The Searchlight November 2022

Richard Kim presents at Tufts University

By Meg McNeil Social Media & Business Manager

Following the develop ment of an art education text book, WHS art teacher Rich ard Kim gave a presentation on Oct. 20 to art education stu dents and faculty at Tufts Uni versity on his research on how to improve curriculum content in an ever-changing art world.

“The research is really based on teachers having cur riculum stay relevant and cur rent, teachers are expected to improve and show growth just as much as students,” Kim said.

Not only did the art edu cation department listen to his presentation, but the entire ed ucation faculty at Tufts Univer sity. Kim’s research can apply to even academic teachers because not only is art always changing and moving but so are science, history, English, and so on.

“Teachers are expect ed to improve, get better, and show growth just as much as students do,” Kim said.

His presentations have al lowed him to spread information to even more people interested

Advanced Ceramics and Sculp ture and Contemporary Art The ory and Practice. Kim’s Contem porary Art Theory and Practice class is based off of his research on art education that promotes the non-conformity of making art.

guidelines, and he teaches his students how to grasp the cre ative process instead of follow ing the step by step instructions that were outlined years ago.

“We don’t want to teach students what we learned when we were younger, we want to teach students to the future,” Kim said.

in art education. Before the pan demic, after seeing his research, a copy editor from Davis Publi cation supported him spread ing his research in the form of a book, “Art Education Manifesto”. Ever since starting at Walpole High School in 2004, Kim has taught Ceramics and Sculpture,

weird,” Kim said.

Kim believes educa tion should not have strict

Kim is now working on his second textbook, “Work/Prac tice”, which differs from the first book as he explains how to main tain the balance between the fi nal product, Studio Work, along with the messy creative parts, Studio Practice. He strives to continue presenting his research, while sharing and learning new ways of teaching at conferences.

“When something be comes so interesting and pas sionate for you it’s like you can’t stop and that’s just how I feel, I love learning new things about this field,” Kim said.

WHS Speech Team places in Fall Festival

Eight students recieve finalist rankings at Revere High School event

By Ciara Foley A&E Editor

On Oct. 29, Walpo le High’s Speech and Debate team competed in their sec ond tournament of the 20222023 school year. Different from tournaments in the past, the team made their way to a bronze medal, placing third out of 15 competing nearby towns.

The Fall Festival, which took place at Revere High School, consisted of schools such as Cath olic Memorial and Shrewsbury, two successful competitors that placed first and second. Walpole Speech and Debate has attended this particular competition every year, but has not ranked as well— this year was the team’s best rank at this particular competi tion. The day was typical to any other Speech and Debate tour nament, as each attendee was able to participate at least three times in preliminary rounds.

“I think it’s really cool that kids are trying new things and not sticking to what’s com fortable,” head coach Emily Mur

ray said. “Each one spoke three to four times, or had to per form depending on their event. It was definitely well worth it and everyone was excited.”

Although speech tourna ments can be an tedious process, the results turned out to be worth it as Walpole returned home with eight finalists: Bhakti Belle, Nir jara Akkole, Emeli Cruz, Dyuthi Prashanth, Stephen Bond, Shay na Jain, Favor Nyende and Am ritha Devaraj. Each finalist came from a variety of events, from Radio Broadcasting to Chil dren’s Literature, and earned a ranking from first to seventh. Alongside this, most finalists were unsurprisingly a part of the freshmen and sophomore class. Moreover, most of the success transpired from lowerclassmen .

“It’s not that you want a group of kids that place and move on to the final round,” Murray said. “It’s that you want to have a group of kids with diver sity, where you have somebody in each event. I think that’s the reason why we placed so high.”

Additionally, freshmen

Sara Axelord and Sarah Joshi competed at the online Averill Debate Tournament. Despite the two debuting their debate ca reers only that same week, both excelled, with Sara Axelord plac ing 8th overall and earning a bid to compete at States. Winning awards or not, the team always looks for opportunities to improve and celebrate their members.

“Since it was my second

a great experience with them.”

The team is looking for ward to the rest of the year and has high hopes, especially con cerning the underclassmen who will continue the legacy of the speech and debate team in the coming years. The sophomore class has been recognized for their tireless efforts and high placements, and hopes to car ry that spirit with their team

tournament, it was much better as I held my position and always referred back to my values,” Joshi said. “I feel like I’m getting better with the help of my team, I have

mates, especially their freshmen.

“I think a big part of it is that kids are willing to take risks, and they’re practicing more on their own.” Murray said.

Photo/ Emily Murray

Members of the Speech Team compete at Revere High School throughout the day.

“The class came out from the need to show students they can be rebellious in a safe and positive way, and to be nontraditional when many high schoolers are afraid of being different or

Photos/ Richard Kim

StuCo attends SEMASC conference Participating councils head to Marshfield for workshop

By Emily Sullivan Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, members of the WHS Student Council (STUCO) attended the Southern Massachusetts As sociation of Student Council (SEMASC) fall conference. The following conference took place in Marshfield, Mass. The main goal of the conference was for students to learn to better de velop their leadership skills, as well as to meet new people from different towns that are a part of their own student councils.

SEMASC is run by an ex ecutive board of students from different student councils. Stu dents from WHS participated in activities that focused on de veloping better teamwork and collaboration skills. When arriv ing at the event, guest speaker Tony Pina talked about the im portance of having passion for activities you do. Following the speaker, students had the op portunity to play an icebreaker that would introduce different towns’ councils to one another.

“It was cool to meet some people from other towns and learn about how other councils do things so we can learn ideas from

them.” Junior Dylan Bent said.

Through the games, speakers and icebreakers, stu dents from WHS appreciated learning about people who have similar interests as them. STUCO gives high schoolers the opportu nity to develop leadership roles in their school while creating projects that benefit their school and community. This confer ence helped fulfill the objectives of the student council as well as helped spread ideas, interests and events between all towns.

“After the opening ses sion, we were able to choose a workshop to attend like games and different team building ac

tivities that were a lot of fun,” Senior Grace Tyszka said. Student council runs many events at WHS and this conference was a stepping stone to help better the community and group as a whole. STUCO is look ing forward to the many upcom ing events that are happening this fall and the rest of this year.

Overall, this confer ence was a huge success for both members of the WHS Stu dent Council and for SEMASC as a whole. Students are hop ing to attend this conference again in future years because of the fun, yet positive learn ing experience that they had.

Massachusetts finishes primaries Maura Healey becomes the state’s first female governor

By Grace Ryan News Editor

Several states faced cru cial and close elections this fall as swing states had senatorial and gubernatorial elections. In Massachusetts, the 2022 State Election on Nov. 8 decided the governor, secretary of state, at torney general and many other key positions. Although the cur rent governor, Charlie Baker, is a Republican, Democrats swept all of the major positions in cluding governor this election.

