Dec 5 full pdf

Inklings December 5, 2014 Issue 5 Founded in 1933 inklingsnews.com

said.

Kempner chose to create a to the administration because she believes that the administration would not have taken her seriously if she spoke alone.

“Petitions show masses of people agreeing,” Kempner said.

“With this topic of switching midterms to a different date, talking to the administration

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY GRETA BJORNSON ’15

SIGNING FOR CHANGE Staples students have signed petitions to provoke change on a variety of issues, from

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Zoe Brown ’15

etitions have recently become somewhat of an alternative voice for the Staples student body, and a seemingly successful one at that.

There was the petition last year that went against changes to the sandwich line, the petition last year protesting the close proximity between the Physics A

This year, there was another requesting that the dates for midterms be pushed back.

Although each of these petitions was addressed and John Dodig does not credit the chnages to the hundreds of signatures.

“My personal style is I don’t like petitions. They have the opposite effect on me because it puts the receivers in a corner,”

Dodig said.

Julia Kempner ’17 started the petition to make midterms three days after students returned from winter break. The petition raised about 500 signatures in one day.

“The point was to show [the administration] what students feel so that they could take the well-being of our own vacation into consideration,” Kempner

break,” she added.

However, before the petition was created, the dates of midterms were already in the midst of being changed by Collaborative Team, a group of teachers, students and administrators who meet once a week to discuss ways to better the Staples environment.

Nevertheless, petitions don’t always result in immediate action. With the Physics A petition last year, the change will be seen only this year. Instead of leaving little recovery time teachers have decided to have the by students last year.

Ken Asada ’15, who created the Physics A petition, was looking to show the department that many students were feeling overwhelmed. continued on page 2

Resilience Project provides reprieve for students Cooper Boardman ’17 by the guidance department in an effort to help students cope with stress, is back for its third year in the Staples community. introduced two years ago by guidance counselors Deborah Slocum, Victoria Capozzi and Leslie Hammer. They began by emailing parents and teachers in an effort to educate them on the different sources of stress with which students deal.

To spread their message, the Wrecker-themed stress balls in classrooms and handed out milk and cookies during midterms.

“We got a lot of great feedback,” Hammer said. “We wanted to give kids something comforting in a time where they might be stressed out.”

Along with those milk and cookies, students received slips of paper with “resilience messages,” which featured encouraging words of wisdom.

“The cookies and milk during the midterms got me through my next exam,”

Inside Opinions Features A&E Sports

6 11 17 24

Harrison King ’16 said. “Not only was it a tasty snack, but it kept me awake.”

Most recently, the counselors have entered freshman health classes, showcasing an app called “Stop Breathe and Think.” The application’s website describes it as “a friendly, simple tool to guide people of all ages and backgrounds through meditations for mindfulness and compassion.” This ties into the ultimately eliminating stress.

“I like the app, and I believe it has the potential to help relieve Staples students of stress,” Alex Settos ’18, who worked with ‘Stop Breathe and Think” in his health class, said.

Students can expect more stress-relieving efforts in the future, some of which are currently awaiting approval from the administration.

“Adults in the community shape the environment students live in and I think we understand that we all have a role in some of the pressures students feel,” Hammer said. “We all want the students to know we really do care about them.”

Staples prepares new ATLAS curriculum program Claire Dinshaw ’17 The Westport 2025 initiative has a new addition: Rubicon International’s ATLAS program, which allows parents and students to view descriptions of school courses online.

“ATLAS is really about capturing the curriculum for your district,” Megan Davenport, a representative from Rubicon International and a former teacher, said.

Each course’s curriculum is organized into three ring Understandings” details the big ideas a student takes away from the course. “Content” describes what the teacher wants students to learn and “Skills” lists the things students should be able to

In Superintendent Elliott Landon’s proposed 2015 budget, the district plans to set aside $20,000 to “develop Atlas curriculum maps, formative assessments, curriculum revision based on CCSS and research skills.”

do as they practice the content.

The site also includes various calendars and charts to further diagram the course.

In Superintendent Elliot Landon’s proposed 2015 budget, the district plans to set aside $20,000 to “develop Atlas curriculum maps, formative assessments, curriculum revision based on CCSS and research skills.”

Amity High School, which was recently awarded a blue PHOTO BY MEGAN ROOT ’15 ribbon for academic excellence, mentioned ATLAS as a reason STRESS RELIEF Students like Lydia Shaw ’17 take resilience messages and milk and cookies from guidance counselor Deborah Slocum during the 2014 for their success in a New midterms.

continued on page 3

Humans of Staples: Jack Whitten ’18 Page 13

FAKE INSTAGRAMS REALLY CATCH ON AT STAPLES Page 19

TRACK AND FIELD: MUCH MORE THAN RUNNING Page 25

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Inklings

December 5, 2014 | News

In Brief Increase in college applicant pool Candlelight Concert

leads to falling acceptance rates

Dec. 12-13

The annual Candlelight Concert will be held at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12 and at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13. Each showing is approximately two hours long. Now in its 74th year, the concert features performances from the Symphonic Orchestra and Band as well as the Orphenians.

During the Saturday night showing, Staples High School ensemble to sing the popular

Standardized Tests Dec. 6, 13

Both the SAT and the ACT have testing dates in the month of December. Students may take the SAT at Staples High School on Saturday, Dec. 6. The ACT will be conducted one week later. Students should note that Staples is not an ACT testing site. Danbury High School and Trumbull High School are the closest available testing locations.

Holiday Recess Dec. 24-Jan. 5

Jackie Sussman ’17

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ollege acceptance rates are hitting all-time lows. In fact, Stanford University

Northwestern as early as seventh grade.

However, with larger applicant pools, colleges are lowering acceptance and creating

was talking about an upcoming decision date or was asking about where I had or hadn’t gotten in,” a lot of uncertainty about what schools were even feasible to

it set the record for the lowest acceptance rate ever last year: applicants for the Class of 2018.

As intimidating as the statistics might seem, there are many complicated factors playing into the numbers.

A recent New York Times article connected the downward trend to the expanding world of the internet and the Common Application.

Students use the online Common Application which encourages them to send out multiple applications, while the internet inspires them to consider applying to schools that they might not have found without online research.

Ryder Chasin ’14, who attends Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, was one such student who broke from regional boundaries to apply to a far away school.

“Probably like so many kids growing up in a place as welleducated as Westport, college was always a thought in the back of my mind,” Chasin said. In

“There was just a lot of uncertainty about what schools were even feasible to get into, especially because the admissions process seems so random.”

—Eliza Llewellyn ’14 more stress.

In the town of Westport, where pressure in the college process is particularly intense, these statistics loom heavily over seniors.

“There’s so much pressure to go to big name schools where you can establish ‘connections’ and such,” Nica Wardell ’15 said.

Eliza Llewellyn ’14, now a student at Harvard University, which accepted only six percent of its 2014 applicants, said she felt the pressure when applying to schools last year. about getting into college, especially on days when everyone

get into, especially because the admissions process seems so random.”

Indeed, many colleges have had to turn down applicants who are nearly indistinguishable applications.

Rightfully,

seniors

are

felt an unbelievable sense of subsequently a wave of blind pride — a sort of vindication that and my studies paid off in a said.

Students choose Uber over local cab companies Lulu Stracher ’17 Uber, and other on-demand car services, are steadily replacing taxis in Westport and across the country because of “I use Uber usually when I’m with my friends, going from house to house if it’s a big group,” Ben Casparius ’17, a frequent Uber user, said.

Although there are multiple taxi companies in the Westport area, such as Westport Star Taxi and Saugatuck Taxi, Casparius says he prefers Uber because “it’s safer and more organized than Westport Taxi.”

Uber was founded as UberCab by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick in 2009. Uber can provide users with a ride to practically anywhere with a few taps on a smart phone.

The service sends the nearest registered driver to the user’s location and charges the ride directly to the credit card linked to the account. The app also provides the cost of the cab in advance, so riders know exactly how much they will have to pay, Continued on page 4

begins in two-and-a-half weeks, after a shortened day on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Students do not return to school for 12 days, making this holiday recess almost two weeks long, the longest the school calendar will ever allow.

First Games for Winter Sports Dec. 6-21

Winter sports teams have been practicing for several will take place in December.

Varsity boys’ ice hockey is playing against the Taconic High School team on Saturday, Dec. 6. Varsity girls’ basketball host Norwalk on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Boys’ swimming is at Brien McMahon and the wrestling team will host Harding on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The gymnastics team faces Greenwich and Weston at the Greenwich YMCA on Friday, Dec. 19. Varsity boys’ Ludlowe the same day. Finally, the indoor track teams host the meets on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Sweeney Todd Auditions Dec. 15, 16

The Staples Players theater group will hold auditions for their spring musical, “Sweeney Todd,” after school. Interested students can sign up on the sheet posted outside the Blackbox Theater. For more information, see staplesplayers.com.

