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

◆ Friday, Feb. 11, 2011 • Volume 90, Issue 2

Senior English restructured for 2011-2012 Samantha Libraty Jared Perlo Principal Jennifer Price presented changes to the structure of senior English classes during Wednesday’s Student Faculty Administration meeting.

Price told the SFA that starting next year, seniors will take full-year English classes, as opposed to getting full senior English credit for taking two half-year electives that are open to various grades. As a result, the English department is also changing its elective program.

English department head Melissa Dilworth said the change was necessary because “while all other years of English classes at this school have clear structures, themes and core texts, the senior year did not. We had what some deemed ‘regular’ English classes coupled with electives.”

She proposed the changes to the Academic Standards Committee (ASC) earlier this year because the current structure did not answer the question, “What should seniors know, do and experience their final year of English at Newton North High School?” she said.

The ASC approved the proposal, and then, recommended it to Price, who approved it Monday, Price said. by

and

Gabe Dreyer

In rehearsal: Sophomores Jonny Cohen and Jonathan Kim practice for Winterfest.

According to the proposal, the majority of courses will have different concentrations, similar to those of the current electives.

Seniors will register for one fullyear course from the selection in the 2011-2012 course catolog, which will become available after February vacation.

The new structure will ensure that all seniors study Hamlet and practice personal essay writing first term.

Second and third terms will focus on each course’s concentration, such as Shakespeare or The Short Story.

According to Price, “kids will be doing an independent project” during fourth term.

“It’s a big change, but I think it’s a good one,” she said.

Dilworth explained that the new system provides a uniform learning experience for all seniors, while maintaining the element of choice students look forward to senior year.

Regardless of which course seniors take, they will all “reflect on their growth as readers, writers and thinkers, especially in the senior portfolio,” Dilworth said.

Chief innovation officer Steve Chinosi, a certified English teacher, said he believes it’s “a great direction for the department structure and freedom.”

New lunch provider restarts breakfast program Hilary Brumberg After the breakfast program was cut in the fall, Whitsons began offering breakfast again Monday, according to Whitsons’ Newton Public Schools food service director April Liles.

The School Committee cut the breakfast program as one of a series of interim cuts it made in the fall, while it was in the process of hiring Whitsons and negotiating with the employee union, School Committee member Jonathan Yeo said.

When Whitsons took over the Newton Public Schools’ lunch by

program Monday, Jan. 3, it decided to let its team acclimate with the Whitsons Signature Series lunch options during January, Liles said.

Then, it could focus on learning how to prepare breakfast and serve it in February, according to Liles.

She said that they offer at least five options daily, starting at 7:25 a.m., including hot breakfast sandwiches.

Other options available include assorted cereals, low-fat muffins, whole wheat bagels with cream cheese, organic

yogurts, yogurt parfaits, fresh fruit and juices.

Once breakfast gains popularity and “we get a better feel for what the students want,” Whitsons’ plans to offer a hot oatmeal bar in the winter, an egg/omelet station, pancakes, waffles and French toast, according to Liles.

Whitsons has said that it needs to “take a strong position on the critical role breakfast plays in the learning process,” Liles said.

“We believe every student deserves to start off his or her

learning day the right way by eating a healthy breakfast.”

Liles, who is a registered dietitian, said that the benefits for serving breakfast at school are “endless.”

She encourages student athletes to eat breakfast at school because proper nutrition is “key for successful athletic performance,” Liles said.

“Fueling your body with the correct sources of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals is essential to perform at your maximum potential.”

Food handler Maria Mastroianni explained that “breakfast is the main meal” and eating it is “very important” because it improves students’ concentration and results in “a better day in class.”

Junior Stephanie Serrata, who ate breakfast at school since she was a freshman, said she was “mad and upset” when they stopped offering it. “I never had time to eat breakfast at home, so I just didn’t eat breakfast,” she said. ◆ Samantha Libraty contributed to this story.

Conference honors alumna for nonprofit work Hilary Brumberg Henry DeGroot After the child sex trade came to the attention of Rebecca Kantar ’10 and her friends at South and Concord Academy, they started Minga, a nonprofit group that combats the global sex trade by harnessing the power of teens.

Minga began as eight high school students sitting in a living room for three hours Sunday evenings, and it turned into a national nonprofit organization, according to Kantar, the CEO. Newtonian Kantar was selected to Rebecca take the stage Kantar November 13 at a Technology, Entertainment and Design platform, in the Youth Social Entrepreby

and

neur (TEDxYSE) conference in Washington, D.C. TEDxYSE highlights the actions of youth leaders from around the world, according to its website. Kantar spoke about her and Minga’s accomplishments in “youth empowerment and leadership,” according to Kantar.

“It was an incredible honor to be alongside some of the greatest young people in our world,” she said.

Kantar won the Staples and Ashoka TEDxYSE grand prize for her work at TEDxYSE, which awarded Minga $5,000, she said.

Kantar was named a student who has “created a sustainable community action project” and was awarded $2,000 for Minga through the “Do Something Bic4Good” grant, she said.

Both awards will be put towards Minga’s Public Service Announcement Campaign, an

initiative to reach teens via media in order to empower them to speak out against the child sex trade, according to Kantar.

Minga plans to involve 10,000 teens in petitioning airlines to screen in-flight film clips that deter potential exploiters from buying child sex, Kantar said.

In her TEDxYSE speech, Kantar attributed her success to experiences, rather than traditional leadership education.

“We give teens leadership awards, send them on leadership retreats and provide them with leadership classes,” she said in her speech.

“But I want to make something very clear. I did not learn to be a leader at school. No one taught me how to be a leader—I learned to lead by leading. My passion was strong enough that I had to do something.”

Kantar said she believes that “leading is a vital skill that young people can only learn by

doing. Youth should take whatever their passion is and transpire to do something beyond prescribed activities with it.”

Junior Allison Wu, a Minga team member, said that Kantar has faced tough leadership and personal relations decisions, similar to those of most adult nonprofit CEOs. Kantar recently redesigned Minga’s Board of Directors and is “constantly involving new teens through Minga’s programs and has interns and new team members,” Wu said.

