“Some of the News That’s Fit to Print”
September 24, 2012
The VA Voice Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont 05154 “Discere verba et opera Dei”
Vermont Academy Watches “Bully”
By: Brittany Allard On a Tuesday morning, at eight thirty in the morning, the entire VA community, roughly 300 people, loaded onto numerous buses, big and small, and went to the Bellows Falls Opera House to see the documentary “Bully”. The film chronicles the lives of a number of students who have been victims of bullying. This documentary has been viewed by a national audience, and has had a serious impact on the students who have watched the film. “Bully” depicts the lives of numerous students from middle school to high school who have experienced extreme bullying in their lives. The stories included students being beaten up because of their appearance, ostracized due to their sexual orientation, and bullied in other ways purely for their personalities. In the film, we see parents and administrators trying to figure out a way to stop the bullying issue with varying levels of success. Students from VA had a variety of reactions to the film. Melinda Provost, a Canadian student, had the following perspective on Kelby, a gay American student. “It was good for Kelby to try and stand up for herself, but she finally realized it was time to back down.” In this statement, Melinda is referring to Kelby being bullied because of her sexual orientation. She didn’t want to let the other kids win, but the bullying never stopped. She finally moved to start a new life with the support of her parents. People were struck by the administrators’ inability to improve the situations for a number of students. One assistant principal discussing a boy being beat up on the bus said, “The kids are good as gold.” What she failed to realize was that their behavior was unique while she was on the bus. This was a valuable experience for everyone at Vermont Academy because it raised awareness for an issue that plagues every school in this country. The students and teachers alike gained a better understanding for the consequences of bullying on our campus and beyond, and this movie will hopefully bring about positive change here at Vermont Academy on the subject of bullying.
Volume 17, Issue 1
IN THE MARGIN Romney Releases Tax Returns Mitt Romney on Friday released his tax returns from 2011 and from years past due to pressure from Democrats. The returns revealed he paid a 14% tax rate of $1.9 million dollars in 2011 for an adjusted gross income of $13.7 million. Unrest in Middle East Continues Violent protests erupted around the Muslim world and particularly in Libya against a video produced in America that pokes fun at the prophet Mohamed. These protests have already lead to the death of a US diplomat. Chicago Teacher Strike Ends A strike of the Chicago public school teachers crippled the city of Chicago last week as 26,000 teachers left work to demand better pay and less teacher evaluation. The decision to end the strike helped the 350,000 Chicago school children return to school after more than a week of no school.
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The VA Voice
September 24, 2012
Food Thoughts with Erik Neilson: Weekly Food Critic The lunch for 9/20 was a meal to remember. Everyone entered the dining hall completely silent, and found their seats. The only thing that could be heard was the rumble of stomachs. Mr. Brennan gave his announcements and then the feast began. People briskly got in line to beat their fellow classmates with an occasional shove to be first in line. Everyone wanted to get some rare and juicy steak. The steak was just perfectly rare, with a hint of fresh herbs. The mashed potatoes were as fluffy as clouds on a crisp summer day, and the cilantro provided a beautiful touch to the ‘taters. The rolls were crisp, and the salad was a good compliment to the hearty meal. Even though I did not partake in the veggie lasagna, I heard from Ms. McNealus that it was, “very tasty and cheesy.” Then to top it off, I had a delicious chocolatelike bar with a fresh hot piping cup of hazelnut coffee, which really brought the whole meal to a fantastic end. All and all, I give the meal 9 bacon strips out of 10, another job well done by the VA kitchen.
Erik Neilson Wanting School to Pay for Pants
By: Mike Reilly You may have seen the poster around campus. Erik Nielsen is taking donations for a new pair of pants. Erik says that he just wants to represent America by being patriotic and wearing these pants. He also says that if everybody in the school donates twenty-five cents to his cause he will have enough for the pants. This raises the question, what can the VA community do when we work as a group? We could clothe one of our own or even help people in third world countries at very little inconvenience to each member of the community.
