The Devil's Advocate Winter Issue 2018-2019

Devil’s

The

Advocate

Winter 2019

A Second Look into the Wifi of Burlington High School

By Maya Pandit

The Devil’s Advocate is doing a follow-up to the previous article on the wifi to correct mistakes that we made regarding the change of the wifi password on October 10, 2018.

Students are abusing their Wifi privileges of BHS. A student received the wifi password, and gave it to other people.

The newspaper is doing a follow-up to correct the previous report on the school wifi.

We have had a chance to talk to the IT Department: Informational Technology Manager Mr. José DeSousa, Administrative Assistant Ms. Faydeen Sateriale, and Systems Network Manager Eric Calandriello, about what’s going on with the wifi situation at BHS. Someone figured out

the wifi password, and started spreading it around all over the school. Now more and more students have access to the wifi on their mobile devices.

Each student has signed forms stating that they are allowed to be connected to the Wifi on their one school-issued device. Connecting another device on the wifi, such as a phone, is a violation of the law.

The IT Department never removed anyone’s school-issued devices from the wifi. They removed unauthorized devices. Those devices were never supposed to be there in the first place.

Burlington High School is committed to being a school with a 1:1 ratio of students to devices. The same rule applies to the staff.

Being connected to the town’s wifi means that the staff can see what students are doing.

“We can see what you do, what you should do, and what you shouldn’t do”, Mr. DeSousa said.“The law says that we have to protect all the students, and the

offers coming out of highschool. He then was drafted in the seventh of the 2009 draft as a quarterback and then converted to a wide receiver. He played backup for Wes Welker for the beginning part of his career, and now he is a Super Bowl MVP, second on the all time postseason receptions list and second all time in postseason reception yards.

The defense won this game for the Patriots, because for much of the game their offense couldn’t get it going. That was until the fourth quarter when Tom Brady led the offense down the field for the only touchdown in the game. It was the only time either offense was able to get into the red zone the whole game. They scored on this drive with a short rushing touchdown

from rookie running back sensation Sony Michel.

The defense was playing against arguably the best offense in the league, who during the regular season was averaging 30.8 points per game. This was in part because everyone played their role. Kyle Van Noy had a clutch sack in the second quarter, Stephon Gilmore had the game sealing pick with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter and Jason McCourty saved a Brandin Cooks touchdown after miscommunication by Gilmore and backup safety Duron Harmon. On this play McCourty saw the open cooks streaking down field and ran from the opposite side of the field to save the TD. Another huge play was the sack by Dont’a

only way that we can protect all the students is by managing the devices that we are given. When you bring your own device, we don’t have access to that device.”

Here at Burlington High School, the students and teachers use the wifi called

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

“BPS”.

Students should be using the device they are assigned to. The only network they should be using is “BPS”.

Many students have found access to the “BHS-Device” wifi, which is supposed to be for elementary school ipads and desktops in the library.

“It’s used in different places, primarily kiosks, and that’s it”, said Mr. Calandriello. So they had to modify the password to that wifi.

But students keep figuring out the password and telling everyone about it.

“Within a day of that, they went and found the guest password, and we had to change that as well,” he said.

The guest wifi is only for guests, such as a guest

speaker or visitor. If they need access, that’s what it’s used for.

“We change that periodically, every couple months, or month to two months”, said Ms. Sateriale.

Having multiple devices connected to the wifi slows down the connection, possibly making hard for even teachers to find material online while they are teaching students.

When a student becomes a senior, they are allowed to trade in their student-issues device, and use their personal device if they choose, with permission from administration.

“They have to turn in their working device they were given, or purchase it.

But they’re still allowed only one device, on that same ‘BPS’ network,” Ms. Sateriale said.

Blitz for Six: Complete!

By Matt Hanlon

The New England Patriots have done it again!

Sunday night, Feburary 3, they won their sixth Super Bowl in 18 years with a final score of 13-3 against the rams. This is their third Super Bowl victory since 2014 when the infamous Deflategate happened. This is Tom Brady’s sixth career Super Bowl which breaks the tie he had with Chuck Haley with five. He now is the only player with sixth rings. Bill Belichick also became the oldest coach to ever win a Super Bowl at the age of 66.

The Super Bowl MVP was won by Julian Edelman, who finished the game with 10 catches for 141 yards on only twelve catches. Julian Edelman has one of the best backstories ever. He had zero D-1

Editors and Writers of The Devil’s Advocate: Editors-in-Chief: Joe Barbieri, Matthew Hanlon, and Maya Pandit News and Features Editors: Veronica Chang and Joesph Nee Arts and Entertainment Editors: Veronica Chang and Scott Stack Opinion Editors: Max Lechner and Joseph Nee Sports Editors: Matthew Hanlon and Scott Stack Puzzles Editor: Max Lechner Photo Editor: Maya Pandit Staff: Dominic D’Angelo, Tyler Flaherty, Jayson Poland, and Ian Sparks.

