10/24/2013
OWLER Fall Family Fun This last weekly added to effect of end was the 2013 Fall the team cheers. Family Weekend. It Strength and Condiwas a busy few days, tioning had an interwith all the fun esting cheer which events, the time involved excessive spent catching up flexing, and Boys with family, and of Varsity Soccer got course, we all made away with not having sure to have time to to lose their voices enjoy some good from yelling the food at the dining cheer by instead hall or at a favorite doing some sort of restaurant. Most runny-dancy-clappy parents arrived on thing around the Thursday night and bonfire, which greatly confused the enjoyed a nice dinner with their kids before firemen. The pep rally Family Weekend really boosted the officially started the Hyde Pride, which next day. On Friday, stayed strong and parents attended had a great effect on classes with their our teams' perforkids. This was meant mances in the games to allow families to on Saturday. Not all experience what their teams were able to Faculty Member Steve Sheehan pumps up the crowd at the pep rally. child's academic day celebrate a victory [Photo by: Hyde.com] was like, as well as to against Bath, but provide parents with the perfect opportunity everyone put in their best effort and played to embarrass their kids. some really great games that their families The pep rally on Friday evening was a were lucky to be able to watch. highlight of the weekend, as all the sports The PA show on Saturday night was probateams gathered to show off their team spirit bly one of the best highlights of the weekend. and to get hyped for the games against Bath on Students, faculty, and the Fair Share Chairs put Saturday. Thanks to the help of the fire departtogether some really great numbers. Embracment, there was a huge bonfire, which definiteing the Halloween season, the Fair Share Chairs
10/24/2013
FALL FAMILY FUN did a hilarious zombie dance, and did a really great job of staying in character throughout the dance. The Hyde faculty, lead by Mr. Jenkins, pulled off the "Thriller" dance, even though Mr. Walsh apparently played the wrong version of the song. Performances by students included an a capella version of Glee's mash up of Halo and Walkin on Sunshine, and a dance to "Call Me Maybe", choreographed by Mr. Jenkins. The show closed with all students and faculty singing "On Top of the World", by Imagine Dragons. After several rehearsals that involved much confusion, the threatening of early in-dorms, and bonding after surviving the near-death experience of Ms. Bertschy Getting Mad (yes it deserves to be capitalized), everyone managed to come together and have fun in the finale. Though there may have been a minor mess-up where the band and everyone singing were going at two completely different tempos for a substantial amount of time, we managed to pull it together and the evening ended with everyone in high spirits. Sunday was the final day of Family
Weekend; everyone hopefully left with a better connection with their family members. There were many parents who were new to this experience, but everyone seemed enthusiastic and overall, just happy to be able to spend time with their kids and get to know them better. There were also many returning parents, as well as some who had kids that had already graduated and were just there to help everyone get the most out of Family Weekend. From hearing returning families and students talk about their experiences in previous family weekends, it was obvious that though seminars were often quite emotionally taxing, they really helped improve family dynamics if taken seriously. This year's Fall Family Weekend turned out to be a great success, reuniting students with their families and helping to build a character culture here at Hyde. After a busy weekend, students and faculty were able to relax and enjoy a day off before school started up again on Tuesday. Story by: Hui Seow Sophmore Vaughn Blehl centers a bowl on the pottery wheel with his mom Christine Scott. [Photo Source: Hyde.edu] *For more pictures of Fall Family Weekend 2013, go to hyde.edu*
HOWLS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Where Does Aid Money Really GO? Have you ever donated to a cause and wondered, how that money is used, and how people are benefitting from that donation? Many people are unsure of where the money ends up, and sometimes people even scam others for their own benefit. “In 2011 -- the last year we have comprehensive data for -- total development aid from rich countries stood at nearly $150 billion, according to the Investment to End Poverty report. Only $59 billion identifiably involves the transfer of actual cash to, for example, recipient governments, NGOs operating on the ground or special project funds.”(Ntale)
International Aid makes for about another $25 billion, since many donors believe shipping actual food to developing countries can possibly destroy local food markets and local farmers. Research says food aid can actually be harmful since shipping food is expensive, especially when the food is grown in the benefactor country. For instance, shipping to Sorghum from the U.S. is 200% more expensive than from Sudan. Surprisingly, large amounts of aid money never leave the rich countries. $22 billion, or 20%, of international aid is dedicated to activities in donor countries or towards cancellation of debt. This includes funds to cover housing, food, and other services for the first 12 months of refugees’ stay in the donor
