October 2010 by Buccaneer Bulletin

BuccaneerBulletin

Volume 14 Number 1

Haunted Oswego Pages 4 & 5 Jacqueline Hondro ‘Walks the Plank’ Page 7 Athlete of the Month: MacKenzie Dunsmoor Page 8 Photo Illustration by Monék Cullen

Oswego High School’s Student Voice

October 2010

New Principal Stresses Teamwork Page 2

Features

OHS is in Good Hands With Hartwell By Jasmine Davis

Reporter

For the students of OHS, the words “new principal” have become an alltoo-familiar phrase over the past couple of years. So, when over the summer, those words began traveling around once again, students were not really surprised, or excited. • Who would step up and take on the role as a leader? • Would our fourth new principal in four years do things any differently than the other three? • Would it be an interim or permanent principal? • Would the person be new to the district or a familiar face? Those questions were all answered on Sept. 7 when the Board of Education appointed Mr. Brian Hartwell our principal. Hartwell went to a small high school in Lyons, New York where he graduated and moved on to attend Le Moyne College. He played D1 baseball, hoping to continue his dream of being a New York Yankees’ catcher. When that wasn’t the p a t h where life

brought him, hecontinued into a career in what he’s passionate about, history. Hartwell was first hired into the Oswego High School social studies department. After teaching global studies and SUPA Economics, he moved on to be the House 3 principal in the former “House Plan.” There’s a world of difference between being the principal and a house principal. An assistant principal is assigned to deal with specific parts of OHS while the main principal deals with the school as a whole. From issues such as the appearance and image of the school, to the budget, every executive decision made in the high school is run through his office first. “What a difference fifty feet makes,” said Hartwell, commenting on how different his job is now just a few doors away from his old assistant principal’s office. Hartwell would’ve never guessed ten years ago that he’d be in the position that he is today, but when the opportunity presented itself, he decided that the time was right. He has many high hopes for OHS and its potential.

The 2010 –’11 school year has high expectations, with both new policies and newly-enforced policies being put in place to create the best learning environment possible. “We have a lot of kids in this school who are doing the right thing. Ninety percent of the student body is doing everything right; it’s the (other)10 percent that we have to try to work on. The 10 referral system was created to solve the smaller problems that make up the big ones,” said Hartwell. After sitting down and looking at the statistics of the previous school years, the biggest issue was lateness. “We are really trying to stress being prompt for the students this year. The referral system gives students the opportunity to correct their problem before it becomes a bigger issue,” said Hartwell. Hartwell is making his presence as the principal known. If students never noticed him in the building before, they are noticing him now. From walking around the halls and popping into classrooms, to speaking on the announcements, Hartwell has a feeling of enthusiasm around him. He is personable and charismatic;

he is a leader. “Being a principal means you have to be passionate about doing what’s best for students,” said Hartwell. It’s also important to be a good listener, to be flexible, and to be able to cooperate with others to create the best solution available. “What’s right isn’t always popular, and what’s popular isn’t always right,” Hartwell stated when he explained his firm belief in doing what’s best for the students and the school as a whole. “I truly believe that the sky is the limit with OHS because its students, parents, faculty, and staff are great, as well as the community surrounding it.” Hartwell’s goal for this year is to prove that Oswego High School is truly a school of excellence. OHS continues to produce graduates who are greatly successful in their paths in life, and part of that is that they came from a high school that enabled them to achieve. OHS doesn’t take enough credit for what a great school it really is. Hartwell is ready to instill the confidence in OHS and build the reputation it deserves.

“I truly believe that the sky is the limit with OHS because its students, parents, faculty, and staff are great, as well as the community surrounding it.”