Guest Writers: Hannah Pais, Ben Rogozensky, Winnie Sekyaya, Thanya Weadick Special thanks to the BHS Music department for lending us their Music Theory space!

Hightower on third and seven in the third quarter that made for a much more difficult field goal.

Rob Gronkowski better known as Gronk looked like his former self during this game. He looked the Gronk that was once considered the best tight end of all time.

He looked quick and he looked like a bully knocking over would be tacklers again and again. He finished the game for six catches and 87 yards on 7 targets. Gronk was also his usual blocking self opening holes for running backs Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.

There was one brightside to Rams game and that was Brandin Cooks. He finished with 8 catches for 120 yards in this game and was the only offensive player

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay for the Rams. However he was on the opposite end of the amazing play made by Jason McCourty and he was the one who dropped it.

This was a great defensive game in the year of the offenses. This season the

four best offenses made it to their respective championship games. All four of these teams averaging 27 or more points per game, but when it came down to it. Defense still wins championships.

News

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Winter Fall 2017 2019 page 2

A Greener, Greater Burlington: No plastic bags

By Hannah Pais Over 90 communities in Massachusetts, including Lexington, Bedford, and Wilmington, have settled on a plastic bag ban to help reduce pollution and protect the environment of their communities. On January 28th 2019, after a year and a half and three seperate town meetings, Burlington became the newest member of towns participating in the ban of plastic bags, with a nail-biting vote of 52-45.

Was this change brought upon by a group of environmentalists? Law enforcement officials? Surprisingly, no. The two behind the ban were Stavan Shah and Ricky Vittum, juniors of Burlington High School.

The new law is quite simple. According to Section 2.15 of the Town’s

General Bylaws, “Except as otherwise provided herein, single use plastic bags shall not be distributed, used or sold for checkout or other purposes by any retail establishment or non-profit organization within the Town of Burlington.”

However, getting the ban passed by the town was not always an easy task for the two students.

After a year and a half of dedication, and preparing for three intimidating town meetings, the pair finally got the law going.

Shah explained the exhausting process, saying, “We informed every business in Burlington and reached out to every Town Meeting member via email.”

Shah and Vittum also explained reaching out to

members of local committees about the law.

“It took a lot of time because we also met with local committees such as

law did have to be removed from the May warrant and was postponed in September but it did finally pass this January,” Shah said.

Photo courtesy of Piaxabay the Conservation Commission, who gave us a letter of support, the Town Selectmen, and Bylaw Review Committee. Again, this By-

To make sure the law continues to be followed, violations have been set for businesses breaking the ban.

The first offense is a

warning, followed by a $25 fee for the second offense, and a $50 fine for every offense following. These fines are simply precautions to make sure no businesses in the community continue to pollute the environment.

Although none of the proceeds are going to Shah or Vittum, they both feel success in sustainability in the community is the greatest take back of all.

“It’s really cool to know that you can make an impact on your community.

That was the biggest pro for me,” Vittum said.

Along with Shah, Vittum also experienced several bumps in the road on the pathway to have the law passed.

“The biggest con would be the amount of time, effort, and persistence need-

ed to be expended in order to try and educate others why this is a good idea, but that hard work was worth it, because it paid off in the end,” Vittum said.

Come May 28, 2019, Burlington will officially stop the use of single-use plastic bags.

When reflecting on the project, Vittum stated, “This isn’t going to save the world of all environmental problems, but it is a place to start for Burlington to become much more environmentally friendly than it already is.”

The work of Shah and Vittum is inspiration for members of the community of Burlington, no matter the age, to make a change.

most rooms of the school doesn’t seem like the safest thing to do,” Jack Giles, sophomore at BHS, said.

“I don’t think that this could come to Massachusetts. I don’t think that many states will allow this law to pass so it coming to Massachusetts seems pretty out of reach,” Jack added.

With the idea of this new law being passed in Florida, it also comes with a few restrictions on the current gun laws.

Restrictions will be placed on allowing peo-

ple with mental disabilities and/or violent pasts to be able to carry guns with them.

In Massachusetts, as long as the person has the appropriate license they are allowed to carry a firearm in public. However, no person is allowed to own a loaded rifle or shotgun.

Teachers in Massachusetts likely will not be given firearms in the future.

Because of the stricter gun laws in Massachusetts, we do not see any chance of teacher being given guns here.

New gun laws allow teachers to carry on job could this come to Massachusetts?

By Max Lechner

On February 14, it will be the one year anniversary of the tragic Stoneham Douglas High School shooting that initiated this contentious topic. There has been a large controversy going around on whether or not teacher should be given firearms in case of an emergency inside the building. Recent news have suggested that Florida may be the second state to allow this law to be passed in the near future. After the tragic shooting that took the lives of 17 people, it seems as if

Florida is pushing hard to get this law passed.

