EDITORIAL: Gay Rights

For every homosexual on Earth fitting or being equal is everything. Those who are homosexuals’ want the same things as heterosexuals’. They want to be with someone in marriage. Sadly, the U.S and every other country, frown upon gay rights and same sex marriage. Apparently it is against human nature to be a homosexual. Whatever your opinion is on same sex marriage is just your opinion. Whether it’s right or wrong is all on you, no one can change your mind if that is what your heart feels. The following men tell their opinion on the matter of same sex marriage and civil unions.

Who gets to decide if one man can marry another guy? It is no ones place to say "no, you can't get married to this other man, even if you do love him." Only a handful of states have legalized same-sex marriage. The first being in 2004 and the last in 2010. Even though it is a small number of states more and more are trying to legalize same-sex marriage.

A civil union was just created to allow people of the same sex to have a partnership. This is the same as marriage but people for male and female marriage recognize it. So who gets to make the laws? The people, and in the people we have gays so why not let them have the same as everyone else when it comes to marriage.

We should allow same-sex marriage. The reason why is because if someone likes someone of the same sex and they want to get married, let them. It’s their lifestyle, we can't stop them just because we may think that it's wrong. Gay marriage isn’t a problem. It doesn't matter if they like the same gender, whether it be a guy or girl. If their spouse wants to be with their partner then we should let them get married.

Ten countries have begun to allow same sex-marriage and those countries were: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. The U.S. has each state decide whether or not to allow same sex marriage.

Star Student

By D.Seabury

Once a month teachers select a couple of students who show social and academic excellence. Those students are then voted on by the faculty to become "Star" Students.

Two names are picked, one from Middle School and one from High School. The two “Star” students for November were Tess Hamilton, from High School, and Ireland Tawney, from Middle School.

Mr. Kelley states, “It’s a way I can get to know the students.” He started the student of the month because the students that are all-around good students deserve to be acknowledged for their hard work.

Penguin Plunge

By Zachary Calley

The Penguin Plunge is held in February at Hampton Beach, and students from different cities attend it. We have anywhere between four to eight students attend this event from our school. “This year is going to be great,” says Mr. O'Dougherty who does the Penguin Plunge every year. He says that it’s a good experience for those who attend it because you make new friends and hang out with the friends you have now.

The Penguin Plunge is in the winter and the temperature is often ten below. There are at least four of our students that regularly attend the Penguin Plunge and their names are Peter England, David England, Charlie Bartlett, and Paige Cook. New faces have been popping up also.

The Penguin Plunge is a great opportunity to help the Special Olympics. The road to get to the Plunge isn’t an easy one. The first step is that the participant has to raise the money needed by getting sponsored.

Peace Club

by J Jones

Among the many organizations at Hopkinton High School there is a club known as Peace Club. It has been going on for years now, but it is feared by some that there is a possibility of it ending with this year’s graduating class. A reason for that concern stems from the apparent lack of interest in the group. Those who have attended know that it is a club to be valued, a place where fellow classmates can come together and discuss current events or issues in the world involving many other things such as global/environmental issues. Also, it gives students a chance to be involved in any protests or rallies they are passionate about. The club has even been known to go on the occasional hike to truly appreciate the world we live in or just enjoy a nice stroll. Whatever the reason Peace Club is a perfect excuse to share one’s thoughts, munch on some quality snacks, and relax.

This year, senior Susanna Keilig, runs the club. When asked about the issue about years to come, she stayed positive and did not seemed to be phased at all. Instead, she talked about the goals for the club this year. These goals range from simply having good conversations about things going on in the world and watching interesting documentaries to more ambitious things like participating in at least one rally. Doing community service and helping out local organizations is also something the Peace Club is hoping to accomplish.

Other goals address the Peace Club population problem as well. "When there's only four people showing up to meetings it's hard to come up with things," comments Mary O'Neil.

"No one really knows what we're about," says Becca Shatney.

According to Ziggy Chesley, "When people think Peace Club they think hippies smoking in a field or Woodstock where they don't shower." Maybe the club is misunderstood, but the group members are looking forward to spreading the good word about the club by increasing awareness within the school and hoping to recruit more members.

Regardless of size, Peace Club keeps up the positive attitudes and just keeps on keeping on. The students involved were even talking about making a new name for the group to hopefully eliminate all the prejudices and negative connotations associated with the current one. It is not yet known what the club is to be called, but they are focusing more on something revolving around youth activism. No one can predict what will become of the club in the future, but one can only hope it sticks around.

"I think his year will be a really strong year for Peace Club," notes Erin McAuliffe.

Hopkinton High School Exchange

By Morgan Holden

Each year Hopkinton High School takes part in the year long journey with several wonderful exchange students. This year we have four students joining our student body: Christopher Mara on from Ecuador, Laura Walter from Germany, Ahmad Ab from Kuwait, and Fredrika Kok from Germany as well.