Mr. Brian Hartwell, Principal

photo Illustration by monek cullen

Buccaneer Bulletin

October 2010

Editorial/Opinion

Small Town Provides Big Memories I’m not saying that we, as teens, shouldn’t have swim out on flat rock, enjoy multiple feet of snow By Christina Buckingham goals, but shouldn’t we at least learn to appreciate in the winter, or hang out with friends over hot Columnist It’s amazing what a children’s pastime like what we already have first? For a second, we need drinks in the upper level of Coffee Connection? kicking a pebble down a stretch of sidewalk can to step back and really think whether or not we Our school and town offer us so much that make a person realize. It’s often not until we’re should give up something that we know is great, for maybe we should take more time to become alone that we start uncovering our most in-depth something that we only think could be better. aware of that while we sit around criticizing how thoughts about our lives. Walking down the road, Pretty much every student in our school would it could be better. There will be no more Buc pep I tried each second to find the biggest pebble rallies or dances or high school football “Our city is one that may not be glamorous, possible to launch across the cement, and I games and spirit weeks once were college soon became conscious that each search led but when you think about it, our town is one bound. High school years are precious to me mistakenly losing my previous pebble. and we’re honestly lucky to be a part of a of the greatest places to grow up.” As this continued to happen, it led me to the community that knows that and chooses to realization that this game I was playing was fuel the opportunities we are given at OHS. my life. I was searching for a bigger pebble, a better graduate and leave Oswego in a heartbeat if they It’s always so hard to see the positive right there one. could, but how bad do we really have it here? Our in front of your face, until it’s gone. It’s like we don’t realize that the choices we city is one that may not be glamorous, but when Oswego is a little town, sure, but I’m make each day are made so that we can replace you think about it, our town is one of the greatest proud to call it my home town and I’m sure that something old with something new and greater. places to grow up. Many of us don’t realize the time apart from it when I go off to college next We’ve grown up during a generation full of change number of unique places in Oswego and how year will only make me appreciate my time as and we seem to have developed the idea that we can much we could actually end up missing this place an Oswego Buccaneer more. You can’t grow as a always strive harder to find better than we already when we journey on to new cities. Where else can person until you accept where your roots are and possess. we skip rocks while eating Rudy’s clams, go for a always will be.

Buccaneer Bulletin Oswego High School’s Student Voice Staff Christina Buckingham Shaughnessy Darrow Jasmine Davis Mackenzie Oatman Katherine Robinson Katherine Whelsky Faith Whitely Advisers Bill Reeser Mike McCrobie The Buccaneer Bulletin, a member of the Empire State School Press Association, and The Quill and Scroll, is published periodically by the students of the Oswego High School, 2 Buccaneer Blvd.; Oswego, New York 13126; (315) 341-2200. It is intended as a vehicle to inform, educate, and entertain the student body. Printing services are provided by The Palladium-Times. Opinions expressed are those of the students and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration or the advisers.

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…To the Buccaneer blue and white flags hanging on Route 104 for the first week of school. Great school and community spirit for the opening of the school year! …To the murals in the hallway leading to the lunch room. They give the school some color and interest. …To the community-wide read Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. …To Jacqueline Hondro and Thomas James being selected for the U.S. Army All American Band. …To the following students who represented OHS at the Oswego County Academic Youth League competition on October 7: Katherine Scanlon, Rebecca Smith, Norman Berlin, Nikole Bonacorsi, Colin Morgan, Andrew DiVita, Meredith Moshier, Haley Annal, and Justine Harrington.

...To the photography/yearbook room (B3) being way too small! There’s barely enough room to walk with all the computers crowding the area designated for photography work. …To the game of “musical rooms” on the first day of school. Seniors felt like freshman running around trying to find their Alpha Homerooms, when they were perfectly fine just where they were last year. …To the mural in the band hall being painted over. A beautiful piece of art that was created over many years, was destroyed for no reason what so ever. ...To the excessive number of flies buzzing around the school, interrupting classes, and disturbing lessons.

October 2010

Visiting Some of The Port

Gray Road

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

Oswego Lighthouse

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

In 1942, five young members of the Oswego Coast Guard Station died at the Oswego lighthouse in an attempt to relieve the on-duty lighthouse keeper during a storm. An article in the International Lighthouse Magazine features this tragedy and the supposed “spirits” it left behind. The article sites current Coast Guard members as saying “They would speak of putting a light bulb in a socket high above the floor, only to find it set down on the ground the next time they went there,” and “Sometimes they’d look out from the shore toward the lighthouse, across the churning lake, and it would seem a light was burning in a window.”