Begining of the Vermont Academy MEAT Club
By: Eamon O’Keefe The Vermont Academy MEAT club held its first meeting this weekend. The name stands for Mankind Eating Animals Together, and is a grilling club at the academy. Yesterday, we held our first event at the gym parking lot at 3:00 in the afternoon. We used many different grills and blasted some high quality music. The club grilled hamburgers and delved into the art of making the juiciest and tastiest burgers. Qwyen Austin prepared hamburgers with the utmost care and included spices and olive oil. Mr. Jarcho provided unparalleled expertise in the grilling process. The cost was four dollars to enter, and the event was all you could eat. When asked about the club one Vermont Academy student said “I’m fired up to grill this weekend at VA.” Another student remarked “I can’t wait to meet all the other grillers at the school.” There was a large crowd at the event, more than the organizers had expected. Grillers ate over 21 pounds of ground beef at the event, and everyone who attended declared it a success. The MEAT club hopes to order customized aprons with the VA MEAT Club logo embroidered on the front. The MEAT club may prove to be the most popular club on campus. The chief grill master Eamon O’Keefe says “the first rule about MEAT club is that we don’t talk about MEAT club.” We hope all the ladies and gentlemen at VA that don’t have prior commitments come out to our next event.
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The VA Voice
May 24, 2012
Mr. Hearon’s Top 10 Albums
By: Mr. Hearon Thanks to the powers that be (O’Keefe, not Brennan!) I have been granted a regular column here in the VA Voice (and, thank god, it does not come with a microphone, right?). The title of my column this year will be – drum roll, please - “Mr. Hearon’s Random Top Ten Lists.” Excuse me if the title does not entice you, but the column will. I love Top Ten Lists, and I give Dave Letterman mad props for developing in me a desire to share them with you. Hope you are ready, because in this week’s episode we are going to talk music. Good music. Not the music you listen to, rather the music no one has shared with you. The music you need to fill that hole somewhere in your soul. Plus, musical knowledge is raw currency on your freshmen dorm in college, trust me. Okay, I understand you crazy kids don’t even buy “albums” anymore, but, at some point in time, in the not so recent past, there used to be a huge build up of excitement surrounding your favorite group’s next album. And, I know this sounds crazy, but you actually used to go to a place called a “record store,” where real people worked in an actual building and purchased physical albums with something called cash. Ahhh, the good old days: the smell of fresh vinyl, cool artwork, and really deep lyrics. But, I digress. Here are the top ten albums you don’t have in your collection. Run, don’t walk, to the nearest “I-store” and download these bad boys, NOW: 10. Ramones – The Ramones (1977): Pure punk = power chords, leather jackets, and bad hair. The Ramones had it all and were kings of a genre that has had a long shadow in modern rock. 9. Ryan Adams – Cold Roses (2005): One of my favorite albums by one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge in the last fifteen years. Ryan is a real talent with a beautiful voice and impressive guitar chops. This album is a slight homage to the Grateful Dead, but still uniquely original in scope and composition. 8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young – Déjà Vu (1970): The original “super group” only made better by the additional of my hero, Neil Young. This album is timeless and still sounds as good now as it did then. Sing along and get a good lesson in vocal harmonies. 7. Los Lobos – Kiko (1992): Simply one of America’s greatest bands. This album, from one of the best live acts still on the road, is a classic and never gets old. Plus, I have spoken Spanish with several members of the band and they told me I had a nice accent. Bonus! 6. Little Feat – Waiting for Columbus (1978): Possibly the greatest live album of all-time. Nothing better than some good ol’ southern swamp rock! 5. Peter Tosh – Equal Rights (1977): Everyone knows Bob Marley, but not enough people know Peter Tosh and the greatest reggae album ever. Period. 4. The Allman Brothers – Eat a Peach (1971): The tragic end of Duane Allman, the impressive rise of Dickey Betts, and possibly the best single rock recording in the history of music: “Blue Sky.” 3. The Grateful Dead – Europe ‘72 (1972): Hard to choose one album by the Dead, but if you need one for college, this is it. 1972 was a fine year for one of the hardest working bands in rock and roll and it shows on this masterful collection of live recordings. Never gets old. 2. The Clash – London Calling (1979): My first concert ever: The Clash live in NYC when I was in 8th grade with Eric Lobel. His older sister, Heidi, got us tickets. I am still trying to figure out what Joe Strummer was so angry about. This album is THE album by the only band that matters. 1. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965): Possibly, quite possibly, the greatest album of all-time. From track one until the end, a crazy tour through the mind of one of one America’s greatest rock poets. I am still trying to figure out how Bob did it…and still does it. His 35th album was just released this month and “Rolling Stone” magazine gave it five stars. The guy is simply a genius. ENJOY!
