The Searchlight March 2023

WHS students recognized by Scholastic Art Awards Winners to receive their awards at a ceremony at Tufts University

By Nicole Martin Staff Writer

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards encourages and influences young artists to further their creative minds and produce bold ideas. Students may receive awards including a Gold or Silver Key award or honorable mentions. Art entries are selected by a group of professional artists who base their decisions on three core values: originality, skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Eight winners from Walpole High School were invited to attend. Gold and Silver Key winners from WHS are seniors Kristyn Dentremont, Sophia Kaselis, Anne Cameron, sophomore Sakeena Abbasi and junior Edmond Fitzgerald. Additionally students given honorable mention awards are sophomore Sophie Murray, freshman Rebecca Chen and once again Abbasi.

Abbasi, Gold Key winner, created a sculpture titled “Nuts and Bolts” by using a rigid medium in order to create a balance of softness and

rigidness within her sculpture.

“Overall, the sculpture portrays a balance of strength and beauty in its appearance,” Abbasi said.

“Intuitive” is the title of Gold Key winner, Kaselis’ mixed media piece. The ensemble of this canvas was made appealing to the eye through texture and layers. This canvas tells a story about Kaselis’ own life by representing the complicated progression she has completed through her two AP art classes.

“This was the first peice this year that altered my artistic eye,” Kaselis said.

Dentremont won a Gold Key award for a painting she created on a stretched out canvas representing a bird. She used three different mediums–acrylic paint, gesso and sharpie markers along with abstract visual elements to create her piece.

“I was initially inspired by Mr. Kim, the teacher whose class I did this piece for, because his teaching has helped me redefine how I think about and

make art,” Dentremont said. “Unlike my standard observational pieces, this piece captures how I am less disciplined in my art-making and instead more inspired and daring.”

Cameron, Silver Key winner, created a canvas piece with multiple layered mediums and colors. Cameron experimented with her piece to see the interaction of varying color compliments and the addition of other details in order to increase sophistication and create

a general cohesion throughout the piece. Cameron favors contemporary art and therefore created this piece as something deviates from traditional art. There are a number of celebration ceremonies and exhibitions in each region for the winners of the Scholastic Art and Writing Award. On March 18, the Massachusetts Scholastic Art and Writing Award ceremony will be held at the Cohen Auditorium on the Tufts Medford Campus to recognize the winners.

WHS students attend annual MASC conference Student Council wins tenth straight Gold Council of Excellence

By Grace Ryan News Editor

The WHS Student Council highly anticipates the annual Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (MASC) conference each Spring and this year was no different, especially considering it was the first in person conference since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The MASC conference was held at the Cape Codder Hotel from March 8 to March 10. The conference provides an opportunity for Student Councils from around the state to collaborate and learn together. MASC consists of workshops, entertainment including a lip sync battle, guest speakers, regional meetings and a banquet with an award ceremony.

As Student Council organizes events and fundraisers throughout the year, they keep in mind the requirements in order to enhance their application for

MASC awards. This year, Student Council’s hard work and efforts paid off as they were awarded the Gold Council of Excellence. This is the tenth straight year (excluding the pandemic) that the WHS Student Council has been named a Gold Council and they were given the award at the banquet on the final night of the conference.

Prior to the final night's banquet full of dancing and awards, the 19 WHS attendees participated in several other MASC activities including a polar plunge. On the first day of the conference, members plunged in support of Special Olympics Massachusetts in order “to celebrate

inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities." Councils raised money to benefit Special Olympics athletes and WHS Student Council raised over $2,000, the ninth most out of all MASC councils.

Altogether, MASC councils raised over $52,000 for Special Olympics.

In addition to the polar plunge, members also participated in workshops where they acquired new skills. WHS Student Council advisor Kerry McMenimen ran a workshop of her own about teamwork. During the workshops, Student Council members collaborated on ideas with other local high schools as well as en-

hanced their leadership, communication and inclusion skills that they plan to apply to WHS this year and in years to come.

“We had a great group at MASC this year and I know we will bring our lessons on communication and leadership into our council!,” junior and Assistant Secretary Faith Heffernan said.

In addition to MASC’s ability to elicit collaboration among councils, promote leadership and inclusion skills and award hard-work, the conference also gives the opportunity for WHS members to bond and plan to improve their own council.

“I think [MASC] shows that the problems we have in our council are problems other councils have and shows that the strengths we have as a council continue to grow and develop. MASC also fosters new leaders, more freshmen went this year than ever before which is exciting,” McMenimen said.

Art sudents won Gold and Silver Key awards in addition to honorable mention recognition.

The WHS executive board pose with the award.

Photo/Student Council

Sakeena Abbasi

Kristyn Dentremont

Annie Cameron Sophia Kaselis

Editors-in-Chief

Sophia Brownsword

Kristyn Dentremont

Isabelle O’Connell

News Editor

Grace Ryan

Sports Editor

Toby Moses

Opinion Editor

Liam McDonough

Lifestyle Editor

Annie Cameron

A&E Editor

Ciara Foley

Feature Editor

Erin Malinn

Social Media & Business Manager

Meg McNeil

Staff Writers

Second Year Writers

Liv Carney

Jess Cruz

Gianna Pompeo

Emily Sullivan

First Year Writers

Sahithi Ajjarapu

Emily Botelho

Violet Burgess

Alexa Dayaa

Jaylee Fitzpatrick

Maxwell Grant

Kaitlyn Jones

Nicole Martin

Sophie Murray

Adonai Paulos

Nicole Scotton

UNICEF Club to hold spring fundraiser

Students to deliver Easter eggs to families in Walpole

By Sophia Brownsword Editor-in-Chief

Throughout the year, Walpole High School’s UNICEF club holds a variety of different fundraisers, compiling money to send to the official UNICEF organization at the end of the year. After a successful Fall season, including their Trunk-or-Treat fundraiser and other concession stand setups at parent-teacher conferences or Back to School Night, the WHS UNICEF Club is preparing for their first ever Spring fundraiser, Egg My Yard. Happening on April 7 and April 8–the Friday and Saturday before Easter–volunteers and members of the WHS UNICEF club will visit participating houses around Walpole at nighttime, spreading candyfilled eggs over their front lawns and leaving a note from the Easter bunny on their front doors. The club currently has 60

slots open for families to sign up under, and if they have enough

WHS UNICEF club advisor Vanessa Hackett said. “Starting at 8 p.m., the UNICEF bunnies are going to drive to different parts of Walpole in order to cover the person’s front yard. Then, we will leave a note that the Easter bunny stopped by.”

The idea of the Egg My Yard fundraiser was inspired by similar events that have been held in other towns since the start of the pandemic. The club plans to continue this event annually, and the Egg My Yard as well as the Trunk or Treat fundraiser will hopefully become the UNICEF club’s two main annual fundraisers.

Candy and egg donations can be dropped off in room 2308. volunteers, they will open up more slots to cover additional houses.

“People can sign up, and there are three options. You can get 25 eggs, 50 eggs or 75 eggs,”

UNICEF Club will be accepting donations for candy and plastic eggs. Students will deliver all eggs prepackaged to families. To sign up for the fundraiser, visit the QR code on the flyer or contact Hackett for more information.

