The Lamplighter, 3/7/2012

Lamplighter 3/7/12

Student-Run Businesses Jesse Fortier

lamplighter

LEAP-YEAR ISSUE

In spite of the highly intensive academics characteristic of Derryfield, many students have made an effort to work outside of the classroom. Entrepreneurial pursuits have allowed students to make real world connections, apply life skills and plan for a future in a particular field.

One student, Arthur Krogman, an enterprising Derryfield junior, doesn’t mind getting his

hands dirty when it comes to his egg sales business. Roughly four months ago, Arthur purchased twelve hens in order to provide his family with fresh eggs.

It wasn’t long before he easily met the needs of his family and Arthur made the decision to sell the eggs at school.

While Krogman’s business seems simple from the consumer’s point of view, raising chickens is an exacting commitment as he must clean the coop, feed the chickens, and gather

eggs daily, all while keeping up with the rigors of Derryfield academics.

Arthur looks on it optimistically, however: “I’m having a great time so far,” he says. “I would definitely rather be [taking care of my chickens for two and a half hours a week] than watching a TV show or playing video games.”

While the grassroots business has not proven highly lucrative, Krogman finds himself rich Cont p 2

The College Process: Juniors and Seniors Speak Cait Gillett As seniors continue to receive college decisions and juniors begin the process, some students reflect on the college process as a whole. Here are some quick facts: Elizabeth Aliotta ’12 was one of the lucky seniors that only applied to one school. On the other hand Jamie Cordova ’12 applied to fourteen. Margaux Joselow ’12 also only applied to one school. Cordova and Jose-

low took both the SAT and the ACT and they participated in tutoring or a prep course. Aliotta took the ACT and used the assistance of a tutor. Both Joselow and Cordova had outstanding interviews and said it definitely helped them show the school that they are interested, and they got to ask any questions they had too.

Cont p 3

Inside this issue: Local/Environmental

2

Mock Trial

3

Chinese Play

4

ACTA/SOPA

5

Ms Josephson

6

Leap Year Fun Facts

7

Course Selection

8

Sports

10

Human Interest

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Locavores and Environmentalists

Many people talk about buying local products and how it helps our economy. At the same time, people talk about how everyone should be environmentally conscious.

How exactly are the local movement and the environmental movement connected? I wanted to see how people in the Derryfield community responded to this question, so I went on a hunt for the environmentally conscious.

In many cases, buying locally can help the environment, but there can also be cases in which buying non-local products is actually better for the environment. But what did

members of the Derryfield Community have to say about buying locally? Should we buy local to benefit the environment, or simply not think about where products come from?

The main reason that local products are better for the environment is because they are transported a much shorter distance; therefore they have a smaller carbon footprint by the time they reach you. When it comes to food, Ms. Jipson says: I like the idea of paying for the product rather than the transportation cost, and buying local often equates to

food that is more sustainably raised. If I am a farmer who does not need to ship my tomatoes across the country, then I can raise varieties that are more tender, for example: fewer chemical additives to prolong shelf life, etc.

Ms. Jipson brings up two valid points: “Paying for the product rather than the transportation cost” is a great concept that most people don’t think about. So much of what we pay for every item we buy goes to cost of fuel for transporting what we purchase. By procuring local items we can cut the amount we pay for the shipment of what we buy Cont p 4

NEWS

Student-Run Businesses continued with satisfaction. Arthur professes that he’s “a lot more proud of the money made selling eggs than any other money that comes [his] way.”

Krogman finds the connections that he has forged far more valuable. “It definitely gives me connections to other teachers… You get to know people personally and professionally.” A highlight included selling his first dozen eggs to Dr. Pook, who spends his time whipping up gourmet food in the kitchen when outside of the classroom. Krogman hopes that his business will pave the way for a future in sustainable

agriculture. “[I’d like to raise] not only chickens, but other livestock, and I want to get into growing my own food,” he says.

Another student, Saniya Shah ’12, has launched a fledgling business of her own. Her “Green Chilies” non-profit company dually takes a stand against child labor and serves the environment, as she takes a green approach to recycling technology. “Our mission is to provide green technologies, prototypes and ideas to interested communities worldwide,” says Shah. Their first project, the patented

“GreenTV,” is essentially a converter box that has made it possible for users to recycle old computer monitors and use them as television screens.

