Jan 31 Inklings

Inklings

JJanuary 31, 2014

Founded in 1933

inklingsnews.com

Blame, solutions swirl around $2 mill shortfall Students tested by A recycling ELIZA LLEWELLYN ’14 Web Managing Editor

t the Dec. 11 Board of Finance meeting, news of a shortfall of roughly $1.9 million shook the board. Since then, questions have revolved around who’s to blame and how to make up the deficit.

“I was shocked when I heard the amount,” Board of Finance member Mike Rea said. “It was a perfect storm,” he said, referencing insurance claims that were higher than usual and a depleted reserve of money for those claims. “We got caught in the fiscal f lood.”

The $2 million is described by a number of sources as a combination of unexpected expenses and human error.

According to BOF member Tom Lasersohn, the 2013-2014 school budget was finalized with insufficent information about incoming medical claims. Claims wound up coming in about $1.1 million higher than expected from a relatively large number of high claims, including a liver and two heart transplants, RTM member Jack Klinge said. This drew down health reserves, which had already been reduced in recent years to keep budgets low. The result was a negative balance of over $500,000, which must be paid this year. Further costs include IBNR (incurred but not reported) claims, which can be paid off over time, BOF member John Pincavage said.

In addition, several of-

RACHEL TREISMAN ’15 Staff Writer

TAKING A STAND Substitute teacher and member of the Representative Town meeting John Klinge shares his opinion on the Health Insurance Fund Review Committee at a Jan. 6 Board of Education meeting.

ficials said, former Assistant Superintendent for Business Nancy Harris, once she learned of the high claims, did not alert the town in a timely fashion.

Harris did not respond to calls or emails from Inklings.

Had the high claims been reported promptly, the 20132014 budget could have been increased or altered to deal with the higher costs, RTM member Allen Bomes said.

“We owe the money no matter what, but why didn’t we know about it last spring?”

Klinge asked.

Rea had an answer. “The insurance consultant says he provided [claims] information in timely fashion to the business office, which would have been Nancy Harris,” Rea added.“The question is, should there be other controls on how she should have shared information with other people?”

According to Lasersohn, Harris gave the BOF information about claims that led the BOF to assume $369,000 would be left in reserves at the end of June 2014. However, Harris’s

PHOTO BY ALEXA DI LUCA ’15

information was incorrect, Lasersohn said; claims will bring the reserves to -$500,000.

John Horrigan, president and treasurer of the teachers union, said that teachers were asked to pay more for health insurance this school year, based on higher claims from the previous year. This in turn suggests that the schools’ insurance consultant and possibly Harris were aware of the higher claims over the summer, Horrigan said.

Continued on page 5

According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut recycled only 26% of its waste in 2010.

But this isn’t just a statewide problem: Staples has its fair share of trouble with waste disposal, too.

With constant reminders to make eco-friendly choices and not to “trash the recycling,” students are encouraged to be aware and respectful of the environment. But because of how the student body recycles, Staples might be doing more harm than good.

It is not uncommon to see recycling bins overflowing with items that are meant for the trash. Many students, such as Emily Ressler ’14, have noticed that many students pay little attention to what they’re recycling, despite the cautionary labels and signs.

“Whenever I go to recycle a bottle of water, the bin is full of stuff that belongs in the trash,” Ressler said.

While tossing a chip bag into the recycling bin may be effortless or even accidental, it presents more of a problem than most students realize.

According to AP Environmental Studies teacher Michael Aitkenhead, the custodial staff is not allowed to recycle materials that have been contaminated.

Continued on page 3

Greater choice gender-segregates gym class CLAIRE QUIGLEY ’14 Opinions Editor

Gone are the days of boys and girls huddling together under multicolored parachutes, forming alliances in the cutthroat world of freeze tag, and sacrificing themselves for fellow minnows. These epic displays of valor have ceased to exist beyond the doors of elementary school gyms.

Today, Staples’ physical

education program inadvertently segregates classes by gender, according to members of the junior class.

This year, juniors can choose the majority of their day-to-day activities. As a result of this change, students say they have noticed that girls choose activities like yoga or badminton, while boys opt for basketball and dodgeball.

Starting goalie of the varsity lacrosse team Emma Boland ’15 says that even the most athletic girls in her class often choose the activity that involves less physical contact or effort. However, Boland said she does not think the

gender segregation is bad “because people get to do what they like to do.”

This belief is shared by physical education teacher Nicole Ross, who said she personally hasn’t noticed any serious separation within her gym classes. “I’m I m indifferent to how it works out as long as the students choose the activity that they want to do. If they get to make their own choice, then hopefully they’ll be more willing to participate,” Ross said.

Others, however, feel as if the gender segregation is an issue.

Junior Paige Murray, who

has committed to Virginia Tech for lacrosse, wishes that the gender segregation within her class did not exist.

“I’m perfectly capable of playing alongside the boys in my class. I really do wish both sexes participated in the same activities. I’m an athletic person yet feel as if I’m stuck doing yoga because I don’t want to be the only girl playing football,” Murray said.

Although gender segregation would not be an issue if both sexes were forced to participate in the same activities, members of the physical education department say they are happy with how the junior

classes are performing. They have found increased participation from students who choose the activities they are most interested in, according to Ross.

DRAWING BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

Inside the Issue

New apps

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Skiing students

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NEWS

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January 31, 2014

Ice endangers pedestrians on campus ELLIE GAVIN ’14 & JESSICA GROSS ’15 Staff Writer & Web News Editor

Y

ou step onto the sidewalk on a cold January morning, hood up, snow boots on, scarf wrapped around your neck. You really thought today was going to be a snow day, so your morning was already off to a bad start when suddenly, your feet lose traction. You experience the stomach-sinking sensation of slipping across a sheet of black ice that you didn’t see until you were already halfway to landing none-too-gracefully on your bottom on the cold wet pavement.

If you have ever found yourself in this scenario, you are not alone. One in three Staples students who responded to an online survey through the school’s gmail say that they have fallen in the parking lots walking to or from school this year.

“I was walking out up to the front door and I looked ahead to make sure there wasn’t any ice ahead, when out of nowhere, a patch of ice that blended in perfectly with the sidewalk in front of the front door appeared,” one Staples junior who asked to be unnamed said. “My feet kicked forward while my head got thrown backwards, smashing my body to the sidewalk and throwing all of the books in my bag all over the place.”

In addition to causing embarrassment and injury, some students have suffered property

damage.

“Last year, one of my friends slipped at school, fell, scraped her hands, and completely broke her brand new iPhone. Not crackedbroken,” Jaydah Cannon ’16 said.

“The snow removal is adequate (not great), but there is usually a layer of ice under the snow that seems to be ignored,” science teacher David Rollison said.

Students say there are even certain areas they now avoid for fear of falling. Olivia Jones ’15 mentions a few particularly bad spots.

“I was walking down the ramp by the entrance to the theatre hallway and fell right on my butt,” she said. Walking from the Wakeman parking areas also is treacherous, she added.

However, these incidents are not always reported to the administration. After a particularly icy day in December, Principal John Dodig said that he did not receive a single complaint about conditions on the Staples grounds.

John Horrigan, Westport teachers’ union president, is in charge of fielding issues between the staff and the administration.

Horrigan says he believes that the administration does a good job of keeping parking lots safe for students and teachers and that they respond to complaints efficiently.

“It’s in their best interest to keep it safe -- it’s complicated if a teacher gets injured, so the administration doesn’t want to deal with it. They are invested in making sure it’s safe.”

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY LIANA SONENCLAR ’14 14

If such an injury were to occur, there are methods in place to ensure that the teacher is heard and the problem is taken care of.

“If a teacher does notice unsafe situations, they should tell the principal, and if it still doesn’t get resolved, they should take a picture and send it to one of the union presidents.”

Horrigan says that, so far, he has received no such pictures.

“Our custodians begin working early in the morning to clear the sidewalks, paths and lots to make it safe,” Dodig said.

However, the administration can only maintain the parking lots on school property. Twothirds of surveyed students say

they know someone who has gotten into a weather-related car accident commuting to school, and eight out of 10 say they have, at one point or another, felt unsafe commuting themselves.

“Every year in the winter, someone comes to class late saying there were accidents all down the roads,” Cannon said. Cannon also says that at times, she has opted to stay home on a school day because she felt it was dangerous out.

Not everyone feels as strongly. Simon Berger ’17 said, “I have occasionally felt a little unsafe coming to school in a car or bus due to ice, although I trusted my parents or bus driver.”

Southern schools get the jump on AP tests BAILEY ETHIER ’15 News Editor

The pages of AP review books are flipped back and forth, calculator buttons are rapidly pressed and flash cards are turned over and over.

The two-week period starting on May 5 and ending on May 13 is one of the most stressful stretches of the year for many Staples students as they prep for AP exams.

But it may not be this stressful everywhere. Some students have weeks more to prepare for the college-level tests.

For Staples students taking an AP exam this school year, there are 153 school days before May 5, the date of the first AP exam.

However, across the nation, many school districts, especially southern school districts, begin earlier in the year and have more school days prior to AP exams. For example, the Atlanta Independent school district has 165 school days before AP exams, 12 more than Staples students do.

Some think the extra school days prior to the exams that these southern students have give them an advantage on the exams.

“Clearly, it’s an advantage because, the more class meetings you have prior to the test, the better off you’re going to be,” math teacher Bill Walsh, who has taught AP Statistics in previous school years, said.

Despite this supposed advantage, according to US News’ 2013 rankings of US high schools, 90 percent of the AP exams taken

by Staples students were passing grades. In Huntsville City Schools, students had 12 more days before AP exams and took the exams at

six of the seven high schools where the average exam passing rates were 72, 58, 40, 21, 11 and 5 percent.

Despite the numbers, some Staples teachers feel that they are at a disadvantage since they have to teach at a faster pace.

“I don’t feel rushed in terms of the presentation, but I feel rushed in terms of not being able to go over things a couple of times and to show kids more examples of how to do things,” AP Chemistry teacher William Jones said.

Walsh agreed with Jones that the pace of AP classes is faster than he would like. “What’s taught on any given day is sometimes determined more by where their teacher has to be at that point in time rather than the students’ understanding,” Walsh said.

However, AP US History teacher Daniel Heaphy said he didn’t see the southern states’ advantage as “a big deal.”

“There are so many other more important factors in [student] performance [than the amount of school days]: poverty rates, parent’s education, educational system in the state they’re in,” Heaphy said. “I would put [the number of school days] rather low on the list.”

Despite having fewer days before AP exams than southern schools, according to Principal John Dodig, Staples students are taking more AP tests each year and the average AP test scores at Staples have increased. “Our teachers take it seriously; they’re well trained [and] educated, and our students are hardworking, motivated, and, when you put that all together in one pot, that’s how we get the outcome.”

GRAPHIC BY JULIA SCHORR ’16

Juniors slip and slide from Wakeman AMINA ABDUL-KAREEM EM ’15 Staff Writer

From rain, sleet and snow, and now ice, students struggle walking down the slippery slope from Wakeman to Staples.

Clutching onto the fence to avoid suffering from wounds, cuts, scrapes or bruises has become relatively normal for the juniors who did not get junior parking in November, according to six students recently interviewed.

“The parking lot is plowed when it snows heavily, but there is still snow that freezes overnight into the morning and makes ice for us to slip on,” Emily Lewis ’15 said.

Although ice has become a major issue at Wakeman, students themselves are risking their own safety.

“Whether it’s Wakeman, you’re driving, or the parking lot, when there is ice, I suggest taking the bus,” Principal John Dodig said.

Since there is no clear path to walk on, the hill going down to Staples from Bedford is a very steep area covered in ice, which can be the most slippery part of the walk, students said.

“I’ve heard the generic ‘I slipped down the hill,’” Nica Wardell ’15 said. Others said that the slip can even be twice as dangerous when students run from Wakeman in order to be on time since the walk is long.

“I wear LL Bean boots because they have really good traction, so I don’t slip on the ice,” Sammy Phillips ’15 said. Other students take precaution by walking on grass and stone to avoid walking on the pavement with ice.

“It is so easy to slip at Wakeman; in fact, the other day, I slipped and had to call my mom.

I was bleeding and my knees were all bruised,” Colby Kranz ’15 said. “The area is never wellmaintained; I kn know a lot of peove injured themselve ple who have themselves as well.”

News

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

Recycling rules confuse students Continued from page 1

In other words, once a student puts food or other non-recyclable waste into the recycling bin, the entire contents of that bin are disposed of as garbage rather than recyclables. This has potentially devastating environmental effects.

“Recycling reduces the amount of waste entering landfills and cuts down on the amount of raw materials that we pull out of the earth to provide the materials and products we use,” explained Aitkenhead in an e-mail interview. “So when we don’t recycle and just throw it in the trash, we add to the problem of resource depletion and waste accumulation.”

Such a serious problem, especially in a town that has even banned plastic retail bags to encourage environmental consciousness, raises questions.

Mainly, if so many students are in favor of going green, why are they not doing their part?

Principal John Dodig speculates that maybe students recycle correctly at home, but from what he has observed, they don’t during the school day.

“I stand in the hallway between every class,” said Dodig.

“Seven times a day I see students finish a water bottle and throw it in the garbage. They don’t even look for a recycling bin; they just throw it away.”

Sarah Fox ’14, co-president of Club Green, believes part of the problem might be that the signs can be confusing, so students ultimately choose to ignore them.

“Frequently the signage isn’t clear, and students mix the trash and recycling,” said Fox. “We definitely need to revamp the distinction in the classrooms.”

Not all students put garbage in the recycling bins, but those who do prevent the entire contents of the bins from being disposed of properly. Even if nine out of ten students pay careful attention to

where they put their trash, just one person “contaminating” the recyclables renders the whole bin garbage.

Over the years, various efforts have tried to encourage students to recycle properly. Past initiatives have ranged from recycling competitions and prizes to collecting water bottles to raise money, but none of them have been successful.

“It has ultimately been lack of student interest or compliance that has led to these initiatives failing,” said Aitkenhead, who believes that without student support, none of these plans will work.

While initiatives have been unsuccessful in the past due to student apathy, many students say they care about the recycling problem and want to help.

Julia Greene ’15, who is running an environmental initiative for Staples Players, believes that it is up to students, not custodians, to solve the problem.

“I feel optimistic because the problem could be solved rather easily but disappointed that it exists in the first place,” said Greene. “The best way to fix this situation works in two parts. We need to make sure we recycle correctly so we don’t add more work to the custodians’ jobs, and the custodians need to do their part and recycle it. But they can’t do their job until we do ours.”

And according to many students, this job isn’t very difficult.

“We should be responsible enough to pay attention when we throw things out,” said Ressler.