Last summer, Kantar and her team began developing Minga’s new Strategic Plan, according to Kantar. Minga will focus on reaching teens where they already are: online and on their phones.

Minga plans to complete its PSA this summer, according to Kantar.

Wu, who has worked with Kantar since last summer, said

that she views Kantar as an “incredible leader.”

“To have not only the determination but also the initiative as a high schooler to go out there and take on one of the world’s greatest injustices is inspiring,” Wu said.

Kantar was a student in chief innovation officer Steve Chinosi’s Senior Year Project class last year. She explored cause marketing and potential opportunities for Minga.

“SYP provided the structure for her to organize her vision, her intelligence, her insight and her hard work,” Chinosi said.

He said he finds Kantar’s work with Minga “interesting” because she and her team are “not only working hard to educate people across the nation on a very unsettling and serious issue, but she is also responsible for leading and managing the organization that is behind such important work.”

opinion

2 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Feb. 11, 2010

Take advantage of foreign trips This school runs four foreign exchange programs each year–– Chinese, Italian, French and Spanish. Having exchanges with four different countries gives many opportunites to “the involved students interested in using and/or advancing their language skills in authentic settings,” as written in a New England Association of Schools and Colleges survey report.

editorial Being housed by a family in a different country is a unique opportunity.

According to the NEASC survey report, “These programs are homestays, so students experience daily life with a family from the target culture rather than as a tourist.”

They enhance your knowledge of the world, your ability to speak the given country’s language and your confidence and independence.

World language department head Nancy Marrinucci said, “On exchanges, the students learn to be more self-sufficient.”

If you’re passionate about a language, taking part in a foreign exchange is an irreplaceable way to enhance your listening, speaking and comprehension skills in a manner that learning from a desk could not accomplish.

Junior Lena Golick, who is currently on the Italian exchange, said, “I have only been here three days and I have already learned so much! I feel like I am forgetting how to speak English.”

By the end of the trip, the culture of the country is instilled in you. Being immersed in a country’s culture for nearly a month or longer is a life-changing opportunity.

Marrinucci said, “Students return with a much broader perspective of the world, intimate knowledge of daily life in another culture, greater knowledge and understanding of the art, history, geography, politics of the given country, improved linguistic skills and a different perspective relative to their home country and culture.”

In addition to creating a one-of-a-kind experience for yourself, a connection will be formed with the family with whom you stay.

Marrinucci said, “Many students continue to remain in touch with their host families and/or return to the exchange site in subsequent years.

“There is an impact on both families––I have known cases of whole families visiting each other due to the extremely strong ties forged between the two students during the exchange.”

Because these are exchange programs, the student of the family who hosts you will most likely be visiting this school at some point.

This swap allows both students to share thier culture and customs.

Fortunately, the Global Education Leadership Fund makes these programs accessible to all students. GELF offers financial aid to kids going on school-run international trips.

The fund’s assistance eliminates some of the money worries that may be keeping a student from participating in an exchange.

This school is fortunate to be able to offer several foreign exchange programs, and students should take full advantage of them. A three-week homestay in a new country is a meaningful experience.

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

Editors in chief — Hilary Brumberg, Ben Hills, Perrin Stein Managing editors — Jay Feinstein, Jacob Schwartz Graphics manager — Gabe Dreyer News editors — Alex Feit, Samantha Libraty Sports editors — Gloria Li, Kristian Lundberg Arts editors — Malini Gandhi, Fatema Zaidi Features editors — Meredith Abrams, Julia Oran, Kayla Shore Freelance editors — Ryan Condon, Steven Michael News analysis editor — Amanda Hills Talk of the Tiger editor — Julia Moss Photography editors — Maliha Ali, Alec Mapes-Frances Production manager — Gabby Ginsberg Advertising managers —Tiphaine Kugener, Evan Nitkin

Business manager — Alison Berkowitz Circulation managers — Phil Rubin, Michela Salvucci Online Editor — Henry DeGroot Adviser — Kate Shaughnessy Production adviser — Tom Donnellan News staff — Emmett Greenberg, Jared Perlo Features staff — Anna Clements, Jared Freedman Sports staff — Jesse Metzger, Infiniti Thomas-Waheed Arts staff — Ned Martenis, Noah Thompson News analysis staff — Kellynette Gomez Art staff — Catherine Chen, Arielle Conti, Rin Rogers Photography staff­ — Jenny Lewis, Ivan McGovern, Teddy Wenneker Circulation staff — Irene BettsO’Rourke, Sam Jones Production staff­ — Charles Attisano

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.

Gabe Dreyer

Upperclassmen have found themselves violently fleeing traditional college stresses.

Students seek college options Gabe Dreyer This past week, juniors at this school met with their counselors for the second of two guidance seminars to discuss post-graduation possibilities.

A large portion of the Class of 2012 has been considering the typical four-year college route, with some opting for work, a gap year or the military. For some, however, these options are not enough.

On the rise in the realm of college alternatives is clown college. These institutions, similar to their academic counterparts, have quasi-competitive admissions policies.

Applicants are not required to submit SAT scores when applying to clown college. Instead, one must take the Juggling Aptitude Test (JAT), which consists of three juggling sections: basic bean-filled balls, tennis racquets and flaming torches.

Optional for submission are the JAT2s, with items such as chainsaws and knives. Subject areas for the JAT2s are typically items in which the applicant has by

satire received advanced credit.

The admissions process can be quite strenuous, on both the applicant and the admissions office. Because of this, the admissions board uses a different acceptance approach. When asked if she knew the decision rate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College, Day Middle School teacher Linda Kincaid said, “I think that it’s rolling admission; they just keep accepting until they have filled up that little car.”

If clown college is too sharp a sword to swallow, North by Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois is another option.

Founded in 1959 by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, students are taught how to run from planes, trains and automobiles that are hot on their tails in a myriad of threatening conditions.

Further east is Nutcase Western Reserve, located in Ohio, serving the needs of all deranged persons since 1881. NCWRU is a test-optional school,

however if one chooses not to submit his standardized test scores, between two and three examples of his nuttiness must be included in the application.