Saniya’s work undeniably offers a promising future to the disposal of technology.

Saniya and her partner won the coveted International Gold Green Apple Award.

This success did not come without much hard work and commitment, however. Seeing as the company is solely officiated by a pair of teens, “There is a significant time commitment,” Shah Cont p 5

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“Spelunking is not Murder”: Mock Trial 2012 Madie White As most students know, the Derryfield Mock Trial team had a meet in Nashua on the weekend of February nineteenth. Although they did not leave with a win, there were many memorable moments.

The Derryfield team dealt with a murder case that involved an artist, environmental activists, and a car company. The team was responsible for defending an artist named Banks. This artist, who was affiliated with a group of environmental activists, had painted a mural in a car deal-

a car dealership. This car dealership sold Hummer-like cars: the cars that they sell are not environmentally friendly in the least. Apparently, the car dealership was burnt down, and unfortunately while it was being burnt, there was a hobo inside of it who died in the fire. The state immediately turned to the artist, Banks, accusing him of burning the gasguzzling dealership down.

team responded to quite well.

Sophomore Max Smiley used the phrase, “Spelunking is not murder” after a member of the BG team suggested that the artist had used underground tunnels to get into the dealership. Another member asked senior Jake Smiley if he had a degree in arson, Jake responded with a negative and the BG team was said to have looked flustered.

While facing Bishop Guertin’s mock trial team, there came some amusing comments that the Derryfield

Congratulations to the Derryfield Mock trial team for their astounding work!

The College Process Continued

When it came to parent involvement, Cordova and Aliotta thought their parents were helpful. Aliotta said, “My mom helped because she is a math teacher for the math section. And she helped with scholarship apps.” In contrast, Joselow said they were “too involved; they wanted me to apply to other schools early and it added to the stress.” Finding the balance for parents can be tricky; juniors should try to be patient with their parents, particularly if he or she is the oldest child. When reflecting on how the process helped the senior class bond, all the females agreed that after the letters started arriving, it was incredible how supportive the whole class was regardless of

the decisions that came. Cordova responded, “Yes, [it brought the seniors closer], because it was not a competition, and everyone is very supportive of each other.”

The junior class has just begun the process. Erin Jackson ’13 said that she has fifteen schools on her list. She plans to take both the SAT and the ACT and do plenty of prep work. Many juniors are doing college visits this spring.

Some, like Jackson, know their major (counseling psychology); others are still searching, using books about majors published by the College Board and the Princeton Review. Juniors should not concern themselves about knowing their exact major.

Many seniors are still not sure and most schools won’t make students declare their major until sophomore year.

Cordova recommended that juniors start their applications and essays earlier, even over the summer. Joselow said, “I would spend less time stressing out and more time filling out the applications.” Juniors, please keep both of these suggestions in mind as you begin the college process.

Thank you, seniors, for all of your hard work! Good luck juniors, remember that senior year will have fun times too!

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Local-Environmental Movement Continued Ms. Jipson’s second point is that typically local food has less chemicals and preservatives in them because they get to the consumer much quicker than exotic food. Not only are fewer chemicals healthier, but they are also better for the environment, because the excess chemicals are not running off into local water sources.

Many times when purchasing food, there may be organic options, but not local options, but which is actually better, local or organic? Mr. Bouton, who is an environmentally conscious locavore, says: It depends on how pesticide treated it is. So for example, organic grapes are preferable to local ones (not that I know too many local growers).

Taste still trumps, too, e.g., I prefer the taste of Equal Exchange French Roast than my neighbor's locally roasted

Coffee. In general, we shop the farmers' markets locally, then go further afield for organic like milk that is more dependable in terms of supply.

For both local and nonlocal food organic is usually an option, especially when considering nonlocal food organic is a great and practical possibility. If one has to be chosen over the other, however, that is a hard call. There are arguments and statistics that can lead in both directions.

