12:6 issue

I

INKLINGS

December 9, 2015

Vol. 87, Issue 4

INSIDE Page 12 Gillespie Center boasts friendly faces.

1 7 11 17 21

Page 17 The 75th Candlelight concert scheduled for Dec. 18-19.

News Opinions Features Arts Sports

SEXUAL CONSENT

The following is a compilation of quotes pulled from 40 Staples students who answered the question,

“How do you know you have sexual consent?”

“

They say, ‘Let’s do it.’ Constant touching.

If you’re both drunk, then it’s not as big of a deal. Vibes. Giving a signal.

If they don’t stop you.

When they start leading you to the bedroom. You ask. It’s the feeling you get from them. If they try to make a move.

If they’re not destroyed.

If they don’t say, ‘No.’ It just kinda happens. Usually it’s pretty obvious. As long as she didn’t say, ‘No.’ They’re awake, and they don’t scream.

How they are looking at you. Flirting.

If they are not creeped out. Excessive Snapchatting. Body cues. You don’t.

I don’t know.

”

To Staples students, sexual consent is obviously a gray area, and to some, shockingly, even a joking matter.

AN INVESTIGATIVE LOOK INTO STAPLES’ SEXUAL ASSAULT CULTURE Page 3

STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL| 70 North Ave., Westport, Connecticut

inklingsnews.com

2

News | December 9, 2015

We the People class enters its second year Local Briefs

O

Max Bibicoff ’16

n Dec. 11, students taking We the People (WTP) AP U.S. Government and Politics will put their hard work and preparation to the test in the state round of the annual WTP competition. After being added to the social studies course catalog prior to the 2014-15 school year, WTP, taught by social studies teacher Suzanne Kammerman, has gained popularity at Staples.

As laid out in the course catalog, WTP follows the same curriculum as the standard AP U.S. Government and Politics course, but is centered around participation in the annual competition at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. The competition, which is held at the state and national levels, focuses on constitutional law and is conducted in a congressional hearing format.

“It’s another opportunity for students to compete academically as part of a course here at Staples,” social studies department chair Lauren Francese said.

“U.S. Honors has embedded the National History Day program, and this is another program for students who are ready for an additional challenge. Both of these programs require students to extend their learning in a real-world context.”

With only one section of the WTP class offered, students have to meet certain requirements in order to qualify for the class. Those prerequisites include having completed U.S. History with at least an A- or U.S. History Honors and A.P. U.S. History with at least a B. The class is also only offered to juniors and seniors.

“I was first recommended for [WTP] and didn’t know much about it,” Kellie Iannacone ’17 said. “After learning about it, I decided to take it because I have a strong interest in American government, and the

[competition] aspect of it gave me an addi- year with us, especially with the timtional opportunity to explore that interest.” ing and scheduling of each of our drafts,” Due to the fact that it follows the Cattan said. “She can also use the sucstandard curriculum of an AP course, cessful groups from last year as exthe students who take WTP still need to amples of what we should be doing.” be well-equipped for the test come May. This year’s class will look to pro“It’s a really fast-paced class because pel Staples into the national round we have to get through so much of the content Photo by Becky Hoving ’17 before the competition, which is in December,” Maia Cattan ’16 said.

The WTP curriculum is divided into several different units of study, each pertaining to some aspect of the Constitution. These units coincide with certain parts of the competition.

“The goal this year is to spend more time preparing students for the six-minute period of questions from the judges,” Kammerman said. “This portion of the competition requires students to think on their feet – without the use of notes – to answer any questions that the judges might choose to ask them.”

In Staples’ first year participating in the competition, the 201415 class finished third place in the state overall, with one unit finishing first in their category.

That experience DEBATING Justine Shikowitz ’17 practices her speech for the is paying off for some Dec. 11 We the People competition. The competition is being of the current students. held at Central Connecticut State University.

“Mrs. Kammerman has definitely used her experience from last

District paternity-leave policy raises questions Claire Dinshaw ’17 There is a newborn at home. Without any family members in the area, the new parents are forced to do it all alone – from feeding the baby every hour to comforting it every few minutes as it cries.

“I can still see [my wife] struggling,” math teacher and new father, Anthony Forgette, said.

Following the birth of his child, Forgette chose to take two weeks off, unpaid, to spend time with his wife and baby.

“I wanted to help [my wife] out,” Forgette said. “I wanted to be supportive.”

When it comes to paternity and maternity leave, all Westport teachers are entitled to any rights laid forth in the federal law titled the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

This means that new fathers are entitled to up to twelve weeks off, just like new mothers. However, while new mothers in the district often get six-to-eight weeks of paid leave for disabilities incurred during delivery, for all other Westport Public School employees who are new parents, those twelve weeks are all designated as unpaid.

For some fathers, finding out exactly what these rights are can be difficult.

“The most difficult part was that there was no in-writing policy for [paternity leave],” Forgette said. Instead, according to Forgette, information about paternity leave travels largely through “word of mouth.” Regardless, he mentioned that everyone in the administration was very accommodating towards his inquiries.

According to John Horrigan, pres-

ident of the Westport Education Association (WEA), there is no allowance for male teachers to take paid time off if their spouses have a child in the Westport Public Schools’ teacher’s contract.

Although there is no specifically allotted time for paternity leave, fathers can use other types of leave to take time off to be at home with their spouses and families.

“Fathers typically use critical illness days, typically two or three days, just after the birth of their child,” John Bayers, head of human resources for Westport Public Schools, said. According to Bayers, they can also use “any available personal or vacation days as well for paid portions of the FMLA period.”

Fathers can also use emergency leave to cover a day in which they bring their spouse to the hospital, as well as the day they bring their spouse home.

Because of the unpaid nature of the leave, Forgette’s decision to take extra time off as a new father is not common among other new fathers.

According to science teacher Christine Kaszanek, it is simply not “feasible” for many families to live off of one salary, especially if they have a young f am i ly.

This sentiment was echoed by physical education teacher C.J. Shamas, who also has a new baby at home.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

“Because I was teaching summer school [when my child was born], there were no emergency days. There were no paid days to be used,” Shamas said. “I took an unpaid day the day my baby was born, and the next work day I was back at work.”

Shamas did mention, however, that he had a weekend to spend home with his wife and child. He also recognized the good fortune he had in working half-days at the time, since it allowed him to assist his wife with the baby.

While paid paternity and maternity leave are not legally required by an employer in America, President Barack Obama has made maternity leave a focal point, citing the fact that America is the only developed country that does not offer paid leave for new parents.

Lily Besen-McNally ’16 agreed with Obama’s sentiment, calling the American paternity and maternity leave system “seriously screwed up.”

Kaszanek, who had a child last year, said she really appreciated the time she and her husband were able to take off. “Dashel is our first child, and it took some getting used to taking care of a new baby around t h e c l o c k ,” Kaszanek s a i d .

F o r gette agreed, saying that regardless of the laws or compensation policies, he “would do the same thing again if [his wife] had another baby.”

“I can still see [my wife] struggling.”

-Math teacher Anthony Forgette

Aileen Coyne ’16

Dec. 5

Winter Sports Begin All winter sports, with the exception of girls’ basketball and boys’ wrestling, officially began practices this past Saturday. Girls’ basketball and wrestling started Monday, Nov. 30. To be eligible to play, students must have a valid physical examination on file in the nurse’s office and be registered online.

Dec. 6-14

Hanukkah Hanukkah started on Sunday and will be celebrated for eight nights, finishing on Monday, Dec. 14. Hanukkah is the festival of lights, and many Westport families celebrate by lighting the menorah, playing dreidel and exchanging gifts.

Dec. 12

ACT

The ACT exam will be offered on Dec. 5. Staples will not be a test site. Nearby test sites include Danbury, New Canaan and Trumbull.

Dec. 18-19

Candlelight Concert The 75th annual Candlelight Concert will be held in the Staples High School auditorium on Friday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Candlelight Concert each year features performances from the symphonic orchestra and band, as well as the combined choirs.

It is free of charge. Because it is the 75th anniversary, there will also be a Candlelight alumni gala on Dec. 19. This will take place at the Westport Inn from 5-7 p.m. The gala tickets are $75 and will include hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, a gallery of photos and posters since the 1950’s, Candlelight logowear and a CD set of recordings from concerts that span from the 1950’s to the present.

Dec. 24-Jan. 1

Holiday Recess Holiday break begins with a halfday on Dec. 23, and students do not arrive back to school until Jan. 4. This will give students 10 days off to relax and enjoy the holidays with family. Midterms will follow just one week after students return, starting on Jan. 12.

I

See more at www.inklingsnews.com

Hook-up culture leads to confusion over sexual consent Margaux MacColl ’16

J

*Names have been changed

ackie* said she remembered the night like snapshots in her head.

She had arrived at the party emotionally shaken — she and her ex-boyfriend had gotten into a fight. But she was trying to move on. She had been Snapchatting a senior boy, and he was on his way to see her.

“We’d been kind of planning to hook up for a while,” Jackie, who was a junior at the time, said. She has chosen to remain anonymous, like many sources in this article, due to the sensitive nature of her story.

Waiting for him to arrive was “nerve-wracking,” so Jackie found herself drinking more than normal.

She recalled what she thought when he arrived. “He came for one thing,” she said.

He handed her a water bottle filled with vodka and took her arm, bringing her to the pool area.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened next,” Jackie said.

She woke up on a lawn chair next to an empty condom wrapper.

Despite her hazy memory, Jackie struggles to label the incident as “rape.”

“In the moment, I didn’t really say, ‘No,’” she said, pausing. “I’m sure I said, ‘Yes.’ I was so drunk I didn’t know what ‘yes’ meant in the moment.

I convinced myself, ‘You meant yes.’

Obviously he went ahead and did it.”

While Jackie still struggles over whether or not she was a victim of sexual assault, the Department of Justice defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.”

If a partner does not explicitly say “yes” to a sexual advance, by law the encoun-

ter could be deemed as a sexual assault.

Out of 40 Staples students surveyed, 20 said they knew someone who had been sexually assaulted. This follows a national trend; one-in-four girls and one-in-six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

The core of sexual assault is lack of sexual consent. Although health classes cover sexual assault both freshman and junior year, students’ concept of sexual consent remains elusive and varied.

A freshman girl said she thought she had someone’s consent if the person was “not creeped out.”

A sophomore boy said he thought he had consent “if they’re not destroyed,” with “destroyed” meaning very drunk.

“As long as you’re not grabbing them and making them do anything, it’s okay,” a senior boy said.

Only a minority of students surveyed said they knew they had someone’s consent when they asked someone to “hook up” and the person said “yes”, which would fit the actual legal definition of consent.

However, most of the student’s did not have an exact definition of what “hook up” meant. A sophomore girl said the language often used to obtain sexual consent is purposefully ambiguous because asking outright would be “awkward.”

But this ambiguity is often the problem. “[Teenagers] may think because they consented to one sexual encounter, they have consent to a different act during that encounter,” Westport Police Officer Ned Batlin said. “Which is not the case.”

Jackie described sexual consent as a “grey area,” and several students, mostly male, expressed it can be frustrating when there’s miscommunication.

“It sucks, but you have got to think about it if the guy doesn’t know [that the

girl doesn’t want to do something],” a senior boy said. “It’s completely unfair.”

Like this response, many students’ responses to how they knew they had consent were flawed. Although the Department of Justice’s definition contains some vague language, only specifying that an encounter needs “explicit consent,” there are several laws to narrow what that really means.

For example, if either one of the parties are intoxicated, they are not able to legally give consent, according to health teacher Nicole Comerford.

Officer Batlin also added that students “don’t understand that you have to be 16-years old to give legal consent.”

A further issue is that reporting sexual assault continues to carry with it a stigma. Nationally, only 16 percent of rapes get reported, and out of the 20 Staples students who knew someone who had been assaulted, only two of the assaults were reported to adults.

According to Comerford, all staff, “from teachers, guidance counselors, to cafeteria ladies are mandated reporters,” meaning if a student tells them

News | December 9, 2015

3

about an incident of sexual assault, they are required to report it to the school.

Comerford insisted that their job isn’t “to make anyone’s life more difficult” but rather to makes sure everyone is “safe and taken care of.”

While health classes cover sexual assault extensively, some students believe that Staples approaches it too drastically.

“I think that health class taught us a lot about consent in extreme situations, which isn’t very relatable for students,” Sydney Malkin ’17 said. “It prepares them and shows what people can be capable of, but it doesn’t show students the things they can really relate to.”

Ellie Aronson ’16, vice president of the Women’s Advocacy club, agreed.

“People think that, because [rape] has such negative connotations, it doesn’t happen very often,” Aronson said. “A lot more things qualify as assault than we learn about in health class.”

Aronson stressed that it’s more than just a legal matter, saying people should always be concerned if their partner is consenting.“That’s just basic human decency.”

SEXUAL ASSAULT BY THE NUMBERS

50%

Of the students surveyed, only

10%

of sexual assaults were reported to adults.

of students surveyed knew someone who had been sexually assaulted

1.800.656.HOPE (4673)

National Sexual Assault Hotline Information from Margaux MacColl ’16 Infographic by Becky Hoving ’17

Staples, and country, sees rise of atheism Jane Levy ’16

Gra phi c by C

han nin g

Sm ith

’17

As the holiday season approaches, religion is often a fervent topic of discussion.

However, this upcoming season might see a lack of religiousness among Americans.

According to a worldwide poll conducted by WIN-Gallup International, religiosity in America has dropped from 73 percent to 60 percent in the last decade as the number of Americans who identify as atheists has grown from 1 to 5 percent. Furthermore, according to a report from the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who identify with no religion has grown to 56 million,

making the “nones” the second largest group in America behind Evangelicals.

Some Staples students of different beliefs have attempted to understand why this trend is taking place in society and what implications the movement has in their lives and their futures.