Principal Dodig believes that if Staples students show that recycling is an issue they care about, change will visible immediately.

“We have 1900 kids. If this became an issue for them, we would have 100% of our recyclables recycled,” said Dodig. “If it was important to Staples High School students, it would be done already.”

InBrief Local Headlines

Early Decision II gives a soft landing MICHAEL MATHIS ’15 Staff Writer

There are the colleges students apply to Early Decision.

And there are the colleges that they apply to Regular Decision.

But this year, Maddy McCartin ’14 noticed another check box on her Common App. The label: Early Decision II. Staples High School counselor Victoria Capozzi says that Early Decision II is very much like Early Decision I. Though the applications are usually due Jan. 1, around the same time as Regular Decision applications, students learn whether the school has accepted them around February. Unlike Regular Decision, however, students are obligated to attend if accepted.

As of December 2012, The Examiner reported that 72 American universities offer ED II. Although this is less than one percent of all universities in the US, many wonder if the number will increase in the coming years.

Baxter Stein ’14, who was deferred from his ED I school, thinks that numbers will rise as colleges become more competitive. Stein says that his ED II school picks about two-thirds of its freshman class in the fi rst

SHS Curriculum and AP Open House

GRAPHIC BY AMY PERELBERG ’15

two ED rounds; he believes that showing commitment to a college improves slightly your chances of getting in. While it may be a small advantage, he says, it’s a necessary one.

“Everyone just hopes for the best, but you need to prepare for everything else,” he said.

McCartin agrees that ED II should become more popular, explaining that the option is less stressful due to its later deadline but still gives students the early notice.

“Sometimes I wish everyone applied early because then we only have one part of the year where everyone freaks out,” McCartin wrote in a Facebook inbox.

However, Capozzi reminds students that they should put some serious thought in before applying ED II, adding that students who apply ED I and get deferred will not be considered in the regular pool if they are accepted ED II. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Did I love the school enough to keep it in the regular round?’” she said.

Capozzi believes the option should become more popular but explains that it isn’t necessarily for everyone.

“Every student’s case is individual,” she said.

Students persevere through hardship CAROLINE COHEN ’15 A&E Editor

On a typical day, you can hear complaints through the hallways.

One student “actually just failed” her government test. Another forgot his phone in the car; some had to brave the treacherous walk from Wakeman.

Yet, not all students have complaints like those. Some face difficulties on a completely different level than school: sickness and serious hardship that they must endure.

However, a number have taken the tragedy that they are dealt and turned it around.

When Phoebe Spear ’17 was 11 years old, she was first diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, and underwent treatment and surgeries for the next two years at Sloan-Kettering.

Although she might have been young, Spear was inspired to go above and beyond. She explained how during her first time in the hospital, she kept thinking of getting out of the hospital, being done with treatment, and starting to help other kids like her.

“If you have cancer, you have no control over the disease; you are helpless when it comes to if the treatment is successful,” Spear said. “I could no longer stand the feeling of being helpless. That is when I decided to start Phoebe’s Phriends.”

Spear explained how she want-

ed to start the organization to fund trials for new forms of chemotherapy: one with less treatment.

“If I could do that, I would be the happiest person on the planet.” said Spear And that is what she is working to do.

“She always thinks about how she can make others happy,” said longtime friend Catherine Delaurentis ’17, “ She wants to help others that have been in the same situation as her.”

Junior Xenia Bradley ’15 and her family also took an experience with illness and seized the opportunity to help others. Bradley’s family started Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research to raise money after their aunt passed away from leukemia.

“We started the club because we wanted to help out with the foundation in any way that we could,” Bradley said.

Other students have endured tragedy but turned around the experience by giving back. Junior Cara MacDonald continued a fundraiser started last year by her friends. The goal was to give back to the hospital and rehabilitation center where she was treated after being struck by a car. The fundraiser was a way for her and her friends to reverse course, to be thankful for her good recover and to give thanks to those who’d helped her.

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Feb. 4 From 7:00-9:00 on Tuesday night, Staples will be open to students and parents to learn more about prospective classes for next year. The snow date is Feb. 12. Course selection will occur for all grades in March at a date to be determined.

ACT Testing Feb. 8 The ACT will be administered Saturday, Feb. 8 with the next test not being until April 12. Students should arrive at their test sites by 8:00 am. Staples is not a test site.

PSAT Simulation for Sophomores March 1 Westport Continuing Education will be holding a PSAT simulation for current sophomores. Students can register on the Continuing Education website. The fee is $40 until Feb. 14 and $45 thereafter. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, February 26.

Tuition Grants Application Available March 15 The Staples Tuition Grants 2014 application is now available for interested seniors. The application is available on the program’s website and the deadline to apply is March 15. Grants are awarded based solely on fi nancial need.

Barnes and Noble “My Favorite Teacher” Contest March 1

STAYING THE COURSE: Xenia Bradley ’15 (left) and Cara MacDonald ’15 embody the tenacious spirit possessed by many Staples students.

PHOTO BY LIANA SONENCLAR ’14

“I wanted to actually give back on my part by fundraising,” MacDonald said.

“Cara wanted to continue our fundraising idea because she was able to see firsthand how the donations helped the facilities and tools at the hospital,” Hannah Berggren ’15 said. “If it wasn’t for their remarkable work, Cara may not have had such a quick and amazing recovery.”

Money from both years’ fundraisers went to purchase iPads for teenagers in recovery.

Money does not always need to be the source of turning tragedy around. When Justin Slosberg ’15, was diagnosed with leukemia his freshman year he maintained a positive outlook.

“It’s not tragic,” said Slosberg ’15. “See what I did there? I viewed what most people would view as a disadvantage as an opportunity to strengthen myself and gain a fresh perspective on life. Everything is only what you make it out to be: you can pity the situation and wallow in the obvious facts of why it’s unfortunate, or you can come from a higher place.”

He noted how he was able to stay positive with the help of his friends and peers, who supported him by continuing to treat him normally and not like a victim.

“Adversity can either beat you down or make you a lot stronger,” Slosberg said. “And that’s your decision to make.”

Students can now enter an original essay, poem or thank-you letter describing the way in which a teacher has influenced their lives. Entries must be no more than 500 words in length and are due in the Library Learning Commons by March 1. The national winner will receive $5,000 for the teacher and $5,000 for Staples.

Rotary Four Way Speech Contest Feb. 14 The Rotary Four Way Speech Contest will occur Feb. 14 in the library during lunch. Contestants are asked to answer the question “What is the right thing to do?” with speeches touching on four elements of decision-making.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 10. A cash prize is being awarded to the winner.

For continual updates check www.inklingsnews.com

4 News

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

Communication Time is a luxury science can’t afford EMMA BERRY ’15 & ZOE BROWN ’15 Staff Writer & Features Editor

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taples offers over 160 courses, ranging from child development to personal finance and marine biology. There are 180 school days in a year and eight periods in a day. It’s a lot. But there are sacrifices, like extended labs instead of Good Morning Staples.

“There is no perfect schedule,” Principal John Dodig said. ““The outcome is great; our kids do well. One of the things we have to live with is that science will not always see Communication Time,” he added.

Commonly, students complain that they are often forced to surrender Communication Time to make room for lab set-up or lab work or note-taking in science classes. Many students say they enjoy the relaxed nature of the show, or informal conversations with teachers.

Sarah Herbsman ’15 said that frequently, her extended science periods are not used for labs but are just 80 minutes straight of normal class and that she, along with the rest of her class, wastes five minutes every extended class period complaining about not

watching the morning show.

Along with Hersbman, Jamie Tanzer ’15 also finds that her science periods with Communication Time are not usually used for anything like labs.

“In my sciences classes we use Communication Time just as a longer class period; we don’t really do labs or anything very often,” Tanzer said.

What students may not know is that the decision to cut Communication Time came only after long and thoughtful discussions and that science, overall, needs the time.

“When the schedule that we have currently was first established, one of the compromises that was made was a sort of under-scheduling of science lab periods,” A.J. Scheetz, Science Department Chair, said. “We have far fewer minutes for lab experiences and science than any of the other school districts in our area.”

For example, Darien High School has an eight day rotation where seven periods meet every day. According to Principal Ellen Dunn, twice during this rotation, the science periods are doubled for labs and then honors and AP science classes have an additional double lab period.

Like Darien , Fairfield Ludlowe High School has science classes meeting five times a week and then twice a week, these periods are doubled to make room for labs. And instead of something like Communication Time, Fairfield Ludlowe makes announcements over the loudspeaker during homeroom.

Staples went a different route. The Student Handbook says, “The purpose of the Communication Time period is to create an informed school community, which fosters greater and more effective engagement in the overall life of Staples High School.”

However, science classes are allowed to skip the Good Morning Staples show or communitybuilding class discussions, to ensure that the time in that extended period compensates for lost science time.

Communication Time is highly valued by Staples students and teachers. Even science teacher William Jones regrets that he doesn’t have sufficient time to get through the necessary class work and also watch the morning show in an extended period.

“I wish I could watch Communication Time, not to get to know my students, because I do

that anyway, but because I think it’s valuable. But I just can’t take time away from the labs,” Jones said.

Students and faculty alike feel the drawbacks that missing the morning show creates. Claire Saracena ’15 believes that being knowledgeable about what’s happening in the school, such as fundraisers or sports team updates, is vital to feeling connected within the Staples community.

“If we’re part of the school, we should be aware of what’s going on inside of it,” Saracena said.

Communication Time also provides an opportunity for students and teachers to interact in a less strenuous way.

English teacher Brian Tippy values the time allotted to getting to know students within the classroom without the added stress of curricular obligations.

“You get a chance to build relationships with students that are really helpful,” Tippy said.

It’s difficult for some students to accept that the time designated for communication would not be used by science classes in the way in which it was intended.

Although some think it’s a burden to use the extended Communication Time period to work,

others see the compromise as worthwhile because it eliminates the opportunity for unfinished class work to become additional homework.

“Well, usually if we don’t finish the lab during class, we have to finish it for homework, so I’d rather just finish it in class where I can ask [my teacher] questions rather than at home” Victoria Finley ’16 said.

No matter the reason for a science class to not be participating in Communication Time, Scheetz trusts that teachers make the best of the extra time, especially since, he said, there are no expectations that science teachers will use Communication Time for communicating or watching the show.

“I’m confident that [science teachers] are using those 15 minutes, that in other classes might be for Communication Time, for instruction,” he said.

Dodig said he recognizes the sacrifices but believes the school has made a good choice..

“Nothing is perfect; nothing is ideal,” Dodig said. “The grass seems greener on the other side until you get there and you find out that you have to spend $10,000 a year on fertilizer.”

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY CADENCE NEENAN ’15

School community connects with “Good Morning Staples” KELSEY SHOCKEY ’14 Web Sports Editor

Wednesday and Thursday mornings seem to be the happiest days of the week, especially with the “Happy Tip of the Week.”

During Communication Time, “Good Morning Staples” comes to the rescue by providing some entertainment for the school after a week of non-stop work.

More importantly, there is news-worthy material that informs students and teachers what is going on around Staples.

But that smile can very quickly turn into a frown when a show isn’t produced. Therefore, Communication Time can go either way when this happens.

On the bright side, it gives time for classes to talk and

catch up with fellow peers.

English teacher Alex Miller likes to discuss current events with his classes. “I think it’s a great way to get to know my students and keep a finger on the pulse of the school’s culture. I tend to get a very English-specific view of things during my routine. Also, when GMS is on, it allows me to see outside of my department and connect with the larger school community.”

On the dark side, Communication Time can easily be taken advantage of. “Some teachers don’t let students have their Communication Time even when the show is airing, and instead, they teach for the whole 80 minutes,” Greg Weiner ’14 said.

Most of the time, it depends on which class students are in.

For instance, science classes use this period to do labs.

TV production class member, Steven Warshavsky ’16, feels strongly about the show being shown in its entirety to students. “I am not trying to be biased, but they’re really missing out. There are always interesting pieces in the show that people worked hard on that others never get to see,” Warshavsky said.

Warshavsky also commented that for anyone who misses the show, they should talk to Jim Honeycutt or Mr. Zito and ask when the shows are going on Youtube so they can still get a chance to watch.

Ignoring the show can be very detrimental to many students, especially since it’s so hard to listen and be interested in a certain subject for such a long period of time.

“I don’t have an issue with teachers who elect to teach

through Communication Time, but I do feel like there’s a type of learning that can occur during Communication Time that can be as important as what happens during traditional classroom activities,” Miller said.

News

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

Students advocate for more AP classes ALE BENJAMIN ’15 Opinions Editor

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taples students seek challenge.

Considering they’re offered a grand total of 22 Advanced Placement (AP) classes, ranging from Multivariable Calculus to Studio Art, many find the trial they desire.

According to Staples’ 2013 profile, around 497 Staples students took 1,108 AP exams last year, a 58 percent participation rate.

In addition, Staples offers more AP classes than most other schools in the area, next to schools like New Canaan with 15, Ludlowe with 16 and Greenwich with 21.

A curriculum this rich is constantly in motion, and Staples’ variety of APs available is sometimes expanded.

Just this year, AP Human Geography was rumored to be headed

to Staples, but Social Studies Department head James D’Amico says this is no longer true.

“Originally, when we had proposed Contemporary World Studies as a required junior year course, part of that plan was to have a similar [option] at the AP level,” D’Amico said.

However, Human Geography would not have been effective within the social studies department without a mandatory counterpart, and the plan died.

Students have pondered other new AP courses like Art History and Psychology, as well.

An A-level art history class exists but doesn’t always garner enough students to run.

Sophie Call ’16 and her friends tried rallying students for a class last year but couldn’t find enough.

However, Call’s strong passion for

AP ART HISTORY examines the development of art and art forms from a global perspective in order to help students better evaluate works based on aesthetic value.

the subject fuels her determination.

“I’ve always found it really interesting. I love surrealism because it really makes you think, and sometimes you don’t understand it, but that’s also its point,” Call said.

Call hopes others will find incentive to investigate the topic.

“Having an AP class could encourage people to learn,” she said.

Students may also seek extended learning in psychology, a very popular half-year elective.

“It is definitely a subject that requires a lot of thinking and understanding, but, at the same time, there is a lot of information to tackle,” Claire Sampson ’15 said.

However, psychology teacher Rob Rogers sees no need for a curriculum change.

“The joy of Intro to Psychology is it’s a subject that we can all buy into and can use our own life stories

to help us understand,” he said. “If a student wants more, they’ll find it.

But I think I’ve only seen one kid take the AP Psychology test in the past three to four years.”

Trumbull High School junior Jacob Robbins currently takes AP Psychology, one of about 16 AP courses at Trumbull. Robbins says the popularity of the class strongly supports it. The course’s four full classes total 120 students.