In Massachusetts, Demo crat Maura Healey defeated Re publican Geoff Diehl to become the state’s first female and first openly gay govenor-elect. Many prominent Massachusetts gov ernment officials including Sena tors Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as Boston Mayor

Michelle Wu endorsed Healey. Diehl on the other hand had many republican congressmen’s back ing and an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Although Healey and Governor Baker belong to op posing political parties, the two are more alike than they are different. First, both Baker and Healey went to Harvard Uni versity where the two played basketball. Furthermore, both share many goals for Massachu setts and have already begun to plan the transition. Healey plans to further expand education op portunities to everyone as well as expand opportunities for hous ing and employment. She also supports reproductive freedoms and wants to increase healthcare affordability. In all these ef forts, lieutenant governor Kim Driscoll will be by Healey’s side.

On the night of Nov. 8, just as the polls closed, Healey was announced the winner of the gubernatorial race. Unlike other states whose senator and guber natorial races were too close to call for days after, and even a run-off in Georgia, Healey took over 63% of the vote. Additionally, many other positions with substantial leads were decided on Tues day night. For attorney general, Democrat Andrea Campbell de feated James McMahon. Also, in cumbent William Galvin remains secretary of state and incumbent Deborah Goldberg remains trea surer. The closest race was at au ditor, but Democrat Diana Dizo glio pulled through in the end.

Among state positions up for election, there were also four questions on that ballot this No vember. Most of these questions took a longer amount of time to decide the outcome as ques tion two received over 70% of the vote, but the other questions won by less than a 10% margin. In the end, three questions were decided “yes” and one ques tion was decided “no.”

As the 2022 election season culminates, and the de bate over the power of U.S. Congress comes into ques tion, Massachusetts maintains their foothold as a blue state led by a Democrat as governor.

Surrounding towns’ councils learn about leadership from guest speaker, Tom Pina.

Photo/ Grace Tyszka

Holiday meals can provoke disordered eating

Thanksgiving can cause anxiety for people who struggle with food

By Erin Malinn Feature Editor

When thinking of Thanks giving, people will almost always think of food first— after all, the holiday is known for its feast. While families gather at the din ing table to reflect on how lucky their lives have been, almost ev eryone is excited to fill up on the courses. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that one person at the table could be sitting there, silent ly terrified of the holiday, with

out anyone noticing a problem.

For those who deal with unhealthy relationships with food, Thanksgiving is nothing short of a nightmare. The entire day consists of cooking, discuss ing and eating giant portions of food. To make matters worse, it can be hard for these people to get sufficient help. Someone who has not experienced dis ordered eating patterns is not able to fully understand the is sue—and the struggling person may never be able to ask for help.

Disordered eating is a unique experience that varies from person to person. Individu als can become anxious around different aspects of food and weight. Even glancing at certain foods can cause a spike in anxiety. The function of a mind that strug gles with food affects every aspect of that person’s life, from sitting down at a school cafeteria with friends to basic daily exercise.

Now imagine this mind seated at the Thanksgiving ta ble, a stuffed turkey and a giant bowl of mashed potatoes placed in front of their seat. This person has won an everyday battle with their thoughts thus far and is now presented with their greatest fear in front of their entire family.

Introducing family into this cycle can become another problem on its own, the fear of raising concern matching with the fear of how well they would receive the news if it became nec essary to share. Aunts, uncles and grandparents will always men tion how big the kids of the fam ily have grown and how mature they’ve become. Their ignorant bliss to the struggles causes a spew

of insensitive comments that will only increase insecurities.

Once the feast begins and the table starts to fill up, the struggling family member feels one of two things: isolated or guilty.The isolation sets in as everyone else functions as a nor mal human being by celebrat ing the holiday as traditional while the other member sits alone, waiting for the day to pass. For some, guilt sets in after finish ing a meal. Watching the entire household enjoy the meal causes temptation, which usually results in a loss of control. The food could be consumed in copious amounts, especially if it has been a great deal of time since they have allowed themselves to do so. After the food is consumed, many feel as if there is nothing left to do but sit with what has been done.

Thanksgiving is a hard holiday for all involved in the unhealthy re lationships with food. Immediate family should be considerate for the day’s hardships that some at the table may be facing internally. However, the fact that no one is left alone with their thoughts can make the day feel more enjoyable.

Surrogacy creates safe and ethical opportunities

Many families rely on conception assistance procedures like surrogacy

By Annie Cameron Lifestyle Editor

In recent years there has been an increase in the practice of surrogacy, specifically among celebrities such as Priyanka Cho pra and Nick Jonas, Khloe Kar dashian and Tristan Thompson, and many more. This has stirred up controversy, as some question the ethics of surrogacy in soci ety today. However, surrogacy is an ethical practice that should continue to be a legal and acces sible option. Surrogacy is a legal arrangement in which a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for another person or couple. Following the birth of the baby, the intended parent/s is given full custody of the baby. Surrogacy is a significant option for people who cannot conceive traditionally.

There are two types of surrogacy—traditional and ges tational. Traditional surrogacy is when the surrogate provides her own egg, and is inseminat ed with the intended parent’s sperm through in vitro fertiliza tion (IVF). With this method the baby is biologically related to the surrogate. The second option, gestational surrogacy, is when an embryo formed from the egg and sperm of the intended par ents is transferred into the sur rogate’s uterus using IVF, and the surrogate has no biologi

cal relation to the baby. When done properly, both types of surrogacy are safe and provide couples with opportunities that may have never been possible. Surrogacy is often mis construed, and when taken out of context can seem inhumane. When forming an opinion on this topic, it is important to keep in mind that surrogacy is only possible when all members are consenting. Some argue it is un ethical for the surrogate to put their body through such exer tion and then separate from the baby after birth however, both the surrogates and intended parent/s consent and participate in a legal agreement. Although some disagree with this prac tice, it is a respectable and ad mirable profession, and doubles as a primary source of income for most participating females.

People globally question the necessity for surrogacy con sidering the increasing popula tion of children in foster homes around the world. Although this a serious argument, and over population in foster homes is a critical issue, surrogacy and adoption are not interchange able. Most couples who seek out a surrogate are looking to maxi mize the main benefit of sur rogacy—the baby, although not carried by the mother, will still be biologically related to one or both

parents; which is something fam ilies will not find with adoption. Others argue surrogacy is unethical because a woman’s womb should not be “for sale.” However, this argument com pletely distorts the construct of surrogacy and is editorializing to base an opinion on. A sur rogate is a consenting woman who chooses to participate in this practice. Rather than sur rogacy being viewed as an ex ploitation of women’s bodies, it needs to be viewed as a celebra tion of them. Most women are gifted with the ability to have children, and whether or not they choose to utilize this ability is their decision to make. How ever, women who choose to be

surrogates deserve to be recog nized for using their body in or der to change the lives of others. Surrogacy provides opportuni ties which for some couples and families would have been previ ously unattainable. Although it is not ideal for everyone, surro gacy is a viable option for certain people and should not have the negative stigma attributed to it. The choice of a surrogate to par ticipate in this practice, as well as the choice of the family, are personal decisions that should not be shamed based on the poor connotations associated with sur rogacy. Advances in science and medicine have allowed for surro gacy to become a safe accessible opportunity that changes lives.