Stories about Gray Road in Minetto are among the most popular at Oswego High School. Students have been going there for years for a cheap thrill. Rumors say people have been murdered there, or have committed suicide there, or that the place is just plain haunted. OHS librarian Ms. Gina Iorio joined the CNY Ghost Hunters on a paranormal investigation of Gray Road in September. Iorio says she liked it because they’re trying to debunk the stories. “They don’t believe everything,” she stated. The group toured the road and Iorio stated nothing remarkably creepy happened, but if you talk to the right people, who have been there on the right night, you may get a different story.

By Mackenzie Oatman Reporter

Tracy DeCann is an Oswe Oswego Paranormal Research experience in the military and of hers by leading paranormal New York. Below is a list of want to try and conduct your sincerely or for fun.

The Home Of Kaleb Allen “I hate being in my house alone,” stated OHS sophomore, Kaleb Allen. Allen has experienced more than one ghostly experience in his house of over four years including seeing dark figures in the basement, and ghosts in the hallways. “I looked down the hallway and a boy was standing there and I ran,” he said. A paranormal medium who visited Kaleb’s house claimed to have found “spiritual hallways” in more than one of the bedrooms, and his four year old sister used to talk about playing with a young boy that the rest of the family couldn’t see.

•

Bring at least two flash the tendency the run ou levels of EMF’s or “Elec kind of wavelength asso paranormal entities.

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Always go ghost huntin person. Someone shoul emergency situation ari

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Try using a camera to re occurrences.

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Bring bottled water. “Yo

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Bring a pencil and pape happens for later refere

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Whatever you do, just b DeCann, because “sometimes

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t City’s Infamous Haunts

ego resident and founder of The h Society. DeCann has extensive d is now pursuing an old hobby l investigations around central things you should consider if you own ghost investigation, whether

Fort Ontario

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One of Oswego’s most historical sites, Fort Ontario, is not only known for stories of the Revolutionary War, but stories of the ghosts that were supposedly left behind. Ghosts of the Northeast by David J. Pitkin is among a variety of books for sale at the fort’s gift shop. The book elaborates on ghostly lights that have been said to playfully move near people’s heads when they visit the fort at night. Stories link these lights back to a soldier who has acquired the name George Fykes over the years and whose presence has said to have been reappearing to unsuspecting victims since 1782. A “deep bone chilling cold” is supposed to be a signal of Fyke’s presence.

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

Frances M. Brown Theater

hlights, because batteries have ut in places that have high ctric Magnetic Frequencies,” a ociated with the presence of

Oswego Players Inc. has been utilizing the Frances M. Brown Theater in the Oswego Civics Art Center for years. Norman Berlin, a senior at OHS and long-time member of Oswego Players has heard all the stories about the theater’s haunted basement. The stories vary, but they basically claim there is either a hobo or Native American living in the basement who has been causing weird things to happen for years. Things have been inexplicably moved on stage during performances. There was also recent fire that “Could have been electrical, but could have also been the ghost,” stated Berlin. Two different groups of paranormal investigators have visited the theater and taken some questionable photographs. “It’s kind of creepy downstairs sometimes. Sometimes you think you hear things,” stated Berlin.

ng with at least one other ld always be there in case an ises.

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ou get thirsty,” added DeCann.

er to write down anything that ence.