For continual updates, check www.inklingsnews.com

INFOGRAPHIC BY MEGAN ROOT ’15

Effectiveness of student petitions questioned continued from page 1

“If over one hundred students say, ‘Hey, this is too much for us,’ then hopefully that sends a message to the physics department for the next school year,” Asada said.

It was the idea for change, not the actual signatures, though, that the teachers took into account while making the decision to spread out the Physics A due dates. Actually, many teachers would have preferred

for the idea to be presented in a different manner.

Science teacher Nathaniel Dewey, who teaches a Physics A class, was surprised by the petition.

Dewey explained that none of the teachers had heard any students complain. He and the other science teachers only heard through the grapevine that there was a petition going around.

“They did have a point, was the wrong way to go about

that,” Dewey said. “We would have rather heard from students directly to hear their feedback,” he added.

Student Assembly President Jennie Blumenfeld, who is also part of the Collaborative Team, understands the teachers’ and administrators’ frustration.

“When an issue is addressed face-to-face, it’s much easier for [Dodig] and the administration to understand the students’ thoughts and feelings,” she said. “An argument isn’t as effective when

Blumenfeld added.

Dodig encourages students to set up a meeting with him if they have an opinion that they would like to voice, saying that is preferable to showing him a myriad of signatures.

“I would much have preferred if the very same kids who handed me the petition had talk,” Dodig said.

“I always have time to talk to kids,” he added.

December 5, 2014| News

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Inklings

Bedford Middle newspaper Ursus is a roaring hit Jane Levy ’16

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taffed by 33 eighth graders and advised by Inklings’ former adviser of ten years, Stephen Rexford, Ursus has made its debut as Bedford Middle “I took all the stuff about how to write stories, using proper AP style and ethics from the Inklings handbook, and made it more applicable to the eighth grade level,” Rexford said.

“With the help of supportive administration, I started Ursus.”

The name of the paper was generated with the help of the Bedford class of 2014, and is derived from the Latin word for bear, “ursa,” because the school mascot is the Bedford Bear.

“Ursus is a weird name and makes people go, ‘What?’ which I think helps with marketing,” Rexford said.

the principal, more personal questions because then you get to Maisonet said.

Another staff member, Zach Abourezk ’19, appreciates the differences in Ursus compared to a sport, as he is also a football player. “It’s a different kind of hard work,” he laughed. “You ones, at least.”

When creating a paper for the middle school, “the emphasis is more on coverage,” Rexford said. “I try to get the kids on Ursus to think about how they can get more people in the paper, more pictures, more names,” Rexford said.

With this in mind, Rhodes

sometimes struggles to word her articles effectively “because we want kids to be interested in it, but we also want it to be professional,” she said. count of her articles, as she has “so much to say.” around about their pizza party at their late-night layout and the fun they have at after-school meetings, Rexford’s passion for advising shines through.

“Advising is the best way to teach writing and to get kids problem-solving and thinking critically about school and national issues,” he said.

Bedford has welcomed the

new addition to their school and Rexford acknowledges the support. “Dr. Rosen, the principal at Bedford, has been very supportive of us and the faculty always asks if we need help with anything,” Rexford said.

Not only does Ursus have the encouragement of its school, but also that of the town. “[Westport] really understands what media said. “There are not a lot of towns that do.”

Even students appreciate their community providing them a young age.

“With Ursus, we have more responsibility,” Rhodes said. “But we also have more freedom.”

opinions, features, arts and entertainment and sports) was released in October. The articles span from Maria Maisonet ’19’s reporting on the eighth grade to an article by Anna Rhodes ’19 about new Bedford teachers.

The middle school students interview, write, take photographs and layout the pages of the paper all outside of class.

They have a meeting after school every Tuesday, and have six days of layout and one late-night layout before the paper goes to the printer.

Both Maisonet and Rhodes parts of their Ursus experience.

“It’s fun asking people, like

PHOTO BY JANE LEVY ’16

JUNIOR JOURNALISTS From left: Stephen Rexford, advisor of Bedford Middle School’s Ursus newspaper, works

Students and staff take advantage of opportunity to travel and relax in extended winter vacation Andrew Vester ’17

going to “travel farther away” than she normally does, many students will be spending this break similarly to previous years.

“I won’t be doing anything different this break, even though it is longer than normal,” Jackson

A 12-and-a-half day winter break begins with a half day on Dec. 23, giving Staples students and staff the break that they have been waiting for.

This timing will also give the students observing Hanukkah two nights to celebrate without schoolwork looming over their holiday will occur during the winter recess.

New Year’s Day falls on the Thursday of the following week, and, as a result, it was decided that returning to school on a Friday would not be useful.

Therefore, students will return to school on Monday, Jan. 5, making the vacation the longest possible break.

A break of this length has not occurred in years, and the next time it is due to occur is the 20192020 school year. By that time, the class of 2018 will already be freshmen in college.

The extended length of this break has led many students to take vacations longer than they normally have in past years or to partake in different activities.

“My family normally stays home for the holidays,” Fleur Byrne ’17 said. “But because of the extension, we might go skiing

taking advantage of the extra time to sleep and hang out with friends.”

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY JULIA ETHIER ’17

STUFF YOUR SUITCASE Vacationing students like Lexy Iannacone ’15 will be among the Americans who travel an average of 275 miles over the winter holidays, according to the Library of Congress.

for a weekend.”

Byrne isn’t the only member of the Staples community who plans on doing something different this winter break.

Social studies teacher Drew Coyne plans on taking advantage of the extra time this vacation as well.

“I am going to see my family in Rochester, New York, and I’m also planning on going to Charleston, South Carolina,” Coyne said. “And with a normal length break, I would only have time for one of those.”

While there are people like Kristina Wasserman ’17, who is

long vacation, some feel that the approaching reality of midterms will take away from the holiday cheer.

“I know I, for one, along with probably many other students, will be worried throughout the course of the holidays of the midterm exams looming in the future,” Byrne said. “And studying for these will take away from time that I could be spending with my family.”

Although students will be spending their breaks in a variety of ways, many members of the community feel the vacation will provide a much appreciated break.

“This break gives students the time they need to relax and decompress from the fall,” Coyne said. “And as long as they the season, then it will make for a great break.”

ATLAS program to be integrated into Staples curriculum continued from page 1

Haven Register news article this October, according to Davenport.

Davenport said that one way ATLAS can help a larger high school is by linking curriculums across grade levels and schools to ensure consistency.

“Having a curriculum mapping tool allows us to easily link each unit to Common Core State Standards, State Frameworks and the goals of Westport 2025,” Julie Droller, the Director of Elementary Education, said.

James D’Amico, the head of secondary education, echoed this point saying that the 2025 competencies were made a priority when the district decided what points of the curriculum they wanted to highlight through mapping.

Both D’Amico and Droller mentioned that ATLAS would give parents and students the ability to reference the online curriculums, giving them a clearer picture of course depend on the students checking ATLAS. Some students are doubtful they actually will.

“I wouldn’t check it,” Will Hoberman ’17 said. “It will all come when it comes.”

But Kelsey McGinley ’18 said that, as a student, having the power to see what a course covers, allows the student to make an educated decision about what classes to take.

Lauren Francese, the social studies department chair, did emphasize that ATLAS is primarily about organizing Westport’s curriculum. time with teachers to make sure we are mapping it accurately,” Francese said. She is working to get the social studies’ curriculums up by December.

Time for teachers to write their curriculums has been written into professional development days, department meetings and summer curriculum time.

If the entire district meets the December deadline, the site will be up before the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) evaluation, which requires that schools have a “common form curriculum,” D’Amico said.

As of now, only the elementary school curriculums are visible on the site.

According to a plan proposed in 2012, the parents should be able to see these maps by either July or August of 2015.

“We’ve been working with Atlas since the fall of 2011, when all of the department chairs were introduced to it. We did not start working with it outside of social studies and science until the 2012-13 school year,” D’Amico said. He and Droller spearheaded the ATLAS effort.

“It is our goal to have all K through 12 curricula in ATLAS, and continually keep it updated,” Droller said.

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December 5, 2014 | News

Inklings

Students ‘Know Snow’ thanks to app Emma Berry ’15

W

hen it comes to winter weather, Staples students often refresh Twitter and Facebook, check group chats of the coveted sprinkling of white on the front lawn.

Now a new app is on the go-to list of weather sources this season. In Oct. 2013, Scott Pecoriello ’15, founder of the Wild About Weather blog, released his The app has all the features one might need the night before a predicted storm when social media explodes with the debate of whether or not to do homework. “The main function is forecasting school closings, but it’s done in a few different ways,” Pecoriello said. “There are maps that show what the chances are for towns to close, individual write-ups for each town and then breaking weather news.”

“Know Snow” has tallied about 2,000 downloads and grabbed the attention of the media. According to Pecoriello, the app “has been featured on CNBC Tech Talk, News 12, 95.9 The Fox, the CT Post and acknowledged by congressman Jim Himes.”

Many Staples students rely on the app for its consistent updates, as well as its timely information.

“I think it’s a great way to having a snow day. It’s easy to use, and Scott updates it all the time,” frequent app-user Nate Argosh ’15 said.