countries. This also includes cost of students from developing countries. In 2011, $4.5 billion was spent on refugee costs, $3.5 billion went towards university costs, and approximately $7.5 billion was used for debt relief. The international aid is used differently depending on the country. In 2011, Italy and France both gave the same amount of aid, around $2 billion. Italy kept 70% of its aid in the country, spent on refugee costs and debt relief, whereas around 70% of Denmark’s aid was towards transferring of resources to developing countries. Certain countries are not receiving the
same amount of aid as advertised. It was reported that the Democratic Republic of Congo received $7.5 billion in aid, but in reality over $5 billion was transferred to the benefactor and was used for debt relief. Aid is one of our tools to help improve the lives of the unfortunate. The next time you decide to make a donation, make sure your money is used efficiently to help other countries by assuring the information about your benefactor is accurate and unambiguous. You can hold the policymakers accountable by making an informed decision while donating aid money. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/opinion/where-does-aid-money-really-go/index.html Story by: Dylan Marx
10/24/2013
NEW STUDENT FACES Izabelle “Izzy” Castillo New York, NY enrolled on September 4, 2013 into the 11th grade
Evan Bolland Mountain Lakes, NJ enrolled on September 19, 2013 as a Post-Graduate
Connor Munnelly Ridgefield, CT enrolled October 18, 2013 into the 9th grade
Sarah Jupp Ridgefield, CT enrolled September 30, 2013 into the 9th grade
Callaway “Cal” Spahr Ardmore, PA enrolled September 30, 2013 into the 11th grade
Hailey Williams Ridgefield, CT enrolled October 3, 2013 into the 9th grade
NEW STUDENT FACES Markus Rhyner Wilton, CT arrived on October 22, 2013 into the 10th Grade.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU Smith Loy Chipley Yujing (Jessica) Shao Age/Birthday: April 9th, 1990.
23,
Age/ birthday: 19, August 30th 1994.
If you were stuck on an island and could eat one food, what would it be? Bacon
What is your favorite American food? Mango
Did you originally want to be a teacher? Yes and no. Yes, because the teachers that I have had have made such a positive impact in my life and I wanted to do the same. I also think that education is really important. No, because I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted to do. I like more active jobs. I like something more physically challenging. Favorite ice cream? Cake batter ice cream with sprinkles. What does your dream house look like? I want a good-sized house with two stories in the woods with a pond. I want it to be in-between the mountains and the beach, and have animals. I also need heated floors in the bathroom, and have the rest of the house open with a lot of windows.
What is your favorite Chinese food? I don’t have a favorite, but I love my mother’s cooking. Why did you want to come to the United States? I want to get into an American university to study, as well as to learn about a different country. The Chinese education system made me feel more stressed while American schools make me feel more comfortable. What is your favorite school subject? Ceramics, because I can make anything I can imagine and that is cool. Interviews by: Lila Paulsen
Photo Source: facebook.com and Richard Curran
10/24/2013
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Inspirational Seniors The senior year at Hyde is meant to be the one where students really develop their character and learn about themselves in order to fully prepare to be sent out into the world without all the previous support of family, friends, teachers, and other role models. Students who really take what Hyde has to offer and try to better themselves as a person tend to be great leaders and inspirational role models in the Hyde community. A couple of weeks ago, we had a school meeting where the senior class was on stage and the rest of the Hyde community was asked to recognize seniors who had been significantly inspirational or great role models. John Nelson and Amelia Lyle, both four-year seniors, were the most acknowledged of the senior class. It was a long and tough journey to get to the point where they stand now in terms of developing their character and maturing. Apparently, Amelia was a rebellious 14-year old whose arrogance and lack of motivation kept her from excelling in Hyde’s environment. She said, “I was just dealing with a lot of emotional trauma, so I was just kind of a distraught kid and I wasn’t dealing with myself well. Now, I’m much more emotionally grounded and I understand myself so much better.” A lot of kids start off their journey at Hyde this way. As a freshman, John was also lost for direction, and he was not outgoing and really just kept to himself. It may be hard to believe, knowing how they are today, but both