Robbins described a creative project the class once did that demonstrated the psychology of observational learning.

“One group taught Irish step dancing. Another person taught fish tail braids, [another] how to make origami,” he said.

Many at Staples might enjoy such unique challenges. However, D’Amico identifies a key hurdle in adding any new AP course: suffi-

5

cient teaching staff.

“If we want to add a new course, we want to make sure we have enough teachers to teach it,” he said.

He notes this as a possibility for an AP Art History class. “[Teachers] usually propose things under their areas of expertise, and, as far as I know, we don’t have any art history majors,” he said.

D’Amico says AP Psychology has been requested before but never with serious enough intent to ignite curriculum change. He praises the current psychology course for focusing intently on student interest but understands desire for an AP level course.

“AP is a brand just like Apple or Coke; it’s a reliable thing. Students are attracted to that, and I don’t blame them,” he said.

AP PSYCHOLOGY is intended to give students an understanding of not only the science of but also the ethical concerns surrounding various pyschological phenomena and theories.

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY is intended to improve students’ understanding of the earth’s physical environment and how it has shaped socioeconomic and political conditions.

GRAPHICS BY NATE ROSEN ’14

BOE reports budget shortfall Continued from page 1

Klinge feels that responsibility for the shortfall should be shared. “In the Navy, you would blame both the captain and the person directly involved,” Klinge said. “Both Superintendent Elliott Landon and Nancy Harris share responsibility, Harris with the execution and Landon with the management.”

Town officials said they now are most concerned with any procedural missteps that may have led to the shortfall.

“The RTM is looking at it in the context of how did it happen, how can we prevent it from happening again, and how can we deal with it in the upcoming budget year,” Klinge said.

The town will investigate the procedural glitch with a $15,000 audit, Rea said.

The BOE had initially wanted to hire their own auditor, but the other town bodies authorized funding for the town’s auditor, Bomes said.

This ensures that results of the review will be shared outside of the BOE. “People are shocked and hoping that this is just the extent of it and it’s not worse,” Rea said. “The audit is a way of assuring this. The public deserves an independent assessment, not just one body reviewing its own costs.”

The board wants to wait for the audit, which BOE Chair Elaine Whitney called an “external operational review,” before making procedural changes.

“We are committed to ensuring that we have strong oversight and appropriate controls. The governance of taxpayer funds is one of our highest priorities.”

The shortfall will have concrete results this year.

It will probably result in the BOE’s request for an appropriation of $700,000 from the Board of Finance, BOF members said.

This money would pay claims that have come due, with a narrow cushion to spare. Rea and BOF member John Pincavage were not concerned about pro-

Teacher evaluations change the job MEGAN ROOT ’15 Staff Writer

GRAPHIC BY NATE ROSEN ’14

Over time, the town can address IBNR costs. These claims resemble oil entering a pipeline. Although claims enter and travel through the pipeline, they do not need to be paid until exiting the pipe. Because claims are continuously entering and exiting, it is more crucial to immediately pay off a cash shortfall of over $500,000. Roughly $1.3 million in IBNR can be paid off over multiple years.

viding this amount, citing the BOF’s own rainy day funds. The BOE is also looking for savings in the current fiscal year, with $240,000 so far from this year’s budget to be reallocated, Whitney said.

In the 2014-2015 school budget, the shortfall will have more long-reaching results.

Roughly 2.2 percent of the proposed increase of 6.51 per-

cent to the 2014-2015 budget stems from the shortfall: regular, anticipated claims will need to be paid, and there are no funds in reserve. Some money will also go towards rebuilding the reserve fund.

The proposed budget will continue to be examined by the BOE and will be voted on in early Feb. From there, it will be reviewed by the BOF and RTM.

What makes a good teacher?

It’s a question Bill Gates has spent $45 million trying to answer and one that has troubled politicians and educators across the country.

Staples’ new state-mandated teacher evaluation system tries to answer that question with numbers.

Educators now have to write “Student Learning Objectives”–a.k.a.

SLO goals–and gather data to show the teachers achieved them, supposdely proving effective teaching.

But some teachers suggest the system cuts into time that’s best spent teaching and discussing curriculum, focusing efforts on something that’s not entirely necessary and maybe not even possible.

“We’re already high-performing,” math teacher Robin Sacilotto pointed out. “We’re jumping through hoops when we don’t really need to.”

Sacilotto objects to the amount of time the new system eats up. She estimates the timed practice problems she uses to gather data for SLO goals cost her about four hours of class time a year.

On top of this, Sacilotto says, teachers are spending time outside of class learning how to properly complete all the formal steps the new system requires. These hours used to be spent in department meetings, and so she feels she has lost the chance to “bounce ideas off other teachers” and really talk about how to engage students.

Social Studies department chair James D’Amico says his department has also cut back on conversations about class content. He says it’s not really a change in responsibilities; they are doing the same things they were before, but now it takes longer.

“It’s a much more drawn-out and specified process,” D’Amico says.

According to the written plan, the point of these formal steps is to determine whether teachers have met specific standards that describe “what excellent teaching looks like.”

A teacher gets ratings from SLO goal success, administrator evaluations, parent feedback, etc.,

and these ratings add up to a final score. That score places the teacher in one of four categories, ranging from “Exemplary” to “Below Standard.”

The quantitative nature of this process has English teacher Anne Fernandez a little nervous.

“We are trying to help make better humans, which is pretty messy, complicated work” Fernandez said. “It’s not necessarily something that can be measured.”

Everett Sussman ’15 agrees that a quantitative approach to evaluating teachers isn’t effective. However, his experience with SLO goals was not completely numerical. He answered a free-response question in physics class, and he thought it was a decent assessment of his thinking.

By looking at the shown work in a free response question, Sussman said, “Teachers get a better understanding of what is going on in the mind of the student.”

Science teacher Joel Kabak argues that teachers do these kinds of evaluations anyway, without the formal instructions of the new system. His SLO goals aim to improve things he would have been working on whether or not there was an evaluation system in place.

“All I’ve had to do is modify [my approach] so I can put the whole thing down on paper and show it to anybody who might have trouble understanding what I’m doing,” Kabak said. He doesn’t think the plan has really improved anything.

John Horrigan, one of the presidents of the teachers’ union, agrees with Kabak, saying that the system Westport had in place before was fine.

“There were not really any problems in the old system that [the changes] addressed,” Horrigan said.

Instead, all the new steps have made things a little chaotic. Union representatives have been working with legislators to improve the situation.

“Part of the problem is that there is a huge amount of confusion on the part of teachers and administrators on what exactly we are supposed to do,” Horrigan said. “That’s something we are going to have to work out.”

6

OPINIONS January 31, 2014

Communication is key

C

ommunication Time is one of the simple pleasures in life. It’s a well-needed break in the day.

It’s salvation when a free gets dropped. It’s a chance to relax and connect with something other than a PowerPoint presentation. It’s 15 minutes, but hey, it’s something.

Inklings EDITORIAL

Sure Communication Time sounds insignificant, but for students it can have a big impact. Beneath our sometimes automatonic, grade-grubbing

Silver Crown Award for Inklingsnews.com from Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2012 Silver Crown Award for Newspaper Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2012 Pace Maker Finalist from National Scholastic Press Association 2013

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.

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

exteriors, we are human beings hard-wired for some non-academic interaction, if only 45 minutes a week.

So when teachers choose to forgo this short break in the game for an 80-minute stretch of lesson time–even for what we’re sure is always a highly stimulating and well-planned class– our cold metal hearts sink just a little bit. How are we to analyze the meter of a Dickinson poem to start off the class when our ears are piqued

by Good Morning Staples’ opening notes playing in the hallway?

There is obviously inherent value in any and all class time, but this doesn’t cancel out the value of a little commu-

nication time. While we are not learning academically during this time, we are still learning: about current events, about each other, about our teachers and their lives and experiences outside of how they graded the midterm.

And we aren’t just trying to get out of a lesson plan. We like being prepared for the next test or graded discussion. We like knowing that we learned all of the necessary material.

But we think we can cover all of it and have Communication Time, too.

Getting a 15-minute break allows us to release energy and makes the remaining 65 minutes of the period more productive. Sitting through an

80-minute period can be hard, and glances at the clock or the MyStaples app become much more frequent.

If teachers prioritize communication time while planning their classes, everyone benefits.

Teachers have a focused class, and students are better able to pay attention. But more importantly, students can establish a comfortable relationship and an open line of communication with their teachers and peers.

With the current push by the school system to improve school climate and in light of the attention being paid to mental health in schools after incidents like Sandy Hook, Com-

munication Time feels like an invaluable opportunity to make progress in these goals.

Communication Time provides a rare opportunity for students who may not sit at the same end of the cafeteria to interact with each other on common ground. Similarly, it is undoubtedly difficult to establish a meaningful student-teacher relationship within the confines of a lecture, but communication allows a short block of time where it’s ok to get off topic and where nothing students say will be held against them in a quarter average.

These sorts of interactions characterize the kind of healthy and welcoming school community we all want.

Editors-in-Chief Katie Cion Hannah Foley

News Editors Bailey Ethier Claudia Landowne Claire Lewin Cadence Neenan

Web News Editors Ben Goldschlager Jessica Gross

Creative Director Olivia Crosby

Managing Editors Rachel Labarre Will McDonald Web Managing Editors Ryder Chasin Eliza Llewelyn Breaking News Managing Editors Sophie DeBrujin Aaron Hendel Social Media Editor Simon Stracher Graphics Coordinator Nate Rosen Photo Coordinator Liana Sonenclar Assistant Photo Coordinators Liz Hogan Justine Seligson

Opinions Editors Alexandra Benjamin Jackie Cope Larissa Lieberson Claire Quigley Features Editors Greta Bjornson Zoe Brown Andrea Frost Sophia Hampton A&E Editors Caroline Cohen Olivia Kalb Emma Muro Katie Settos Sports Editors Claudia Chen Gabrielle Feinsmith Deanna Hartog Connor Hardy

Web Opinions Editors Abbey Fernandez Eliza Yass Web Features Editors Jimmy Ray Stagg Caroline Rossi Web A&E Editors Kaila Finn Nicole DeBlasi Web Sports Editors Bobby Jacowleff Kelsey Shockey Business Manager Elizabeth Camche Assistant Business Managers Kacey Hertan Jack Zeldes

Video Editor Grace Kosner Advisers Mary Elizabeth Fulco Lauren Francese Rebecca Marsick Julia McNamee 70 North Ave. Westport, CT 06880 Phone: (203) 341–1994 Inklingsnews@gmail.com Decisions of Inklings 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.

Opinions Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

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GRAPHIC BY JULIA SCHORR ’16

Taming the language beast JUSTINE SELIGSON ’15 Staff Writer

F

rom its bizarre vocabulary to its excruciating grammar, the structure of the English language is organic chemistry combined with astrophysics.

Though it’s my mother tongue, I might as well be just learning it as a non-native speaker. I mean, I have a better comprehension of Latin grammar.

So, being the linguistics nerd that I am, here are my suggestions to improve this less-than perfect language.

1. Have one sound for each letter. Most letters have at least two contrasting melodies. Needless to say, mastery of our pho-

nology is futile. I particularly detest C. Sometimes it’s soft, hard or pronounced as if there’s an h after it.

Why? It would be the greatest gift for everyone if each sound were arranged with one letter.

That’s right. One sound equals one letter. We’ll have to expand the alphabet. But, hey, look at Icelandic. It has done such and is spoken in the nation with the lowest crime rate.

2. Reduce irregularity.

We’ve all wondered this at some point: if goose is geese, why is moose not meese? Sure, every language has its share of irregular nouns, verbs, adjective, etc.

It seems, though, that in English the extremes are such that there’s no such thing as regularity. I’ve had trouble with this as a native speaker and bet it’s hell for nonnatives.

We should restructure all the major words in English so that there’s a little more correlation.

This will certainly keep you from making basic mistakes and that nun from scolding you and complaining about “children’s pitiful grammar these days.”

3. Give nouns genders. I’m all for an equal, gender-blind society. But we desperately need the grammatical version of genders. One-fourth of the world’s languages, not including English,

have such lingual distinctions, which can gladly dictate everything from articles to suffixes.

This helps defog one’s knowledge of a language.

Say, two contrasting words sound similar, but one is masculine and the other is feminine.

Then there’ll be less confusion on which is correct. Our society is messy enough. The last thing we can afford to keep is the closeness between “compliment” and “complement” without further categorization.

4. Have a quota for certain words. “Awesome,” “trend” and many others are overpopulating to absurdity in our daily vocabulary. With this, they mesh into a

Go rec or go home BOBBY JACOWLEFF ’14 Web Sports Editor

Every Thursday night between the hours of 7 and 10, the Staples field house is an eclectic collection of skill, swag, jokes, and competition.

It is the home of recreational basketball.

The games last just three hours of each week, but rec basketball is eternal.

It lives on through the wee hours of the night and the school-filled hours of the day in the rec basketball Facebook group. This group is the home of everything rec basketball: demeaning trash talk, thousand word game predictions, and, once in a blue moon, a topic actually related to basketball.

“Rec basketball isn’t just a sport. It’s the reason I get out

of bed every Thursday, it’s a lifestyle,” fourth year player Adam Dulsky ’14 said. Dulsky’s remarks are echoed by each and every one of the athletes that take the f loor to participate in rec basketball. And I use the word “athlete” loosely.

The passion for rec basketball is intense; it’s not like anything else out there for any other sport.

Rec basketball? It changes lives.

“I’ve played through some pretty gruesome injuries,” explained Mike Moritz ’14. “Badly sprained wrists and ankles, broken fingers, and bloodied knees, injuries that definitely would have sidelined me had

I been playing something less important – like a Staples school sport.”

Each Thursday, over 100 Staples boys enter the field house with one goal in mind, winning. “If it meant winning a rec game, I would have no problem taking an F on a test,” Jason Chaskin ’14 boldly said.

“It isn’t even a question.”

Rec basketball? It changes lives.

“My mood every Friday morning is directly related to how well my rec team played the night prior,” explained Sam Ellinwood ’14. “Winning isn’t a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing.”

Players share a single, common dream: their names etched into history as rec basketball champions. “I’ve never woken up easier than the Friday morning after I won the rec

blurry pool of meanings. Like does “trend” mean something on Twitter, or a popular type of hat?

We’re taught fancy words like “abate” and “duress” in our English classes. These aren’t just for the SAT, but life as well.

Let me break it down for you. Potential employers would more likely listen to you in your interview if you sprinkled advanced vocabulary throughout as opposed to yammering on like a seventh grader. Therefore, can there please be an annual legal limit on these aggravating words?