Geared up and ready for the quickly-approaching winter, “Know Snow” will soon be a vital piece of the classic 6:30 a.m. excitement on the coming snowy mornings.

With snow storms approaching, Landon considers factors in school district cancellation decisions Jen Gouchoe ’16 Farmer’s Almanac warns that the weather this winter is not worse, than last winter’s storms. Many students, teachers and parents are concerned about the precautions being taken to prepare for potentially ugly conditions.

In years past, many Staples students have had unsafe experiences in the snow and ice when cancellations were held off.

Gigi Vallone ’16 recalls a snowy day last year when no early dismissal was called.

After school that day, when her brother was driving her home, they slid on black ice and lost traction. To avoid hitting other cars, he made a sharp right turn, driving over a rock and damaging the car.

“No one was hurt,” Vallone said. However, she added, “We shouldn’t have been out on the roads to begin with. In my opinion, I think the roads were unsafe to drive on.”

Many Staples students can understand Vallone’s discontent, and others have criticized Superintendent Elliott Landon for keeping schools open despite snowy conditions.

Lexi Wetmore ’17 remembers a snowy day two years ago when “there was already a coating of snow on the ground when the buses were coming.” Despite Landon’s decision to keep the schools open, “My mom thought had me stay home,” Wetmore said.

However, Landon says dealing with backlash from parents, students and faculty is part of being superintendent.

Landon said when asked how he deals with such criticisms.

PHOTO BY BLAKE RUBIN ’16

PLOWING AHEAD Buses make way for a snow plow on Dec. 17, 2013 when nearby school districts like Bridgeport did call snow days.

Although some students and parents have found his decisions unreasonable, the process in calling a snow day is more complex than one may imagine.

“Superintendents have of Dattco, Westport’s bus company.

Superintendents must weigh many different factors in calling a snow day. Sometimes the weather reports are off, which may lead to an inaccurate decision. Also, the disadvantage of an early dismissal is that some parents aren’t home to meet returning children. All of these issues must be contemplated before any decision.

When making the call,

Landon said that he often uses Accuweather, along with advice from other superintendents.

However, when asked if Dattco said, “Not at all.”

Gibson explained that other school districts will use the bus company in an “advisory capacity,” but the Westport school district never consults with Dattco about snow days.

“It’s a bad call if you end up with a situation that isn’t as safe as you would like it to be,” Gibson said.

Gibson and Landon agreed that safety is the primary factor in a cancellation decision.

“The motivating factor in all of my decisions is: ‘What is best for the students of Westport?’”

Drivers bear walk from Wakeman Ben Foster ’16 Wakeman are dressing a little warmer as the long walk to Staples gets much colder.

The preparation for the bitter weather includes many strategies to stay as warm as possible.

Joe Moran ’15 explains how he handled the cold conditions last winter. “I would get out of bed, put on some nice wool socks and my school clothes.

going to be a challenge on the walk down from Wakeman, but you just have to tough it out.”

—Dylan Dreyfuss ’16 PHOTO BY GRETA BJORNSON ’15

WINTRY WALK Juniors will have to bundle up for their walk from Wakeman as temperatures are already dropping into the 20s.

Then I would slip on my fuzziest, warmest slippers and get my mittens on before I left,” Moran said.

Although Moran found a way

keep himself warm, the length of the walk was still daunting, so Moran and his friends found a temporary way around it. “We all tried parking at the end of Bedford, but that got shut down real quick,” Moran said.

Addy Fowle ’15 had a different approach. “I tried to park as close to the front of Wakeman as possible to make the walk shorter,” Fowle said.

“Sometimes I would get rides from seniors or parents who were driving through,” she added. To avoid getting in parking trouble like Moran, Fowle simply woke up a few minutes earlier to get that valuable parking spot.

On the other hand, Dylan Dreyfuss ’16 believes that going in strong is the best way to get past the cold weather. “I’m not a big fan of the cold,” Dreyfuss challenge on the walk down from tough it out. There’s no way to get around the weather.”

The winter conditions are always going to be cold, but how students approach it is going to differ depending on the person.

Some people feel that drastic times call for drastic measures. “I stole my dad’s spot in the garage so my car would be warm,” Moran said.

competes with local taxi services continued from page 2

and can avoid riding if the fares are high.

Uber has often proven popular across generations. In a post on his 06880 blog, Westport resident Dan Woog praised Uber as a safe option for adults. “[A] fter a night at a party, restaurant or bar, none of us may be in condition to drive,” he wrote.

“Local taxis have sketchy reputations. And not many parents will call their kids for a ride. Enter Uber.”

Like Woog, students appreciate Uber for its simplicity. “[Uber] is easier than Westport Taxi because it’s prepaid, so I don’t have to worry if I don’t have cash on me,” Julia Kaplowitz ‘16 said. Uber also allows riders to view the progress of their cab on their phone, and provides a constantly updated estimated time of arrival.

Uber also takes measures to guarantee the safety of needs only a valid driver’s license to operate, Uber drivers own their own cars and must have insurance. According to Uber’s website, every driver is thoroughly reviewed through a three-step, criminal-background screening.

Uber has its proponents, but many students are still loyal to traditional services, like Westport Star Taxi. “I use [Westport Star Taxi] during the weekends with friends when we have no other ride. We always Marsh ‘17 stated. “It’s always a With Uber on the rise, it is unclear whether Westport Star Taxi and Saugatuck Taxi will and independence that Staples students appreciate.

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December 5, 2014 | News

Megan Root ’15 Anders Hovstadius ’17

HIV virus

A

team at the University of Oxford recently released a study that said the HIV virus is “watered down” after long-term exposure to the human immune systems and anti-viral treatments.

As the virus continues to evolve, some mutations have resulted in a reduced ability to replicate, making it less virulent and deadly.

Historically, HIV’s ability to mutate rapidly has actually been part of what makes it so lethal.

The virus has always adapted to survive new defenses put up by medicine and the human immune system.

But the report from Oxford indicates that while these changes make it hard to fend off the disease, they also hurt the virus’ ability to reproduce. That means the mutated form of HIV doesn’t spread or cause AIDS as quickly.

The scientists found this trend when they compared the behavior of HIV in Botswana

to its behavior in South Africa.

The disease came to Botswana a decade before it hit South Africa, and the data shows that the forms of HIV in Botswana have lower rates of infection.

The scientists say that antiretroviral therapies, a leading treatment for the disease, can speed this weakening of HIV by forcing it to undergo mutations that further reduce its ability to replicate.

Despite the positive nature of the study, the lead researcher, Phillip Goulder, noted in a don’t invalidate the danger of HIV. “Overall we are bringing down the ability of HIV to cause AIDS so quickly,” he said. “But it would be overstating it to say HIV has lost its potency.”

The World Health Organization estimates that 35 million people are living with HIV today, with most of the infected living in sub-Saharan Africa.

Beyond the massive death toll (it’s estimated that 39 million have died from the virus), HIV has had massive political and economic consequences. The possibility that the virus is weakening and that infection rates will drop could signify a shift in the war against this disease.

Tensions rise over Russia

Staple s

World Briefs

Scho h g ol Hi

Violence continues in Ukraine, where at least 4,300 pro-Russia separatists and the Ukrainian military. A new Dec. 5, but bombings by proRussia forces in the last few days indicate that the agreement-like many of its predecessors--is doomed to fail.

Moscow has been accused of providing military aid for the denied the claims.

Meanwhile, maneuvers by the Russian military have European countries worried.

Sweden has alleged that Russia sent a submarine into Swedish waters and on Nov. 28, a squadron of Russian warships passed through the British Channel.

“The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it’s already begun,” Mikhail Gorbachev, a former Soviet Union leader, said at an event commemorating the 25 anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

NATO is preparing for what has been the biggest

reinforcement since the Cold War, readying planes, ships, and ground troops for potential quick-response unit is being created to protect against any upcoming threats.

As Western governments have raised concerns over Russian military action, Russia has accused NATO of destabilizing northern Europe and the Baltic states by running military drills in those areas.

has developed between Russia and the West, but economic sanctions have been imposed with The Russian currency is dropping in value and economists are currently predicting that the country will fall into recession next year.

There is little indication that negotiations will result in a peaceful solution in the near future.

Opinions

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December 5, 2014

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

Hear Us Out A

t Staples, it’s easy for us to meet with a teacher if we’re stuck on a math problem. It’s easy for us to get any book we would ever need from the school library. It’s easy for us to be involved in one of the

Inklings EDITORIAL

hundreds of clubs.

But voicing our opinions and concerns is not so easy.

Yes, we have Student Assembly, consisting of three student leaders who meet weekly as part of the Collaborative Team, but many students are unaware of what this group even does and who is in it.

So, if we don’t know what

Inklings

the club does or who its members are, how do we know which students we can go to with our concerns or suggestions?

Furthermore, are the student leaders even representative of the entire student body if they’re voted on only by other members of Student Assembly?