To Hannah Simons ’16, who has questioned believing in God from a very young age, the movement away from religion is anything but surprising.

When Simons was little, she would go to church with her parents, who were both very religious. The things she heard at

church “would confuse me because they were things I had previously heard of as being impossible,” Simons said. “This confusion made it hard for me to believe in God.” Simons identifies as an atheist, which is someone who believes that God does not exist. She believes that many Americans have experienced a similar confusion with the idea of God, and that has led them to believe that one does not exist.

Seeing that her parents are both atheists themselves, Zia Sansted ’17 has had a different experience than Simons with religion, in the thought and practice of it.

In Sansted’s opinion, the rise in a general questioning of religion in America is a result of the “liberalization of society,” she said.

“The fact that in America we show gay couples and un-marital sex on television, let alone legalize gay marriage, seemed very unlikely as little as 30 years ago,” Sansted said. “As for the rest of the world, I think that exposure to the internet leads to the general spread of knowledge and allows people to open up to ideas that they might not have thought of. This isn’t necessarily about atheism but about any form of religious change.”

With a similar

sentiment, AP U.S. History teacher Daniel Heaphy believes that the leading cause of the secularization of American society is “social cohesion,” he said. With “work, the internet, television,” religion in America has become about the celebration and less about the religiousness behind it.

“I think for many people, in some parts of the country, religion just does not play that role as ‘glue’ in the society,” he said.

However, in contrast, Harrison Knapp ’16, who considers himself a devout Lutheran, believes that this movement away from religion is not permanent. “[Religion] it is not dying globally,” Knapp said. “Humans innately need something greater than themselves to believe in, and that is what I think drives the hunger for religion around the world.

The tradition and history behind the world’s religion cannot just up and leave in a matter of decades after being established over the course of centuries.”

While Heaphy might not think the secularization is permanent, he does believe that religion still plays a significant role within some sub-sets of American life.

“There are regions and identities that still cling tightly to their religions and where religion is still central to their life,” Heaphy said. “We cannot discount the religious fervor of many Americans.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

4

News | December 9, 2015

Parking ticket policy upsets students

Fire drill policy for disabled students calls for clarity Photo by Channing Smith ’17

Emily Olrik ’16

Justin Schwebel ’16

Many students who park at Staples know the feeling of walking out to the car, seeing that red sheet of paper fluttering in the wind, mocking you.

Parking tickets are all too common for students at Staples. According to a recent survey of students, a very common violation, in particular, is parking in designated staff spots.

Ben Popkin ’16, like many other students, doesn’t think that parking in staff spots warrants a fine.

“There is not enough student parking,” Popkin said. “If there is staff parking open after all the staff has arrived, why can’t students park there?”

In a survey, 65 percent of students agreed with Popkin that students should not be penalized for parking in open staff spots.

Since juniors selected by the parking lottery were recently allowed to start parking on campus, there are even fewer student spots available. Nevertheless, despite the complaints, by 12 p.m. on a Wednesday in November, there were over 30 spaces available in the lot by the pool, as well as a smattering of spaces open in the other lots.

While on any given day, there are usually more than enough spaces, many students have said that the open spaces are in inconvenient locations.

According to the student handbook, “Tickets are issued daily to anyone violating the parking rules and regulations. The Notice of Violation carries a fine of $15 or more for improper parking and $15 or more for parking in a restricted area (such as staff parking).”

However, according to Maryann Garcia, secretary to the assistant principal, “We [usually] only charge $10, to be honest. No matter what the ticket says.”

For some students these $10 fines can add up quickly. Many students wonder where all this money goes. “[Parking money] goes into the Student Activity Account,” Assistant Principal Karen Morgan said.

Mari Carroll, secretary for purchasing and student activities, elaborated. “The money collected from parking tickets is used to maintain the cruiser,” Carol said. “It also is used for printing parking stickers and anything to do with [parking related expenses].”

Carroll explained that if there is any money left after paying for parking expenses, which there usually is, the money is used to buy items to benefit the school not previously accounted for in the budget.

For instance, the tables placed throughout the school were bought last year.

Occasionally, according to Carol, the money is used to help students in need of financial assistance, as well.

Morgan said that this supplements the principal’s fund. “It pays for a myriad of things for students in need, such as prom tickets and yearbooks,” Morgan said.

Still, most students generally remain unsupportive of the ticketing system at Staples.

While Douglas Raigosa ’16 believes in a penalty for parking violations, he does not think it should come in the form of a fine.

“While it is fair to be penalized for a parking violation, I don’t think it should be a monetary penalty,” Raigosa said. “They are assuming that we all have money.”

L

ast month, Justine Shikowitz ’17 experienced the stresses of a fi re alarm, as only injured or disabled students would understand. Shikowitz suffered from a syndesmosis rupture, and she had to use crutches for six weeks to recover from her surgery.

“One of my teachers informed me that I was to go with a buddy and stand in the stairway because it was just a drill,” she said.

Soon after, another person informed her that it was a real fire alarm, not a drill, and that she would have to continue to stand in the stairwell.

Shikowitz was confused at the directions, and said she felt as if she was just “left there.”

While the student handbook states that during a fire drill, “all students, faculty and other adults must promptly leave the building and not return until an all-clear signal is given,” there is, in fact, no specific mention of what is to be done for disabled and injured students.

However, according to school nurse, Diane Bosch, there is a separate, extensive “written evacuation” plan for disabled Staples students as a part of their regular school planning, which is given to them and reviewed with their teachers and parents.

Lorraine DiNapoli, department chair of special education, further clarified the safety precautions, stating that each floor of the main stairwell has a designated “area of refuge” equipped with an intercom and emergency button.

“Once in the area, the [disabled] student or staff [member] presses a call button to alert the fire marshall as

to his or her location,” DiNapoli said.

According to assistant principal Patrick Micinillio, the buttons and intercoms are tested before the start of every school year.

“But even with these safety plans in place, confusion surrounding the evacuation for handicapped students still exists and extends beyond Staples.

Audrey Putnam ’17 claims that her younger brother also had a similar experience to that of Shikowitz and other injured or disabled students at Staples during fire drills.

“I have a brother who is disabled and therefore has to spend fire drills and other similar procedures in the staircase at Greens Farms Elementary,” Putnam said.

“It is pretty distressing to him, especially when he is unsure if it’s a real emergency.”

Putnam claimed that ramps or another accessible system would be beneficial to the students with disabilities and would be a safer solution to the current system in place.

Shikowitz agreed, adding, “I’m just surprised that there isn’t an alternate solution for kids that are injured.”

While Bosch believes the school’s evacuation policy for handicapped students is clear, she concedes that there needs to be more awareness among injured students.

“Part of the problem I have with reaching all those kids is that I’m not always aware of all the kids that come to school injured,” she said. “There may be some students that don’t know what to do, but it’s not for the lack of our trying.”

Bosch and Micinillio both agreed that it would be beneficial to include a section in the student handbook of the procedures next year and get the word out more through other platforms in the future.

Open Choice students experience ups and downs of program Jane Levy ’16 Jaydah Cannon ’16, one of the 11 students in the Open Choice program at Staples, was the only student of color in her first-grade classroom.

“You can imagine that would feel awkward to a brown-colored little girl, right?” she asked. “Not that I had anything against the opposite color. I just had never been in a room where the entire class was white.”

Open Choice is a state-funded education program that allows students in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport to enter a lottery for the chance to go to school in a higher-performing district. Sixty-five students from Bridgeport have taken the opportunity to enroll in Westport Public Schools.

Alexis Miller ’16, also in Open Choice, is grateful for her experience.

“I absolutely love this program,” Miller said. “It has allowed me to meet and interact with very different people.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Cannon’s experience, though mostly positive, hasn’t always been easy for her.

Throughout 12 years in the district she has been victim to racism. She’s been called “ghetto” and has been told things like, “You’re not funny because you’re black.”

Kaylynne Mercado ’16 had a similiar experience in the Open Choice program.

In second grade, Mercado had wood chips thrown at her by a classmate, and, in fourth grade, a classmate told her she was “too poor to be here,” she said. In fifth grade, after telling her teacher where she lived the day a classmate’s earmuffs went missing, “the teacher grabbed me and started to shake me, yelling at me that she knew I did it,” even though she hadn’t, Mercado said. Even in middle school, kids would ask her what gang she was a part of.

Bullying over the course of Mercado’s 12 years in the program has led her to question if her participation was worth it.

“How sad is it to say that by the time I was 8, I was used to all the name calling and the racist remarks?”

she asked. “Since first grade I’ve been making this sacrifice, waking up at 4:30 in the morning, getting constantly bullied, all for a better education.”

Assistant Principal Karyn Morgan has worked with these students since they came to Staples.

“It’s never going to be easy,” Morgan said.

Morgan worked in the Bridgeport school system for twenty years and uses her perspective to help Open Choice students at Staples.

Cannon, with Morgan’s support, was able to let her negative experience teach her to “push myself even at my weakest moments,” she said.

“I have been provided with the opportunity of a better education because I have support from teachers,” Cannon said. “I’m surrounded by people who want to do something with their [lives].”

From Miller’s perspective, the Staples community has embraced the Open Choice students.

“I’m sure people see us as people that stand out because we are very different.

We dress differently, talk differently, even wear our hair differently,” Miller said. “But the people from Staples have embraced us for who we are no matter our color, financial status or anything else.”

“I have been provided with the opportunity of a better education because I have support from teachers.”

-Jaydah Cannon ’16

News | December 9, 2015

5

Communication Time mostly lives up to its name

E

Max Appell ’18

arly midweek mornings can be tough. For many students, the long, drawn-out, 80-minute period may seem like an eternity. That is, if it weren’t for Communication Time.

Faculty members such as Assistant Principal Patrick Micinilio find value in those first 15 minutes of the long period, set aside specifically for non-curriculum conversations or Good Morning Staples, the school’s morning television show. “Students should be allowed to share what’s going on in their world or talk about national and global events,” Micinilio stated.

But not all classes utilize this time the same way.

In math teacher Robin Hurlbut’s AP Calculus BC class, for example, Hurlbut has been using this period to communicate less and less.

“I teach from bell to bell because it’s the AP Calculus BC curriculum, and I just barely have enough time to finish,” Hurl-

but said. “It’s hard,” Hurlbut states. “We never get to be like, ‘Hey, how are you?’

Except for maybe as we are passing in the halls into the classroom, but that is it.”

Jane Handa ’17 said her classes do the same. “My classes do not use Communication effectively because instead of watching The Morning Show or talking or dicussing things, we just go straight to class time.”

A student of Hurlbut’s, Phoebe Spear ’17, understands the use of the time by her teacher, but still finds importance in the brief Communication Time. “Ms. Hurlbut does try to connect with us on a non-academic level through short conversations,” Spear said. “But her main focus is to make sure we know the material, so we can be successful on the AP tests.”

In non-AP-level classes, Hurlbut has used Communication Time to talk about school events, current events or to look at prom dresses. “The kids are like, ‘Wow she’s a human being, and we can actually talk about real things,’” Hurlbut said, laughing.

According to Hurlbut, Communication Time allows students to see teachers “in a different light.” She says it “enables the students to connect with me and enables me to connect with the students.“ In a different wing of the building, classes like Contemporary World and Middle East Studies focus on problems that directly impact our society. Due to the course content, social studies teacher Cathy Schager effectively incorporates Communication Time into the curriculum.

When Schager first began teaching, there was no Morning Show and virtually no opportunity to talk about what was happening in the world. Schager noted that “kids were really upset that we did not spend more time on current events.” In response to this, she and her class came up with a whole list about what they wanted to know.

“I vividly remember a student teaching the class about how nuclear facilities work,” Schager said. “It was just so cool because the kid really was not engaged in

our material otherwise, but he was able to stand up and demonstrate his expertise.”

Math teacher Jennifer Giudice also understands the positive effects Communication Time can have, especially in a class like math. “[Communication Time] is so valuable because we don’t have a lot of opportunities, through the work that students do, to learn more about them,” Giudice said, noting that last year her class read the book “Tuesdays with Morrie.”

“They were always so excited about it, and it definitely brought on great conversation,” Giudice explained. ”It was rewarding to come into class and have them be like, ‘Are we gonna read it today, are we gonna read it today?’”

Ultimately, Communication Time is something that many students cherish. “It’s nice to just sit back, relax and just talk,” Jack Sharkey ’18 noted. “Every once and awhile I need a break from school and the stress that comes with it.”

[INKLINATIONS] Do your classes use Communication Time effectively? “[My teacher] usually brings up a major event that has happend recently. I think it’s really important because, a lot of the time, I get exposed to world events I didn’t know too much about.”

-Sarah Sherts ’18

“I am in math and science classes for most of my extended periods, so we don’t really spend Communication watching The Morning Show or anything. We spend it learning.”

-Harrison Knapp ’16

Dodge a Cop tournament builds bonds between teens and police Megan Doyle ’18 The annual Dodge a Cop event, a dodgeball tournament for Staples students and Westport police officers, was held in the field house on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The event was organized by the Teen Awareness Group (TAG) and the Westport Youth Commision.

This is the first year that TAG has been officially asked to help with Dodge a Cop. The event is not only meant to create a healthy relationship between the police and teenagers, but also to raise money for a charity or foundation that changes from year to year.

This year, about $1300 have been raised, and the proceeds will be given to the Chris Lemone College Fund. In years past, it has been donated to charities such as Homes With Hope and Toys for Tots.

According to the president of the Westport Youth Commision, they are hosting the event in honor of Chris Lemone, who worked at Staples and passed away earlier this year.

“We chose the Chris Lemone College Fund because Chris Lemone has always been there for the Staples community,” Kyle Ratner ’16, president of the Westport Youth Commission, said. “We wanted to give back and show our appreciation.”