Ouija boards; they’re sketchy.

be careful and respectful, urged s something will follow you home.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NORMAN BERLIN

Editor’s Note: Text by Mackenzie Oatman

October 2010

Features

Sniffling and Sneezing: Allergies Abound By Faith Whitely

Reporter

The summer ended sooner than you had desired, and before you knew it; you were sitting awkwardly in the same uncomfortable school desk as the year before. Although everyone else’s faces reflect their excitement, you’re miserable. Your nose has been running like a faucet that won’t shut off, you’ve sneezed about 36 times today, and your constant sniffling is clearly aggravating the student next to you. So, as you walk up to the front of the classroom to grab yet another handful of tissues, you admit your defeat. Welcome to the world of allergies. Most people assume that the common head cold is going around, but what people aren’t aware of is that fall is one of the easiest times for allergies to strike. According to WebMD, in the fall, large amounts of pollen are still lingering around in the air. When you breathe in the pollen, your immune system mistakes the particles as an attack from an illness-causing organism. Histamines produced by your antibodies are released into your bloodstream, triggering the obnoxiously itchy, watery eyes, the congestion, profuse

sneezing, and a runny nose. Ragweed when they first woke up in the mornis also an enormous cause for the ing, 28 percent said that their allergies fall allergy outburst. Fall is ragweed were most effected at the end of the season, so even if ragweed is not pres- day, 26 percent while they are outent nearby, doors, and it travels 3 percent for miles said while through exercisthe wind. ing. Other than Stupollen, aldents of lergies can OHS are be caused quick to by mold share their and milown perdew, dust sonal exmites, aniperiences mal dander with ala n d h a i r, lergies. certain Matthew chemicals, S h a w, a and medisenior, is cations. affected A c by bothphoto courtesy of Google Images cording to ersome WebMD, a allergy recent poll revealed when allergies symptoms constantly. “Being allergic seem to affect people the most during to everything under the sun really is the day. Forty-three percent of people a pain in the butt.” who took the allergy survey said that Shannon Pasco, senior, avoids their allergies were at their worst her allergy symptoms before they

affect her first. “I absolutely dread allergy season and the only way I avoid it is by taking medication before the allergies get to me.” Though you can’t “cure” your allergies, there are various ways to kick the symptoms before things get out of hand. Antihistamines, typically known as Claritin, Benadryl, Zyrtec and Allegra are some of the most common ways of getting rid of allergies. According to MayoClinic. com, the most common forms of antihistamines are oral antihistamines and steroid-free nasal sprays containing an added decongestant and/ or pain reliever, which are generally effective in relieving the sneezing, itchy throat, and eyes. Other ways of getting rid of allergy symptoms include purchasing an air purifier for your home, trying a saline (salt-water) nasal spray to aid in fighting congestion, or even switching to allergen-free laundry detergents. The smallest way of fighting against fall allergies could have an extremely positive outcome, but if not, the school has yet to run out of tissues during the fall allergy season.

Reality TV is an Addicting Indulgence By Mackenzie Oatman

Reporter

I love Jersey Shore. If you “hate” Jersey Shore you’re either lying or have never watched the show, and we all know you’ve watched the show. Reality TV is good, and we’re not the first generation to get caught up in it. Our grandparents were watching The Wheel of Fortune before we were even born, and our parents grew up with Candid’s Camera. There’s something undeniably entertaining about really simple people doing really simple stuff. So why do some feel the need to constantly ridicule modern reality TV? This is why. Trying to answer pop quiz questions makes sense. Recording funny pranks makes sense. A free trip to Hawaii and a new convertible makes sense. Six people chilling out in a really nice house all day does not make sense. What are they doing there? Why don’t they have jobs? Why are their poofs so big? NO ONE KNOWS. Jersey Shore isn’t the only show like this. We’ve all seen The Real World, and The Hills. We’re familiar with all one hundred something versions of Flavor of Love and its sequels. They’re all the same thing when it comes down to it, a bunch of people in a house trying their hardest to get the viewers emotionally involved in their otherwise ridiculous program. On