“Double Double” hits the stage WHS Drama Club performs annual winter play

By Nicole Scotton Staff Writer

On Friday, March 10, the Walpole High School (WHS) drama club hit the stage and opened their winter play, “Double Double,” written by Kathryn Funkhouser. The cast performed two shows on Friday and Saturday evening. Tickets were sold at the door throughout February and March, and sold out ahead of the performances. Inspired by the works of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the play follows an awkward high schooler, Emily, who continues to be sabotaged by three mysterious witches while she and her classmates are preparing to perform their own school play of “Macbeth.” According to theater lore, “Macbeth” is a cursed production, as many theater and film productions throughout history have experienced accidents and tragedies. “Double Double” plays off of this legend by depicting the play’s three witches trapped in human society, and vow to curse productions of “Macbeth” in order to escape.

The play included both lighthearted jokes and frightening scenes, while even touching upon deeper meanings and sentiment such as the value of friendship, trust and the heavy topic

two shows of “Double

of bullying–all of which many high schoolers may find themselves relating to. Furthermore, the twists and turns of “Double Double” left viewers on the edge of their seats, attempting to predict what may occur next.

The club began rehearsing and producing the play since mid-January, leaving members of the performance a mere month and a half to formulate a prodigious production. Less time was granted for the creation of this play as compared to musicals, such as their last production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” as musicals take much more time to formulate. With such limtied time to produce this play, much more

dedication needed to be applied from all members of the club.

“Everyone takes these productions very seriously, and are willing to step out of their way to make a product that people are going to enjoy,” said junior Max Grant.

The drama club displayed special effects skills throughout the play with the use of lighting and sound effects from their technology team. The set included multiple school desks, a couch and even sword props, while costumes consisted of mostly average schoolwear–aside from the witches, in an attempt to replicate average high school life. The Drama Club will return to the stage next fall.

The cast performed

Double” for the community.

Photo/Nicole Scotton

School libraries need more diverse collections

Books representing different cultures are beneficial to students

By Toby Moses Sports Editor

With March being national reading month, the importance of books and libraries for children should not be understated. Literature can leave lasting impressions on young people, making school libraries important hubs for young students to explore a variety of books. Books are a valuable tool for exposing young people to different walks of life outside of where they personally live. By diversifying the selection of books at the library, students can develop an understanding of cultures and traditions previously unbeknownst to them.

“You want to expose kids to books that are windows, where they are kind of peeking into a world that’s different from theirs,” Kristin Moses said, media STEM teacher from Boyden Elementary School.

The concept that books can be mirrors, windows, or doors was coined by Rudine Sims Bishop, a professor and significant figure in multicultural children’s literature. At Boyden, students are exposed to Black History Month, Lunar New Year, MLK day and much more

through read-alouds and lessons. Despite a preexisting variety of books available, not all the books in Walpole’s selection are as up to date as they should be.

“There have been a few instances where parents reported back that books appear date through their portrayal of other cultures,” Moses said.

brarians, with the position being replaced by STEM media teachers. The absence of librarians in elementary schools results in less dedicated time for students to check out books and read. Without an official librarian, there is no official policy for parents to advocate for the removal of certain books. Parents can, however,

Walpole Public Schools (WPS) with the mission of diversifying the schools’ libraries. The MBI has donated over 400 books to WPS thus far, with plans to expand and increase the outreach of their mission. The MBI picks a theme every month and five to seven books are donated relating to that theme, as well as teachers who can also request books. The MBI is a part of a larger program called Be Inclusive, a nonprofit based out of Walpole that is committed to helping marginalized communities.

“There are so many amazing people in the world that are not highlighted in our bubble of Walpole,” said Holmes, “books are a real easy way to teach and to show people what is really out there”

By giving feedback about the books their children take home, parents can play an important role in keeping the library’s selection up-to-date. In other school districts, there are formal policies where parents can challenge books and argue for their removal. Elementary schools in Walpole lack true li-

suggest that books be added to the library. In the past, parents have suggested the purchase of books to increase representation for certain minority groups.

Three years ago, Walpole parents Shantae Holmes and Kristen Kohlmeyer formed the Multicultural Book Initiative (MBI), partnering with

By contributing diverse books to Walpole’s libraries, the MBI aims to help break down stereotypes and create a more inclusive community. For all students, exposure to different lifestyles and cultures is highly beneficial.

“For kids of color, it shows that they are important and part of the community if they’re being represented in the books they have access to,” said Kohlmeyer.

Intervention blocks are undervalued at WHS

The student body does not appreciate intervention periods

By Meghan McNeil Social Media & Business Manager

Every Wednesday from 1:03 until 2:05 and during their study periods, students have an opportunity to catch up on late work, and further their knowledge in a subject or prepare for upcoming assessments. Interventions allow students to focus on their own personal needs rather than the requirements of a course curriculum. Although interventions have been a critical component to the WHS schedule since 2020 and have been benefiting students since then, it now appears as if students are no longer taking advantage of this resource.

“I feel students don’t

value the use of interventions because they see the hour less of school on Wednesdays and decide it’s a good idea to go home,” an anonymous student said.

Students agree that Wednesday interventions could be more effective for students through implementation of nonoptional staying in school, although that could lead to more dislike toward interventions. One solution to the issue of student underappreciating interventions is clarification of where to get information about interventions. The location of this information could possibly be causing student struggle, yet all the information is easily accessible on the WHS student resource page.

“Not scheduling teachers for meetings during intervention time would be helpful,” another student says. Communication is a key component to making interventions run smoothly for all parties. Implementing interventions prioritizes the needs of students and acknowledges the difficulty many students face balancing academics and extracurriculars. Due to being constructed into the Wednesday schedule, 68% of students go to Wednesday interventions weekly whereas 18% utilize media center interventions weekly. A reason for this varying percentage can be connected to students’ opinion on Wednesday versus media center interventions.

“It is hard when you do not have study the same time as your teacher because they know exactly what you’re learning, rather than having to explain it to a teacher who is not your teacher,” student says.

A main concern for students this year is the minimal library availability, however, the remodeled cafeteria has allowed for a more open space for students to collaborate and talk openly. The library, used for Wednesday interventions in the past, has expressed the student’s need for a location to communicate rather than work in silence, but now no students are allowed

to study alone on Wednesdays.

“I think that if the media center was easier to access like how it was before then it could be a lot more effective for students [so students could utilize it without having to sign up],” student says.

Students also are given an opportunity to socialize with other students in the cafeteria, however, this is becoming a priority for students rather than what the original purpose of interventions entailed.

“Everyone fools around doesn’t actually sit down and get their work done,” said another student.

The majority of students at WHS have responded positively to Interventions being implemented as it benefits everyone. In a survey sent out to all students, many agreed that they are a great break for students with difficult home lives, time to complete missing work and help improving grades.

Staff members such as Mrs. Tobey are working dilligently to ensure interventions are a learning positive time. Alterations to the Intervention program can still be made to improve the student view of interventions, nonetheless, students must realize the importance of these periods and hold themselves accountable for their own academic success.

Inclusive novels are shockingly beneficial for student learning.