Sometimes local may not be as environmentally friendly as nonlocal. When purchasing an apple from the grocery store, if it comes from Washington State it has a larger carbon footprint than if it comes from Chile. When the apple comes from Washington it travels on a single eighteen-wheeler truck from coast to coast to get to us at the supermarket. The apple

that comes from Chile travels on a large ship, which has hundreds of containers which all hold the same amount of apples that one truck holds.

Then those containers make a short trip from an East Coast port to a supermarket near you.

It seems clear that whenever the term “environmentally friendly” is used, the term “local” cannot be far away.

There are people in The Derryfield School community, both students and faculty, who have already grasped the concept of mixing being environmentally friendly with being a locavore. This is not just a way of life, but also a skill that other members of the Derryfield community should look at and see. With only a small amount of effort, you too can be an environmental locavore.

The Chinese Play

NEWS

Roz Kennybirch “I’ve never been in a play before, so I’m a bit nervous to be speaking on stage....especially in Chinese,” admits Arthur Krogman ’13 before the Chinese play, which occurred on February 20th at all-school assembly.

Many of the Chinese students

admitted to similar worries; Patrick Hampson ’13 and Lizzie Krogman ’16 both admitted to being “nervous.”

Watching dress rehearsal that week, I saw many students on the stage that I had never before seen in a musical, play,

or talent show. While the students admitted to anxiety, this did not show at all during the rehearsal. Students changed into traditional, colorful Chinese clothes, put on costumes such as the dragon (which was actually created Cont p 7

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Student-Run Businesses Continued confesses. “During the school year we have to work around our school schedules and have to work after school and on weekends, so that is really where the commitment lies.” While keeping up with the demands of entrepreneurship can be grueling, Saniya has found the experience immensely rewarding. “It has taught me so much about being independent and earning something on my own,” she says. While Green Chilies

might not be the business that she carries into adulthood, Saniya feels that “it… has shown me the path I would like to take in life. I think there is a future in [the field of environmental engineering], and I would definitely like to keep my work going in this field as I learn more in college.”

There is no doubt that working during high school is incredibly beneficial in planning for the future. From giving

one leg up on the college application process to offering aspirant entrepreneurs guidance in their first steps towards owning a business, work during high school illuminates the path towards successful business management. Whether it’s selling organically raised eggs at school or engineering green technological alternatives, every effort counts.

An Analysis of ACTA/SOPA Meg Huckaby In recent months, America has begun to see a pointed reaction to the preponderance of technology that has become so central to our existence. The question of how this flow of information should be monitored lacks a definite answer, and attempts to formulate a plan of regulation in recent AntiCounterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) mark significant steps of action toward this end.

While ACTA is designed as a multinational treaty establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement and a legally binding treaty prohibiting the trade of counterfeit materials, it also proposed to create a new body to monitor the treaty’s implementation.

The more controversial of the two, SOPA, is designed to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property.

Yet this has met dogmatic opposition from many fields as opponents argue that the legislation undermines the first amendment.

Many members of our student body and faculty have passionate opinions surrounding these acts. While Ellie Lynch '12 remarks that she “respects that the government is making an effort to combat piracy,” many feel that the proposed legislature lies outside the authority of the government alone.

Many students feel very strongly about the issue; junior Keegan Westbrook proclaimed his belief that all the government wants is to

“make money and destroy people’s lives.”

Of course, not everyone has taken such an extreme stance on the issue—Senior Cameron Campbell thoughtfully remarked: “I understand the need to balance social and personal interests, and I certainly understand that the government needs to establish a certain degree of control over the industry, but I also feel that they’ve overstepped their bounds by trying to restrict something as widespread as the internet.”

Taking a similarly moderate approach, Allison Lord '12 stated: “I feel like on paper it will stop a lot, but I feel like it will be a little like communism where people get wrapped up in their own power and take things too Cont p 6

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Derryfield Temporarily Says Goodbye to a Beloved Teacher Lindsay Pollock Announced early this winter, Ms. Josephson, Upper School English Teacher, will not be teaching at Derryfield during the spring of 2012. As Ms. Jo explained, she will be having heart surgery to recover from a health issue that she has had for her entire life. Ms. Fedder will be replacing Ms. Jo in American Literature and Composition, and Mr. Bouton will replace her by teaching Ninth Grade English.

