The Searchlight October 2022

Phillip Balkus awarded James Madison Fellowship WHS teacher is the sole recipient from Massachusetts in 2022

By Grace Ryan New Editor

WHS social studies teach er Phillip Balkus is the sole Mas sachusetts recipient and one of 54 national recipients of the 2022 James Madison Graduate Fellowship. Funded by Congress, the honor recognizes “individu als desiring to become outstand ing teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level,” and it grants re cipients $24,000 towards a master’s degree in history.

Balkus is a former Ma rine and graduate of Univer sity of Massachusetts Amherst. He went to Framingham State University where he received a master’s degree in special edu cation as well as a teaching cer tificate in Social Studies. After five years of teaching at other schools, he foundfound his way to WHS as a social studies teach er. During his time at WHS, he has created a fun and moti vating learning environment.

“Mr. Balkus made history, a subject that had been boring for

me, into a fun, energetic class that I looked forward to going to ev eryday,” senior Rishab Gupta said.

Balkus learned about the James Madison Fellowship from a colleague years ago at an Advanced Placement scoring.

“I did not really think about it for a couple of years. Then, my kids went off to col lege, and I had more time, so I applied,” Balkus said.

To apply for the fellow ship, Balkus submitted a se ries of essays and recommen dations from WHS Principal Stephen Imbusch, WHS social

studies department chair Mi chael Donohue and his former student Brendan Mahoney.

“Mr. Balkus’s most impor tant lesson that has always stuck with me is his ability to teach his tory as a multi-faceted story, a story with not just one or even two perspectives. Rather, this story had a plethora of differ ent perspectives that include the importance of viewing history from the average person and not just the leaders,” Mahoney said.

Balkus will receive his master’s degree online through Gettysburg College, sponsored

by Goldberg Lehrman Insti tute. He has already begun his classes and most are self-guided, but occasionally there are ses sions at night. As a part of the program, Balkus will travel to Washington, D.C. to study the Constitution for a month at Georgetown University, and he will also complete a capstone project. He is on track to receive his degree within three years.

“I think just going into depth with some of the subjects. I like the 1920s, and there are a lot of different eras I like. But, I also like the practice of his tory and being able to sit down and write because I haven’t been able to in a while,” Balkus said.

Balkus has influenced a variety of students, often leav ing a lasting impact on their lives. When his students, espe cially former students, heard of his accomplishment, they were instantaneously happy for him.

“Out of all people, Mr. Balkus is what a history teacher should be and I think it is an amazing opportunity for the fel lowship,” senior Lorelei Lee said.

Kieran Stover travels to Tanzania with nonprofitWHS senior assists EWB with sanitation issues in Tanzania

By Meg McNeil Social Media & Business Manager

Kieran Stover, a senior at WHS, devoted 10 days to helping the people of Tanzania by providing sustainable wa ter in easily accessible locations. Due to his father’s connections to Engineers Without Borders (EWB), Stover decided to travel to Tanzania with hopes of grow ing out of his comfort zone and sharing stories of people who do not normally have access to getting their stories told. Stover used his experience in film to create a documentary of experi ence in order to share some of the work that EWB is doing for these communities in Tanzania.

The COVID-19 pandem ic interrupted the continuation of face to face working with the people of Tanzania, disrupting the work EWB had been doing in Tanzania for the past ten years. For the current EWB work, giv

ing access to potable water in places where water is crucial and is centered around survival was the main goal of this specific trip.

“The goal of the trip was to access what work we had done remotely,” Stover said. “For ex ample, almost everything in the village Chamhawi where my dad heads the water project, that was all installed during COVID.”

After spending two days in Chamhawi, Stover moved toward the capital region of Dodoma, where the team set out to accomplish tasks surround ing sanitation and safety. Stover helped different groups, while learning how things worked and filming to share their story.

“Setting the groundwork for future projects, in Mkutani, centered around the school that’s there, providing more access to education by having more places children have a space to learn, providing a safe place for work, [for] girls to attend school, and

making the village safer by pro viding more information on sani tization and hygiene,” Stover said.

Stover is currently a member of the WHS Film Festi val, and he plans to pursue a ca reer in film after high school. As a filmmaker, he hopes to use his platform to share stories from a variety of perspectives to gain a better understanding of people.

“This type of work is defi nitely something I want to do in the future,” Stover said. “I re ally want to learn about different cultures, different experiences, but also try to help in my own way. I think going on this trip helped me realize this is some thing I can do and take your own hobby and interest and have a positive impact on other people.”

Balkus will receive his master's degree through Gettysburg College.

Stover filmed a short documentary about his experience in Tanzania.

