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See inside for ToBGLAD, ‘Cabaret Troupe’ and basketball alumni update

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Newton North High School, 457 Walnut St., Newtonville, Mass. 02460

◆ Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 • Volume 89, Issue 16

Custodial system ‘trial and error’ Rethinking routines to maximize efficiency Hilary Brumberg Custodians are still “working to get the glitches out of the system” in transitioning into the new building, according to senior custodian Tim Keefe.

They are figuring out how long it takes to clean each part of the building in order to make all shifts “fair and equitable,” he said.

“It is a process of trial and error.”

Keefe said he expects that everything will be intact by the end of this month or next month.

“Price, the administration and I are working together to get the building clean to the best of its ability.”

He said that he cannot make a statement regarding whether this school is understaffed with custodians until he has had a full year of observation.

Even though the custodians are having trouble adapting to the new building, it is 65,000 square feet, approximately 16 percent smaller than the old one, according to chief of operations for the Newton Public Schools, Michael Cronin. This school employs the same number of custodians this year as last year, he said.

Cronin suggested that the reason this school’s custodians are having difficulties getting used to cleaning the new building is because they are “still trying to figure out the kinks in getting around the new building,” he said.

He said that when Newton South was renovated five years ago, it took the custodians “some time” to get used to the new cleaning process. It typically takes four seasons to get used to a new building, he explained.

Cronin anticipates that the same will be true for this school.

South has an identical number of custodians and is 6,000 square feet smaller than this school, a “similar” size, Cronin said. It is being cleaned adequately and does not appear to be understaffed, according to South’s senior custodian Danny Bianchi.

“We all have our areas and schedules written out,” Bianchi said. “We all know what we have to do.”

Principal Jennifer Price said, “I don’t think any of us are extremely pleased with how the building’s looking just five months into our time here.”

One of the reasons the building is not at the expected level is because if a custodian is on by

vacation, a substitute custodian comes in for only three hours of the eight-hour shift, according to Price. She said that this is unfortunate because—for instance—when the “guy who works his tail off ” in the athletic wing took a week off a few weeks ago, “the athletic wing was not cleaned at the level we have grown to expect.”

To help the custodians “paint a very accurate picture” of what is and what is not being taken care of in this building, they have asked the administration to have teachers report to their department heads when “stuff’s not happening,” Price said.

“I’m not asking you to single out a specific custodian,” she said, addressing the faculty at a meeting Thursday, Dec. 16.

“I’m just asking you to give us the data to keep the building clean. If you’re not comfortable with it, don’t.”

Once they have the information from teachers, the administration and custodians can allocate time and resources accordingly, according to Price.

Vice principal Deborah Holman explained that individual custodians have a certain number of rooms they have to clean, but would concentrate on certain parts if they were ordered to do so by their supervisors.

For example, if biology teachers tell the head custodians that they are doing liver experiments with their classes one week, the head custodians would have the individual Newtonian c u s t o d i a n s Deborah shrink the time Holman spent cleaning other rooms and focus on the bio labs, Holman explained.

To relieve some of the custodians’ responsibilities, English teacher Adam Carpenter proposed putting a system in place to make students more accountable for cleaning the building.

Design and visual communications teacher Sue Brooks said she takes cleaning her room into her own hands so the custodians can focus on other parts of the building.

She keeps her own cleaning products and towels in her room. She said that if students have detention with her or finish their class projects early and claim they have nothing to do, she says, “See that spot right there?”

Teddy Wenneker

Nordic skiing: Senior Ellen Goldberg, a captain with senior Amy Lu and junior Stoddard Meigs, practices at Weston Ski Track Tuesday, Dec. 4. See sports on pages 12-16.

Muster stations re-assigned Hilary Brumberg Classes on the second, third and fourth floors that had muster stations on the multi-purpose field were assigned new ones because of the snow that covers the field, according to vice principal Deborah Holman.

“We originally thought having stations on the multi-purpose field was a good idea, but it turns out with the snow, it’s not,” Holman explained at a faculty meeting Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Second, third and fourth floor classes will go down the original staircase they were

assigned.

Upper-floor classes that use Stair D will muster on the sidewalk next to Elm Road closest to the building and those that use Stair E will muster on sidewalk outside of the multi-purpose field.

Upper-floor classes that use Stairs H and G will muster on the sidewalk on the side of Elm Street farthest away from the building.

Classes on the first floor will keep the same stations because they were not on the field.

Principal Jennifer Price said

that she knows that having the classes that use Stairways H and G cross Elm Road is “not perfect,” but there “really isn’t much space.”

She said the new stations are better for the custodians because it annoyed them to keep cleaning up the rubber pellets students and teachers tracked in from the multi-purpose field.

Holman said that it is not necessary for teachers to practice mustering with their students again, but they should make sure the students are aware of the new locations.

Samantha Libraty This year, this school held its annual sophomore Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest to celebrate the work of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A-block today, the winners will read their essays and honorable mentions will be introduced in the auditorium.

The contest essay, which was assigned in all sophomore Eng-

lish classes, asked students “to pick a personal hero and convince us that s/he embodied the spirit of Dr. King,” according to the writing prompt. English department head Melissa Dilworth said that a committee of English teachers chose the winners.

This year’s winners were Katie Wu, first place; Malini Gandhi, second place; and Christina Chen, third place.

Honorable mentions were Emily Abromowitz, Caroline Ayinon, Vanessa Battista, Julia Berstein, Matt Bressler, Courtney Cawley, Audrey DeRobert, Jordan Duckham, John Hennessey, Winston Huang, Caroline Loftus and Brittany Yu. Monday, the City will hold its 43rd annual citywide Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Congregation Mishkan Tefila.

by

Essay contest honors King by

opinion

2 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Little changes go a long way Only five months after its opening, the school is messier than we’d all like.

editorial

Teddy Wenneker

New Year’s Eve: Pop singer Ke$ha performs in New York City’s Times Square at “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2011.” Ke$ha performed two songs: “We R Who We R” and “Tik Tok.” Read about Ke$ha’s stance on LGBT bullying on page 9.

The reasons for this are not explicitly clear. Maybe a higher level of maintenance is necessary to keep the building in its original condition compared to the dilapidated old school.

Equally, expectations are markedly higher for the new school based on its $197.5 million price tag.

For example, North’s colored tile floors are prone to scratches and other marks, and they expose dirt.

It’s been difficult for everyone to adjust to the new building, and this doesn’t exclude the custodial staff.

It has undoubtedly been difficult for them to have to adjust all of their routines to a brand new space.

Students can play a role in keeping the school clean, rather than contributing to the mess.

The new rule about not eating outside of the cafeteria is there for a reason. Please take care not to spread messes around and make the cleanup process even more difficult.

When you eat in the cafeteria, use the trash and recycling bins and pick up after yourself.

When you enter the building, try to make sure to wipe your feet, expecially in the wintertime with all of the sand and snow.

These might not seem like significant changes, but little steps can make a difference.

If each of the 2,000 students at Newton North focused on helping to keep the building cleaner, it would definitely make an impact.

This building is a beautiful space, and after years of construction and $200 million, we all owe it to ourselves to treat this space with respect.

The custodial staff has been working very hard to preserve this space, so we also owe it to them to try to keep the mess down.

Try to appreciate all of the hard hours the custodial crew puts in, and show your gratitude by not making their jobs any more difficult in this time of transition.

With a little more consciousness, we could all make an impact and help to preserve the building as a beautiful space for Newton North students for many years to come.

Standardized testing ignores the greater picture Steven Michael With each passing year, high school seems to revolve around standardized tests, particularly the ubiquitous SATs. by

column Standardized tests serve as a universal meter stick by which to measure student achievement. But there is a fine line between placing value on student achievement and creating a culture obsessed with stan-

dardized testing. And we have clearly crossed that line.

Standardized tests are a rite of passage for high school students and an arbiter of the college admissions process.

To be fair, the SAT and its competitor, the ACT, provide the invaluable service of quantitatively comparing students from a variety of backgrounds across the entire country. Grading systems and curricula vary amongst states, school districts, schools and even between teachers.

Only the SAT offers consistent

Newtonite The Newtonite, founded in 1922, is the newspaper of Newton North High School, 457 Walnut St., Newtonville, Mass. 02460.

Editors in chief — Marena Cole, Eli Davidow Managing editor — Teddy Wenneker News editor — Hilary Brumberg Sports editors — Jay Feinstein, Jacob Schwartz Arts editors — Kate Lewis, Perrin Stein Features editors — Jacob Brunell, Fatema Zaidi Freelance editor — Meredith Abrams News analysis editor — Steven Michael Talk of the Tiger editor — Georgina Teasdale Photography editor — Gaby Perez-Dietz Production managers — Gabe Dreyer, Ben Hills Advertising managers — Emily Gulotta, Tiphaine Kugener Business manager — Dan Salvucci Circulation managers — Alison Berkowitz, Caleb Gannon

Adviser — Kate Shaughnessy Production adviser — Tom Donnellan News staff — Malini Gandhi, Rebecca Harris, Kayla Shore Features staff — Emmett Greenberg Sports staff — Evan Clements, Jeremy Gurvits Arts staff — Becky Kalish, Gloria Li News analysis staff — Kellynette Gomez Art staff — Catherine Chen, Marissa Goldman, Anna Kaertner, Maddie MacWilliams, Monica Reuman, D’Jaidah Wynn Photography staff­ — Karen Brier, Eric Halin, Jaryd Justice-Moote, Edan Laniado, Jenny Lewis, Ivan McGovern, Matt Victor Circulation staff — Spencer Alton, Stoddard Meigs, Omar Pinkhasov, Michela Salvucci Production staff­ — Ross Swerling, Peter Taber-Simonian

The Newtonite staff does all the reporting, production work and photography to produce 16 issues a year for a circulation of 2,000.

To place an ad in the Newtonite or contact us by phone, please call 617-559-6273. Yearly subscriptions cost $20. Readers can also reach us at thenewtonite@gmail.com.

To find the Newtonite online go to www.thenewtonite.com.

student assessment from coast to coast. In particular, standardized tests can aid students at competitive high schools like Newton North where grades do not tell the full story. Grades reflect the reality of more challenging classes.

College Board, the organization which administers the SATs, has expanded the breadth of standardized testing in recent years. The traditional test originally consisted of Mathematics and Critical Reading components.

In 2005, College Board added the Writing section, which includes an essay. Also, SAT Subject Tests have gained popularity as a supplement to the standard tests. Now students can take extra tests in topics ranging from Physics to Korean.

While such additional tests masquerade as advancements to better gauge student prog-

ress, in reality they only add to student stress levels. More testing leads to stress, not greater understanding of student ability.

Juniors and seniors take the SATs multiple times, pay for rigorous preparation courses, and spend hundreds of hours studying and worrying over a single number—their score. And to what avail?

This brings me to the fundamental problem of using a number to measure academic excellence. Though numbers are useful for purposes of comparison on the vast continuum of space, numbers are not appropriate as a measure of people. People cannot be quantified.

We are individuals with unique talents hidden behind reams of multiple-choice questions and a theoretical essay written under the strain of a 25-minute time limit.

Creativity is not assessed

on the SAT, neither is wit, nor thoughtfulness. The SAT rewards speed-reading, lightningquick precision in answering multiple-choice questions and an ability to regurgitate a semicoherent jumble of words on the essay portion. The skills College Board champions—reading comprehension, writing and mathematics—are undoubtedly important, but its methods appear flawed and ignore other equally vital skills.

In their narrow focus, standardized tests fail to offer a broad assessment of students.

And, we as a society place too much emphasis on these standardized tests. Standardized tests should be considered an imperfect measure of academic prowess. Other metrics such as extracurricular involvement, course difficulty and, of course, grades, portray a better picture of student accomplishment.

Just think about it...

Don’t slump too much

It’s easy for seniors to feel like the end of term two means the end of having to work hard, as many seniors have applied to college and the bulk of time in high school is over.

However, it can be dangerous to let your grades slip at this point. Don’t spoil three and a half years of hard work with one lazy semester.

Seniors owe it to themselves to finish strong.

Support all teams

It’s great to see that so many fans go out to support the boys’ basketball team.

However, 6th Man should not

be the extent of the fan base at Newton North.

All of the school’s winter sports teams practice very hard, and stuents on those teams would appreciate having fellow students cheer them on.

Try to make an effort to see some teams that might not get as much attention.

Congrats to ’14 talent

Last week, ‘Freshman Cabaret’ went onstage. Congratulations to the 69 freshmen who took part.

The show turned out fantasticly, and it’s great to see so many freshmen becoming active in Theatre Ink. Thanks

to everyone who made the show possible, and to everyone who went to the show and supported freshmen in their first performances at Newton North.

Letters Readers are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Letters should be put in the Newtonite box in Main Office or emailed to thenewtonite@gmail.com.

The Newtonite reserves the right to edit all letters, which must have the writer’s name, class and homeroom.

The Newtonite serves as a forum for student opinion.

news

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

Students rebuild Katrina houses Malini Gandhi In order to expand their efforts to help rebuild the shattered world of Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans, the Carpentry and Leadership classes are hoping to partner with nine other Massachusetts schools, according to Carpentry teacher Garrett Tingle.

Every year since the hurricane in 2005, seven to eight students with carpentry backgrounds as well as 25 students from the Leadership class have traveled to New Orleans for a week in April.

There, they rebuild houses in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the city’s hardest hit neighborhoods, in an effort to “assist Katrina victims in whatever way we can,” Tingle said.

“After Katrina hit, people were left with no jobs, no income and no homes—their futures were really left up to the goodwill of volunteers,” Tingle said.

“These victims have seen the very best and the very worst mankind has to offer: they have seen deception from unscrupulous, greedy insurance companies and contractors, but they have also seen great people with kind hearts.

“We wanted to be a part of these great people, to use our hands and hearts to rebuild lives.”

Yet the students found that making a perceptible difference was harder than imagined, according to Tingle.

“We would work hard for a week, doing as much as we could and looking forward to seeing progress when we came back, but when we returned the next year nothing more had been done.

“It was just as we had left it, and the students were very disheartened,” he said.

To address the lack of progress, an Innovation Team was established through the Innovation Lab to organize nine schools from across Massachusetts. These schools will work together to see the project through to its conclusion, according to Tingle.

Along with chief innovation officer Stephen Chinosi and English teacher Peter Goddard, Tingle is working to establish a group that will stay in New Orleans for a longer period of time, with each school sending students to New Orleans for one week shifts so that “we know there is always a team of builders ready to do work,” Tingle said.

Ideally, the sister schools will purchase a plot of land where students can rebuild the property, cycling through the schools until the project is completed, Tingle said.

Though the endeavor is currently in its beginning stages, Tingle said he hopes that the project could “become a national model, with students all over the country helping to rebuild this area,” according to Tingle.

“To me, it’s a wonderful opportunity not only to gain valuable building experience, but to feel the pulse of the people, to hear their stories and to gain a rich cultural experience as well.

It’s truly a school without walls,” she said. by

Hilary Brumberg

Holiday spirit: Members of Concert Choir, Jubilee Singers and Family Singers, including here seniors Gabriella Pulcini, Alexa Marshall, and Victoria Mirrer, sophomores Ian Lund and Rowan Sockwell and junior Jesse Tripathi, walked around the school caroling Thursday, Dec. 23. They performed songs on the main entrance staircase and to a variety of classes.

Faculty has anti-bullying training Hilary Brumberg As required by the Massachusetts Act Relative to Bullying in the Schools that passed last spring, all Newton Public Schools faculty members attended mandatory anti-bullying training Thursday, Dec. 16.

The two-hour presentation by director of Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center Elizabeth Englander was held at this school and cybercast to the other 20 schools in the district, which was “a first,” according to superintendent David Fleishman.

Englander stressed the importance of the teachers’ role in the prevention of bullying.

She said the best action by

teachers can take when they see “gateway” bullying behaviors, which are less obvious but could lead to serious bullying, is to call the students out on them.

The goal is to make the offending students feel that the adults “expect civility and respect,” Englander said.

Englander explained that there is a difference in motive behind bullying by girls versus boys. Boys tend to bully acquaintances to be funny or to look cool, she said. Girls, on the other hand, are commonly motivated by anger and attack their friends in their immediate circle.

“One of the big developmental tasks of adolescence is to

learn how to form relationships outside of your family,” she said.

“So what’s going to happen to a generation of middle-class girls who aren’t developing those relationships? I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

Englander said that the boom in social networking sites and technology has given rise to a new form of bullying in the current generation of adolescents: cyberbullying.

According to a survey, 78 percent of kids prefer to cyberbully because they cannot see their victims. Englander said that 62 percent incorrectly think that it is completely anonymous and the messages could never be tracked back to their com-

puter.

She also clarified that there is no privacy on social networking sites. “When you have hundreds of people who can see your profile and even one person can copy it, it’s not even close to private,” she said.

“They’re not knowledgeable, they’re fearless,” Englander said of the adolescent generation.

She also warned teachers about the potential problems that could occur if they friend their students on social networking sites.

If a student posts something inappropriate on a teacher’s wall, and another student sees it, the teacher is then accountable for it, she said.

Marine Corps representitve honored in ceremony Recognized for commitment and service to the school community Hilary Brumberg Principal Jennifer Price recognized Gunnery Seargent Schutze, former NCIOC Marine Corps representative for this school, as a “standard bearer” for his “service, integrity and commitment to students at Newton North,” according to counselor Larry Allen.

During the ceremony Thursday, Jan. 6, Allen said that Schutze has “upheld the honor and traditions” that this country would expect from its marines.

Although he has been awarded for his service in other places, Schutze said that this award is especially meaningful because it is from “one of the schools I work with, which is not a traditional military environment.”

Price said she thinks the military is a “wonderful opportunity for some kids.

“Newton North has enjoyed working with Gunnery Seargent Schutze,” she said.

During his time at this school, from March 2008 to November 2010, he changed the lives of students interested in going into the military through his work, which is one of the reasons he was honored in the ceremony, Price said. by

Hilary Brumberg

Marines: Sergeant Hoffman and Gunnery Sergeant Schutze stand with counselor Larry Allen and principal Jennifer Price outside after the award ceremony for Schutze.

arts

4 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

‘Freshman Cabaret’ showcases talent Humorous songs, dances, skits engage audience Malini Gandhi The sound of dozens of feet pounding the stage and whispers of “running, running, and running, running” filled the theatre during the opening moments of “Freshman Cabaret,” which was performed Thursday, Jan. 6 and Friday, Jan. 7 in the auditorium.

Audience members were immersed in chaos as students by

review started to pour in from the aisles and flood the stage, breaking out into a pounding rendition of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get it Started.”

With this overwhelming, upbeat opening, filled with rhythm, color and spontaneity, the annual variety show “Freshman Cabaret,” directed by sophomores Eliza Burr, Jack Reibstein, Greta Schindler and Rowan Sockwell, proved the vivacity of freshmen talent.

The result was a mesmerizing compilation of acting, singing and dancing that ranged from eccentric, witty skits meant to garner laughs to deeper, more profound songs, urging audience members to dream big and question conformity.

Skits

The Monty Python skit “I Wish to Report a Burglary” was a far-fetched, yet hilariously convincing performance that portrayed a frazzled man, played by Stefan Steenstrup, attempting to report a burglary to a trio of less-than-ordinary sergeants. Steenstrup soon discovers that one sergeant can

only hear high-pitched voices, one can only hear low-pitched voices and one can only hear words spoken very rapidly.

With mounting frustration, the man manages to detail the burglary through exaggerated squeaks and deep moans, delighting the audience.

Written by Reibstein, “The Essentials” was another favorite, depicting two separate scenes where a mother sits with her daughter and a father sits with his son, each attempting to “tutor” the child for an upcoming date. Much to the teenagers’ horror, their parents’ enthusiastic, kindly-meant words are far from sane.

The father eagerly tells his son to whisper a random word in his date’s ear upon arriving, recalling a time when he murmured the word “blackberry” and it “kept her guessing the whole night.”

The mother, on the other hand, advises her daughter to take as long as possible when ordering food, wisely pointing out that if he is not patient enough to wait for her order, then he is not the right match.

Performances by Adrian Butterton and Kelsey Fox as the parents were unfailingly sincere yet touched with humor.

Songs

A proclamation of self-confidence and determination, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan displayed a powerful combination of singing and movement.

The large group sang in strong, demanding voices as they urged other cast members

to “get down to business to defeat the Huns.”

Throughout the song, the singers dramatically acted out the breathless struggle of preparing for war. The singers ended by merging together and punching the air, fearful yet resolute to face their mysterious enemies.

Another beautiful, almost heart-wrenching display of emotion was found in “Louder Than Words” from tick, tick…Boom!

It is an intricate song that questions why people take certain paths through life, and it weighs the consequences of conformity.

The performance began with a series of soft, repeating arpeggios and the uncertain, wandering voices of the soloists as they asked, “Cages or wings?”

However, as the piece climaxed, the singers’ voices mingled into a resounding, many-layered expression of self-discovery.

Dances

The second act was opened by “Boys Dance,” an impressive number that allowed the male cast members to show off their dancing skills.

It began with a chorus of boys awkwardly clasping their hands together and attempting to follow the lead of a frenzied conductor, only to be trampled by a hoard of other boys who corner them and proceed to teach them how to dance.

As the members of the chorus attempted to imitate the dance moves displayed by the other group of boys, they were greeted with applause from the

Gabe Dreyer

“Game Day”: Freshmen Liran Bromberg and Eric Weiss prepare for a football game with unabashed energy, as a part of a skit they performed in “Freshman Cabaret.” audience.

A beautifully choreographed jazz dance to “Uncharted” by Sara Bareilles was another highlight. The dancers extended their arms and rotated in a circle throughout the rhythmic, soul-

ful dance.

“Freshman Cabaret” was truly a show filled with variety and touched with humor, thoughtfulness and creativity. It harnessed the voices and talents of the Class of 2014.

songs, we are able to show how musical theatre is progressing.”

This year, 22 students are in Cabaret Troupe, and there will be three full-cast songs, he said. “‘Hard ork’ from the musical, Fame is opening the show, but it’s different from what we normally do because it will be a cappella and shorter in length,” Roby said.

According to Roby, the audience should expect to see something new and interesting in the performance of “Hard Work” because of the way it’s staged and sung. “‘You and I’ by Ingrid Michaelson will have two solos, a female and a male, with the full cast backing them up,” according to Roby.

“It’s about being together and sharing moments with your loved ones and highlighting how important relationships can be —it’s really upbeat and fun.”

For the finale, Cabaret Troupe will sing a full-cast number, “Holding On” by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk.

“It’s a slow song. It’s basically about how you go through life and how you have to keep hold-

ing on because you don’t know what to expect,” Roby said.

“Highschoolers can relate because, they have their daily problems with friends and stress. They have to remember that the world keeps on turning and they just have to keep on going,” according to Roby.

Each song in Cabaret Troupe was chosen because Roby and McIntyre want “people to leave the show having thoroughly enjoyed every number and having learned something and felt something from the music and the stories we share,” according to Roby.

However, each person in the audience will learn something different because musical theatre is about personal experiences and what people learn individually, he said.

This is one of the reasons that Roby chose to direct Cabaret Troupe, he said.

Also, “Musical theatre is a big part of my life and I want people who don’t know much about it to be aware of contemporary musical theatre,” he said.

“I want to educate people about this new genre of music that can’t be compared.”

Tickets are $7 and can be

Troupe’s ‘Growing Up Again’ to debut Fatema Zaidi Senior Kelly McIntyre and junior Jon Paul Roby are directors of Cabaret Troupe, a group that features contemporary music.

The group’s show will go on stage Thursday, Jan. 20 and Friday Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

The show is titled “Growing up Again,” and the directors hope that people discover something about themselves through the performance, Roby said.

Last year, Cabaret Troupe’s debut season was a success, so “it was decided that Cabaret Troupe would be a set thing in the Theatre Ink season,” Roby said.

Cabaret Troupe will be slightly different from last year because it is bigger, and “the songs are improved and have more depth. We have also added pop songs by Ingrid Michaelson, India.Arie and Ben Folds,” Roby said.

“We are trying to show that contemporary musical theatre can be fun and relatable, and we want people to find that this music can be powerful because everyone can find a personal connection to it,” Roby said.

“And by adding pop mainstream by

Gaby Perez-Dietz

Getting ready for the show: Junior Emily Paley rehearses a song for Cabaret Troupe. The show will go on stage Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Proceeds from concert to aid clinics in Darfur Kate Lewis “Hidden Voices: A Benefit Concert for Darfur,” an event to raise money to aid victims of the Sudanese genocide, will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Juniors Ellie Abbott and Hannah Lloyd are coordinating the concert.

The money raised at the concert will benefit the International Medical Corps. The corps by

has clinics in the Darfur region, which has been torn apart by genocide, according to Abbott.

Groups Newtonian performing Ellie Abbott at the concert will include the Jubilee Singers, Concert Choir, a cappella group

Northern Lights, South Beat and the Ben Schwartz Band.

Solo acts include senior Edan Laniado, junior Jared Masinton and Bohan Leng ’10.

“Types of music will be everything from pop to gospel to a cappella,” said Abbott. “The music will be great.”

In addition to the money earned from ticket sales, funds will also be raised through the sale of T-shirts, handmade Af-

rican items and baked goods at the concert. Additional donations are also encouraged, said Abbott.

“The concert will be incredible, and it’s a way to bring the community together over a major issue for which we have the means to help,” Abbott said.

“Together, we are trying to do as much good and supply as much help as we possibly can.”

In the future, Abbott hopes

that each year this school will hold a student-organized concert to help a charity.

Those who cannot attend the concert but wish to make a donation to the cause can send checks payable to “International Medical Corps.”

Tickets for the concert can be purchased online at www.theatreink.net, or at the door before the performance. Admission for the concert is $10.

features

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 5

Graphics, Plowshares collaborate Speaker Fatema Zaidi Playing with blocks instead of InDesign, junior Aidan Keyes did not have an ordinary time in his Graphics class two weeks before break. He had the unique opportunity to spend time and play with children from Plowshares Childcare.

After learning more about them, Keyes and Graphics students made drawing pads based on what their preschool buddy would like on them in the Graphics Lab. Plowshares Childcare teacher Sheila McCarthy said that the purpose of getting the high school students working with the Plowshares children was to expose them to something new.

“Basically, Tom Donnellan, the Graphics teacher, had them come in and paired them up based on if there was a shy child who would work better with a certain student, and they got to know each other and get comfortable with each other,” McCarthy said.

“We wanted to familiarize them with what some of the high school students do in the building, and make them comfortable around high schoolers,” McCarthy said.

“The students got to know the high school students and they got to know what the preschoolers would like on their drawing pads,” she said.

This was not the first time that the two departments have gotten together.

Graphics teacher Tom Donnellan has brought Graphics and Plowshares together for the past four years.

“It is an idea that I came up with a few years ago, and it’s a fun way to get the two departments together,” he said.

In the old school, the two classrooms were right across from each other, and Donnellan thought of this creative way to get the students together.

says how students can help climate

by

Perrin Stein In order to teach high school students about the environment, Rouwenna Lamm, a member of the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), gave a presentation about climate change Friday, Dec. 17 in the auditorium.

She began by telling students, “I’m here to talk to you about how you can make the world a place you all want to live in.”

Lamm described the cause of climate change and how it has altered the world. T h r o u g h o u t her speech, Lamm played an animation on the screen behind her, which helped clarify what she was talking about.

In the United States, everyone has so much stuff that each person requires a space about the size of 21 football fields on which to live, according to Lamm. “Therefore, if everyone lived like Americans, we would need five Earths,” she said.

Because everyone owns more than ever before, more energy is being used, Lamm said. “All this energy is making the Earth warmer, so we need to figure out how to use less energy, in order to stop climate change.”

Lamm said that people need to lower the amount of CO2 that they put into the atmosphere.

The reason that CO2 levels are rising is because fossil fuels, which are used in almost all machines, release CO2.

“Before the industrial revolution, CO2 levels hadn’t been more than 300 parts per million, but now it is 350,” she said.

According to Lamm this rise is huge because it has altered the Earth’s temperature one degree Fahrenheit.

In order to show the effect that climate change has had on the world, Lamm displayed news clips of natural disasters that occurred in the past five years.

It is not clear how much of a correlation there is between climate change and extreme weather, but there is some relationship, according to Lamm.

“This is one of the first generations that clearly understands what’s happening, she said.

“Ninety-five percent of scientists agree that climate change is caused by people, so we need to do something about it.”

Lamm said that through ACE, students can become involved in the movement to end climate change.

As an organization, ACE educates students about climate change and helps them find the resources to bring about change.

She said to start, each person should go to ACE’s website and make a “DOT,” which stands for “Do One Thing.” This “DOT” is something that each person does differently to reverse climate change. It could be using an energy-efficient light bulb or eating locally grown food.

Anyone interested in becoming involved in ending climate change can go to ACE’s website, www.acespace.org, or talk to a member of the Greengineering program to learn more about education and action opportunities for youth. by

courtesy Suzanne Spinelli

Two departments together: Junior Lauren Smith, a Graphics major, talks with Nathan Hutchinson, a child in Plowshares.

The first time that the students met the children, they went down to Plowshares and paired up with a partner.

The Graphics students played with the children and learned a little bit about them and what they would like on their drawing pads, he said.

Then, up until the following week, the students would work on designing the notepads for their buddies.

According to Donnellan, the next time the Plowshares children met up with the students, they came down to the Graphics room and helped the students finish designing their notepads with trucks, dinosaurs and anything that the children asked for, and helped glue the pads together in the Lab. “It’s a really fun project, and now, when they see the kids in

the hall, they recognize them,” said Donnellan.

“Spending time with the children is a change of pace for the students because they are taking class all day, and this gives them an opportunity to slow down and have a good time with the kids and share their skills.

“The students enjoy it because they get something different for them, and I mean, who doesn’t like to play with kids?

And the kids get excited about it because they love machines and love the highschoolers,” Donnellan said.

“Another reason that the students enjoy this project is that some of their teachers’ kids go to Plowshares, so they wanted to partner up with their teachers’ kids,” he said.

This year was slightly differ-

ent than the past two years because Donnellan did it with two classes this year.

“It got bigger, which was more challenging, and they had to split into two different blocks,” he said.

“The teacher who I started with was Karen Giovannucci, who taught for Plowshares, and she is no longer here.

“It all started because we had a really nice relationship, and now I’ll develop a relationship with the other teachers,” Donnellan said.

Ashley Plummer, a child in Plowshares Childcare, said “my coloring pad had butterflies, roses and unicorns.”

Another child, Hailey Smith said, “Mine had a pretty heart and a scary castle, and I got to pick it with the highschooler.”

Doctor talks about treating HIV/AIDS Alex Feit Hirschhorn provided statistics Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn, a pro- about the state of HIV/AIDS in fessor at the Harvard Medical the world through a PowerPoint School and an infectious disease presentation. doctor, presented a documentaApproximately 33.3 million tion of HIV/AIDS care in Africa people are alive with HIV, and for the 10th edition of the Hun- 25 million have been killed by tington Lecture Series Tuesday, AIDS between 1981 and 2006, Jan. 4 in the film lecture hall. according to Hirschhorn.

The talk, entitled “ExpandThe main areas of concern ing HIV Care and Treatment are in Southern and East Afin Africa: A Work Still in Prog- rica, where the most recorded ress,” displayed cases of death the prevalence from HIV occur Doctor Lisa of the disease in (Sub Saharan Hirschhorn Africa and the Africa contains rest of the world 68 percent of since its discovHIV cases “We know what some of all ery in 1981, and worldwide), the mission to the challenges are, but and Russia and we need to do better.” Asia where the eventually end its transmission epidemic is within the comgrowing. ing years.

However, Hirschhorn noted For over 25 years, Hirschhorn that there is now effective treatworked to treat patients with ment for HIV. HIV/AIDS, mostly at Dimock Although the disease will community Health center in most likely kill people in the Roxbury. end without treatment, she said, Since 2000, she has made effective treatment can reverse several visits to countries in immune system damage.

Africa with a high percentage Addressing the audience, of infections to help educate Hirschhorn said, “I don’t want and treat people living in these anyone going home saying, ‘we countries, especially in rural haven’t done anything to imcommunities. prove the situation’—we have.”

Treating the disease in BoD u r i n g t h e Po w e r Po i n t tswana, Rwanda and Tanzania section of the presentation, has been the focus of her work, Hirschhorn detailed the “Lazashe said. rus Effect,” in which those near To begin the presentation, death due to the disease can by

Jacob Schwartz

Speaking about HIV/AIDS: Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn spoke about treating HIV/AIDS during the Huntington Lecture Series. eventually become able to live a normal life.

In particular, she featured an African man in her slideshow who was able to work again after becoming critically ill.

Hirschhorn also described her visits to Africa, which occur every three months, where

she works to expand care and educates communities to help protect against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Hirschhorn offered tips for high school students to help the cause, such as helping to volunteer, raising awareness, and offering education.

6 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

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Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 7

Day encourages allies, open conversation Meredith Abrams Transgender Bisexual Gay Lesbian Awareness Day has been a tradition at North for more than 10 years, since the early 90s, said math teacher and GSA adviser Janice Lichtman.

“When the GSA was started, there was a much higher rate of suicide among gay and lesbian youths than youth in general, so the GSA was a safe place for LGBT and questioning students to come,” Lichtman said.

“We’ve also worked very much to include allies,” she said.

“It’s made up of anyone who is by

concerned about the issues,” Lichtman said. “ToBGLAD was created to start that conversation.”

She said that the topics on which the day focuses are different each year.

“This year we focused on allies, and on pulling speakers from within the building, so a lot of the different panels had people within North as speakers.”

Lichtman said that members of the GSA chose the topics for each block of this year’s ToBGLAD, which was Wednesday,

Dec. 15. “Allies was chosen as a topic because we wanted to reach out to people who believe in equal rights,” Lichtman said.

“We decided to look at transgender issues because it’s a topic people are less familiar with.”

ToBGLAD is an annual event organized by the GSA. “We were particularly motivated this year in light of the rise in suicides among youth due to homophobic bullying,” she said.

Lichtman said the goal of the event was to continue the conversation in the school about issues relating to the LGBT

community.“We want to acknowledge the ways the school is and isn’t a comfortable place for LGBT students,” she said.

“It’s definitely made a difference in terms of more students feeling safe being out, and having it be seen as normal and part of our world.”

In the future, she said she hopes to see people stop using terms like “that’s so gay.”

“The change I’d like in the end is in the way kids tease each other,” Lichtman said. “I’d like it to be less about gender, so a boy wouldn’t have to be worried

about being made fun of for doing something traditionally feminine. “Overall, it’s the dayto-day stuff we need the most progress on,” she said.

Junior Madeline Aquilina, a co-president of the GSA with junior Yaelle Sarid-Segal, said this year ’s ToBGLAD was a success.

“I think ToBGLAD raised the voices that sometimes aren’t heard at North,” Aquilina said.

“It was really great to talk to audience members about their reactions to their peers’ narratives and thoughts.”

Speaker shares life story Man describes his transition Jacob Brunell During the F-block ToBGLAD presentation, Chris Miller spoke about his experiences as a transgender man and shared facts and misperceptions relating to transgender people.

Miller, introduced by junior Madeline Aquilina, said that he began his transgender transition around 10 years ago, when he was in his 40s.

Miller said that he was trained by the Mass Trans Political Coalition, an organization that attempts to educate the public about transgender people and end gender discrimination.

One of the most recent efforts of the organization is the Identity Project, said Miller.

“The goal of the Identity Project is to let people who want information on the transgender transition get information on how to how change your name, as well as what documents to change,” Miller explained.

Miller then involved the audience in the discussion by questioning audience members about some of their perceptions of gender.

Another point that Miller emphasized was the difference between gender and sex.

“While sex is anatomical, gender is not. Gender is what culturally defines us as a man or woman,” said Miller.

Miller explained that “trans” means there is a disconnect between gender and sex.

“Transgender is an umbrella term which includes people who transition from their birth sex to the gender they see themselves as,” Miller said.

Gender transition is a personal process in which a person begins to openly identify as the gender they see themselves as, said Miller.

Miller said that gender transition can be very expensive.

“However, one common misconception is that surgery is a necessity in order to undergo a gender transition, which is actually not true.”

Miller also emphasized the importance of being an “ally,” and explained specific things that one can do to be an ally. by

Gaby Perez-Dietz

LGBT community in religion: Rabbi Jeff Spitzer, head of rabbinical studies at Gann Academy, discusses issues facing GLBT people in religion during the E-block presentation, as Rev. Gretchen Grimshaw of the Parish of St. Paul looks on.

Panel discusses gay identity in religion Meredith Abrams ToBGLAD included a panel of religious figures discussing gay identity in religion for the E-block presentation.

Juniors Maya Caspi and Yaelle Sarid-Segal opened the presentation by introducing the speakers.

Speaking were Rev. Gretchen Grimshaw of the Parish of St. Paul in Newton, Rabbi Don Pollock, and Jeff Spitzer, head of rabbinical studies at Gann Academy.

Pollock opened the presentation by discussing how he became involved in the issue of gay identity in religion.

“Many years ago, I wrote my rabbinical dissertation on the rights of gays and lesbians by

to marry,” he said. “It was very controversial at the time.

“I was writing this during a time of change—we were going from class-oriented through a civil rights movement, and when I graduated, I wondered why everyone in the Jewish faith shouldn’t have the same rights.”

Pollock also spoke about his beliefs with regards to how people treat each other.

“The only way to keep society full of decent individuals is to care about each other,” he said.

“We have to teach tolerance, commit to interfaith dialogues and commit to giving rights to the LGBT community.”

Spitzer spoke next, begin-

ning with his own religion. “I am an observant Jew, and I follow Jewish law,” he said.

“When I read the passage in Leviticus that is against gay rights, that provides for me a serious issue, because I know what I see, and that is not the voice of God. “The law requires itself to be just—rabbis have to act with courage to create a system that supports life, combats loneliness and supports human dignity,” Spitzer said.

Grimshaw was the last speaker on the panel, and she began her discussion by disclosing that she could only speak for herself, and no other religious figures, before beginning to discuss the Bible.

“There are very few places in the Bible that actually prohibit being gay,” she said.

“And the very first thing God says to humanity is ‘love each other as God has loved you,’ and if anything else contradicts that, remember it’s not God calling, it’s AT&T. “There is dignity in God’s creation, and equal marriage is nothing more than lifting up dignity,” she said.

“If you love God and each other with everything you have, you only have to look in your own heart to find the right thing to do,” Grimshaw said.

“It is all about dignity, and when you see it not being created, it is an assault on God’s likeness on your heart.”

8 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Ja

Panelists share

A national survey of LGBT students conducted in 2003 found that:

Students and teachers speak: motivations for being allies

Meredith Abrams Newton North students and teachers discussed their experiences as LGBT allies during the G-block ToBGLAD presentation in the little theatre.

Junior Abby Holtzman moderated the discussion and introduced the members of the panel: Riley housemaster Mark Aronson, physical education teacher Kirsten Tuohy, senior Rebecca Harris and junior Madeline Aquilina.

Holtzman opened the discussion by asking panel members what Newtonian their definitions of an ally Abby were.

Holtzman “The responsibility I have for everyone is to be safe and free to get an education, and to make sure students know it’s okay to be who they are,” Aronson said.

According to Tuohy, “it’s a group with a common purpose and shared responsibility.”

“It’s about being able to acknowledge that it can be an uncomfortable subject, and being able to talk about it,” Aquilina said.

Harris said being an ally has two sides. “The side where you are a support system and the side where you talk about the issues,” she said.

Each panel member Newtonian was also asked why he or she was an ally.

Kirsten “As an educator, in Tuohy general I have to be an ally,” Aronson said. “I have this sense that life can be difficult, and my obligation is to not add to that burden or allow anyone else to.”

Tuohy said she can’t imagine not being an ally. “It is the right thing to do, and it’s inherently part of who I am,” she said.

“It’s very important for everyone to have somewhere to go where they feel comfortable.”

Aquilina said she became an ally in middle school. “There was a phase where we all went to GSA meetings. I stuck with it when it wasn’t a fad anymore, and through that I discovered that I’m passionate about it.”

Harris said that “homophobia is accepted in a way racism and sexism are not.”

“The language we use around LGBT issues is not as careful as the language we use when discussing race,” she said.

“We need to look carefully about how we accept this hatred.”

To wrap up the conversation, the panel discussed the role media plays in the portrayal of allies.

“The media doesn’t really present allies all that often,” Aronson said. “And it’s just not a good place to get information— there’s always a little spin to things.”

Tuohy agreed that allies are not represented in the media very often. “You don’t by

Five to six percent of American students are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender—a conservative estimate means there are 2.25 to 2.7 million school-age LGBT youth.

77.9 percent have heard remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school (similar studies have shown that the average high school student hears such epithets 25 times a day).

82.9 percent reported that faculty or staff never or only sometimes intervened when they were present when such remarks were made.

84 percent personally had been verbally harassed at school (that is, called names or threatened) because of their sexual orientation.

64.3 percent felt unsafe in their school because of their sexual orientation.

LGBT youth are seven times more likely than other students to be threatened or injured with a weapon at school.

Nearly one-third of LGBT students drop out of high school—a dropout rate nearly three times the national average.

Gay youth are four times more likely than their non-gay counterparts to have attempted suicide.

—Compiled by Meredith Abrams from Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization.

Karen Brier

At the speakout: Junior Miko Walsh reads a piece she wrote.

Student speak-out allows free expression Julia Oran Members of this school’s Gay-Straight Alliance read poetry and prose at a student speak-out held for the B-block ToBGLAD presentation.

Junior Madeleine Aquilina, an officer of the club, introduced the presentation by saying the goal was to “educate the community about sexuality and identity.”

The event continued with members reading anonymous submissions and compositions of their own. Topics ranged from gay marriage to sexuality in pop culture to personal experiences.

One member of the club presented a poem in which she advised the audience to “steer around stereotypes.”

In another reading, junior Corey HessMahan and freshman Stefan Sowa read two stories written by two brothers. The older brother, in Newtonville, had a pizza thrown at him and was called a “faggot” by other students from this school, while everyone around watched silently.

Sowa, reading from the perspective of the older brother, asked the audience, in that situation, “What would you do?”

Later, Hess-Mahan, as the younger brother, swore, “I’d become his ally, his true brother.”

Another member of the club read her poem, in which she said, “Love is all the same,” referring to the fact that some people view a relationship between a man and a woman differently than a relationship, for example, between a man and a man.

She continued, “Labels seem like cages.

She did not want to cram herself into a cage that did not fit.”

Interspersed with the readings, students shared statistics and stories about sexual orientation and identity.

Stories included the suicide of a young boy who was teased because of his perceived sexuality and a boy who wanted to bring his male date to the prom. by

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LGBT faculty: Spanish teacher Dan F Conway answered questions as part of really hear about allies.”

Aquilina said she would like to see more exposure for allies in the media. “I’m glad that there is some, but it is very limited.”

Harris referenced a recent news story in which a woman’s daughter liked to wear boys’ clothes.

“There was a question as to whether or not to support her two-year-old daughter,” Harris said. “It was purely sensationalism.”

LGBT faculty members share experiences

Kate Lewis For ToBGLAD, a panel of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) faculty members spoke about their experiences and answered a series of questions during D-block.

The panel included physical education teacher Courtney Albert, math teacher Nicole Conway, Spanish teacher Dan Fabrizio, math teacher Janice Lichtman, and Jennifer Stephens, who teaches technical education at Newton South.

To begin the presentation, the teachers by

an. 14, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 9

personal views Karen Brier

“Bobby’s Wedding”: Senior Rebecca Harris reads her poem.

Bobby’s Wedding Bobby came back to Wolcott, Vermont, April 11, 2009, boyfriend in tow, To get married.

He hadn’t been back since ’87.

Hadn’t spoken to his parents since then, either, Or been to church, Or shoveled one scoop of snow.

He had been in New York City.

Jenny Lewis

Fabrizio, physical education teacher Courtney Albert and math teacher Nicole a faculty panel during the D-block ToBGLAD presentation in the little theatre. introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their experiences as LGBT educators.

Stephens, who has identified as transgender since the fall of 2007, said her transition from male to female caused some divides between her and her family and friends.

However, she said she has never had problems working in Newton and that she is living a great life.

Lichtman said she came out as bisexual in Newtonian college, and that she may have come to terms with Janice her sexuality sooner had Lichtman she grown up in a more welcoming environment.

Conway also said that she grew up in a different culture with minimal diversity.

Because homosexuality was regarded in a negative light as she was growing up, Conway was hindered from coming out, she said.

Albert also came out in college, but when she was hired in Newton, she waited to “test the waters” before telling her colleagues that she was gay, she said.

To her amazement, she went to diversity training on her first day and learned about a group called the Alliance of Newton Gay and Lesbian Educators (ANGLE). Albert said that the welcome that she received on the first day has been constant throughout her years in Newton.

A recent graduate of Boston College and an attendee of a Catholic prep school, Fabrizio said he struggled with his sexuality while growing up in somewhat conservative institutions. While he never felt directly threatened, he said he felt guilty for not standing up to prejudice towards LGBT individuals.

All of the educators agreed that Newton is a unique and welcoming community.

Junior Madeleine Aquilina, the panel’s moderator, then asked a series of questions about sexuality and LGBT awareness in schools, then opened up the floor to questions and comments from the audience.

He came and stayed in a motel, And he and his boyfriend slept In separate beds.

Why hadn’t he told the manager on that little bitch?

Twin beds for a couple She had just seen kissing in the parking lot As they got out of their car.

Welcome home.

The phone was broken so Bobby used his cell And when his father didn’t pick up, He left a voicemail saying he was A short-order cook at some greasy diner And happy where he was, doing what he did And that he was still gay And in love And that he was sorry.

He was getting married at 4pm the next day, And wanted his parents there, And he said that, too.

They went to the town clerk the next morning, Not in Wolcott but the next town over, So they wouldn’t get a smirk and a chuckle And no marriage license.

Then later, at 4:30, they stood in suits In front of the altar, facing each other In the scarlet light from the stained glass (there was no other light) and without anyone to give any kind of objection, no priest, or old woman, or janitor present, They said how much they loved each other and traded rings.

—Rebecca Harris

In reaction to the suicides in September of 2010, Dan Savage began ‘It Gets Better,’ an online video channel of positive messages to LGBT teens.

President Barack Obama: “If you’re in trouble, there are caring adults who can help. You are not alone.

You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied. There is a whole world full of possibilities waiting for you, and there are people that love you just the way you are.”

Pop singer Ke$ha: “To anybody that’s being bothered or abused or harassed, I just want to tell you that it will get better.

It will. No matter if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender—however you are choosing to live, it is beautiful, and you have my support and all of my love.”

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton: “I have a message for all of the young people out there who are being bullied, or who feel alone and find it hard to imagine a better future. First of all, hang in there and ask for help.

Your life is so important— to your family, your friends and to your country.”

Pop singer Adam Lambert: “It gets better. It seems hard, you know, I think being different is always a tough climb. There’s always going to be people that are scared of it. But at the end of the day, if you give those bullies and those people that are so ignorant and so fearful of your lifestyle—if you give them the power to affect you, you’re letting them win.”

—Compiled by Marena Cole from videos of the speakers on YouTube.

10 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

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Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Talk of the

Critic’s Picks The King’s Speech

While a bit slow at first, The King’s Speech finds its audience empathizing for the stuttering Duke of York, rooting for him throughout. Therefore, Colin Firth, who starred as the Duke, displayed excellent acting.

The film can be hard to watch at times, especially during the Duke’s stammer-filled opening speech. However, it is well worth it, and these scenes do make the movie better.

The movie has strong themes of persistence not only in the Duke’s stuttering, but also in the friendship of the Duke and Lionel, his middle-class speech therapist.

Overall, the stars were outstanding, especially Geoffrey Rush, who added some humor to the role of Lionel.

The King’s Speech also had very artistic camera work, which brought in new perspectives to the movie.

Grade: A-

Tiger

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 11

The Social Network

One would expect, upon entering The Social Network, simply a drawn out storyline of the invention of Facebook.

However, the movie, based on true events, showcased not only the story, but also the back-story of the popular website, Facebook.com, which the writers proved to be just as interesting.

The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as entertainingly selfconfident and obnoxious Mark Zuckerberg, who is believable throughout the performance.

The premise, with Zuckerberg accused of stealing the concept of Facebook, is strengthened with great deposition scenes throughout.

Zuckerberg’s attitude and personality are entertaining, whether they are based on reality or not.

Grade: A-

This month in 1981...

Easy A

Easy A had a plot that could have been very comical and fun, if it had been executed well. But it wasn’t.

Emma Stone plays Olive, who is paid by schoolmates to pretend to sleep with them in order to boost their reputations. Olive narrates in a voiceover throughout most of the movie, which can be annoying at times.

Most of the characters were shallow and didn’t make believable, fully developed high school students. However, Fred Armisen, playing a church minister, was very funny in the few minutes he was on screen.

Overall though, Easy A is unfunny, predictable and not worth buying or renting.

Grade: C —Jacob Schwartz

7 New Courses Added

Despite lots of cuts in the school, the school planned to add seven new classes. These included a Career and Tech Ed major in Culinary Arts.

Black history links school, city groups

To celebrate Black History Month, students and members of the community hosted a series of events, including poetry readings and performances from various plays in the auditorium.

Tall Order—Boys to visit Cambridge

Boys’ basketball prepared to visit Cambridge Rindge and Latin, propelled by senior Bob Billings, who was ranked as the No. 3 scorer in the Suburban League with 197 points in 12 games and a 16.4 points per game average.

Riflery team

After a 25 year history, the Riflery team was removed because it didn’t have a shooting facility anymore.

Puppets make ‘Androcles and the Lion’ special

Life-sized puppets were used in the production of a play.

The puppets were made by students in a sculpture class.

Did you know?

Teachers’ Picks

Ms. Stover

Ms. Bostrom

Mr. Hazeltine

Favorite Artists

Favorite Artists

Favorite Artists

Elton John The Beatles Bon Jovi Billy Joel Aerosmith

Favorite Movie When Harry Met Sally

Favorite Show Desperate Housewives

Michael Bublé Josh Groban The Beatles Rodgers and Hammerstein Rod Stewart

Favorite Movie The Sound of Music

Jerry Garcia Jimi Hendrix Aoife O’Donovan The Grateful Dead Bob Dylan

Favorite Movie Apocalypse Now

Favorite Show

Favorite Show

Law and Order

Modern Family

Special education teacher Nicole Franchi graduated from this school in 1995.

Franchi was a cheerleader throughout high school, becoming captain her junior year.

As captain, Franchi organized the 100th Anniversary of the Newton North-Brookline Thanksgiving football game.

This role included organizing the Pep Rally in the gymnasium the day before. It was the first Pep Rally in the Newton North gymnasium, and the whole school was in attendance.

She was also a member of the Students Against Drunk Driving club.

Franchi participated in the Italian Club, going on the exchange her junior year and hosting exchange students both junior and senior years.

Additionally the boys’ varsity lacrosse team was the State Champion with Franchi managing her senior year.

Newtonian

Nicole Franchi

Franchi was nominated for the Girls’ Senior Cup. Franchi said when she attended Newton North the houses were mixed grade. “It’s more organized now, but we met people from other grades and got to know them better.”

Caught in a Blizzard

Maddie MacWilliams

sports

12 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Boys’ gymnastics preps for tough meets ahead Kristian Lundberg Boys’ gymnastics was slated to host Braintree to open its season yesterday, a meet coach Steve Chan said would be “very difficult to win.” That might even be an understatement. by

column The team has a total of nine members—a problem when six are needed to compete. Only three of them returned from last year. The others are, for the most part, new to the sport of gymnastics, other than what’s taught “in middle school gym classes,” according to Chan.

Meanwhile, the folks at Braintree have a team ready to defend its fourth straight State Championship. The Wamps obliterated their opponents last year en route to an undefeated 6-0 record, including a 180-130 drubbing of North. The year before that, the Tigers were walloped 168-103 at home.

“We’re not expecting to win the meet,” said senior Alex Petitti, the captain. “It’s going to be a rebuilding year for us, but we hope to win some other meets,” he said, citing upcoming contests against Andover and Lowell.

“New gymnasts, like every other sport, join the team to compete and represent the school,” Chan added.

This season, the Tigers will most likely struggle to stay competitive with other powerhouses in the state. In particular, Braintree and Burlington have finished one-two in the State Meet the past few years, a trend the Tigers are unlikely to break.

According to Petitti, the Tigers score about half what Braintree normally scores.

“Braintree’s gymnasts usually score 30 to 50 points. To score 50, you need to get over an eight in each of the six events, and our gymnasts usually score three or fours.

“ We need to get enough people for each event so that we don’t have to take any zeros,” he said. “Right now, it’s more about helping our teammates who are new to learn the routines.”

After Braintree, the Tigers have a slightly easier schedule.

Tuesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 20 the Tigers will face Lowell and Andover, respectively.

According to Chan, those two meets “have the potential to be very close.” Tuesday, Jan. 25 against Burlington will be “more difficult to win,” said Chan.

Petitti, easily one of the more accomplished gymnasts on the team, said he plans to compete in all events against Braintree—to keep the team afloat while newer gymnasts gain experience.

The Tigers will enter the next few meets as underdogs, but they’ll be playing a varsity sport. The nine members will represent this school, whether they win or lose.

Sherborn and Wellesley Friday.

“My bigger concern is Wellesley. They are scoring around 135.

“The difference between Wellesley and Newton North is they have achieved this already.

We have the potential to score around 135, but haven’t yet,” said Chin.

Tuesday, Jan. 25, the Tigers will visit the Wamps in Braintree.

Chin said, “Braintree has been scoring in the mid 125’s, so it’s another matter of us showing up as a team and then performing at our full potential.”

Senior Andrea Marzilli, a captain with senior Victoria Mirrer, said the team has started to practice in a new way.

“It’s different because we are now splitting into two teams during practice. Now everyone will be trying each event.

In meets lately, we have been

less tired, and we are more in shape.”

However, the team still needs to improve focus during practice, according to Marzilli. “We spend some time talking to people from other sports, such as boys’ track, and we really need to spend more time on our gymnastics.”

The team hosted Weymouth Tuesday, Jan. 4. The Tigers won by a score of 131.4-120.8.

According to Chin, “This being our second meet, I expected a better performance from everyone and received it from most of the team.”

Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Tigers traveled to Norwood for a meet, in which the Tigers won 126.45125.4.

Chin said, “It was a much closer meet than I had anticipated. We didn’t have our strongest line up due to minor injuries, but we still won.”

Girls hope to earn league title

by Ivan

McGovern Jacob Schwartz Girls’ gymnastics, 2-0, is working toward its goal of becoming league champions, according to coach Jim Chin.

Today the Tigers will visit Walpole for a meet at 7 p.m.

Chin said, “Walpole is scoring in the low 120’s, so winning shouldn’t be an issue. I’m still waiting for a meet where we have our top performers present, and then having them do the routines they are capable of doing.”

The team will host the Needham Rockets Tuesday. Chin said.

“Last year we scored our highest team score ever while competing against Needham, and this year, I believe we are a better team than we were last year.”

The Tigers will compete in a three-team meet with Doverand

Teddy Wenneker

Upside down: Junior Isaac Feinhaus practices on the rings Thursday, Jan. 6 in the SOA.

Captain says boys’ track has ‘wonderful’ chemistry Eli Davidow Gloria Li It has been a good season so far for boys’ track, 2-0 Tuesday, according to coach Jim Blackburn.

“We have a lot of good people on the events,” Blackburn said.

“We have one or more on each event.”

Although there are many people on the distance events, there could be more depth in the skill in each event, Blackburn said.

According to senior Ezra Lichtman, a tri-captain with seniors Ben Clark and Ryan Donovan, “We could work on getting some more people up there in events,” Lichtman also noted the Tigers’ “wonderful” team chemistry.

“I think this year, more than other years, we have had more interdisciplinary bonding,” he said.

The Tigers will be running against Weymouth Thursday.

“I know that Weymouth will be the hardest team we face this year,” Lichtman said.

“I’d say they’re pretty strong all around,” he said, citing the fact that the team has a disby

and

Maliha Ali

Perfecting form: Junior Young Guang prepares for an upcoming shot put attempt Tuesday, Dec. 21 in the SOA as boys’ track coach Mike Bower looks on.

senior Ezra Lichtman “I think this year, more than other years, we have had more interdisciplinary bonding.” tance runner that is particularly strong.

“I don’t think he should be anything we can’t handle though.”

The Tigers will also have a meet at Needham Thursday, Jan. 27.

“I can tell you that I have absolutely no idea what to expect from Needham,” Lichtman said, “But I can tell you that we should be able to win pretty easily.

“I don’t foresee it being too challenging a meet.”

Thursday, Jan. 6, the Tigers defeated Framingham 77-18.

Before the meet, Lichtman said, “I know they have a really good distance runner this year, junior Ben Groleau.”

Blackburn also said prior to the meet that, “We’ve looked at the track times and we can tell how they’ll do.

“Looking at their times and

distances, we’re pretty confident that we’ll be able to beat them at this upcoming meet,” Blackburn said.

Wednesday, Dec. 29, at the Holiday Qualifier meet, five students competed in the team pentathlon, which the Tigers won, according to Lichtman.

The events in the team pentathlon included the hurdles, long jump, high jump, shotput, and 1,000 meter.

At the Winter Festival meet Saturday, Dec. 18, the Tigers won first place in the mile and second in both the two-mile and the 1,000 meter races, according to Lichtman.

The Tigers also won the 4x400 and the 4x200 relays, Lichtman said.

In the Tigers’ first meet this season, which took place on Thursday, Dec. 16, they beat Braintree 72-14.

At the meet, the Tigers posted league best marks in seven different events.

“We started off the meet on a good note with Dan Ranti winning an exciting race in the mile,” Lichtman said.

The Tigers were to have had a meet against Brookline yesterday.

sports

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 13

Defense key for girls’ hockey Jacob Schwartz ough, “a team which is perenniBecoming more disciplined ally one of the top teams in the in its defensive zone has be- state,” MacDougall said. come vital for girls’ hockey, According to MacDougall, 2-4-1, according to coach Bob Acton-Boxborough’s coach MacDougall. called MacDougall, asking if “The girls really know their he wanted to schedule a game defensive assignments well,” against them. he said.

“I jumped at the opportunity,” The team has had defensive MacDougall said. trouble in some games, which “We want to play teams that MacDougall said are good. It he thinks may gives us an Coach Bob have contributed idea of where MacDougall to a few of their we are, and losses. where we It will also be want to be.”

“We want to play teams important for At home that are good. It gives us the team to exWe d n e s d a y, an idea of where we are, ecute many more the Tigers face b r e a k a w a y s , and where we want to be.” Needham, a MacDougall well-coached said. team, MacDougall said.

The Tigers host Framingham A very physical Natick team tomorrow at Fessenden Rink at hosts the Tigers Saturday, Jan. 3 p.m. “Framingham may not be 22. “They play tough,” MacDouquite as dominant as they used gall said. to be,” MacDougall said.

“Last time they got ahead “We would like to think they of us, and we weren’t able to are more beatable, because retaliate. We should be able to they lost some fire power, but do better this time.” they should put up a very good Hosting Weymouth, the Tifight.” gers won 4-1 Saturday, Jan. 8.

On the road Monday, the In one of the strongest games team will face Acton-Boxbor- of the season so far, according to

Swim displays team unity

by

Teddy Wenneker

Hosting Milton: Freshman Allie Coukos handles the puck. junior Stephanie Vitone, a captain with seniors Marissa and Michele Troy and junior Katie Caruso, the Tigers held off Milton the whole game Wednesday, Jan. 5, shutting out the Wildcats 1-0 at home.

Playing the Lions at South

Sunday, Jan. 2, the Tigers were losing 3-0 at the start of the third period, but managed to tie the game.

“It was a great moment of our season,” said Vitone.

At Dedham, the Tigers lost 6-4 Monday, Dec. 20.

Offense on fire for JV girls’ hockey Gloria Li Betts-O’Rourke JV girls’ hockey is working on connecting better with their passes and taking advantage of rebounds in front of the net, according to coach Victoria O’Connor.

The Tigers lost at Wellesley Wednesday, Dec. 30, 6-0, because “Wellesley isn’t exactly a ‘learning to play’ team like we are,” O’Connor said.

According to freshman Maria Rudorf, “It was our first game and we still have a lot to improve by

and Irene

on, but overall, we are a really good team and are working well together.”

The loss was supposed to be the second game of the season after a game at Walpole Tuesday, Dec. 22. The game was cancelled.

The Tigers also played against Needham Jan. 9 and suffered a 2-1 loss.

“It was quite an evenly matched game and an exciting one up until the end,” O’Connor said.

“We lost our intensity a bit in

the second period and Needham took advantage of that to score their second goal,” she said.

The Newton girls came out hungry for a goal in the third period.

Despite multiple scoring opportunities, though, “we just had trouble getting the puck in the net towards the end,” O’Connor said.

“Freshman Shannon Fitzgerald has scored two goals already in the last two games, and she is our leading scorer this season,”

O’Connor said.

The Tigers also played a game against Framingham and beat them 6-2.

“Our offense was on fire—we took lots of shots. The girls showed tremendous growth since their first game. We had some tough defensive coverage, successful breakouts and aggressive offensive play,” O’Connor said.

They were to have played yesterday at Windsor for their third game and will play Wednesday against Needham at Fessenden

JV boys’ hockey maintains hard work Timmy Blouin Kristian Lundeberg As the team enters the second half of the season, JV boys’ hockey, 0-6-2, is working hard and improving, according to coach Felix Lopez. “Even though we haven’t won a game, the kids are playing well and practicing hard,” Lopez said.

Despite this fact, “the kids have put in hard work. We have by

and

a freshman goalie that is just learning the position, but is doing very well.”

A goal for the remainder of the season is to avoid the penalty box, said sophomore James Guariglia.

“We spend a lot of time committing penalties, so we need to stay out of the penalty box,” said Guariglia. “Penalties really hurt us because then we have

Jay Feinstein Focus is a top priority for boys’ swimming and diving, 1-1, according to coach Amy Richard. “It’s always difficult, especially when everyone needs to balance their academic schedules and their athletic schedules,” she said.

“We want to achieve the best record we can, but we’re taking it step by step,” she said.

According to senior Jamie Lew, a captain with seniors Ramzy Kahhale and Jeremy Markson, the Tigers are working well together as a team.

“We’re getting faster as a whole, keeping our eye on the prize, trying to reach our goal.”

The Tigers will visit a tough Framingham team today, according to Richard. “It’s going to be an extremely difficult meet.”

“They’re first or second in the league right now,” Richard said. “There are only six teams in the league, but it’s really hard to be on top, so Framingham’s placement in the league says something about their skill.”

On the road Tuesday, the Tigers will compete with Wellesley. “It’s always a hard meet,” Richard said.

“The coach is very, very tricky with her lineups. She motivates her swimmers very well, and her swimmers are always ready to compete,” she said.

Friday, the Tigers will host a difficult Needham team, according to Richard.

“There’s been a feud between our two teams in the last couple of years over positions in the league,” she said.

It’s the last meet of the regular season, which adds to the competition, Richard said. “It’s become quite a rivalry, so we’ll see how the meet plays out.”

Tuesday, the Tigers hosted Brookline, losing 97-94. “The other team had very strong swimmers,” Markson said.

Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Tigers hosted Natick for their first league meet of the season. “It was a tough, close meet, but in the end, we took the lead,” Richard said. “We were able to win with all of our strengths.”

The 200 and the 400 freestyle events were game changers, according to Richard. “That’s what put us ahead.” by

to play shorthanded for most of the game.”

According to Guariglia, the Tigers’ strength “lies in forechecking, but we need to work on our endurance as we lose some of our games in the third period.”

“The freshmen are working impressively hard in practice, like everyone else on the team, but we need to bring that to the

games,” he said.

Sophomore Nick Galvagno said in its practices, the team is currently trying to improve its “offensive and defensive coverage and breakouts.”

“If we keep working hard on these key concepts in practice, like we have been, then I am sure that we will be able to turn our record around and finish this season strong,” he said.

Boys’ hockey works on skills Jacob Schwartz Boys’ hockey, 3-4, has been focusing mostly on skating, passing and its defensive coverage, according to coach Tom Ryan.

“For the most part, the team has been executing well,” he said. “We are scoring more goals than in past years, and we have done a good job on special teams.”

Tomorrow on the road, the Tigers face Framingham, a wellcoached team, Ryan said. “It will be a tough game. They are always one of the better teams in the Bay State league.”

At Fessenden Rink, the Tigers will host Brockton Monday. Ryan said he doesn’t know much about the team, but he is “sure they will be a tough opponent.”

The Tigers travel to Needham Wednesday to face “one of by

the best public school programs in the state,” Ryan said.

Next, the Tigers will host a Natick team strong around the boards Saturday, Jan. 22, according to Ryan.

For the second time this season, the team will face Braintree Wednesday, Jan. 26, this time on the road.

“They were a good and solid team when we played them last.

They should make tournament when all is said and done, so we will need to play well.”

On the road, Braintree blew out the Tigers 9-1 Saturday.

The Tigers lost to Milton 6-2 on the road Wednesday, Jan. 5.

“We played very well for two periods and then got deflated after they took a two-goal lead.”

At South Friday, Dec. 31, the Tigers defeated the Lions 7-4. “I thought we played well at times, and poorly at other times,” Ryan

said. “However, the game was never in doubt.”

The Tigers had a strong lead throughout the game, he said.

At home Monday, Dec. 27, the Tigers defeated St. PeterMarian 6-2.

At Walpole Wednesday, Dec. 22, the team achieved its second win, defeating Walpole 4-1.

Senior T.J. Ryan, a captain with senior Ryan Fanning, said offense has recently improved.

“We now have better goal-scoring ability, and the way we move the puck has improved.”

However, Ryan said the squad gives its opponents “way too many chances in front of our net.”

To counter this weakness, Ryan said the team should continue its one-on-one battles in practice, as well as working up to using the defensive zone more in games.

Teddy Wenneker

Against Walpole: Sophomore A. J. Johnson fires a shot into the goal, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead Wednesday, Dec. 22.

sports

14 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Jan. 14, 2010

Coach, players revisit magical seasons Jacob Brunell Eli Davidow ive years ago, the boys’ basketball team won its second straight State Championship, beating Holy Name 67-58 at the DCU Center in Worcester. by

and

F

boys’ basketball Former Newton North basketball player Corey Lowe ’06 can still picture the moment clearly.

“I remember getting really emotional in the locker room before the last championship game in 2006, because that was truly our last game in high school, our last hurrah,” said Lowe, a cocaptain of the 2006 championship team with Anthony Gurley ’06 and Jason Riffe ’06.

“After this game, everyone would be heading off in a different direction. Coach Connolly told us to fight hard since it was our last game as a team, so that was a really special moment,” Lowe said.

After graduating from North, Lowe went on to play at Boston University, starting at guard all of his four years there.

“Team-wise, we didn’t have as much success as the teams I played on at North, but I still tried to improve year in and year out,” Lowe said.

By the end of his stellar career at BU, Lowe had become the third leading scorer in BU history, and broke a multitude of BU career records, including the three-pointers and minutes played records.

Europe called next for Lowe, as he went on to play professionally for BK Barons Riga of the Latvian Basketball League, where he has played for the past two months.

In the five games he has played in this season, Lowe has

file photo

Hard in the paint: Anthony Gurley ’06 and Corey Lowe ’06 control the ball during the 2006 Division 1 State Championship against Holy Name at the DCU Center in Worcester. averaged a solid 16 points per game and an astounding 45.5 percent from beyond the threepoint arc.

“It’s tough being in Europe, because you’re alone and in a different country. This is my first time being away from home, and I’ve had to adjust to the new culture and environment there, but it’s a great opportunity to make money,” said Lowe.

Lowe’s ultimate goal is to compete at the highest level of American professional basketball.

“I hope to one day come back and try to make it in the NBA,” Lowe explained.

Lowe’s teammate and cocaptain from the 2006 season,

Gurley, has similar memories.

“High school was one of the most fun times I’ve had playing basketball,” said Gurley.

“My first two years at North, we had a pretty good team, but we lost to Brookline two years in a row. And then my junior and senior years we stepped it up to a whole new level.”

Out of high school, Gurley initially attended Wake Forest, but after the death of then-head coach Skip Prosser, he transferred to UMass Amherst, where he plays now as a guard.

This year as a senior at UMass, Gurley has had his breakthrough season, averaging 20.6 points and shooting 41.2 percent on three-point attempts

over his first 12 games.

Gurley also has ambitions of playing at a higher level: “I plan to play in the NBA, and I work and strive for that every single day,” said Gurley.

Fellow tri-captain Jason Riffe used his athletic talents for a different arena, as he played football for Bryant University, becoming the leading tackler in the history of the school in the process.

Coach Paul Connolly said that the success of the 2005 and 2006 State Championship teams began with the players’ understanding of each other.

“It starts with the kids that made up the team,” he said.

“The kids were all close friends,

both on and off the court. They were always supportive of each other, and many still are.”

The teams also displayed players with uncommonly high talent, Connolly said.

“We had a very, very talented, college-level group of players, many who went on to play in Division 1, 2 and 3,” he said.

“When I took over in 2001, I noticed many of the players, who were then in the 8th grade, and I could tell how talented they were.

“People often talk about Gurley and Lowe. I think the Globe wrote recently that they made up the best backcourt in state history. And that might be right.

But the team was so much more than just Gurley and Lowe.”

Lowe said that the lessons he learned from Connolly have continued to resonate with him, and he tries to remember them and apply them to his game.

“Coach Connolly talked about working hard and being the best you can be. Early in my career, I realized that I didn’t put in as much effort as I could have, and I didn’t put in the energy to improve as much as I could have,” said Lowe.

“But now, I have matured and put in the effort to become the best player I could be.”

Both Gurley and Lowe still value the friendships and bonds they made as teammates.

Gurley said his best friend at UMass is Alexis Mongo ’06, who played with him on the North team and walked on to the Minuteman squad in 2008, making the former Tigers teammates once again.

Lowe agreed: “I’m still close with guys like Jason Riffe and Mike Scheffler [’05], and overall we’ve done a good job communicating with each other.

“I made my best friends for life on the team.”

Habits for a Lifetime of Health Newton-Wellesley Hospital encourages you to develop healthy habits.

Eat a balanced diet • Keep active • Stay smoke free www.nwh.org

sports

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 15

Novice skiing teams learn to compete Despite inexperience, alpine competes well

Julia Moss Coach Scott Mighill said he has modest expectations for alpine this season because of the small size of the team and the fact that many of the members are inexperienced and new to competitive skiing.

“I’m just expecting the students to have a good season.

Strong team camaraderie is what I’m looking for,” Mighill said.

He said he is also trying to build a more competitive team from athletes who are primarily recreational skiers.

“A lot of other teams like Marblehead and Wellesley have many skiers who have raced for quite a long time,” Mighill said.

Mighill also expects a strong season from junior Parker Veroff, a skier who has shown the most improvement from last year.

He said he is also anticipating major contributions to the team from junior Katie Regan and sophomore Mark Vrahas.

The Tigers participated in their first meet of the season Thursday, Jan. 6 at Ward Hill.

Senior Myles Kamisher-Koch, a by

captain with senior Derek Goldstone, said he was especially impressed with top scorers Vrahas and freshman Julie Chan.

According to Kamisher-Koch, “I was really pleased with it as our opening meet. We’ve never practiced at Ward Hill—we usually practice at Blue Hills.

However, the snow was perfect and not icy. I think that helped us a lot.” ◆ Jacob Schwartz contributed to this article.

Nordic commits, sets season expectations

Hilary Brumberg Samantha Libraty Nordic skiing “has a pretty good team, with a number of strong athletes this year,” according to coach Sarah Holton.

The team hopes to attend the State Meet, she said.

Many of the members of the Nordic ski team are also on other sports teams, which may have put them in shape for the winter season, according to Holton.

There are 32 students on the Nordic ski team, many of who mare new members. “We have a lot of great skiers who are very committed to the team,” according to senior Ellen Goldberg, a by

and

captain with senior Amy Lu and junior Stoddard Meigs.

The team’s strengths are that there are many committed members of the team, according to Goldberg. At the end of the season, the Tigers hope to be the best team in the league, Goldberg said.

The meet that was originally scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled due to the snow day.

The meet is tentatively rescheduled for Friday, according to Goldberg.

Wednesday, Jan. 5 was the team’s first meet against DoverSherborn, Newton South and Wellesley. Both the boys and girls came in second behind Dover-Sherborn.

Sophomore Julia Schiantarelli came in first and Goldberg came in third for the girls.

Schiantarelli, who had consistently come in around third to fifth place last season, said that although it was “really nice” to do so well, it was hard for her because one of her best friends on the Wellesley team was right behind her the whole time.

For the boys, Meigs and freshman Raffi Razzaque came in second and fifth. ◆ Perrin Stein contributed to this article

JV, ’14 push for success

Girls’ track hopes to remain strong Perrin Stein Thus far this season, girls’ indoor track, 2-0, has participated in six meets and is preparing for three major meets over the next two weeks, according to senior Amy Ren, a captain with senior Katie Brandl.

Ren said she hopes that the Tigers will continue being as strong as last year’s team, which won both the State Meet and the State Relays. “I think that we can continue our legacy if we work hard.”

Having meets every few days can make it difficult to practice, according to Ren. “Things can get confusing, but we need to make sure that we continue to train all the time,” she said.

According to coach Joe Tranchita, the SOA in this building is smaller than the one in the old school, so training for all the events can become difficult.

The team just needs to remain focused and continue to work hard, he said.

“We hope to be in the hunt for the team title,” he said about the State Relays, Sunday.

The meet against Weymouth, Thursday “is shaping into another battle, as it was last year,” he said.

Needham will face the Tigers Thursday, Jan. 27. by

JV betters shooting

Jacob Schwartz JV boys’ basketball, 4-0, has begun its season strong thanks to cohesion from all members, according to junior Jesse Bensetler, the captain.

“We are all working well together to reach our goal, which is to win games and get better,” Bensetler said.

According to coach Joe Siciliano, work ethic and defense have been strengths for the Tigers. However, the team still needs to improve shooting.

“We are looking to increase the average points we have per game,” Siciliano said.

The Tigers lost at Weymouth Tuesday, 50-44. “We played very well defensively, and it was very close,” Siciliano said. ◆ Infiniti Thomas contributed to this article. by

’14 has solid defense

Jared Perlo R e b o u n d i n g w a s a p a ttern that repeated many times throughout freshman boys’ basketball’s 51-43 win against Weymouth Tuesday, Jan. 4.

The basketball richocheted off the glass and into the Tigers’ hands.

According to Ryan Millione, a point guard, “We’ve been getting rebounds and pushing the ball well.”

According to coach John McNamara, the Tigers have solid defense.

Brookline faces the Tigers today here.

The Tigers travel to Framingham Tuesday, before hosting Needham Friday, and Natick Tuesday, Jan. 25.

“We’ll be ready for the challenge,” according to shooting guard Gabe Adler-Cohen.

The Tigers beat Weymouth at an away game, 64-55, Tuesday.

They caught up from behind at the end of the game, McNamara said.

At Milton, Friday, Jan. 7, the Tigers won 65-30.

Teddy Wenneker

Nordic skiing: Senior Abby Wolfe practices at the Weston Ski Track Tuesday, Jan. 4.

by

Teddy Wenneker

Power: Sophomore Bridget McLaughlin throws shot put Thursday, Jan. 6 in the SOA.