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some level I think we all know it’s ridiculous, but whether you’re yelling back at the TV or speechless that people actually act that way, you’ll find it hard to change the channel. The first time I watched The Real Housewives of New Jersey I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, and if you haven’t seen the show, believe me when I say it’s the most painful thing you’ll ever watch. Still, beneath all the hair pulling and finger pointing, I couldn’t help but feel it resonated with situations I’ve really experienced. Those situations we “know are ridiculous” and yet still fool ourselves into believing are legitimate. The arguments and fights lacked all and any substance. They would bring up the same problems over and over again, just to instigate one another, and yet the women on the show were so drawn up in it that not only was it believable, but made sense. Everyone has gotten into an argument that is so idiotic and ill-conceived that you have to stop and review how you even got into the mess. These shows aren’t “so bad they’re good,” but rather “so true they’re good.” At first glance the “six people stuck in a house,” thing seems irrelevant and unrealistic, but it’s really just a knock off of The Breakfast Club,

which is really just a knock off of high school. You get to know everyone, but you don’t really know them, you know them in the way you need to know them, that is, as “the jock, the princess, the loner, the basket case, the geek.” We’ve all had the concept of not labeling people shoved down our throats for years now, and admittedly, the actual labels have begun to disappear, but the concept is still there. We can’t wrap our brain around all the multi-faceted people around us, so we make them simple, it’s part of the Oswego High School social contract, and we’ve all signed our names. Soon, everyone you know is “this kind of person” or “that kind of person,” and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Our lives are busy enough as it is without actually having to get to know everyone. From Jeopardy to Jersey Shore, the fact that simple people doing simple things is simply entertaining does not change. This is what we understand and love, and in many ways, this is who we are. I couldn’t agree less with those who try and blame our social habits on the media. Reality TV is just a dramatic representation of the way most of us really are, but now we can watch it from our living room couch while we eat ice cream out of the carton.

October 2010

Walking the Plank

OHS Drum Major Marches the October Plank Oswego High School Marching Band Drum Major Jacqueline Hondro answered questions for this month’s Buccaneer Bulletin “Walking the Plank” feature.

face in the crowd.

Buc Bulletin: What is your full name? Jacqueline Hondro: Jacqueline Hondro.

BB: How many kids are in marching band this season? JH: About 95 kids.

BB: How is marching band different than band classes in school? JH: There is so much more going on, we have a drumline, pit, and a color guard. Everyone is very independent. Listening is very important.

BB: What year in high school are you? JH: I am a senior.

BB: This one time... at band camp... JH: Brian Thompson WAS spider man!

BB: Your favorite band? JH: Nickelback. BB: Favorite color? JH: Green.

BB: Why did you join Marching Band? JH: I joined because I watched my older cousins who were in Marching Band perform at a competition and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to be just like him.

BB: Favorite food? JH: Mashed potatoes. BB: Favorite dessert? JH: Hot fudge brownie ala mode.

BB: What instrument do you play and for how long have you been playing it? JH: I play the flute and piccolo. I have been playing flute for 8 years and piccolo for two. BB: What is your role in the marching band this year? JH: I am the drum major of the Oswego High School Marching Buccaneers.

BB: What does the drum major do? JH: The drum major keeps tempo, is a leader for fellow members, and does random tasks. Some of these tasks are helping others with music and carrying the long ranger (a speaker and metronome) to the field. BB:What is the greatest challenge in being drum major? JH: It was an adjustment that took time. I am in control of a lot now, rather than being just another

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BB: If you could change one thing about Marching Band what would it be? JH: I would have the band stay at the football games for the whole time playing stands music, rather than leaving after half time. BB: Do you have any band rituals or quirks? JH: If and when the flutes drop their flutes they have to sing “I’m a little tea pot” infront of the entire flute section.

BB: What activities do you participate in outside of school? JH: I dance; I’m in NHS, New Visions health, Girl Scouting, Marching Band, and Winter Guard. BB: How many years have you been in Marching Band? JH: Four years.

BB:What is your favorite memory as a marching buccaneer? JH: Hearing and seeing the crowd at the New York State Field Band Conference Championship at the Carrier Dome my freshman year.

BB: What do you enjoy the most about marching band? JH: Definitely the friendships that are made and kept throughout the years. BB: Defy the stereotypes about marching band. JH: We work very hard, just like any other school activity. It is a great experience and you learn life lessons throughout the years that you don’t develop in other programs. BB: How long is the marching band season? JH: We started July 20 and we end October 31.