Photo/ Grace Ryan

Photo/ Kieran Stover

Editors-in-Chief

Brownsword

Dentremont

O’Connell

News Editor

Ryan

Sports Editor

Moses

Opinion Editor

Lifestyle Editor

Four new teachers join WHS faculty

The Walpole community welcomes new additions to staff

By Jess Cruz Staff Writer

At the start of the 202223 school year, WHS added a host of fresh faces to its fac ulty. After a hiring search over the summer, department heads and administrators selected fi nal candidates for vacancies in the science, art, social stud ies, and English departments.

The science department’s newest addition, Christopher Tringali, is a graduate of West field State. Tringali originally attended Springfield College to study health sciences; however, his path changed as he real ized the importance of teach ing students about science and medicine. His shift in career led to him receiving a Master of Education in Science at West field State. Tringali was drawn to Walpole due to the strong sci ence department, as well as the opportunity to help coach the cross-country and track teams.

attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago for Sculp ture and Film after graduating from WHS in 2018. He later studied Art Education at UMass Amherst, and began his career in education as a substitute at Walpole elementary schools. He maintained bonds with for mer teachers, who encouraged him to apply for the position.

“The Walpole art program and Film Festival were my pas sions,” Conlon said. “I want to give the students of today the same high school art class room experience I was given.”

“My first inkling that I might like teaching was help ing one of the little girls learn how to read [in English] and finding absolute delight in that experience,” Higgins said.

Photos/ The Searchlight

A&E Editor

Social Media & Business Manager

Copy Editor

Erin Malinn

Staff Writers

Second Year Writers

Liv Carney Jess Cruz

Malinn

Pompeo

Sullivan

First Year Writers

Sahithi Ajjarapu

Botelho

Burgess

Dayaa Jaylee Fitzpatrick

Grant

Jones

Martin

Murray

Scotton

The history department’s newest face Gia Higgins, a Col gate University and Boston Col lege graduate. Higgins grew up in many locations around the world and her family eventually relocated to Massachusetts dur ing her high school years. Hig gins has found herself traveling to over 25 countries, even living in France as an au pair for a time. After moving back to the United States, Higgins discovered a love of teaching through tutoring, which led her to pursue a ca reer in social studies education.

Finally, the newest mem ber of the English department is Bill Moody, a Villanova Universi ty and Tufts University graduate who grew up in Massachusetts. After starting his career in politics and marketing, Moody decided to follow his passion for education.

“My [high school] English teachers had a profound effect on my brain when they sold me on the enjoyment of critical anal ysis,” Moody said. “By teaching high schoolers about how to think critically–whether it’s through literature or otherwise–I believe I am providing them with the tools necessary to make thought ful decisions about their future.”

Work study program open to seniors

Work opportunities available through new program

By Toby Moses Sports Editor

Although many students at Walpole High pursue further education after graduation, col lege is not the right option for everyone. A large number of students do not attend college, and the school aims to help these students make valuable con nections for their futures with the new work study program. Run by James Connolly and Bailey Tighe, the work study program is now open to stu dents. The program has been in the works for a long time, and is open to seniors this school year, whether they plan on attending college or not.

The program connects students with potential employ ers to work throughout the sec ond half school year. Students in the work study program follow an adjusted schedule. A part of their time is spent working while the remainder is spent attending classes and finishing high school. The first half of the year students are able to finish their college requirements and the rest of the year they work. Students in

the work study program plan to pursue plumbing, H-VAC, fire fighting, the military, and more.

“Not all students learn in the traditional classroom set ting” said Connolly. “Half of the year you are in the pro gram and the other half you are off doing your internship”

aptitude tests, how to apply to jobs, tax forms, and much more.

“You’re learning the busi ness side of it, all aspects of what goes into [the job,]” said Connolly.

The program is open to students who plan on attending college as well. Students can still go to college after participating in the program, as their academ ic requirements have been hit. Additionally, the program can give students an insight into fu ture careers without committing full-time. For students that want to go to college, internships pro vide experience in certain fields. Students get a taste of what a job is like, and can decide whether they like it or not before com mitting to a major in college.

Students form connec tions and work experience through the program, helping them transition into the work force after graduation. During the first half of the year, students take a work study class where they learn a multitude of skills. Students learn career skills such as interviewing, resume writing,

For students that are not interested in working the sec ond half of the year, the work study program also offers help getting after school internships. Currently, the work study program is open to all seniors, but they must join be fore the end of the first time.

“It’s giving students op portunities to get a jump start on their careers or help find their careers,” said Connolly.