Graphic/ Toby Moses

Experiental learning is necessary in high school Students should be encouraged to learn outside the classroom

By Sophia Brownsword Editor-in-Chief

While the pandemic made the occurrence of fieldtrips at high school over the past couple of years complicated, as most things return back to normal, so does the existence of nontraditional learning. Unfortunately, from student perspective, field-trips no longer contain the appeal that they used to in middle and elementary school. For many students, field trips propose a problem: missing school.

Walpole High School cites that one of its goals–per the mission statement–is to “foster learning through a collaborative process that engages students, educators and the community.”

That being said, one of the best ways to offer students engagement within their community is through field trips. Another part of the mission statement cites that WHS will “make every effort” to produce students that are “able to succeed in the increasingly complex world in which they will live.” Considering this, more experiential learning opportunities should be provided for students at WHS, as these experiences can more accurately provide students with the worldliness WHS

claims to impart. And yet, while on paper field trips seem to be in alignment with the mission at WHS, there are still so many students reluctant to attend them.

One main reason is because students do not feel as if they would be given adequate time after the field trip to make up all the work missed during class.

“I would be expected to go to class the next day like I did not miss a day. I would be ex pected to have everything done–notes done, homework done–and expected to continue on as if I were in class the day be fore,” an anon ymous WHS se nior said.

The WHS Student/Parent Handbook states that students have “two school days to make-up work for each day absent.” Despite this policy, many students feel as though they are expected to be caught up by the time they return to class after a field trip.

Not only does the issue affect students, but teachers also feel discouragement when they are planning field trips.

“Whenever I’ve run a field trip for students, I have

felt as though I have to justify the validity of the trip to my colleagues so that people do not think students are missing their classes just to have fun,” an anonymous WHS teacher said.

Most often when students discuss field trips, they think of their sixth grade environmental camp week or the time they went to the Boston Tea Party museum in elementary school. But in highschool, field trips can be so much more than just a fun break from school. They can promote the interactions between one high school an another through the attendance of conferences and panels, like the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (MASC) threeday conference. What once used to be a much revered trip is now struggling to find enough members who want to go in order to reach the minimum.

“I remember having to write a short paper or paragraph on why I deserved a spot [at MASC],” an anonymous WHS alumni said. “I often think back on MASC and Student Council

in general and feel like so much of what we did there and some of the skills you learn are way more valuable to me today than the time I spent in biology class.”

The difference in attitudes between past opinion and current opinion towards participating in field trips demonstrates the new culture at WHS that perpetuates students’ inability to take advantage of the immense opportunities offered. Field trips should be taken advantage of at the highschool level, and students should not be so held back by schoolwork itself that they feel they cannot participate. Embarking on different educational experiences outside the classroom is beneficial to the learning process as a whole, and all students should have the ability to actually take part in these experiences. Teachers should support students’ exploratory endeavors, and allow students the proper support necessary if they need to catch up on work due to a fieldtrip. Not only that, but WHS itself should be encouraged to seek out more experiential learning for students to take part in, as it provides a necessary break from the monotony of everyday school as well as extreme benefits to educational development.

Marvel Studios experiences recent fall from grace

Is Marvel Studios’ execellence a thing of the past?

By Liam McDonough Opinion Editor

In May of 2012, Marvel Studios released the biggest superhero movie to date with “The Avengers,” which was ultimately the first of its kind, having a lineup of iconic superheroes in one film. As soon as it hit theaters, “The Avengers” became an instant hit that had audiences raving about all things surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In April of 2019, the highly speculated “Avengers: Endgame” was released, featuring a record 36 superheroes from the MCU. The film earned 2.79 billion dollars at the box office, giving the production the accolade of the second highest grossing film of all time, per Box Office Mojo. The future was looking extremely bright for the MCU as fans predicted that “Avengers: Endgame” would signal the start of a new golden era for the franchise; however, the loss of several prominent actors coupled with the release of low-quality projects has led the MCU to uncharted levels of mediocrity.

While the movie itself was deemed nothing short of a masterpiece, it also served as a send off for a few notable char-

acters such as Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America. At some point down the line, characters who have had an extensive run in a film series should face an inevitable death, but it seems as if the MCU has handled this scenario ever so poorly. First off, when cutting off ultra-famous superheroes like Iron Man, it would be logical to introduce or expand on other stars within the franchise. Unfortunately, Marvel Studios has failed to adhere to this idea and focused on unknown superheroes like “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk.”

Secondly, they are putting out a large portion of their content on the streaming service, Disney+, which subscribers have to pay at least eight dollars per month for. It would be understandable if Marvel Studios decided to release most of their new projects in theaters, where consumers are more willing to view them. Instead, the franchise is limiting their avid fan base to those who are subscribed to Disney+, and preventing many fans from keeping up-to-date on the MCU.

As a result of these two factors, people who walk into theaters to check out the newest Marvel movie will most likely have a lack of understanding of

what is going on because they have missed other productions in the universe. This dilemma is more real than ever because so many new characters have been implemented into the MCU. Aside from a smaller audience, the MCU has just become too complicated. For example, the plot of “Avengers: Engame” revolves around the superheroes traveling through time in order to defeat Thanos. While time travel proved fitting for that film, Marvel Studios has fallen in love with this unfathomable concept all too much. Recently released film “Antman and Wasp: Quanti-

mania” deals extensively with the concept of time, and critics and audience members alike responded quite negatively about the movie, which has become a common theme with the latest MCU projects. Marvel Studios has even contemplated bringing back the deceased Iron Man through time travel in hopes to regain some of the lost Marvel fanatics. While it still retains a lot of power in the film industry, Marvel Studios has made fans question the direction of the MCU, which is ultimately due to self-inflicted wounds that have lost Marvel Studios a sizable portion of their fanbase.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp : Quantumania” received a lowly 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Graphic/ Sophia Brownsword

Graphic / Marvel Studios

Rebecca Cohen shares career as death row mitigator

Cohen spoke to junior English classes about carceral justice

By Erin Malinn Feature Editor

Mitigation investigator Rebecca Cohen spoke to junior English classes on March 8 about her work in death penalty cases and the lasting impact she has left on her clients and their families. The presentation followed the classes’ unit on Bryan Stevenson’s memoir “Just Mercy,” which chronicles Stevenson’s career as an attorney and the creation of his foundation, the Equal Justice Initiative. While Cohen was attending Yale University, she took a death penalty class where she

learned about a 17-year-old boy who was wrongly executed on death row. This story inspired Cohen to take time off college to work on death row cases, sending letters to attorneys all over the country volunteering to help with their cases. After Stevenson responded to her letter, she took a semester off to work with him in Montgomery, Alabama. Since then, Cohen has been working in the criminal justice field for over 30 years, and she advocates for clients in a number of the 27 states where the death penalty is legal.

“Having Rebecca Cohen come talk to the kids was great after reading ‘Just Mercy’ because

she hopefully helped to broaden student’s understanding of justice beyond punitive measures and encourage them to consider the complexities of human behavior and experience,” English teacher Bailey Tighe said.