BB: If you were stranded on a desert island who would you bring? JH: My mom, Jenna Hotchkiss, and Susan B. Anthony. BB: What would you bring? JH: My ipod and my pillow.

Editor’s note: “Walking The Plank” is a regular question-and-answer feature of The Buccaneer Bulletin. If you know a student or staff member who you would like to see walk the plank, contact Katherine Robinson at krobins2@oswego.org

October 2010

Buccaneer Bulletin Sports

Volume 14 Number 1

Oswego High School’s Student Voice

October 2010

Oswego High School Athlete of the Month MacKenzie Dunsmoor

By Jasmine Davis Sports Writer photo illustration by jasmine davis

The Buccaneer Bulletin’s Athlete of the Month, MacKenzie Dunsmoor plays every second of a soccer game like it’s her last. She leaves everything out on the field and never accepts defeat. She plays with passion and aggression, ready to take on anything to defend the goal. “My favorite part of the game is the last overtime, when the stakes are high because that’s when you are really tested,” said Dunsmoor. She plays to win, there’s no doubt about that. For Dunsmoor, life is like a balancing act. She wears many hats at OHS, including being the senior class president, yearbook editor, and a dedicated member of various clubs. Even with all of her homework, meetings, and responsibilities, she still finds time to be a captain of the varsity soccer team. Dunsmoor has been playing soccer for ten years, and this is her third year on varsity. In her senior year, she is the lone senior on the team. On senior night Dunsmoor’s name will be the only one called, as she is the single girl from the Class of ’11 who stuck with the game until the end. Dunsmoor is leading her team a key player this season. “On the field, she anchors our defense and has played almost every minute of every game. She is the vocal and physical leader of a young group of defenders. Her efforts have already led to three shutout wins for the Lady Bucs. MacKenzie plays the game with no fears; she is willing to sacrifice her body and challenge the other teams’ best players, she has no back-down in her,” said girls’ varsity soccer Brian Greene. Dunsmoor’s co-captain and junior, Kaitlyn Armstrong reiterated Greene’s praise, “Mackenzie is the only senior on the team and she is a true leader. She is fully dedicated to playing soccer and she works hard every day. She is someone on the team that everyone can look up to, on and off the field.” Dunsmoor’s soccer career in filled with many memorable moments of heart-wrenching games and team bonding at Oswegatchie. “The most important soccer game I’ve been in was against FM my sophomore year. It was a huge upset when we beat them. I didn’t play a lot, but it was cool to be a part of something so overwhelming,” said Dunsmoor. In previous years, the girls’ varsity soccer team has been very close. From all dressing up on Halloween like their coach, to riding in an RV to the away boys’ varsity football games, the team has done things as a group. “My favorite time was when we all dressed up as dead CBA players (an upcoming opponent) when we came to school for Halloween one year,” said Dunsmoor. Looking back on when she first started on varsity, Dunsmoor says the player she’s looked up to the most is Britt Howard, OHS graduate of 2009. “Britt is the person who taught me to be aggressive and how to speak up. She always encouraged me when I was down,” said Dunsmoor. Having a role model is important when playing a sport because it gives the athlete someone to look up to, someone to strive to be like. Howard was the older girl Dunsmoor looked up to on the team; she guided her to become the athlete and leader she is today. “Kenz has always looked up to me throughout the years… She is a great friend and a great athlete. She is the type of person who tries 100 percent at all times. If she makes a mistake, she will bust her butt to get back and fix it. All her teammates should look up to her because she is a true leader with all her dedication and heart,” said Howard. For Dunsmoor’s senior year, the soccer team has a lot of rebuilding to do. After losing eleven seniors last year, the team has many new faces. As a captain, Dunsmoor hopes to push the girls in the right direction to become a more solid team. “MacKenzie has a lot on her plate this year. She is the lone senior on this team, and I expect her to provide strong leadership to a young team that needs a positive role model,” said Greene. Dunsmoor and her teammates hope to improve every game and make it to sectionals this year.