Texas was the first state in the country to allow teachers to carry guns with them on school property. As of now, around 172 school districts in Texas allow teachers to carry guns.

These districts represent 17% of the independent school districts in Texas.

“The idea of teachers being able to carry around guns honestly makes me pretty nervous. A gun is a very serious weapon and the idea of having one in Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

Government opens as Trump and Congress come to an agreement over budget and border wall

By Joseph Nee

Lasting from December 22 up until January 25, the federal government had been in a partial shutdown due to the lapsed funding for agencies. Millions had been affected by this shutdown, both federal workers and U.S. citizens.

Some federal workers have decided to continue to work during this shutdown, whereas others have been furloughed. Both working and non-working federal workers are not being paid during this period.

President Donald Trump needs funding for the wall that he plans on building across the border that separates the United States from Mexico. However, the President’s requests for funding have yet to be met, therefore causing

a partial shutdown.

“I don’t work for the government. I don’t get paid by the government. I think it stinks that they can’t come to an agreement on the budget but I don’t let it affect my everyday life.”

Mr. Mackay, history teacher at Burlington High School, said.

Of the 800,000+ federal workers, around 380,000 have been furloughed without pay until the shutdown is over.

“It’s not the entire government that is shutdown...I

Photo courtesy of Pixabay think the biggest thing is that people are not getting paid which can affect families, people’s personal lives, and it is all happening because our president can not come to an agreement,” Mr. Mackay had said.

Most federal agencies and departments will be shutdown during this time period; however, airports, parks, libraries, schools and prisons will all remain open.

One issue that has been

recurring is whether or not U.S. citizens will be receiving tax returns.

According to CNBC, tax returns will go out, but there are hardly any IRS workers to do the work.

O n l y about 12% of the IRS workers will be working during this shutdown.

“I don’t think the shutdown is good, if you look at it this way the democratic and republicans can find a way to come together for

once. Compromise would be nice,” MacKay said.

“I think it’s weird, but, it doesn’t really do anything to me. I’m just a student, you know? I don’t know a lot about it regardless.” JP Nemoda, sophomore at Burlington high school said.

Although students may be indirectly impacted, there is nothing specific that will happen to the student directly. Families could be affected due to the workers being laid off, therefore leading to little income.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen or how long it will last. I don’t think it’s such a bad thing though, I don’t think it’s hurting every person in America.” JP said.

News

The Devil’s Advocate

Winter Fall 2017 2019 page 32

Riots in France as citizens protest new gas tax

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

By Max Lechner and Joseph Nee In France, since No- lieve he decided to hold it vember 17th, there have off for the time being.” Mr. been many riots going on, Bridge, history teacher at especially in Paris. This is BHS said. because of the rising gas “It’s kind of a ‘catch taxes that majority of the 22’ situation,” Mr. Bridge population cannot afford to added. “I think the idea of pay. trying to do something to “The president will end global warming is an pull back on some of the excellent policy, but at the proposals. [He] was going same time there are lower to raise a gas tax and I be- income people who simply

cannot afford to pay taxes.

So I don’t think either side is wrong, I think Macron is right to do something about global warming.”

All of the city’s tourist attractions shut down for the day fearing that the Arc De Triomphe would be hit with protests. 125,000 protesters demonstrated their anger in France and 10,000

demonstrated anger in Paris.

“Their income is too low to make ends meet, so they really feel the sting of that tax. Even though the purpose of that tax is a good purpose,” Mrs. Smetana, English teacher at BHS, said.

The president’s Elysee palace is a prime destination

for the protesters. French authorities deployed 8,000 security officers in the capital alone, among the 89,000 who fanned out around the country. “Yellow Vest” protesters have political stances ranging from far right to far left, believe that the raising gas prices are too much.

“The problem is we

have to protect both people and the environment, and I think that the best way forward is to provide incentives for fuel efficiency rather than penalties, so reward people for conserving rather than punish them for consuming.” Mrs. Smetana said.

Samsung’s New TV

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Minimum hourly wage increases here in MA

By Maya Pandit The Massachusetts Minimum Wage Law, passed on June 28, 2018, states that today’s minimum wage of $12.00 an hour will increase annually to reach $15.00 on January 1, 2023.

In 2018, our minimum wage was $11.00 an hour.

The government decided to pass the law because they want all citizens of the state to earn at least a living wage. This means that the wage people earn should make it possible for workers to support themselves and their families without having to rely on handouts.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts decided to bring about this change in a phased manner, over four years, to give businesses a chance to prepare financial-

ly.

Nationally, according to USATODAY.com, the minimum wage varies quite widely between $8.46 cents in Florida to as high as $15.00 an hour in New York.

While many states have announced plans to increase minimum wage over the next two to three years, there are several others that have no plans of increasing the minimum wage in their states.

As a progressive state, Massachusetts has embraced the concept of a living wage.