Students have shared their opinions by starting petitions arguing for changing the dates of midterms or not having the project due on the same day. But teachers and administrators have said they prefer conversations over signatures.

We’ve occasionally voiced our opinions at Board of Education (BOE) meetings, but inconsistently. There’s no one to blame for this, but it just shows that there’s not enough Editors-in-Chief Zoe Brown Bailey Ethier

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

Managing Editors Alexandra Benjamin Caroline Cohen

Silver Crown Award for Newspaper Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2014

Web Managing Editors Nicole DeBlasi Cadence Neenan

Pacemaker from National Scholastic Press Association 2013

Breaking News Managing Editors Andrea Frost Taylor Harrington

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.

Directors of Social Media Mat Jacowleff Larissa Lieberson Associate Managing Editors Gabrielle Feinsmith Claire Lewin Creative Directors Claudia Landowne Katie Settos Graphics Editor Olivia Crosby

communication between the BOE and the student body.

There are so many ways in which students could help the school community if their ideas could be heard by someone with authority. We could give feedback students’ desire to eat in different parts of the school.

And we could tell you about some of the more serious problems at our school – elitism, cliquishness, stereotyping – problems that we feel the administration doesn’t always acknowledge, partly because we don’t know how to tell them.

Simply put, we’re not sure where we’re supposed to go if we have something to say. There’s no simple connection, no easy bridge between students and the administration.

News Editors Greta Bjornson Sophia Hampton Quinn Hughes Megan Root Opinions Editors Emma Berry Cooper Boardman Emma Lederer Izzy Ullmann Features Editors Claudia Chen Jackie Cope Jane Levy Margaux MacColl A&E Editors Jessica Gross Sarah Sommer Renee Weisz Emily Wolfe Sports Editors Claire Dinshaw Dylan Donahue Adam Kaplan Fritz Schemel

But we can change that.

There are clear ways, such as voting, for citizens to have their voices heard, to have a say in their government. In a way, students are citizens of the school, and so we, too, should have an organized method for having our voices heard.

One simple way for students to get in touch with the administration would be to implement a student government.

We could have a couple elected representatives from each grade who could be accessible links to the administration and the community. These students should be elected by their peers, and every student should know that if he or she has a concern, an idea or a suggestion, their representatives should be approached.

Web News Editors Kaila Finn Daniela Karpenos Web Opinions Editors Julie Bender Michael Mathis Web Features Editors Jane Schutte Rachel Treisman Web A&E Editors Zach McCarthy Blake Rubin Web Sports Editors Talia Hendel Jimmy Ray Stagg Web Multimedia Editor Adam Kaufman Photo Coordinator Justine Seligson Business Manager Kacey Hertan Assistant Business Managers Chase Gornbein Jacquelyn Sussman

Each student representative his or her respective grade, and they could sit in and have a voice at every BOE meeting. Doing as we, the students, gain a voice and the BOE gains a student perspective.

All we want is a clear way to may not make drastic changes, but as students, it is comforting to know that if we have an issue, there’s a way to take action and provide each and every voice with an opportunity to be heard.

Having a student government and student representation on the BOE are two ways for students to say what’s on their minds and are as easy to set up as a meeting with a math teacher.

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.

December 5, 2014 | Opinions

7

Inklings

Multi-test

makes students

mania

mad

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY CAROLINE COHEN ’15

Quinn Hughes ’16

H

ere at Staples High School, we students are given a fantastic education, that challenges us to work hard to be the best students that we can be. However, sometimes, I feel the challenge becomes more of a sick game or mental torture.

Fully preparing for an AP Government test is challenging,

but when you have an AP Calculus, Honors Physics and AP Government test on the same day, it’s downright impossible.

Now, I know that teachers are just trying to keep up with their curricula, but it always seems that tests pop up on the same day -- like there’s some sort of supernatural force that seems to get into the minds of teachers and makes them think, “Hey, I want to ruin some lives this

week!”

Personally, I cannot study for more than three tests on one day. Once it reaches that Democratic National Convention with rhetorical devices, and Latin vocab with calculus formulas.

At other schools, like Amity Regional High School, there is a three-test cap for students.

The rule is upheld by students informing their teachers of

other assessments they have on test days. While the rule does not apply to quizzes or minor assessments, (a student can have three tests and one quiz on the same day), the rule does provide protection against having too many tests on a single day.

The realization I came to is, although Amity does have a strategy to relieve stress. if that system were in place at Staples, it

Get your head in the game Sports provide hope during tragedy

I don’t sport sports Andrea Frost ’15 grade, I played on a rec soccer team, and let me tell you, I was the shining star. I spent most of my nails and twirling my hair.

There I was on the soccer to have a good time, but I kept getting put down.

Every time I tried to put the ball in the net, I missed because my kick wasn’t strong enough; every time I tried to defend the

I simply cannot fathom the hype surrounding them. Why are people so obsessed?

Think about it for a second: people get furious that a group of strong, grown men cannot run 100 yards with a ball.

They get mad as in throwthe-remote-across-the-roomand-pray-it-doesn’t-break-the-TV mad. If you ask me, that’s kind of crazy.

It’s just a game.

A stupid, boring game that I am no good at.

Bailey Ethier ’15 When you dumb down the concepts of sports, they sound, well – dumb.

In baseball you try and hit a ball thrown at you; in basketball you bounce a ball up and down and in football you run into each other.

And yet, on Oct. 27, according to the Washington Post, almost 19 million Americans watched the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys run into each other during Monday Night

right through my legs.

Due to my lengthy list of it is hard to admit I probably peaked in fourth grade when I scored my one and only goal of my soccer career. know.

While it wasn’t for lack of trying, my thoughts on sports became very clear: I hate them.

Now, I only resent sports because they resent me. Sports discriminate against people, like me, who lack hand eye coordination, fancy footwork and speedy legs. It’s not my fault I wasn’t born with these skills; I can’t control my DNA. I tried to work with the game, but the game didn’t want to work with me.

Gym class was the same. I’d put the effort in, but it yielded no results, especially in games like basketball, football and tennis.

Sports hated me.

So, as any defensive person would do, I started to give sports a taste of their own medicine.

I gave hate right back and I allocated all my time to dance, a beautiful art.

But, as I took a step back from sports, I realized how absurd the world we live in is.

People get so rowdy about sports whether they are a player, a fan, or parent.

Football.

Sports matter – whether you like sports or hate them, don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Four innocent people were killed and another 280 were injured as a result of the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent manhunt for Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspected bombers.

The city of Boston was shaken by this horrendous and evil act of terror. Lives and Boston will never be the same as a result of the events that took place from April 15-19.

When tragedy strikes, people seek normalcy. They want things to go back to how they were before, which is why they turn to sports to help them heal.

When news is breaking and lives change, people can count on read ing about last night’s game in the paper or watch it on TV. baseball game held at Fenway Park following the Boston Marathon bombings, Boston proclaimed to the crowd, “This is gonna dictate our freedom.”

And when Ortiz took the microphone to thank those who assisted with ending the manhunt, grieving hearts everywhere.

For a few hours, we forget about the terrible aspects of our world, and get to watch athletes play the sports they love.

Boston united around the phrase “Boston Strong,” and Ortiz later gave the city something to

PHOTO BY CAROLINE COHEN ’15

From left) Andrea Frost ’15 struggles with hand-

bombings by helping win his team The World Series.

Some argue that sports simply consist of a bunch of players throwing, catching, kicking or running with a ball.

However, when people can’t take more bad news, sports give us something to cheer about.

Ultimately, I think the saddest part of this whole situation is that there really isn’t any hope for changing this problem given Staples’ current day-to-day schedule.

For now, I guess we’re going to have to continue hoping that our teachers don’t assign tests all on the same day and just be content with the high level of stress that comes with the competitive learning environment of Staples.

An hour is saved, while sanity is hopelessly lost Alison Morrison ’15 As the clocks switched for Daylight Savings Time on Nov. 2, over 70 countries, including the U.S., fell back an hour and everything changed. All of a sudden, what I thought was 7:30 a.m. was actually 6:30 a.m. and my body panicked on the inside.

I wouldn’t call my internal clock perfect, but I can usually tell the times to wake up and go to bed.

When I was little, I had no idea what Daylight Savings Time did or what the purpose was. I used to notice it would get a lot darker at night, but as I got older, I wasn’t up early enough to notice the difference. curious about what Daylight Savings Time was was when I saw the movie “National Treasure.”

I remember watching as Nicholas Cage recognized that he could still make it to the Liberty Bell on time because the note on the back of the Declaration of Independence was written before Daylight Savings Time was implemented.

The time change has a huge effect on my daily life, considering I’m usually in bed at 10:30 p.m. by the absolute latest. So this whole pitch black darkness at 4:45 p.m. thing is cramping my style.

My body now thinks it’s bedtime at a ripe 5:00 p.m., not to mention I also occasionally get blinded by the setting sun on my way to rowing practice.

On the other hand, it’s awesome how the sun rises earlier now. I no longer have to make the trek from the tennis court parking lot to the front doors of school every morning in complete darkness. There’s always the winter solstice to look forward to, after which the days start getting longer again.

