bogalhas
8 Opinions | Spotlight | April 2016
The wireless environment is created to seclude them from the bustling society and hectic year-round schedule. The options of what to do are endless, from water skiing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, high and low ropes courses, to simple activities such as hiking, going out on the wetlands trail, team building and for the younger girls who are feeling really optimistic, a fairy/ unicorn hunt. Unfortunately the past few years, the number in campers have decreased. No one is interested in being away in the middle of the woods for weeks at a time without electronics; however what these girls don’t know is what they are missing out on. The chance to experience camp Bonnie Brae is truly unique and nothing that could be traded in for the world. It was 12 years ago that I met my very best friend at this camp and have made more memories than imaginable. We may live in different states, 200 miles, 4 hours away from each other but it just makes going to our favorite place each summer that much more special.
Return of the Promposal
Ladies and gentlemen,
it’s that time of year again… Prom, and the proposals are everywhere. People are making grandiose gestures to ask their crush or beloved to enjoy a night of dancing and fun alongside many of their classmates. In recent years, it has become a tradition to go out of your way to give somebody a one of a kind proposal, which includes everything from chocolates and a rose to making a video that the entire school will see, and praying that the recipient says yes. As soon as one happens, the news spreads around the school like wildfire, and the air is electric with people wondering if there is a surprise waiting just around the corner. However, this has become an expectation of everyone, because a promposal is a representation of your dedication to your significant other and making a good impression. Whether the promposal succeeds or fails, the news will be gossiped about, and the whole school will be electric in the moments leading up to the big question. After debating the pros and cons of a promposal, the Spotlight Staff was in favor of the promposal and what it stands for.
Spotlight staff shares their opinion
Andrei: Promposals are a lot of fun. They allow
people to make a grandiose gesture that is one of the highlights of the prom season as a whole.
Bri: Promposals are a cheesy way of showing affection. Renee: Promposals are adorable and creative. They publicly show that love can still exist in this world. They are very interesting and heartwarming to watch.
Sam: Promposals are amazing. They are adorable and I love to see them and everyone’s reaction.
Maritza: I think promposals are cute. It gives the
couples a chance to show how much they really would like to go with the person they’re asking. I was “prom-posed” to last year. My date had a pizza and spelled out “prom?”
Lexi: Every girl secretly wants a promposal even if
they say they don’t. It means a lot to girls to get them, and it’s one of the cutest things a guy can do for a girl. It means a lot even though it’s a small gesture.
Jailene: It’s cool. Spotlight Shines On
Photos contributed by South Hadley High School Students
April 2016 | Spotlight | Editorial 9
By Maritza Roman Walking into the movie theater, I was hit with the smell of fresh popcorn. With hundreds of people in the theater, it was opening night for the showing for Deadpool. The theater was crowded, loud and full of excitement and suspense. The people in the theater seemed as though they did not know what to expect from the movie. Released on February 12th, Deadpool made $135 million on opening night, with a $58 million dollar budget. Tim Miller, film director and visual effects artist has plans for a sequel. Ryan Reynolds plays a sarcastic, comedic and utterly crazy, Deadpool. Other actors in the movie include, Morena Baccarin as Copycat, T.J. Miller as Weasel and Ed Skrein as the vil-
By Renee Stoltz Based in Massachusetts, “The Finest Hours” is a thrilling movie about a true story of a U.S coast guard’s incredible rescue of sailors stranded at sea, and the emotional romance story between him and his woman. In January of 2016, this movie was released to theaters, and it didn’t fail to impress. The movie had me at the edge of my seat the whole time, and the cinematography and editing in this movie were phenomenal. The plot of this movie was quite intriguing and interesting to me, and the way things played out left me relieved. It was an emotional experience just watching the film, let alone experiencing what the sailors did in real life. The film takes place on February 18, 1952. On this cold winter day, a harsh storm in the Atlantic ocean splits the oil tanker in half. This traps more than 30 sailors inside the opposite end of the giant boat. All of the sailors start to freak out but luckily an engineer named Ray (Casey Affleck) takes charge to organize 10 REVIEWS | Spotlight | April 2016
DEADPOOL lain, Ajax. Deadpool is an action movie filled with comedic undertone. Wade Wilson, a special forces operative, is diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to take part in a rogue experiment. This experiment mutates him and gives him fast-healing powers. Wilson then adopts his alter-ego, Deadpool, and spends the rest of the film trying to locate the man who is responsible for his mutation; Ajax. Breaking the fourth-wall, Deadpool makes jokes to the audience throughout the movie, keeping an uplifted tone.