Additionally, WHS alum nus Ryan Conlon joins the art department this year. Conlon

Photo/ Toby Moses

Christopher Tringali

Tighe and Connolly assist program’s students.

Ryan Conlon

Gia Higgins

Bill Moody

Media center restrictions limit learning access Students’ freedom to learn is cut down by media center procedures

By Liam McDonough Opinion Editor

When a person hears the word “library,” they usually think of a place full of books where people can come and freely read, study, or quietly converse with their friends. The average high school library provides an inde pendent space for students to do their research and get their homework done in a produc tive manner. It would be rea sonable to think that the WHS media center would provide similar benefits to students; un fortunately, that is not the case.

Before the pandemic, the procedures regarding the media center were considerably more lenient. Students were able to come and go to the media center quite frequently, whether they had wanted to print out a paper, look for resources or work on projects. There were even times where entire classes went down to the media center to study or look for sources for a research project. When the pandemic ar rived, media center policies were dialed back dramatically. Due to social distancing, the media center was seldom utilized by

students, only used occasion ally by students who request ed assistance from a teacher.

Coming out of the pan demic, social distance mandates were beginning to decrease, leading to students believing that the media center would open up again. However, there have been no signs of that for the past year. During the school day, students’ privileges revolving around me dia center use are very limited. In order to go to the media center during study, students need to either have an intervention with a teacher, set up a time to work on a group project or sched ule a time in the glass rooms.

In theory, these policies would be great at preventing overcrowding in the media cen ter, and while effective at doing just that, it also has turned a space for students to interact and learn into a ghost town. The media center is heavily underutilized because of these restrictions, and they are ultimately prohibiting students from accessing valuable resources that they might not be able to get anywhere else. And because it is a library, it is a given that students cannot be scream ing. With that being said, speak

ing quietly should not be looked down upon, especially when students are in the glass rooms.

Providing more access to the media center would not be that much of a challenge, either. For the better part of last year, students would fill out a form re questing to go to the library dur ing their study block. When over 30 students show up every block, it is understandable to scale back the amount of students in the media center at a time. However, it is a little harsh to completely eradicate that benefit and only al low students to go for very specif

ic reasons. It would be a lot more beneficial to students if they set a cap on the amount of people al lowed per block, and that would not be a hard adjustment to make.

When the media center is filled with students and peo ple can barely hear themselves speak, telling people to leave or be quiet would certainly be an ap propriate course of action. Prac tically wiping out the entire stu dent body from using it during school hours because of ineffi cient policies in place is not some thing that should be done, nor is it fair to the WHS community.

Phone holders are a helpful learning tool in classEnforcing cellphone policies has increased focus among students

By Liv Carney Staff Writer

As the phone policy be comes more strict at Walpole High School, most students are not having positive reactions. However, the phone policy it self has more of a positive than negative intention. Teachers want phones in the phone holder promptly as the bell rings, which intends to make a much better learning experience. Having stu dents’ phones accessible to them during class can cause a large dis

traction in a multitude of ways.

High school students al ready have lots on their minds every day- whether it be friend drama, relationship issues, over bearing parents or waiting on someone to text them back. While it is difficult enough to fo cus in class with all of these circu lating thoughts, how would hav ing access to your phone make this job of focusing any easier?

If students are deal ing with personal issues or dra ma, it is no lie that social media causes drama to become much

worse than it needs to be. Hav ing phones readily available during class will make it easier to engage in any drama hap pening on social media apps or just by texting the person one may be having issues with. This not only distracts from learning or doing school work, but it also makes the other people involved upset, unable to focus on any thing other than what is on hand.

This ensures that stu dents will not be focusing in class that day or getting any work done, which will put stu dents far behind your class mates and the course, building stress levels even higher. Parents who want to text their children during school hours bother ing them about grades, upcom ing tests or missed assignments are just making matters worse.

Having parents bombard students with texts about school while in class will do the opposite of what they’re trying to achieve, which is their child doing well in school. During class if you are doing group work or just have a minute to talk, not having your phone will also give students the chance to talk to people and maybe even make new friends. No one enjoys putting their phone in the holder during class, but it is necessary to get a good

education and have more social time. There are more benefits than disadvantages of the phone policy and it is put in place to further the success of students.

While not having access to phones is not the ideal choice for most, it does come with ma jor benefits. Instead of viewing it as a loss, view it as a way to fo cus on school work and get bet ter grades. It makes focusing on readings or studying easier and information will be retained eas sier when there is no worry about what’s happening on the phone.

If you are able to excel in school while having a phone, imagine the improvements the focus is solely on school work. While not be able to text friends or check TikTok during class, it gives the opportunity to form new friendships by talking to the people around instead.