There were 28 teams competing, with five students on each team, bringing the total number of student participants to 140.

“Dodge a Cop is a great event because it brings together high schools students with police officers in a positive environment,” Reece Schachne ’16, a member of Westport Youth Commision, said.

“The kids walk away from this getting to humanize the police, and the police get to humanize the students,” Ned Batlin, Staples’ Dare Officer, said. “We really get to know each other. [...] It’s a great vehicle for getting everybody together.”

Police officers come without uniforms on, while students usually wear some sort of crazy outfit. There is a lively and competitive atmosphere as the games begin, with an emphasis on competitive – many students get extremely invested in the game. Strategies, coordinated outfits. One stand out coordinated outfit was a team dressed as bananas. Harrison Knapp said it was their senior year, and they said that they wanted to make a statement.

Ultimately, Team 16 won, made up of Grant Sirlin ’16, Sam Ahlgrim ’16, Joe Pravder ’16, Noah Staffa ’16 and Jason Nelson ’16, and, in the process the games created stronger bonds between students and police officers.

Photos by Caroline O’Kane ’16

FORMING BONDS (Above) Brynly Marsh ’16 and teammates celebrate a game won at the Westport Youth Commission and Teen Awareness Group sponsored event. (Left) While Drew O’Brien ’16 attempts to get an opponent out, the event was aimed at building a better relationship between teens and police.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

6

Advertisement | December 9, 2015

WishhlistJeansPageAdAug15_WishhlistJeansPageAdAug15 8/6/15 9:43 AM Page 1

YOUR FAVORITE JEANS & TEES FEA TURING

Follow us @shopwishlist

Like us shopwishlist

G

R

E

E

N

W

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

I

C

H

路

D

A

R

I

E

N

路

W

E

S

T

P

O

R

T

7

INKLINGS | December 9, 2015

opinions

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

Let’s consent to a conversation S

ex has always been a taboo subject.

Regardless of whether people are sexually active or not, in our culture, talking about sex is weird, awkward and uncomfortable all at the same time, for everyone involved.

So it comes as no surprise that the

Inklings

EDITORIAL quick-fix our culture has for awkward conversations about sex is simply not having conversations about it at all -- health class lessons and “The Talk” with a parent aside.

Inklings

But when it comes to sexual consent and sexual assault, which are already blurred by our culture in law and practice, and made even blurrier with the influence of drugs and alcohol, not talking about it only leads to a thicker layer of fog.

Communication is the clarity our sex culture needs.

We need to be taught to ask and answer questions about sex honestly and openly. We need to be taught to care if our partner is comfortable.

When it comes to consent, we need to be taught that unless you ask and your partner says “yes,” you don’t have consent. We need to be taught that “no” is not a negotiation–it is an answer.

But what we need most of Editors-in-Chief Adam Kaplan Jane Levy

Crown Finalist for Inklingsnews.com from Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2015

Managing Editors Claudia Chen Margaux MacColl

Silver Crown Award for Newspaper Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2014

Web Managing Editors Kaila Finn Talia Hendel

Pacemaker from National Scholastic Press Association 2013

Breaking News Managing Editors Quinn Hughes Jane Schutte

All the opinions, news and features in this paper are those of Staples High School students. Inklings, a curricular and extracurricular publication, has a circulation of 1,800 and is uncensored. All letters to the editor must be signed. The editorial board reserves the right not to publish letters and to edit all submissions as it sees fit. The editorial board determines all editorial opinions, which are authored faithfully by the Editors-in-Chief. Inklings reserves the right to not publish advertisements that promote products that could be harmful to student health.

The paper is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association and supports the Student Press Law Center.

Public Relations Directors Will Dumke Julia Greenspan Creative Directors Caroline O’Kane Channing Smith News Editors Max Bibicoff Claire Dinshaw Becky Hoving Fritz Schemel

all is to be taught these things before we’re in a situation where we need to know them and don’t.

Right now, asking for sexual consent is not common in our culture.

Television and movies rarely show people consenting and rarely show ways to talk about sex that aren’t awkward.

Rather, our entertainment preaches that persistence in relationships is romantic, that it ultimately pays off, that, with enough persistence, a “no” can become a “yes.”

There are also some people who believe that talking about sex makes it unsexy. But what’s more unsexy is assault, which is more likely to occur as a result of holding our tongues

Opinions Editors Kit Epstein Caroline Lane Lulu Stracher Jackie Sussman Features Editors Eliza Goldberg Emily Olrik Sarah Sommer Izzy Ullmann A&E Editors Abigail Lamb Margot Mather Frenchy Truitt Renee Weisz Sports Editors Max Appell Cooper Boardman Amelia Brown Julia Rosier Web News Editors Molly Liebergall Zach McCarthy Web Opinions Editors Rebecca Rawiszer Andrew Vester

and not talking about it. Some also believe that talking about sex takes away from the romance of the moment. But it’s actually very romantic when your partner tries to make you feel comfortable and cares about how you feel.

And that’s what matters. We need to teach people to become comfortable with themselves in their sexuality and people need to know that they cannot assume that silence means “yes.”

There are countless flaws with our culture surrounding sex that will take generations of change to rectify.

But conversations about sex, specifically about consent and assault, need to become the norm in order to start a sexual reform that is long overdue.

Web Features Editors Jen Gouchoe Blake Rubin Web A&E Editors Alice Hickson Ivy Prince Web Sports Editors Jesse Greenspun Brendan Massoud Web Creative Director Jimmy Ray Stagg Assistant Web Creative Director Anders Hovstadius Business Manager Kacey Hertan Assistant Business Managers Ben Foster Alix Sommers Alex Spadacenta Advisors Mary Elizabeth Fulco Rebecca Marsick Cody Thomas

70 North Ave. Westport, CT 06880 Phone: (203) 341–1994 Inklingsweb@gmail.com Decisions of Inklings and Westport Public Schools are made without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or any other discriminating basis prohibited by local, state or federal law.

I

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

8

Opinions | December 9, 2015

Syrian refugees wrongfully scapegoated for terrorism

F

Margot Mather ’17

ear is a normal and natural response to the Paris attacks, but denying sanctuary to people who are fleeing dangerous civil war isn’t a solution. The actions of a few do not define the values of an entire group of people, and we need to stop blaming the innocent many for the terrible actions committed by a few.

So, to the two dozen governors who declared they would ban Syrian refugees from entering their states, the joke’s on you. The fact is, the refugees are coming, since Section Eight of our Constitution entrusts all immigration matters to the federal government. You governors have no say over whether or not refugees can be admitted, so start making preparations for their arrival. To do anything other than welcome these scared, oppressed and suffering people would be an egregious crime against humanity. (As a side note, I just want to send a shout-out to Dannel Malloy, our very own Connecticut governor, for having the awareness of this law and the human decency to not join forces with these ill-informed statesmen.)

The truth is that many refugees are seeking asylum because they are desperate for a place where they no longer have the 24/7 fear of dying. According to the International Rescue Committee, Nada, one Syrian refugee they spoke with (who

Should Syrian refugees be let into the United States?

32% No 68% Yes

Out of 248 Staples students polled, 79 said, “No” and 169 said, “Yes.”

Graphic by Kit Epstein ’17 and Lulu Stracher ’17

is still awaiting acceptance into 11-years-old and younger, male the United States) said, “We and female, account for 38.5 perask for humanity — for people cent of all refugees. To put this to treat us like human beings.” in perspective, the InternationHowever, on the news we al Rescue Committee reported see and hear leading presidential “four out of five [Syrian refucandidates make false accusations gees] are women and children.”

Some of the protestors say against this suffering group of that accepting people. Take 10,000 refugees Ben Carson, The actions of a few do would make us vulfor example. not define the values of nerable to attack.

According However, there is to factcheck. an entire group of peono evidence to suporg, Ben Carple, and we need to stop port such a claim. son claims According to Secthe major- blaming the innocent retary of State John ity of Syrimany for the terrible Kerry, only two an refugees are “young actions committed by a out of the 750,000 refugees admitted males that few. since 2001 have may pose ever been arrested.

That fact dea threat.” However, United Naserves some emphasis and clartions’ figures combat this with ifi cation: in over 14 years, only simple statistics, showing women two refugees have been arrested, outnumber men, and children

and the charges had nothing to do with violent acts committed against the United States.

So, if we can admit 750,000 refugees without being attacked, isn’t that enough evidence to suggest that our vetting process — an extremely lengthy one — actually works? According to Jeh Johnson, the secretary of Homeland Security, this process consists of interviews with Homeland Security, a deep background check, bio documentation and a series of checks and cross checks across different law enforcement agencies.

Other protestors will fire back, citing that police found a Syrian passport at the scene of the Paris attacks, and use that as proof that terrorists are sneaking in with the refugees. But, once again, these statements are inaccurate.

The truth is that this passport was a fake and belonged to a man who

had died months before the attack.

Don’t believe me? You don’t have to take my word for it. Just go to The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, or any other credible news source with the search term “Syrian passport Paris attack,” and article after article will repeat the fact that it was, indeed, a fake. There is absolutely no valid data to suggest that the Syrian refugees are terrorists.

Modern America is a nation of immigrants, but history shows us that one generation will often try to pull up the ladder on the next. Early Protestant pilgrims marginalized later Catholic immigrants, and then each of them marginalized current immigrants coming from Mexico and other Latin American countries. This strategy of blind distrust has never benefited our country in the past, so let’s learn from history.

Graphic by Christina Dear ’17

Colette Lippman ’17

Photo dramatization by Caroline O’Kane ’16

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Author John Green’s popularity among teenage readers across the nation is no recent news. Green is often seen as a god by his fan base, with young people, mostly girls, worshipping his New York Times bestsellers, such as “Looking for Alaska,” “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Paper Towns.”

But, in my opinion, Green’s books are “meh.”

Not terrible. Just predictable.

There’s probably quite a few angry teenage girls reading this and thinking, “Oh my gosh, how can you not like John Green? I literally sobbed while reading ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’”

Let’s get this straight. I’m not trying to say that the subject matter itself is plain. In fact, I believe that “The Fault in Our Stars” is very moving in its description of two lonely teenagers with cancer who fall in love.

However, the fault in “The Fault in Our Stars” is how predictable the plot is. I guessed within

the first chapter that the male love interest, Augustus Waters, was bound to die in the end. And this goes for all of Green’s books.

Maybe it’s just because I’m used to how teenage-romance-fiction authors write their stories; a girl and a boy fall in love, a conflict arises and either the couple breaks up, one of them moves away or one of them dies.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that all aspects of the book are bad, but it was confusing for me to hear all of the hype surrounding Green, considering that all of his books follow this same pattern.

Green isn’t alone in this recycled plotline.

Authors like Rainbow Rowell, another New York Times bestseller and teen-romance writer, seem to have this same issue. Rowell’s book, “Eleanor and Park,” follows the story of two misunderstood teenagers who fall in love.

And guess what? Girl falls in love with boy, a relationship forms, boy moves away.

It’s frustrating and frankly boring to read a sentimental romance story with great details, then have it end the same exact way as every other one I’ve ever read.

“Looking for Alaska” is another best seller by John Green. Basically the same issue arises here; boy falls in love with girl, girl is hard to get, boy gets girl, girl dies.

Another issue I have is that this story is set up in two sections – “Before” and “After.” Right off the bat, the book hints at the ending, leaving no room for curiosity. It implies immediately that the “Before” leads up to a relationship. Then, the “After” implies a significant conflict, in this case being the death of the female love interest.

All in all, I don’t think all of the hype surrounding John Green is necessary. I swear that every romance novel I’ve read has the same ending. It’s illogical that Green is praised as above his peers for doing exactly the same thing they are.

Opinions | December 9, 2015

Why I still celebrate Christmas as an athiest

A

Casey Lu ’16

s a 4-year-old a nt icipat ing Christmas, I would visit neighbors’ displays, peruse themed catalogues and stock up on the influx of supermarket candy canes. I never believed in Santa, but I was happy to pretend. So, at preschool when Santa Claus visited, I would excitedly snatch at presents even though I knew they w e r e just the toys I

Guide to pretending you like a gift when you don’t Emma Greenberg ’18

One of the best parts about the holiday season is definitely receiving gifts. Everyone likes getting nice things, especially when it doesn’t come out of their own pocket.

Whichever holiday you celebrate, as the day approaches adults anxiously peak around the house, and children wait restlessly to see what gifts await under the tree. Imagine that after months of patiently waiting, you open up your gift, and you wince a little at the sight of it.

Whoever gave you that cringe-worthy gift must have good intentions. That applies to anyone who has gotten an itchy sweater from grandparents. I know that my grandma put a lot of work into the sweater, and I appreciate it, but that bright orange is not going to go well with anything from my wardrobe. Not to mention that it makes me itch to the extent that I can’t even wear it. Still, my sweet grandmother had nothing but love in her heart when choosing to give it to me.

So, in order to prevent hurting anyone’s feelings, the only thing to do when the situation arises is to pretend you like it. If you’re like me, pretending is not your strong suit.

Therefore, a great deal of effort must be put forth to carry out the facade.

The most important thing about pretending you like a gift is to limit your lies. I cannot stress that enough. There is a very fine line between pretend-

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

pointed out to my parents in stores and watched get wrapped in the paper of my choice. This was my commercial Christmas.

Now, as an 18-year-old atheist, I see the actual religious substance of the Christmas holiday, even when it is swathed under artificial red and green. And while I choose not to believe, I still appreciate the spirit, and I’m happy to pretend to believe for the season.

Since this year’s first holiday controversy has already surfaced in the form of enraged Christians and ombré Starbucks cups, people may question how I can celebrate the birthday of someone I don’t even believe existed.

I can because I don’t think religious worship and Christmas festivities go together.