It’ll prevent more of us from going insane and may also reduce unemployment.

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE HAROUN ’16

championship my junior year,” Ellinwood said. He added that he was so pumped that morning that he still can’t remember what happened his first few periods.

This is why the intensity is so high, especially in the junior and senior league. Players fill with determination, drip in sweat, and scream expletives

all night long. Players know that their time as a rec basketball superstar is almost up.

And they all want to be the one team left standing as March Madness concludes.

“I’ve never played a second of basketball in all my life, but the intensity in the air at school is palpable every game day,” said Jess Riniti ’14.

8 Opinions

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

I heart snow JANE SCHUTTE ’16 Staff Writer

W

hen the winter chills creep through under your door and the treacherous black ice lurks behind the snow plows that are at work shoveling away the newly fallen snow, Westport students dial and redial this num-

ber to know whether or not they have to board the two degree school bus in their puffy Patagonia coats or slip back into bed to try and remember the pleasant dream so rudely interrupted by a screeching alarm clock.

There is nothing I like better than the sweet sound of Elliot Landon’s voice saying, “Westport Public Schools will be closed today.” After I hang up the telephone, take a quick lap around my house in excitement and add a brief video of the falling snow to my snapchat story, I snuggle back up in my fleece to enjoy anothe r three to four hour d r e a m about my fantasy

wedding with Ryan Gosling.

Who doesn’t want a snow day? With five snow days already built into the end of the year, a one day escape from tests, essays and even just having to put on real clothes can be just the

Students arrive late to the permit party MICHAEL MATHIS ’15 Staff Writer

When I blew out the candles on my sixteenth birthday cake, I didn’t know what I was getting into. For a good 20 seconds,

medicine you need to hold you off until vacation.

Little word of advice, even if the snow day does fall the day before a huge exam in English: don’t study.

It’s just one test. Be a kid and put on your full body snow suit with matching hood and gloves and head on over to Greens Farms to sled with all of your buddies. And then invite them back to your place for some Swiss Miss with the prepackaged marshmallows.

It may count as a day out of your April break, after all.

Don’t wait too long for the next snow day though: it’ll be summer

before you know it! Try flushing two handfuls of ice down the toilet, turning your pajamas inside out, sleeping with a spoon under your pillow and singing Frosty the Snowman while standing on your head. Oh, and while you’re at it, upload a video of that, and tag me … just for my personal entertainment.

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

16 seemed ever so sweet. I was basking in the celebratory glow of Carvel discount candles atop a homemade delight as my family’s off-key hums of “Happy Birthday” drif towards my ears. It seemed like any other birthday: another

year older.

But once the smoke began evaporating, the flair of the celebrations did too, as the conversations from then-on would revolve around the eternal question.

When are you going to get

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

your permit?

Yes, that question still persists today, as I remain one of the few within the junior class who does not have the restricted right to drive. While some may pine for that plastic to grace their wallet compartments, I stick with the majority. According to a 2010 University of Michigan survey, only 28 percent of 16-year-olds in America have their driver’s licenses, in comparison to 44 percent in 1980.

While some people would just overuse the cliché that today’s teenagers are extremely careless, and are just becoming lazy, I am here to speak out on behalf of the unlicensed.

We aren’t lazy. We’re just terrified.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,000 teenagers on average are killed each year in car crashes nationwide, making it the leading cause of death for 13- to 19-yearolds in America, today. And why not? Driving, in theory, is the most terrifying thing mankind has created.

Just break it down. Humans can barely walk in a straight line.

Now, all of a sudden, we’re qualified to maneuver a 3,500 pound metal deathtrap, filled with one of the only liquids known to mankind that can catch on fire?

Maybe I could understand this if you were in your twenties, but we’re talking about teenagers here. Teenagers, who gaze at screens with more appreciation than they do sunsets or paintings of boats? Teenagers, who have little devices in their pockets now so that they can send mini-letters to friends at lightning speed.

I’m being rational here. We are going to look at our phones.

We’ve even admitted to it, too.

The Texting and Driving Safety website reports that 52 percent of teens have admitted to talking on a cell phone while driving while 34 percent have admitted to texting while driving. Ladies and gentleman, we are one “WTF” away from a collapsed lung. So, why drive, when we could do our society a favor, and not die horribly?

I understand this might seem far-fetched, but at least we’ve come to terms with our irresponsibility.

Some of us still need to grow up. It takes more time than others to do that. That’s fine. But to the parents who nudge us with a double-barrel shotgun towards the DMV, well, you’re just asking for the opposite effect.

Just accept us for who we are. Because frankly, asking our friends to drive us to Christie’s every weekend, is humiliating enough.

Opinions Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

9

Choose your path wisely GRACE KOSNER ’14 Video Editor

R

emember that lesson from “The Tortoise and the Hare” that we learned as children? Well, juniors, senior year for you is approaching quicker than you expect and this time, take some advice from the Hare.

While slow, steady and modest wins the race to good character, fast, productive and confident is what will get you through the college process.

You will often be told not to compare where you are in the process to other students’ progress because everyone goes at their own pace. While it is true that you should not get stressed out if others are further along than you are, no senior will deny that getting their work done earlier is preferable.

Being in the graduating class is a strange phenomenon; you never envision yourself being a part of it until you are there. Do not let this discourage you from taking the necessary steps to helping yourself get to the right place – both in your last year in high school and beyond. Senior year will come, and it won’t be pleasant, but by planning college visits, brainstorming essay topics and familiarizing yourself with SATS and ACTs ahead of time, you will eliminate a significant amount of anxiety.

A good way to start is with college visits. The key to this step in the process is to start early (spring of junior year) and visit both small and large schools, nearby, faraway and in

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE HAROUN ’16

Getting a specific sense of the size and scope of your ideal school will help determine the next steps in your quest and which parts of your application will require more time than others.

For example, if after visiting five schools, you determine that you love the feel of a small liberal arts college, you can incorporate details in your college essay about your ability to think creatively and collaboratively with others since these are qualities that many smaller colleges are attracted to. Moreover, your essay is the one part of your application that demonstrates that there is a real person behind the scores and data presented. Thus, it is crucial that your essay is unique, well thought out and genuine. Considering potential essay topics ahead of time will ensure that once the time comes to sit down and write it, you will have many thoughts prepared.

Another benefit of visiting col-

Being in the graduating class is a strange phenomenon: you never envision yourself being a part of it until you are there. Do not let this discourage you from taking the necessary steps. different settings.

Judge the size is by comparing to what you have already experienced.

A college the size of Staples is considered to be a small school. If you’re tired of all the people you know now, you might want to consider a larger school. Is the school within a three to four hour drive? If you don’t want to take a plane to get there, you like four seasons or maybe you get homesick, start with a nearby school. Do you like a campus feel? As opposed to a more urban setting, campuses have large grass areas, typically referred to as quads, where people you see are mostly students. They usually have quaint architecture, on-campus study areas, and snack bars and coffee shops dispersed throughout. Some kids like colleges in cities because they view it as a larger step toward adulthood. Many city schools allow kids to live off campus during their freshman year, which allows for more freedom.

leges early on in the process is knowing their requirements, such as SAT Subject Tests or Art Portfolios; you should start planning ASAP (again, spring of junior year). SAT Subject Tests demonstrate your mastery of a particular subject so they often take a lot of preparation. Likewise, Art Portfolios need preparation because they should be a collaboration of your artwork over time, not only artwork done the month before your application deadline. You do not want to fall in love with a college too late in the game, unable to fulfill one of the application requirements.

Lastly, try both the SAT and the ACT before you determine which test you will focus on. Often times, one test is more suitable for certain students as opposed to the other. Give yourself the opportunity to get your best test score by determining which test exemplifies your strengths the most.

Students show too much leg GRAYSON WEIR ’14 Staff Writer

Listen bro, It’s Winter. It’s cold. It’s pants season.

Don’t believe me? Take a gander outside, or jump on over to weather. com for Pete’s sake! God only knows who Pete is, but that’s beside the point.

I’m not sure where you missed the memo, but I swear to you, it’s winter.

I’m not lying. Every morning, there you are, slinging the backpack over your shoulder, and marching through the school door… in shorts!

And every morning, I’m baffled.

I don’t know whether you think your kneecaps are the most gorgeous things since Candice Swanepoel, or if you think by wearing shorts, “the man” can’t put you down? I just don’t get it. But I do get that the trend (or lack of) needs to end.

The claim I often hear is that “I don’t get cold.” Sorry bud, that defense is used more often than a selfproclaimed comedian in a 7th grade social studies class studying court cases. The jokester who states “I plead the fifth” to a teacher’s question? Talk about overkill!

You may not get cold, but just looking at you gives the rest of us a chill.

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that anything above, eh, let’s call it… 45 degrees Fahrenheit is

fair game for shorts. But that means according to CBS weather, there are four months, if not a fifth, where the average temperature is below 45 degrees, and three where it doesn’t even come close.

That’s cold.

C’mon man!

Okay, look. I get it. Pants are not as comfortable as shorts. Agreed. And jeans can be restricting. You got me there. But, if your goal is to remain comfortable, let me provide you with a simple solution: Sweatpants. Although a little too “lazy” (if I’m nice) for school, in my opinion, they’re better than shorts. In fact, I’ll take that bum Justin Bieber’s “swaggie” parachute pants over shorts anyday.

For those of you who haven’t heard of these life-altering pants, I’m more than happy to fill you in. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defi nes sweatpants as, “loose, warm trousers with an elasticized or drawstring waist.” Bingo! Gee whiz!

Holy Smokes! There ya have it folks: a way to stay comfortable, warm, and not look like you just moved here from Hawaii and haven’t figured out the concept of winter.

To your surprise I’m sure, when it is cold, people wear pants, not shorts. Wearing shorts in cold months is not on GQ’s hottest trends from 1000 BC to ever, you’re not impressing any smokin’ babes with your manliness, and you just look silly cold. Stop doing it. Not for me, but for you.

It’s not a question of personal preference; it’s a matter of common practice.

GRAPHIC BY AUDREY SEO ’16

FEATURES

10

January 31, 2014

Celebrity look-alikes cause some to double take AARON HENDEL ’14 Breaking News Managing Editor

STRIKINGLY SIMILAR ΈFROM TOPΉ Kristin Scott, David Gusitsch, Aaron Samuels ’16 and Jake Santo ’14 opposite their famous doubles.

Many find perks in arriving early to school CAROLINE ROSSI ’14 Web Features Editor

For many Staples students, getting to school for the 7:30 bell is a serious challenge. Many kids roll out of bed as the clock strikes seven, making it to school right in the nick of time. However, others do not follow this lifestyle—in fact, getting to school early seems to be the preferred way to start the day.

“I like the feeling of being one of the only people in Staples for a little while,” says Parker Stakoff ’14, who gets to school at 6:40 every day. “I read the book ‘Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life’ in middle school, and there was a part that

described how Jeremy had an hour to himself every night between 11 and 12. He called it the ‘Hour of Jeremy’ where he felt like he was the only one awake anywhere. I kind of wanted to feel like that, so I made my ‘Hour of Parker’ in the morning.”

To fill her hour, Stakoff spends time in the cafeteria, doing homework or playing with Rubik’s Cubes. As someone who is anxious about timing in general, she relaxes by being early.

Like Stakoff, many other students use the morning as time for themselves. Greer Hardy ’14 has a routine that allows her to finish up homework before classes begin at

7:30.

“It gets to the point where there’s just too much, and the math sheet I have due first period could be done in the morning,” she says.

“It’s a time to get work done, socialize and get help from other students.

It’s all become a process for me, almost as if it’s a ritual. Plus, coming in early means a guaranteed parking spot and dodging traffic.”

For some students, like Ali Thompson ’14, arriving at around 6:55 or 7 is just early enough.

“I’m a bad procrastinator and just straight up bad at Chinese,” she says. “However, my friend Eric Pan ’14 gets there before I do, and he is quite good at Chinese, so he helps

me,” she says.

Students are not the only ones beating the morning rush. Math teacher Maggie Gomez leaves her house at 4:45 a.m. and manages to fit in the gym and swimming before arriving at 6:30. “I go in early to get my work done. I have two young children at home, and I do not do school work at home. When I go in early, it’s quiet, and I can get a lot of work done,” she says.

Math teacher Bill Walsh agrees.

“I find generally that, if I do school work when I’m rested, I can do twice as much work in the same amount of time,” he says. Walsh leaves his house around 5:25 a.m.

and gets to school a little before 6.

For the few early risers trickling in through the Staples doors each day, they are still outnumbered by those who prefer to cut it close.

“I feel like the people who get to school early don’t end up doing anything productive while I give myself more time to sleep and end up feeling better and more focused throughout the day,” Issy Pieper ’14 says. “Even if it’s only a half hour more, it helps.”

Come morning, students will stick to their habits.

Stakoff says of the early morning peace and quiet she arrives each day: “I can’t really describe why it feels so mystical, but it kind of does.”

PHOTOS BY RACHEL MORRISON ’16

A

aron Samuels ’16 used to be told he looked like Daniel Radcliffe (better known as the actor who played Harry Potter) so often that it got “to the point where it became a little bit of a nuisance,” he said. What’s more, Samuels himself doesn’t even see any resemblance.

But such is the life of a celebrity look-alike. It starts off with something so simple, such as a pair of round glasses, as Samuels speculated, and turns into repeated, slightly annoying remarks. Imagine looking like someone as noteworthy and recognizable as the star of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time; the comparisons can become quite repetitive to say the least, Samuels feels.

Samuels is not the only celebrity look-alike to walk the halls of Staples, however. Jake Santo ’14 is told almost daily he looks like Crush, the animated turtle from “Finding Nemo.”

“It’s actually quite an honor to be compared to such a radical turtle and marvel of the animation profession,” Santo said. “I actually think it’s kind of funny.”

Several faculty members have also had similar celebrity associations come their way. One such man is David Gusitsch, the chair of the physical education department, who has been compared to actor and W.W.E. wrestler John Cena. Like Samuels, Gusitsch feels it comes from one small detail: a short, crewcut-like hair style.

But Gusitsch doesn’t mind.

“I am sure we are just two regular, down-to-Earth guys,” he said.

Gusitsch also noted several differences. “He may have a couple more pounds of muscle than me, about 70.

He is a world famous actor and entertainer, and his net worth is about $35 million more.”

Science teacher Kristin Scott, on the other hand, has no idea who her celebrity look-alike is, other than that she was on the ABC show “Bunheads.” But she does know she has one, based on how frequently people tell her she looks like actress Sutton Foster.

“I have heard that I look like Foster; I have no idea who she is,” Scott admitted. “I think long, brown hair and brown eyes is just a common look.” Scott has also embraced the resemblance and even said she “would consider a stunt double gig.”