Surrogacy has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among celebrities.

Thanksgiving foods can trigger negative effects on people’s mental health.

Graphic/Kristyn Dentremont

Tourists disturb New England towns Many residents

By Grace Ryan News Editor

Although tourism often fuels larger cities, smaller subur ban towns can also be centers for tourism. Unlike large cities that are often busy constantly, noncity tourism spots often result in an intrusion of a town’s yearround residents. These tourist locations often become busier around certain times a year and for the rest of the year are left without much business. There fore, tourism towns face unreli able waves of prosperity that dis rupt their normal happenings.

Most popular tourism spots can be found within big cities that often have continual tourism with spurts of busier seasons such as Las Vegas and Times Square. Anytime of the year, tourists flood these areas and fuel their economies. On the other hand, the Grand Canyon is not located in a city. Despite its rural location, the Grand Can yon receives year round tour ism, so the tourism fuels the town. These towns and major cities with popular tourist spots are designed around tourism, so are accustomed to tourists.

Unlike these major tourist

struggle with the unsteady tourist economy

spots, smaller tourism locations are often seasonal and receive an unstable flow of tourists and busi ness. For most of the year, these towns run like an average town, without many visitors, but as the busy seasons begin, tourism invades the townspeople’s aver age lives. Some residents may not care and enjoy the change of pace with visitors, while oth ers may see the tourists as a dis turbance largely because what is normal life to them, tourists exaggerate and even exploit. Additionally, tourists do not al ways provide a steady source of income as they are based season ally. Also, a business can have a hard time preparing for how busy the busy-season will actually be. Many places in New England, especially the Massachusetts and Rhode Island areas, expe rience these tourism invasions.

One small tourist city in Massachusetts, especially around the fall season, is Salem. Salem’s busy season comes around Hal loween, but the rest of the year it is much like any other small city. Many businesses such as ghost rides and museums attract more visitors around the fall, but the rest of the year receive few visi tors. This year during the Hallow

een season, Salem faced troubles with parking as tourists infringe the lives of local businesses with their large numbers. Beyond parking spaces, tourists often do not respect the places they visit as they leave trash, do not re spect the town’s traditions, and do not respect that other people besides tourists live in the town. Other local tourism spots include Cape Cod and Newport. Year-round residents as well as seasonal residents fill these towns, but there are certain times when tourists flood in large numbers such as on the Fourth of July. Al

though tourists can provide an economic lift to many areas, tour ists can potentially overflow these small towns during an already busy summer season with the ad dition of seasonal residents. Tour ists intrude as they increase wait times, invade private beaches and residential areas, and pollute.

Although major cities may run off of tourism, tourism can intrude on the lives of locals in smaller cities and towns. Without a year-long steady flow of tourism, small towns can be overwhelmed and tourism can disrupt the lives of many businesses and residents.

Sports specialization is not as “special” as it seems One-sport youth athletes are left to face a multitude of serious problems

By Liam McDonough Opinion Editor

In previous years, the expectation that a child plays one sport year-round was non existent. Parents wanted their children to play different sports, encouraging the idea of getting exercise and improving their skills, but also having fun. Nowa days, though, the aspect of sports being a source of pure enter tainment for children is seldom talked about, all thanks to par ents pressuring their kids to take part in sports specialization. And while it may seem like special izing in one sport only requires

only a little more effort from an athlete, it can end up having se rious long-term consequences on their mobility and mental health.

The term “sports special ization” refers to a young athlete taking part or practicing one sport for the entire year. These athletes range anywhere from 18 years of age or younger, who practice for hours per day trying to improve their abilities. The real trouble, however, revolves around the much younger ath letes that still have rapidly devel oping brains and bodies. Because they are still growing, children are significantly more suscep tible to severe chronic or acute

injuries, which can have lasting effects on their range of motion. Oftentimes, the deci sion for children who have not reached their teenage years to specialize in a sport is made by their parents. Parents burden their kids with expectations that amount to their kid being one of the best athletes at a sport, but the reality is that the chances of that happening are very unlikely. Consequently, children feel the need to practice and workout to achieve the expectations set by their parents, with the end result being a fruitless attempt that leaves them trying to reach goals set by someone other than themselves. The feeling of falling short of a goal can be devastat ing, and for children, that feeling is arguably even more amplified. Spending hours upon hours each day with one goal in mind and not reaching that is the demoral izing reality that many kids that take this route face. Ultimate ly, sports specialization drains most of the fun and excitement that sports aim to bring and, in stead, fills an athlete’s life with stress and pressure to succeed.

Aside from the mental burden that it puts on youth ath letes, sports specialization puts athletes’ physical health at severe risk. Playing the same sport year-

round utilizes the same move ments, which can end up wearing down the muscles that perform those movements, and result in irritable injuries. These injuries, known as “overuse” injuries, are serious chronic developments that can slowly deteriorate the mobility of certain muscles, and can greatly hinder one’s range of movement. According to the Na tional Library of Medicine, ath letes 13 years of age or younger who specialize in a sport are 16% more likely to report a lengthy history of injuries, and require almost triple the time to recover from a specific injury– approxi mately 15 weeks versus 5 weeks.

Applying all this pressure to kids who have no idea how to handle it, coupled with the risk of serious injury, is an extremely poor position to put a child in, given that these young athletes are at the age where they are unable to decide for themselves. Instead of throwing such a bur den on these children through the dedication to one sport, par ents should encourage their chil dren to participate in multiple sports. If parents were able to embrace a multiple-sport life style for their kids, they and their children would feel a lot less ten sion, and be able to take out joy from these fleeting experiences.

Tourists intrude and exploit the daily lives of town residents.

Youth athletes put themselves at great risk by specializing in a sport.

Graphic/

Senior Sophia Brownsword recieves the DAR award The Good Citzen Award

By Isabelle O’Connell Editor-in-Chief

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) sponsors a Good Citizen award each year to a student at Wal pole High School who exhibits great service to their community as well as qualities of a good citi zen. The Aaron Guild chapter of the DAR Association is the local chapter that sponsors students in the area located in Norwood. WHS faculty nominates a few students who express qualifying traits, and from there students have a say in who is awarded for their honor and service. The stu dent granted is eligible to win a scholarship from the DAR Asso ciation after following through with an application process.

In order to be an honoree of the award, one must demon strate traits such as leadership, service , dependability and patri otism. The seniors chosen must exemplify an article participa tion in bettering their communi ty as well as possessing leadership roles and values. The award hon ors the student for their engage ment and achievement through out their time in high school

is given to a WHS student each year

Sophia Brownsword, senior at WHS, was nominated for the 2022 Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen award. On Wednesday Nov. 9, Brown sword attended a chapter meet

serves prominent leadership roles such as vice president of the senior class, an editor-inchief of the WHS newspaper and vice president of Women’s Defense and Safety Club as well

of the transport truck into the shelter,” Brownsword said. “I also help foster dogs from the shelter at home–walking, feeding and training them,” Brownsword said. “Outside of school I volunteer at Forever Home and Rescue New Eng land in Medfield and help with fostering dogs. I have also led my own fundraisers for the Tra vis Roy Foundation during high school. I have also spent the past two years volunteering at the youth soccer camp the town puts on at the end of August.”

ing at the First Baptist Church in Westwood where members of the committee recognized and presented the award to her.