Just as I did at 4, I still see consumerism as the driving force of Christmas. The National Retail Federation even determined in 2014 that Americans intended to spend $596.53 on average for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa gifts. I’m not surprised.

American consumerism is so ubiquitous that it mutes out any possible religious undertones in Christmas symbols, which might elsewise be deemed offensive by non-believers.

I can’t speak for religious minorities whose similarly timed celebrations may be drowned out by Christmas. However, as someone who possesses an absence of religious beliefs, I’m not going to be the politically-correct police when I can just sit back and relax with a Starbucks holiday flavor and my present haul.

9

ing and over-pretending. Overdoing it would be, “Oh my gosh, Grandma, this is the best sweater ever.” Say something like that, and people will see right through you.

This defeats the whole purpose of pretending in the first place.

One technique to pretend you like your gift is just to state what you got out loud.

Maybe add an exclamation point. For example, you could say, “A sweater, wow. A sweater, Grandma! Gee, thanks.” This tends to work best when you are put on the spot and cannot come up with anything else.

Another technique is to use the phrases, “I don’t have this” and “I have always wanted one.” Example A; “I don’t have a sweater like this, that’s for sure.”

Example B; “Wow. A sweater like this is something I’ve always wanted.” I find that these phrases work really well when people ask if you like the gift.

An alternate phrase that could be used is “I don’t deserve this.” For example, “What! An orange sweater. You really have outdone yourself, Grandma. I really don’t deserve this.” This technique works very well because it makes the gift giver feel high in spirits, and as a result you feel satisfied.

For this upcoming holiday season, I hope if you ever are faced with a sticky situation about an unwanted gift, you are able to spare the gift giver’s feelings. Have the ability to recognize that all gifts come with good intentions.

Photo by Caroline O’Kane ’16

Giving back doesn’t have to end when the holidays do Channing Smith ’17

‘Tis the season to pack up and donate all your old clothes in an attempt to make yourself feel less guilty about all the times you were greedy and ignorant throughout the year. Fa-lala-la-la-la-la-la-la.

Across the nation, food banks, soup kitchens and charity organizations prepare themselves for the tsunami of a phenomenon called “seasonal giving.” This December, thousands of Americans drunk on holiday cheer will stumble into charity organizations with boxes piled high with old, stained clothing and borderline-expired cans of vegetables.

America is the most charitable nation in the world, contributing an average of $300 billion per year, but we are horrible at it.

Fifty-and-one-half-per-

cent of charities surveyed in a 2012 GuideStar report said that the majority of their donations come in the months of October, November, and December.

However, hunger is not seasonal. That can of cranberry sauce you dropped off for Thanksgiving doesn’t last all year. And who even eats cranberry sauce?

So here are some suggestions that can be followed to ensure that an act of charity will really help serve those in need.

Ask your food bank

what they want. Chances are they have piles of mashed potatoes, Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas ham, so try to get something they may not have storage-warehouses full of. Think

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

of those vegetarians on Thanksgiving and drop off a Tofurkey.

Do not view this as a time to clear out some closet space.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but that broken toy,

those old ripped corduroys and that expired can of peas is just trash. Staff at the Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a charity organization catered towards teens, reported that many clothing donations go unworn because the kids are worried the fashions will get them picked on at school. Yes, beggars can’t be choosers, but even beggars wouldn’t choose to wear your old bell bottoms.

Spread the love. It is great that Americans are inclined to give to charity during the holiday season. It is great they are looking up from their phones and laptops to do anything at all. But it would be even greater to spread out donations and volunteer hours throughout the year. Afterall, when Jan. 1 comes around, hunger doesn’t wave its arms and yell, “Stop. It can wait until next November.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

10

Opinions | December 9, 2015

Change of plans

Kaila Finn ’16

W

hen NEASC officials investigated Staples this month, it made me wonder: why do teachers completely change their lessons and style when under the scrutiny of being observed, whether it be by a department head or a NEASC guest?

Think about the times your teachers have been observed.

Teachers who haven’t touched the Smart Board all year do technologically-reliant lessons. Other teachers who are often more laidback all of a sudden become strict. Teachers under observation also always seem to write the lesson objective on the board, whereas I can count on my fingers the number of times during the rest of the year my teachers have written out the objective.

In order to understand why this phenomenon is so widespread, we need to examine the process of teacher evaluation itself.

According to the 2015 Professional Development Evaluation (PDEP) document, annual teacher evaluations are composed as follows: 40 percent Teacher Performance and Practice, 10 percent Community Feedback, 45 percent Student Growth and Development and 5 percent Whole School Student Learning (often not included because a School Performance Index isn’t conducted every year).

After an interview with a teacher who requested to remain anonymous due to profession-

al concerns, I was finally able to visualize what the complicated PDEP plan actually meant.

The teacher revealed that a successful lesson, helps improve formative assessment grades, embodies a teacher’s professional development goal, contributes to a “Student Learning Goal” and augments a community goal.

Furthermore, the teacher described the pressure to infuse the lesson with various school initiatives, like the Westport 2025 vision, differentiation (making a lesson accessible to all types of learners), markers for cognitive engagement, clear expectations for success, use of technology and formative assessments.

In order to have all of these layers in a single lesson, the teacher spends hours researching education articles online, meets with other teachers, reviews past year’s evaluations and plans far in advance. “You need to prep three to four lessons to build the scaffold for the evaluation,” the teacher explained.

So, is this process confusing, burdensome and unrealistic? Yes. Effective? No. At the end of the day, there is too much to fit into one lesson organically, so even strong teachers alter their class to hit the

Graphic by Julia Schorr ’16

Administrator observations sparks change in teacher behavior

checklist of what PDEP considers an “exemplary teacher.” As the teacher said about her prep for evaluations, “I guess that’s what we should be doing for every lesson, but that’s just not realistic.”

The PDEP committee tries to create an authentic process, but from the perspective of a student sitting in class during an observation, it is not accurate.

The system should encourage authentic teacher reflection and student involvement.

For example, department heads could interview students from the class, do more surprise dropin evaluations and poll classes.

Also, teachers should be required to use student polls for their own reflections.

Although teachers meet with department heads before and after the observation, there could be meetings throughout the year to discuss new ideas and teaching risks that would improve classes.

The Westport 2025 Initiative calls for students to think “critically” and “creatively” and have excellent “communication” abilities. I think it is high time that we hold our classroom observation procedure to this standard and “critically” assess the process, “creatively” fix it and clearly “communicate” a new system.

At the end of the day, there is just too much to fit into one lesson organically, so even strong teachers alter their class.

Graphic by Christina Dear ’17

Holiday music isn’t so joyful Sophie Call ’16 Sitting in Starbucks after work in mid-November, I’m already treated to the endless jingling of jingling bells and the pop remixes of traditional carols.

By Dec 1, I’ve definitely heard every Christmas carol there is and at least every time I turn on the radio, that one song about the boy trying to buy his dying mother a pair of shoes for Christmas is playing.

It’s not that I hate Christmas, or even Christmas carols.

It’s just that when radio stations, stores and cafés start playing Christmas music starting the day after Thanksgiving and don’t quit until Christmas day, the Christmas “magic” of the songs wears off and they’re just annoying.

The lyrics are overused and the music isn’t much better –– simple enough that my third grade class could screech along on recorders without any trouble.

There’s only so many times you can hear the words “white Christmas” without screaming.

Not only this, but it seems that every year, new versions of the same Christmas songs are released and re-released.

This Oct 2, Sarah McLachlan released her album “The Classic Christmas Album,” which includes holiday standbys such as “What Child is This?” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” On Oct 6,

2006, Sarah McLachlan released her album “Wintersong,” which included holiday standbys such as “What Child is This?” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

Wait, what?

Most Christmas songs released each year are the same handful of traditional songs sung by a different pop singer, or even the same songs sung by the same singer, just re-released in time for the holidays.

Frank Sinatra, who has been dead for all 17 years of my life, is releasing a new Christmas album this year. Everyone’s heard every song on the album; they’re just being repackaged and renamed for this year’s holiday season.

If in every holiday album an artist wrote an original song to add to the mixture of traditional holiday music, or if artists took a really new and exciting approach to a song that could break the jingle bells monotony that turn the radio into an overplayed wasteland between Thanksgiving and Christmas day, then maybe the repetition of the holiday season wouldn’t become so old so fast.

But until such songs can exist, maybe a little variety is all that we need.

So Starbucks, tomorrow when I’m enjoying my daily postwork coffee, maybe mix it up a little. It wouldn’t be apocalyptic to play a non holiday-themed song after Black Friday.

Mensch on a bench Jewish saying goes mainstream in holiday toy

Drawing by Ellie Shapiro ’17

Tori Lubin ’18

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

“Can you shlep back to the car with me to get my sweatshirt? I just realized I have shmutz on my shirt.” These Yiddish phrases may not make any sense to the average person, but I use them all the time.

One of my favorite Yiddish words is “mensch”, which means a good, righteous person. I like to slip the word into my everyday talk, but then I am often reminded that it is not a word that is commonly known.

As a result, to my dismay, I often have to explain its meaning using conventional English.

However, “mensch” may

soon be a mainstream word. To my surprise, I recently discovered that there is a Chanukah toy called “Mensch on a Bench.”

I was pleasantly shocked when I discovered that this word that I have always used but have also had to explain to so many, is now the name of a common holiday toy. “Mensch on a Bench” is a stuffed toy which explains the story of a man named “Moshe” who does good deeds by watching the candles on a night we all now know as Chanukah.

Considering that thousands of these toys are being sold all over the country, Yiddish is finally being adopted and under-

stood by non-Jews everywhere.

Well, maybe not quite. Even I have to admit that this toy is likely only being purchased in the Jewish community. Nevertheless, it has gotten nationwide coverage by major news sources, including USA Today and The New York Times, meaning that people of all religions just might be exposed to this word.

Though I am not sure whether I would actually purchase one of these dolls myself, I hope Moshe and his good deeds help my favorite Yiddish phrases become a little more popular. I’d certainly “kvell” over such progress.

Graphic by Cooper Boardman ’17

11 features

INKLINGS | December 9, 2015

90.3 Wrecker Radio

WWPT broadcasts creativity and skill Maialie Fitzpatrick ’16

T

he walls of the Staples media lab are covered by various posters of influential artists like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

Tucked away in the back, behind the decorated walls and through the heavy door, is a quaint radio production room. This is the home of Staples’ nationally acclaimed radio station, WWPT. During and after school, you’ll find students disk jockeying their own radio shows, operating the radio board and controlling the music on air.

Staples seniors Alex Uman ’16 and Trevor Rivkin ’16 settle into the radio production room every Tuesday from 4:305:30 p.m. to begin their weekly broadcast of the TrUman Show.

They’ve been broadcasting the show since sophomore year and play music ranging from Mac

Demarco to Jimi Hendrix. Once, a man even called to tell them he had “vivid images of Woodstock” while listening to their show.

“I’ve always loved WWPT as a medium to enjoy an hour just talking and playing music for people to hear,” Uman said.

“It’s nice to know there are listeners out there who like what we play and that what we are saying on air is really being heard.”

WWPT is both an after school club and a class offered at Staples. It began in the 1970’s, when it was played in the school’s cafeteria. Now the station broadcasts to most of Fairfield County on 90.3 FM. Mike Zito and Jim Honeycutt are the advisors of Wrecker Radio and are assisted by Program Director Jacob Plotkin ’16.

“I couldn’t do it without the rest of the executive board,” Plot-

kin said. “We meet every Monday to discuss the direction the station is going in and to decide what we should do next. It’s very democratic. Everyone has a say and the varying opinions help to make the station even better.”

WWPT covers everything from the latest Wrecker football game to songs by local artists, and is completely student run and produced.

WWPT recently won second best high school radio station in the country, and the teachers, Mike Zito and Jim Honeycutt, were named most outstanding station advisors by the John Drury awards.

“It’s been a privilege and honor to know [Honeycutt] and build this program together at Staples,” Zito said proudly. “Being honored with this award in our final year at Staples is really storybook.”

Humane Society provides care to animals in need Olivia Foster ’18

ion animal welfare, enriching the lives of families and communities through adoption services, medical care, education and prevention of cruelty.” To carry out this mission, the shelter contains many rooms for specialized purposes: behavior training, quarantining new arrivals and performing small surgeries. This also ensures its staff is well trained to care for the animals’ needs.

According to staff member Bliss Kern, the shelter chooses not to fill to capacity in an effort to take attentive care of each animal. “It’s really important to us to provide quality care to each of the animals in our care – to provide them daily exercise, affection, socialization with other pets and people and environmental enrichment. For that reason we limit the number of pets we take in.”

The Humane Society requires its volunteers to be age 18 and over to work directly with animals.

However, anyone can help by organizing drives to collect necessary items for the animals or organizing a fundraiser, like a bake sale to raise money for the shelter.

Overall, the shelter currently has about 70 volunteers, though Kern said that the Humane Society is always looking for more people to lend a hand.

PAWS UP FOR HUMANE SOCIETY With locations in Westport, Newington and Waterford, the Connecticut Humane Society is dedicated to matching animals with families. They also offer dog-training, behavior consultation and animal-care tips for pet owners.

Photo by Caroline O’Kane ’16

Many prospective pet owners forget that there are other ways to take home a puppy than just going to a pet store or calling a breeder. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year [...and] approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year.”

Westport is fortunate that Connecticut has three humane societies, including one right in town. The Westport shelter is organized by separate sections for dogs, cats and small animals, like rabbits and ferrets. Information on each animal is posted outside their cages, and anyone is able to visit the adoptable dogs after they have signed in.

Jordan Cutler ’18 adopted a black and gray tabby cat named Mimi from the shelter. “[The process of adopting] was fairly easy,” Cutler said. “We just had to fill out some paperwork.”