“I think this will get better in the next 15 years as we begin addressing it more as an issue, instead of denying it”, Mr. G said.

The living wage is a

highly debated issue in our country. It has been addressed more and more as the years go by.

Progressives feel it is the right thing to do for their fellow citizens. Opponents feel that it places financial hardships on small businesses.

“My great fear is what’s going to happen to the fastfood industry because people are going to start getting paid a $15 rate. What will that do to the cost value of going in for a quick Mcdonald’s or Burger King?

That’s unwritten so far”, Mr. G said.

Despite all that, we hope that other states will also follow the example of Massachusetts.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

By Jayson Poland Samsung has just released their new 219 inch Flat Screen TV and it has some cool features to it.

These features include having a brighter image and using less energy than standard TVs. Samsung always surprises us with new products each year and this is one happens to be the most noticeable. Other Samsung products have blown people away with new phones that have amazing features; the new flat screen TV blows them away with the price and the make of it.

This new TV is differ-

ent from a standard television and a lot of people are shocked by it. This one in particular uses less energy and uses a brighter image making it save a lot more than a standard TV. “The price is extremely high and I don’t think anyone would want to buy it,” Mr. Wong said. The price of this TV runs from $17,000 to $22,000. A standard TV costs several hundred dollars and a flat screen costs $1,000. That is nearly a $20,000 difference.

Samsung nicknames the TV, “The Wall,” considering its size. It’s brightness

blows people away with 2,000 nits. A nit is simply the unit of light.

Another amazing feature is that it’s controlled by a tablet.“I think that everything about it is very high - tech, and the tablet could be easier for some people,” Mr. Wong said.

When asked if it’s good to have one of these TVs, “I don’t think so considering the price, but if you do have the money, it’s worth it,” Mr. Wong said. Although it is expensive, the 219 inch TV would be pretty cool to have if you could buy it.

Features Senior Project: From Essay to Digital Media Winter 2019 page 4

The Devil’s Advocate

By Scott Stack There is one final task standing in between the Class of 2019 and graduation this May: the senior project. This year’s senior class project, however, differs from prior years’ projects as it has slowly transitioned from a standard essay to a more technology-focused, digital media project.

For many years, the seniors’ English project was a traditional literature criticism. This has changed in the past two years, though.

Students of the Class of 2018 and 2019 were assigned a project that has more to do with multiple aspects of today’s world, like digital media and technology.

“We [at BHS] don’t have many students who end up analyzing literature,” Ms. Janovitz, head of the English department said of the decision to move

away from a traditional literary criticism paper. “[The English department] identified what skills students need to be successful in the 21st century,” Ms. Janovitz continued, concluding that media literacy and the ability to evaluate contemporary media are some of the important skills.

Therefore, a project centered around different types of media and presenting media of your own would make sense; students gain experience with pertaining to success in today’s world as they enter their lives past high school.

In a technology-driven school like Burlington, most students seem to be content with or in favor of the digital media aspect, as well. “[It] is a good idea for the most part because students have a lot of freedom

with how they make their project,” Steven Humphreys, a senior at BHS said of all the different methods available to students to present from.

Students have different choices for which medium through which they present their project, such as a video or photo essay.

No matter which approach students take for their senior project, they all

have a similar to goal: to make a positive impact on a community by addressing a certain issue it faces. As Ms. Janovitz and the English Department concluded, the most effective way to present their concern would be through some form of digital media as it is becoming more and more of an important life skill.

By inciting students to make a change in their

community, the students have to perfect research skills and learn a new skill, for most students, conducting an expert interview.

“The part of the project that requires some bravery is connecting with an outside expert and interviewing this person. Crafting questions and conducting the interview inspires students to get out of their comfort zones,” said Mrs.

Lee, senior English teacher at BHS. Overall, the new senior project at BHS is designed to have an impact on today as well as the future; students learn skills that they can use today to make positive change, and then, hopefully, will retain these skills and have a successful future in their life outside of high school.

New Year’s Resolutions

By Tyler Flaherty Have you ever had a New Year’s Resolution?

At Burlington High School many students did have a New Year’s Revolution.

Sadly, some students have already failed their New Year’s Resolution or think they will fail soon.

17 out of 25 BHS students said they don’t think their New Years Resolution will last. That means only eight students think their New Years Resolution will work for them.

Tutor at Burlington High School, Mr. DeBarros, said “I have never really had a New Years Resolution besides fixing my hair situation.”

DeBarros hasn’t had a New Years Resolution because he said, “There is

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

nothing I want or need to help myself.”

Student at Burlington High School Josh Macleod’s New Years Resolution is “Well I really want to try to improve my artwork so one day I can become an artist.”

Josh has been an artist for a while now. With his new years revolution he really believes his life long dream of wanting to be the next Michaelangelo will become a reality.