But, until then, my grandma and I will share the same 4:30 bedtime.

8

Inklings

December 5, 2014 |Advertisement

9

Inklings

December 5, 2014 | Opinions

DRAWING BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

Feminists are cat-called to action Kaila Finn ’16

I

nights in fall. Three friends and I meandered around South Norwalk’s trendy downtown area. As the night ended, we walked down unlit, empty streets to reach my car.

Out of my peripheral view, I saw a stocky, tall man stop his car, hop out and start walking behind us. I whispered to my friends that we needed to pick up our pace. As we sped up, our palms got sweaty and our hands got a little shaky. The man crossed the street, and matched convenience store haven, ducked in and peered around quickly to see the man turn back towards his car.

Some may say it was irrational to get nervous. Some may say it was silly to start walking faster.

But the statistics point to a different conclusion.

In 2008, Holly Kearl, founder of the organization Stop Street Harassment, interviewed 811 respondents for an informal study in her research book. Over 99 percent of respondents said

of street harassment. Eightyseven percent of women were in public, and 81 percent of the men.

Many women, including the Stop Street Harassment female respondents and myself, have

However, it’s catcalling that is the most common form of street harassment, and is therefore getting the most attention.

The movement against catcalling any shout or comment as these “compliments” are coming under much-needed scrutiny. On Sept. 28, Hollaback, an organization designed to end street harassment, released a viral video featuring Shoshana B. Roberts walking around New York City neighborhoods for 10 hours, ultimately enduring over 100 catcalls.

A cat-call may seem inconsequential, but it is equivalent to telling a woman man’s pleasure. A man shouting

a catcall is an indication that he thinks he is superior enough to make a woman feel degraded and demeaned, without any repercussions.

Many men, including Steve Santagati, the controversial CNN guest speaker on the Hollaback video, claim that catcalling is a

women should try standing up for themselves.

Standing up for ourselves?

What a novel idea. It would be fantastic to be able to do that.

However, just over a month ago, a young woman from Detroit named Mary Spears was shot and killed for rejecting a 38-year-old This tragedy shows how unrealistic and dangerous it can be for a woman to stand up for

herself.

Santagati went on to say, “There’s nothing more that a woman loves to hear than how pretty she is.” I guess Santagati forgot about the dictionarysized list of other compliments that women would rather hear.

Throughout history, women have been obligated to focus on their to overcome that stereotype created by men like Santagati.

With ignorant claims like the ones made by Santagati, we might as well be back reading one of the 1960’s bestsellers, “How to Be a Good Wife.”

Personally, I would ditch the book and start planning for our future of a gender-equality takeover.

Inklings

10

December 5, 2014 | Opinions

Some students pray for the other religion I favor menorahs to Christmas lights Cadence Neenan ’15 i, my name is Cadence Neenan, and I’m a self-

H

It all began in the Bar/ Bat Mitzvah era. As a simple, awkward 13-year-old, I went to synagogue after synagogue on Saturday mornings for services all through seventh and eighth grade. I didn’t speak a word of Hebrew, the Torah portions and their symbolic messages downright confused me and I

call them “meshugenah” or refer to myself as a “shiksa.” I’ve attended Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Shabbat dinners, Rosh Hashanah celebrations and even break-thefast dinners at Yom Kippur.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my own culture. I’ll be hanging lights at Christmas and eating as Easter.

But couldn’t I at least be half and half?

All I want for Hanukkah this year is Christmas Claire Lewin ’15 According to old myths, when you throw a coin into a wishing well, your wish comes true. When I was young, I innocently believed this tale and begged my parents for pennies whenever I caught a glimpse of a fountain.

When I was eight-years-old, amidst shopping for my mother’s birthday present with my dad, I spotted a shiny, large fountain

Anthropology (a sacred and holy place in and of itself). I promptly asked my dad for a coin and ran out of the store to send my hope into the sacred water.

I’m sure my dad assumed that I would ask for a gift card to Limited Too, a Bratz doll, or maybe even a puppy. But, no.

“I wish I was Christian,” I said, as I tossed the penny over my head.

With that one statement, I values my parents had tried to instill in me through Sunday School, religious services and holidays.

I didn’t make my wish

synagogue was the only place outside of a movie-musical where everything could be sung instead of said.

Yet, I fell in love.

Needless to say, I planned a Bat Mitzvah of my own, down to the very last detail. I had a theme, a guest list, invitations, speeches, possible gifts, all inscribed with great detail in a spiral notebook.

I had my thirteen candles (and their adorable accompanying rhyming couplets) all planned out, and I knew which male family members would lift me up in the chair. The whole

Sure, Hanukkah is nice, I guess, but every Jewish child knows that Hanukkah is nothing like the celebration of Christmas.

that I could probably submit it as a sample work for an interview with a high-class wedding planning company.

As I’ve grown older, my love

because I had found a deep love sure I even knew who he was at the time.

Rather, I was a little girl who was desperate to celebrate Christmas. I wanted to bake cookies for Santa with my cousins; I wanted to decorate the tree while sipping hot chocolate; and I wanted to hang stockings

food – be it Challah, chocolate gelt, matzah ball soup, bagels speak Yiddish as though it is my natural tongue, to the point that DRAWING BY JULIA ETHIER’17

Sure, Hanukkah is nice, I

know what I’m saying when I

knows that Hanukkah is nothing like the celebration of Christmas.

Although it may seem cool that we get to celebrate for eight days, by the third day, everyone in the family has already forgotten.

Kids go out with their friends instead of opening presents with their family; parents forget to buy Hanukkah gelt; and no special meal is prepared to celebrate the holiday. Undoubtedly, every that their Christian friends tend to get more presents on Christmas than they do on Hanukkah.

Obviously, my wish did not am still plagued with celebrating Hanukkah while watching all my friends grow joyous over Christmas. Throughout the years, I have begged my parents to celebrate Christmas (not in a religious way, but, rather, purely for the fun of it), but they are not roots.

I have, however, managed to incorporate a bit of the Christmas spirit into my holiday. I don’t have a Christmas tree adorned with ornaments, but I do have a money; I don’t make cookies to leave out for Santa, but I do make Hanukkah treats for myself the night before Hanukkah; I don’t have Christmas lights that I place all throughout my home, but I do hang as many Hanukkah holiday decorations as possible. for my eight-year-old wish to come true, I will forever be hoping.

Meet me under the Christmas tree Caroline Lane ’16

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY IZZY ULLMANN ’17

When kids reach the second or third grade, there are daunting whispers that Santa Claus is, in fact, a myth. Supposedly, it’s really just Mom and Dad who place the presents under the tree and drink the milk and eat the cookies. To this day, however, I believe that Santa Claus is as real as you and me.

When I was younger, I would spend hours crafting the perfect letter to jolly old Santa Claus. Each and every year, I Santa Claus himself. He would handwrite a personal letter and then deliver it through a federal That is enough evidence to prove But if that doesn’t convince you: Santa once stopped by my house one Christmas Eve. He may have looked a little like my uncle and smelled like my uncle’s cologne, but that beard was way too real. Without a doubt, he was Santa.

However, I can understand if there are people who have some 1,806,820,520 kids on this earth.

Having to deliver to all those kids worldwide certainly sounds like an impossible responsibility

HOLIDAY CHEER

for one jolly guy.

When you break Chrismas down based on time zones, Santa’s got about 26 hours to deliver all the presents to the good little girls and boys. But Santa’s a pretty special guy so can defy laws of gravity and physics and literally move at the speed of light. So, when you think of it this way, it is clear that

Santa has more than enough time to deliver all the presents.

But really, we choose whether to believe or not. It’s like the holiday story, “The Polar ringing in the ears of those who choose not to believe and then the spirit of Christmas vanishes.

How can a person deny the facts of Santa’s spirit when you

can hear the laughter of children and see the acts of kindness shown to strangers?

The spirit of Santa is not about the number of gifts left under the tree nor, is it the Christmas cookies devoured , or the Christmas lists written 10-pages-long. But the spirit of Santa is a reminder that it’s better to give than recieve. It reminds us

to cherish our loved ones and to remember that what mattersmost is to love and by loved by others.

Believing in Santa makes Christmas special because he lets us see and feel the magic. Believing isn’t seeing; it’s knowing that the spirit of Christmas is alive in all of us, and I believe that’s what the holiday season is all about.

December 5, 2014

Features

11

Diamond proves to be an electronic gem Will Dumke ’16

S MyMoonPhase What: Shows users the current moonphase How long to create: He made it for a school science project.

Popularity: About 5,000 downloads

MyHAC (My Home Access Center) What: Allows students to easily check their grades and grade point average How long to create: Diamond says it took four weekends to create.

Popularity: About 8,000 downloads

Inklings News What: Gives the user a newsfeed of all the latest Inklings articles How long to create: It took him three weekends to create.