Cutler added that her family “decided to adopt a pet from the Humane Society because it’s right in Westport, and we had seen the cats on the website. It took around two days for her to become totally comfortable but I would say she adapted pretty quickly.”

According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, “Every year in the U.S., more than 6 million lost, abandoned or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters.”

According to the Humane Society, dogs tend to end up there in three ways: either animal control finds them, they come up from North Carolina or their owners are unable to take care of them due to financial or medical issues. Approximately 40 dogs are driven up from North Carolina every week because people there tend not to neuter or spay their dogs, which leads to overpopulation. Most dogs at the Humane Society are adopted within 10 days.

Currently, dogs at the shelter include Frenchie, a small, cream-colored cocker spaniel who unfortunately lost her eyesight but maintains her peaceful personality. The Humane Society’s website characterizes her as a relaxed dog who likes to sleep and lay around. Casper is a poodle miniature mix of five years who is calm but spirited. Lastly, Moopy is a puggle, a cross of a pug and a beagle, with an energetic and bubbly personality.

According to its mission statement, “The Connecticut Humane Society is the leading resource in the state for compan-

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

12

Features | December 9, 2015

Photos by Channing Smith ’17

“The Gillespie Center means a lot to me. You know, it’s been here for a transition I’ve been going through, and it’s given me support in all different ways. I’m very grateful.”

- Seamus Desmond, current Gillespie resident

Graphic by Julia Schorr ’16

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

13 “There was a point in time when my mother and myself donated food to the shelter in Stamford.

Little did I know, years later, I would be on the other side. You see, you never know what life plans for you. It could happen at the snap of your fingers: you’re homeless.”

- Lindsay*, former Gillespie resident

* Names have been changed

“I would like to go as far as God and life allows me to go. It’s not about a big house and fancy cars.

I just would like to be able to do my deeds as a man. And for myself, I want the best out of life, and you gotta start somewhere. I’m a big dreamer who realizes that my dreams can become reality. I just gotta start somewhere.”

- George*, current Gillespie resident

Gillespie Center welcomes Westport’s homeless

I

Alice Hickson ’17 & Renee Weisz ’17

n the heart of downtown Westport, just a two-minute walk from Tiffany’s, Seamus Desmond grinned a crooked smile between sips of hot coffee and friendly chatter with a fellow resident of the Gillespie Center, one of Westport’s homeless shelters and food pantries.

For the past two-and-a-half months, Desmond has woken up at 6 a.m. to sweep, mop and perform other daily chores before working with a case manager to find long-term housing and a stable job.

Desmond’s routine is typical of the other 26 members at the shelter. The shelter’s occupants are comprised of former Fairfield County residents, recent high school graduates or recovering victims of substance abuse seeking support to get back on their feet.

“There are a lot of people who are very damaged, ya know?

Very unfortunate,” Desmond said.

“Then there are those who just, ya know, things went south for them.

So they ended up here, and they’re

trying to move on.”

Formed in January of 1989 by the local grassroots organization Homes with Hope, the Gillespie Center aims to help residents gain and remain in permanent housing and refer them for the appropriate treatment to respond to the cause of their homelessness.

Homes with Hope is unique in that it is one of four organizations in America that responds to homelessness in affluent, suburban communities.

“If you’re homeless, chances are you’re gonna end up in a big city because every other suburban community is going to shoo you away,” Wieser said. “But the fact is that even homeless people don’t like to leave home.”

Because of its location, the center is a feasible location for many Staples students to volunteer. Through volunteering, Anay Simunovic ’18, a member of NCL, has been “enlightened on what it truly means to be a human.”

“Working at the Gillespie Center helped me realize that homelessness is something that can happen to good, upstanding

people,” Jack Foley ’16 echoed. working at the shelter, they’ve Foley has been volunteer- both encountered many inspiring ing at the center since elementary stories of recovery. school and even performed his A moving story that comes culminating Eagle Scout project to Wieser’s mind involved a young there. man from Weston. The Gillespie Aside from volunteers, the Center secured him a furnished center employs professional case- apartment in Hale’s Court, a Westworkers, like Caroline Tanski. port affordable housing complex.

Tanski begins the reconstruction When Wieser first presentprocess by identifying the roots ed him with the apartment, the of the young “...There are those who just, ya know, man was residents’ things went south for them. So they homelessdejected, ended up here, and they’re trying to ness and knowmove on.” setting ining he d iv i du a l couldn’t - Seamus Desmond ized goals afford for their future housing, employ- furniture. After Wieser explained ment and health. that the Gillespie Center had “The center goes beyond just already covered the costs by seproviding shelter, food and cloth- curing a housing voucher, “he ing but also focuses on getting the just started crying,” Wieser said. patrons back to independence,” “There are just some people who Foley said. “[It] is one of the few totally turn their lives around places in our area that offers that with a little bit of help.” kind of help.”

What amazes Raymond KaWeiser defines “help” as linowski, second chief supervisor getting the residents into some of the center, more than residents’ type of more permanent housing improvement is the generosity of situation. the Westport volunteers who conIn Wieser’s six years as pres- sistantly frequent the center. ident and in Tanski’s five months “People with money don’t

wanna be bothered, but since I came to work here, you’d be surprised,” Kalinowski said. “Kids can see what it’s like to be on the other side of the spectrum, not having anything.”

For the students who dedicate their Friday nights to serving hot food at the center, meeting and helping the residents is a reward in itself.

NCL member Casey Rubin ’19 describes the valuable lessons she’s learned through residents’ stories and experiences as “unexplainable.”

Across the board, the notable success, the residents’ chorus of “thank yous” as the servers leave and the overall appreciation motivates workers and volunteers to continue their efforts and keep coming back.

“I’ve seen a lot of people come here with nothing and leave out of here with a place of their own,” Kalinowski said with a warm smile.

“We don’t want anybody out there freezing to death or whatever, but ya know we do our little bit where we can. It helps a lot of people from what I can see.”

14

Features | December 9, 2015

Growing Tattoo controversy up changes leaves permanent mark holiday Though most Staples students are tradition ink-free, thoughts of tattoo culture remain etched in their minds Izzy Ullmann ’17

*names have been changed

Graphic representation by Caroline O’Kane ’16 and Alex Spadacenta ’17

H

TATTED UP Paul Tricarico’s tattoo, which he got last month at Inkside Out in Norwalk, Connecticut, portrays two feathers. He got it in honor of his great-uncle, who was a duck hunter.

annah*, a Staples student, shakily walked into a New York City tattoo parlor, feeling regret and confusion as to why she made the appointment in the first place. Her long-time boyfriend stood by her side, comforting her by telling her she would be happy with it once it was over.

“I had thought about getting it for a while,” Hannah said. She had been drawing the quote she wanted on her ribs with marker leading up to the appointment.

Everything about the parlor seemed clean and professional to Hannah. It was a well known studio in New York City which required appointments and qualified artists.

“Something just hit me as I sat down,” Hannah said. “The needle tapped my skin, and I realized that I didn’t want it and I needed to think about it more.”

Hannah, a student at Staples, like many other students in Fairfield County, is afraid of the permanency of tattoos. What is a thriving tattoo culture for teenage expression in places such as Europe, is, in Fairfield County, considered socially taboo for most, according to Staples students.

“When I was abroad in Florence, Italy, this summer, I passed a tattoo parlor every day,” Colby Seigle ’16 said. “I got a small Orlanthi rune on my wrist which symbolizes a type of God, mine being the God of Change.”

Seigle remembers the tattoo artist sketching out the symbol on her wrist, as all of the enthusiastic employees seemed skilled in design. “The tattoo parlor was actually fun to be in,” Seigle said. “My parents still don’t know about mine or my brother’s.”

It wasn’t until Seigle got her tattoo in Italy that she realized, “there are no rules in Italy,” and that she wouldn’t have gotten it at the same age in Westport.

Jimmy Abbruzzetti ’17 of New Canaan High School can vouch for the more relaxed culture of tattoos in his hometown, the city of Rome. “Body ink is part of tradition in Italy,” Abbruz-

zetti explained. “It doesn’t matter if you are the poorest person or the wealthiest person— most people have tattoos.”

“I probably wouldn’t even have a tattoo if I grew up in New Canaan,” Abbruzzetti said. “It’s all about tradition, and it just isn’t part of our culture here.”

Makayla Jones ’17 of Weston High School described the tattoo culture as being almost “nonexistent,” as most kids are averse to the permanency of tattoos.

“I made sure the tattoo that I wanted [a semicolon over her wrist] was one that I wanted for the rest of my life, but a lot of students aren’t willing to do the same.”

Social studies teacher, Sarah Pinchback, has multiple tattoos, and believes that the lack of tattoos at Staples has to do with the high achieving economic status of Fairfield County compared to other places.

“There’s an unprofessional connotation with having a tattoo, and it’s a professional community here,” Pinchback said. “I’ve never had issues as a teacher with having tattoos, but I can see it being an issue in other workplaces.”

When a group of sophomore girls were asked their perspectives on tattoos in Fairfield county. “I feel like they would just give me anxiety,” Lucy Mather ’18 cringed. “It’s, like, your body you are putting ink on. Why would you engrain something forever?”

However, Paul Tricarico ’16, who recently got a tattoo, holds opposing views.

“What can I say?” Paul said, while revealing the ink on his arm. “The people love it.”

Tricarico admitted that he has a personal connection with his tattoo since the two inked feathers commemorate his uncle. “The whole reason I got the tattoo is because they last forever,” Tricarico said.

In terms of tattoo culture at Staples, Harry Epstein ’15, who has three tattoos, predicts the culture might start to grow.

“My grade in particular was more tattooed than others, as far as I know,” he said. “While I still feel as if there is a negative stigma associated with getting tattoos, this is continuing to change.”

Katelyn DeAgro ’17

There are few things more symbolic of the holidays than the endless wish-lists written up by little ones wearing patterned footy pajamas and sporting mustaches made of chocolate milk.

However, many students have abandoned the tradition of writing wish-lists to Santa.

“I’m Jewish, but my mom used to still give me gifts that were from ‘Santa,’” Josh Willis ’16 said. “But yes, I miss those days [before] it changed from Nerf guns to money and electronics.”

Some students, such as Isabelle Yukie ’17, still follow traditions. As the oldest of four, she still celebrates just as she always did when she was little.

“My family hasn’t grown out of it, yet,” Yukie said with a smile. “We still do Christmas morning the same way that we did when I was a little kid.

I n the Yukie household, all the kids wake up early and congregate in one of the youngest’s bedrooms w h e r e they wait for their parents.

“We always walk downstairs in age order and open presents in our pajamas,” Yukie said.

Nicole Comerford, health and physical education teacher, recently started a family of her own and is excited to make both memories and traditions with her new daughter.

“I am definitely getting excited about it now that I have a child,” Comerford said. “It kind of brings you back to those roots of it being fun and exciting.”

A shift in perspective and values isn’t exclusive to adults.

“I think once you reach a certain age,” Julia Beck ’17 said, “you start to realize that Christmas isn’t all about presents.”

“I miss those days [before] it changed from Nerf guns to money and electronics.”

- Josh Willis ’16

Brick Oven Pizzeria

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Features | December 9, 2015

15

Densby makes a splash at Staples and around the world

S

Quinn Hughes ’16

Photos by Caroline O’Kane ’16

he’s lived in Denmark, Singapore, Dubai and America. Someone this well-traveled should be a veteran with decades of traveling experience, but in fact she’s just a sophomore at Staples. Mathilde Densby ’18 had never stayed in one place too long until she moved to Westport when she was 9.

Her family’s origins are from Denmark, and Densby is a Danish citizen. The majority of her family still resides there.

In fact, her immediate family are the only ones who live in America.

Amidst Densby’s ever changing world, one aspect that has remained constant for many years is swimming. When she was 7, Densby was inspired to start swimming when her older brother and Staples alumn August Densby ’15 began swimming for the Westport YMCA Water Rats team.

When he quit, she “thought it was a good way to get a leg up on [her] brother,” Densby said. She swam recreationally in Fairfield and Westport and then joined Sta-

ples High School’s swim team.

“I started swimming as a freshman because I already had friends on the team, and I’ve made so many new ones as I continued,” she said.

Densby swam on the junior varsity team her freshman year and was a backup for varsity. This year, she made varsity and prefers to swim the 50-meter freestyle, as that is where she excels. Aside from the pure competitive nature of the sport, she’s motivated by her teammates. “I swim because there isn’t a single mean person on the team,” she said. “The coach is amazing.

The community is great.”

Teammate Mira Patel ’16 agrees that Densby’s positive attitude toward the team is infectious. “She’s very cheerful and loves to support the team,” Patel said.

After high school, Densby is unsure of what she wants to do. She does not plan to swim competitively at the collegiate level but does plan to go to university in Denmark. Although America only seems to be a temporary residence for her, Densby has found a home in the swim team.

From dumbells to diapers Shamas family welcomes a new arrival Jimmy Ray Stagg ’16 A teacher’s day often starts early in the morning. A new parent’s day often starts even earlier. For two of Staples’ beloved physical education teachers, a new addition to their family has them setting their alarm clocks for 4:45 a.m.

“Our day starts much earlier now that we have to get our baby girl ready,” gym teacher CJ Shamas said about his mornings with his wife and colleague, Kelly Shamas, and their daughter Beau.

Mr. Shamas has been a staple in the physical education department since 2001.

Mrs. Shamas joined in 2009 as Ms. Garrity.

Mr. Shamas was on the hiring committee to fill the position and thought her interview was outstanding. The two then shared an office area, so a natural friendship formed.

“In the beginning, it seemed like I was helping her through the waters of being a first year teacher,” Mr. Shamas said.

“Then, over the year, it turned from me helping her into her helping me and then us helping each other with the job of a teacher.”