These substitutes were chosen by Dr. Carter and Ms. Shutz, English Department Chair.

According to Ms. Jo, the curriculum will continue as

planned. “Both Mr. Bouton and Ms. Fedder will be following the texts and major assignments that are part of the course descriptions,” she stated. But, in her opinion, the teacher isn’t the one teaching when it comes to English. “I try always to have the texts be the teachers of the course. I believe good teaching is more about what a teacher coaxes from her students, rather than what a teacher can put into them.”

Ms. Jo’s surgery will require her to recover through the spring, which explains her short-term absence. When asked what she would miss

the most, she replied: “My students' good humor and deep creativity. You are a smart, loving bunch. Also, building your confidence, skill, power, and individuality is why I'm still teaching; I'll miss that!” Ms. Jo has said many times that the Derryfield community shouldn’t worry about her. “I’m not nervous [for the surgery], but I’ll miss my Derryfield friends and the energy here.”

Ms. Jo will be working through February 29th, and will “feel great in the fall” as she returns to Derryfield’s open arms.

NEWS

ACTA/SOPA Continued far.” She continued to point out that checks and balances might be crucial in making such a policy work. Yet seeing as there have been 20 amendments proposed to water down the legislature, nothing significant has been ratified.

While debate on the bills has quieted in recent weeks as discussion has been suspended for the time being, it will certainly be interesting to see how various opinions manifest themselves in the coming presidential elections. Furthermore, if and when the acts do pass, we will have to

see how our economy responds to people who have lost business due to enforced copyright laws.

Mr. Anthony certainly had an interesting take on the issue when he succinctly questioned, “What is this? 1984?”

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The Chinese Play Continued by a student, Lily Steiner ’14), while laughing, talking, and brushing up on their lines.

to not only deliver a crowdpleasing play, but a play that was in a foreign language.

The play was performed professionally, complete with dialogue, songs (both sung and played by band members), and even directed with a stage manager (Everett Simon ’13). The main characters, played by Jimmy O’Brien ’15, Patrick Hampson ’13, Saniya Shah ’12, Josh Campbell ’15, and Sierra Goodson ’14, were all newcomers to the Derryfield auditorium stage. It is inspiring how a cast with little previous experience could come together

Spenser Hukill ’14, honestly says that after watching the play, he “would have been totally lost if it weren’t for the person translating. But they were there, so that was helpful, [however] a little more prerequisite information would have been more helpful to understand the story better. Otherwise I really enjoyed it!” Other audience members enjoyed the play as well; Jake Halverson ’14 said, “I thought it was good because it showed a lot of information about Chinese New

Year.” Decorations in the connector in honor of Chinese New Year also brought attention to the play, but more importantly, the Chinese language and culture.

Krogman ’13 says, “I think [Mrs. Peterson] wanted to do the play to show how far the Chinese program at Derryfield has come.” The Derryfield “community” ideal shined through as the cast worked to their strengths to create an outstanding show.

Leap Year Fun Facts!

Molly Ferguson On February 29th, Cory Greer '14 and I celebrated our fifth ever half birthday!

There are a couple tricks for figuring out which years are leap years. Years that are evenly divisible by 4, such as 2004, 2008, 2012, etc. qualify. However, years that are evenly divisible by 100 aren't necessarily “leap.” If they are evenly divisible by 100, they must also be divisible by 400 to be leap years. For instance, 1900 did not contain a leap year. The year 2000 did though, because it is evenly divisible by 400.

On the Gregorian calendar, February 29th is the 60th day in a leap year.

Famous people born on February 29th: Herman Hollerith-1860, American statistician Dinah Shore-1916, American singer and actress Bart Stupak- 1952, American congressman Cullen Jones-1984, American freestyle sprint swimmer and Olympic gold medalist

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Course Selection: Scheduling Your Life Next Year Ryan Stevenson Finally, we move into the last trimester of the year, spring is almost upon us, and we all look to summer. However, before we get too complacent, it would benefit us all to look at the process of choosing our classes for next year with added care, especially Juniors. Having a course list that fits your needs, keeps you from chronically staying up to 3 AM, and possibly even interests you is vital to making it through the school year. Junior year is probably the most challenging year at Derryfield, trying to balance college expectations, a leap in course difficulty, and extracurriculars all in the context of high school. This is the first year that Advanced Placement classes can be taken, as well as the first year where a student can really start to experiment with electives in a whole host of subjects.