Popularity: About 250 downloads

GRAPHIC BY MARGAUX MACCOLL ’16

APP MAKING Dylan Diamond ’16 ran a web design business for four years, but has since focused his attention on app making. He currently has three apps in the app store, two of which are aimed at Staples students.

12

Inklings

GR

AP

HI

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BY

CH

AN

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NG

SM

IT

H

’1 7

December 5, 2014 | Features

Sam Kann revives the lost art of circus Katie Settos ’15

“I said to my mom, I gotta try circus.

I’ll forever regret it if I don’t.”

-Sam Kann ’16

GRA

PHIC

BY C

HAN

NIN

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’17

Students drive through the snow, skidding all the way Max Bibicoff ’16

DRA

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PA R K

’15

out on the

student

added

that

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Inklings

December 5, 2014 | Features

]

]

Jack Whitten grins and violins his way through Staples

Jenny Lupoff ’15

W

PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16

A Capella club brings glee to students] Sarah Ellman ’15

PHOTO BY MICHAEL MATHIS ’16

“I’ve always wanted to be in an a cappella choir that sang modern music.”

-Keanan Pucci ’16

IN TUNE Founder of the a capella club Keanan Pucci ’16, is also a member of Staple’s chorus, the Orphenians. Pucci will be performing with the Orphenians throughout the year for formal events like the Candlelight Concert on Dec. 12, as well as performing with his a capella club.

]

14

December 5, 2014 | Features

Take the quiz!

Find out if you are “Sensing” or “Intuiting,” two of the categories in the Naviance personality test.

Start:

Who are you?

Testing the effectiveness of personality tests

B

Emily Olrik ’16 & Sarah Sommer ’16

Were you completely honest when taking the Naviance test?

Do you feel like the Naviance test accurately depicted your personality?

DEFINING LETTERS ENFJ stands for Extrovert the 16 possible combinations from the Navian who is hopeful, empathetic, and warm. Famou Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.

15

Inklings

You are “Sensing!”

You are very factual, and pay close attention to details. People often describe you as practical and logical.

You make decisions based on careful thinking, not your intuition.

You are “Intuiting!”

GRAPHIC BY MARGAUX MACCOLL ’16

Do you plan to use your Naviance personality test results in the future when exploring college and career options?

You often trust your gut, jumping into projects without creating a real plan.

You tend to see the “big picture” instead of focusing on details. You tend to be idealistic, always looking for ways you can improve the future.

Have you used your Naviance tests in any way since taking them?

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA HAMPTON ’15

t, Intuiting, Feeling and Judging. It is one of nce personality test. ENFJ represents someone us ENFJ’s include Oprah Winfrey, Martin

GRAPHIC BY CLAUDIA CHEN ’16

16

Inklings

December 5, 2014 | Features

Staples discovers the secret to Secret Santa

Rachel Treisman ’15

GRAPHICS BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

Students hit the books on Hanukkah Talia Hendel ’16

A&E

December 5, 2014

17

While the weather outside is frightful, the food is so delightful

T

Blake Rubin ’16

his dessert will have you “rockin’ around the Christmas tree” with it’s Melt white chocolate in a

goodness. ericasweettooth.com.

Ingredients:

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees — work quickly with the white

Directions: morning while on your way to dessert. This drink will quench

Ingredients:

heat.

Gradually whisk in milk until cocoa has dissolved.

Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until

1 quart milk Add salt.

Ladle into mugs. Serve each

These desserts will have you

goodies will have you craving

in melted semisweet chocolate.

Press chocolate kiss onto

Ingredients: 12 chocolate kisses 8 ounces semisweet 12 marshmallows 2 ounces melted chocolate Directions:

white

chocolate in a stainless steel

marshmallow are covered. with melted white chocolate

dreidel.

PHOTOS BY BLAKE RUBIN ’16

18

December 5, 2014 | A&E

Inklings

Orphenians jingle all the way downtown Will Dumke ’16

D Tea

and

admire

decorations

covers the sidewalks, and the

Soon, all senses are stimulated streets.

walking through the streets, caroling all the way.

the streets, their voices soothing DRAWING BY TYLER TESKE ’15

This is not the only holiday

students--always an entertaining encounter.

generally don’t have Christmas carols.”

doesn’t like caroling?”

however, it is the only one where

and director and choir teacher

like “Jingle Bells” and “White Chrismas.”

us wearing our ugly Christmas

a cathedral in the city and at

said.

Inklings

19

December 5, 2014 | A&E

J

Michael Mathis ’15

even had a healthy viewing

her like that guy in Marine Biology that always raises his

Again,

starter.”

But a conversation, she says, that never ceases. With each week.

“You got to give the customers what they want,” she

@teenage_macklemore.

real instagrams, rinstagrams,

Joe Blaikie ’17 didn’t think he would want the attention when

another

account,

adrenaline rush came on, and he

artist.

Hot trends melt winter chill Aileen Coyne ’15

he said.

Recently, the activity on his Recently, he says, Blaikie retired

The key to surviving winter can connect with anyone,” he said.

two accounts.

in line with that laser-etched

sleek and understated.

According to the Patagonia Sweater

is

lightweight,

genders were, too.

2. Vests

you warm.

But as Blaikie sees the recent

Then again, as Jones and GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

Bella Gollomp ’15 your date to Red and Whites or

scavenger hunt with clues that ultimately lead to where you are a ticket to the dance.

a dance.

Plot Twist - Make it seem as ticket, talk with a teacher, you out what is really going on.

who wants to ask him or her in Decorate his garage door You can use any decorations you consideration.

house or somewhere they will

4. Boots

Asking someone to a dance

with someone who won’t make ask him or her

day.

walking through snow. to ask someone to a dance. These

coming!

a girl or guy, and you should

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GROSS ’15 AND EMILY WOLFE ’15

“Prom?” written on it in my

enthusiast Victoria Smith ’15 said.

Baked Goods - Who doesn’t you get the idea.

are reading this article (which

Whites dance? We’d kill it.

Inklings

20

December 5, 2014 | Advertisement

plrqe jllk rkabo 20% OFF ONE ITEM plrqe jllk rkabo

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Inklings

December 5, 2014 | A&E

21

“on pointe” Frenchie Truiit ’17

rehearsing every weekend to

annual show since she was seven.

This

year

marks

everyone who auditions gets a

said.

every year it seems new,” Rosier

Rosier that it always manages to

and her co-directors have decided

one you don’t want to miss.

“There’s always little things

“The advantages to doing

the limelight as lead Candy Cane. . years have gone on, the audition

100 and 140 kids. same show as you did in the years

older.”

Busk said, “we all manage to get through it.”

GRAPHIC BY EMILY WOLFE ’15 AND JESSICA GROSS ’15

Inklings

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December 5, 2014 | A&E

audience to hear our work,”

Justine Seligson ’15

year.” in the room. Lights dim,

Candlelight

Concert,

“We have alumni coming

dissapointed last

which

it seriously.”

Given that there is usually

12.

musicians are on stage 20 minutes longer than most other

Mariconda and orchestra director

hope to play three PHOTO BY JILLIAN KLEINER ’16

have changed. At the concert’s

the overall holiday season. But

remained traditional.

Orchestrateacher teacherAdele AdeleValovich Valovichconducts conducts CANDELIGHT CRUNCH TIME Orchestra the Symphonic Orchestra as they practice for the upcoming Candelight the Symphonic Orchestra as they practice for the upcoming Candelight Concert and 13.

Concert on on December Dec. 12 and1213.

music we learn in the year,” choir

—

snowstorm caused an emergency shows. There was no reserved

the weekend.

Candlelight

is

the

music

the audience.”

Alix Sommers ’17

students are ready and counting down the days until Tues. Dec. 23.

homework. really nice dinner, watch movies O’Brien ’17 said.

Like O’Brien, many other

time with relatives during the they have to travel.

“We always go

to

my

and we watch the last sunset Wallace

added

that

the

weather in the South is much more to his liking.

“There’s no snow on the ground, which is really nice,” Wallace said.

at home and have some time

December 5, 2014 | Advertisement Wislist_9x14Ad_Aug14_Wislist_9x14_SepSaleAd 9/2/14 12:27 PM Page 1

Inklings

23

Sports

24

December 5, 2014

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JANET ZAMARY

SPORTS AND SMILES

Renee Weisz ’17 here’s always hype about the varsity football team during Homecoming or the big FCIAC win for girls’ varsity soccer, but Staples is also home to a team of unsung champions:

T

The Staples chapter of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) program was formed 14 years ago by Staples varsity runner, Dan Goldberg ’03 and his friend Ankur Shah ’04. The club allows student athletes with disabilities, to participate with regular education students, referred to as “the partners,” to practice sports and compete in county-wide tournaments on for soccer, basketball and track

per season from 2:30 to 3:30 on Friday afternoons.

Just like any other sports team, athletes score goals during soccer matches, compete in the javelin throw during track pointers during basketball games.

Yet, unlike the competitiveness of a typical sports season, “The emphasis is not necessarily on winning. It’s just about being friends and being in a happy environment,” Zamary, gym teacher and supervisor of the club, said.