They then began “hanging out on a their baby girl Beau Garrity Shamas. social level,” Mr. Shamas said.

Madison Malin ’17 had a firsthand When they started dating exclusively, look at Mr. Shamas’ reaction to the birth of the two decided to keep their personal re- his daughter. “I was in summer gym when lationship separate from their professional they had the baby, and [Mr. Shamas] was relationship. absolutely ecstatic,” Malin said “ We “ There Graphic by Eliza Goldberg ’17 felt like Photo by Sarah Sommer ’16 are certain when we things in come to life that no work, no matter how matter much others what is try to degoing on scribe how with home great it is, life, we words can’t [should] describe it,” appro a ch Mr. Shamas the day as said. “People teachers told me it with very BABY BOOM The Shamases were married in July, 2013. While was going to serious jobs the Shamases are at work, their baby, Beau, and her newborn be unbelievto do, and cousin stay with a nanny. able, but no so our conmatter what versations during the day are 99 percent anyone said, it was 10-times better.” about being a teacher,” Mr. Shamas said.

“It’s the best thing that’s ever hapNow, just a few years later, the Shamas’ pened to us,” Mrs. Shamas said. welcomed a new member to the family Because both parents are teachers, the

naming process was hard. Certain names reminded them of certain students, something Mr. Shamas said could be a great thing or “a terrible, terrible thing.”

While watching a documentary about Bo Jackson, Mr. Shamas jokingly proposed Bo as a possible name. However, they eventually agreed on the name, altering the spelling to Beau.“It’s short for beautiful,” said Mr. Shamas.

The few short months since the birth have been spent entertaining the baby.

“Just figuring out what is going to make her laugh is so much fun, so as a grown man, I’m talking baby talk,” Mr. Shamas said.

“I’m singing songs. I’m even making up songs because I don’t know enough.”

Since returning to work, it’s been hard to be away from Beau. But Mrs. Shamas confessed, “It’s good to come back and actually brush my hair and get dressed and talk with adults.”

Mr. Shamas realizes that his life was changed by his job, and he’s incredibly thankful. “It started at Staples,” he said.

“We’re both still teaching at Staples, and now we have a baby girl who, maybe, will someday go to Staples.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

16

Features | December 9, 2015

Jewelry Making class strings together imagination and freedom Emma Lederer ’16

W

Graphic by Julia Schorr ’16

hen Vanessa Eng ’18 moved to Westport her freshman year, she knew immediately that she wanted to enroll in Staples’ Jewelry Making course.

“I thought it was so cool that Staples offers a jewelry making class,” she said. “I really liked all the freedom we had to make our own things and design what we wanted to.”

Eng recalled one project that allowed students to design their own rings. “Everyone still wears their rings,” she said fondly.

Other students, such as Elizabeth Mitas ’16, also chose to enroll in Jewelry because of the freedom it offers.

She enjoyed being given creative license in regards to William Dumke ’16 the execution of her projects, and she liked how the class was With winter right around different than “the normal art the corner, students are beginclass.” She liked how the class ning to scour new places for strayed from the usual pen and one of everyone’s favorite snowy paper and let her work more pastimes. Westport’s hills are with her hands and new tools. renowned for their ideal sledMitas also noticed another ding conditions, but which aspect that made it different than ones stand out from the others? traditional art courses. “There Loeffler Field were only girls in my class,” she Surprisingly enough, on said. “No guys at all.” Jewelry snow days or blizzard-filled Making is one of the classes at weekends, students may actualStaples that tends to get associly find themselves traveling back ated with a gender. The heavito school, not for their forgotten ly-disputed Lifetime and Team homework but for one of Westgym classes offered to juniors port’s finest hills. The Loeffler are also prime examples of this. hill, located above the Staples Eng also noticed the soccer field, is one of the steeplack of male students, even est, fastest and biggest hills in though there was one boy in Westport. Students have been her class. She said she wasn’t known to bring not only their too surprised by this, though. sleds but also their skis and “I think that so few guys climbing equipment to help them take it because Jewelry Making scale the treacherous mound. doesn’t have the connotation Daniel Brill ’16 is one of of being masculine,” Eng said. the well known mountaineers “I guess guys would rather take commonly spotted on the Loefclasses that don’t seem ‘girly.’”

Eng noticed the irony in this, though, saying that the class actually requires students to work with their hands a lot and use tools, which are activities traditionally associated with masculinity.

Cayne Mandell ’17 was the only male student in his class. This Alex Spadacenta ’17 didn’t seem to bother him, though.

On a crisp fall afternoon, a “I had a lot of friends that 3-year-old boy in the corner of were girls in the class, so it was the playground entertains himcompletely fine,” Mandell said. self by playing with a bike that He did find the course to is flipped over on its handlebe difficult, though. “I have no bars. Instead of using the pedartistic talent,” he admitted. “But als with his feet, he is using his the teacher graded me on parhands to move them, figuring ticipation, which was helpful.” out how the wheels of the bike Overall, Mandell said work. Welcome to Pumpkin Prethat he enjoyed the class in the school of Westport. To outsiders, end and didn’t really seem to this is just another building on mind the lack of male company.

Burr Road, but to the children, Eng expressed her confuthis is a second home. Pumpsion in regards to such a stark kin Preschool has been serving gender divide in certain classes. over 200 families in Westport “I think people should just sign and Fairfield since opening in up for what they’re interested in,” 1997. Their goal is to help chilEng said. “Whether or not a class dren learn and grow and beis thought of as traditionally femcome confident and creative. The inine or masculine shouldn’t be school serves any kids ranging a deciding factor because [Jewelry Making is] a great class.” inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Sledders seek out superior slopes fler hill. Equipped with goggles, mask and snowboard, Brill stands out from the everyday sledder.

“Even when school is closed, I still make it out to have a great time sledding on the Loeffler hill,” Brill said. “The steepness and extremity make it challenging and enjoyable. It is also nice to get a break from school to enjoy the outdoors with my friends.”

Greens Farms Similar to the Loeffler hill is the Greens Farms Elementary hill, located above its baseball fields. The large expanse of the hill makes it the perfect place for many different kinds of sledders.

Sledding with a crowd does have its low points, but the Greens Farms hill is large and expansive, so space is never a problem. With a variety in steepness and size, the Greens Farms hill welcomes a multitude of sledders with varying skill levels. A sledder can start off slow with the easy-inclined left side and move

up to the steeper right side. It is an easy meeting place with a big slope, making it the perfect sledding spot for any Westporter.

“My favorite place to go sledding is the Greens Farms hill because of the space,” Billy Hutchison ’17 said. “With so much area, there is plenty of room to make jumps and get a perfect line for sledding.”

The Greens Farms hill serves the entirety of the Westport community. Located close to the Post Road, it is easy to find, as well.

Winslow Dog Park Situated deep in the forest of Westport’s beloved dog park is one of Westport’s most classic sledding spots, the Winslow Park hill. After a long trek through the flat lands of the park, students arrive at the foot of a massive, mountainous hill that stands above them. With their sleds in hand, they hike up the wellworn path and emerge on top of the vast hillside below them. The

quiet and tranquil location of the park makes it the perfect place for a snowy day away with friends or siblings. With so much area to explore, there is no shortage of fun to be had within the park.

Noah Yokoi ’16 is one of Winslow’s most avid sledders. Commonly seen wearing colorful beanies and jackets, Yokoi is always spotted at the dog park on snow days.

“Winslow Park is, in my opinion, the absolute nicest sledding hill in Westport because of its steepness and vastness,” Yokoi said. “I’ve never seen a hill that steep. Add snow, a sled and a good friend, and you’re set for a great day of sledding.”

As the winter season gets closer and closer, the avid sledders of Westport will be seeking out new places to spend their snow days. Whether it is traveling to the dog park or ironically going back to school, there are many perfect hills located close to home.

Graphic by Alexandra Spadacenta ’17

Pumpkin Preschool brings comfort to kids and caretakers from 6-weeks old to 8-years old.

In total there are about 35 staff members, including Staples high schoolers Jordan Ragland ’16, Taylor Burg ’16 and Sonia Klein ’16, who work as assistant teachers. After finishing their own day at school, the girls relieve the teachers. They’re also expected to close up at 6 p.m.

“My favorite part about working at the preschool is walking in and having all the kids run up and hug me even though they aren’t supposed to,” Ragland said. “It makes me feel wanted, and that’s the reason I come to work everyday.”

The students are learning from each other on a day-today basis— from doing arts and crafts to using building blocks—

but they are not the only ones learning from these experiences.

“The best lesson I have learned is how easy it is to have fun,” Klein said. “These children don’t have any stresses or worries, and their carefree attitudes rub off on me.” The class of 3-year olds she taught over the summer is now moving up to the 4s, and she is traveling with them.

At Pumpkin Preschool, the kids are not only socializing, but they are creating relationships with people, especially the staff. “I know every child that comes,” Tina Waehler, director of the preschool, said. “I feel like the teachers just initially make a bond with the children.”

Klein worked at the preschool over the summer, and in-

stead of just going outside and playing games with the kids, she actually got to do some lesson plans where she was more involved with the children’s literary and fine motor development.

Klein finds hope and joy in watching these kids mature.

One boy did not know what color was, and Klein taught him that the sky was blue and the grass was green.

“Watching him begin to understand and grasp color recognition was one of the most moving teaching experiences I have ever had,” Klein said.

“I feel like this is the only job where you are going to get hugged, kissed and played with,” Waehler said. “I feel like that’s what it’s all about.”

17

INKLINGS | December 9, 2015

arts CANDLELIGHT THROUGH THE YEARS The chorus performs in the 1978 Candlelight Concert. This year’s 75th annual Candlelight Concert features orchestral songs such as “Coppelia” and “Libertango” and continues long-lasting traditions, including “Sing We Noel” and “Hallelujah Chorus,” which were also performed in 1978. This year’s Candlelight will be on Dec. 18, 19 and 20.

Musicians prepare for 75th annual Candlelight Concert Jane Schutte ’16

W

hen the concertmaster strikes his bow against the violin strings, and there is the soft echo of the note from the choir, the audience knows the annual holiday festivities are about to start. It is Candlelight, and this year is the 75th annual concert. For the past 75 years, the orchestra, band and choral groups at Staples have performed a series of songs and performances, which has become a holiday tradition for many Westport families, students, teachers and parents alike.

The groups will still perform ritual ceremonies like “The Welcome Yule” into “Sing We Noel” and the classic ending of “Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.” But because of the anniver-

sary, there will be many special occurrences unique to this year’s show.

Cameron Baumann ’16, a violinist, said one new thing this year will be a video presentation at the beginning of the concert, replacing the orchestra’s first piece, which will explain the history and tradition of Candlelight.

What people seem to be most excited for, though, are the alumni who will return for the concert.

There will be a reception for them before the concert at the Westport Inn, Anina Hoffman ’17 said.

After the reception, they will all return to the Staples auditorium and, according to Christoph Russi ’17, the alumni will not be sitting in the audience but sitting in the pit

and standing in the chorus stands.

All of the current student performers are overjoyed to share the experience with old alum. “It’s a special opportunity to perform some great music and a great privilege to play alongside alums from previous graduating classes,” Russi said.

“I am most excited for the interaction between students and alumni and for them to see how the department has evolved over the years,” Sebastian Ortega ’16, this year’s concertmaster, said. “We even have a person from California who booked her tickets around four-to-five months ago just to attend the concert.”

Some other highlights of the concert will be guest conductor David Ohanian. He is also a Staples alumnus,

an avid French horn player and founding member of the Canadian Brass.

Baumann explained that his father, John Ohanian, was a music teacher and music supervisor here from 19411974. “His work and dedication to the school is one of the reasons we have such an amazing music department and the Candlelight Concert,” he said.

Between the alumni, the special guests, the traditions, the montage and the new songs, there is a lot to be excited for this Candlelight.

“We are all excited for the concert and delighted that the tradition has made it this far,” Hoffman said. “There’s an overall positive, excited vibe for it, which I think will translate into the concert.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

18

Arts | December 9, 2015

“

” Graphic by Alex Spadacenta ’17

Julia Greenspan ’16

A

dele’s career is hallmarked by her initial stardom at age 19 and her incomparable sound. In just eight years, she has topped the charts, undergone throat surgery, started a family and come out with another hit record.

“25” is an artfully-crafted testament to her journey and is nothing short of perfection.

Adele announced her surprise comeback with the song “Hello,” which aired during X-Factor in October. Since then, this single has taken over the radio waves and has brought listen-

ers, including me, to tears.

“Remedy” and “When We Were Young” are similar to past Adele ballads like “Hometown Glory” or “Someone Like You.” However, on “25,” Adele’s vocal range reaches new, overpowering heights above the gospel hints and leading piano.

She also poetically alludes to her recent emotional struggles through lyrics such as “every Story has its scars” on “Remedy.”

Other songs, however, encompass new aspects of Adele’s sound. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is among the few upbeat pop songs in which she

attests to a past relationship by repeating, “We both know we ain’t kids no more.” Although it is a new Adele style, it quickly becomes a notable earworm.

“Sweetest Devotion” also ventures into the new sounds for Adele with the combination of county-like strings, gospel vocals and heavy beats. It opens and closes with a child’s

voice, which is her real son’s voice, and beautifully captures a mother’s devotion to her child.

Some other tracks also stand out. “A Million Years Ago” displays Adele’s soft voice riding on an acoustic sound, and “River Lea” is an ode to her childhood in which she says, “I can’t go back to

the river/ But it’s in my roots, in my veins.”

Overall, “25” is a string of personal stories woven into rising piano chords, artful lyrics and Adele’s iconic voice. Her tracks do not all follow the traditional Adele sob-song, and shows the growth and versatility of one of the most iconic artists in today’s music industry.