Josh also said, “One day instead of the colors of the rainbow being ROY G BIV they will one day be JAC MAC.” Everyone should make there New Years Resolution become a reality.

Photo by Ian Sparks

BHS goes on February Vacation

By Dom D’Angelo & Tyler Flaherty February vacation is a “It should not be longreat time of the year. Sad- ger because then we would ly, not everybody can go have to stay in school later. away, whether it be becasue A week is perfect. It gives of commitments to sports me time to catch up on teams or cannot afford it. work and most importantly 50 students at BHS catch up on sleep,” Joseph were polled and only 18 Marshall, a freshman at of them said were going BHS, said. away for february vacation.

People will have difThe rest of the students are ferent opinions one student staying home.

“February vacation is needed because it rewards hard work and students come back with fire to learn,” Mr. G, a teacher at BHS, said.

February vacation currently stands at a 9 days and some people feel this is too short. February vacation should be longer students had various different opinions on this subject…. a student had this to add.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

thinks it should be longer.

The longer the vacation, the more rest students get, the better.

“It should be longer because we do no get another break until April, so this one should be extended.

Not by a whole week, just a few days extra,” Chris Jones, a junior at BHS,

said.

Some common activites that people do over break are sledding, visiting family, and attending sport games.

Whether you go away or stay home, enjoy and have a safe February vacation.

The Devil’s Advocate

Arts & Entertainment

Winter 2019 page 5

Netflix raises prices two dollars more per month

By Veronica Chang Netflix prices were raised from $10.99 to $12.99 for regular plan in the fourth quarter of 2017, and expecting to raise again in 2019.

There are different views among the students about Netflix price raises.

“I just think that it’s not necessary because people might not use it as much

now that Netflix is raising prices.” Aliyya Kulumba, freshman at BHS, said.

Aliyya also stated that Netflix is probably doing it to gain more profit, but they still should not raise it.

When asked if she would still watch Netflix because of the price change, Kylie McGurl, junior at BHS, said, “Yes, be-

cause the benefits are still better than watching TV commercials.”

Kylie also said that she would watch Hulu if Netflix was not an option anymore.

CNBC says that Netflix is changing prices to help pay for its huge investment in original shows and films.

“I think Netflix realized

that they can capitalize off on streaming because that’s how people tend to watch TV now,” Mrs. Trouve, business teacher at BHS, said. “And with streaming, they’re coming out with a lot of their own shows and series and movies so it’s making them a lot more desirable. So people are willing to pay more a month I

would assume to see things that they wouldn’t have access to on their general cable provider.”

Some other TV streaming services that Mrs. Trouve has besides Netflix is DirecTV. “I do [think Netflix is still worth it]. I think that they’ve added a lot of value on the past year and this

price hike is coming because of that,” Mrs. Trouve said. “I think that Netflix is growing and will continue to grow and I don’t think this will be the first price hike that we see, but they have a lot more selections, even now more than most general television providers, you can watch what you want essentially anywhere.” Mrs. Trouve said.

Photo courtedsey of DC

Photo courtesey of Marvel Studios

Photo courtesey of Warmer Bros

Photo courtesey of Marvel Studios Photo courtesey of 20th Century Fox

Marvel movies headline 2018’s best films

By Ian Sparks In 2018, we have seen some brilliant movies created. Some standouts include Black Panther, Avengers Infinity War, A Star is Born, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Most of the movies I watched in 2018 were very good, my favorites were Black Panther, Spider- Man Homecoming and Deadpool 2,” Stephen Lee, BHS senior, said when asked about his favorite movies of 2018.

Many movies such as Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War are so pop-

ular and well-respected by fans. Black Panther is a fan favorite because in the movie we almost see an all black cast. African-Americans are delighted to have a mainstream superhero movie that represents their heritage respectfully.

In addition, Marvel movies are so popular because they have 10 years of an accumulated fan base.

Furthermore Marvel movies are known for its action packed sequences and a little bit of humor as well.

Although, when asking someone their favorite

type of movie usually you will receive lots of different answers because some prefer a certain genre over the other.

“I usually prefer to watch superhero movies or any movies that contain a lot of action, but I also enjoy to watch some comedy movies once in awhile,” Stephen Lee said.

Critics also tend to have very different opinions than just regular people going to the theatre to watch a movie. In 2018, Rotten Tomatoes has Paddington 2 ranked the best movie over-

all of 2018.

Also, ranked at number 2 is Leave No Trace.

In third is Summer 1993.

Fourth is Minding the Gap, and in fifth is Pick Of The Litter. We can see that when critiquing a movie regular fans and critics have totally different views.

You would not expect to have anyone of these movies in the top five and not see movies like Black Panther and other Marvel movies in the top five.

“I can’t believe that not one single Marvel movie from 2018 is not in the top

five,” Sean Gedick, BHS senior, said. Many BHS students as well as myself are confused and surprised of this top five list. Critics and regular movie lovers must be looking for different things when watching a movie.