The athletes involved in in the camaraderie of a school team along with the mainstream student-body culture and spirit. each event with smiles on their

faces, feeling supported by their classmates and proud of the skills they have developed.

“The emphasis is not necessarily on winning. It’s just about being friends and being in a happy environment.”

-Janet Zamary “Me and another one of my partners worked together, and did a pretty good job and everyone was cheering,” Johnny Bairaktaris ’16, one of the athletes, said. “When

Ms. Zamary called our names, everyone cheered and supported us from Staples to Barlow, Zamary, as the physical education teacher for adapted students, has had the additional opportunity to form relationships with athletes in and out of the classroom. The energy level, she said, is noticeably elevated when the students work with other students their own age.

Bauman scores a goal in practice and then celebrates by running a plane or [whether you see] the goal, you really see the just kids happy to be there,” Zamary said.

Not only has the program helped athletes physically improve, but partners have

gained an appreciation for the struggles and triumphs of their new friends.

Senior presidents of the club, Onorato ’15, are proud to lead a group of such hardworking fellow students. each athlete faces, I am truly inspired by their enthusiasm and the support they have for each other. It is always a great way to start my weekend,” Kristen said.

Josh Willis ’16, a member since freshman year and partner his new found gratitude developed through joining the club.

“All of the students are so happy playing soccer one hour a week, and it makes me realize how fortunate I am,” Willis said.

Inklinations What sports should Staples have?

—Andrew Puchala ’15

—Matthew Elliot ’16

—Ben Popkin ’16

—Jordan Ragland ’16

25

Amina Abdul-Kareem ’15

PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16

O

utside the lines of the track and beyond the stadium,

recognition.

“Field events are a lot more technical than running,” captain Bridget Van Dorsten ’15 said. jump, there are so many different components of the jump that one has to master in order to actually clear the bar.”

Van Dorsten, who competes in both triple jump and high jump, only gained recognition her sophomore year when she won states. Her triple jump record is 35 feet and two inches, and her high jump record is 5 feet and four inches, which is equivalent to the average height of a woman in the United States.

“Jumping requires a lot of form. You need to have very strong lower body strength and Bravo ’15 said. event where the athlete attempts to jump over a high bar, but this event requires the use of a long,

SOARING TOWARDS NEW HEIGHTS

PHOTOS BY WILL DUMKE ’16

PIN FOR THE WIN

Katelyn Deagro ’17 A record of 1-6 would leave a chip on any program’s shoulder. This year the wrestling team plans to recover from last contention in the FCIAC. Captain of the team Charles Lomanto ’15 brags of strong athletes on the mat. He named Justin Ludel ’15 and Daniel Kogstad ’15, and stated there is upperclassmen such as Jonathon Maragos ’16, Luke Montgomery “I would say that the wrestling team as a whole has past few years and especially over this past offseason,” Lomanto said.

In the offseason, many of these athletes have decided to work with club teams. Lomanto,

all on the same club team in Branford called Tugman while Montgomery wrestles for a club called Iowa Style in New York.

In addition, many wrestlers went to a camp at Cornell over the past summer to work with coaches who trained them like hours each day. The athletes also with other athletes from different schools across the United States.

“Cornell was a lot of fun,” Maragos said. “Me and three other kids went for 19 days, wrestling a day. Some of the other kids on the team came up overall we all got better and made progress. It was hard work, but we all pushed to improve in the off season.”

One of the challenges the team will have this year is forfeiting the 220 pounds and 285 pounds weight classes due to lack of depth among the heavier weight classes. They hope to overcome this by being more competitive in each match in which they have athletes competing.

According to Maragos, team this year. Last year, the team was rather young and captains to graduation- Jeremy

this year. We only lost one senior and some kids put in a lot of work over the summer,” Ludel said. We have a strong freshman class with a better team.”

both physically demanding and mentally demanding,” captain Sophia Corde ’15 said. “You have up pretty high, and then try and turn yourself over a bar. There are many potential dangers, and I often psych myself out, which is a big thing that I struggle with in my vault.”

And it is with good reason that a pole vaulter has fear.

Times, pole vaulting has the highest death rate of any sport in the entire country.

In addition to jumping throwing events. An athlete who participates in these events strengthening

the

core

and

“There are so many times where I tell people I throw shot put, and no one knows what that is,” Anika Bartie ’17 said. “Every squat I do I have to say to myself, ‘One more,’ even if it’s only the second rep. A throwing event is mentally challenging. You have to do so many things perfectly in such a short amount of time. If you mess one thing up, you mess up the entire thing.”

However, the well-known track events are the running events. A running event lasts be as long as three hours.

Tri-captain and long distance runner Oliver Hickson ’15 believes running events are well know at Staples because “track meets in our area, especially at Staples with our distancerunning oriented program, has shifted to the running events. As always get as much recognition as they deserve.”

However, there are people like Cari Moore, a coach for land they get overlooked.

“I think any event that has an outstanding performer in it will be recognized. Here at Staples we are lucky enough to have outstanding athletes in both said. “It is not as simple as just throwing, jumping or running.

The challenges for all the events, have to understand the demand that is required in order for you to have a chance at success,” McCray added.

26

Grant Sirlin ’16 Fist-clenching games are the key ingredients to sports’ many fans don’t recognize the facilitators who capture the announcers.

Steven Warshavsky ’16, the sports director of the Wrecker broadcasters play an essential role in covering the players’ performance and conveying that performance. “I give the players a ton of credit, but I do think broadcasters are overlooked,” Warshavsky said.

Mike Zito, faculty advisor not enough people realize the amount of preparation that goes into a game. He said, “We need lots of people pitching in behind the scenes,” as “thankless jobs” contribute tremendously to the In fact, sports announcers can achieve great fame by capturing the play-by-play of games. They often come up with the illustrious sayings that capture moments in sports history.

Al Michael’s “Do you believe in miracles?” and Howard Cosell’s “Down goes Frazier!” are both famous catch phrases.

Staples students also have

POSE PROUDLY

INFOGRAPHIC BY DYLAN DONAHUE ’15 INFORMATION FROM MARTY LISEVICK, STAPLES ATHLETIC COORDINATOR, AND STATISTIC BRAIN.

Chase Gornbein ’16

H

ard work pays off. That’s a given. April 15, 2015, marks the last day that an athlete can sign their letter of intent play un NCAA Division I sports. For many seniors at Staples, the recruitment process terrifying one. However, for many athletes who have already committed to college, the stress has been alleviated.

Jake Berman ’15, who committed to Bucknell relieving that he has already been accepted to a college so early in his senior year.

“Getting recruited relieves so much stress because the college process is basically over.

You don’t have to take another SAT, and you don’t need to study for hours and hours each night,” Berman said. “Committing to and enjoy my senior year.”

There are students who, although they committed, will keep up the same work ethic in the classroom.

One of these athletes is Ian Burns ’15 committed to Columbia University for baseball. He chose Columbia because of the school’s great academics, as well as the appeal of attending a school in

New York City.

Burns noted how although it is a huge relief to be accepted into a school, he will continue to work hard throughout his senior year.

“It is relieving in terms of the application process, but I put the same pressure on myself (as I did before I committed) in the classroom,” Burns said.

Jordan McNair ’15, who verbally committed to Dartmouth for soccer, believes that since there are no guarantees in Ivy League committing, the stress is still palpable, although it is less than most seniors are enduring.

“Since I went the Ivy route, they can’t give you a strict

guarantee that you will get in.

They send you a likely letter after you apply basically saying that you are likely to get in,” McNair said. “So, yeah there’s less stress but I wouldn’t say it’s completely stress free.”

However, the lowered levels of stress for these commits was not earned without pressures and tension during recruitment.

Sam Kratky ’15 said from her freshman year up until her junior year, during which she was being recruited for lacrosse at Lehigh University, she felt, “much of the stress that seniors are feeling now.”

However, Kratky is very relieved that she only has to apply

to one school now.

“Being committed has made the application process so much less stressful than it usually would be because I only have to apply to one school,” Kratky said.

their broadcasts, just on a local level. Former Staples announcer Eric Gallanty believes that preparation is key to an announcer’s success.

For Gallanty, who is currently an announcer at Syracuse University, nailing a call is equivalent to “the way an athlete feels hitting a gamewinning three.” As he was never the best athlete growing up, he loves announcing because it allows him to be “a vital part of the game without playing.”

Justin Schwebel ’16, the station’s technology specialist, loves his job as well. He feels the greatest reward of working behind the scenes is knowing that he can greatly enhance the New technology has made Wrecker broadcasting crew recently began using Tieline Technology, a tool that allows them to crispen the broadcasts of away games by sending a digital signal rather than a cell phone recently used a three-camera a football game, presenting viewers with multiple angles.

“Despite the game’s natural the way the broadcasters call thrill,” Warshavsky said.

27

’15 AND JULIA BENDER ’15

W

Anders Hovstadius ’17

hile most men, according to the Livestrong website, stand at 5’10” and are not on varsity

PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16

averages. Esposito stands far above other students at 6’4”, has seven varsity letters in football and basketball, and is captain for the boys’ varsity basketball team.