Cohen taught students about the history of the death penalty and the role of mitigation in this process. She explained that despite changes to the death penalty over the years, the process was still discriminatory, particularly towards Black defendants. Therefore, mitigation specialists spend months working with defendants, their legal team and their friends and families to provide jurors with a more well-rounded picture of the defendant’s life. By presenting information to the jury about a defendant’s past—such as abuse, neglect, disability or other traumas—mitigation specialists hope to persuade jurors to sentence clients to life in prison instead of sentencing them to death.

“We are more than the worst thing we have ever done,” Cohen said. “A mitigation specialist’s job is to find the ‘more’ in someone else’s life.”

One of Cohen’s biggest struggles in her job is time—or

lack thereof. If a specialist or a lawyer does not have enough time to build trust with their client, the client will never share valuable personal information. Many of Cohen’s clients discuss, often for the first time, trauma that occurred decades ago. The importance of hearing directly from the client, rather than a witness who can provide a full story, is to understand how they think, whether or not the information aligns with the case story.

“I think of my clients’ lives as puzzles, as them having the most obvious pieces of the puzzles. But it depends on who they are and their circumstances to how many pieces they have,” Cohen said.

Rather than only focusing on if a client is innocent or guilty, Cohen advocates for a more empathetic approach. She argues that the death row is inhumane even for clients who are guilty, and the only difference between a guilty or innocent client is how she approaches her defense.

“My hope is that kids understand that people are more than their mistakes and that their past actions do not define their entire identity or worth as individuals,” Tighe said.

WPD welcomes clinical social worker Dylan Jones Jones fills a new position as Law Enforcement Support Clinician

By Sophia Brownsword Editor-in-Chief

This past February, the Walpole town police department (WPD) welcomed mental-health liaison and licensed clinical social worker Dylan Jones into their fold as a part of Massachusetts’ Jail Diversion Program (JDP).

Considering that 25% of the world’s entire prison population resides within the United States–even though the states themselves only make up for 4.25% of the world’s entire population–many states have been adopting diversion against arrest programs to help decrease massincarceration and overcrowding rates within the country.

Massachusetts’ program, the JDP, paired up the state’s Department of Mental Health with local law enforcement departments in order to place mentalhealth workers within departments to oversee any cases or calls requiring their expertise.

The WPD is the latest town to benefit from this program, as Jones and his 20 years of experience in the mental health field were brought in as a resource to the division–fulfillment of a larger, national push for more mental health advocacy within government resources.

In 2005, Jones earned a master’s degree in Social Work from Simmons College, School of Social Work. Before deciding to earn this degree, however, he gained valuable experience as an outreach worker for the Justice Resource Institute in downtown Boston, helping with HIVprevention and substance-abuse intervention with youth. This experience, Jones claims, was a defining moment in his decision to pursue a career in social work.

“Choosing to become a social worker was less about mental health initially. It was more about wanting to do work that could be meaningful and profound, which I’d learned it could be through my experience as an outreach worker,” Jones said. “I knew social work would give me access to people and communities I might not otherwise be exposed to, and this would enrich my life and broaden my perspective.”

According to WBUR, a report done in 2022 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimated that 7-10% of police calls involved someone undergoing a mental health crisis. Jones’ new position will allow for those dealing with these crises to be followed up with by someone with mental health training and expertise.

“Part of my job is forming relationships with individuals who come into contact with the police frequently. There are a handful of individuals I speak with or meet with in the community regularly who struggle with mental illness, and sometimes over-utilize the police for support,” Jones said. “As an extension of Riverside Community Care’s Mobile Crisis Intervention team, I will do mental health evaluations for people in the community who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. One of the goals of these evaluations is to determine if a person needs a ‘higher level of care.’”

At Walpole High School,

there are many student interested in a variety of careers relating to mental health or community outreach, and Jones’ position as a Law Enforcement Support Clinician is just one possibility of a career that someone can pursue with specifically a degree in social work.

“A social work degree is very versatile–you can do a lot of different things with it: you can be a clinician, a therapist; you could become aprogram director; you could help developed policy,” Jones said. “If you want to be challenged, I say go for it. It can be incredibly rewarding, meaningful and interesting. It will open your eyes.”

Cohen advocates for life setences for clients on death row.

Photo/Erin Malinn

Photo/ Sophia Brownsword

Jones graduated from Simmon’s University in 2005 with a master’s in social work.

By Ciara Foley,

A &

Editor,

Malinn

While sexism has prevailed through misogynistic portrayal, Women’s History Month has served as a shield against negative connotations, honoring monumental female figures that embody leadership characteristics throughout daily life. Decades of gender equality reforms continuously pave a pathway of opportunity for the future of womanhood and continue to do so in modern times.

WHS typically does not explicitly celebrate such titles, despite women accounting for half of the education system through a variety of positions. Teachers serve as leaders who set examples for the progress and discipline of future generations, encouraging positive development in adolescence. Each WHS department consists of dedicated women, committing to extracurriculars, interventions and students in order to encourage passion and incentive. Each has personal inspiration figures that

impacted the role they’ve played in today’s high school environment. Even if not directly advocating for gender equality each day, the contribution within the education field consistently withstands classical male dominant institutions.

Kerry McMenimen, WHS English teacher known as Ms. Mac, was surrounded by educators at an early age. She is responsible for introducing the AP Language and Composition course to WHS and has continued to teach her students with passion, even through the pandemic. As a child, she developed a guiding philosophy from Curious George: people are always able to make mistakes and learn from them. Her teenage years saw powerful women more frequently in the media and many classic rock bands and artists—Nirvana, Madonna and Courtney Love—began to influence her perspective of the world. Throughout her career, the media has criticized Madonna for her controversial persona and performances. Despite critics, she became a large influence to young girls, Mac included. Ms. Mac taught these girls to always be honest, to keep pushing and to never settle for second best.

Though an abundance of positive influences for young women have been established over the years, concern for the growing female generation has only risen. “If you are an educator and you don’t have concerns, that’s an issue,” Mac said. “Social media has more of an effect on girls than most people understand. As someone who spent her entire life dealing with weight issues and body image issues, I don’t know if I would have been able to handle social media.”

Women in particular learn at a young age to become their own worst enemies. If people push themselves down, that is the only direction they will go, no matter how many people have built them up. Many teachers, Mac included, advocate for fair student treatment. However, unless school communities work to improve their tolerance, this is not enough. Female students, along with several other groups of students, are not treated as equals to their fellow classmates.

Rachel Jackson, WHS Registered Nurse and first generation nurse in her family, has played a crucial role in the wellbeing of her students. One of Jackson’s greatest accomplishments is her

schedule planning

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Erin

and Meg McNeil

E

Feature Editor and Social Media and Business Manager

Graphic/Meg McNeil

“You have the power to decide what your life is going to look like, and the choices that you make will determine where you go.”

- Mrs. Tobey

“Some of the biggest events that shaped the world today, there’s always a woman that had something to do with the change.”

-

Nurse Jackson

planning for students with the same school. information on pioneered her own them safely attend published works along with speaking

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Influenced by Dorathea prominent woman in the mentally ill patients century—Jackson adher understanding in a less accepther adolescence, the struggle for higher levels of the and now recognizes being a woman in highlights the point always be hurdles certain career paths general but that overhurdles is crucial.