Border Grill serves colorful Mexican cuisine Chris Andrews ’16

Photo by Caroline O’Kane ’16

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

I’ve always wondered what is in that small cottage in the Athletic Shoe Factory parking lot. It turns out it’s a hidden gem: the Border Grill restaurant. It is a must try for those who like Mexican food.

The food is made quickly and is inexpensive, but the quality of the restaurant is better than fast food chains. The restaurant is small with only three tables for seating, but don’t let the simple decor fool you. Though the menu is limited to about 20 items, the food is delicious. In fact, there are quite a few meals you will not want to pass up.

For starters, the Mexican Pizza is a splendid appetizer. It has simple ingredients —cheese, olives, jalapenos and salsa on a tortilla— but it is absolutely delicious. Their salsa is very fresh and flavorful and is the ingredient that really makes this dish stand out. And for $3.75, it is a great value.

Customers also can’t go wrong with fresh guacamole made with ripe avocados. The chips were a little too salty for my taste, but the guacamole was great, with just the right amount of cilantro mashed to a very smooth consistency. It definitely left me wanting more.

The Border Burrito is their most popular dish, and I agree it is the best. It has a nice combination of grilled chicken, black beans, rice, salsa and guacamole. The portion size is large and is full of spices and

ingredients that made my taste buds perk up. This is definitely my favorite entree on the menu. It is a perfect meal for people like me who love a nice chicken burrito with the works.

The Aztec Chicken Salad is another must try dish on the menu. It is one of the more expensive items, but it is worth every peso. It is a mixed greens salad topped with grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, roasted corn and balsamic vinaigrette. The dressing is light and unique and the addition of roasted corn adds a nice crunch. The blend of savory and sweet in contrast with the bitterness of the vinaigrette makes this dish stand out.

When you need to turn up the heat, the buffalo chicken wrap is the one to choose. As one of my favorite dishes, I have tried these sandwiches at many restaurants, but the Border Grill’s version is one of the best. It is packed with flavor and lots of spice. The breaded chicken is juicy with a crispy coating and the buffalo sauce really makes this a fiery dish. If you haven’t built up a tolerance for spicy, I recommend having a cold glass of milk handy.

For dessert don’t miss the churro. It is perfectly crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and topped off with sprinkled cinnamon and sugar. I have eaten a lot of churros in my day, but this was one of the best I’ve ever had.

If you haven’t been to Border Grill, you should check it out. The churros alone are worth the trip.

Arts | December 9, 2015

Jen Gouchoe ’16

W

S TA P L E S H A L F PA G E A D

/

Photo by Channing Smith ’17

ith his brown hair gelled to perfection and a laid-back smile, it’s hard to imagine Drew Cohen ’16 playing any other instrument but the saxophone. However, Cohen started his journey with the classical violin, a seemingly unfitting instrument for his jazzy, improvisational style.

“The basis of classical was good, but I just didn’t like the instrument because it sounded like a suicidal bumblebee,” Cohen said with a grin.

After he quit playing the violin, Cohen experimented with the trumpet before finding his passion with the saxophone.

“What I liked about the saxophone was just the improvisation that I was able to do,” Cohen noted.

Cohen has been a part of the Staples band and jazz band since his freshman year. He now plays an important role in the jazz band, as he is the lead alto of the saxophone section.

“He always seems to be thinking about the sound of the section and leads the section well with confident playing to bring us all together,” Sean Porio ’17, a saxophone player in the jazz band, said.

9 X 7 At the jazz band’s competitions, Cohen has won several outstanding soloist awards.

Outside of school, he occasionally plays solo gigs at local restaurants. He was also first saxophone in the Shoreline Jazz Collective, a now discontinued ensemble that featured jazz musicians

19

from all around Connecticut.

Through these various programs, Cohen has grown as a musician, finding his own style and taste in jazz music.

“I’m finding that he has expanded his style,” Nicholas Mariconda, Staples jazz band instructor, said. “It’s a little more mature, and he is a lot more confident in his playing.”

While music is an important role in his life, other interests have influenced his musical career. On weekends, he referees ice hockey games, which he said has helped him keep his cool when he performs.

“If you think you’re alone when you’re performing, you’re much more alone than when you’re making calls for people who hate you,” Cohen joked.

Aside from reffing, Cohen takes time to ponder philosophy, theology and politics.

“He touches upon religion and just world issues all the time, and that’s good for a musician,” Mariconda said. “You need to be savvy to what’s going on in the world.”

For Cohen, saxophone is a passion that is intertwined with all aspects of his life.

“You know, I love the [College Board Common Application] — it’s great, it’s a lot of fun — but, you know, it’s always good to take a break,” Cohen said with a laugh.

Cohen said that he wants to play the saxophone for his whole life. “I think it’s just an outward expression of how I’m feeling,” he said. “If I’m feeling good, if I’m feeling bad, it comes out with the music.”

RING IN THE NEW YEAR!

devonwoodhill.com inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

BEAT

Arts | December 9, 2015

THE

20

Inklings’ top holiday movies

Force is reawakened in “Star Wars VII” trailer

M

Jackie Sussman ’17

Grap hi

c by J u li a S

chorr ’16

y laptop screen is pitch black. Slowly, the eerily soft sound of violins creeps in as the “Lucasfilm” logo temporarily appears on screen. The music consistently gets louder and louder, until the B-roll of a sand-dune-filled desert is displayed.

Suddenly, the screen goes dark. That’s when I hear it. “The force is strong in my family.” Only in one movie trailer does that make sense, and this is the movie I can’t wait for — “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” coming out December 18, 2015.

Now, some might claim that no movies should follow the ending to “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.” Afterall, it was the classic Hollywood ending.

Luke returns to Endor and cremates his father’s body, and the Rebels celebrate their victory over the Galactic Empire, while Luke smiles as he is reunited with the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin (no longer Darth Vader). I loved that ending.

(Oh, and if you haven’t seen “Star Wars” yet, I guess that description was a spoiler, but I’m not sorry. You deserve the spoiler because it’s sad that haven’t seen them.)

Yet, despite my satisfaction with the ending to “Episode VI,” I am incredibly excited for a new series of movies, starting with “The Force Awakens.” Maybe it’s because I’m excited to see the franchise redeem itself from putting Natalie Portman in the 2005 film, maybe I want to see what they will do with the plotline after Yoda’s death (let’s be honest, he was the best part of the films) or maybe it’s because the trailer was amazing.

Though Harrison Ford will reprise his role as the beautiful hunk, Han Solo, it’s difficult to determine whether this movie will be an extension of the spectacular franchise or the biggest disappointment in the universe. The plot seems interesting enough, with a new republic called the First Order arising from the ashes of the Galactic Empire and the heroes are coming back to defeat the new regime. But whether Disney can pull off the franchise in typical Lucasfilm style is another question that will only be answered when the film is released.

Regardless of whether the film is successful, it will be nice to see the force restored to billions of “Star Wars” fans worldwide.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

HOME ALONE

ELF This family favorite, starring, Will Ferrel tells the story of an elf, Buddie, who journeys to New York from the North Pole to meet his biological father.

This childhood 1990 movie tells the humorous story of 8-year-old Kevin McCallister who was accidentally left home a l o n e over the holidays.

THE POLAR EXPRESS This classic 2004 holiday film, starring Tom Hanks in six different roles, follows kids on their magical journey to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

“Mockingjay Part 2” flies into theaters, garners rave reviews Caroline Lane ’16 Since the eighth grade, I’ve had an affinity for “The Hunger Games,” and since the first movie came out, I’ve been counting down the days to the epic finale, “Mockingjay Part 2.”

Out of respect to my eighth-grade self, who would have thrown a fit if ever a person gave a spoiler without warning, I am announcing now, loud and clear, that there are spoilers ahead. If you don’t want to know revealing details about the storyline, stop reading now.

The movie picked up just where part one left off, with Katniss nursing the wounds inflicted by newly deranged and brainwashed Peeta Mellark. Katniss is still on a mission to bring peace to Panem by bringing down the corrupt Capitol with the outcasted District 13 rebels, and she is still puzzled over her feelings for her two love interests, Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark.

Despite Peeta’s brainwashing and his attempts to kill Katniss, the movie director, Francis Lawrence, ignores Katniss’ love for Peeta and throws the love triangle of the book out the window. Lawrence devotes all the screen time to scenes between Peeta and Katniss, and gives Gale hardly any time to develop his character or his attempts at winning Katniss’ affections.

However, despite the movie’s failure to uphold a strong love triangle, as the blood spilled on the screen, my tears still splashed my cheeks as the characters I watched develop over the course of four movies struggle, suffer and die.

So, it was a relief at the end when the screen went black and was followed by the picturesque image of Peeta and Katniss playing with their children.

However, any true “Hunger Games” fan will note that Lawrence changed some significant details included in the book’s ending. For instance, Suzanne Collins, the author of “The Hunger Games,” made it clear that the children were playing over the graveyard of the rebels. However, Lawrence steers clear of showing this grim detail and delivers a more wholesome and very Hollywood-esque happy ending.

Thus, for a fan like me, who loved every word of the books, the movie’s ending was a disappointment.

Nevertheless, odds are ever in your favor that you will find the movie entertaining, so it is still worth seeing.

New team squashes the competition

“I really like that anyone can play, even if they haven’t played before.”

-Hallie Spear ’18

S

Brendan Massoud ’17

quash isn’t just a food on the Thanksgiving table. It’s also a fastpaced, ever-growing sport, and it recently made its way into the wide repertoire of Staples varsity athletics.

This fall, a group of Staples squash enthusiasts set out to incorporate the sport, which had not previously been popular at Staples, into the list of activities available to students. The team began as a club but has achieved varsity status this year.

“I found out that Mia [Krishnamurthy ’18], who I played with this summer, was transferring to Staples and was also trying to start a team,” Shane Fries ’17, a cocaptain who has played on-and-off since he

was a “little kid,” said. The two paired up alongside Kion Bruno ’18 and Jack Kessler ’17 to make the dream a reality.

In order to reach the varsity level, Krishnamurthy wrote an email to the Westport Board of Education, Staples principal Mark Karagus and athletic director Marty Lisevick, with Lisevick eventually giving final approval.

The team held tryouts for the girls’ team last week, while the boys’ were this past Sunday. “[The tryouts] went really well,” Kessler said. “Even though most of the kids haven’t played before, there was definitely a lot of potential.” According to Fries, cuts for the boys’ team were made not only on how each of the students played but also on their individual capacity for

improvement. “That is the most important thing among so many new players,” Fries said.

Staples’ team will match up against teams from around the state, including Greenwich and New Canaan. As for how Staples will compare against these other schools, Krishnamurthy, who has been playing squash since sixth grade, is very confident. “With the instruction from the coach and the captains, I think we will evenly match up with the other teams in the state,” Krishnamurthy is now ranked at 83rd in the entire nation, said. “We plan to send both teams to nationals in February.”

Because the team only has a part-time coach, Attila Agh, who is a professional

Photo by Amelia Brown ’18

squash player from the Southport Athletic Club, it means that the majority of teaching will be done by the captains. The captains, however, do not necessarily see this as a bad thing. “Students know what is best for the students,” Krishnamurthy said, “here is more direct input.”

One of the most surprising aspects of the team is that the team is, in fact, comprised of a majority of first-time players. Hallie Spear ’18, a beginner herself, was enthusiastic about the chance to try something new. “I really like that anyone can play, even if they haven’t played before,” Spear said. “I think it’s a really great team.”

Daily fantasy sports provoke controversy PRO—IT IS FANTASY ENTERTAINMENT

Jackson Livingstone ’16 The argument against regulating online sports gambling starts at a likely source: the players themselves. While critics of sites like DraftKings and FanDuel identify this demographic as being victims of gambling addiction and the financial pains that result from it, these gamers ardently defend their beloved pastime.

Countless such players can be found at Staples, including Ben Harizman ’17, who has been playing FanDuel and DraftKings since October of 2012. “It brings a whole new meaning to football Sundays, and it makes me more responsible with my money,” Harizman said.

While financial responsibility represents one benefit of daily fantasy sports betting, the payouts themselves offer a whole new perspective on the industry’s popularity.

These prizes, ranging from small amounts to upwards of a million dollars depending on buy-ins, represent the biggest allure for players. The DraftKings website describes annual payouts as totalling more than a billion dollars.

While participants often play with varying degrees of success, some Staples students have used their fantasy sports knowledge to reap sometimes large profits.

“The most I’ve won was over one weekend,” Andrew Ingber ’16 said. “I did three different entries and won 250 dollars.”

Although success like that is more of an exception to the rule, failure is certainly not a deterrent for the players. “I have definitely lost more than I have gained, but I keep playing regardless,” Harizman said.

“It’s just that much fun.”

While FanDuel and DraftKings have already overcome the first obstacle to a successful betting service-enticing a loyal

PRO—IT IS FANTASY GAMBLING

Jesse Levinson ’17 fanbase, their next test will come in an area far removed from the gridiron: the It’s 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and courtroom.

America is buzzing with tension. In just The question is whether daily fantasy 30 minutes, football lineups for online sports fall under the definition of illegal gambling leagues will lock, leaving gambling in the U.S., that being placing millions of participants in sites like money on a “game of chance”.

FanDuel and DraftKings hooked on the The answer is a definite no. upcoming NFL games.

Wander the halls of Staples or any By the numbers: Some people spend other high school or college campus Daily fantasy the fleeting moments during a fall day, and it will quickly sports spending leading up to the day’s become clear that fantasy football is first kickoff making per year. anything but a game of blind luck. It’s excessive lineup FROM THE FANTASY a commitment of not only time but INFORMATION SPORTS TRADE ASSOCIATION tinkers, while others GRAPHIC BY COOPER BOARDMAN ’17 brainpower, affecting try to take their mind sleep schedules as off the money at stake much as it does by doing busy work. one’s academics.