Student Opinions on Classes “I’m definitely glad I took regular history and didn’t overload myself with APUSH. I really enjoy it and still feel like I’m getting a lot out of it.” –Sarah Porat, Junior “Take SHHS. It’s hard but it’s interesting and definitely worth it.” –Allison Lord, Senior “If you really liked Chemistry, consider taking AP Chemistry when it’s still fresh in your mind.” –Meg Huckaby, Junior “Don’t take Physics if you haven’t taken Algebra II.” –Cait Gillet, Senior “If you like a teacher, take their classes.” –Anna Aboody, Junior “If you take APLAC, feel free to take electives [senior year]. If you take electives [junior year], take AP Lit.” –Allison Lord, Senior “Take enough AP's to be challenged, but not enough to be overwhelmed.” –Kelsey Cintorino, Senior “The amount of knowledge in APUSH is so helpful.” –Ben Moll, Senior Here are some of the general opinions that have been floating around regarding course choice:  

SHHS, according to the senior class, is a class worth taking; it has much less reading than APUSH, but goes into some extraordinary material.

AP Calculus is very similar to regular Calculus, so if you're interested in it, take the AP credit.



There are a lot of unique science electives, including Organic Chemistry and Optics, which incorporate a lot of intriguing labs.



Junior year English options (AP Lang and Comp, American Lit) have mixed reactions from students, so ask around before deciding which one to take.



APUSH is regarded to have a major influence on bringing someone’s writing to a college level (all while getting a 4 or a 5 on a AP).



There seems to be a difficulty gap between Regular, Honors, and AP Physics, so definitely make sure you know what you are getting into.



Junior year is a lot of work (actually); senior year is much easier by comparison (even if you take a moderately difficult course load)

Cont p. 9

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Course Selections Continued Independent Studies If there is something that you are really passionate about that Derryfield doesn’t offer, consider taking an independent study. An independent study, unlike an Independent Senior Project (ISP), is a yearlong or trimester-long course that you create with a faculty advisor, which takes the place of one of your classes. I asked Alex Camerino, a senior, about his Environmental Sustainability study, which he has worked on with Ms. Shutz and Ms. Moyer. Camerino had completed all of the Environmental Studies classes that Derryfield offered in his junior year, and with a gap in his schedule, decided to delve deeper into the topic. In his scheduled block, he “discusses reading with [his] advisor, looks into new events, creates ideas for papers, and reads books of his own choice.” Camerino split his year into three chunks, two for a History credit, one as an English (to qualify as a credit, he has to write a predetermined number of essays and complete other work). He finds that it has been a great opportunity to get involved in a passion, and he now regularly updates the Derryfield website’s conservation area, and works on presentations as well as Conservation club, of which he is a leader.

AP, Honors, or Regular?

One of the challenges of choosing courses is determining whether to take an AP, Honors, or regular course. AP’s are typically more difficult “college level” courses, where teachers can assign homework over drop days, and where there is the expectation that you take the AP test at the end (it is optional, and choosing whether to take the test is a conversation for you and your teacher). Honors classes, embedded or separate, are seen as faster-paced, more rigorous courses that entail more work. Sometimes a teacher will teach only Honors, sometimes both—in any case be aware of all the details before making a decision. AP’s come with more work, and the consensus seems to be that while they are a great experience and show academic dedication, it is better to do well in a few AP’s than flounder in many – try to balance more difficult classes with regular sections of another subject.

The College Dimension College is Damocles’ sword that hangs over every junior’s head, adding all sorts of stress to their already hectic lives.