Although students may not want to admit it, taking away phones during class takes away another distraction. Class time should be prioritized for learn ing and having students’ phones available to them can interrupt the focus neccesary in a learn ing environment. The WHS phone policy is in place for the benefit of students, so that the time they spend in the class room can be utilized correctly.

Media center usage is astonishingly low due to school policy.

Students are not distracted by media notifications during class time.

Graphic/ Kristyn Dentremont

Photo/ The Searchlight

Walpole has spirit problem

By Sophia Brownsword Editor-in-Chief

The reality of high school is not what is shown on television; that much is obvious. With modern developments, the modern high school student evolves past the ste reotype exposed to on preteen chan nels growing up–and as students evolve, so does the atmosphere of the school around them, including that of WHS. The past few years at WHS represent an extreme transi tional period. The most obvious beginning would be in March 2020 with the start of the pandemic. In June of that same year, the school committee unanimously decided to change a part of the school’s identity: the Rebel moniker.

Coming back to school these past few years after the pan demic, there has been a clear cul ture shift that can be easily seen walking through the hallways—a certain disconnect between stu dents that did not exist before. The lack of school spirit can be seen in its most basic forms: the amount of students that do not partici pate in spirit weeks or pep rallies.

“I would describe Walpole High’s student culture as divided, because I feel as though there is no common student culture shared among the students,” senior class president Stephen Bond said. “I do believe that certain individu als have connections across clubs and activities at Walpole High, but as a whole, these groups feel very detached from one another.”

This phenomena cannot be attributed to logistical issues of events, such as last minute notice and no time for preparation. Inperson events have come back at

Walpole High, ones that used to pull great crowds from the com munity. Today, it is a significant undertaking to plan a success ful event that will actually bring in members of the student body. In years past, events such as the hypnotist, school performances.

“It’s annoying when we put together events and plan ev erything that people ask us to plan while taking their suggestions dur ing planning, but then the time comes for the event and they don’t care anymore,” Student Council vice president Sabrina Abate said. Taking all of this into consideration, it is time to ask: What changed?

One aspect of spirit at WHS that has consistently existed has been support for the sports teams. The beginning of the Wal pole super-fansection came in the fall of 2013, an idea that teacher Dave St. Martin had in order to bring about a more supportive and positive culture at WHS. Within weeks of being established, the stu dent section was filling up at not only football games, but field hock ey, soccer and basketball games too. Anywhere where there were stands, Walpole fans filled them.

The Brigade, as the student section was named, continued for years to come–officially ending along with the name change that the en tirety of Walpole went through.

From the ashes of the Bri gade rose “The Pack,” which has made the attempts to bring back the school spirit lost at Walpole High during the pandemic. The Pack has been able to bring in the crowds to an assortment of games this year and last but it can still be evidently seen that there are some students who refuse to accept

the new mascot.

“The history name does not have ground as it has federacy and other our history, but at your name gets something that has for many years, school a dip,” Jason Finkelstein runs The Pack Instagram The uniforms been rebranded, ways may be lined wolf merch, but can still be heard students at Friday games. While it the futile efforts of forts directly attribute of spirit at the of the disagreement between those who move on versus those creates unnecessary

The Rebel huge part of Walpole thing that most proud to be called. changing the Rebel vided Walpole with after a complicated, history, and holding gone mascot only

The fact is that underclassmen taught, implicitly the Rebel identity WHS culture. In name is not coming are already three students at the have never been neath it. Future enter Walpole High knowing of the name, sure they enter a plagued by the past,

“I’m a part of the nobody really comes because they see less than.”

anonymous

“Other sports don’t get as much hype as football.”

anonymous

“I’ve only ever truly felt connected to the sense of spirit at school sports games.”

anonymous

“Kids struggle with being pulled in lots of different directions. [We should] encourage kids to pursue their passions instead of doing all the things just surface level.”

- school counselor Allison Wilson

“I hope everyone can look beyond sports as a sole source of school pride. ” - school alumnus Jack Stedman

has a school problem

history of the Rebel have a great back ties to [the] con other dark parts of any school, when gets changed from has been a staple school spirit takes Finkelstein said, who Instagram account. uniforms may have rebranded, and the hall lined with Timber the Rebel name heard echoing from Friday night football may seem like of some, these ef attribute to the lack high school. All disagreement and discord who are willing to those who are not unnecessary contradiction. Rebel name was a Walpole and some most students were called. However, Rebel name pro with a fresh start complicated, problematic holding on to the by only hinders change.

fact of the matter underclassmen are being or explicitly, that identity is still a part of reality, the Rebel coming back, and there classes worth of high school who students under generations will High School not name, and to make place that is not past, it is up to the

current student body to create one.

“I think it is very, very good for students to be involved and get behind what is going on at school, but it’s not something that hap pens and just stays there, it has to be nurtured, it has to be exciting,”

Principal Stephen Imbusch said.

School pride should not be tied directly with a name or a mas cot. It should be tied to the real stu dents at Walpole High who bring pride to the school every single day. It should be tied to the field hockey team for their consistent outstand ing records, or to the cheer team for making nationals last year. It should tied to the Student Coun cil for being a yearly recipient of the National Gold Award of Ex cellence, or to the Film program that has been featured in the Bos ton Globe. It should be tied to the Speech and Debate team for their outstanding performance at na tionals in 2022. It should be tied to the Dance Company for their creative performances, to the dra ma production for their engaging shows, to the music department for their skillful dedication. All of the clubs within Walpole High, all of the small ecosystems that students are involved in, should bring a sense of pride to the school.

School spirit cannot be manufactured overnight. It cannot be bought and it cannot be faked. True school spirit must be real in or der for it to actually have an affect. What is it’s importance? What was the purpose of writing this article?

School spirit is what makes school fun. A pep rally might seem corny to more cynical students, but it will develop lighthearted adoles cent memories students can carry with them into adulthood. The

camaraderie of school spirit is nec essary at any high school, for this unity is what makes high school enjoyable. It is what makes the four years of high school bearable. It is what gets students through even the longest weeks. It brings home wins and medals and recognition for schools. It is what gets kids out of their comfort zone so they are more comfortable in college or at work. It is the experience that parents tell their kids about. It is the memories friends share years after graduation. It forces friend ships, builds bonds, and creates the memories that are carried into the rest of life. High school may never be truly like the movies and shows depict it, but parts of it can be if students really believe in it.

“School pride is so im portant right now for the school given the divisive nature of the mascot change. I encourage ev eryone to accept that change and rally together. Yes, there are big ger things in life than a high school mascot,” class of 2014 alum nus and former Student Coun cil president Jack Stedman said.

Being a Rebel versus be ing a Timberwolf should not hold such a difference over the student body, because at the end of the day both are just superficial ways of saying you’re from Walpole. And being from Walpole–a part of this community of creativity, hard work, honor and strength–should mean something to students.

Being from Walpole should surpass whatever pride there was for being a Rebel. The Rebel name represented WHS’s past, but not its future. WHS existed before the name, and it exists after. It’s up to the students to move on from it.

drama club, and comes to our events us as weird and than.”

“Common experiences and shared values are important to fostering school spirit.”

- band director Tim Flemings

“[Most clubs] are full of wonderful and motivated people.”

- anonymous

“Many students feel like they need to get out of this school as fast as they can.”

anonymous

“The more spirit surrounding a club, the more committed I am to it.”

- anonymous

Three trending fall outfits from Marshalls Easily affordable and accessible clothing with significant brands

By Isabelle O’Connell Editor-in-Chief

As fall begins its course, the trends that follow make their way back for yet another year. While some trends come back year after year, others are always evolving with new styles suiting the seasonal changes. Finding trendy clothes is easily accessible, but not always affordable. This year, stores such as Marshalls and T.J Maxx have launched nu merous brands and styles that are easily affordable as well as readily available for all to enjoy. Here are a few simple, but sea sonal outfit finds at locally known Marshall’s and T.J Maxx stores. Simple, yet appealing fall

colored dresses are extremely trendy this year. At Marshalls, one can find a burnt orange colored dress that appeals to this trend. This dress is from the brand Love Tree, and is extremely affordable for the quality. The dress includes buttons from top to bottom with puffed sleeves. Not only is the front of the dress flat tering, the back has a cinched feel to it, creat ing comfort and flexibility. This autumn dress would be best suited for an indoor or outdoor dress casual event. The sleeves create a more formal look to the dress, or it could also be dressed down with a cream colored cardigan or a brown san dal. The orange dress is a very versatile color as well as style that can be worn not only in au tumn, but other seasons, as well.

Next up on the rack is a preppy, patterned set from Pink Rose. The set comes together with a cropped collared shirt,

and a skirt for the price of one. The colors on this shirt as well as skirt are brown, black, and even white forming a plaid pat tern. The shirt has a light brown collar with two buttons on it for the extra comfort and style prefer ences. For the quality of the set, it comes with a price that is hard to resist. This look is more on the formal side, but can be worn to school on a crisp fall day, or even apple picking with friends. This set can also be worn in the win ter with a long brown or black coat to warm up the outfit.

