Rally to "turn the hatred into love"

by Rachel Sawyer

Concord residents gathered at the State House on Wednesday September 28th at noon for the Love Your Neighbors rally. A group of around 250 people united in response to recent hate crimes against refugees living in Concord. The graffiti scrawled on African refugees' homes classified these people as "subhuman," "mud people," and ventured to say that refugees are "destroying our towns."

These hateful words incited protest from many Concord residents. Lyn Betz, who helped organize the event, was pleased by the vast diversity of people who attended. "I was also moved by how it brought people together who would normally be arguing about the finer points of what it means to love your neighbor," Betz said. Indeed, the rally brought together people from many different countries and religions. Suraj Budathoki, a refugee from Bhutan, said he looks forward "to living in a society where love and compassion and equality shall be the guiding forces." Betz believes that the presence of many high schoolers and young adults indicates that this "vision of a country where racism and xenophobia become rare aberrations" may soon be achievable.

The rally's purpose was to draw attention to hate crimes and show support for Concord's refugees. "We are not here to hate the hatred," Budathoki said, "but to turn the hatred into love and understanding." The speakers focused on helping our neighbors rather than fighting the hatred. Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson spoke, "Tolerance is good, but we are setting our sights too low. Tolerance beats intolerance by a mile, but it's just not enough. We should give our new neighbors a joyful welcome. They deserve it, and we will all be better for it." Many groups, such as Lutheran Social Services, Second Start, Concord Multicultural Coalition, the Sycamore Garden Project, Concord High's Be The Change, and New American Africans, have acknowledged the needs of refugees in Concord and have eased their transitions into a comfortable life here.

The Love Your Neighbor rallies were a positive experience for Concord residents, and many look forward to the next steps in welcoming and understanding our neighbors. "I am not sure I've lived a better moment than standing hand in hand with one of the victims, singing 'We Shall Overcome,'" says Betz.

Walking for the Cure

By Daniel Fletcher

On the morning of October 2, 2011 people from all over New Hampshire came together in Manchester to walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The walk began at Fischer Cats Stadium and continued over the bridge, down Elm Street, and back to the stadium. The walk was about 3 miles total.

As people arrived they turned in their donations. Anyone who turned in over $100 received a JDRF T-shirt. After passing in your donations participants could socialize, enjoy free snacks, or purchase raffle tickets for later in the day. At 10:00 the walk began and a large pack of people strolled down the main streets of Manchester. The streets were crowded with avid supporters.

As the people finished the walk and everyone began gathering at the stadium, the raffles and contests began! There were small contests such as “Who brought the largest team?” The team with the most people all got a small prize. One volunteer of 12 years, Taylor Pearson, a 17 year old senior at Hopkinton High School, now hosts his own team and has donated roughly $1500 every year since 1999. He is very passionate about what he does and will not quit until a cure is discovered. “I think we have made much progress and if we continue to show our support and make donations a cure should arise in the future,” said Taylor Pearson.

Walks like the one in Manchester happen all over the country. Thousands of people are making donations. With thousands of volunteers with as much enthusiasm and persistence as Taylor we can expect a cure to be found in the near future.

Homocide or Self Defense

By Adam Liberty

New Hampshire has made a new law allowing citizens to use guns and other deadly weapons to protect themselves against an attacker wherever they feel publicly threatened. Although this law was passed, it was vetoed when it reached Governor John Lynch.

The House of Representatives had overridden this law and will go into effect on November 15^, 2011. Three out of the five people that have been interviewed on this topic say that it is going to raise violent crime and give gangsters an excuse to use deadly weapons. Although the other two people that were interviewed on this major state topic say that this law that has been passed in other states has not raised violent crime at all, if anything, and the gang members that do use this law as an excuse will just eliminate other gang members and make living standards better for the average citizen.

Mr. Nadeau, one of the social studies teachers at Hopkinton High School says, “The current law we already have is working perfectly fine. Protect or leave. With this other law that says we no longer need a permit to carry a Concealed Weapons, License is going to completely change the way this state has been working.” This basically means that they are almost giving us absolute freedom. Every society in the history of the world has recognized, that with absolute freedom you get chaos.

To some, this new law shows that we have become civilized, we hope, we won’t just kill each other when we get the chance. To others, this just represents the amendments we have as a free country.

Budget Cuts Impact HHS

By D. Seabury

The State Budget has a huge impact on HHS, even though many students don’t think so. “The reductions required a setting of priorities which impacted people I respected, admire, and have known for a long time. Overall, these cuts created anxiety and tough times for an extraordinary faculty.” says Mr. Chamberlin former administrator of HHS and current Superintendent of Schools.

A concern about the State Budget Cut has everyone on high alert. Cuts to HHS staff “could result in larger classes, fewer options, and fewer programs,” states Mr. Chamberlin. Not only does this cut affect the teachers, but it also affects students looking towards their future. Students who want more artsy futures are limited to the classes they can take.

HHS had to cut down how many classes each teacher could have. Limiting the students options on not only classes, but also times they could take them. Teachers that aren’t teaching required classes, such as English, Science, Math, or Social Studies weren’t as limited as those who teach Wood, Music, or Art classes.

Uncertainty hits HHS teachers who once felt secure. Teachers are fearful of what will come when voters, vote on the budget in March. Everyone is asking what will happen to HHS in the near future.