These include, but are not limited to, local media coverage of deranged activity; certified psychiatric proof of a rare and unusual deranged behavior; or a consultant mention in the credits of the 2010 movie Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Accidental College in Los Angeles, California randomly selects a freshman class of 500 (without any knowledge whatsoever on the part of the students) every year for a binding acceptance, leading all students to show up in September accidentally, without ever applying.

Attending a boring college or university, going to work or joining the military can be too mundane for an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. With a little creativity, a post-graduation solution can surely be found.

Snowstorms affect daily lives Kellynette Gomez Amanda Hills Mounds of snow that have been piling up for weeks have created numerous obstacles.

Travel is treacherous––whether it’s gridlock on the roads or snow banks on the sidewalks.

Classes have also been disrupted. Lesson plans have had to shift and some midterms were postponed. The snowstorms have greatly interfered with people’s daily routines. Teachers and students share how the snow has affected them. by

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Teachers

Theatre Ink director Adam Brown had to postpone “Under Milk Wood,” Theatre Ink’s recent production. He said, “It takes away the rhythm of rehearsals. We need consistent rehearsals leading up to the performance. The snow days break the rhythm, but the show must go on.”

ASL and EDCO interpreter Joan Dale Siskind said she is sick of the snow. She said, “I love the snow and have enjoyed the beauty of it, but it’s enough already.”

Seniors

Chrissy D’Angelo recognized how hard it is for some to get to school. She said, “I feel bad for the kids who live in Boston and even farther who have to commute every day to school. Many people don’t realize what many students go through to get to

mass interview and from school.”

Tom DeStefano pointed out how the snow disrupted his college applications. “It cuts into my time applying for colleges because I am spending so much time outside shoveling,” he said.

Juniors

Neha Jain has seen her grades drop. She said, “It has affected my grades, since teachers rarely postpone tests so that we can have more time to review. It has been frustrating.”

Jamie Moore drives to school and faces a long commute due to traffic. “It takes me more than an hour or two to get to school,” he said.

Janellan O’Connor is frustrated with the rescheduling of events. She said, “It is annoying because the teachers don’t postpone tests, so it gives us less time to review in class. Also, our track meets get rescheduled over other track meets, so we don’t get to compete as much.”

Sophomores

Christina Chen said, “I have to walk a long way to my bus stop because the shortcut is a big pile of snow.”

Ross Stanley, a member of the Ligerbots, has seen his club struggle. “Ligerbots has been affected severely,” he said. “We

are on a time crunch, and snow days keep us from building.”

Freshmen

Irene Betts-O’Rourke finds it challenging to get to school.

She said, “It makes it harder to travel to and from school. It takes longer, so I have to leave the house earlier.”

Eliana Gevelber also has to deal with the difficulty of walking to school. “When people don’t clear the sidewalk, I have to walk around, but I don’t like to walk in the street,” she said.

Cara Kruse finds her classes have lost their flow. She said, “It makes the classroom lessons more choppy.”

With piles of fluffy, white snow comes thorny problems for teachers and students. It interferes with people’s commutes, lesson plans, and daily routines.

Letters Readers are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Letters should be put in the Newtonite box in Beals House 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, Feb. 11, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

Student wins technical award Samantha Libraty Each year, the Massachusetts Vocational Association recognizes students from across the state who have shown excellence in Career and Vocational Technical Education at regional vocational and secondary schools with Chapter 74 programs, according to Career and Vocational Technical Education director Diana Robbins.

Five seniors were nominated for the Career and Vocational Technical Education Outstanding Student of the Year Award at this school. The students were recognized for their achievements during an assembly Thursday, Feb. 3.

To be nominated for the Outstanding Student of the Year Award, the student must have “a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average, good attendance, participate in extra curricular activities, be involved in the community, have leadership skills and excel in his or her field,” Robbins stated.

At this school, there is a committee of teachers who interviewed the five nominees and decided the winner of the award.

Superintendent David Fleishman presented Justin Agner with the 2011 Outstanding Student of the Year Award. He will be honored along with over 50 by

other recipients from schools from across the state at a banquet April 14.

Culinary arts teachers Lisa McKinney and Bill O’Neill nominated Agner. He has managed and planned events, interacted with vendors for the Tiger’s Loft and has worked at Brae Burn Country Club, O’Neill said.

McKinney added, “He goes above and beyond, he has a terrific work ethic and he is a valuable student to us.”

Agner said, “I can’t believe I won. I’m thankful to all of the people who helped me get here.”

The other nominees were seniors Cassidy Chan, Daryl Choa, Adam Fisher and Brian Zabchuk. Several teachers explained the reasoning for their choices for nominees.

Drafting teacher Andrea Shurtleff nominated Chan.

Chan is enthusiastic about drafting, Shurtleff said, and he has excelled by combining his love of math, science and drawing.

Chan helped to draft use of new spaces and new muster stations when the school was being built and competed in drafting competitions, Shurtleff added.

Design and Visual Communications teacher Sue Brooks nominated Choa. Choa is hardworking and is “always counted on for doing the right things,”

Samantha Libraty

Presenting the award: Superintendent David Fleishman presents the Outstanding Student of the Year Award to senior Justin Agner, while Career and Vocational Technical Education department head Diana Robbins looks on.

Brooks said. Her concept was chosen for the Career and Voch.

Tech. Ed. website, and it has won a national award for its accessibility to the blind, Brooks said.

Choa has worked with the West Newton Cinema and presented design ideas to community business leaders as

well as working with Design Continuum.

Fisher was nominated by technology/engineering teacher Scott Rosenhahn. Currently, Fisher is working on a “substitute student,” a robot that has a screen, printer and scanner so that an absent student can participate in class from home.

Carpentry teacher Garrett Tingle nominated Zabchuk.

He is the student ambassador for the program and has taken on many challenging projects, Tingle said.

Zabchuk has helped rebuild homes in New Orleans for the past two summers and is going again this summer, he said.

City begins search for new deputy superintendent Alex Feit In the coming weeks, a selection will be made to fill deputy superintendent Paul Stein’s current position because he was recently selected for the position of Wayland Public Schools superintendent, according to superintendent David Fleishman.