claimed to have absolutely no intention of becoming a leader when they started off at Hyde. From day one, Amelia, like many new students, was desperately trying to get out of Hyde, and John “could barely think past a week from then, never mind four years in the future.” He said, “I wanted to be a leader, but I didn’t know if it was a goal that I could achieve”. Obviously, much has changed in those four years that they both spent here at Hyde. Sure they made an upward climb and managed to become a person many look up to, but the journey to the finish line was tough. John talked about how he had several instances where he slipped up, namely his sophomore year when he had some conflict with dean’s area. Coming out of that rough patch, he learned that “what got me back on track was remembering that the easy way out is not going to help you, the hard path is the one that helps you grow.” Amelia struggled a lot with accepting her imperfections and certain aspects of character in which she was lacking, namely humility. A defining moment for her was a conversation with a trusted faculty member concerning her suffering relationship with her mother, and after being put out to work for a while, she was able to recognize she was responsible for having part in the conflict with her mother. Putting aside her pride and asking for help was one of the most important lessons she learned.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Just as Amelia and John are role models to many in the Hyde community now, they themselves had their own role models during their previous years at Hyde. When asked who his greatest role model at Hyde was, John responded, “I think my greatest role model, aside from my dad, would probably be Mr. Felt. He’s just such a great example for all the males of the community and he’s just a really genuine guy. I don’t think I would have my priorities set the way they are now if I didn’t have him around.” Amelia named her greatest role model to be Mr. Jenkins, saying that “Mr. Jenkins has been incredibly inspirational to me, and I’d say that I really don’t know where I’d be in terms of the family program because he and I have very similar personality types and we have amazingly similar stories.” Through connecting with him, Mr. Jenkins was able to offer her valuable guidance and support throughout her time at Hyde and was greatly influential to Amelia being able to turn around and overcome her emotional setbacks. Amelia and John’s stories tell us of two freshmen who didn’t have anything really figured out and managed to discover what it takes for them to succeed. Through trial and error, and a great deal of effort, they are now significant role models for the rest of the Hyde community.
Amelia singing during Family Fall Weekend
Story by: Hui Seol
John preparing a tackle
Photo Source: facebook.com and Richard Curran
10/24/2013
SPORTS UPDATE Girls Soccer Girls Varsity Soccer hosted the Hyde Bath campus at 1:45 Saturday afternoon. With a quick 2-0 lead, the girls kept playing their game. The Phoenix ended up with a 5-2 win, and put in a tremendous amount of effort. Not a lot of goalies can say they stopped a penalty kick, but Hui '15 of Hyde can add her name to that list.
Girls JV Soccer The Girls JV soccer team notched points for our Presidents Cup competition, holding a 3-0 win against Bath. Mary Yoder '14 claimed her first shut-out as a starting goal keeper.
Boys Soccer
Angie Guidera-DeGroot ‘14
The boys hosted St Lukes all the way from New Canaan, losing by a final of 5-1, with the goal by Felipe Azevado '14 on a free kick. The game was 1-0 at half, but slipped away from Hyde in the second 40 minutes of play. The score did not reflect the team’s hard work and physical play during the match. The Saturday of Family Weekend, the boys took on Bath for vital points in the Presidents cup. They dropped the game 0-4, Unagle to capitalize on a bunch of scoring opportunities. Although it was a loss on the scoreboard, they held their heads high with amazing gameplay on the field that day.
Boys JV Soccer Before the big game vs Bath, the JV team traveled to Putnam Science. Through the woods and down the hill sat a grass field, which JV is used to playing on since they practice on Krebs. The team lost with a final score of 0-7. Many goal opportunities were given to the team, but players couldn't find the back of the net in any of them.The Boys JV soccer team took a tough 3-1 loss against Bath. However they are looking to get back on track against Wheeler and Williams on back-to-back days to get a win streak going. Coach Duethorn is focusing on conditioning in practice and looks for that to translate into hard work during game play.
SPORTS UPDATE Boys and Girls Cross Country
Football
The boys team saw amazing improvements the past couple of meets with Vega ‘16 cutting his time down by six minutes and Mandy '15 shooting past her goal of 28 minutes by receiving a 27 minute time. Although we are still in the regular season, one can only imagine the hard work put forth in trying to land a spot on that All-New England team. The SENE will be held 11/1 at Wheeler. New Englands will be help at Marianapolis Prep School, a course that our boys/girls team knows well. It should be interesting to see how the team keeps improving. Coaches are looking to reach a peak point for the runners at post-season meets.