The last outfit is defi nitely the most flexible, and the two pieces of clothing can be worn separate or together to create a cute and casual outfit.

The warm tan oversized crew neck is designed by the brand Ocean Drive, and could be worn on a cool fall morning with the Urban Romantics orange pat

terned skirt. The crew neck and skirt bring a matching outfit that looks effortlessly put together. The skirt is mainly a burnt or ange color with hints of light brown and cream accents to it. With this outfit, one could wear it pumpkin picking with friends if the weather allows, or even to school on an October day. Fall shopping can be challenging when trying to find outfits suited to one’s personal taste. Local Marshall’s and T.J Maxx stores offer a trending fall selection while also being in an affordable price range. With these few suggestions, shopping for a new fall ward robe no longer is challenging.

Thrifted accessories to enhance costumes Tips to take Halloween costumes from simple to stylish

By Annie Cameron Lifestyle Editor

With Halloween right around the corner, the age-old ques tion arises once again—what should your costume be? It is one of the most haunting ques tions of the season, with every one wanting to be original yet also trendy and get the perfect scary yet chic look. So what’s the best way ro make a perfect costume without spending too much money? Easy, thrifting!

Thrifting has been pop ular for months now as people love searching for unique piec es or upcycling their finds, it is easily one of the best ways to guarantee no one else will have it. So how can one thrift their Halloween costume? Of course, every thrift store is different, but here are a few tips to use when deciding to thrift your Halloween costume this season.

One approach when thrifting a costume is choosing a piece to center the costume around. Thrift stores offer a vari ety of unique clothes and accesso ries, so it is important to take ad vantage of this. Take the time to look around and find something to make the focal point of the costume. Typically this should be a stand-out piece, try to stay

away from anything basic; this is the main focus of the costume so it needs to be strong. When find ing the rest of the costume, make sure the other aspects do not clash with the centerpiece. Thrift stores are renowned for eccentric and vintage dresses or skirts that are unlike those sold at the mall, and these can be a great starting point or focal piece for a costume. Pair them with a crown or pair of wings from a local party store, and it is the perfect princess or fairy costume. This serves to be a festive yet also cute costume that is perfect for Instagram pictures.

It is important to take advantage of all aspects of the thrift store, as well.

Most thrift stores have unique jewelry or other accesso ries, which can be a fun way to spice up a look and the distinctive aspect of vintage jewelry makes it perfect for a Halloween costume.

Any gorgeous piece of jewelry that might be a bit too striking for everyday wear, can work per fectly for a Halloween costume.

Having a costume already in mind, thrifting is still an op tion just using a different ap proach. Rather than looking for a piece to inspire the costume, use the costume idea to inspire the clothing. Instead of finding a focal piece, look for pieces that are cohesive and fit your cos

tume idea; make sure to keep the idea loose as thrift stores are unpredictable and creativity is key! If nothing seems to fit the costume idea, try searching by color. Look for all pieces that fit that color scheme and use them to narrow down your options based on what best fits the idea.

All shoppers should con sider adding secondhand ele ments to their costumes, even if the whole costume isn’t thrifted. Thrifting is a more sustainable

option; every year, millions of Halloween costumes are dis carded after the holiday ends, so shopping secondhand re duces clothing waste. Addition ally, thrifted items are often cheaper than buying a prepack aged costume. Plus, thrifting is the perfect activity to get in the fall spirit and will be full of fun seasonal finds. Even just finding a few cute accessories can en hance a costume immensly and give it the perfect original twist.

Photos/ Isabelle O’Connell

At Norwood’s Salvage Angel, shoppers can find a variety of secondhand accessories.

Photo/ Salvage Angel

Understanding art adaptations in history Old and new artistic styles remain poular in 21st century

By Kristyn Dentremont Editor-in-Chief

Increasingly popular soft ware such as ProCreate, Adobe Spark and Canva offer artists the opportunity to create their work digitally, advancing art and graphic design tremendously. Nonetheless, there are two ar tistic styles that have remained popular for years and will con tinue making a contribution to the world of artistic expression: contemporary and traditional art. Contemporary art explores personal aesthetics and modern artistic expression; contrastingly, traditional art celebrates historic moments and precise, old world techniques. Today’s culture wel comes both styles with open arms, yet artists often gravitate to one style over the other. As art is an increasingly popular major for college students, it is important that aspiring artists understand what each style truly entails.