So, no, Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t go to Staples, nor do John Cena or Sutton Foster work in offices and classrooms. And if Crush is here, he has yet to be spotted. But, according to many in the Staples population, their look-alikes are here, as are many other celebrity doppelgangers.

Features

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

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PHOTO BY SOPHIE DE BRUIJN ’14 AVOIDING ACADEMICS ΈFROM LEFTΉ Lauren Clement ’16, Ruth Kissel’16, Mackenzie Wood ’16, Ruby Dener ’16, Maggie Brown ’16 and Grace Hardy ’16 chat in the library during their free rather than work on the computers or utilize textbooks.

Library used more for socializing than studying ABBEY FERNANDEZ ’14 Web Opinions Editor

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GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CROSBY ’15

icture this: a student waiting impatiently as the dysfunctional Dell desktop takes a solid 13 minutes just to log in. Another student is ferociously searching for a “Realidades” textbook (Spanish homework is due next period). Teachers on library duty sit innocently at the center of it all as they try to disregard the not-so-whispered chatter about this past weekend’s hook-ups and break-ups.

This is the Staples library.

Most known for its strict food ppolicies (“Is that an apple you’re eating?”), inoperative desktop computers and loud social conduct, the library is a central part of the Staples community.

However, contrary to the studious connotations of its name, little work actually gets done in the Staples library.

“It’s more of a socializing place than a productive part of the building,” Graham Gudis ’17 said.

Roscoe Brown ’14 agrees that it is not the best place for work.

“Basically if I want to do work, I hit somewhere else,” Brown said.

For many, the library is a place to catch up with friends, take a break

from a stressful school day, and even get a quick game of catch in.

Jake Reiner ’14 says that his friends once brought a football into the library. They didn’t last very long before getting kicked out.

He’s not alone in his use of the library.

“I usually go just to mess around.

I’ll open my backpack just to get my computer out,” Ben Cion ’14 said.

Research suggests, though, that work can, in fact, get done in this student-infested area. It just varies on the time of the day or year and the section of the library.

Robin Stiles, one of the librarians, explains the first three periods of the day along with last period tend to be the most quiet. By contrast, the lunch period and the period directly after it are when the library is the noisiest.

Moreover, different times during the school year yield different amounts of productivity in the library.

For example, right before holiday vacations or during spirit week, the library is louder, while around exams or at the end of the quarter, it is significantly calmer.

“The goofing off and the working hard goes in cycles with our school calendar and schedule,” Stiles said.

According to Nick Vega ’14,

where people choose to sit in the library is directly correlated to how much work they’re able to get done.

“I’m able to get more work done back in the ‘quiet section.’ If you’re seated at one of the central tables, it’s easy to get caught up in the conversation,” Vega said.

The best way to completely dodge detrimental-to-homework distractions is to work outside of the library. Rick Daily ’14 works on one of the benches located on the bridge hat of the second floor. (There goes that hiding spot —) Eliza Shaw ‘14 uses ses arm the “sauna,” the unusually warm entranceway to the courtyard near ear the Continuing Ed office. Other students make use of the window seats eats or “nooks” near guidance. A learning ing center, the area outside the auditoitorium, and the courtyard (weather permitting) are other less-mainstream am locations where students take their heir work.

Ironically, the library is somemetimes not the place to get work done. one.

Thankfully the school is big enough ugh to offer alternate locations for workorking.

“Sometimes kids just need some me down time from the stress of their heir workload and come here to relax and unwind,” Stiles said.

So go on, socialize in the library; it is called “free” period, after all.

Snoozing students find relief in naps LIZ HOGAN ’16 Staff Writer

GRAPHIC BY AUDREY SEO ’16

Imagine your bed piled with pillows and layered with blankets, warm and inviting, waiting for you after a long day of school, your Best Buddies meeting, a track meet and your radio show.

For most people, the time to nestle under the covers and drift off only comes after the sun’s gone down, but for others, having a nap between school and going to bed is the best way to survive the rest of the day.

Many Staples students, in fact, say they take naps for anywhere from 10 to 50 minutes. Their reasons, however, vary.

“I take naps sometimes because I didn’t get a lot of sleep the previous night or because I had a lot going on with school,” Danielle Johnston ’16 said.

Ed Huydic, a Staples Guidance counselor understands that Staples’

standards are high and that a nap can help you recuperate. “The amount of intellectual energy spent in this building (Staples High School) would move one towards a nap before the next task, whether it’s athletics or community service.”

Amy Liu ’15, naps for the reasons Huydic suggested. “It’s usually because my brain is just tired from school all day that I just need to like repower,” Liu explained. She said she actually sleeps plenty at night; the naps provide “a little break.”

Liu said she’s more efficient after a nap because when she’s tired, she can’t focus. After dragging herself through a day packed with back to back classes and research paper writing, her brain fogs when it comes time to do her labs sprawled across her physics binder, or sometimes her brain just stops.

Then it’s time for a nap.

“It may take time out of my day, but in the end it helps me,” she said.

12 Features

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Have an App-y New Year with the best of 2014 RACHEL TREISMAN ’15 Staff Writer

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rom oldies-but-goodies to up-and-comers, the App Store offers a variety of apps promising to serve consumers’ every need. In fact, according to Forbes, the App Store is about to hit its one millionth app.

No one has the time to scroll through thousands of pages of software offerings, but, luckily, the pros have done that for you. Here are some of the most promising apps of 2014.

Many tech-savvy students use the MyStaples app to keep track of their homework. But there’s a more convenient way to store your information -- the free Evernote app for Android and iOS. Evernote lets users take notes and photos, create to-do lists and voice reminders, and sync tasks across all of their devices to stay organized throughout the day.

Current Evernote user Noelle

“Whether your New Year’s resolution is to be more productive or more social, these apps will certainly help you achieve your goals.”

Adler ‘15 predicts that the app’s popularity will increase this upcoming year because it makes it so easy to organize and sync information. “[It saves me] the hassle of having to use Word and go into my Y-drive and download my notes,” Adler said.

Another app perfect for staying organized is Pocket, available for free on iOS and Android.

Pocket allows users to save web links to view later all in one place, even without an Internet connec-

tion. Links saved to Pocket can here, be viewed anytime, anywhere, and can even be shared with your friend’s Pocket – so everyonee in your Euro group can access that webpage.

Speaking of staying on task, ask, ying everyone needs a little help staying focused now and then. Fortunately, tely, vailthere’s an app for that: 30:30, available on iOS for free. With 30:30, 0:30, users can create personalized todo lists and set them to a timer that nute breaks the list up into 30-minute tasks. ve a “Sometimes when you have lot of big projects to do, it cann get ak it overwhelming, but if you break into smaller segments it becomes mes a lot easier,” Kathryn Bangserr ’15 said.

Another new app puts a fresh twist on a classic idea. The free app Wickr is basically the new Snapchat, but better because itt enables users to send PDFs and images, even from a Google doc or a camera roll. Plus, it’s safe because ause senders decide who sees what and for how long.

Megan Nuzzo ’15 predicts that Wickr will be a hit because itt allows users to send pictures already eady stored on their phones.

“I think Wickr will be really eally popular because it’s reworkingg an app that is already available,” Nuzzo said. ducEven with all of these productivity apps, the workload this time nage of year can be stressful. To manage wnyour stress and stay positive, downp. load the free Breathe2Relax app.

The app, available on iOS and echAndroid, is full of breathing technxiniques designed to manage anxiety. If the hundreds of five star custion, tomer ratings are any indication, Breathe2Relax is sure to help you relax and breathe easy. ear’s Whether your New Year’s ctive resolution is to be more productive or more social, these apps will ceroals. tainly help you achieve your goals.

Download away!

Catch the ap

GRAPHIC BY JULIA SCHORR ’16

Inklin What’ favorit “My favorite app is the Impossible Game. I have almost beaten it.”

—Jayan Nandagopal ’16

“I really like Instagram because I love taking pictures and it’s a great way to stay social.”

—Sydney Sussman ’15

Features Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

pp obsession

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Candy Crush feeds insatiable app-etites JANE LEVY ’16 Staff Writer

H

elp me clear the jelly! Try to get the striped candy next to the wrapped candy! Yes, a rainbow color co bomb!

What jelly? Who has the candy Wha color bomb? and the rainbow rai The first person is clearly fluent in Candy Crush C language, and before other peop people know it, they’ll soon be familiar w with all the terms and slang as well.

Staple Staples is harnessing a flourishing popula population of Candy Crush addicts. However, How in many Staples students’ min minds, this is the good kind of addiction.

For those who don’t know, Candy Crush Cru is a three-match puzzle game play played with blue, yellow, orange, gree green, and purple candies. The object of the game is to overcome obstacles, such as attaining target clearing ingredient drops, scores, cl abiding to time limits, and clearing the infamous infamo jellies.

Players are shamelessly addicted Playe matching fiasco. Candy Crush to this mat was name named Apple’s most downloaded app of 2013 and has conquered the screens and lives of many Staples students.

Claire Maki ’16, who is on level 275, fell in love with the app.

“It is just so much fun. Once you start, iit’s so hard to stop because as you keep ke playing, and levels get harder, you feel like you need to beat them all and an want to keep going until you do,” M Maki said.

Mak Maki is more than halfway to 515, the hhighest level, and is an inspiration to the students struggling to clear the je jelly on level 92 or praying for a doughnut doug on level 161. When asked how she’s gotten so far, Maki jokes, “It ju just comes naturally to me!”

But ttruthfully, she says, it’s all about the ppractice.

“I’ll play during my classes, every othe other class maybe, when I get home, whe when I need a little break from homework homework, and right before I go to bed,” Mak Maki giggles. “So basically all day.”

Rach Beck ’15 isn’t as dediRachel cated as Maki, M but definitely under-

stands the obsession. “Sometimes when I have a lot of homework, as a break I’ll play a couple Candy Crush levels, because it’s not like watching a TV show that takes a long time,” Beck said. Candy Crush provides her brain with a fun break and puts her in the mood to focus and think, she said.

More than the catchy background jingle and the visual aesthetics, what Maki and Beck both think makes Candy Crush so magnetic is that once players have lost five times, they have to wait half an hour for one of their lives to recharge, and two and a half hours for all five to be restored.

Tyler Tsang ’15, on level 349, agrees with the girls. “It’s addicting because unlike other games, you can’t keep playing on and on,” Tsang said. “When you’re stuck on a level, you have to wait two and a half hours to play with all five lives. You just want to beat it more.”

Along with the five lives at a time feature, players can connect to Facebook and have access to other compelling elements, such as seeing their Facebook friends’ progress, sparking competitiveness by showing their Facebook friends what a Candy Crush beast they are. Also, players can send each other lives when all five run out. It’s logic, and genius.

Tsang began crushing over the summer, and he believes that the key to success in the game is to notice the patterns and to think two steps ahead.

“I kind of know where candies are going to fall and how to get the candies to land in the right place to get a striped or a doughnut,” said Tsang.

The appeal even stretches to teachers. A student in one of Mr. Messina’s chemistry classes said that she once asked him a question during a quiz, and he jokingly said the only way he would answer the question is if she helped him clear the jelly.

Viral, dominant, and addicting, this game is far from being crushed.

“If you’re looking for a new game, you can’t go wrong with Candy Crush. It’s the perfect combination of fun, focus, and frustration,” Maki said. “And if you get stuck on a level, I’d be happy to help you beat it!”

GRAPHIC BY JULIA SCHORR ’16

ations: s your te app?

“Facebook is my favorite.

I use it to connect with my friends.”

— Jacob Nadel ’15

“I love Tumblr because it makes me laugh during the day.”

— Mehar Kirmani ’15 INKLINATIONS BY GRETA BJORNSON ’15

14 Features

Inklings / January 31, 2014/ inklingsnews.com

CHASE GORNBEIN ’16 Staff Writer

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his year, sophomores will experience a twist in their curriculum. The research paper, which has always been assigned during junior year, will now be written in the spring of sophomore year.

Weeks of preparation for

“It is like they are trying to take the stress of junior year and put it on us as sophomores.”

—Gracyn Levenson ’16 midterms, followed a month later by the strenuous tests of CAPT is tedious enough.

Adding together this work and the stress that accompanies a research paper sounds almost too cruel to many. According to English teachers, the research paper was switched to the sophomore year to prevent more stress next year, when new, state-mandated standardized testing will face the junior class.

Ben Popkin ’16 said hav-

ing CAPT right after midterms, soon followed by a research paper, is not fair.

“It’s an awful idea. We already have a lot of stress from midterms. This is not right. I am extremely nervous about how I will be able to manage everything all at once,” Popkin said.

Similar to Popkin, Gracyn Levenson ’16 is not a fan.

“It is like they are trying to take the stress of junior year and put it onto us as sophomores,” Levenson said.

Some classes are already facing a changed curriculum.

Halle Foster’16 has already begun to work on her research paper in English class.

“It screws up the entire class because we are dead in the middle of our poetry unit,” she said.

A handful of students realize that CAPT testing is mandatory and something they can’t control, but moving the research paper, they say, is something that can be changed.

Caroline Didelot ’16 said, “I wish this research paper would be moved; I don’t want to write it this year when it we should be doing it as juniors.”

Some said they don’t really feel the stress of CAPT, just the research paper that follows directly after. Charlotte Caccamise ’16 is one. “I’m just stressed about the research paper that we have directly after CAPT,” Caccamise said.

Twin drivers travel together

Driving offers outlet of competion between siblings

PHOTO BY MEGAN ROOT ’15

Sophomores face both CAPT testing and research paper

DIVIDE UP THE DRIVING DUTIES Twins Mary and Elizabeth Bennewitz ’15 determine who takes the wheel by having whoever drives to school not drive back.

LILY BARSANTI ’14 Staff Writer

Two alarms sound off in a quiet house. Jackets hastily zip, boots tie, hats on…

The race begins.

Twins sharing a car incites the fiercest of duels between even the most loving of siblings. Growing up, twins share everything from bathrooms to birthdays. However, Annie Raifaisen ’14 cites sharing a car with her twin sister Lauren as the hardest item the two have ever had to share.

“When we have to take the same car to school, I have to beat Lauren to the car so I can drive,

because her driving makes me nauseous in the morning,” Annie said.

But her twin sister has a different view of the driving dynamic. “I try to drive a different car most days because if I waited for her, I would be late and coffee-less every morning,” Lauren explained. She then added quickly, “I’d rather walk.”

Sibling rivalries are present in every house, but twins take these petty feuds to the next level. Growing up side by side, comparisons are bound to be made. Cassie Feldman ’14 said she participates in these longstanding competitions.

“I was born first, and I’m a way better driver, so naturally I’m just

the better twin,” Feldman bragged.