“I want somebody who is a strong educational leader and has a passion for learning,” Fleishman said.

He said that he would form a selection committee filled with “a variety of people,” such by

Fair hosts non-profits at Chestnut Hill Mall

Anna Clements TeenLife Media, a local business that matches students with experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom is hosting its Fourth Annual Community Service Fair at the Chestnut Hill Mall Sunday, from 12 to 4 p.m.

The event will host 50 nonprofits that engage teens as volunteers.

“There’s something for everybody,” said Doreen Dove, director of events.

At the fair, students will be able to visit tables of different service organizations. It is a chance to “meet the volunteers and directors to ask them questions about their experiences,” according to Dove.

Featured at the event will be an a cappella “Sing Off” showby

as school administrators and principals, in order to appoint someone to fill the slot.

Although the plan is in its early stages, the vacancy of one of the two deputy superintendent roles will be filled by the beginning of next school year, according to Fleishman. Stein will hold the position until the end of June.

“I’m just starting to think about the selection process,” Fleishman said.

The structure of the position, previously established for supervising secondary schools and

various school programs such as ELL and METCO, has not been determined either.

“I am currently doing an analysis of the position,” Fleishman added.

However, Fleishman has determined what Newton Public Schools is searching for in a candidate.

The new deputy superintendent is expected to have “good interpersonal skills,” Fleishman said.

He or she should also have the ability to “understand all kinds of different stakeholders,

from teachers, to administrators and School Committee members,” according to Fleishman.

Stein served the NPS for 17 years. For 11 years, he was principal of Day Middle School, where “built a strong culture” as well as several new initiatives, such as a drama program, Fleishman noted.

For five years, Stein worked as an assistant superintendent for human resources, where he “brought good relations between unions and different collective bargaining agreements,” according to Fleishman, and for

two years he has held the position of deputy superintendent.

According to Fleishman, Stein will be missed for his “wonderful relationships with people in the system” and his “sensitivity to difficult issues.”

“He’s been incredibly helpful in my transition into Newton as superintendent,” Fleishman said.

In addition to a deputy superintendent, there will be a search to fill three open positions for principals and one open position for Director of Information Technology.

in brief

issue after doing research and writing papers to establish their position, and work together to produce a final resolution, written in UN format,” he said.

This school’s 20-person delegation represented Germany and Guinea-Bissau. Issues discussed at the conference included Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1980, the choice of the site of the 2018 winter Olympics and humanitarian aid to Haiti, he said.

Sophomore Sejal Vallabh won an honorable mention as a German representative in the Alliance of Nations, Kalow said.

In April, Model United Nations plans to attend a conference hosted by Northwestern University in Chicago. At the conference, this school will represent Ecuador and Switzerland and historical figures such as

Samuel Adams, an American patriot figure, and Jack London, an American author in the late 1800s, he said.

“We are hoping to just have a good time, learn a lot and make some life-long friends, just like we did at Harvard Model United Nations,” Kalow said.

tive groups, the team currently holds a cumulative score of 319 out of 400 possible points, according to Ghitelman.

The team trails Lexington by 30 points, according to the league standings.

There is a “pretty wide range” of topics covered during the meets, according to Ghitelman.

The problems stretch from number theory to pre-calculus.

Senior Don-Gil Shin, a captain, and Caroline Ellison, a junior, are the leading scorers on the team, according to Ghitelman.

“We really have some outstanding people in every grade,” she said.

Its next and final meet of the regular season will occur this Wednesday at Canton High School. The post-season State Invitational Meet will be April 7 at Shrewsbury High School.

casing eight local high schools singing their best songs She said that anyone interested should visit the website at teenlife.com to see more information. Pre-registering is “highly recommended,” she said.

Model United Nations attends conferences

Steven Michael Model United Nations focused on debating during a conference at Harvard University in Cambridge last month, according to senior Jared Kalow, a secretary-general.

The Harvard Model United Nations conference included 2,500 high school students from 35 countries, Kalow said.

“Delegates, usually representing countries, debate one by

Math team strives to reach State Meet

Alex Feit Currently ranked second in its league, the math team is hoping to further progress in order to be invited to the upcoming State and New England Meets, according to math teacher Elisse Ghitelman.

“Our goal is to be in the top five at the State Meet and the top five in New England as well,” Ghitelman said.

Competing in the Greater Boston Math League, which is comprised of over 25 competiby

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arts

4 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Heartfelt acting creates engaging show Malini Gandhi Time passes. Listen. Time passes. This soft narration echoing from the darkness introduces the audience to a town of shadows and cobblestones and slumbering villagers that dream of desire, beginning Dylan Thomas’ beautiful, softly humorous “Under Milk Wood.”

It was performed Feb. 3, 4 and by

review 5 in the little theatre.

Directed by Spanish teacher Dan Fabrizio, “Under Milk Wood” showcased some of this school’s most heartfelt acting talent as it used a series of vignettes to follow the dreams, lives and eccentricities of a memorable cast of villagers in a small 1949 Welsh fishing town.

The short scenes and frank narration that immersed the audience in the villagers’ gossip and unconvential habits were funny, yet strikingly powerful, presenting a glimpse into the contrast between dreams, realities and the peculiarites that make us human.

First Act

The play begins as darkness is setting in, the town “starless and bible black.”

One by one, the audience becomes acquainted with the sleeping villagers through snippets of their dreams.

The old, blind Captain Cat, played by senior Philip Halin, dreams of his fellow seamen who drowned long ago, writhing in his sleep as their voices haunt him.

Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, played by junior Emma Weisberg, dreams of her two late husbands.

She snakes her sleepy arms around them and asks them to

recite their daily tasks, to which they dutifully reply: “We must put our pajamas in the drawer marked pajamas.”

Willy Nilly, the postman, played by freshman Ezra DulitGreenberg, dreams of walking miles to deliver the mail, then knocking on his wife as if he were knocking on a door.