Bill Lin ‘15
The Varsity Football team earned their 2nd win of the season. They traveled four hours to Maine to take on Hebron Academy, coming away with a hard fought 18-7 win on Saturday afternoon. Dexter Thompson ’15 stood out with a 92 yard kick return. Todd Jones '14 had a handful of tackles and a touchdown; Kenny Grant '14 had three sacks, and Marcus Greenridge ‘17 had a touchdown. Other key players were, Khalil Reese '14, Omri West ’15 and Harrison Smith '15. Rodney Felder '14 and John Nelson '14 also had interceptions. It was great to hear the Hyde bell for an earned win. Family Weekend arrived, taking on Holderness Prep School. Varsity Football started off slow, but picked it up come the 2nd half, winning the game with a final score of 37-28. This put the team at 3-2. They look to get that 4th win next Saturday as they travel all the way back to Maine, where they will play Kents Hill. Marcus Greenidge ‘17
JV Football The JV football team captured their first win in 3 years! They faced off against St. George’s. The difference-maker was Hyde’s own Sean Sullins '16 with 2 interceptions returned for a touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. One can only imagine the possible fantasy points.
Sports updates by: Rob Ficarra
Photo Sources: Hyde.edu
10/24/2013
OWLER’S CHOICE
The whole JV Football team has been awarded the Howler’s Choice for their outstanding performance in their game against St. George’s School. The JV Football team came out victorious, 26-20. With their hard work and determination on the practice field, they were able to pull themselves together and guarantee a win. This team finally broke the four-year curse that many attributed to Coach Wes “Cha Chi” Jenkins’ reign as head coach. He refused to comment on this allegation. Below are some quotes from members of this victorious squad. “The whole team put in work, so we deserve it.” -Justin “Irb-your-enthusiasm” Irby ’14 “So we got ahead, and used that as motivation.” -Charlie “Gefilte Fish” LeVine ’13 “First win in years!” -Benjamin “Caveman” Morgan, Head Coach “Good Job, and stay classy, Woodstock” By: Marcos “Spider Monkey” Mercado
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STARS OF THE WEEK Felipe Azevedo Certainly, a star for me, in the College Office, has been Felipe Azevedo. I have been astounded by and grateful for his work ethic, timeliness and his not only "Happy To Do It" attitude, but "You Can Count On Me To Do It" follow through. He has been curious, dependable and, at times, even a teacher in the process. He has been a joy to work with, and I look forward, as he completes his work, to watching him lead and help others with their applications. - Mrs. D
Kevin Ge I saw Kevin Ge take leadership initiative during the Saturday seminar over FFW. Even though he wasn not listed as a leader, he acted like one, getting the group to focus and take the day’s events seriously.
Katie Mehiel Katie Mehiel is a star of the week for her efforts during family weekend. She set the tone for our group through her willingness to be honest and to give quality feedback to both her peers and parents. Her personal growth is evident and I was very impressed by her desire to continue that.
Ben Morgan Faculty member Ben Morgan earned a star nomination for driving all the way to New York to pick up ChaCha’s mom so she could participate in Fall Family Weekend. If that’s not above and beyond, I don’t know what is. He truly models “going to the ends of the Earth for students and their families.” Great job Ben!
Sue Nowak I would like to nominate Sue Nowak, who works in the IT office at Hyde. She has spent the last few days working on trying to fix the printer in the Mac lab so we could print for the art show. She offered to come in on her day off or an evening so we could get the students’ artwork printed for the show this weekend. Thanks for all your help. Photo Source: facebook.com and Richard Curran
10/24/2013
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Destin Oliveira After learning of Destin’s potential as an artist last year, I decided that I wanted to offer her and our future talented art students an AP Studio Art class. This class requires each student to submit a Portfolio to the College Board at the end of the year. Each portfolio requires about 24 pieces of artwork. Destin is applying to a few well known art schools next year, and this class is helping her prepare a portfolio for admission as well. It is a pleasure to work with a student who embodies the arts; not only is she visually artistic, she sings, plays the ukulele, and is a fabulous dancer. I wanted to feature some of her work to showcase her talent, passion, and determination in drawing and painting. Written by: Brooke Felt
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
10/24/2013
JUST FOR FUN Twins!
Jason Warnick
Pee Wee Herman ..enough said
And
Evan Bolland
Andrew Garfield from The Amazing Spiderman
Brought to You by... Hui-Ling Seow - Founder/Director/Journalist Dylan Marx - World News Journalist Rob Ficarra - Sports Journalist Marcos Mercado - Sports Journalist/Photographer Lila Paulsen - Interview Specialist Emma Deary - Assistant to the Director and Founder Amelia Lyle - Assistant Editor Charles Escalante - Director of Sports Journalism/Twin of the Day Alex LaBeef - Layout Design Wes Jenkins - Editor and Chief