She went on to note that despite her superiority on the road to twin Harrison Feldman, she does miss her long-time driving companion while he is away at boarding school.

Dayna Gelman ’14 agrees.

Besides the daily battle for the car, she points out her excellence on the roads as the biggest conflict between her and her twin.

“I’m obviously the better driver because I’m really cautious,” Dayna reasons.

Her confidence was quickly shut down by a Craig Gelman ’14’s classic twin rebuttal: “I’m clearly better.”

Winter means breaking the iceJ B ’15 ULIE

ENDER

PHOTO BY CAROLINE O’KANE ‘16

Staff Writer

ICE PRINCESS Mackenzie Wood ‘16 perfects her balancing technique on the ice as she skates at the Longshore rink.

Pulling on high socks, lacing up skates and waddling over to the rink is only the beginning when it comes to ice skating. In the midst of the winter season, students are often faced with the decision to either curl up inside or brave the cold for the ice.

For some, slicing the smooth ice can be enjoyable and fulfilling. The engulfing warmth of jackets, hats and gloves can help to counteract the chills that come from the freezing air. According to Zack Azadian ’15, it can even feel as if you’re flying.

“It’s like I’m hovering on a cloud– a cloud of ice,” Topher Brown ’15 said.

When successful, sliding across the slippery surface can result in a sense of power. But it can easily have an opposite effect.

“I thought I was good at it,” Helena Giaume ’15 said. “And then I fell.”

When gravity takes over, students said that they not only felt sad but were also left with wet, cold pants.

“In the beginning of the season it’s always very rough to start off,” Giaume ’15 continued.

“People whip by me, and it knocks me over, so I cling to the wall for dear life,” she said.

Many Staples students think it’s worth the risk of waking up with a sore tailbone from a hard fall.

“I’m a big fan. It’s like the duality between the thrill of gliding across the ice and the constant fear of falling and facing physical and emotional harm,” Nick Amato ’16 said.

Features Inklings / January 31, 2014/ inklingsnews.com

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Students simulate flight Aerospace course fuels a curiosity for flight CONNOR HARDY ’14 Sports Editor

F

or centuries, humans dreamed of f light. On December 17th, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that dream came true. The Wright Brothers made history that day by being the first people to ever achieve ‘powered f light.’

“We weren’t born to f ly,” science teacher Dr. Bob Andrew said. However, we were born with the curiosity of how to f ly.

Students say the aerospace class at Staples satisfies that curiosity. The class teaches everything from communicating with the control tower to a simulated two-dimensional experience.

According to Dr. Andrew, about 75% of the class is spent learning how to f ly using the simulators. However, the class has not always had such technology.

It wasn’t until a fewyears ago that they received the simulators. Upon their arrival, Dr. Andrew made sure the simulators were a key part of the course.

Through the simulators, the class is now able to add an element of experimentation. “The simulators help you understand how to control an aircraft,” aspiring pilot Lucas Abed ’14 said.

Before the class was granted access to such technology, there was more of a focus on the groundwork done before it’s safe to take off, such as simple f light checks, the basics of air traffic communication and the simple physics behind f light.

Most of this is learned in f light school before you’re even allowed in the cockpit, but through the aerospace class, students gain an understanding of f light before deciding whether to pursue f lying as a hobby -- or career.

This information consists of navigation, tarmac and runway arrangements, safety checks before and after take off, and communication with air traffic controllers.

Thanks to the simulators that the class now has, students can get a much more accurate feeling as to what f lying really is.

The simulators Staples has do a wonderful job of teaching students the basics behind f lying, but, there are limits.

“Flying is a three-dimensional activity,” said Andrew.

The new three-dimensional f light simulators are a long ways out from the classrooms of Staples, considering their high prices.

For now, the class does what it can with the technology it has, providing students with a developed understanding of how planes f ly, what to do before take off, and what to do once in the air, and of course, how to get back down.

The mystery of midterm make-up day solved JANE LEVY ’16 Staff Writer

She hit the snooze button, hoping it was just a dream that her clock read 6:15 am. Still halfasleep, she threw on her worn grey sweatpants—and her thinking cap. Drowsy-eyed Kendall Rochlin ‘15 rushed out the door for a two hour test that the majority of Staples students were glad to be done with. Make-up midterm day.

At the crack of dawn, Rochlin not only had to be up and functioning, she was scheduled to review pre-calculus functions

with her tutor before her exam.

“I can barely wake up on normal days, and the fact that I had to have a tutor and take an exam on a day that everyone else slept in was really annoying,” Rochlin said.

The atmosphere of Staples High School on midterm makeup day is the opposite of the normal Staples. Students roamed the halls, drained, void of energy, an apocalypse of walking zombies.

Many were just getting over illnesses.

Unusually for 10 am on a Tuesday, students could hear themselves think in the hallway.

The normally packed parking lots held a handful of cars, and the conventionally bustling cafeteria was silent.

Haley Heidtmann ‘17 felt the tangible desolation as she went through the day. “For the first time I’ve been at Staples, the library and cafeteria were pretty much empty,” Heidtmann said. “It was a weird feeling.”

Opinions about the atmosphere of midterm make-up day varied. To Eliana Aronson ‘16, “school was empty and depressing with no one here, and waking up was harder than usual.” And

to Mat Chernok ‘17, “school was mellow and chill.”

Even though a snowstorm cut the second midterm short, have no fear, the make-up exam will be rescheduled. But there’s no doubt that all students, even those who worked hard on midterm make-up day, were dreading coming back to full school days.

Lindsey Felner ‘17 was one of them. “I think everyone, even the people who came in to make up a midterm, is tired, and no one is looking forward to going back to school from the four or five day break,” Felner said.

PHOTOS BY JANE LEVY ‘16 NO STUDENTS IN SIGHT While typically filled with students, both the cafeteria (top) and the library (bottom) appeared to be deserted on make-up day.

Diners smitten with Sherwood JIMMY RAY STAGG ’16 Web Features Editor

The smell of chocolate chips melted into warm pancake batter mixes with the aroma of burgers and eggs frying, as milkshakes are whipped to perfection and served with fries and of course, a side of Green Goddess.

An old friend from elementary school sits a few tables away, and the booth behind contains coworkers of parents. With these scents, this environment, and the friend sitting across the table, there is only one place you could possibly be.

Sitting on the Post Road, between GameStop and Starbucks, the Sherwood Diner is the local eatery of choice for students when they are looking for good food and a friendly environment.

“The diner is the most hopping and popular place in town,” raves Cara McNiff ’14. McNiff also enjoys the food and the excitement that comes from seeing unexpected people when visiting.

Former Staples Girls’ volleyballer Paulina Tziolis ’10 works at the diner (when home from college), which her father owns. She has also formulated an opinion as to why students flock to the diner, saying that everyone feels comfortable and welcome there, as it’s a good place to meet up with friends and enjoy some good food.

As for the food, everybody has their go-to dishes.

PHOTO BY MARGAUX MACCOLL ’16 A TYPICAL DAY AT THE DINER Jordan Ragland ‘16 ventures to the diner after her field hockey game, like most students after school events.

“Personally, I always order a grilled cheese sandwich,” Emily Lustbader ’16 said.

One dish that seems to be favored by a lot of students, according to Tziolis, is simply a milkshake and french fries with a side of the Green Goddess dressing/dipping sauce. The Green Goddess at the diner is different from offerings at any other diner or any other recipe.

Tziolis thought it best to keep the secret as to what makes it so intriguing.

“Green Goddess is extremely unique,” Alexa Davis ’15 said.

“You can dip anything you want in it, and the Green Goddess adds its

own great taste.”

There are, according to Tziolis, a lot of regulars who frequent the diner and a lot of familiar student faces who come in when they can.

There is also the tradition of the Staples Players to take advantage of the diner’s 24/7 schedule and eat there after night performances.

“I’m not really sure how the whole diner-after-the-show [tradition] started, to be honest. However, I’m extremely glad that it’s a thing,” McNiff said. “Everyone is hungry after a performance whether they ate dinner before or not, and others just want to come to hang out with everyone.”

Whether it’s eating breakfast late at night after performing on stage, stories and jokes shared over waffles or coleslaw, or coming early in the morning after a late night with friends, everybody has memories from the diner, and everybody has memories yet to be made there.

“In 8th grade I went to the diner after Staples had a white-out football game and everyone was dressed in white, and my friends and I were the only ones not dressed up, and it was really embarrassing but ended up being funny,” Davis said..

“The diner is home to some of my best memories,” she said.

A&E

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January 31, 2014

Three students accepted to RISD MEGAN ROOT ’15 Staff Writer

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ccording to U.S. News, it’s one of the best art schools in the country.

Received by only a quarter of applicants last fall, an acceptance from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a coveted prize for students hoping for a career in art.

So far this year, that prize has been claimed by three Staples students: Connor McCann ’14, Rowan MacColl ’14, and Ian Barsanti ’14.

Barsanti found out when he called the admissions office,from a stairwell in the middle of class.

“I was freaking out,” Barsanti said. “I was just running around school trying to find anyone who would care and scream at them and tell them I got in.

But it was a long process leading up to that point.

Staples art teacher Camille Eskell says students start thinking about the application portfolio as early as freshman year.

“It can take two years, three years, but usually the better work is when they get older,” Eskell said.

RISD requires two challenge pieces as part of that portfolio.

One is an observation drawing of a bicycle. The other challenge invites students to draw using an instrument of their own design.

For example, McCann created

a drawing with a brush pen he invented that draws in different shades of grey depending on how much pressure you use.

Students spend years on their portfolio, but they put even more time into developing their skills.

“I’ve been drawing ever since I was able to hold a crayon,” Rowan MacColl said.

By the time she hit middle school, MacColl had realized how much she loved art and was drawing all the time.

McCann has also been drawing as long as he can remember. In fact, even in elementary school, he was fairly serious about it.

“We used to have to do these New Year’s resolution sheets every year in elementary school,” McCann said. “And every year my resolution was to just get better at drawing.”

McCann thinks RISD will help him with that resolution: the pre-college program the school held was the only time he felt “challenged and pushed to [his] limits as an artist.”

Eskell noted that people often underestimate just how hard art school is.

“Their professors are not going to let them just sit. They have to prove what they are doing as artists,” Eskell said.

But all that work pays off; according to U.S. News, 96% of RISD alumni have a job within one year of graduating.

As far as career plans go,

McCann plans to major in illustration and then start the tough process of trying to work in comics.

“I was freaking out. I was just running around school trying to find anyone who would care and scream at them and tell them I got in.”

—Ian Barsanti ’14 He’ll probably “get some crappy job and make comics until I can financially support myself doing the latter,” McCann said.

MacColl is a little less certainin her plans. Though she thinks she wants to major in illustration, right now she said, she is focusing on graduating from RISD. Barsanti is just excited to go to school with students who love art as much as he does.

“I don’t really have a major in mind right now,” he said. “I’m going in with an open mind.”

PHOTO BY LILY BARSANTI ’14

PAINTING HIS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE A newly accepted student,

Ian Barsanti ’14, prepares for the rigor of RISD’s Fine Arts program, the top ranked in the country. RISD has an acceptance rate of 25.4 percent and totaled 1,971 undergrads in the year 2012.

Middle school musicals groom stars of tomorrow RACHEL LABARRE ’14

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Managing Editor

t’s an incomparable feeling: onstage with eyes glued to your every move, the incandescent lights radiating off your skin, your fellow actresses and actors by your side. Being part of a production satisfies a craving.

However, doing so starts long before high school: the majority of current Players were involved in their middle school productions and had to make the daunting transition out of Bedford and Coleytown Productions to Staples Players.

“In 8th grade, we were on top of the totem pole, and in

9th grade we fwind ourselves at the very bottom,” Will Haskell ’14, current president of Staples Players, said.

However, restarting at the bottom of the food chain does not drive most actors and actresses away. Julia Mandelbaum ’16 tapped her feet and sang her heart out as Millie in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in Bedford two years ago but received the role of a dancer in the Staples production. She was not disappointed with her part in the Players cast. “I got to experience the ensemble part of a production, which is important to learn if you want to do theatre in the future,” she said.

Middle school shows are as far as some actors, actresses, dancers and singers make it.

Although Jessica Fields ’14 was often the lead in Bedford productions, she didn’t get a role freshman year at Staples.

“I knew I never wanted to pursue theatre,” she said. “The Bedford shows were really fun for me, and it was just a place to pursue my hobby.” For Fields, and many others, singing and acting was not as much a need but an enjoyable way to spend free time.

Whether as a pastime or a passion, both Bedford and Coleytown twirl under the lights and sing all octaves, not only to be

exposed to the rigor of being in a production combined, but also to feel the sense of family that comes with being part of a cast.

For the upcoming Coleytown show, Shrek The Musical, students will practice for four months, five days a week, from 2:30 - 5 p.m. every day, and as late as 7 p.m. the week before the show, Ben Frimmer, Theatre Arts Curriculum Leader at Coleytown Middle School, said.

Frimmer explained that this stringency prepares students for what is to come should they pursue theater at the high school level. And he’s right – in high school, rehearsal times are nearly the exact same.

GRAPHIC BY NATE ROSEN ’14

But long hours are not the primary goal of the middle school productions. The focus of middle school theater, Frimmer said, is “to have each participant feel good about their role in the production, whether on stage or off, and to build a sense of community.”

T his same sense of com-

munity is carried through until high school graduation.

“Staples Players is a supportive group of people that dedicate incredible amounts of time toward putting on the best production we possibly can,” Haskell said. “Just like in middle school, I love being a part of that communal effort.”

A&E

How far would you go

Inklings / January 31. 2014 / inklingsnews.com

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for the perfect mug of cocoa?

Web News Editor

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hey can be stout, short, tall, chipped, or Hands-on-Pottery-painted, bought, gotten as a gift or made in art class: favorite mugs come from all sorts of places and in all shapes and sizes.

But as any tongue worth its taste buds will tell you, it isn’t the mug that’s important. It’s what’s inside it.

While tea lovers boast of the soothing and healing properties their drink has, and coffee enthusiasts argue there is no picker-upper quite like a cup of joe, there is one winter beverage whose deliciousness places it high above the rest.

One drink—comparable to a warm and loving hug from the world’s softest, biggest brown teddy bear—cannot be denied as superior, according to Staples students.

Evan Horrowitz ’15 considers himself an aficionado of hot cocoa. Or as he calls it, “nectar of the gods.” Whether he is having a good day, a bad day, or an okay day, a cup of cocoa can always improve Horrowitz’s mood.

“A cup of hot cocoa helps me get through any nonsense,” Horrowitz said.

While the traditional simplicity of cocoa itself is inviting, a squirt—or entire can—of whipped cream or a handful of marshmallows can make all the difference. And adding a personal twist doesn’t have to stop there. Make every mug special by experimenting with different toppings.

Horrowitz took an unusual route when experimenting with his cocoa one day, and discovered a surprisingly delicious garnish—just a pinch or two of orange zest.

“While it won’t truly add anything to the flavor profile of this venerated beverage, its pungent oil adds a tropical bouquet to the drink that is undeniably tempting,” Horrowitz said.

Others are drawn to the distinctive comfort and warmth that a little spice can provide. A sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon can provide a pleasant surprise.

“I sometimes will put a

cinnamon stick in my cocoa to change it up,” Bridget van Dorsten ’15 said.

Peppermint, caramel, and chocolate shavings can also embellish the traditional brew.

And what would a delicious drink be without a little something on the side?

“I’m definitely a sweet and salty gal. So with hot cocoa I like pretzels,” Lexy Iannacone ’15.

Others advocate for croissants or other pastries, perfect for eating on the side or dipping in your drink a la churros with café con leche.

“While

[orange

zest] won’t truly add anything to the flavor profile of this venerated beverage, its pungent oil adds a tropical bouquet to the drink that is undeniably tempting.”

—Evan Horrowitz ’15 Feeling a craving yet? According to Staples students, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, the Sherwood Diner, and the Coffee an’ Donut Shop are all Westport locations to stop by on the way to or from school. And for those of you who like to make your own, Trader Joe’s Signature Sipping Chocolate is reportedly fantastic.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump over to Norwalk is Chocopologie and Knipschildt Chocolatier, both renowned by Staples’ cocoa aficionados.

Or, if a bit of a drive or train ride isn’t an issue, stop by Jacques Torres, Pret-a-Manger, or Eataly in New York City.

Whether you’re traditional, zesty, spicy, sweet and salty, in a rush or a homemade kind of person, there’s a cup of cocoa out there that’s a mug match made in heaven.

New York City CRAVING COCOA The price of a cup of cocoa varies across New York City’s most popular spots.

Jaques Torres charges $18, Max Brenner charges $5.95, Michel Cluizel charges $5 and Eataly charges $3.

Fairfield County LOCAL FAVORITES LURE IN CROWDS Of these nearby hotspots, Dunkin’ Donuts takes the crown for best beverage, according to Staples’ students.

Congratulations To Staples’ own Nick Morgan and Amanda Parrish on their upcoming nuptials.

We wish you all the best.

GRAPHICS BY MEGAN ROOT ’15

JESSICA GROSS ’15

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Viral videos stream across the globe Clips brighten screens and smiles EMILY WOLFE ’15

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Noteworthy Videos

Staff Writer

hey have the power to make millions of people smile until their cheeks hurt, laugh until they collapse onto the ground, and cry all at the same time within the span of about two minutes.

They are viral videos.

“I think it’s the same as watching a movie really. The videos are just shorter,” Bridget Van Dorsten ’15 said. , “People just like to see things that make them happy.”

There is something about cute YouTube videos that gives off a similar warm and fuzzy feeling that a feel-good movie would, but all of that happiness is jam-packed into a two minute long bundle of emotion. These videos can travel from person to person in a matter of seconds, bringing the overwhelming happiness of the “emotional baby” or the excitement of a crazy proposal to the screens of millions.

“They are re-watchable and easy to share,” Diyab Kahn ’15 said. “Once someone watches it and enjoys it they want to share the laughing with friends, and especially with social media today, that can explode and make certain videos go viral.”

Every sixty seconds, there are about 700 YouTube videos shared on Twitter alone according to Jeff Bulas, Forbes’ social medica specialist. While movies cannot exactly be forcibly shared without physically dragging a person to a theatre, short online videos shared on social media will undoubtedly be clicked on by millions of people taking their everyday scroll down their news feed.

Some of the most popular videos of 2013 that seemed to

How Animals Eat Their Food Views: 94,559,63 Two comedians key us in to how rhinos, flamingos and whales dine.

The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading Views: 47,251,917 This parody of the NFL is so spot-on, it’s hard to tell what’s real from fake.

Cute pandas playing on the slide Views: 5,652,859 What is more entertaining than cute animals?

A Pep Talk from Kid President Views: 31,361,632

GRAPHIC BY NATE ROSEN ’14

make their way to every single computer screen in existence included “How Animals Eat Their Food,” the unbearably adorable “Emotional Baby,” and of course the classic “Harlem Shake” videos (especially the original Army version).

While it is a commonly accepted fact that these videos are entertaining, some people feel that they often shine the spotlight on the wrong aspects of YouTube.

“The videos themselves are cute, but they aren’t the best of what YouTube has to offer,” Ken Asada ’15 said. “I guess these random videos that go viral give the site a reputation for kitten videos or something-coolyou-recorded-in-your-backyard, which is only a small fraction of what’s out there.”

YouTube as a whole contains a huge variety of quality content, from short films by budding film-

makers to science videos that can help students with their classes.

But there will always be the classic videos of adorable kittens and babies that seem to get over 20 million views overnight.

“Watching other people be happy makes you be happy, so you share it with your friends to maybe lift up their day” Nicole Mathias ’14 said.

“It’s kind of passing on the kindness in a way.”

Nine-year-old Robby Novak proves that good things come in small packages.

Clouds Views: 9,740,714 Cancer patient Zach Sobiech’s farewell song “Clouds” will touch your heart.

Lace up for winter with seasonal footwear ERIN MUNLEY ’15 Staff Writer

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eing cold may be the worst thing about winter. It can seem almost impossible to stay warm and comfortable while also looking presentable. However, with the right shoes for your style and comfort, you will stay warm and snug while also looking fashionable.

Having trouble figuring out the perfect shoes for you?

Don’t worry; there are a handful of options to choose from.

“In the winter I practically live in my Ugg boots,” Ruth Kissel ’16 said, adding that she leans towards Uggs because they’re extremely warm and comfortable. This shoe is going to give you the best of both worlds when trying to find a warm and comfortable shoe.

Though Uggs are a nice choice, sometimes they can be suffocatingly hot and make your feet feel like they’re roast-

ing. To avoid this, try wearing something shorter with a little less fur.

“Boat shoes all the way.

They’re not too hot, not too cold. They’re comfortable yet stylish,” Jonas Piekara ’16 said.

The biggest benefit of boat shoes is that they’re easy. No socks needed; just slip them on, and you’re ready to go.

“If you’re going to go with boat shoes, I personally recommend Sperrys,” Piekara

added.

Another shoe option that’s perfect for winter is boots. Whether you like short boots or tall boots, you can’t go wrong. “I love combat boots. They go with everything, and they can make any outfit, even sweats, look good,” Camilla Broccolo ’14 said.

However, some people prefer taller boots, especially since there are so many different styles. Whether you

like simple neutral colors or want a little more spunk with studded boots, tall boots will become your best friend.

With brand new styles sported daily, you can never look out of style. “I love tall boots because there are so many styles to go with all your different outfits,” Kellen Smithson ’14 said. Kristin Munley ’16 agreed with Smithson and added, “I love my tall studded boots. I wear them almost every day.”

GRAPHIC BY AUDREY SEO ’16

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Jonah Levine ’14 launches streetwear line Lucid FC DANIELA K ARPENOS ’15 Staff Writer

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taples student Jonah Levine ’14 brings a taste of urban culture to the suburbs of Westport. What began as an idea in 2010 has developed over the years into an official “streetwear” clothing company—Lucid FC—as of 2013.

Two of Levine’s closest friends from Atlanta first came up with the idea, and from there Levine contributed numerous visions and suggestions that earned him his position as co-founder.

The “FC” in Lucid FC originally stood for “Footwear Company” because Levine and his friends had initially hoped to incorporate their interest in collecting sneakers. However, they realized demand was relatively low and decided to instead sell clothing.

“Streetwear is sort of an obscure genre in the clothing industry,” Levine said. “It’s inspired by the streets— skateboarding, hip-hop, urban culture as a whole—and known to be harder to come by than regular clothing since it’s produced in small quantities.”

Once a design has been created, the process of production is supposedly very simple. Levine uses a screenprinting system that prints the design

of his choice on virtually any article of clothing—whether it be a wholesale shirt, flannel, or jacket from an army and navy store.

Nick Drbal ‘14, one of Levine’s close friends, was one of the first to know of the business idea before it launched.

“I like the design,” Drbal said.

“It’s something different, and they incorporate it nicely into varying styles.”

In addition to the company’s online store, Levine and his two cofounders have had two “pop-up” shops so far.

“Pop-up shops are a common phenomenon in the clothing industry,” Levine said. “It’s when a company rents a space for a limited time. We had a one-day pop-up in Atlanta in September 2013, and another in New York in November of the same year.”

As it turns out, pop-up retail is a relatively new concept, only first introduced in 1999 by the company Vacant, whose temporary shops were highly successful with limited-edition products sold out in just a matter of hours. The same idea applied for Lucid FC pop-ups, where flannels, while only available for two days, were in particularly high demand.

Since fashion in pop-up retail is (literally) fleeting, it’s crucial for a

PHOTO BY KATIE SETTOS ’15

STARTING OUT ON HIS OWN Levine, whose father, Joey, was a

succesful pop singer in his youth with several top 40 hits, is also hoping to find success at a young age.

store to effectively get the word out.

To do so, Lucid FC uses a variety of advertising strategies. For the popup store in Atlanta, Levine created a Facebook event to which he invited masses of people. The pop-up store in New York, however, gained the

most publicity thanks to the help of “Complex Magazine,” “Mass Appeal,” and a few lesser-known blogs that all posted the flyers for the event and promoted Lucid FC’s collections through blog posts. Overall, Lucid FC gets an immense amount

of help from not only its supporters, but also from the professionals who print the clothes, their models, and the photographers.

“Jonah has done an awesome job marketing his clothing line,” Drbal said. “He advertises very well on Facebook and Instagram, and has even directed some promo videos.

Social media is especially huge for a business like this.”

Considering the company’s only recent start, business is booming. According to Levine, sales have been great, especially with the success of the winter line, which was almost entirely sold-out.

“I want to major in business, and more specifically marketing,” Levine said. “Everyone in my family pretty much owned their own business, and I’ve always kind of known I would follow this path.”

While clothing happens to be Levine’s current interest, who knows what industry he will end up in five or six years.

“In the future I’d like to own my own business. I don’t know what yet, but I know I want to work for myself, on my own terms,” Levine said.

For now, though, Lucid FC is going strong with street-wear, the unconventional and unique style fit for urban culture.

SPORTS

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January 31, 2014

Pain meds for athletes yield a split decision SIMON STRACHER ’14 Social Media Specialist

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or Hannah Malowitz ’15, the pain was unbearable.

A former Staples skier, Malowitz had surgery for a hip impingement last November. Hip impingement impingeme m nt n is when w en wh the hip is unablee to t move fully in its ssocket. ockeet. t Ever Ever since then, take she hass to tak ke muscle relaxers - a weak type of painkiller - before she skis, and ibuprofen - a slightly y stronger type - before she of pain- killer ki

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION BY DANIELA KARPENOS ’15

runs. Without the muscle relaxers and the ibuprofen, her hip becomes inflamed when she does too much exercise.

These painkillers allow Malowitz to participate in activities she enjoys, activities that she would not be able to participate in without the painkillers.

“The pain started becoming really limiting. With the painkillers, I’m able to do what I love,” she said.

However, for some Staples students, the addiction that can accompany painkillers is too big a risk.

Devon DeBalsi ’16 recently had surgery on his knee for an extra bone fragment - an unlucky genetic occurrence - just under his patella tendon that was causing structural damage.

He chose not to take the Perco-

set his doctor prescribed. “ I never took the painkillers because I thought a few hours of being very sore was a better choice than taking the risk of getting hooked on the painkillers,” he said.

According to drugs.com, taking Percocet has the potential to become a dangerous habit. DeBalsi’s doctor echoed this warning. “[The doctor] said that if I felt like I needed to take them that I should be very careful,” DeBalsi said.

Malowitz’s experience with more intense painkillers suggests why doctors urge care with painkillers. After her surgery, she was prescribed a particularly strong drug, with several negative side effects.

“The doctors told me to stay ahead of the pain and keep

taking my doses, but the really strong prescription made me feel really nauseous and distant from what was going on.

It’s definitely not something I would recommend anyone to take voluntarily or without proper need. The muscle relaxers that I take now have no side effects like that because they are significantly weaker,” she said.

However, Will Newman ’15, a rugby player, had a positive experience with painkillers. He took oxycodone after a finger surgery that left a screw in his finger.

The pain had become unbearable for him, he said, and in the end, taking the painkillers was the right decision for him.“I had tried to suffer through it, but the doctor told me I had to take them,” Newman said.

Staples students sell their souls to sports KAILA FINN ’16 A&E Web Editor

While most Staples students start the school day at 7:30 A.M., some wake up at 4:45 in temperatures below 20 degrees to face a deserted Staples. The lights are just fl ickering on, the fi rst janitors arriving, and the heat circulating as the Boys’ Swim Team hops into the pool.

These early mornings are just some of the many sacrifices student athletes deal with.

The winter season entails an abundance of sacrifices for the ski, basketball, swim and track teams as the rigorous workload combined with the time sacrifices of sports teams make for unusual rigor.

“I went here (Staples) about 40 years ago, and now the stress and the intensity is just going through the roof,” Tom Owen, coach of Staples Ski team, said.

Many students echoed the difficulty of handling the seemingly infi nite time required for sports teams.

Emily Stanford, one captain of the girls’ basketball team, explained that practices can run anywhere from two to three hours, even more on Sundays, and often go overtime. In the end, she said, it means the team often “comes to school when the sun’s just coming up and leaves well after it’s down.”

Similarly, the ski team travels up to a nearby mountain, Southington, about an hour away, two times each week.

The pilgrimage to the mountain often brings the team home around 7 or 8 P.M. Jacqueline Chappo ‘15, said that sometimes she “might have a test the next

day” and ultimately supposes that she does “not get that much sleep during ski season.”

According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers should get about 8.5-9 hours of sleep each night. Students said this is difficult when they return from sports at 8 p.m. or head to early morning practices at 5 a.m.

“It is difficult to fi nd time to sleep, and I often fi nd myself nodding off as I work,” Peter Elkind ‘14, one of the track captains, said.

Less importantly, but still fresh in students’ minds is the prospect of missing vacation and time with friends. The basketball team is required to be here for the December and February breaks.

“Most of the time, we end up sacrificing other things in our life that are equally important just for the team,” Jen Gouchoe ‘16 said. She added that when students have a scheduling confl ict, “Well, tough luck!”