I was personally able to sit down with each student and talk to them about themselves and how their stay has been so far, and they all had a considerable amount to say. “I like to play soccer and tennis, I as well play bass and I am in three bands back home,” says Christopher, a senior at HHS “I love to play jazz band here and I also like my photography class."

Laura, a junior who comes to us from Stuttgart, Germany (which is two hours from Lindau, where our German class resides for the exchange program), is joining our Nordic ski team this year. “I’m going to do Nordic this winter it’s going to be nice since I’ve never skied before, and this place seems to have quite a bit of snow so it will be fun. Laura also enjoys her host family and going on trips around New England over the weekend.

Ahmad, a junior at HHS, also had much to say. “My name is Ahmad but some people call me A.B., I play a lot of soccer back home and I love steaks here! I also like talking to people and building house models out of wood." Ahmad also said, “I would also like to say that Hopkinton is a great and wonderful place and is full of wonderful people."

Hopkinton High School is lucky to share the journey that each of our exchange students are on, and I encourage you all to approach and meet them if you already haven’t!

Occupy Wall Street Occupies Student's Minds

By Ziggy Chesley

Lately, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been everywhere. It’s on the news, splashed across the internet and other social media sites, and everyone has an opinion about it. But the real question is: what is it really about?

It’s a good question, because this grassroots organization has numerous goals that can easily be confused. “I don’t really know what its about” says Emma Geiger, a junior, “I mean, I know the basics, but it seems more complicated.” When you just look at the facts, it becomes is rather simple. Occupy Wall Street is protesting that all of the wealth of America belongs to only one percent of America's population. They are protesting large businesses that don’t spread the wealth, and that the majority of the population of America is getting worked over by these large groups.

What is getting more attention is the way that they’re protesting. Occupy Wall Street members protest by camping out in public areas. This technique, though rather effective to gain attention, has caused some issues with the locals in the area. There have been many accusations of police brutality, even to the point where New York officials are looking into one of the raids on the Occupy Wall Street protesters. There have been accusations of spraying pepper spray into a crowd, or beating peaceful protesters simply to get out the way. “The amount of force that these police officers are using is crazy! It’s just not needed,” says Erin McAuliffe, a senior.

Some believe that how the protesters are handling themselves is out of line. The protests and sit-ins are clogging up the streets, and in a busy city such as New York, the birthplace of this movement, it can be quite an issue. Some protesters' reactions to the police have been rather violent. There are accounts of protesters fighting back rather violently. One officer in New York had to be hospitalized. “Though I agree with what they’re standing up for, I don’t think they are doing it in the right way,” says Shannon Nadeau, a junior.

What can’t be debated is how widespread the movement is. It has spread across the globe, to Paris and Africa. It has moved through all the states, including Occupy Boston, Occupy Oakland, and a number of others. The movement sparks something in people, positive or negative. The Occupy Wall Street movement has had a huge impact on our society today, and one can only wonder where it will go next.

Settling Down For Winter: The Farming Perspective

By Jess Mellen

Winter is just around the corner, and the bustling business of summer is winding down. That means that popular spots around town such as Beech Hill Farm and Gould Hill are closing for the next series of months. They may not be selling products and ice cream to the public during this time, but the two farms are in no way idle.

During the regular operating season, Gould Hill Orchard is known for its many types of apples and other fruits. More recently, the orchard shop has added cider donuts to its list of sold products along with the usual cider, maple syrup, and other traditional New England fares. It’s a popular place to patrons of all ages and hosts many visitors during the apple picking season.

Beech Hill Farm, on the other hand, is most known for its ice cream stand. Although not made by the farm itself, the ice cream draws many visitors to the area every summer. This farm also has animals that visitors can stop to see while enjoying their frozen treats. Like Gould Hill, the farm also features a shop that contains many New England products, ranging from local artwork to maple syrup. In the autumn, Beech Hill features a collection of corn mazes for visitors to explore.

But what do these local farms do in the wintertime, when the visitors are few and the crops are not growing? According to Robert Kimball, Beech Hill Farm takes a well-deserved break during the winter months. The family likes to sit back and relax, and excluding the occasional hay sales to others, there is no work to be done.

According to Tim Bassett, one of the family members that helps run Gould Hill Orchards, they take a short time after closing to relax. But by January or February, the family and other employees are busing pruning all twenty acres of their fruit trees in order to prepare for the spring growing season. Bassett also said that most farmers, himself included, have second jobs in the Marketing area, a job that frequently takes up the winter months.

Dodgeball Tournament Showdown

By Kendra Arseneault

On Friday November 4^th, 2011 Hopkinton Middle High School held a dodgeball tournament to help raise money for the sophomore class. The tournament had about twelve teams, each team had about six or seven players. There were around ninety participants for the tournament. The teams consisted of all different grades in the high school and also there was an all faculty team. The all faculty team had Mr. OD, Mr. Meserve, Ms. Gagnon, Mr. Haggerty and Ms. Walton. Mr. OD said “very much fun. It was nice to play against students” Also there was a team on team rivalry between the Kevin Smith ET All and the All Faculty team. This team had Zach Calley, Noah Sweetbrown, Sam Belcourt, Bryce Sorel, Brandon Glover, Kevin Smith and Andrew (Andy) Bohem. Another team that stuck out from the rest was the all boys team the winning team. This team had Matt Gleason, Sam Bonifant, Sam Ruderman, Anthony Andrew, Jay White and Griffin Y.

The dodgeball tournament was to help raise money for the sophomore class. Around 678.00 dollars was raised for the class for things like their prom and graduation for when they are seniors. The tournament had over a hundred people attending to watch. Remembering dodgeball in past years lots of people picture the big rubber ball, but because of risk of people getting severely hurt by the balls being flung at them with such force they used sponge-like balls to throw.

One of the winning team members said, “We were unstoppable- definition dream team." They won a prize, which was a necklace trophy, candy, a ball and a can of silly string. The “dream team” worked well together to beat all the other competitors to win the game. All these kids helped raise money for the sophomore class in a fun and competitive way. All teams were asked if they would do it again, they all said they would play again. It was a fun way to raise money and the school should do it again to help out classes.

The Grimm Brothers Spectaulathon

By PEngland

Despite the fact that some people were sick, The Grimm Brothers Spectaulathon went on as planned and the show was great. The Middle School saw the play without Ned Yonkers and Maddie Cairns because one was sick and the other had a sore throat. Ms. Gelineau said that when someone had to fill-in, the person found out an hour before the show, and someone else found out the day before. Ms. G. decided the changes in the cast. Cast member Reuben Meister thought the changes were going to be “not good” when he first found out, but admits the members who filled in “did a really good job.” The plan was to help each other out.

Yonkers and Cairns were back for the remaining shows. “The narrators were my favorite because they told a good story,” said Mrs. Gagnon. She thought the play was clever and her son Riley thought it was funny. “I think that Cinderella was funny,” said Mrs. Gagnon. After the show, Mrs. Gagnon said watching the play made her feel happy. Ms. Gelineau felt excited for the next show. Ms. G. said “I think the students did well.” It was Ms. G. idea to pick out the play. Ms. Gelineau said her favorite part of the whole production was “When the students worked together.”

Reuben thought it was funnier than the audience seemed to think it was. He felt good after the show was over. Kind of a hard question “I am glad I was cast as my character.” Reuben played multiple roles in the last play. “Switching roles for some it was kind of awkward. After 100 or something times it got easier by the end I was pretty comfortable.” When I was acting in the show I really liked it. The most difficult about switching roles was “Running back and forth was hard. I actually had to do outside exercise to be able to do it or else I’d get really winded.” “I liked Hansel and Gretel because did a good job interacting with the crowd” said Reuben.

If the audience enjoyed themselves as much as Reuben Meister enjoyed acting in the plays, then everyone awesome night out.

Hopkinton's Move To Get Bigger Stopped Because Of Size

By Matt Gleason

Hopkinton School District came up a short in its bid to add Dunbarton to the District. Hopkinton would have doubled in size and moved up from Division III to Division II. The District would have added 150 kids and, according to superintendent of Hopkinton Schools Steve Chamberlin, this would have meant a new building. The bid to make Hopkinton a regional school fell short because of lack of space, as a new building would have meant increasing taxes and the Hopkinton or Dunbarton taxpayers would not have been up for that.

According to Hopkinton's Superintendent the idea has been in the works for 11 years now. Dunbarton’s lease with Goffstown School District ends in 2014. "It would have been a great idea to join the two districts and expand and grow as a district," said Chamberlin, "but it won't happens this time around." Dunbarton is already looking at other options including Bow School District.

Hopkinton is going to need to keep its eyes open because if numbers start shrinking, teachers will lose jobs and it would be harder maintain a level of education excellence.

No School

By Nate Glanville

School closing happens when there is large accumulation of snow that causes the roads to be too dangerous for the school buses or for parents traveling to drop off or pick up the kids. A school closing can also happen because of a Hurricane, causing the roads to be flooded with water.

When planning a school closing, many wonder who decides to have school or not? The one who decides to have school or not is the Superintendent. Usually most Superintendents decide to cancel school early in the morning. The Superintendent alerts the bus companies and notifies the drivers that they don’t need to show up for work. Superintendent Steven Chamberlin says, “Canceling school is very tense. The call is tough; it disrupts so many people's day. The condition of the roads, the forecast for the day, the timing of the storm that is what we look at.”

School closings are by determined how big the storm is, and depend on how long before the road crew plows and sands the roads. On the other hand, a flash flood from a hurricane is another story because buses can’t travel in deep water, so they turn for alternative routes and deal with debris. So in the end school is meant to be canceled because of dangerous weather and the superintendent has a good reason to close school for everyone's safty.