When critics are reviewing a movie there are seven main factors they look at: directing, writing, cinematography, editing, acting, production design, and lastly sound.

“When I watch a movie I usually just watch the actors and judge the movie

off its plot” Kayla Baker, said. Movie lovers may not look at the same things as a critic would when watching a movie, but I think regular audiences know a good movie when they see one.

Despite critics not ranking Black Panther, Avengers Infinity War, and other action movies in the top rankings we can all agree that these movies were very good and made 2018 a great year for movies.

Sports

The Devil’s Advocate

The Return of Players: Varsity Basketball

By Matt Hanlon and Ian Sparks The BHS varsity bas- tively. The season so far is ketball team is 5-3 this going pretty well. We have season, and they have won had a few rough shooting again on Tuesday night nights but that happens to against Reading in a twen- every team. As long as we ty-five-point win. keep moving the ball and The team has been getting good looks, our playing very well and look shots will fall and the rest great. They seem to be of the season will go well.” moving the ball well and are playing with chemistry.

The fans and players are hopeful that they will be able to continue to shoot well, and move the Photo courtesy of Kyle Inglis ball and play great defense.

People love to go to the The team has proved peo- varsity games because they ple wrong by playing better are fun to watch and they than expected and if they win games. The team is a continue to work hard there good team and they move is a good chance they will the ball well and they play make playoffs. as a team.

Kyle Inglis, who starts “I like to go to the boys’ as a guard, said “The team game because they are looks great. The ball is probably the fastest team moving a lot and we are in the Middlesex League. getting open shots off of a They are a very focused lot of passes deep into the team that work hard and shot clock. We are getting play as a team,” Mr. G, a a ton of assists on our bas- teacher and fan of the boys’ kets. Our defense is strong varsity team said. and we are able to switch The possibility of makfrom man to zone effec- ing the playoffs is in reach

after a slow start, after they beat Reading by more than 20 points on Tuesday January 8th. Some BHS students and varsity basketball fans even weighed in on the matter of playoffs.

“At the moment, I believe, but it is a long season anything can happen,” Stephen Lee, senior said.

This season the varsity basketball team is made up of mostly underclassmen, but has a few returning players.

Some standout players include Alex Wong, Sean Hurley, and Kyle Inglis. The team looks to have a bright future with all their young players and some upcoming seniors, like Kyle Inglis and Mike Melanson.

Even with these players leaving after this season, the future remains bright for the BHS basketball program. As well, it is only Coach Connor’s second year as head coach. With a young team and a relatively new coach the team is bound for great achievements.

BHS Freshman Wrestlers

By Jayson Poland

The Burlington High School Wrestling Team has a very interesting roster this year because they have more freshmen than sophomores and seniors.

Wrestling at Burlington means a lot to these guys because it’s just very fun and intriguing to them.

The roster this year consists of three seniors, three sophomores, and five freshmen. Timmy Vadnais, Joe Marshall, and Adam Eldeeb are very excited because for two of them, it’s their first year wrestling.

There has been one that has wrestled before when he was younger.

“We have three dual wins,” Joe said. A dual win is simply when two teams go up against each other and one wins.

Burlington is pretty good with dual wins because even though some people might wrestle out of their weight class, they are still putting a lot of hard work into it.

“My record now is 3 - 6 - 1,” Joe said. Joe has three wins, six losses, and

one tie. A record like that isn’t really bad for a freshmen that’s never wrestled before.

Joe has had many matches where he’s wrestled out of his weight class, which could mean that he’s a freshman wrestling a senior. But that doesn’t stop him from having a decent

ent from football, but at the same time, it helps a lot with body control and Adam is one heck of a football player.

“I’ve wrestled with a few in the past,” Timmy said. About most of the seniors and sophomores have wrestled each other and have wrestled with each other before at other competitions when they were younger.

“Usually a typical wrestling match is like five or six minutes or even less. It all depends on the Photo courtesy of Life Touch people wrestling and more importantly record. how they wrestle,” Timmy “[Wrestling is] pret- said. ty cool. Reminds me a The Burlington High lot about football,” Adam School Wrestling Team is said. Wrestling does help pretty solid considering with football because it their record. There was a improves your agility and senior who just recently speed. won a tournament by going Wrestling can also help 4 - 0. That’s pretty impreswith your body control and sive.

Adam expresses a lot of All of the freshmen on that when he wrestles. the team are good wres“It reminds me a lot tlers. All of them show about football,” Adam said. great sportsmanship to each Wrestling is really differ- other and their opponents.

Winter 2019 page 6

The road to victory: 2019 NFL Playoffs

By Scott Stack For the sixth time in the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots have won another Super Bowl title. Over the nineteen years the dynasty has spanned, starting with the hiring of head coach Bill Belichick and drafting of quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots organization has transformed into a top-tier NFL, team, always contending for a championship.