Monday, at the FreshmanSophomore Meet, sophomore Carla Forbes set the meet record in the long jump, earning a personal record of 18.5 feet.

Freshman Sonja Leham also had a personal record in the 55, completing it in 8.16 seconds.

At the Dartmouth College Relays, Friday, Jan. 7 and Saturday, Jan. 8, this school won the team title over Shenendehowa High School of New York, 7160.

Six members received personal records at the meet.

Thursday, Jan. 6, the Tigers beat Framingham 78-17 at the Reggie Lewis Track Center.

During break, there was the Boston Holiday Qualifier, Monday, Dec. 27, and the Team Pentathlon, Wednesday, Dec. 29. Both were held at the Reggie Lewis Track Center.

“There were several outstanding efforts at these meets,” Tranchita said.

The Tigers won both these meets.

Before winter vacation, the Tigers participated in the Winter Festival, Saturday, Dec. 18.

Forbes set the meet records in the long jump and the high jump. According to Tranchita, her records for both these events are first in the state.

Yesterday, the Tigers were to

Girls’ basketball maintains team unity Jay Feinstein Girls’ basketball, 4-3, is starting to come together as a team, according to coach Hank DeSantis. “ We’re figuring out how to play together at a high level.”

Commitment at practice every day is a strength, DeSantis said. “We work hard during practice. We learn to play better and to compete better against our opponents.”

According to DeSantis, the team never stops progressing.

“The more time we spend practicing, the better we get,” he said.

Today, the Tigers will visit by

a very athletic Brookline team, according to DeSantis.

“They have two very good scorers,” he said. “We’ll have to go there and execute. It will be important to be strong and to use all of our skills.”

Tuesday, the Tigers will host Framingham.

“They’re a good opponent,” DeSantis said. “We’ll need to keep up our confidence and play as a cohesive team.”

On the road Friday, the Tigers will play a very physical Needham team, according to DeSantis.

The Tigers will visit Natick Tuesday, Jan. 25. “They’re a

very good team,” DeSantis said.

“It’s sort of a test for us to see if we can beat them.”

“We’ll have to make the best of this game, but it’s going to get ugly,” he said. “They have some tough players, so it’s really going to be a battle.”

At home Tuesday, the Tigers defeated Weymouth 57-25.

In a home game Friday, the Tigers defeated Milton 33-30.

“A highlight was definitely the way we played defensively,” DeSantis said.

Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Tigers visited Walpole, winning 54-37.

“We were offensively selfless,” DeSantis said.

Cooperation was key to the game, he said. “The ball was moving really well, and we had a ton of assists. Everyone was helping everyone.”

The Tigers participated in the Newton Girls’ Holiday Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 29 and Thursday, Dec. 30. The Tigers lost to Long Island Lutheran 52-36 and Newton South 47-30.

“We were shorthanded, but I’d like to look past it,” DeSantis said.

The Tigers visited Braintree Tuesday, Dec. 21, losing 59-63.

“We didn’t do our best, but we’ve moved on from there and have improved since then.”

sports

16 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Jan. 14, 2011

Tigers’ stamina leads to successful start Jacob Schwartz According to coach Paul Connolly, boys’ basketball, 5-2, has done a good job wearing down teams.

“We have gotten much better at grinding it out in games, and we have gotten lots of contributions from everyone on the team,” he said.

Connolly said he was looking forward to the Tigers’ game today against Brookline, at 4 p.m. in the Reginald E. Smith Gymnasium.

“Brookline has been great in the past,” he said. “They have some really quick guards we’ll have to watch it for, and it’s going to be packed.”

Springfield Central High School hosts the Tigers Sunday in the Hoop Hall Classic. “They should be very athletic and quick,” Connolly said.

“It will also be exciting when we visit the Basketball Hall of Fame.”

According to Connolly, The team “must play hard” in order to do well against a well-coached Framingham Tuesday.

Needham, a team in close competition with the Tigers, will host North Friday. Connolly said he expects an intense game.

Natick will travel to North Tuesday, Jan. 25.

“They are going to throw a lot of difficult things at us, and should put us to the test,” Connolly said.

Tuesday, the Tigers were deby

Teddy Wenneker

Intensity: Senior Avi Adler-Cohen drives to the basket, eluding a Newton South defender. feated 56-51 at Weymouth.

At Milton Friday, Jan. 7, the Tigers defeated Milton 52-41 in the first road game of the season. “We didn’t shoot well at first,” Connolly said. “We turned it around in the second half and had a 14-4 run to close the game.”

The Tigers defeated Wal-

pole Tuesday, Jan. 4, 47-41 at home.

In the first round of the Holiday Tournament Wednesday Dec. 29, the Tigers defeated Newton South 62-51 at this school.

In the championship game Thursday, Dec. 30, St. Anthony’s defeated the Tigers 77-33.

St. Anthony’s had a large height advantage over the Tigers, which helped them both on offense and defense.

St. Anthony’s coach, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bob Hurley, said St. Anthony’s was sluggish in the first game of the tournament, facing Catholic Memorial.

“Against Catholic Memorial, we lacked the energy we used to have,” he said. “So before the game against North, my team had a workout at Boston College, which really set the groundwork for today’s game.

We came out with much more defensive energy.”

Junior Jared Masinton ended the game with a buzzer-beater from half court, which miraculously found its way through the net.

It was a nice ending to what was otherwise not a close game.

A 17-point scoring streak gave the Tigers the boost they needed to defeat Braintree 68-51 at home Tuesday, Dec. 21. Senior Avi Adler-Cohen, a captain with senior Tevin Falzon, said, “we played better in the second half. We started getting into a zone and rebounded better.”

Cohen, Masinton, junior Mike Thorpe and freshman Aaron Falzon all scored threepointers in the match.

Falzon also impressively blocked a shot during the second quarter.

Masinton said of his strong performance that he settled down during the game, which helped his shot. “It was my first varsity game, and I was kind of nervous at first.”

The Tigers defeated Norwood in a packed Reginald E. Smith Gymnasium Friday, Dec. 17, to open the team’s season.

Sub-varsity girls’ basketball show skills, attitude All players contribute to JV girls’ team

Alex Feit JV girls’ basketball, 1-2, looks to see improvement in all areas of the game, according to coach Maura Hamel.

Hamel said that the goal this year is to work on overall skill and communication, as well as to move players to the varsity level in the future.

Even though some of the girls had not played before, Hamel mentioned that the Tigers “all have good attitudes.”

However, to prepare for their game against Brookline today, Hamel said that they plan to by

refine their defense to make it “intense” and have their offense “functioning smoothly.”

Junior Abby Hewitt and sophomore Caroline Loftus made contributions to the team with their leadership and good play, Hamel noted.

Sophomore Caleigh Byrne “has thrown outstanding passes in all of our contests,” while freshman Madie Raso “has played big minutes for us this year,” she said.

Sophomore Lizzie Beers “has provided an inside presence with both rebounds and put backs,” according to Hamel.

The Tigers won their first game against Norwood 50-41

Friday, Dec. 17, yet lost to Braintree 48-38 Tuesday, Dec. 21 and Walpole 51-22 Jan. 4.

The team will play Framingham Tuesday and Needham Friday.

Freshmen improve all aspects of game

Perrin Stein Freshman girls’ basketball, 2-3, is looking for consistency in all of its games, according to coach Laurie Arcovio.

Improving basic skills, such as ball handling, shooting and defensive positions, is the focus of practice.

Overall, Emma Tavolieri hopes that the team wins as by

many games as possible, through its hard work. “I’m confident that we will be able to make it far this year,” she said.

Today, the Tigers play at Brookline. Arcovio said, “We want to play hard to win and show our love of the game.”

The Tigers will host Framingham Tuesday.

Friday, the Tigers will host Needham, which “has a strong team,” Arcovio said.

This school will host Natick, Tuesday, Jan. 25. The Tigers will also host Braintree Friday, Jan. 28.

Tuesday, at home, the Tigers lost to Weymouth in the last second of the game. “Although

we lost, all the team did its best,” she said.

At the home game versus Milton, Friday, Jan. 7, everyone scored, according to Arcovio.

Due to “a lack of intensity,” the Tigers lost “a very tough game” hosted by Walpole, Tuesday, Jan. 4, she said.

Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Tigers were hosted by Braintree. The team lost, 49-30.

Norwood hosted this school, Friday, Dec. 17. “Everyone worked well and really set the tone for how they want the rest of the season to go,” Arcovio said. ◆ Talia LaVache contributed to this article.

Wrestling, 7-4, aspires to better understand sport Jay Feinstein Entering the second half of its season, wrestling, 7-4 , works to hold a good understanding of the sport, according to coach John Staulo.

“We want everyone to have a good picture of how everything works,” he said.

Tomorrow, the Tigers will visit Woburn for an invitational tournament. “We’ll be competing against outstanding teams and outstanding individuals,” Staulo said.

“It’s a good experience for our team every time we have a tournament.”

The Tigers will visit Wellesley Tuesday. “Right now, they’re in a rebuilding year, but they have an old, rich tradition in their program,” Staulo said. “We’ll have to take advantage of their rebuilding year.”

At Weymouth Saturday, Jan. 22, the Tigers will wrestle for the last invitational tournament of the year, according to Staulo.

The Tigers will visit a competitive Walpole team Thursday, Jan. 27, Staulo said. “It’ll be a big challenge, so we’ll have to do our best.”

In the Belmont Tournament Saturday, the Tigers placed by

Teddy Wenneker

At home: Senior Mike Atkinson, 150, pins a Braintree opponent Wednesday, Jan. 5 in the Reginald E. Smith Gym. in the top ten. “It went great,” Staulo said. Junior Jordan Long placed first in his weight class and seniors Mike Atkinson at 150 and Ben Polci at 215 placed second in their weight classes.

Wednesday, Jan. 5, the Tigers hosted Braintree, winning 48-33. “They’re very similar to us as a team,” Staulo said.

“They have a large group of both experienced and inexperienced wrestlers.”

Because their team is of

such a considerable size, the Tigers were able to compete in 40 JV matches. “We got everyone involved, which is key,” Staulo said. “All of our participation made it a very productive meet.”

The Tigers participated in the Holiday Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 29 through Thursday, Dec. 30 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, according to Staulo. “It used to be at Lowell for years and years, but the Tsongas

Arena is great because it’s a legitimate, impressive venue.”

Close to 60 teams from all over Massachusetts and New Hampshire participated in this “highly competitive tournament,” according to Staulo.

“Getting victories is quite a feat.”

According to Staulo, four of the Tigers made it to the second day: Atkinson, Long, Polci and senior Matt Victor at 119. Polci “battled to the semifinals and

finished sixth,” Staulo said.

The Tigers visited an even Newton South team Thursday, Dec. 23 for an annual pre-holiday match, winning 42-35. “It’s a friendly, spirited rivalry,” Staulo said. “Good old-fashioned gymnasium excitement.”

Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Tigers visited Dedham, ending the match with a 42-18 victory.

“They’re under a rebuilding year now, and we took advantage of that,” Staulo said.