Contemporary art was es tablished as a true artform in the late 1960s during the wave of the civil rights movement and coun terculture. Both aforementioned

periods were defined by their op position to social norms and pro motion of emotional expression. Speech and music were popular outlets that allowed people to communicate their perspectives, but this new wave of contempo rary art introduced a new outlet for people to relieve themselves of their emotional turmoil. A pioneer of the concept, Andy Warhol, highlights this style with bright colors encased in grids and thick black outlines. War hol’s work is still relevant in con temporary art to this day, such as his “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and “Shot Marilyns” for their graph ic detail and aesthetic. Besides Warhol, artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Bas quiat have laid the foundation for current contemporary art, and their art is often inspiration for modern institutions. Galler ies display contemporary art for aspiring young artists to ensure that this art form continues flour ishing for generations to come.

On the other hand, tradi tional art is the building block that all other art forms have branched off of. Though it was created ap

proximately five centuries ago, the “Mona Lisa” painting made by Leonardo da Vinci is still one of the most famous traditional paintings in the world and re mains a treasure preserved at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The Mona Lisa depicts a palefaced, middle class woman who appears to only show emotion through her slight smile. Artists are captivated by her ambiguous emotions as well as the unrecog nizable background in the paint ing, and many still ponder the

meanings behind this painting. Additionally, the Mona Lisa set an example of what a traditional woman should be painted to look like. For instance, the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer and the Whistler’s Mother by James McNeill Whis tler depict women with the same powdery faces and enigmatic ex pressions. Collectively, traditional art is displayed all over the world to grace its viewers with beauty and precision, and will continue to do so for centuries to come.

“Don’t Worry Darling” falls short of expectations

Despite cast drama, psychological thriller is ultimately forgettable

By Ciara Foley A & E Editor

Following much antici pation from Florence Pugh and Harry Styles fans, “Don’t Worry Darling” was finally released in theaters on Sept. 23, after being promoted for over a year. Di rected by Olivia Wilde, the new release takes an atypical genre compared to work Wilde has done in the past as she intro duces her second movie, an en grossing psychological thriller. Including A-list celebri ties and all-around talented ac tors, the film was set to blow its audience away. Instead, however, the film ended in mixed reviews

from fans and critics themselves.

Set in a Palm Springs uto pian district, the film is centered around the content lives of Jack and Alice Chambers, a married couple that lives in an implied 1950s neighborhood along with their married friends. The men travel to headquarters everyday for work, a place where anyone else is banned to go to, while the women lavish as housewives, cleaning but also lounging at the pool, taking dance classes, and plenty of other activities.

By night, the couples en joy themselves by hosting din ner parties, which include dress ing up and dancing the night away. While this appears to be a dreamy lifestyle, the wives can’t help but question what the men really do when they’re away working, and why strange oc currences such as small earth quakes happen regularly.

In the beginning, Alice, played by Florence Pugh, lives a seemingly content life—she enjoys her life of luxury with the other wives in town, and al ways anticipates her husband’s arrival home by cooking meals and cleaning their home. Even tually, cracks begin to form as an eerie song constantly replays in her mind, while she also sees disturbing visions through

out her day and in her dreams. Wilde was able to keep the au dience on edge of their seats throughout the two hours by slowly progressing Alice’s in

While it contained plen ty of chilling scenes that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, many were disappointed by a cliff-hanger ending, along

sanity and the truth of Victory.

While the trailer and ad vertisements for the film seemed to include multiple cliff-hangers, the movie did not prove to be as climatic as it was brought to be, as mentioned by critics. With a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.3 out of 10 by IMDb, many were not afraid to critcize Wilde for her failure to take on what she said to be a feminist featured movie. Many also acknowledged how the film failed to reach the potential it was thought to have.

with multiple unanswered questions of what happened.

Even with the disappoint ment bought by many, the movie received praise from fans all over. Despite being reprehended by critics, “Don’t Worry Darling” took the box office by storm as it was revealed to be number one in the United States, with over 19.2 million sales two days after the film released. Some even went as far as to claim it to be Pugh’s best movie, though it resulted to be a mediocre film.

Traditional and contemporary art theories juxtapose each other with contrasting styles.

Graphic/ Kristyn Dentremont

Alice’s hallucinations begin as she grows suspicious of the Victory Project.

Photo/ Vanity Fair

Photo/ NBC

Jenna Cloutier hired as new cheer coach Under new leadership, cheer team prepares for upcoming season

By Erin Malinn Copy Editor

While WHS’s cheer team kicked off their season in August, their progress has been pushed back due to a transition in coach ing staff. Jenna Cloutier, the team’s new head coach, has been working alongside senior cap tains Abigail Cunningham, Em ily Botelho, and Hannah Mul ligan to push past all challenges and lead the team to success.