The Patriots found themselves in the Super Bowl once again, facing off against a young, but talented Los Angeles Rams team in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII. In an unexpected defensive stalemate between two teams with talented offenses, the first half ended 3-0, being the lowest scoring first half in Super Bowl history.

About halfway through the final quarter, rookie running back Sony Michel scored a touchdown for the Patriots, putting the Patriots up 9-3, and they never looked back. Stephen Gostkowski hit the PAT following Michel’s TD to put the Patriots up seven, and later in the quarter Stephon Gilmore intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

Gostkowski hit a 41 yard field goal on the ensuing possession, putting the Patriots up two possessions, and ensuring the Super Bowl victory.

Two weeks earlier, the Conference Championship had two games on the slate, with the one and two seeds from their respective conferences battling it out for a spot in Super Bowl LIII. The Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints following a questionable nocall at the end of the game, with the player in question, Nickell Robey-Coleman, even admitting there should have been a pass interference call in a post-game interview.

“I think that the Saints should have won the game because the refs missed a very blatant pass interference and it cost them the game.” said Steven Humphreys, a BHS senior.

Despite the controversy, the Rams earned a victory and with it, the first spot in the Super Bowl. Soon after, the Patriots faced off against the Chiefs in freezing temperatures in Kansas City for the final spot in Super Bowl LIII. In a competitivegame

featuring many twists and turns it only seemed fitting that the game would head to overtime. The Patriots called heads on the coin toss to decide possession for the start of the 15 minute overtime. The coin landed heads and the Patriots chose to start with the ball. A Patriots touchdown on their first drive would punch their ticket to their ninth Super Bowl appearance since Bill Belichick took the reigns and Tom Brady was drafted, a 19year span.

“When the Patriots won the coin toss, I had a good feeling deep down, and was extremely confident,” said Robby Griffin, a senior at BHS. “Knowing the experience they possess with Belichick and Brady, it seemed certain to me that they would come through with a game winning touchdown”.

Just like that, Brady and the Patriots marched down the field, with Rex Burkhead scoring a rushing TD to win the AFC Championship.

The matchup was set.

The NFC’s LA Rams were set to face off against the New England Patriots, representing the AFC. “Even though I’ve shown my outward support for the Rams this season, I can’t count out the team I’ve loved for my entire life, the Patriots. Both teams have amazing talent and incredible coaching so I am expecting it to come down to the wire but I think the Patriots experience will be too much for the young Rams crew and I think the Patriots are going to pull off a 30-27 victory over the Rams.” said Dan Downie, a senior at BHS about the championship game.

To earn a spot in their respective conferences’ championship, teams had to pull off a win in the Divisional Round. The Indianapolis Colts kicked off the week on the road, visiting Arrowhead Stadium and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts were unable to pull off the upset for a second consecutive week, though, and fell to the Chiefs, in a commanding 31-13 Kansas City win.

Continuing the trend, the Wild Card Weekend victor fell short again in the second and final game of the day, with the Cowboys falling to a top regular season team, the Los Angeles

Rams, 22-30.

The Patriots came out of their bye week ready for their first playoff action of the year, dominating the Chargers on a frigid afternoon at Gillette Stadium, 41-28.

The high-flying Saints offense closed out the weekend, pulling off the largest playoff comeback in the team’s history, knocking off the Eagles, 20-14, and putting a close to the second round.

The playoffs kicked off a week prior with a hectic Wild Card Weekend, featuring the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, and one of top teams in the NFL, the Los Angeles Chargers.

The weekend began with the Colts visiting the Houston Texans. The Texans challenged the Patriots for a bye week, but ultimately fell short, as the Patriots had an identical record but won the head-tohead tiebreaker.

The Colts, despite being the visiting team and having a worse record than the Texans, came out flying and were the better team on the field, beating the Texans, 21-7, in a game that was much more lopsided than the score suggests.

The first day of Wild Card weekend finished off with the Dallas Cowboys squeaking by the Seattle Seahawks, by a score of 24-22.

The Chargers kicked off the following day many miles away from home, playing in Maryland against the Baltimore Ravens. Although LA was one of the premier teams in the NFL during the regular season, due to the format of the NFL divisions, the Chargers were unable to clinch a first-round bye.

The Chiefs, like the Chargers, finished the regular season with a 12-4 record, but held the tie-breaker record over the Chargers and won the division, earning a bye week.

Despite this, the Chargers put on a strong display, and defeated the Ravens 23-17.

Fittingly, the weekend ended in dramatic fashion, with the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles salvaging a one-point victory over the Chicago Bears, blocking a last-second field goal to secure the win, and set the scene for the next playoff round.