Mae Rose Cottage dreams of being kissed. The psychopath Mr. Pugh dreams of poisoning his wife with arsenic. The Lord Cut-Glass dreams of clocks— tick-tock, tick-tock—and slowly, slowly, dawn breaks.

Second Act

The day brings a reality that is regretful and yearning, yet moves forward with wit and compassion.

We begin to see the people of the town struggling with poverty and longing for a lost love or another chance—something they could only have in their dreams.

The stories are told in a matter-of-fact, quirky way that highlights the villagers’ weaknesses not with scorn but with humor.

As the Reverend Eli Jenkins, the town’s poetry-loving preacher played by sophomore Jack Reibstein, says in one of the play’s most memorable lines: “We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood.”

The people of the town can be eccentric, nasty and unforgiving, but their flaws are what make them human.

We laugh at them because we understand them.

The various members of the village were memorable and convincing, which was made all the more impressive by the fact that each actor in the 19-person ensemble took on at least three

Alec Mapes-Frances

A desperate plea: Sophomore Sam Raby, as Mr. Mog Edwards, expresses his pain at being separated from his lover during a performance of “Under Milk Wood.” roles.

Less than a few minutes after portraying one character, an actor would reappear in a different costume as a completely different person, taking on another life and another personality with admirable ease.

While this could be confusing at first, especially since the vignettes were fast-paced and ran into each other, as the audience became more familiar with the characters and engaged in their continuing stories, it became easier to follow.

Indeed, the performance was

a snapshot of life at its best and life at its worst but mostly just life, immersing the audience in the daily lives and routines of villagers from an era of whitewashed clapboard houses and air tasting of seaweed.

Designed by juniors Gabbi Morgenstern and Gwendolyn Stoll, the costumes were extremely appropriate for the time period.

The women were dressed in long, ruffled skirts of colorful, floral patterns and the men bore vests and jackets.

The set, which was designed

by technical director Michael Barrington-Haber and sophomore Amalia Sweet, also contributed to the seaside atmosphere, with a dock, barrels and fishing equipment positioned in front of a painted backdrop of a coastal village.

Lights were designed by assistant technical director Trevor Bates.

And as the day drew to a close and our strange, lovable villagers retired to their homes once more, the play ended as it began—with the hopeless tendrils of dreams.

arts

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 5

Jazz Ensemble expands, makes changes Jared Freedman It might seem odd for students to arrive at school an hour before their first class but that is just what the members of Jazz Ensemble I do every Wednesday morning.

Everyone looks tired as they assemble their instruments in the room already filled with the sound of guitar. But by the time they leave practice 10 minutes before school starts, everyone looks awake and ready for the day ahead. by

Concert Preparations

Recent rehearsals for Jazz Ensemble I have been focused around preparing for Winterfest I, which was Wednesday. The ensemble performed “Not Yet Over the Hill” by Mark Taylor and “The Dance of Denial” by Michael Phillip Mossman.

Jazz Ensemble I was one of seven groups that performed in Winterfest, the second of three annual concerts that include all members of the music department.

According to Todd Young, fine and performing arts department head, the intense rehearsal that goes into preparing for Winterfest is rewarding because “it’s great to see students get to a point in rehearsal where they truly get to appreciate the music at a higher level.”

Throughout practice, the sounds of swinging melodies and loud solos fill the room.

The ensemble’s leader, Casey Scheuerell, grooves to the music, while occasionally yelling compliments such as “Yeah, we’re playing jazz!”

“It’s one of the greatest bands I’ve ever had,” Scheuerell said.

“It’s been a good band right from the beginning. It is nice to have a full band. The number of students has grown significantly from several years ago.”

He said that the most important improvement has been that recently more students have been showing up for practice and taking it seriously.

Importance of Jazz

Having a full band is important to Scheuerell. He accepts

every instrument into the band, not just traditional jazz instruments like the trumpet and saxophone. There is even a xylophone and bongo drums.

Scheuerell believes that jazz is an important skill to learn on any instrument.

“When you learn jazz, you learn about who you are as an American,” said Scheuerell. “It emanates from us. I think it is the most important kind of music for a student to learn.”

He explains that jazz is a melting pot of African, European and Latin cultures and that there are more benefits to playing music.

“Playing music has been proven to make you a better student,” he said. “I have kids who come through here who go do great things. I think this ensemble has inspired kids to continue to play jazz outside of high school.

“My goal is to get kids to play every day,” Scheuerell said. “If you don’t play the music, it is often viewed as entertainment, but playing the music makes kids feel good about themselves.”

Scheuerell has also made an effort to get every student to solo at least once during his or her time in the ensemble.

“Learning how to solo can be a long and intimidating process,” Scheuerell said. “I let them get used to the feel of the band first.”

Volunteer Director

Scheuerell, now a member of the extension faculty has volunteered his time for the Jazz Ensemble I. Since his son, who is now a junior in college, was in kindergarten, Scheuerell has been doing volunteer work for the Newton Public Schools’ music program.

“We started music projects at Cabot Elementary,” he said.

“We also started a band called the Jazz Dads. We were a group of parents who played jazz for the kids at Cabot.”

In 2002, Scheuerell took control of the Jazz Ensemble at

Gabe Dreyer

Jazz Ensemble: Senior Peter Wu, junior Ben Kaufman and sophomores Gilad Seckler and Billy Cohen, members of Jazz Ensemble I, rehearse for Winterfest. this school.

Since then, he has shifted the culture of the ensemble to be welcoming to all instruments and students.

Split of Ensemble

Beginning this year, Jazz Ensemble split into two groups— Jazz Ensemble I and Jazz Ensemble II—due to the large number of students interested in participating in the group.

According to music teacher Richard Labedz, who directs Jazz Ensemble II, Jazz Ensemble I consists of mainly sophomores, juniors and seniors, while Jazz Ensemble II is a “building group.”

“This is an exciting time for jazz at North. We are looking forward to going into the future,” Labedz said.

Scheduling Problems

One of the problems for Jazz

Ensemble I is that it does not meet every day. The band currently meets Monday X-blocks and Wednesdays before school, starting at 7.

Scheuerell is trying to get the band a spot in the official schedule so that it could meet two or four times per week.