Making Friends with Mac Haddad “If you see someone you don’t recognize on campus, go out of your way to introduce yourself and find out more about them. Always pretend to be interested in what they have to say.”
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The VA Voice
Turmoil Rocks Middle East
By: Matt Gendron The attacks this year on the US embassies in both Libya and Egypt occurred on September 12 and September 13. Multiple people died on both those dates including the US’s ambassador to Libya, three other Americans, and others who were inside the embassy. Chris Stevens (US ambassador to Libya) died on September 12 with two State department officers. After the events, President Obama said, “make no mistake, justice will be done.” He reassured Americans that the people who attacked the US embassies will not go unnoticed and will receive due consequences. These two attacks may be connected to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Numerous experts involved with the terrorist attacks during 9/11 have made clear that they believe there is some connection between the two attacks. The instances both involve anti-American sentiment around the Muslim world. This week’s violence involves a negative response from the many radical Muslims in the Middle East toward an American video negative-
Mehmet Thoughts:
“People often make life a lot more complicated than it really has to be. Don’t over think things. Do whatever makes you happy and don’t worry what other people think. Just make sure you’re happy with the decisions you’ve made now ten years later.”
ly portraying the profit Mohamed. Many Muslims incorrectly believe that the US government condoned and even subsidized this video. Obviously, the 9/11 attacks have occurred close to 11 years ago, but there may be more connections between the two attacks. As we wait for the turmoil around the Middle East to conclude, many are beginning to wonder the extent to which anti-American sentiment and the opposition to free speech and religion pervade the Muslim world. VA VOICE STAFF Editor Eamon O’Keefe Student Contributors Matt Gendron, Mehmet Eroglu, Mac Haddad, Mike Reilly, Brittany Allard, Carly Radovich Faculty Contributors Mr. Hearon Faculty Advisor: Mr. Frey Dr. Cohn
September 24, 2012
Weekly Writing Response: Bully
By: Carly Radovich Between the ages of 6 and 14, I spent most of my life in a empty house. My mom worked all day just to keep food on the table and my father lived in a different house. Being alone took a toll on my self-esteem because I never had the support or relationships with my parents that everyone else had. I was always looking for a friend because I didn’t have any at home. At school, it was hard for me to get along with other girls because I was considered a “tomboy.” I spent a majority of my time with boys because playing football during recess just seemed so right, and playing with dolls just seemed so wrong. Over time people pretended I was a boy. I was taunted and criticized for liking sports and having no friends that were girls. I didn’t have anyone to go home to talk to, so I started building up my emotions. At school I tried to fit in but I was always brought back down with offensive names, and other children telling me I wasn’t girly enough to sit with them. After awhile I just began to bully others because I had no one and I believed that if I was mean, then maybe some kids would like me. But that didn’t work out the way I wanted it to and I still had no friends. By the time I was 14, I had to leave the town I grew up in because I burned so many bridges. I tried to avoid the criticism, but It still followed me. I hate the nickname Carl. It reminds me of the horrible times that I can never seem to get away from. My friends today wouldn’t be able to understand the effect that it put on me. I’m not angry at the people who call me Carl. It’s my fault because I never truly moved on from the pain. I just hold it down, and pretend to always be okay.