The Devil’s Advocate

“Salt to the Sea”: A movie playing out before your eyes

By Ben Rogozensky The well-written, intensively researched, historical fiction I managed to read in under week is called Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. To give a little background, the novel takes place in Germany/Prussia during the final stages of WWII. There are four main characters: Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred. Joana, Florian, and Emilia are making a quick retreat to the MV Wilhelm Gustloff in order to escape a horrible fate at the hands of the Russian Red Army. My favorite character would have to be Emilia. She is a Polish girl who was sent alone at 11 years old to a Prussian farm to escape Nazi persecution. However, now, aged 15 and pregnant, she must escape further persecution from the Russians rape and pillaging. I feel very empathetic for this girl; she really tears at the heartstrings.

I could somewhat relate to the character Florian. Throughout the novel,

he has his own main goals he needs to focus on, but Florian ends up going off course multiple times in order to do the right thing, which usually means helping someone in need.

My favorite and least favorite part was the ending.

It was almost as if a movie were playing out before my eyes. The scenes were so intense and made me extremely anxious. When all was said and done and everything slowed down at the very end of the novel, that was the hardest part for me personally.

If your eyes are dry by the end of this novel, then we were not reading the same book. Someone with a taste for history, action, and drama would, without a doubt, love Salt to the Sea. I would recommend this to anyone willing to read. In fact, it should be a required read in schools. It completely changed my view of reading forever.

Opinions Editors’ Note: This issue we are featuring guest writers reviewing books they recommend.

Photo courtesy of Harper Collins

Photo courtesy of Penguin Books

“The Sun is Also a Star”: Riveting book, full of adventure and romance

By Thanya Weadick I read the book The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon, and it is a fictional romance. The main characters are Natasha and Daniel. Natasha doesn’t believe in love or fate; she believes that everything happens for a reason. Daniel, on the other hand, believes that everyone will somehow or someway find their soulmate. Natasha and Daniel fall in love with each other after only meeting each other that day, but Natasha is an undocumented immigrant and is being deported to Jamaica that night and Daniel doesn’t know. They end up spending the whole day together, learning about what love is and what it can do to you. The setting of the book was New York City and the entire book only happens within one day.

Throughout the book, both of the characters’ families are also featured. The book switches off between the points of view of Natasha and Daniel, but in my opinion, the book centers more around Natasha. It

also features both characters’ families’ points of view as well as friends, or sometimes just people they meet throughout the day.

The theme of the book is immigration and the American Dream. Both Natasha and Daniel come from families who immigrated, but the only difference is that Natasha is undocumented and Daniel is an American citizen. Natasha is Jamaican and Daniel is American Korean. Natasha doesn’t like to think about her Jamaican roots and is proud of being an American and living in her home that she has to leave by the end of the day. Daniel’s family’s American dream is for both him and his brother to get a good education and become doctors, and nothing else.

Daniel’s brother, Charlie, is no longer in college because he “flunked out,” and his parents are mad at him because he never became a doctor. Natasha’s family’s American dream is based on her father’s dream to become a Broadway actor,

Winter 2019 page 7

which is why they came to the United States in the first place.

I really liked the book.

It’s such a compelling book that leaves you wanting to read more and more. I really liked how the author decided to switch off on points of views because then you could really see what each character is thinking.

Any reader who likes books that include romance yet adventure would love this book, and I would 100% recommend it. My favorite part was the very end of the book.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, so you’ll just have to read the book.

Photo courtesy of Penguin House

“The Hate U Give” captures today’s world

By Winnie Sekyaya I absolutely loved the portrayal of The Hate Your Give’s protagonist, Starr, and her background, mainly because I, too, am a young African American.

I think all young African Americans can relate to her hustle. Starr is a junior in high school who loves to play basketball and has shoe game. She goes to a private school, away from the hood, in the “rich side” of California, where there is no violence. (Her boy-

friend goes to this school too). Starr also helps with her dad’s store where everybody feels safe to go whether they are buying items or getting the inside tea.

Starr is very much different than her friends at her private school. She is surrounded by white students, and does not feel quite herself. There, she is “Starr 2.0.” She cannot be too ghetto or else she is the “ratchet girl from the hood”, and she cannot be too white either. Starr lives with her mom, exgang member dad, brother Sekani, and half brother Seven.

Starr is suddenly faced with a traumatic experience that no one should ever have to go through or see. But what makes this book so relatable are the traumatic experiences she goes through that are all too common in society today. I see it all around the news, and to my friends and family. Starr has to choose to use her voice or be silenced and afraid of what others will do to her.

This book captures the complicated and often messed-up world we live in today. It also empowers African Americans, and invites white women & men to see from a different perspective. Angie Thomas portrays their privileges, and our fear.

The Devil’s Advocate

NFL Wordsearch

By Ian Sparks

Coach Interception Quarterback Touchdown FieldGoal NFL

Puzzles

Winter 2019 page 8

Patriots Players

By Dom D’Angelo and Tyler Flaherty

Referee Wide Reciever Fumble Punt Tight End

Can you find your way through the maze?

By Ian Sparks