“Adolescence as a young difficult and I think that general have always prominent figures now having a female and females being forefront, people are this,” Jackson said. overall experigrowing up as a wom-

an is tough, however, gender bias is something that has not been a large concern at WHS. Following a broad bloodline of educators, WHS Assistant Principal Lee Tobey had not sought out aspirations within the education field growning up. Once obtaining a teaching certificate as a backup career turned into 19 years of dedication to WHS, following her mother and great grandfather. To this day, one of the most signficant progressions throughout WPS stands to be the prominence of female leadership throughout each grade level and beyond the academic environment, the role of assistant principal being a shining example for Tobey. Encouragement towards women in leadership has become a key component to success within Walpole Public Schools, allowing more female educators to take on more influential roles.

“Of course there are barriers when it comes to women being unable to get certain jobs that men can,” Tobey said. “But, no job is really off the table. Growing up, I understood that girls can do whatever boys can do, and equity and equality have become a great push [since then].”

Throughout her teaching career, WHS English teacher Bailey Tighe has provided her students with the space to discover who they want to be and what they need to be for themselves. Tighe’s small hometown believed that being smart meant that one would grow up to be rich and successful. She later developed an understanding that intelligent individuals have access to many different opportunities and careers without the need for riches and fame. Growing up, Tighe did not have an interest in teaching. She was assured early on by her mother, also an educator, that her future did not need to be decided by age 17 and has since shared this with her classes. This ideal has helped make her classroom a judgmentfree space, one where kids are allowed to struggle and not feel as though it determines their worth.

“Failure doesn’t define you as a person,” Tighe said. “I was a large perfectionist growing up. I thought that if I was good at everything, people would like me. No one would have a reason not to. You can fail and it doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of love.”

Women at WHS are sig-

nificant in the development of how girls see themselves and inspire us to become better people. The change in women being seen openly in high positions and prominent members of society provide many young women with hope for their own futures.

At school and online, the uprising in powerful women role models is encouraging new generations to follow in their footsteps. Women’s History Month is a time to thank and appreciate the women in our lives for being of great influence to us and continuously breaking through the barriers society sets.

Embracing the role of teaching demonstrates characteristics of leadership, success, authority, and diligence. The efforts of women in Walpole have brought comfort, stability, inclusivity and enjoyment to an often highstakes, high-pressure environment, and these women fulfill the needs of every student they encounter.

Thank you to all the women at Walpole High School for setting strong examples for every member of the community, and for teaching valuable lessons in and out of the classroom to generations of students past, present, and future.

“If we are always competing and on this perceptual treadmill of getting to the top, we have nowhere to go but down.”

- Ms. Mac

“Surround yourself with women who are smart and who think you are amazing and will lift you up while you and they climb. Having people that you can fully be yourself around, and not have to worry about all these little things, that is considered to be perfection.”

- Mrs. Tighe

Upcoming WHS prom “do’s and don’ts”

Advice for upperclassmen for the highly anticipated night

By Isabelle O’Connell Editor-in-Chief

With prom being one of the most anticipated nights of the year for juniors and seniors, there are several aspects of the prom preparation process that do not come easy to teenagers. At WHS, people start talking about prom around February all the way to the night of the event itself. With months to go, there is plenty of time to prepare for the fun night that awaits many, with much to do within this time. As an incoming junior, or even senior who has experienced prom, there are always aspects of the day people wish they did better or knew before. This article serves as advice to every person planning to attend the prom this year by means of “do’s and don’ts” from observation of previous proms.

When looking for a dress, it is crucial to go in with an open mind about the process. By trying on or ordering dresses with different styles, this allows the process of elimination to be much easier. One also may think they do not like the look of a dress on the rack or online, then end up liking it themselves. After buying shoes, breaking them in before

prom is a definite yes because several people had to take off their shoes at prom last year or were getting blisters from walking around and wearing their shoes too long. Make sure when shoe shopping to look for stylish and comfortable shoes that will last a whole day’s worth of pictures, walking and even dancing. Another useful accessory to bring

on the day off to get ready. Many last year found themselves rushing up to the last minute, and sometimes even late to pictures. Make sure to schedule the day in advance, and even exaggerate the time needed because in most cases the time will be spent doing something forgotten. In order to stay calm and not stress about the getting ready process, schedul-

into prom is some sort of wristlet. Because the day is so long, many found themselves needing a phone charger, lip gloss and other personal necessities that were easily accessible in a small clutch. Lastly, and also the most significant, allow plenty of time

ing beforehand is not a bad idea. On the other hand, the “don’ts” of can be detrimental to the experience of prom 2023. If the train is too long, this can make for a stressful experience with much money down the drain. When it comes to dresses,

make sure to get the train taken up just the right amount, so that the dress does not rip; this can be make or break. Because of this happening often, it is also a good idea to not spend too much money on accessories and aspects that are not as important or noticeable. Being able to make use of old jewelry and heels, or even use someone else’s from last year, can save much time and money. On the same topic, it is important to not care if someone else wears the same dress; in the end it is all about the style one feels most confident in, and nobody really notices nor cares. Lastly, the inevitable spray tan talk. Although many do decide to get a spray tan, making the look complete and boosting their confidence, it is crucial to be cautious. Getting too dark or too light of a shade can end up ruining the look. Make sure to get a “test” spray tan, and find a color that matches right for one’s personal preference because at the end of the day it is all about what makes one feel and look more confident. With these few tips, the experience of prom no longer has to be stressful and can be seen as an unforgettable day for all who choose to attend.

The best brands for sustainable shopping Conscientous consumers can help save the environment

By Annie Cameron Lifestyle Editor

Lately on social media, people throughout the United States are distraught and appalled at the proposal of the Willow Project. This project calls for the creation of new oil fields on the North Alaskan Slope, and if approved, this project will generate enough oil to release an estimated 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution per year— equivalent to the addition of two million gas powered cars. This situation calls attention to the ongoing environmental concerns, one answer to this ques-

tion being shopping more sustainably. Consumers who shop consciously can reduce landfills and their carbon footprint, as well as support their own health and the health of the planet. One aspect of sustainable shopping is clothing. Patagonia, a popular clothing brand, is known for being environmentally conscious for their use of recycled fabrics, and implementation of several programs to lower their environmental impact. Patagonia produces their clothes with reduced emissions, and donates 1% of all their sales to environmental causes and the creation of a “repair and reuse service.” This ser-

vice allows customers to return used Patagonia clothing that will then be repaired and resold, further decreasing their emissions and preventing these garments from ending up in landfills. Likewise, Levi’s is a strong advocate for sustainable practices and another great option. Since the adoption of their Water<Less initiative in 2011, Levi’s had saved almost 13 billion liters of water as of 2020. Furthermore, their recycle and reuse policies require all facilities to recycle at least 20% of the water used in manufacturing. Similar to Patagonia, Levi’s also offers a secondhand shopping option. Customers can exchange used Levi’s clothing for a gift card, and their worn garments will be recycled and resold which reduces carbon, waste and water footprints significantly.

Beauty and hygiene products are also a large contributor to carbon emissions. Ilia, a trending makeup brand, promotes recycling and looks to use more sustainable materials in their packaging. According to their website, they use “recycled aluminum, glass components and responsibly sourced paper” to create their more environment-friendly packaging. Moreover, Ilia allows customers to mail in up to ten empty beauty prod-

ucts per month to be recycled— including products from other brands, not just Ilia. Similarly, Lush is a well-known beauty and bath brand with strong sustainability policies. Lush looks to use sustainably-produced ingredients, and 70% of their products are self-preserving. Additionally, the total recycled content in Lush packaging is 89%; pots and bottles are made with 100% PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic, carrier bags are made with 100% PCR recycled paper and gifts are wrapped with recycled paper called Ecopops which are 100% biodegradable. Finally,

The Body Shop launched their refill plan in 2019 and are continuing to add refill stations to all their stores, allowing customers to refill and reuse containers while reducing waste. The Body Shop sources their plastic from waste pickers in India, offering fair wages and better working conditions and almost all their plastic product packaging is 100% recycled materials. Saving the environment requires participation from everyone, and shopping sustainably is a great step in the right direction. Small changes such as shopping sustainably are essential in becoming more environmentally conscious.

Shopping sustainably majorly decreases the consumer’s carbon footprint.

Graphic/ Annie Cameron

Graphic/Kristyn Dentremont

Some important prom essentials include a charger, perfume, gum or extra lipgloss.

“Daisy Jones” adaptation premieres on Amazon New musical drama stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin

By Emily Botelho Staff Writer

“Daisy Jones & the Six”

is a mini series created by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. The show is inspired by the bestselling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid which was published in 2019. Released on March 3rd 2023, the series aimed to follow the rising band “The Six” in their fast rise to fame. With three episodes released so far, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of more episodes.

Taking place in the 70s, the show does an outstanding job at capturing both the aesthetic of that time period as well as the quickly evolving music genre.

“Daisy Jones & the Six” is a mix of current day interviews with the characters, and going back and forth with the actual plot. While this technique did receive some skepticism on social media, it provided viewers with the bigger picture for the band as a whole.

Starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, the series follows songwriter Daisy Jones and

“The Six” as two separate artists until music producer Teddy Price, played by Tom Wright, conjoins them as one. In the beginning of the show, the band’s

pace. After their sound became the baseline for music at that time, their one-of-a-kind sound became nothing but average. Artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and

fame and controversial relationship drama. The main character Daisy Jones (Keough) recalls Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks. When learning of her character, Keough researched Nicks and Fleetwood Mac in order to better understand her role.

popularity grew so rapidly because of their unique sound. The music The Six produced was like nothing anyone had ever heard before, which is what made their fan base grow so quickly. During that time musicians were creating heartfelt, but simple songs.

“Daisy Jones & the Six” were able to create impassioned songs to a calmer beat and slower

Marcus Mumford contributed to the show’s original soundtrack. The mini series follows the band in their attempts to make it back to the top while dealing with personal problems affecting the band. The original novel quickly drew comparisons to the story of Fleetwood Mac. Fans speculated that the show is inspired by the band’s legendary rise to

During Fleetwood Mac’s peak, the band famously went through turmoil as bandmates Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham went through a breakup that eventually inspired the classic album “Rumours.” Similarly, “Daisy Jones & the Six” chronicles the love affair between Daisy and her married bandmate Billy, and the two band members express their complex feelings through songwriting. The vintage inspired aesthetic of the show is something that made fans of the 70s immediately love it. The directors went above and beyond with the costumes, music and sets, all to add more authenticity to the background of the show itself. With the show’s final episodes premiering on March 17, fans can expect a riveting conclusion to the series.

The Oscars finally improve on their inclusivity Oscars make a comeback after last year’s controversial broadcast

By Sophie Murray Staff Writer

The Oscars is one of the biggest nights for movie and film lovers as the most prestigious and beloved productions and essential roles in film are recognized for their outstanding achievements. The 95th Academy Awards were held Sunday, March 12 at Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood. In the past, The Oscars held lots of controversy from Will Smith slapping Chris Rock to their blatant lack of diversity around nominees. Host Jimmy Kimmel took a moment to recognize the elephant in the room, in a humorous light-hearted manner, as many wondered how the Academy would recover from their past.

This year, there was more diversity seen among nominees

and winners, pleasing many viewers after the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag from previous years. Along with the improvement of diversity, the Oscars have done an even better job of inclusivity for nominated movies. While it is easy for the academy to nominate purely box office movies, there has been an increase in movies that are not just blockbusters such as movies like “Women Talking,” giving a brighter hope for the future of movies for filmmakers, actors and actresses.

The night consisted of some heartfelt speeches from the winners of Best Supporting Actress and Actor, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan for their performances in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Quan fought through tears during his acceptance speech as he explained that he thought his dreams were over

as he was unable to book another movie after his debut in both “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom” as a child actor. Jamie Lee Curtis had an extra special win tonight as it was her first time taking home an Oscar. While Curtis has been in countless movies and has always put on amazing performances, this made her first win even more notable and emotional for everyone. The event also sparked some surprises. While Austin Butler fans are both surprised and disappointed that he did not come home with an Oscar for his notable performance as the King of Rock, the Best Actor award went to Brendan Fraser for his performance in “The Whale.” Michelle Yeoh was able to take home the win as the first

eleven-time nominated movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once” dominating the ceremony as it won Best Picture Award as well. This created an even bigger step towards diversifying the Oscars as the movie itself follows a Chinese-American immagrant along with her family. Making history again, for the first time an Indian film song took home an Oscar for Best Original Song called “Naatu Naatu”. From diversifying the nominees to steering away from nominating only blockbuster movies, it is very clear that the Oscars are improving and heading towards a brighter future for the film industry to include all types of movies and people, something that is just as big as an achievement as taking home an Oscar is.

Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

Several Oscar winners and nominees gather at the Dolby Theatre. Asian women for Best Actress in the

“Daisy Jones & the Six” was adapted from the bestselling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Photo/ Buzzfeed

Photos/ Insider

Old movies remain impactful to modern audiences Classic Hollywood films hold up decades after their releases

By Kristyn Dentremont Editor-in-Chief

One of the human’s greatest gifts is the ability to see in color. Color stimulates the mind, inspires the eye and beautifies the world. Likewise, some of the greatest artistic creations such as van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting and Montreuli’s luminous stained-glass windows in the Sainte-Chapelle use thoughtful color choices to convey complex emotions. Nonetheless, there is still an artful quality to things created in black and white—specifically, black and white films. As this aesthetic of film travels further into the past, people rarely appreciate the visual and narrative impact that black and white films have had in the world of cinema.

“Casablanca’” is easily one of the most acclaimed films to exist, and remains a model for Hollywood filmmakers to this day. Set in Casablanca, Morocco, a thrilling story unfolds when male lead Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is given the chance to win back his old flame Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman) or

help her husband Victor Laszlo flee the country (Paul Henreid). Released in 1943, “Casablanca” illuminates the romance and drama that can exist during times of crisis, which ultimately led it to earning three Academy Awards: Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. Likewise, shortly after becoming famous written works, many classic novels and dramas were adapted into black and white cinematic masterpieces, capturing the essence of different time periods. For instance, Tennessee Williams’s play “A Streetcar Named Desire” was transformed into a film and released in 1951, starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh and Kim Hunter. Undoubtedly, the acting in this film captures the tension enveloped in toxic relationships through a sultry southern scandal between the aggressive yet passionate Stanley, his submissive wife Stella and her deviant sister Blanche. One of the most famous scenes that director Elia Kazan captures in the film is when Blanche is standing on a grand staircase, and the dark features of the ornate staircase

completely juxtapose Blanche’s fair, luminous glow. While it still would have been captivating in color, the black and white makes this scene visually dramatic and almost suspenseful as the contrasting dark and light elements entice the audience. And while most films today are primarily made in color, there are some outlying works that are purposefully made in black and white, one of the most prominent being Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film “Schindler’s List.” Directing a movie about

one of the most horrific massacres in history, Spielberg intentionally made this film black and white to capture the lifelessness of the Holocaust. The crowds of people inside the unlit ghettos provides a haunting visual that leaves viewers disturbed by the dark, barren streets of Germany. Surely, “Star Wars” and “Grease” are iconic films that will remain successful for years to come; however, the realm of black and white cinema remains a classic style that effectively impacts its viewers.

Miley Cyrus returns to mainstream with new album

By Violet Burgess Staff Writer

When Miley Cyrus released her new song “Flowers” on Jan. 12, the pop star experienced a resurgence in popularity on the charts. The song has already broken streaming records, while claiming its sixth week on Billboard Global charts. Following the success of the lead single, Cyrus released her eight studio album “Endless Summer Vacation” on March 10. Cyrus has been seen as a controversial artist for the past couple of years, and this new album is what Cyrus’ career has been building up to, or so fans say.

Fans are convinced that the lyrics go back to Cyrus and

her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. Cyrus and Hemsworth were married in 2018, and only a couple months later they divorced, rumored to be caused by Hemsworth’s lack of faithfulness. After five years, Cyrus released the song “Flowers”, which fans consider to be her stating the things Hemsworth had done and how it had hurt her, but also how Cyrus has grown and what the experience taught her.

Right from the beginning in the song “Flowers,” Cyrus sings “built a home and watched it burn.” The lyrics entail the past house that Cyrus and Hemsworth used to have together, but sadly their house burnt down in a huge Malibu fire.

Throughout the whole album

Cyrus hides back handed messages to an ex, sadness of a heartbreak, and ways to find yourself and recover after a heartbreak. Throughout the song Cyrus shares a side of vulnerability and projects the idea to fans that it is okay to fall apart a little and feel hopeless, but in the end you will find yourself. The album consists of 13 songs, which all express peacefully moving on and finding oneself. The song “Flowers” highlights the mindset of self love and acknowledges struggles you may feel with yourself, but it is better to love yourself and know the love that you deserve. Not only does she highlight self love, but she also points out forgiveness and not feeling regret after something is over in a catchy and upbeat way, acknowledging the happiness it can bring. With the new release of “Endless Summer Vacation” it is noticeable that Cyrus has matured and grown from many painful and unfortunate experiences she has gone through. With the release of the album she has changed many critics opinions on who she is. Cyrus has created a name for herself through her actions and her work, people believed that the album would fail because of many of her past actions, however the album has proved many wrong and has become more popular with the fresh start of the year. Her lyr-

ics project a number of meaningful and important messages. The lyrics are important for many young teens to hear and enforce the idea of self love and forgiveness, which is vital for young kids to understand at this age and for future experiences.

Not only is the song a good message for all listeners, but it is also catchy. It is an upbeat and happy song that fits right into the current popular music trends of this generation. “Flowers” is getting a lot of recognition and has made a successful song in a way with good music and a good message. She has proved to fans that she has grown as a person and matured by finding herself. The album as a whole may lack some variety and many of the songs are repeating the same message of self love. However, when enjoying a whole album at once many listeners will want to keep the same mood and theme while listening. Cyrus knew what she was doing in order to please fans, and the album itself has proved many critics wrong in the sense that it will be just another album down the drain.

Fans had high expectations when first hearing about Cyrus’ release of a new album, and she sure did not disappoint them. “Endless Summer Vacation” marks a new era in Cyrus’s career as she dominates the pop world once again.

“Endless Summer Vacation” demonstrates a new side of Cyrus

Leigh and Brando put on an iconic performance in their 1951 film.

Photo/ Flickr

Photo/DisneyPlus

Cyrus’s lead single “Flowers” became the fastest song to earn 700 million streams on Spotify.

World Baseball Classic returns after hiatus Baseball stars from all around the world hit the diamond

By Max Grant Staff Writer

This month, the most valuable players from all over the world are coming together to compete in the biggest baseball tournament there is: The World Baseball Classic (WBC). Countries including the United States, the Dominican Republic and Japan are looking to add another WBC title for their country while other nations compete for a title as well. Three different countries will host the games, but only one country will claim the title of baseball supremacy.

The reigning champions of the WBC in 2017, the United States, reloaded with a star-filled 2023 roster including outliers like team captain Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. The U.S also added back returning players from the 2017 team like teammates Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Trout rejected the opportunity to play in 2017, but had regret by not participating after watching the team go all the way.

“The whole reason I signed up: trying to win this thing,” Trout said. “There is nothing else. Anything else is a failure” . The U.S first game comes against

the Great Britain national baseball team, a first time representative, in Arizona on March 11.

The favorites to win this year’s installment of the WBC, the Dominican Republic, have what some fans believe to be the greatest baseball team ever assembled. Led by players from the 2017 WBC team, all-stars Manny Machado and Robinson Canó are hopeful to win another title for the Dominican.

“The players play different,” Machado said. “You’re playing for your country. It’s like the World Series, but you’re playing for your country.” It is evident that players participating are eager to represent their home nation. However, it’s a different feeling for players on the Czech Republic WBC team.

The Czech’s star player catcher, Martin Červenka, has only reached the AAA level of professional baseball with the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles organizations. Including Červenka, nearly every player on the Czech roster has a day job, making day to day activities like family and training even harder.

Designated hitter Petr Zýma is a financial analyst, center fielder Arnošt Dubový teaches high school geography and shortstop

Martin Schneider is a firefighter.

The Czech came close to qualifying for the 2017 WBC, but fell short, losing to Nicaragua in the semi-finals of the qualifying round. Spain, who is a bitter rival to the Czech WBC team, had already beaten the Czech 21-7 in the first game of the qualifying round of the tournament in September.

When Spain and the Czech Republic faced each other in the final of the qualifier, tensions were high. In the end, the Czech Republic came out on top to clinch their first WBC appearance ever.

Fans of their home

countries are traveling far and wide to see their country compete, just like other countries did for the World Cup. These are countries to keep an eye out for as pool play has begun with quarterfinal, semi-final, and the championship rounds all come within two weeks a part from one another. Winners and the runner-ups of all four pools will continue their journey to try and achieve baseball royalty as eliminationgames will be played in Miami, Fla. and Tokyo, Japan. The championship will be held in Miami, Fla. on March 21, at 7:00 EST.

Walpole High track team attends Nationals 10 runners represent Walpole in competitions from Boston to New York

By Emily Sullivan Staff Writer

This winter, Walpole’s track team had a successful season with many new personal best and school-record performances. As the season came to an end, there were a few athletes who were practicing in the postseason to perform at top levels of competition. This year, the New Balance Nationals were held at the new track at New Balance in Boston for the first time in history. The meet has certain cri-

teria of times that athletes have to meet in order to compete. Nationals, being one of the most competitive indoor meets of the year, has runners from around the country that compete at this meet. Due to the intensity of the athletes that attend the meet, the times are difficult to qualify for.

On March 9, freshman Ila Zollo competed in the mile which had a qualifying time of five-minute and 30 second mile. Zollo ran that qualifying standard a few times in the regular season so she

was eager to comfortably perform that at nationals. At nationals, she ran a time of five minutes and 30 seconds and placed 29 out of 36 runners. Zollo was the only freshman who ran individually at Nationals this year and she is hoping to attend this meet in her future years at WHS.

“It was a great experience to compete as a freshman and run against some of the top runners around the country,” Zollo said.

The Nike Nationals was another national track event that took place this same weekend for the final meet of indoor track. WHS had two relay teams and one individual who competed at this meet. Like the New Balance nationals, the times are competitive to be able to qualify. The first relay of the weekend was the 4x200m. Sarah Schmidt, Meri Feener, Maddie Grogan and Jenna Weylman ran a time of 1:49.64. The girls finished off a strong season placing 33rd in this event.

“I am very grateful to have been able to run my last indoor meet at Nationals. It was a race that I will never forget.” Grogan said.

The other relay team was Emma Hanifin, Ila Zollo, Caroline White and Alicen La who ran the 4x800m. On Saturday March 11th, they ran a

time of 10:11 and placed 22nd. “When I first got there the nerves hit, but as soon as I got on the track I knew what I had to do and it was such a cool feeling to be running on the same track against some of the most talented 800 runners.” White said.

The last athlete to compete was Sean Kerin who closed his indoor junior season running the 800 meters in 2:01. Kerin hopes to continue setting personal records during his final two years of track at Walpole.

For the past two years, more and more athletes have reached national levels of compeition, whether at the New Balance National or the Nike Nationals. Overall, this years national showcase was a success for Walpole track. Many younger athletes are hoping to attend this same meet next year.

Walpole track athletes are now getting ready to see what they can accomplish during the spring season which starts on March 20th. Some athletes are aiming to attend the outdoor spring nationals if they qualify for the times, which are often more difficult qualifications to reach compared to winter. Runners are excited for the spring season to face a new group of competition and run new records.

Photo/ Getty Images

Team USA beat Puerto Rico at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Athletes competed at New Balance Track in Boston.

Photo/ Instagram

WHS students travel to Thailand over break A day-by-day account of the week-long service trip from WHS students

By Liv Carney Staff Writer Meghan McNeil Social Media & Business Manager

8,549 miles away from Walpole and over 22 hours of air travel, the journey to Thailand was tough but worthwhile for WHS students. On Feb. 14, 22 students made the journey through Education First (EF); alongside them were four members of the staff: Susan Wick, Lindsey Reichheld, Megan Schwartz and William O’Malley. The goal of this trip was to respectfully immerse ourselves into another culture, adapt to a new setting and provide service that will benefit communities into the future.

Once arriving in Bangkok, we met with our tour leader Jing–she made our trip unforgettable and taught us cultural information we would have never known without her. The first day was difficult, running on a few hours of sleep before visiting a Chinese temple, riding a tuk tuk and getting hot pot for dinner. Although we had only been there for one day, the differences in culture and livelihood of the city was astounding. Vendors line the streets, traffic all throughout the day, monks walking along the street and the shocking fact that cars do not stop for pedestrians in Thailand–which many of us learned the hard way.

Day two brought even more surprises, visiting the Museum of Siam exposed us to the history of the country–the favorite exhibit being the rising blocks and monologue of the creation of Thailand. Flying from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then visiting the Anusarn Market was a highlight of the trip–the street food, vendors as well as the shopping was an experience like no other.

On day three we visited three temples: Phia Singha temple, Wat Suan Dok and Doi Suthep. At these temples we learned the appropriate ways of entering

a temple by taking off shoes and kneeling before looking around. At Wat Suan Dok we had a Monk talk where we learned about Buddhism as it is part of Thai culture with 94 to 95% of Thai people being Buddhist. We learned about the daily lives of monks, female monks and Thai culture in relation to Buddhism.

At Doi Suthep we climbed 309 steps to the temple and got blessed by monks. That night we had a traditional Thai dinner sitting at a long table with no chairs, and watched a show with traditional Thai clothing and dances.

The next day we visited an Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park, where we learned how to make the paper out of elephant poop and decorated products made of poop. We then moved to the Student Learning Center for orientation of our service project and did a challenge course–a fun and bonding exercise.

Day five consisted of our first day at the Wat Huay Kaew School with “Project Food for Thought”, an organization helping to create a sustainable agricultural project that provides food for the school. The advantages of this project include improved nutrition, educational opportunities and community engagement. We worked on creating mushroom bags, which will produce enough mushrooms to sustain meals while having enough extra food for the school to sell and further the students education.

On the second day of the service project, we created raised beds–another resource with similar advantages to the mushroom bags. We planted seeds to grow various kinds of vegatables.Afterwards, we finished putting away more mushroom bags and played with the kids.

We went back to the original Chiang Mai hotel on day seven and had our first half day at the Elephant Sanctuary. After a long ride up the mountain, we cut up sugar cane

and fed it to the elephants. We then talked to a mahoot–the caretaker of an elephant who stays and feeds them everyday. The next day at the Elephant Sanctuary we walked with the elephants, made medicine balls and fed the elephants more sugar cane.

The next morning we then traveled back to Bangkok and visited the temple, Wat Phra Chetuphon and then the temple Wat Pho, home of the reclining Buddha. After a boat ride across the river we went to the temple Wat Arun and took a 45 minute tour along a river where we stopped at an orchid farm.

Our last full day in Thailand included touring the Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the ruins of old Bangkok, where we had the option to dress in traditional Thai clothing. Then we visited Wat MahaThat and Ayutthaya ruins, a wonderful concluding tour of Bangkok history.

Coming into the trip with many unknowns, leaving was harder than expected with not only having to say goodbye to our extraordinary tour guide, Jing, but also leaving with all the new cultural knowledge she taught us. Adapting to not flushing toilet p aper, bowing as a sign of respect, governing differences and contrasting way of life, this trip taught us so much about Thailand and ourselves as people.

The flights back to Walpole were much easier than those to Thailand due to the jet stream and gave us time to reflect on the trip. Throughout the trip, we enjoyed traditional Thai foods, saw the sights of daily life in Thailand first hand and developed bonds with community members. All of these new experiences will stick with students long after our return.

The cultural immersion on this trip was invaluable, and we all came back from Thailand with not only a new take on the world, but also with memories that will last a lifetime.

At the elephant santuary students hiked along a trail and had close encounters with elephants.

Students visited the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park and followed the process of making paper from elephant droppings.

Students at the Wat Huay Kaew School with WHS students who participated in a community service project to provide healthy food at a lower cost.

Throughout the trip students visited temples and monuments such as the famous Reclining Buddha.