While some might discount the weight of your courses in lieu of tests and essays, virtually every college visit I went on stated that the most important aspect of your application is your transcript. I talked to Director of College Counseling Brennan Barnard to hear his view on this process. He says that students should challenge themselves as is appropriate for them, and that a transcript with lots of AP’s with low letter grades does not look good. Most schools that he communicates with prefer to see a variety of subjects represented--do not leave out history just because you do not like history, for example. Mr. Barnard said that the AP counts more than the grade on the test, but even so, a school will take your classes in the context of Derryfield’s reputation for having challenging courses to begin with.

While it might be tempting to dive into one subject and take loads of electives, Mr. Barnard cautions that schools typically see year-long courses as more rigorous and indicative of more academic dedication--so when you choose courses, be sure to balance out electives (if you really want to take them) with a more difficult yearlong. In general, colleges seem to want to see a course track terminating in four years of a language (preferably the same one), calculus (if possible), three lab sciences (including physics), and other core classes. For rising juniors and seniors concerned about college application work, Mr. Barnard says, “College takes up as much time as you want it to.”

Scheduling and Credits It is important to realize that even though you might have your dream class list, the scheduling could conflict—make sure to pay attention to the classes you put the emphasis on getting into, research back-up classes, and try to have an assortment of electives that you would find interesting. Katy Keefe-Hancock is the person to contact regarding scheduling concerns. As always, seek out the Department head or specific teacher if you have questions or concerns about course selection and look at the Derryfield Handbook, page 12.

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And They’re Off! Ben Moll In its first year as an official team, Derryfield’s equestrian squad is off to the races. Charlotte Weisberg ’13 helped to formulate the team as she realized that there are “quite a few other riders” in the community. Weisberg has always craved to “make riding a part of school life and a sports option” and now she and her peers finally have the opportunity.

The team was excited to move from the frustrations of an independent sport to a partitioned, scheduled activity through the school.

While the team remains more a collection of individual riders from freshmen to seniors, they do try

to practice together as often as possible. Weisberg notes that while each rider trains on his own “almost every day” and practices with a personal coach, they do have required team practices with Coach Jamie Large. In such a mental and individual sport, Large has been “great” for the team chemistry and personal training.

While all the current members of the team have years of equine experience, Weisberg maintains that the team is open to “all disciplines and abilities” within competition. As the team’s qualification events draw near with shows in April and May, they must

prepare individually and collectively. Qualification does come down to the individual scores, but the team would obviously love to qualify as a whole. And moreover, the top three scores combined from all three of their events will reach the State Meet in May. Despite the team basing itself on “having fun, testing the waters and seeing how the program works,” Weisberg has great hopes for the team’s success in competition and encourages students to come and take pictures in their upcoming meets on April 14th, April 28th and May 5th.

SPORTS

Got An Opinion?

We Want to Hear It! Email 12mcochrane@derryfield.org or rmmcoy94@gmail.com to have YOUR opinions published in Lamplighter!

Thanks to our Contributors!

Editor in Chief: Maggie Cochrane Managing Editor: Rachel McCoy News Editor: Roz Kenny Birch Human Interest Editor: Jessa Fogel Sports Editor: Ben Moll Layout Editor: Lily Karlin Photography Editor: Raabia Malik Copy Editor: Molly Ferguson Senior Staff: Jesse Fortier, Adam Gray Staff: Cait Gillett, Alex Camerino, Madie White, Meg Huckaby, Lindsay Pollock, Ryan Stevenson, Steph Simonoff, Hannah Spierer, Zoe Morgan, Max Smiley

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Notes from a Bookworm – Chick Lit

HUMAN INTEREST

Steph Simonoff

The word “book” often ignites one of two very distinct feelings: happiness or dread. For teenagers, the latter emotion is very common. We associate the word book with literature, the word literature with school, school with homework, and homework with boring. Homework also makes us think words like stress, tedious, and work, which of course is included in the terrible word. All of these negative words leave a negative impact of the very first word, book. With all the reading we are forced to do in school, who would want to read outside of school? Geeks like me, actually. I’d like to show you some great books that might spark your interest in hopes the word book in your mind might turn from a negative connotation to a positive one.

I’ll start off with something I’m an expert in: Chick Lit. If any guys are reading this still, walk away now. I can almost guarantee you

won’t be interested. I will admit it freely: I love girly chick books, romance books, all of that stuff!