Because the interest in the band has been growing, Scheuerell is hoping that it will get a spot next year.

“It would be unbelievable to have practice during the school day,” said Scheuerell. “Everyone would be together just to learn the music.”

Not surprisingly, the most difficult part of organizing a band is finding time when everyone can meet, and if the band met during school hours, that problem would be solved.

Scheuerell said that practic-

ing four times per week would be the best possible situation.

“Every week we have an hour of practice time and we sound great. Imagine if we had four hours a week. If we make good use of our time, we can do unbelievable things.”

Even if the band’s practice time moves to the official school day, Scheuerell might not be around to see it.

“This year is probably my last,” he said. “My daughter is a senior at North, and I don’t think I will be able to continue teaching once she graduates.”

Scheuerell explained that sometimes the ensemble is viewed as an underground organization.

“If you want recognition,” he said, “you have to be good, and this ensemble has been good for a while.”

Boston Globe Awards recognize student artists Fatema Zaidi In the annual Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, 39 students from this school were selected to win a Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention.

Art teacher Sandra Truant described the Boston Globe Awards as “a regional competition that all of Massachusetts participates in.”

Massachusetts has been participating in the Art Awards for 61 years, but this is the 19th consecutive year that students from this school have entered.

Individual pieces and portfolios are judged by the State, and then, Gold Key winners continue on to national judging.

The Gold Key and Silver Key exhibit will open Monday and end Thursday, April 7 at the State Transportation Building.

“It is a good competition because it allows students to compete, exhibit and see where they stand among other peers with their artwork,” Truant said.

This school does not participate in many art competitions because according to Truant, “too much competition at this level is not good because students are just beginning to find their way in their art style, but this is also an opportunity for the individual student to be recognized, which is a positive aspect of competition.” by

Marissa Goldman

Street: Senior Marissa Goldman earned a Gold Key.

Art teachers like Truant play an important role in the process of submitting work into the competition and helping out the students.

“I help students select what pieces will go into this competition. I help with registration, and I give the students advice for what the judges might be looking for,” Truant said.

She also helps the students figure out how to mount their pieces because, “I want them to represent their pieces in the best light,” Truant said.

“Originally the competition was based on the number of students in each grade, so I used to have to get the population of each grade, but now each teacher is allowed to submit 20 pieces of their students’ work,” she said.

According to Truant, “Art is all about expressing it for themselves and showing it to a population. They have an audience, and they need to show their art to this audience for the better or for the worse.

“Another exciting aspect this year was that three of our students won Gold Keys for their portfolios. They were seniors Marissa Goldman, Phoebe Nesgos and Monica Reuman.”

Junior Richard Han won a Silver Key for his piece, “Across the Street,” which is a view across the street from his house

with trees and a sidewalk.

“That’s the way I used to walk through when I walked to Day Middle School, so I guess I have an emotional connection, and also, I can see it from my window,” Han said.

“I don’t feel like I have been doing art for that long; I sort of just do it for fun, so I’m pretty proud of myself,” Han said.

Goldman, Nesgos, juniors Pamela Chen, Jackie Comstock, Nellie Robinson and Aaron Siegel and sophomores Julia Berstein, Xiang Ding and Daniel Seaward all won Gold Keys.

Goldman, Han, seniors Qiuye Jin and Ana Mijailovic, juniors Juliana Law and Nellie Robinson and sophomore Elsa Shaulus all won Silver Keys.

Twenty-one other students won Honorable Mention for their pieces.

“I won three gold keys, two for paintings I’ve done and one for my portfolio,” Nesgos said.

“I spend a lot of my time doing it—it’s what I want to dedicate my life to.

So winning awards and having people enjoy my artwork is incredibly inspiring.”

Robinson also believes that the Scholastic Art Awards is “a great opportuity for students to get recognition for their art.”

“It’s rewarding, and seeing other high schoolers’ work is really inspiring,” she said.

6 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

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Tiger

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 7

Talk of the Guess That Teacher

Weirdest Experiences

Match each baby picture to the corresponding teacher.

While they’ve been settling in at this school, freshmen have had some bizarre experiences. In fact, they’ve had some pretty strange responses to the question: “What’s the weirdest thing that happened to you this year?”

“I got hit on the head by a “The weirdest thing was the “I was wearing Uggs… swim unit because a guy was coffee cup!” cough…I mean, uh… wearing a speedo.”

—Stefan Sowa Bearpaws, and someone —Jacob Prince couldn’t tell if I was a man “A kid went outside during or a woman. People were lunch and made snow an“A guy came to school staring at me. Not cool.” wearing roller blades and gels, and when he came back —Eric Weiss started skating around the inside, he got a standing ovation from the caf!” cafeteria.”

“I was the only girl in —Emma Siegenberg —Julia Wang my sex-ed class, and my teacher was a guy!”

“The weirdest thing that hap“A teacher called my cell —Alyssa Steffen pened to me was that I got phone and left me a attacked by a racoon, while I voicemail.”

“The time I came in with was walking home.”

—Amanda Baia the faux-hawk for football.

—Ben Galgano I blow-dried my hair upside down for 20 minutes, “Once, a kid in my art class “An upperclassmen joined put hand lotion in my hair, and after practice that day, my conversation...uninit looked like I had a bird’s and the art teacher had to get vited.” it out for me!” nest on my head.”

—Sollie Mercurio —Lucy Green —Matt Thacker

Snow Daze

Photos courtesy of Courtney Albert, Sherley Blood, Adam Brown and file photo Julia Moss

Children— top: Ms. Albert, middle: Mr. Brown, bottom: Ms. Blood

End Winter, Ground Hog!

Julia Moss

features

8 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Local artist shares smiles through street art Ryan Condon Samantha Libraty To help people understand Asian communities in and around Newton, the Asian Culture Club hosted Asian Culture Day Wednesday.

The event involved presentations during D- and E-blocks about successful Asian-Americans in the greater Boston community.

During E-block, guest speaker Bren Bataclan talked about his Smile Boston project, in which Bataclan leaves artwork around Boston with an attached note reading, “This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.”