His passion for football and basketball started when he was very young, as he played

Julia Greenspan ’16 Every Staples sporting event comes with the inevitable heckling between the Superfans and the opposing sport: hockey.

Despite the usual rivalry and competitiveness between these schools, all towns learn they cheer on the boys’ Wreckers Hockey or the girls’ Stamford / Westhill /Staples team.

Staples, Weston and Shelton fans pack the bleachers to support the boys’ hockey team while Staples, Stamford and Westhill fans all support the girls’ hockey team.

his childhood. Once freshman year came around, he played on the freshman football team. During winter, he was one of the very few freshmen to have the chance to play on the varsity basketball team.

The following year Esposito landed a spot on the varsity football team, although he only played sparingly. But it was during his junior year that Esposito hit his true stride, when he became a starting middle linebacker.

While Esposito was not a captain, he demonstrated the highest levels of leadership.

“He is one of the main leaders in the locker room. He really takes charge on and off

varsity Staples running back and defensive back, said.

Esposito took pride in successes now that the fall season is over. “My greatest accomplishment in football has been the tremendous success I’ve had over the past two years and hope to continue to have in the future,” Esposito said.

Now that the football season has ended, Esposito has transitioned into basketball for the winter months.

Last winter, the boys season 5 -15. Many of the players suffered injuries, which consequently led the team to come home short of their goal for the playoffs.

However, with a new winter season under way, Esposito has high hopes. As the captain of the basketball team, Esposito looks forward to bringing strong leadership skills and a plan for success.

“I think that in order for us to have a successful program and team this year, we need to build a

strong foundation, and that starts with leadership,” Esposito said.

Varsity basketball coach, Colin Devine, says Esposito is “a tireless worker and he leads by In

fact,

Esposito

has

Tournament with his Amateur Athletic Union Team (AAU) and traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to compete with them.

“Nick is going to be an outstanding contributor to all of our successes this year on the basketball team and we’re really in all aspects of the game,” Devine said.

When his winter basketball season inevitably ends, Esposito hopes to play either football or basketball at the collegiate level. Devine supports Esposito’s ambition to continue his athletic career.

“He could play football, or basketball in college, whatever he chooses. He’s that gifted and a hard worker so, if he puts his mind to it, he could do it,” Devine said.

STANDING TALL

The boys’ team has been a popular Staples program for years, while the girls’ team is relatively new. However, despite the difference in their tenure, both teams are on the rise.

Weston High School student and two-year boys’ varsity hockey player, Ryan Johnson ’16, takes pride in the teams’ surprising success last winter.

“We were projected to have no more than four wins, but managed to come away with over double that count,” Johnson said.

The girls also had their fair share of glory on the ice as they took down powerhouses such as Greenwich, Trumbull

have yet to win any major championships, these wins helped them gain traction towards victory, two-year varsity hockey player, Rachel Stanford ’16, said.

“A team is not really built from some school mascot.

But from friendships and cooperation among people who are just committed to working on a common goal,” girls’ hockey team, said.

Like Miolene, Assistant Captain Ian Offenberg ’16 believes that high school diversity is not a factor for the boys’ team as they constantly spend time together on and off the ice, even during the

from other schools is not a struggle by any means. It’s a pleasure,” Offenberg said.

However, the differences in schools does cause complications. Captain Meg travel to Stamford for practices lot of the Staples players.

“We can’t have full team meetings after school like other teams,” she said. “So we take time out of practices, before games and at off-ice trainings to talk.”

Captain and Westhill senior Cassie Miolene ’15 also thinks it’s hard to represent all three schools equally.

“Our schools are so

different and in different areas take Staples under our wing” Miolene said.

While these schools may have competitive history, they learn to put differences aside the ice.

“We don’t even think about what schools one goes to when in season,” Stanford said. “We are just one team.”

Staples sports games are usually enlivened with a good ol’ “Let’s Go Wreckers” or the occasional “S-T-S-T-A” chant, but during hockey season, the unusual addition of cheers from rival schools adds a little motivating both teams.

SPORTS

Inside

The Wreckers

The Wrecker wrestling team gears up for the winter season.

Nick Esposito ’15 anchors football and basketball for his senior season.

Page 25

Page 27

InBrief

N TE E T S I R K 011,2013 STA PION

Boys’ Basketball

2010,2 B EA M C H A M CE BA L A N

Following a disappointing 5-15 campaign in the 2012-13 season, the boys’ basketball team is looking to turn it around this year. Led by captain Nicolaas Esposito ’15, they start the year with an important Ludlowe on Friday, Dec. 19.

Girls’ Basketball Fabian calling the shots, the girls’ basketball team is hoping to build off of their 7-13 record from last year. Tryouts will begin on Nov. 24, and the team is enthusiastic about many new, young players. The season begins on Dec.10 against Norwalk in the Staples gym.

Boys’ Swimming The boys’ swim team is in a prime position for state and FCIAC runs. Led by captains ’15 and Daniel Williams ’15, they look to build off of their

PH

C A RO OTO S BY

L IN E O’K

A N E ‘16

AM AND BE S R A B N F I F T H O N A L S I N 2014 D E C A L P TIO ERN NA T S A E IN

2014 C

P E CHAM T A T S .

ONN

IONSHI

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A L E M PA

Twins who tumble together, stay together N o, you’re not seeing double when you see Kristen Onorato ’15

the beams at their gym, Arena Gymnastics, or tumble their way to national rankings. Kristen and they have distinct personalities that set them apart.

Arena Gymnastics coach Laurie DeFrancesco has acknowledged these be more aggressive in gymnastics and Kristen more artistic,” “I think that is consistent is more passionate and intense, and content,” she said. “However, both of them are very goaloriented and always willing to work very hard.”

Growing up, the sisters shared everything, from their passion for gymnastics to their taste in music. A friendly sibling rivalry was bound to develop. began.

“But we always say, if I can’t win, I’d rather it be her than sharing a smile with her sister.

another’s sentences.

While close friends and family depend on their personalities and mannerisms to tell them apart,

Close friend Jenna Levantin

with Kristen, I could tell who “While our gymnastics she was in class because she was coaches clearly can tell us apart, the only one of the twins there,” one of them sometimes has a Levantin began. “But when I would pass one of them in the Their identical looks, hallway, I would literally avoid spanning from their hair color to eye-contact because I wasn’t sure their height if it was her to their ( K r i s t e n) c l o t h i n g “Though gymnastics is or not,” style, trip largely individual, it’s nice L e v a n t i n the average said. person up to have someone who After on a daily always has your back.” becoming basis. Just b e t t e r -Pamela Onorato ’15 f r i e n d s try telling them apart with both when they of them, are wearing matching blue Levantin learned tricks to tell Arena Gymnastics leotards, and them apart. “I can tell them have their hair slicked back into apart by their looks, but their polished ponytails. personalities are very different, “A few years ago, my coach wasn’t really paying attention ,and loves to tell stories, while when he was talking to our Kristen is so kind, and always parents, and he cheered on the has your back.”

While Kristen understanding, and never really take offense. “It’s never really a “We know whoever it is knows which one of us it actually is, they just get the names switched, which could happen to anyone, twin or not,” Kristen

on their own as they spin 720 degrees in the air or run faster than track stars toward a fourfoot-high vault, they still are able to be supportive of one another.

“Though gymnastics is largely individual, it’s nice to have someone who always has

Wilton on Dec. 17.

Girls’ Hockey

TWINS FOR THE WIN

Becky Hoving ’17

in fourth place in the Class LL state championship last season.

The team has been preparing all

the same age, we are always in the same age group for meets,” because, while it may spark competition, in the end we are sisters and teammates.”

DeFrancesco couldn’t camaraderie on the team more.

“They have competed in the same age group their entire gymnastics careers, and I have never seen anything but genuine happiness for each other’s successes and tremendous support for each other,” DeFrancesco said. year as high school gymnasts, eye on the prize. “Our goal is to “That hasn’t happened yet

look with her sister. “But, who knows? This could be our year.”

After a 5-15 season, the girls’ hockey team is steadily improving. Just two years removed from a 1-18 season, the team has its eyes on an FCIAC birth. The girls take on the Trumbull Eagles in their season opener on Dec. 10 at the Terry Conners Ice Rink in Stamford.

Boys’ Hockey This

season,

the

boys’

ever FCIAC game at the Rink at Longshore. The boys hope to improve on their 8-11-1 season with leadership from captain Ian Offenberg ’16 and a talented supporting cast of underclassmen. They open the season against RockvilleBolton-Coventry-RHAM Coop on Dec. 17 at the Milford Ice

Indoor Track Coming off of a successful outdoor season, the boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams are for a victorious year. The girls will be defending their Class LL title and Hannah Debalsi ’16 will lead the way. On the boys side, the speedy captain Luis Cruz ’15 looks to steer Staples to a triumphant season.

For continual updates, check inklingsnews.com