“I definitely did not expect to receive the award, but I felt a lot of selfpride and happy that the work I do in the community is actu ally beneficial and recognized as such.” Brownsword said.

At WHS, Brownsword

as doing much for the commu nity as she participates in stu dent council activities and sport ing teams. Outside of school, Brownsword volunteers at dif ferent organizations within the community, such as volunteering at local animal shelters.

“I volunteer during the summer at Forever Home and Rescue New England in Med field, helping the puppies off

Brownsword’s contribu tion to the school community varies among several clubs and organizations. Inside of school, she participates in the standard NHS volunteering which is more peer tutoring as well as volun teering at school events like back to school night or parent teacher conferences. For the DAS club she ran a fundraiser with the rest of the executive board that sold bracelets and raised mon ey for a local women’s shelter.

“I’m really grateful to have received the award, and grateful to be able to now enter a larger scholarship competition because of it. “ Brownsword said.

Journalism students travel to BU for conference Annual NESPA fall conference starts up again after 4 year break

By The Searchlight Staff

After a three year hiatus following the COVID-19 pan demic, Journalism I-III students from WHS attended the New England Scholastic Press Asso ciation (NESPA)’s fall workshop at Boston University’s College of Communications on Nov. 10. NESPA sponsors annual awards for online, print, and broadcast publications in addition to host ing fall and spring conferences for high school journalism staffs.

“The NESPA confer ences are incredibly reward ing for students because they get to see journalism in a real world context outside of Wal pole,” journalism adviser Jamie Ferguson said. “We all have a lot to learn from each other, so those connections with other publications are really valuable.”

lar sports such as football with other sports at their schools.

“It was great to hear the strategies that other town’s have in terms of coverage,” said Brown sword. “It gave us a lot of ideas on how we can expand our own reporting in sports journalism to better engage the community.”

in life led to help in his career later, including the relationship he grew as a young reporter

The NESPA fall confer ence follows a workshop style where students collaborate with other high schools about a desig nated topic. This year, WHS stu dents worked with students from Holbrooke, Newton North and South Hadley to explore the sub ject of sports reporting, which cul minated in a presentation from guest speaker A. Sherrod Blakely.

The conference kicked off with a student panel led by NESPA executive director and Newton North’s newspaper ad visor Tom Fabian. The panel was comprised of leading sports editors and reporters as well as editor-in-chiefs from the four schools, including the Search light’s sports editor, Toby Moses, and co-editor-in-chief, Sophia Brownsword. Panelists discussed their publications’ relationship with sports writing and sug gested strategies for more effec tive sports reporting. One point of discussion for panelists in volved equity in sports coverage, in which students shared their experience and struggles with equally representing all teams at their respective high schools. Students considered the repre sentation of individual versus team sports as well as girls ver sus boys sports, and discussed strategies on how to balance coverage between more popu

Following the panel, conference members welcomed BU’s College of Communica tion lecturer, A. Sherrod Blakely. Blakely has a rich history in the sports journalism world, and is currently a NBA Front Officer Insider for Bleacher Report after spending 11 years as NBC Sports Boston Boston Celtics Insider. Blakely spoke about his career, and the perseverance he needed in order to work his way up the totem pole that is the journal ism world. He talked to students about taking advantage of op portunity when it arises as well as

with NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb’s father, Sam McNabb.

“Even though you may not walk that bridge, at least you know it’s there,” said Blakely. “It’s stable.”

Overall, Blakely’s pre sentation was well received by the audience, with many com plex questions being prompted by students. The conference was a pivotal start back into more connection between school pub lications after the pandemic, and an example of the bridge building that Blakely spoke on throughout his presentation.

“It’s just great to be back at BU,” Fabian said. “I hope it gives [the students] a sense of being on a college campus and having more of that experience [themselves].”

Toby Moses and Sophia Brownsword of WHS Search light staff participated in the conference’s student panel.

Photo/ DAR Aaron Guild Chapter

Brownsword’s achievements were recognized by the DAR Aaron Guild Chapter.

Photos/ The Searchlight Staff

Graphic/ Kristyn Dentremont

online wellness lture spreads toxicity

By Sophia Brownsword Editor-in-Chief

The recent transforma tion of modern-era celebrity sta tus, especially with more people seeking and achieving fame on social media, has brought about more instances of misinforma tion being spread to younger audiences. People from across the world, of any age, have the ability to grow large platforms on social media nowadays in the span of a couple months. Fame has never been so easy to reach, especially when it does not require a specific talent or heritage to achieve it. And while this is overall beneficial towards attracting more diversity into entertainment culture as well as providing more authentic role models for kids to aspire to, awarding fame so easily can have its various downsides. The prob lem with such attainable fame is the aftermath of that platform. Having a platform means peo ple will watch and listen, even if they are not aware what they are watching and listening to. It has been discussed before how mis information can spread in the world of news media, but what about in the social media world? Just as easily as a social media post can sell out a product can it spread dangerous information.

The areas that misin formation becomes really dan gerous revolve much around wellness, specifically physical wellness and mental wellness. While social media can pro vide resources of information in these areas, it is important to see how much of it the consumer does not really know to be true. “Fitness Tik Tok” or “FitTok” is a “side” of TikTok that has amassed a large consumer reach on not only Tiktok but has also spread to other forms of social media. There are several videos where a creator will post content related to their body or their weight-loss/body recomposition journey and the comments are

filled with questions of “Post a ‘what I eat in a day.’” The issue with posting a full day of eating is that there is a proportion of the audience who will compare themselves to the creator, with out considering all of the differ ences between themselves and the creator that make their di ets naturally different. It is also not taken into consideration the fact that the person sharing this video may not be making healthy choices in their life in regards to eating. No viewer, of any age, should subject them selves to comparisons to some random person on the inter net on the basis of their diet. Besides food, there are also a lot of recommendations on social media about supple mental nutrition and what “should” be taken to achieve certain goals. One trend around supplements has been something known as “dry-scooping” mean ing swallowing a scoop of pre workout, solidified caffeine and electrolytes, before working out in order to get an energy boost. The purpose of powdered preworkout is to be diluted in water, and according to the National Capital Poison Center, “sig nificant toxicity” can enter the body at an extremely rapid rate while dry-scooping, which is es pecially dangerous for people with underlying health condi tions. The influence from social media to participate in some of these trends almost never in cludes some of the possible neg ative side effects of participat ing, making them all the more dangerous for someone to view.

Aside from the nega tive health aspects of fitness trends and viral videos, there are larger societal expectations at stake with the presence of fit ness related social media. Much of “FitTok” is centered around women, in an attempt to estab lish greater female confidence in the male-dominated gym world. But within this attempt to help women gain confidence, there is

a significant underlying nature that shames the women who do not go to the gym and instead prefer other forms of exercise. Now that women finally have all opportunities available to them in the fitness world, whether thats competitive athletics or more fe male oriented gym guides, there should never be any shame giv en to any woman for doing what she wants with her own body.

Another problematic area that comes with social me dia wellness culture is the nega tive ramifications that stem from the attempted mental health awareness spread on platforms. Mental health was considered a taboo topic for many years, and the feat of creators to take this awareness to social media has provided a lot of exposure for issues that are usually not discussed on traditional main stream platforms. However, this exposure led a 2021 Vox article to refer to social media as the “WebMD for mental health,” because of the modern occur rence of self-diagnosis that has developed among social media consumers due to the larger spread of information about mental-health. Comment sec tions under videos of people talking about their own experi ence with mental-health strug gles are full of viewers coming to the revelation of believing they deal with this same diagnosis just because they have similar symp toms. This perception of men tal illness as the summation of another’s experience can inhibit the spread of true awareness, as well as invalidate the struggles of people with the same diag noses but different symptoms.

However, another com plexity to the spreading of men tal health awareness on social media is that self-diagnosis may be the only viable option avail able for someone to then begin finding treatment. The ability to receive a professional diagnosis is a privilege, and without equal access to healthcare, profession

al diagnosis can be impossible to achieve. Regardless, people should not use social media as a tool to base their self-diagnosis off of. People who believe they may be struggling with a dis order should be encouraged to reach out to a professional, or if that is not possible, then look into real research before jumping to conclusions. Social media has provided consumers with what Rebecca Jennings, author of the 2021 Vox article “How mental health became a social media minefield”, refers to as “over-pathologization.” The dictionary definition of this term is over-diagnosis, or the re fusal to accept a certain behav ior as normal. This occurrence in the media is harmful, and can cause obsessive self-analysis that changes the perceptions we have of ourselves. No one be havior can be classified as nor mal or abnormal. Every person is different, and the needless categorization that arises with in the social media world is a dangerous narrative to push on the younger and younger gen erations that take to these sites.

Overlapping wellness culture within social media can have extremely dangerous side effects, especially when consid ering the extent to which young audiences are exposed to infor mation. Social media provides many different outlets for many different interests, but with the easier access of platforms comes the greater the chance for misinformation to be spread throughout. Considering the largely youthful population of TikTok’s audience, there should be greater monitoring systems developed in order to prohibit the distribution of harmful in formation. Subsequently, us ers should be wary of the lack of facts behind much of the information presented, and be sure to do their own research before changing an aspect of their lives in accordance to a 60 second video they found online.

What to be grateful for at WHS this year

This holiday season is a perfect time to appreciate our community

By Isabelle O’Connell Editor-in-Chief

Nowadays, it is so easy to get wrapped up in one’s own life that people tend to forget what to truly be grateful for and may even take for granted opportuni ties presented. Often the stress of school and pressures to do well overshadow the positive aspects schools have to offer to students.

At Walpole High School, there are an immense amount of things to express gratitude for as the school has much to offer to bet ter the lives of each student who walks through the doors. Here are a few things to be grateful for within our school community.

As a new addition to the WHS building, the renovated cafeteria provides a cafe-style en vironment for students to enjoy. The cafeteria includes different types of seating including booths, high top tables and even the clas sic low tables for students who are more old school. Along with the setup of the cafeteria, the school has also provided television for students to enjoy games, shows, or the news while eating lunch. This is something to be grateful for because this is the first year students get to enjoy the luxury

style cafe, which can help stu dents feel more comfortable and at home during the school day. Students can also visit the caf eteria during their ten minute snack break for a cozy place to relax and check in with friends.

If a student needs extra support, the school counseling office is the right place to go. From incoming freshmen who are looking to find their way to seniors applying to college, the school counselors work tirelessly to accommodate each student’s needs. It is crucial that students take time to appreciate these staff members because many of them are working behind the scenes for many hours a day to make student life the best pos sible. Without guidance, there would simply be no guidance! Whether students go to them for help in a class, or maybe just because they’re having a bad day, the counseling staff are al ways available with welcoming arms to help students to express their feelings and feel heard.

Similarly, teachers often act as friends as much as they do mentors to their students. Nu merous teachers now provide things such as snacks and hygiene products in their classrooms to

provide for their students’ wants and needs. Teachers do this as something special on their own time to create a more comfort able environment for their stu dents. Students can express their gratitude toward teach ers for helping them grow not only as students, but as people.

Lastly, there are numer ous opportunities for students to participate in school events held by clubs and sports teams. When the pandemic hit, there was an imposed lack of school activities and participation due to distance and hygiene restric

tions. The school is working to wards implementing activities and events back into student life to create a more tight-knit community again such as prom and sporting event spectators.

At WHS, there are an im mense amount of things to be grateful for around the school. As a community, everyone works to create a positive learn ing environment for students, as well as creating a more active student life. This holiday sea son, students should remem ber that there are many things to be grateful for here at WHS.

Benefits a dopamine detox presents to teenagers Resetting the activities that release dopamine helps teenagers’ wellbeing

By Gianna Pompeo Staff Writer

With the anxieties of today, dopamine releases are easier to achieve through new recreational hobbies, which do not provide pleasure that is long-term. Especially in teen agers, these activities can ease the stress of school, work or other difficult tasks in the short term. A detox of dopamine is helpful in rediscovering ac tivities that can create natural and healthy dopamine releas es for long-lasting happiness.

Dopamine detox—or do pamine fasting—is a term that refers to the reset of bad habits

or toxic pleasures that release dopamine. The goal is to teach the body to release dopamine in a healthy way. The dopamine detox positively affects motiva tion levels, sleep, attention lev els and one’s capacity to learn.

The creator of the dopa mine detox, Dr. Cameron Sepah, is an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of California, San Francisco. Sepah’s goal with the dopamine detox was to rid peo ple of destructive activities they have become dependent on to release dopamine. These habits include the use of technology, drugs and alcohol, which greatly affect the release of dopamine in a healthy manner. Though confus

ing in the title, dopamine detox ing is not the act of fasting from dopamine but from negative behaviors affecting dopamine.

“Dopamine Fasting 2.0 is an evidence-based technique to manage addictive behaviors, by restricting them to specific periods of time, and practic ing fasting from impulsively engaging in them, in order to regain behavioral flexibility,” said Sepah in “The Definitive Guide to Dopamine Fasting 2.0: The Hot Silicon Valley Trend.”

People of any age can participate in a dopamine detox because destructive behavior af fects people at any age, especially teenagers. Technology usage af fects what instigates the brain to release dopamine, therefore in fluencing the brain’s ability to re lease dopamine for healthy habits. In avoiding disadvantageous ten dencies productivity and the abil ity to succeed can be increased.

There are a multitude of reasons why people should par ticipate in a dopamine detox. Some harmful habits are being antisocial or lonely, excessive eat ing, gambling, or technology use. Others are a constant search for thrill or originality. The use of drugs or alcohol are significantly unhealthy habits as well. A dopa mine detox has the ability to ei ther avoid mental illnesses or aid

in stopping illnesses from wors ening. In fact, the dopamine fast aids in stress relief, lower blood pressure and improved sleep.

Some activities to be the most successful in the dopamine detox are being more social, de creasing screen time and cooking nutritious meals. For more lei surely activities, reading books, creating a routine and improv ing sleep schedules can help in the dopamine detox process. For the brain to have gone through a full reset, the detox should last three months. However, for long-lasting success, one should maintain such habits learned while doing the dopamine fast.

An important part of the dopamine detox is self-realiza tion. Recognizing impulsive be haviors and bad habits, along with engaging in internal better ment are the largest parts of the dopamine detox. The other ways to detox are mere aids in the pro cess of resetting dopamine levels.

In actuality, the dopa mine detox can be whatever the participant would like it to be. Anything that can counter the addictive behaviors of today’s society can act as a way to better one’s self. As the dopamine detox is so vague in its true path to suc cess, it can be personalized to the needs of anyone who would like to try their own dopamine fast.

Revealing things at WHS students often take for granted.

Graphic/ Kristyn Dentremont

The mind and the body are more connected than one thinks.

Photo/Kristyn Dentremont

Best hip-hop and rap releases of 2022

A look back at the most acclaimed albums of the year

By Toby Moses Sports Editor

This year has been a great year for rap music as many pop ular artists released projects that garnered much anticipation from fans. Although some albums dis appointed, many exceptional re leases made 2022 a year for rap fans to look back on fondly. Sev eral albums could be mentioned among the best of the year, but here are some must-listen albums for fans of the hip-hop genre. Regarded by many as the most-anticipated album of the year, Kendrick Lamar returned from a five-year hiatus with “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.” An experimental album differ ent from much of his former work, Lamar’s versatility comes through in full display. Upbeat tracks like “Silent Hill” with Ko dak Black and “Die Hard” fea turing Blxst and Amanda Reifer received commercial success and radio play, but the highlights of the project come from lesser known tracks. Lamar dives deep into his personal struggles on songs like “Father Time” with Samba, where he reflects on his stern and unforgiving upbring ing at the hands of his father. The track “We Cry Together” features actress Taylour Paige, with the

song in the form of a brutally realistic argument between a couple struggling to overcome problems. Lamar continues to push boundaries with his 2022 release, and this project is a wor thy listen for all hip-hop fans.

An icon of the rap in dustry for over two decades, Pusha T’s 2022 release “It’s Al most Dry” continues his streak of quality projects. Just over 35 minutes in length, the 12-track album leaves no room for bore dom. Filled to the brim with clever wordplay and complex rhyme schemes, Pusha’s lyrical prowess is on full display in this project. Tracks like “Diet Coke”

and “Dreaming of the Past” with Kanye West are highlights of the album, with heavy use of samples giving the tracks an oldschool vibe. Features like Jay-Z, Pharrell, and Kid Cudi perform great on their respective songs and add variety to the album.

Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ released the album “2000” on July 22, the followup to his critically-acclaimed 2012 album “1999”. Prominent tracks such as “Brand New 911” and “Cruise Control” start the album off strong with interest ing production and great flows from Bada$$. Two outstanding tracks on “2000” are “Show Me”

dropped projects this year. and “Survivor’s Guilt.” The lat ter samples a popular indie track for a great beat where Bada$$ raps effortlessly. “Survivor’s Guilt” is a heartfelt track about the late rapper and best friend of Bada$$, Capital Steez; the dif ficulty of coping with his death and unwavering guilt Bada$$ feels on full display. Already gar nering more praise than much of his previous work, “2000” is a worthwhile listen for casual and die-hard fans of rap alike.

With several artists like Drake, 21 Savage, and Travis Scott planning to drop soon; 2022 has been a year filled with bigname artists releasing projects.

Harry Styles stars in his second movie of the year

“My Policeman”

By Erin Malinn Feature Editor

The Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel “My Policeman” has gained recent popularity since its movie adaptation announcement and release on Oct. 21, making headlines as star Harry Styles plays the leading role of young police officer Tom Burgess. The story follows the romantic life and secret love affair of Burgess throughout the decades. Direc tor Michael Grandage depicts the struggles and tragedy that

book

gains popularity after movie’s release

strikes the lives of three lov ers first told in Roberts’ novel, jealousy and oppression cor rupting the trust of a marriage.

After a young Tom Bur gess meets schoolteacher Marion Taylor on the Brighton coast in the late 1950s. He teaches her how to swim while she teaches him about art and literature. Once they begin dating, Marion is introduced to Tom’s colleague Patrick Hazelwood, a museum curator. The trio soon becomes inseparable, spending night af ter night in bars and theaters. While Marion’s love for Tom grows, iot is revealed that he and Patrick are involved in a dis closed homosexual relationship.

The novel’s version of Patrick Hazelwood refers to his queerness as his “minority sta tus”, translating his belief that he will never be truly accepted by society and must deny this part of himself to be considered decent. This lack of acceptance is portrayed through Patrick’s timid movements towards Tom as they become acquainted, un sure if the young boy will turn violent towards the truth or if he is even sure of his own identity.

While the film focuses on the intensity of Marion’s love for

Tom, many scenes look past her yearning. Though it is not shown on screen, Marion has known Tom since her childhood. She had grown up at his house, as she was best friends with his young er sister Sylvie, and developed a childlike crush on the teenage boy. As they matured, Marion became obsessed with their ev ery interaction, making the con firmation of their relationship much more significant to her.

Marion had felt a deep resentment towards Patrick since their introduction, his closeness to Tom threatening her as if he was keeping the policeman from being truly hers. The film does not present this level of hatred until Marion and Tom’s honey moon, where Patrick is also pres ent. Marion becomes increas ingly angry with the other man as she believes he is too involved in their lives, yet she is still blissfully unaware of the truth.

Marion’s work friend Julia, though she is not a main character, remains one of the most significant characters of the story. Her influence on Marion plays an important part in her development, which cannot be understood in the film. She was able to bring out confidence in

Marion and allow her to be an individual, rather than simply being Tom’s wife. Her flirtatious personality throughout the nov el hints at her queerness, mak ing her confession understand able rather than unexpected.

“My Policeman” ending remains timeless, as it deals with self-acceptance and the rekin dling of wasted time. Marion’s decision to leave Tom embodies her character development, as it was a chance for Tom to love freely as he wished to decades ago. Tom’s first interaction with Patrick since their departure gave his life a rediscovered hap piness. Grandage was able to capture the emotion of this scene by depicting a younger Tom hug ging older Patrick, symbolizing that their love had never faded.

Joey Bada$$, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and many more artists

Graphic/ Toby Moses

Film star pose at movie premiere.

Photo/ Vogue

Roberts’ novel inspires “My Policeman” film.

Photo/ IMDb

Taylor Swift’s songwriting continues to amaze fans Swift dominates the music industry with her album “Midnights”

By Kristyn Dentremont Editor-in-Chief

As of 2022, music icon Taylor Swift’s net worth is ap proximately $400 million and is surely increasing with the release of her new album “Midnights” that dropped on Oct. 21. While the paycheck may be motivation to work for most, Swift’s passion to tell stories is what drives her to create artful pieces of music that never fail to leave her audience in awe. The release of her tenth stu dio album is a monumental mo ment for “Swift ies” (a nickname for Swift’s fan base) as it has been nearly two years since releasing her last studio album titled “Evermore.”

On Aug. 28, Swift announced that “Midnights” would have 13 tracks that reflect upon 13 differ ent midnights throughout her life, hence the album’s title. Unironically, “Midnights” was released at 12 a.m., and in a true Taylor Swift fashion, the mu sician surprised her audience just three hours after the original album was released with seven additional songs on the al bum, titled the “Midnights (3AM Edition).” All 20 songs included in the new re lease are evident ly crafted with care as the songs each tell a distinct story filled with creative concepts that leave listeners breath less with each verse she sings.

One of the most antici pated songs on the album was “Anti-Hero,” a track that Swift claims to be one of her favor ite songs she has ever written because of the insecurities she brings into light. Throughout the song, Swift explores the bur den that depression, guilt and shame can have on people. As always, the singer delves into these heavy topics in an artful, sensitive manner— a style that Swift is often credited for doing exceptionally well in her music. In addition to currently being her most-streamed song on Spo tify, Swift’s “Anti-Hero” was the

first single on the album with a music video that was released on Oct. 21 at 8 a.m. The video is fil tered with soft shades of orange and blue, and from a visual per spective, these complementary colors mirror Swift’s contrasting aesthetic and emotions, which are seen throughout the album.

Swift is notorious for her gut-wrenching songs that strike a nerve for every person who has ever been wronged in a re lationship, and it is evident that this concept continues in “Mid nights.” As Swift’s writing and

“Labyrinth” and “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” from the origi nal album and the “Midnights (3AM Edition)”, respectively. “Midnights” was a success from the moment it dropped because of Swift’s breathtaking motifs enveloped in all of her work since her debut album. For instance, Swift includes several literary references in her work, her most famous alluding to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Ju liet” in her song and music video “Love Story” from her second album “Fearless.” After her 2008

As previously men tioned, Swift is not only a song writer, but an author. Through her music, Swift creates fictional worlds that listeners often feel they are a part of. Her most fa mous narrative is easily a trio of songs from her eighth album “Folklore,” written about a love triangle between fictional char acters named Betty, James and Augustine. Each song is written from the perspective of one of these characters, giving listeners not only a song to listen to, but an experience to connect with.

Furthermore, Swift entices her au dience with colors that she highlights throughout her dif ferent musical eras. In her fourth al bum “Red,” Swift references the color red throughout her music, such as the “red scarf” in her infamous song “All Too Well.” Swift also makes reference to the color of her “Red” album cover with her iconic red lipstick that she still wears to this day.

Additionally, writ ten during the CO VID-19 pandem ic, Swift’s albums “Folklore” and “Ev ermore” allude to the color gold quite often, giving the albums a mystical undertone to them.

voice has matured since the re lease of her first album in 2006, it is clear that the way she ap proaches these types of songs is changing as well. For example, her song “Maroon” deals with the emotional turmoil of a failed relationship,—speculated to have been with actor Jake Gyllen haal—acting like a sequel to her 2012 album “Red.” Nonetheless, Swift’s “Maroon” amplifies the song with intriguing, poetic com parisons that Swift makes between the color and her personal expe riences. Swift’s music is threaded with different narratives, and “Midnights” is no exception as she deals with the emotional en deavors of growing up in “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” as well as internal battles she explores in

song gained extensive popular ity, Swift began embedding ref erences to literature in her other albums. In her 2017 album titled “Reputation,” Swift makes refer ence to classic novel “A Tale of Two Cities” in her song “Getaway Car.” The opening line of the song, “It was the best of times, the worst of crimes,” mirrors the first sentence in Charles Dickin son’s novel, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” showing Swift’s thoughtfulness when it comes to songwriting as she makes these mature refer ences that most artists are unable to do. Likewise, Swift makes ref erences to “The Great Gatsby” in her song “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” also from the “Reputation” album.

Lastly, Swift im merses herself in creativity by work ing alongside other musical artists to combine different genres of music. For instance, in the re-release of her fourth album, titled “Red (Tay lor’s Version)”, Swift features indie singer Phoebe Bridgers in her song “Nothing New” and country artist Chris Stapleton in “I Bet You Think About Me.” Combining Swift’s pop genre background with both alterna tive and country undertones creates a refreshing, unique ex perience for listeners to enjoy.

Swift’s craft is unlike any modern artist in music. Her clev er motifs and allusions to other work as well as her thoughtfulness to secretly drop hints throughout her content is unique to her style. Beyond her creativity, though, her words are often considered by fans as the quintessence of the music industry, and Swift will continue inspiring listeners.

Swift’s newest album “Midnights” tops charts in the music industry during the first week of its release.

Graphic/ Kristyn Dentremont

Patriots face another quarterback controversy

Fans debate which player deserves the starting spot this season

By Max Grant Staff Writer

The past month has been an interesting time for the New England Patriots as backup quar terback Bailey Zappe has won his first two NFL starts. This has happened because incumbent Mac Jones has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain that he suffered in a loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Expectations for Zappe were set low for the season as was predicted to be a rookie quarterback drafted in the fourth round, but he outper formed numerous analysts’ goals.

Last year when playing at Western Kentucky (WKU), Zappe set two NCAA records throwing for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns, while Jones’ first year in a Patriots uniform was tremendous, throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions earning him a trip to the Pro Bowl. This sea son however, Zappe has thrown for 781 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and has a perfect record while starting at 2-0. Jones, on the other hand, has thrown for 1,140 yards, four touchdowns, seven intercep tions and has a negative record while starting this year at 3-3.

Jones, who came out of the University of Alabama, a very gifted football school that has won 18 National Championships, was surrounded by other star-stud ded offensive pieces. Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, fierce running back Najee Harris and more star NFL players today, all played a key role in the of fense that won the 2021 Nation al Championship for Alabama.

Selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones was given the op portunity to start Week 1. Similar to another first round draft choice by the Patriots draft ed 28 years prior, Patriots Hall of Famer Drew Bledsoe started right away for the Patriots after being selected with the first over all pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. Jones led the Patriots out of a hor rible 2020 season and made them a playoff team the following year. Zappe was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of WKU, which is not very well known as a football school. He started the year on the practice squad, having to work his way up by practicing well and eventually earn his starts through an injury.

After veteran Brian Hoyer was injured against the

Green Bay Packers, Zappe filled in and never looked back. Zappe’s story has been compared to Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady who went to college at the University of Michigan and won a National Championship. Brady got his start after Bledsoe suffered a life threatening injury in 2001 and the rest is history.

Jones was listed as the starter for Week 8 against the New York Jets and got the win for the Patriots, but maybe the Patriots should explore the op

tion of Zappe starting. Jones has performed well over the past two weeks and has showed signs of improvement . Jones’ victo ries over the Indianapolis Colts and Jets were head turners for Patriot fans as he looked much better than he did at the begin ning of the season. His struggles however are significant to the Patriots faulty play, leading to fans wanting Zappe to play more snaps and lead the Patriots to the promised land: a seventh Su per Bowl title for New England.

WHS unified basketball team kicks off first season

This September the unified team played competitively against other towns

By Liv Carney Staff Writer

This fall, Walpole High School introduced the first ever season of unified basketball. Af ter ten years of unified track being a popular team at WHS faculty decided to see if students would have any interest in a new sport, basketball. The unified sports teams are put together as an attempt to make sports more inclusive at WHS for every stu dent to be a part of something special. The five contributing coaches to this team are Court ney Nottebart, Paula Massarelli, Sue Ledwith, Charlie Ferro,

and Walpole High School’s athletic director, Ron Dowd.

“All the moments are just special,” said Notte bart. “The kids are so happy just to be with each other.”

Senior Emma Ledwith is the captain of the basketball team. The team has played three games so far, currently with one win and two losses, but they still have three games left this sea son. The Unified basketball pro gram allows students the chance to meet new people and make friends while also having fun doing something they love and finding new ways to stay active.

The faculty and staff

from WHS has been supportive of this team, especially the math department who have gone to every game and cheered stu dents on. The gymnasium is filled with cheer and applause through every game for every student playing. Teammates have been learning throughout the season how to work togeth er during games by bettering their passes and handling losses.

In the Oct. 3 game where Weymouth High School hosted Walpole’s team, Weymouth pulled off a home win. Despite losing, the overall game was exciting as the bleachers boomed with spirit for both teams, and Weymouth performed a halftime show to hype up the crowd even more. Students felt welcomed by oth ers throughout the learning process of the sport, which was shown in Weymouth’s home support. Every improvement on passing and teamwork is an accomplishment and makes the coaches proud to be part of such a hardworking team. The hope for the future of this pro gram is to grow interest towards more students as the coaches hope to eventually have multiple different teams. The improve ment within the team shows and with even more teams, the pro gram would be able to expand.

Unified basketball is much more than the game itself. It gives students the chance to bond and learn new skills; not only sports wise, but life skills. They have a safe space to make new friends and become comfortable par ticipating in new activities where they have emmense support. The coaches are a big reason the team does so well, including the amazing Coach Ferro who was awarded the MIAA coach of the year. Ferro not only coaches basketball, he also started uni fied track. He shows his support and gives his gift of teaching to the team. He is a great assest to the unified sports teams as they are extremely lucky to have him.

New England Patriot quarterbacks Mac Jones (left) and Bailey Zappe (right).

Photo/ Getty Images

WHS unified basketball team competes against Weymouth.

Photo/Patriotledger.com

Mr. Ferro awarded MIAA coach of year.

Photo/Instagram

Senior nights headline Walpole events

The class of 2023 is celebrated during their final home games

By Toby Moses Sports Editor

As the fall season comes to a close, senior nights head lined Walpole’s home games throughout late October. Sports are a large commitment for high school students, especially se niors with multiple years of par ticipation. Celebrating the class of 2023, senior nights celebrate the commitment of seniors dur ing their last home games at Wal pole High School. Senior nights are often celebrated with posters for each senior and cake for the team. For some teams, seniors take pictures alongside their par ents or coaches. With plenty of

Captains Ryan Falvey and Ki eran Stover lead the boys team while Kristyn Dentremont, Em ily Sullivan and Anne Cameron lead the girls team. Facing tough competition with Wellseley and Brookline’s teams ranking high in the state, Walpole was unable to secure the win at home. Both the boys and girls teams lost both matchups in this meet. Nonethe less, posters honoring the seniors and cake for team members made the meet a memorable event.

The field hockey team held their senior night on Oct. 24 on Turco Field. The Porkers faced off against Wellesley. Led by senior captains Maddy Clark and Lindsey Jacobs and backed up

ing 2-1 with the Porkers emerg ing victorious. The Porkers look to make yet another run in the postseason this year coming off of a successful regular season.

Boys soccer held their senior night on Oct. 25 against Wellesley. Michael Leacoma, Bryan Hope and Will Richer are the captains for varsity soccer. A number of seniors play many minutes in soccer, making up a significant part of the starting lineup. Kaden Winter and Chris

pole took the third set and held a lead in the fourth set, a mustwin for the team. On an impres sive comeback, Wellesley took home the win three sets to one.

Also taking place on the 25th was senior night for Wal pole’s swim and dive team. Led by senior captains Emily Rose and Caitlin Rocha, other seniors such as Grace O’Malley, Michael Carlin and Grace Mortali par ticipate as well. The swim and dive team lost this meet, but cel

memories made and great expe riences stemming from Walpole sports, these nights are impor tant moments for the graduating class. Captains and seniors play essential leadership roles on teams, and their importance on teams should be highlighted.

The first of the senior nights was cross country on Oct. 12 where the team faced Welles ley and Brookline in a tri-meet.

by a strong supporting team, the Porkers came out on top of this competitive game. Seniors Emma Caulfield and Brigid Welch also contribute and play leadership roles on the team. Wellesley took a lead early and held the score to 1-0 by halftime. Walpole tied the score 1-1 on a corner, and took the lead 2-1 with 10:15 left in the forth. Clark, the goalie, helped hold the lead, the final score be

Fuller, the two goalies on the soc cer team, are both seniors as well. The first half opened 0-0, but a Wellesley penalty kick gave them a 1-0 lead. Senior Owen Falvey scored a goal to tie the game but Wellesley again took the lead, the score 2-1. Finally Senior An drew Rosemill scored a goal to tie the game with a final score of 2-2. Walpole impressively held on and came out with a tie against a tough competitor in Wellesley.

Walpole girls volleyball hosted senior night at Elm Street School on Oct. 25. Senior cap tains Ellie Lane, Lauren Walsh and Alison Gusmini led the team this year. Against a tough Wellesley team, the team com peted well. Wellesley took the first two sets but the score re mained close throughout. Wal

ebrating the seniors final home meet made the day a memo rable experience for the team.

Walpole girls soccer took place on Oct. 27 on Turco Field, facing off against Braintree. Se nior captains Brooke Walonis and Maddie Grogan lead the team, with several other seniors contributing. A hard fought game, Walpole fell to Brain tree with a final score of 1-0.

The final senior night of the fall 2022 season takes place on Nov. 24, Thanksgiv ing day. Varsity football has had a great season thus far, defeat ing teams such as Needham, Wellesley and Natick. The foot ball team will take on Weymouth at home on Thanksgiving, and alongside the cheer team will celebrate the graduating class.

Photo/ The Searchlight

Photo/ The Searchlight

Photo/ The Searchlight

Cross country seniors celebrate their senior night on Oct. 12 at their tri-meet.

Boys soccer warms up before taking on Wellesley at home on Oct. 25.

Seniors from girls soccer pose before their game.

Posters honor the graduating porkers on senior night

Photo/Twitter