Since its beginning in 2003, the project has gone worldwide, with Bataclan leaving his artwork wherever he happens to be every day around the globe.

Bataclan’s work has been seen in 25 states, as well as almost 40 countries, and in the fall of 2003 over 600 paintings were given away. All of Bataclan’s paintings are hand-painted using acrylic paint, he said.

Fifteen characters occur regularly in Bataclan’s artwork, and every month he has one or two new characters, he said.

Bataclan’s trademark is for the character in the picture to have “one big eye and one small eye,” he said. “The goal is to focus on the character’s smile.”

Bataclan said that the characters are “not really human beings or animals, just personalities.” by

and

After growing up in the Philippines and San Francisco, Bataclan moved to Boston 16 years ago.

He had the idea for the project when he was growing up in San Francisco because he saw a lot of street art and was inspired by it.

Despite this, “I wasn’t the type of person to do graffiti,” he said.

Smile Boston was a way to “expose art to people who don’t normally go to exhibits” and a way for people to get “artist-made art” according to Bataclan.

He said that his art is “sort of like my own form of graffiti. I don’t have one target audience, besides ‘everybody.’”

After the recession in the fall of 2008, Bataclan started putting his artwork outside some unemployment offices with a message attached to them reading, “Everything will be alright.”

The project has received “tons of reaction,” ranging from “thank-yous” to “more intense feedback,” he said. One boy from a school in Indiana was contemplating suicide but did not go through with it after finding one of Bataclan’s paintings, he said.

The biggest exhibit Bataclan ever had was Baha, a natural disaster-related art exhibit in Cambridge, he said. Baha means “flood” in Tagalog, the official language of the Philippines. The exhibit was created after Manila, the capital of the

Alec Mapes-Frances

In the little theatre: Local artist Bren Bataclan presents his Smile Boston project.

Philippines, had a large flood.

Bataclan said he currently has an exhibit in Florida, which features animal victims from the BP oil spill.

There is also some of Bataclan’s work in the area, in places such as Newton South and Berryline, a yogurt shop in Cambridge, he said.

Bataclan has also done many school-related murals, most in Grand Rapids, Mich. He works

with students to create ideas for the mural. “I work with students of all ages for my murals,” said Bataclan.

His murals can be seen at Children’s Hospital and at Jackson Elementary School in Newton.

Some other examples of Bataclan’s work include illustrations in the children’s book Dinosaur Hunt and the designs on two Girl Scout patches, he

said.

The CBS Evening News, Smithsonian magazine and the Boston Globe have covered Bataclan’s work.

According to Bataclan, students should “follow what they love.”

“As a kid, I was discouraged to pursue art, but now I’m completely happy that I chose to continue down that path,” he said.

Chef discusses fighting sterotypes Malini Gandhi Eunice Feller, the owner of the popular bakery Bread and Chocolate, spoke D-block about her experiences fighting stereotypes and starting her own business as part of Asian Culture Day Wednesday.

At the age of 10, Feller emigrated from Korea to the United States, where her family settled in St. Louis.

“My brother and I were the only minorities in the entire school,” Feller remembers.

Feller said, “Programs such as ELL didn’t exist––I was plopped right into a third grade class without knowing the language.”

While the lack of people of color in St. Louis meant that preconceptions based on race were rare, upon moving to Los Angeles at the start of high school, Feller was suddenly plunged into a society divided by stereotypes.

“After being embraced by my community as a child, it was strange to suddenly be exposed to so much racism,” she said. “It was disheartening and confusing, but you learn to adapt and find support groups.”

Growing up as a first-generation immigrant, Feller was constantly influenced by her parents’ strict expectations.

“My parents were very adamant that I follow their guidelines—they wanted me to become a doctor, marry a nice Korean boy and have kids.”

So when Feller decided to pursue a degree in the arts, her family was shocked.

Despite her parents’ pleadings, Feller received a degree in sculpture and then a Masters in oil painting.

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like a hermit,” she said. Missing the presence of people, she decided to enroll in culinary school.

“I wanted to row my own boat,” she said.

Four years ago, after graduating from culinary school, Feller resolved to open her own bakery in Newtonville, which she named Bread and Chocolate because these foods should start and end every meal,” she said.

“I make what I want to eat,” Feller explained. “I want customers to experience the ideal cookie.”

Feller’s bakery received immediate attention. Less than six months after opening, Bread and Chocolate was recognized as the “Best of New” in the Boston Globe magazine, and last July a second location opened in Newton Highlands.

“I believe in hard work, and I believe in common sense” Feller said. “A business like a bakery allows you to get better every day.”

Despite her success, Feller still says she has experienced some levels of racism.

She recalled a time when she and her white boyfriend, who is now her husband, were walking in Boston one evening and another white man passing by muttered “race-traitor” to her husband.

“What surprised me was that the people here in Boston are some of the most open-minded and educated people in the world,” Feller said.

“If I could go back in time, I would ask him what experience led him to make that comment,” he said.

“We’re not born hating people of different races—it’s the experiences that forge our beliefs.”

features

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 9

Tennis players teach Perkins students Julia Oran At first glance, this may seem like a normal tennis class—a group of supportive teachers running drills with their eager students. They cheer each other on, laugh when they make a mistake and keep trying their hardest, even when they are having trouble.

However, a second glance would reveal something different. The rackets have shorter handles and larger heads. The tennis balls are not really tennis balls, but instead foam balls that jingle when they hit the floor.

The students lean in close to the floor before returning the ball.

This is Tennis SERVES, an organization founded by sophomore Sejal Vallabh. The program teaches visually impaired students from the Perkins School for the Blind how to play a modified version of tennis.

Vallabh has been playing tennis all of her life. When she was younger, she played with her parents, and last year, she was on the varsity tennis team at this school.

Every summer, Vallabh said she goes to Tokyo to visit her grandparents. This past summer, she interned at Hands on Tokyo, which is a community service organization that runs volunteer programs. Vallabh worked at a program that teaches tennis to the visually impaired.