Finest Hours a strategy of survival. Back on shore, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff sends Bernie Webber on a dangerous mission. He takes three other men on a small lifeboat to try and save all of the sailors in the crash, given the extreme weather conditions, unlocatable boat, and impossible chances of survival. Bernie Webber was a crewman at the Coast Guard stationed in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. I have personally been to this location, and it is beyond gorgeous. Bernie has fallen in love with a girl named Miriam and they planned to marry, but Bernie is dispatched to be a captain of his lifeboat. On the other side, the senior officer suggest to the seamen, to
In my opinion this movie was well-worth the wait and price of tickets. Although there were a lot of people in the theater, it was funny from beginning to end. Some scenes in the movie were serious, but did not have a depressed, serious tone. The entire movie was very amusing and playful. I cannot wait to buy this movie and watch it again. The movie was definitely not what I expected, as other movies from Marvel are more serious. If you have seen the Iron Man series, you would know that the character cracks a few jokes every now and then. However, the whole Deadpool movie was a giant joke. 5 out of 5 Paws; Devour it!
steer the sinking half-ship onto a submerged reef, where it can lodge and stay relatively still until rescuers arrive. When Miriam hears that Bernie is going on this mission, she is very angry and even drives to the station to speak to the Chief Warrant Cluff, but fails to get him to do anything about it. This movie made me feel many different emotions, and I absolutely loved the overall dark vibe from every scene. Especially in the middle of the cold winter, the snow made everything seem cold and made me feel scared. I really enjoyed this movie and I highly recommend watching it. 5 out of 5 paws; Devour it!
Swift, Trainor recognized at Grammy awards By Jailene Rodriguez
Grammy photo from Taylor Swift’s Facebook page
Singers, producers, musicians and many more talented people come together every year to award outstanding achievements in American music the Grammy awards. The 58th annual awards ceremony, held earlier this year in February, honored musicians for a range of accomplishments, including record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best new artist, best pop solo performance, best pop duo/group performance, best traditional pop vocal album, best pop vocal album, best dance recording, best dance/electronica album, best contemporary instrumental album, and best rock performance. In total, 83 awards were distributed. Many awards were given throughout the night, such as Album of the Year, to Taylor Swift. Other artist won their first ever Grammy, such as Meghan Trainor, who won best new artist. Meghan Trainor
seemed shocked when they called her named to receive the award. She thanked her family, producers, and her fans. The audience fell in love her speech as she finished in tears. All of the award winners were able to give a small speech and reflect on the journey that they have had and where they are today. The Grammys was a special night for all those artist that have worked hard throughout the year. From writing songs, performing songs, and having the creativity to make award winning music videos. Every winner deserved their award that night. Those artists have proved themselves worthy of a grammy award. As they were honored for music, songs, and videos of 2015, they have already started working hard in 2016. For more on the Grammys, visit southhadleystudentpress.com
Southern taste for sizzling steak By Renee Stoltz In February of 2016, Hadley gained a new restaurant chain that has had many excited reactions from local residents in the area. Located on Russell Street, Texas Roadhouse brings in tons of new customers who are looking for delicious meals to leave them satisfied. This restaurant originated in 1993, in a town called Clarksville, Indiana. The owner was named Kent Taylor, and his main goal was to create a place that wasn’t just a “family” or “steak” restaurant, but to create a place where everyone of all ages could come for a great meal. I would say that his goal was definitely met. Texas roadhouse has had such a fun and clean environment, that gives off a southern vibe. The decor inside includes; southern state posters, light up signs, country music, and line dancing performances by the wait staff. When you walk
in the doors, you are greeted by friendly workers and guided to your booth or table with a basket of fresh delicious rolls and butter. You might think, “what’s so special about bread and butter,” and let me tell you, it’s something special. The rolls taste so incredible, that it is almost impossible not to fall in love with them. There is a tin pail of peanuts already on the table for you to eat, and the waitresses and waiters are very professional and sweet. For an appetizer, my family and I ordered fried pickles which tasted very good. I ordered a 8 o.z. choice steak with a side of green beans and loaded mashed potatoes which includes cheese, bacon, and chives. When the food came out, it looked picture perfect, but tasted even better. The green beans were marinated in a bacon and ham au jus sauce (I’m assuming), and are topped with real bacon bits. This tasted like heaven in my mouth. The
‘When the food came out, it looked picture perfect, but tasted even better.’
Steak meal photo from Texas Roadhouse’s Facebook page
steak was soft and cooked to perfection. The food was simply phenomenal. I highly recommend going and enjoying the new Texas Roadhouse in Hadley, MA. For more on Texas RoadHouse, visit southhadleystudentpress.com April 2016 | Spotlight | Review11
S t. P atrick's D ay P arade
Staff photos by Bri Ingham
12 ST. PATS PARADE | Spotlight | April 2016