Laugh all you want. When I finish reading Shakespeare for English, I don’t want something very heavy to read; Chick Lit is mindless entertainment. It’s chocolate: not good for you, but a guilty pleasure nonetheless. The only problem is the cover of these books. They’re pink, they have silly titles, and when my friends see them, they look at me like I’ve lost my mind. There’s no great solution for this problem, but mine was to buy a Kindle so no bright pink covers would ever be on display.

And now for the Chick Lit itself: Lauren Weisberger is a fantastic author who has written The Devil Wears Prada, which, as you may know, was made into a movie. She writes about women in their twenties and thirties, but her stories are meant for women sixteen to seventeen and up.

Her best novels include Chasing Harry Winston and Everybody Worth Knowing.

Sophie Kinsella is another great author who has written the Shopaholic Series along with a number of other stories. She always writes in first person and shows the thought process of the main character in a humorous way. I would highly recommend her novel The Undomestic Goddess, about a former lawyer who, upon making an irreversible mistake at her firm, gets a job as housekeeper in a very wealthy household. The only problem is that she doesn’t know a thing about cooking or cleaning. For young readers, I suggest The Clique series by Lisi Harrison, which I was obsessed with in seventh grade, and Secrets of My Hollywood Life

by Jen Calonita, about a famous actress who dresses in disguise in order to attend a normal high school.

Hope this helped!

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March Horoscopes Hannah Spierer

Pisces (February 19 – March 20): As the new moon makes its way into your zone, your creative juices will begin to flow like never before. Take advantage of this opportunity, but don’t become too reliant on your imagination; reality is bound to set in sooner or later.

Aries (March 21 – April 19): If you’re feeling like the world has been set on slow motion, try not to let it bother you. Take this time to finish important projects or get ahead on big assignments.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20): You may feel inclined to say everything on your mind this week.

Sharing your opinions and simply moving on will help you avoid a nasty debate.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20): Emotions of anger and frustration will lead you nowhere this week. Step back from the situation and approach it from a calm and rational point of view.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22): Dreams of getting away from this place may be the first thing on your mind. However, this mindset will only distract you and make you vulnerable to mistakes.

Leo (July 23 – August 22): Your strong aura of independence may come off as intimidating when working on a group project. Try to include everyone and let people help you along the way.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22): Lately, you’ve been feeling as though you cannot trust anybody these days. Give people a chance—they may surprise you.

HUMAN INTEREST

Libra (September 23 – October 22): You may want to take on a healthier diet in the future. Follow your instincts, and don’t be afraid to try new things.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21): Pent-up social tensions may lead to an outburst today.

Try to save yourself from a humiliating situation and take some time to think by yourself.

You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21): Keep your emotions to yourself today. Letting them out may create an awkward situation for yourself and those around you.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19): Someone else’s intentions may make you suspicious this week, but don’t get caught up in trying to decipher other people’s motives. Focus on yourself.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18): Financial worries may be bogging you down, but worrying will not solve the issue. Be proactive and fix the situation now before it’s too late.

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Comic Zoe Morgan

Conservation Club Swap Tess Regan, DS E-News Conservation Club will be hosting a clothing and sports equipment swap on Wednesday, April 25 from 2:20 - 6:00 p.m.

Donate clothing and sports equipment that you no longer use and purchase items from the swap that another person may not need, but you do! Go through your closets and garage and bring in what you longer use. Items to consider:

      

That lacrosse stick you played with for one season Those shoes in the back of your closet that you thought you loved An old semi/prom dress Any basketballs, tennis balls, or baseballs rolling around your garage Don't ice skate any more? Bring them in.

Shirts, pants, and other clothes you out grew But please, NO JUNK! The items you bring in for donation should be in good condition. Thank you!

Conservation Club is looking for donations! Please bring in what you can and enjoy purchasing new items from this sustainable swap. Donations can be brought in starting after March break. All profits will go toward a Conservation Club project to help enhance The Derryfield School sustainability mission statement. All leftover donations will be donated to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Good luck cleaning out!

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