Despite the difficult balancing act, students acknowledge the friendships that grow from enduring long practices and trying situations.

Stanford said that the basketball team “tries to help each other push through and stay motivated.”

Meanwhile, Sonia Klein ‘16, a student on the ski team, also recognizes the benefit for her skills, saying that the “sacrifices are absolutely worth making because I have become a better skier and an even better time manager.”

Gouchoe, concluded what many student athletes would say about the Staples sports experience: “Sometimes sacrifices just have to be made. If you love the sport, you’ll be willing to give up anything for it.”

GRAPHIC BY MEGAN ROOT ’15

$35.00

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The man, the myth, the legend Shooting star Darryle Wiggins shines RYDER CHASIN ’14 Web Managing Editor

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hen Darryle Wiggins ’14 tore his meniscus this basketball offseason, the doctors told him he was done. They told him he was looking at a three-month recuperation period. They told him he would spend the better half of the Staples season on the cold, hard bench.

Wiggins told them “No”.

Now, after a month’s rest and intensive physical therapy, Wiggins is back. And he means business.

“He was a huge factor in our opening day win against Danbury,” head coach Colin Devine said. “He was coming right off the injury and still played great.”

Wiggins provided eight points, six rebounds and two blocks for the Wreckers that night. However, according

ing forward and captain of the Staples team, Wiggins is happy with his mother’s decision.

And so is the rest of the team.

“D and I always joke around,” teammate Todd Goldstein ’14 said. “But he is really a very passionate, skilled player. We all expect a lot from him.”

And these expectations come on top of an already challenging routine. Despite the fact that he says he feels a part of the “Staples basketball family,” Wiggins comes to the school through the Open Choice program, which takes students from Bridgeport into the Westport Public School system.

What this means for Wiggins is, on top of his sevenhours-a-week practice schedule, he has to make a near half-hour drive just to get to the court on time. However, according to Devine, if he

“He has to get up super early and make the commute, but you’ll never hear him complain,” – Colin Devine to him, just playing “great” isn’t good enough. Even with his mean defense and his 16 points per game before his injury this past fall season, he says it takes more than just one player to lead a team.

“What I am hoping for this season is to just enjoy these moments with my teammates,” Wiggins said. “After this season, basketball could be done for some of us, and we want to go out as a team to remember.”

Though this will be Wiggins’s last season with the Wreckers, this is certainly not his first, as he is one of very few Staples athletes to have been a varsity player his entire four-year high school career.

As far as basketball on the whole goes for Darryle, however, it dates back a bit before freshman year.

“For my seventh birthday, my grandfather got me a hoop in the backyard and I always played on it,” Wiggins said. “Then my mom thought it would be a good sport to get me into.”

Ten years later, standing 6 feet 3 inches as the start-

PHOTO BY DEANNA HARTOG ’16

didn’t already know Wiggins had to make the long trek, he could never tell.

“He has to get up super early and make the commute, but you’ll never hear him complain,” Devine said. “He’s an always-happy kid.”

In fact, Wiggins thinks his situation is ultimately beneficial.

“Coming from Bridgeport, I actually think it helped me become a better basketball player just because there are two different styles of play between Bridgeport pick-up basketball and Westport pickup basketball,” Wiggins said.

“Having played in both has made me tougher because I know how aggressive some guys can play.”

And, according to Devine, it’s exactly this positive outlook that makes Wiggins such a good leader and so crucial to the team dynamic.

“He’s a bright kid, and he takes advantage of all the opportunities he has,” Devine said. “He’s going to be very successful in whatever he does.”

PHOTOS BY CAROLINE O’KANE ’16

SHOOT AND SCORE Wiggins practices his basketball skills after school at 3:00 p.m. in the Staples High School gym on Jan. 24.

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Sports Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

Super Bowl XLVIII hikes north Touchdown in New Jersey GRAPHIC BY MEGAN ROOT ’15

PHOTOS BY RACHEL MORRISON ’16

WINGING IT (Left) Archie Moore, a local restaurant located at 48 Sanford St. in Fairfield is a popular supply for Super Bowl wings starting at $7.95. (Right) The Black Duck Café, located at 605 Riverside Ave. in Westport has popular wings for $8.

Two “wings” up for wings ADAM KAPLAN ’16 Staff Writer

S

CLOSE TO HOME This year’s Super Bowl, located in New Jersey, is closer o Staples than it has ever been.

It is the first year that the game will be held during cold weather. Above, the locations and proximity to Westport of the past four Super Bowls are shown.

uper Bowl Sunday is right around the corner, and what is a Super Bowl without some buffalo wings? The wings are almost as much a tradition as the game itself, with 1.23 billion wing portions consumed during last year’s Super Bowl, according to the Huffington Post. Lucky for Westport, there are some terrific wing spots, just in time for the big game.

Brandon Schock ’16 had his view on where to get wings: “It has got to be Archie Moore’s.”

In fact, Archie Moore’s was the favorite destination for wings among students interviewed.

While one of the managers at Archie Moore’s did not want to reveal their secret recipe, she did say, “We fry them, use a homemade buffalo sauce, but

most importantly we make sure to use fresh chicken. Outside of that, I don’t think I can tell you.”

While the full recipe may never be publically known, according to various online sources, the three main ingredients found in Archie Moore’s famous wings are butter, Frank’s original hot sauce, and tabasco sauce.

However, Archie’s is not the only restaurant that has Staples students hot for wings.

According to Nick Ribolla ’16, “Archie Moore’s is good and all, but for the Super Bowl, nothing touches the Black Duck’s wings.”

A third town favorite is Bobby Q’s, where their specialty is variety. A chef at Bobby Q’s said, “We have four different sauces. One of them is a homemade mild sauce, and the other is so spicy. I can’t even eat them sometimes.”

INKLINATIONS JENNA MCNICHOLAS ’15 Staff Writer

Super Bowl XLVIII will be determined at Met Life Stadium, in East Rutherford New Jersey, about an hour away from Westport.

“Look, I know it’s a big deal that the Super Bowl is relatively close to our hometown this year, but let’s be real. We will all be watching the Super Bowl for the sole purpose of the commercials,” Alexa Davis ’15 said.

“Football was meant to be played in the cold. Met Life Stadium is a fitting place for the Super Bowl,” Matt Johnson ’16 said.

“I love New Jersey. I love that the Super Bowl is there. I hate that I can’t go, though. That’s the bummer,” Adam Skolnick ’14 said.

“Having Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey is without a doubt a very unique situation. Since it is being played in a cold-weathered location, along with being right in our backyards, it sets up as one for New Yorkers and residents of Westport to cherish,” Nathan Panzer ’16 said.

“I can’t imagine being in the outdoor stadium in New Jersey in February. I’m cold just thinking about it,” Sydney Malkin ’17 said.

“The Super Bowl in New Jersey should be fun; the traffic, not so much,” Nick Ward ’14 said.

Sports

Inklings / January 31, 2014 / inklingsnews.com

Staples students work the slopes

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For some, winter brings a rewarding job experience PHOTOS BY DYLAN DONAHUE ’15

TAYLOR BURG ’16 Staff Writer

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taples students have jobs in town for many reasons. Sometimes it’s to get money for college, sometimes to buy a car and sometimes just for spending.

In fact, according to The Washington Times, sixteen percent of high school students have jobs.

But when winter rolls around, a few Staples students have jobs that are a little farther than “just around the corner” and provide them with other advantages than just getting paid. These few students work at ski mountains.

Caitlin Hartmann ‘14, a ski instructor at Okemo Mountain, describes the job as a ski instructor as teaching four- to ten-yearolds the basics of skiing, like stopping and turning.

An instructor also keeps the kids safe by riding the chairlift with them and making sure they don’t wander off.

Another Staples skier, Sonia Klein ‘16, works at Stratton, Vermont and is also a ski instructor.

She agrees with Hartmann that it’s not all bunny slopes and hot cocoa for the instructors.

“Most of the time kids get dropped off when their parents want to ski freely, which results in the kid not wanting to be there,” Hartmann said.

“Then there is crying and stomping feet, and those days feel very long.”

The job is also quite time consuming. “It takes up a lot of time, pretty much all day. And the car rides are pretty excruciating. It’s six hours every weekend, so fitting in homework can be difficult,” Hartmann said.

However, having such an unconventional job does have its advantages.

Hartmann explains that ski employees get free passes and discounts. But besides discounts, there are other perks. “You make a lot of friends, and on days off you ski together,” Hartmann said.

In addition, the classes you teach can be enjoyable. “If you get kids that want to learn to ski, then the day is really fun.”

Klein says that being a ski instructor is a great experiencel. Like Hartmann, for all her hard work, Klein is rewarded with free passes and ticket vouchers. But for her it’s also beneficial for her future. “It’s like a real job that adults would do, so it should be a good experience for my future.”

BUNNY STEPS Emily Duranko ’16 guides and glides 4-year-olds Remy (top), Eli (bottom left) and Jake (bottom right) for the Little Cub program at Stratton Mountain on Jan. 19.

PHOTOS BY DYLAN DONAHUE ’15

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The Wreckers

InBrief TALIA HENDEL ’16

Boys’ Basketball Team

Staff Writer

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Staff Writer

Waking up to the obnoxious iPhone default ring, eyes squint shut hoping to ward off the nonexistent sunlight drifting in. Instead, moonlight has taken its place: the day has officially begun.

It’s time for practice. For the ice hockey team, that is.

Like most sports, ice hockey requires practice, practice, and yep, you guessed it, more practice.

There is no doubt that it is a timeconsuming activity, just like any other sport. However, unlike base-

ball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and field sports that Staples provides with the settings specific to the activity on school grounds, ice hockey players require a playing field that is a somewhat lengthy drive away.

Members of the girls’ ice hockey team have to wake up as early as 4:30 for 5:20 a.m. practices at a rink in Stamford, CT. “The morning practices are definitely less appealing than the ones in the afternoon, that’s for sure, especially since we have a whole school day to get through

The girls’ basketball team takes on the New Canaan Rams at 7:00 PM in the gym today, Jan. 31. With three other home games left against Stamford on Feb. 4, St. Joseph on Feb. 11 and Westhill on Feb. 19, the Lady Wreckers look to once again qualify for the CIAC and FCIAC.

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The wheels on the bus go round the clock BELLA GOLLOMP ’15

Girls’ Basketball Team

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blazing torch ignites the cheers of excitement around the arena – and the globe.

Since the Winter Olympics only come once every four years, the anticipation has a long time to build.

Finally, it boils over as the torch enters the arena, causing an eruption of cheering and screaming.

Whether you know someone competing or not, the world-class athletes and captivating competitions are sure to steal your attention.

Olivia Troy ‘17 is looking forward to ice hockey because “it’s easy to follow considering it’s a year-round event.” Although she enjoys watching the hockey, Troy says if she could try any Olympic event, it would be bobsledding “because it seems like it would just be one big long roller coaster.”

Ruth Kissel ’16 has a personal connection to the Olympics, as her mother trained for mogul skiing and was set to be in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada until she blew out her knee and was unable to compete. As a freestyle skier, Kissel carries the same love for skiing as her mother and enjoys watching freestyle skiing in the Olympics.

As a frequent Vermont skier, Kissel is a fan of competitor Hannah Kearney because “she is an amazing female mogul skiier and has coached some of my friends before [at Stratton Mountain, Vermont].”

Since ancient Greece, where the Olympics originated, changes

have been made for the summer and winter Games.

This year there will be 12 new winter events making their debut.

These events are: biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event, luge team relay, ski half pipe, ski slope style, snowboard slope style, snowboard parallel slalom, and women’s ski jumping.

While basketball and track and field, Caroline Accardi ‘15’s favorite events, do not take place in the winter Olympics, she remains excited to watch.

She is especially looking forward to watching Shaun White shred the half pipe. “He’s sick at snowboarding, and his hair is so nice,” Accardi said.

Like Accardi, Gabby Perry ‘16 and her family also prefer watching the Summer Olympics, but they still enjoy watching the Winter Olympics. In fact, her favorite Winter Olympic sport is bobsledding because it is a very “different sport, which makes it fascinating to watch.” Another one of her favorites is figure skating, a common favorite among Staples students, which Perry says is “because they always have amazing routines.”

No matter what event you watch this Winter Olympics, you are sure to be impressed by the skills of the athletes. But Kelsey Bobrow ‘15, who had a cousin compete in the Olympics for shot put, admires the athletes for even more than just their skill; she appreciates their hard work. “I look up to all the athletes because they train so hard and work their whole lives to get to where they are.”

The boys’ basketball team visits New Canaan for a showdown against the Rams, in the New Canaan High School gymnasium January 31. The team’s next home game is Feb. 7 at the Staples High School gym at 7:00 PM as they take on the Darien Blue Wave. The team will look for support as they make a push for FCIAC and CIAC playoffs.

afterwards,” said Meg Fay ’15, a member of the girls’ team. “I love being on the team and actually have a really fun time at the practices no matter what time it is, so for me it’s worth the drive.”

In comparison to the girls, the boys’ ice hockey team has an even further route: about a half hour bus ride to the Milford ice pavillion.

A typical day mapped out for the boys generally starts with the buses leaving the Staples parking lot at 3:00 pm, beginning practice at 4:30 and ending an hour later.

After changing out of their hockey gear, players begin a practice that is followed by either a team meeting or a quick weightlifting session, and then the buses leave Milford at 6:30, arriving back in Westport around 7.

“I usually get home around 7:15, which is a lot later than any other sport I have played,” said JP McNicholas, ’14, team captain.

“Although it’s a long commute, being part of a team that has come together to play as a family is definitely worth any distance in my book.”

Boys’ Wrestling Team The boys’ wrestling team will face Fairfield Prep, Norwich Free Academy, and Newtown at the Staples Fieldhouse on Feb. 1. It is their last home meet before the FCIAC, CIAC, and New England meets.

Boys’ Hockey Team The boys’ hockey team faces two road tests as they travel to the Shelton Rinks to face St. Joseph on Feb. 1 followed by a trip to the Darien ice rink to face a tough Darien squad on Feb. 3. On Feb. 8 the team returns home to the Milford Ice Pavilion to face Westhill.

Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track Teams The boys’ and girls’ teams will gear up for the postseason as they have the Class LL Championship on February 8 followed by the CIAC Open Championship on Feb. 15. Both events will take place at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven, CT.

Boys’ Swimming The boys’ swim team is home on Feb. 5 in a meet against the Trumbull High School Golden Eagles. The meet will be the last home game before the team goes on the road to finish the regular season, facing Darien on Feb. 7 and New Canaan on Feb. 12.

GRAPHIC BY ALICE MCDONALD ’14

For continual updates on upcoming sports events, check www.inklingsnews.com