Cloutier’s cheerleading experience started as a child, spending eight years cheering for Pop Warner and later becom ing one of their coaches. Her Pop Warner seasons also over lapped with her eight years of all-star cheerleading, which led into four years of college cheer at UMass Dartmouth. She soon began a professional career as a Providence Bruins Ice Girl for a year and a New England Patri ots Cheerleader for four seasons.

“She knows a lot about cheerleading, which is awesome,” Cunningham said. “She’s given a lot of freedom to the captains to take the team where we want it. The girls get to voice their opin ions to us and we can have some thing almost like a democracy.”

Cloutier officially as sumed the role of head coach af ter Walpole’s first varsity football game of the year. She helped pre pare the team by teaching side line cheers along with tumbling and stunt sequences safe enough to perform on the track and turf

to perform during the game. Af ter the first two games, practices have become more competition focused. She makes sure to pri oritize repetition of skills to en sure safety and good execution.

While coaching a team of almost 20 athletes, Cloutier has reminded herself and her athletes that the team’s goal of the season is not to focus on winning, but to have fun and continue to learn in order to re lieve the pressure and anxiety that comes from competition.

“It is a lot of pressure, time and effort to coach anything by yourself,” Cloutier said. “There have been a lot of late nights of

researching fun stunt ideas and putting the scheduling together.”

Before coaching at WHS, Cloutier worked as Patriots Cheerleader for four seasons. many new things,” freshman Demi Kaselis said. “Based on all-star experience, I [have] learned [more] stunting skills in the past month than I have in eight years in all-star cheer.”

The team received their competition choreography on Sept. 23 during a five hour prac tice. Many of the cheerleaders have years of cheer experience and some are rookies; neverthe less, Cloutier and her senior cap tains are excited about the vari ous talents the athletes have and the potential their season holds. Thanks to her professional back ground, Cloutier has been able to teach new skills, techniques, and positions to the team, and even the most experienced athletes have been able to learn from her.

“She has taught me

Following the cheer team’s placement at nationals last year, Cloutier is hopeful that the team will be successful in com petitions this year, and is excited to provide athletes with a fun and memorable season this fall.

“There’s so much to cheerleading, which is why I love it!” Cloutier said.

The cheer team will compete at the Bay State compeititon on Nov. 2.

Walpole cross country attends Ocean State Girls team participates in Rhode Island competition for the first time

By Emily Sullivan Staff Writer

For years, the Walpole girls cross country team has at tended the Frank Money Invita tional at the Wrentham Develop ment Center. However, this year marked the start of a possible new tradition for the girl’s team. Over the summer, the coaches of the girl’s cross country team, Conor Cashman and Fiona Murphy decided to change the

Photo/ Emily Sullivan

schedule and made the decision to attend the Ocean State Invita tion. On Sept. 24, both the boys’ and girls’ teams competed against a new competition of runners from outside of Massachusetts.

The meet was located in Warwick, R.I. and was the first time in several years that the boys and girls teams have been togeth er on this weekend of invitationals. The course is known to be one of the more difficult courses than most runners are used

to. With the hill at the end and the tough terrain of sand, most were not expected to set a huge personal record on the course.

“The course was defi nitionally challenging specifi cally because the terrain was different from what the team normally practices on,” soph omore Caroline White said.

Starting off the day strong, five Walpole freshman boys compete against 207 other runners from other towns in a 4k. Additionally, two freshman runners from the girl’s team competed against 131 runners. Following these races came the start of the 5k races. Walpole competed in the JV race with many strong performances from individuals from both teams.

Junior Dylan Bent placed in the top 30 and received a medal with a time of 19:12. In the varsi ty race, Walpole received a medal in each of the boy’s and girl’s rac es. Junior Sean Kerin ran a time of 17:03 and Caroline White ran a time of 20:51. Those top run

ners placed in the top 30 in their race, awarding them a medal.

Overall, this meet was a success for both teams. The girl’s team placed 15 out of 25 teams. The boys placed 9th out of 30 teams from teams all across New England. The run ners who attended this invita tional were pleased with how the day went and hope that next year both teams can return.

“Both teams had lots of energy and good teamwork to push through the race and really put us out of our com fort zone racing against teams from different states that we have never seen before,” se nior Jonathan Rodrigues said.

Coming up on the sea son, both teams are hoping to use this meet as a way to prepare for Divisonals on Nov. 12 which is thought to be one of the big gest meets of the year. Walpole is trying to fight for a champi on place that would allow them to move on to All States, lead ing to the week after divisionals.

Photo/ Courtney Doherty

Boys and girls track athletes approach the finish line,