Nevertheless, in the “Fantasy mind of every FanDuel sports are all and DraftKings about skill,” participant, today is the Harry Garber ’16 day that they will win a said. “If you think million dollars. someone with no However, while the knowledge can concept of competing walk in and win for such large sums of a league, you’re money may seem appealing, dead wrong.” the prospect of addiction and For DraftKings loss of money has become a and FanDuel, that reality for many participants should be all the of online gambling sites. argument they For example, take Noah need in a legal Lomnitz ’17. Although he battle that should would not go so far as to not only absolve describe himself as being these individual addicted, he did admit that, companies of blame when he has lineups in play, but should also put he has trouble concentrating a definitive stamp on schoolwork. on the fact that “I enter five-to-10 lineups fantasy sports a week, and I spend my have always been, Sundays watching football and will always be, and constantly a game of skill. checking my

2015: $257 million 2012: $5 million

phone,” Lomnitz said.

This is problematic because, according to Lomnitz, one small mishap in his lineup could practically ruin his day. Also, what would happen if participants like Lomnitz were to lose their funds?

Would they be able to adapt and spend their following Sundays without taking part in online gambling, or would they be unable to resist entering more funds?

If you ask me, weekly participants in sites like FanDuel and DraftKings would certainly have trouble resisting the urge to continue playing, even if they have already lost money.

Don’t believe me? Well, consider this: according to a survey on 1,400 fantasy sports players conducted

by Krejcik of Eilers Research, 70 percent of participants have lost their money to gambling sites.

So, if you are thinking about joining an online sports gambling league, the odds are certainly not in your favor. Even if you think “I’m different,” you aren’t, and there are many Staples students who have had to learn the hard way.

“Last year, I started with $200, and now I’m at a whopping $25 balance,” a junior boy who asked to remain anonymous admitted. “Now I’m just trying to get back what I put in.”

Despite knowing that he has lost $175 to online gambling, this junior boy insists that he will not stop playing. He even went so far as to state, “I still have a chance to make it back.”

Judging by his track record, this isn’t very likely.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

21 sports

INKLINGS | December 9, 2015

22

INFALLPHOTOS SPORTS 2015

Sports | December 9, 2015

HOMECOMING THE FOOTBALL TEAM HUDDLES UP AS SUPERFANS CHEER DURING THE HOMECOMINGPINKOUT GAME.

HARDWARE BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY POSES FOR A PICTURE WITH

SENIOR NIGHT FIELD HOCKEY UNDERCLASSMEN

THEIR PLAQUE AFTER CAPTURING THE 2015 STATE OPEN TITLE, THEIR FIRST SINCE 1990.

HONOR THE TEAM’S SENIORS PRIOR TO A GAME UNDER THE LIGHTS VERSUS BRIEN MCMAHON.

JUNIOR DUO ANDREW SPEED ’17 HANDS OFF TO RUNNINGBACK ETHAN BURGER ’17 DURING THE FOOTBALL TEAM’S 21-14 OPENING NIGHT VICTORY OVER DANBURY.

STAPLES VS STAMFORD THE FOOTBALL TEAM HUDDLES UP AFTER PREGAME WARMUPS. THEY ULTIMATELY DEFEATED THAT NIGHT’S OPPONENT, STAMFORD, 35-0.

GOAL DANIEL PEREZ ELORZA ’16 OF THE BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM DEFENDS A STAMFORD PLAYER IN THE WRECKERS’ 4-0 WIN OVER THE BLACK KNIGHTS

Student athletes procrastinate getting injuries evaluated

F

inding the balance between identifying good pain and bad pain is a real struggle for every athlete.

When that knee starts to wobble or the ankle rolls a bit, most players play through it.

This concept of toughing it out is common among student athletes at Staples, as many wait to receive a doctor’s evaluation of an injury in order to prolong the amount of time they’re allowed to play.

Staples athletic trainer Corey Iamonico says that she sees kids avoiding the dreaded X-Ray or MRI frequently but for different reasons.

“Sometimes it is because they were hoping it would get better on its own.

Sometimes it’s because they don’t realize the injury is as bad as it may be,” Iamonico said. “And yes, occasionally it simply comes down to the fact they don’t want to stop playing their sport.”

For many talented Wreckers, pure passion and dedication to the game keeps their mouths shut and their bodies going, especially if college recruitment remains a possibility.

However, boys’ soccer coach Dan Woog values health over wins for his team.

“We would much rather have someone sit out a match—even a big one—knowing that that will help him play in other big games at some point in the future,” he said. But not everyone heeds Woog’s words of wisdom.

“Playing while in pain not only impacted my performance on the field but prolonged the amount of time I had to take out of my season,” Sally McGee ’18, a two-year varsity soccer player, said.

“By playing on it that extra week or two, I added another month on to my time out.”

Whether an athlete is on the court, field, track, pool or ice, playing on an injury can end a sports season in a blink of an eye. “[When] you are playing on an injury, you may not be at 100 percent, which can lead to compensation and other injuries for yourself,” Iamonic said. “The best thing for all our athletes to do is come see us as soon as they think they have an injury. It gives us the opportunity to evaluate the injury and help give them the proper guidance to navigate a healthy season.”

VOLLEYBALL GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL POSES FOR A TEAM PICTURE ON SENIOR DAY. THE TEAM WAS ONE OF JUST TWO WRECKER SPORTS TEAMS THAT ADVANCED TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE STATE TOURNAMENT.

SWIMMING TO THE FINISH A WRECKER DIVER PLUNGES IN TO THE POOL; THE SWIMMING

CORNER INSIDE THE ARC ON SENIOR NIGHT. THE WRECKERS TROUNCED THE SENATORS 7-0.

PHOTOS BY MAX APPELL ’18, KATELYN DEAGRO ’17, ADAM KAPLAN ’16, JESSE GREENSPUN ’16, ERIN MCGROARTY ’18, ALEX SPADACENTA ’17, JASON STREITER ’17 AND JACK ZAPFEL ’17.

PHOTOS CONTIBUTED BY SHELLEY BURGER AND DAVE STEWART

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

THREE-PEAT HANNAH DEBALSI ’16 CAPTURED HER THIRD STRAIGHT CLASS LL, CIAC OPEN AND NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL TITLES THIS SEASON. DEBALSI WILL HEAD TO THE 2015 FOOT LOCKER NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS ON DEC. 12.

Graphic by Julia Schorr ’16

AND DIVING TEAM PLACED THIRD AT THE CLASS LL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR.

LINING UP SKYLAR KLEIN ’16 PREPARES TO PLAY A PENALTY

Erin McGroarty ’18

Sports | December 9, 2015

23

Rec basketball

It’s that time of year when Staples students hit the Fieldhouse courts for another season of recreational hoops.

Jesse Greenspun ’16

T

Graphics by Cooper Boardman ’17

he Staples trophy case is fi lled to capacity, and championship banners litter the walls of the gym.

It’s safe to say that Wreckers organized sports have a winning tradition.

However, arguably the most sought after championship of all is for a team that makes no cuts and plays in a league that doesn’t even have practices. This is the 11th-and-12th-grade recreational basketball league, and it is no joke.

“There is absolutely nothing like high school rec basketball. I can’t even describe the feeling of running out onto the court with my boys, getting hyped and winning games,” Ben Popkin ’16 said with passion. “The adrenaline rush gets me going.”

The season begins with a fantasy-sports-style snake draft in which team coaches, who are fathers of players, attempt to craft championship teams.

From 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday

nights, the Staples Fieldhouse comes alive with excitement as the teams battle it out for the top spot in the standings.

In recent years, the level of play has increased dramatically, as the hype surrounding the league has brought in many former high school and travel players onto the courts.

“I thought I was a pretty good player, but in this league, it takes different kinds of skill and tenacity than you would expect to be effective,” Stephen Rowland ’17 explained.

Noah Staffa ’16, a current varsity basketball player, agreed. “The games are really competitive,” he said. “Some teams even have some varsity caliber players.”

The importance of the league to these players, varsity caliber or not, is evident.

“My team won last year, and that was a moment that I will never forget as long as I live. Just unreal,” Rowland said.

“I sleep in my championship shirt every night.”

STAR TALENT: Players to watch this season PG— Ben Thaw ’16 SG— Colin Hoy ’16 SF— Josh Berman ’17 PF— Ryan Fitton ’17 C— Jackson Ward ’16 “I sleep in my championship shirt every night.”

-Stephen Rowland ’17

Winter sports preview: part two Boys’ and girls’ indoor track CAPTAINS: (boys’) Chase Gornbein ’16, James Lewis ’16, Ben Foster ’16 and Phillip Han-Lemus ’16 | (girls’) Hannah DeBalsi ’16, Angelee Parmar ’16 and Katharine Smith ’16

BOYS’: “We have a great distance team coming into indoor track, though we’re not very strong in field events. An FCIAC title or state championship would be great, but we’re more shooting for individual and relay titles since we don’t have a very well-rounded team.”

-James Lewis ’16

23

GIRLS’: “We lost a lot of big scorers last year, but we also have a lot of young talent and improved returners that should be able to step up and replace what we lost.”

-Hannah Debalsi ’16

COMBINED INDOOR TRACK TITLES:

CLASS LL/OPEN

“Our team is looking strong this year.

Since we have a strong senior and junior class we have high hopes for the team this year.”

-Jonathan Maragos ’16

Boys’ swimming and diving CAPTAINS: Simon Ginsburg ’16, Harrison Knapp ’16 and Mark Schacter ’16

NUMBER OF STATE TITLES:

(CLASS L/OPEN)

2

“Last year was our most successful season in the program’s history. We want to continue making strides in the FCIAC and making a name for the program throughout our division and the state as well.”

-Rachel Stanford ’16

Wrestling CAPTAIN: Matt Prior ’16

25

YEARS SINCE LAST STATE TITLE:

1990 (CLASS L)

“We lost a lot of power and depth with the graduating seniors, but at the end of the season last year, a lot of the underclassmen showed that they are ready to step up to the plate. We have some tough competition this year, but Coach Frisk [Driscoll] is really stepping up our training. We’re pumped.”

-Mark Schachter ’16

Girls’ ice hockey CAPTAINS: Meg Fay ’15 and Cassie Miolene ’15 (WHS)

3

SCHOOLS THAT MAKE UP THE TEAM:

STAPLES/STAMFORD/WESTHILL inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

24 Sports | December 9, 2015

Boys’ ice hockey begins quest for Division III title BOYS’ ICE HOCKEY

BY THE NUMBERS

4

NUMBER OF GRADUATED SENIORS FROM LAST SEASON

0

NUMBER OF STATE TITLES

1

Photos by Caroline O’ Kane ’16

NUMBER OF RETURNING SENIORS

FAST FACT: The Wreckers played two different goalies, Zack Bloom ’18 and Angus Fuori ’17, in their 2014 campaign.

SLAPSHOT Last year’s leading goal scorer Sam New ’18 will bolster a potent Wrecker offense this year. New netted five goals in a game versus Westhill last season.

Sam New ’18 hopes to lead boys’ hockey to Division III title Chase Gornbein ’16

E

ven though this is assistant coach Matthew Bohn’s first season with the Staples boys’ hockey team, he has set high goals for his squad. “A state championship is the goal,” Bohn said.

“The guys are pretty good about holding each other accountable to put in the work needed to grow individually and as a team,” Bohn said. “We’re an experienced team, and the boys are hungry to get into the grind of the season.”

Following an 11-4 season last year, where the Wreckers did not qualify for FCIACs but did make a deep run to the

quarterfinals of the state tournament, the team look to demolish their competition this season.

Having zero seniors graduate at the end of last season, the Wreckers come into their 2015 campaign as a team full of experience.

“I think we’ll be a more developed team because our [current] seniors have basically acted like our seniors for two years now, since they were the oldest guys on the team last year,” goalie Zack Bloom ’18 said. “We’re going to be a more developed and a better team than last year.”

The Wreckers are considered a co-op team, which means their roster consists of players from Shelton High School and Weston High School, as well. Last year’s

leading goal scorer, Sam New ’18, believes this contributes to the overall depth of the team.

“Having guys from Shelton and Weston plays a big role in the team, and they act as leaders, just as if they were captains from Staples,” New said. “We have some really key players from those schools. It helps out the team a lot.”

R.J. Gupta ’16, a forward who attends Shelton High School, believes attending a different school actually brings the group of guys closer together.

“Players aren’t excluded from the team just because they’re from a different school,” Gupta said. “We’re all one big family and often times don’t even remember the fact that we’re from different schools.” As the team gears up

for this season, the Wreckers are hoping to hoist the trophy come March. “Our goal as a team, in addition to bringing the state championship back to Staples, is to continue building as a program,” cocaptain Ian Offenberg ’16 said. “And to make the move up to division two at the conclusion of this season.”

Bohn believes this feat can be accomplished in part because of the difficult schedule the Wreckers face, including the Division I teams of Masuk High School, St. Joseph’s High School and Greenwich High School.

“I think we’re setting ourselves up to prove that we’re a very talented and strong program that can play with any team in the state, no matter the division,” Bohn said.

page 21 WEIGHING IN ON THE DAILY FANTASY FOOTBALL DEBATE Examining the pros and cons of the multimillion dollar industry that is daily fantasy sports.

page 23 REC BASKETBALL 2015-16 FULL SEASON PREVIEW Juniors and seniors hit the fieldhouse courts with title aspirations for another competitive year of recreational basketball.

page 23 WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW: PART TWO The second installment of the winter sports preview, featuring track, wrestling, swim and dive and ice hockey.

INSIDE THE ISSUE

page 21 SQUASH TEAM BURSTS ON TO THE SCENE Students team up to form the first ever squash team at Staples.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL