VIDEO POLL OF HHS STUDENTS: Exercise Your Civic Duty

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Exercise Your Civic Duty

Editorial: Budding Youth are Cut Down

By Tucker Gaskill, Brian Scala, and Alex Beckwith

Senior year is arguably the most import year in a high school student’s life. During this year, the transmogrification from teenager to adult occurs. Students are applying the colleges, driving is no longer restricted, and most pupils are turning 18.

With great age, comes great responsibility. Although this slightly altered saying was originally applied to a different scenario, it is still a wonderful anecdote for any high school senior’s obligations. At Hopkinton High School, these obligations come with benefits as well. As long as students maintains above a 75 average, passes all of their classes, and bring a parent to school one day to sign all the forms, they have the privilege of leaving school grounds during a free block.

Compared to some neighboring districts, our policy is a tad more strict than others. For example, at Pembroke Academy, they have similar requirements, albeit only requiring a passing grade in all courses, whereas at Hopkinton, we need at least a 75 cumulative average.

As all people know, everyone has his/her own strengths and weaknesses. At Hopkinton, there are many classes that are requirements for graduation. While students may try hard, they just might not be cut out for what’s assigned to them. We feel as though the 75 average is a relatively high requirement for those who may struggle with certain topics in the curriculum.

During a student’s final year in high school, most will experience his/her 18th birthday. In virtually all aspects of society, this student is now viewed and treated as an adults. This has both positive and negative effects. These new adults can now make important decisions such as signing for loans, choosing the political candidates they support, and committing to marriage. All of these decisions require a vast amount of maturity and responsibility. However, according to the school, they can’t venture out of the building to decide what to have for lunch without parental permission.

We feel that, as adults, those in our student body should have the right to make that decision for themselves, without involving unneeded bureaucracy between parents and school administration. We feel that both of these proposals could be combined to make a more free, American policy that would teach responsibility and ethics to our budding youth.

Editorial: If Words Could Kill

By Rin Conley and Ashley Tibbetts

Do you remember being a teenager? Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, only now beginning to shape whom you will be for the rest of your life. Imagine if instead of those years being about growing and learning, they are about hate. Imagine walking into a school building every day and being taunted, yelled at, made fun of, called names, even hit. Imagine going home, a place that should be safe, and being assaulted on social networking and in text messages. And all of this hatred, anger, and intolerance, is simply because of whom you decide to love.

It’s estimated by the Give A Damn foundation (promoting tolerance) that 90% of gay and lesbian teens are harassed in school, whether physically or verbally, where as only 62% of straight teens feel they are bullied. Many adults take the viewpoint that “kids will be kids,” that bullying is a part of school and youth. But what happens when these teens being targeted day in and day out start taking their lives?

On September 19^th, thirteen-year-old Seth Walsh hung himself from a tree in his back yard because of constant torment at his California middle school.

On September 22^nd, Tyler Clementi jumped off of the George Washington Bridge in New Brunswick, NJ because a tape of him having sex with another male surfaced and spread around the Internet.

And on September 23^rd Asher Brown, a thirteen year old Texas student, shot himself in the head after reported anti-gay bullying which eventually turned physical, which teachers and officials at his school did nothing about it.

Hate bullying is real. We can no longer pretend that this issue is not pressing. It is everywhere: media, politics, Internet, television. For some teens, there is no safe place for them anymore. School, a place students should be protected and allowed to learn, isn’t even welcoming. Two thirds of gay students report hearing homophobic remarks from faculty. And 1 in 3 kids have skipped a day of school in the past month because of harassment at school.

We are to the point when two thirteen-year-olds and an eighteen-year-old have taken their lives within a week of each other because they simply couldn’t take the pressure of the hatred anymore. Gay and lesbian teens are four times more likely to kill themselves than straight teens. What has to happen before we are all aware, before we all try to help? How many children have to die before we actually care?

For information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender tolerance, visit:

http://www.wegiveadamn.org/

http://www.noh8campaign.com/

The Chance of a Lifetime

By Olivia Hamel

On February vacation during the school year of 2010-2011, an exciting event is taking place that the Spanish II-III students will be lucky enough to participate in. A trip to Spain was planned, for the students now enrolled in the level III Spanish classes, and is being offered to some of the more advanced students enrolled in the level II Spanish classes. Although the price seems steep, $2,895, for each student, it includes airfare, hotels, 2 meals a day and tours. Students will only be required to bring spending money for 1 meal a day and money to purchase souvenirs if wanted. The price is definitely reasonable for all that is included, and not to mention the fact that, for some students, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. To have almost everything included is rare and usually only offered to larger organizations that are going on trips such as these, because of the fact that they most likely receive a group rate on most expenses. So the question is, why not snatch up this opportunity while it was there?

The departure day is February 22^nd and the students will return on March 2^nd, the flight will be six to seven hours depending on whether or not the flight is actually a direct one, if not then it will be expected to be longer due to lay-overs.

Seeing this marvelous opportunity for what it was, many of the Spanish II-III students jumped at the chance to travel across the world and embark on an amazing journey. Seventeen students are planning on taking this trip, this school year, along with two staff members from the school, Senora Hassett and Ms. Gelineau. Senora Hassett, one of Hopkinton High School’s Spanish teachers, is a veteran traveler. She has been to Spain, twice before, with students. When questioned about her previous two trips, she stated that her favorite place to visit was El Hambra, a Moorish fortress, or in other words castle, located in Southern Spain. She also stated that it was on the itinerary for the planned trip coming up. Along with that historic site, many more are on the itinerary to be visited such as, El Prado, which is a museum of fine art, The Valley of the Fallen, which is where soldiers were buried due to the Spanish civil war. Duly noted this trip will be an amazing learning experience along with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Try Out CRTC

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By Joshua Isabelle

CRTC, Concord Regional Technology Center is a program in which juniors and seniors at Hopkinton High School can participate. Juniors must sign up During Sophomore year. And seniors must have gone as a junior.

There are several different classes students may attend at Concord including automotive, construction and culinary. Hopkinton juniors leave the high school for Concord at ten thirty am via school bus. Class starts at the Tech at eleven o’ five and ends at twelve thirty five. The Tech Center is located on the left side of Concord High School.

“The automotive program doesn’t begin hands on until Sp/2 is completed. Sp/2 is an online safety course all students must finish and pass before they can begin in the shop. The course may take a full two weeks or more to finish.” As told by Kassandra Horning. Being a senior in the program Horning knows the program quite well.

Horning states that due to the amount of students attending the program they had to dedicate another classroom to the automotive program. There are two different teachers instructing the class Mr. Bill and Mr. Wheeler. Although there are two classes there is still only one shop.

The teachers made an arrangement where Monday and Tuesday Mr. Bills class would be in the shop and Thursday and Friday Mr. Wheeler would be in the shop. Wednesday they would alternate every other week.

Students are required to personally obtain an engine before the class begins and bring it in. Throughout the course students use the tools provided to completely disassemble the engine and rebuild it.

Due to the fact that the shop is an open garage they take business from the public and the seniors do the work. Towards the second half of the year Mr. Bill will choose some of his “better” students and allow them to work on the cars doing easy tasks such as tire rotation and oil changes.

The Construction program teaches kids how to use a variety of tools from a hammer to a table saw. They will learn to split an inch into sixteen segments, and throughout the year the will build walls and roofs. Eventually they will build complete sheds ready fore sale

The culinary course teaches students the rules of the kitchen. They will uses stoves and ovens to produce the most scrumptious of foods. They bake cookies and cakes all the way up to entrées and three course meals

Playing a New Song at Hoppy High

By Nicole Mitchell

For almost 20 years we have had the same music teacher at Hopkinton High School: Paul Silverman. Students and teachers alike called him by his first name. Kids had inside jokes with him, and everyone loved him. Many were saddened when he decided to retire at the end of last year.

However, the district hired Ms. Bridgett Dornik. She is a graduate of Hartford High School, VT and a college graduate of University of Vermont Montpelier. This is her second job as a high school music teacher. Before this she worked in Vermont and was a music teacher for grades five through twelve, and she also taught band.

She lives right in town with her fiancé and her two new kittens. She loves to play music and run small triathlons in her spare time, but lately she has not had any spare time.

Ms. Dornik told us her high school music teacher, Mr. Gattie, inspired her to become a music teacher. When asked how he did so, she replied, “Because he made the connection between music, emotions, and people…. He taught me that I can make a lot of connections with people through music.”

Ms. Dornik’s musical background is very extensive: she started playing the clarinet in 5^th grade and still plays a little today. She has been singing since 5^th grade as well and stills sings today. When asked what her favorite instrument was she told us the flute, for right now, because it’s an easy instrument to play along with any student. When asked if she could play the piano she said no she couldn’t; however, she was playing in the music room prior to this interview.

When Mr. Kelley was asked why Ms. Dornik was chosen for the job, he answered that he liked her energy, enthusiasm, and experience. He also said she has a natural way of working with students and can easily get them excited about music. He can tell she enjoys working with kids; she goes above and beyond the job requirements to teach kids and to help them in any way she can.

While asking students in the high school about Ms. Dornik, everyone had the same couple reactions, “We have a new music teacher?”, “Who is that?”, “Oh I’ve heard of her, but I haven’t had her as a teacher yet.”, and “I have her as a teacher and she is really cool.” Those who have her agree that the classroom atmosphere is really chill.

One student in her class, Abby Lui said, “She wants to get stuff done, but she does not have a lot of rules. She makes the class fun while we get our work done at the same time. It’s the perfect mix.” Abby also told us that the students have respect for her and can joke with her. She makes the classroom comfortable to be in. Justin Madore, an 8^th grader told us that she is seen as a peer, not a strict teacher and that is a good thing, according to most students.

When asking the students and staff about advice they can give our new music teacher, they came up with this: don’t get too serious and keep the music class fun. Get to know the students more. Improvement comes in time. Get involved, go to athletic games, plays, and get to know students in their own environment. And be willing to compromise, kids are involved with a lot of activities such as sports.

Cracking Down!

By: Ashley Tibbetts

Students at Hopkinton High School are dressing differently this fall because the teachers at Hopkinton are trying to “crack down” on the dress code. To many students, the dress code does not set boundaries, but for others it seems like a hassle everyday.

Erin McAuliffe, a junior at Hopkinton High, was asked about the dress code and what she thought about “cracking down.” She said, “I think its pointless and people should be able to dress how they want.” Erin stated that the dress code, in her eyes, was unfair. She went on to say, “It is unfair because we grew up in an environment that shows limits and boundaries as well as rules, and people should be able to express themselves.”

Another student at Hopkinton, Morgan Holden, when interviewed said, “I think it is ‘radonkulious’ and very unfair.” But to an extent, she states that, “clothing portrays a person’s personality. Students should be able to wear what the want to a degree also, but right now it’s not an equal agreement.”

At Hopkinton there are rules that if your clothing is not appropriate and does not meet the standards within the handbook, you then have to change or go to the nurse’s office and find something. Many students think that is a bad idea for the simple fact that nobody wants to wear the clothes from the nurse’s office. If you deny the offer to use her clothes you then cannot attend class.

The girls have more a view about the dress code that others may not. For instance, girls’ shorts. The dress code states your skirts and or shorts have to be at least to the end of your fingers tips rested at your side when standing. A majority of girls like to argue that companies who make these shorts make them so they are short. Therefore, it is not the girl’s fault.

It seems on the other hand, boys have it easier, right? Well this rule does apply to both genders, since tank tops, are not allowed what so ever.

The first sentence of the handbook, regarding the dress code reads, “A standardized dress code has been adopted to help assure that all students are provide safe and appropriate educational opportunities free from unnecessary disruptions or outside influences.” It also says, “The way a person dresses reflects the way he or she thinks.”

Mrs. Montore, a teacher at HHS, was asked what she thought of the handbook definition of the dress code. She agrees the dress code here is to provide a safe and appropriate educational opportunities and that Hopkinton High could have a dress code where we wear nice pants and polo. But instead they have a free dress code where students can dress a way that reflects how a person thinks, which Mrs. Montore also agrees with.

Comin' Home

By Lindsay White

Homecoming is an annual occurrence. Students, faculty, alumni and community members look forward to this celebration like it is a holiday. Starting off with spirit week, students and faculty show their school spirit by wearing something wacky, or by dressing in green and white.

At the end of the school day Friday, there is a spirit assembly. This is when the sports teams compete against each other to complete various tasks. The team that wins this event gets the best prize ever: bragging rights. This is also the time when Homecoming Queen and King are crowned. Zoe Jantzen, sophomore, says “I like the pep rally because the school gets pumped for the games the next day.”

Later that day the school starts off the Homecoming parade at the top of Maple Street. There will be four different themes for the four grades, along with floats for Middle School and faculty. Once the parade reaches the high school, floats are taken apart and the bonfire is lit. Sports teams are recognized and sent into the school to eat their spaghetti dinner. Matthew Gleason, junior, says, “I like the floats because I like how every class does a different theme… and I like to decorate the float.”

Saturday is when the games begin. They start as early as 9 a.m. and go until about 3 p.m. Concessions are sold, benefiting the freshman class. When asked about her favorite part of Homecoming, Nikki Cullinan, freshman, says “my favorite are the games on Saturday because I like the energy.” Saturday is ended with the Homecoming dance. This is not a semi-formal event like other high schools, but it still has all the fun!

The students who are responsible for all of the Homecoming activities are members of Student Council. Hannah Steff, junior, says, “It’s a little stressful because it’s our fault if anything goes wrong, and we have to make all the components work starting with spirit week and going all the way to the dance.” Steff also says that people don’t realize how much actually goes into planning Homecoming. The members work together for the assembly, gathering wood for the bonfire, and finding chaperones for the dance.

The World Student Exchange

By Rin Conley

Five thousand is half the number of people that can fit in the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. It is also the number of people who live in Hopkinton NH. As you can imagine, that does not leave much room for cultural diversity. But every year Hopkinton High School takes in exchange students from all over the world. These kids provide insight from all corners of the earth. They help kids in Hopkinton get a broader view of how life really is.

This year, Hopkinton has four exchange students. They come from places in Africa and all parts of Europe.

Fabien Stocek is a high school junior from the Czech Republic, a small country in central Europe. He decided to come to the US for the experience of being in another country and speaking another language. His favorite part of living here is that he gets to choose the classes he takes in school, something apparently not allowed where he lives. For him, the main differences between here and his home are the meals: here we eat a small lunch and a big dinner, and in the Czech Republic, it is opposite with a big lunch and a small dinner. Fabien is staying with the Spauldings and the Dalzells for half a year each.

Another exchange student is Berthlyne Browne from Liberia, a country on the Western coast of Africa. She is spending her year here staying with the Geiger family. When asked why she wanted to come here, Berthlyne said “I want to know and learn other people’s culture…and the difference between their[s] and mine.” She says the main differences between here and Liberia are the way teenagers dress, and the way they interact with elders.

The third exchange student attending Hopkinton this year is Irene Gomez Gonzalez, a sophomore girl from Spain. She sites her favorite thing about being here as the people! She will be staying with The Keiligs for three months, the Durants for three months, and the Luneaus for three months. She decided to come here to learn the language, and experience more about the American life. In her opinion, the most different thing here is the food: Mediterranean food is “so much different from the food in America.” The only fault she can find with being in America is that she can’t drive, even though she is “the right age.”

To Text Or Not To Text?

By Breanna Ostrander

With new technologies emerging all around us, cell phones and texting have become a big problem in classrooms. Hiding behind friends and desks make it easier to hide phones while texting. Here at Hopkinton High School, students know teachers quite well, and know which classes are okay to text in. Having this information, students use their learning time to engage in conversations with their friends. This may lead to a drop in grades, which has some teachers concerned.

Math teacher, Lisa Lulka believes that around 20% of her students text during her class because they are not able to disconnect from their phones. Many others believe that the percent of “texters” is much higher, around 70-80%. Lulka strongly discourages texting; she makes a basket is available to put phones in after getting caught.

Even so, this does not seem to phase students who don’t care if they get caught. When asked, Dana Kuntz said she would argue with a teacher about taking her phone away. Kuntz is not alone in this battle with the teachers, as many students rebel against the teachers about confiscating phones. Although teachers will ask those students to leave if a fight emerges, it doesn’t seem to bother some.

There is a trend among students who believe if their grades are high enough, they should be allowed to text in class. Evidence to support this is proven by the fact they are receiving high grades and texting in class. This shows students are able to balance talking to friends, and concentrating at the same time.

While many students are busy texting, there are some, though few, who turn their phones off during school. There are many ways teachers deal with students texting in class, such as taking the phone or having them leave the room. Although those seem to be the most popular responses, some teachers believe that, “If I can’t see it, then it’s fine,” is a way to deal with the students texting. This may benefit the students who are texting, while it also may take away from their education. After all, are students going to school for socialization, or to broaden their minds?