Miyoshi Takei invented this sport in 1984 in Japan. Takei wanted to play tennis, but as a young child, his vision was destroyed by cancer. As a result, he developed tennis for the visually impaired, making it possible for visually impaired athletes, like himself, to play a new sport.

“After the success in Tokyo,” Vallabh said, “I was inspired to start a program at home.” As soon as she got home in August, Vallabh got in touch with physical education teachers at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown to start Tennis SERVES. In addition to Vallabh, Tennis SERVES currently has four volunteers from this school.

The volunteers, who are all on this school’s varsity tennis teams, are juniors Ilana Greenstein and Kayla Shore and by

sophomores Danielle Handler and Kris Labovitch.

According to Vallabh, “Tennis SERVES is dependent on its volunteers.” As a result, she said, “We are always looking for new recruits for our programs.”

Handler said, “I thought Tennis SERVES was a really great opportunity that students at the Perkins School wouldn’t normally have.”

“Not everybody has the opportunities that we have, and we take it for granted,” she said.

Labovitch, another volunteer, said, “I enjoy teaching tennis to anyone.” He added, though, that teaching this class especially gives him “a good feeling” because it is “so uplifting to come here.”

Labovitch said of the students, “They do a great job believing they can do it.”

Shore said, “This kind of community service is so rewarding because these kids are making a real impact on me.”

Tennis SERVES teaches visually impaired students who are ages 19 and 20. Vallabh said they teach the program to students that age because it would be “harder to do it with younger children” who do not have the mobility or coordination.

The class, which has about six to eight students, takes place Monday afternoons at the Perkins School.The first class was Friday, Jan. 24. Vallabh said it was a “positive experience” because the young adults are “very optimistic.” She added, “When they make contact with the ball, they get so excited.”

The volunteers have to use voice commands to steer the students in the right direction.

They also make sure to tell the students when they are throwing the ball.

Sometimes though, voice commands are not enough and the volunteers have to position the students correctly or help them readjust their grip on the racket.

Overall, Vallabh said, “The best part is their motivation” to play the game. She said Tennis SERVES is “very rewarding,” and the students are showing great improvements.

Ashley Bernard, a visually impaired student participating

Equipment modifications Although the main principles of adapted tennis are mostly the same as regular tennis, some rules and equipment have been modified to work for people with visual impairments.

For example, depending on light sensitivity, visually impaired players may have two to three bounces before they need to hit the ball back to the other side. The extra bounces allow the athletes to locate the soundadapted tennis ball.

This ball is a foam ball, inside of which is a ping-pong ball filled with little metal pieces.

Because the students cannot see where the ball is, they have to listen to the sound to find the ball.

Visually impaired tennis players use junior-sized rackets. These rackets differ from adult-sized rackets because they have a wider head and a shorter handle. According to Vallabh, the junior-sized rackets are “easier to control and to make contact with the ball.”

The court has a few adjustments, as well. Instead of lines painted on the court, strings are taped down, which is called a tactile court. Players wear shoes with thin soles, so they can feel the lines on the court.

Last, a badminton net replaces the net usually used in tennis. The difference is that the badminton net is shorter and not as wide.

Julia Oran

Teamwork: Junior Kayla Shore and sophomores Kris Labovitch and Danielle Handler teach a modified version of tennis to students from the Perkins School for the Blind. in the class, said, “I think this is really cool.” However, she added that the most challenging part is “trying to hit the ball with my racket.”

Bernard also said there are not many sports available to blind and visually impaired people. As a result, she said, “My favorite part of all is just the fact that I’m actually able to play. It’s really great that there is one more thing out there for us to do.”

Vallabh said that the programs at Perkins are only the “tip of the iceberg.”

Greenstein, a volunteer and Tennis SERVES’ National Volunteer Coordinator, is contacting physical education teachers and athletic coaches from schools in the area, especially ones with community service requirements, to see if they are interested in the program.

According to Vallabh, Greenstein is sending emails to other

schools to eventually “expand beyond this school” and “get the word out” about the program.

Already, Vallabh said, “We are in contact with a high school sophomore in Washington State, to see if she wants to start a Tennis SERVES chapter there.”

“The ultimate goal,” said Vallabh, “is to spread it across the country.” She added, “It would be amazing if it went national” because “a lot of people can benefit from it.”

sports

10 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Girls may make Sectionals, coach says Kristian Lundberg Girls’ gymnastics, 6-3, may qualify for Sectionals after a strong performance at the Bay State Conference Meet, according to coach Jim Chin.

The official announcement was not made at press time, but Chin said that the team had a “95 percent” chance of qualifying.

According to Chin, the top 12 scores in the region will qualify for Sectionals, and he predicted that the Tigers would have the 10th best score.

Saturday, the Tigers scored 136.8 points, finishing second place at the Bay State Conference Meet, which was held at this school.

Their impressive performance put them in contention to qualify for Sectionals.

“We scored our second highest total of the season,” he said.

“We were very happy with our performance.”

Chin said that a second place finish was the most likely outcome for the team.

“Wellesley came in first, which we had expected, so we were pretty certain that we’d come in second,” he said. by

Senior Victoria Mirrer “It’s hard enough doing flips on a four inch beam, but when you’re being judged, it’s much harder.”

The Tigers benefited from strong individual performances from senior Victoria Mirrer and sophomores Allison Hurwitz, Lili Margolin and Ariana Paone, according to Chin.

Paone came in second on the vault and first overall, while Mirrer finished first on the beam.

Hurwitz finished fifth on the floor.

Hurwitz, Mirrer and Paone all finished with league all-star awards, while Margolin received an honorable mention.

Monday, Jan. 31, the Tigers set a school record in a 142-138 home loss to league champion Wellesley. The 138 points were the most the team has ever scored, according to Chin.

“Beating a first-place team would’ve been huge,” he said.

“Wellesley was the team to beat, and they were great, but

we still did extremely well.”

The Tigers crushed Brookline at home 136-115 Friday, Jan. 28.

Chin said the meet was a turning point in the team’s season.

“We knew at that point that we were a good team and that we could contend in the Conference Meet,” he said.

“Scoring 136 points, close to our school record, showed what we were capable of,” Chin said.

“It took everyone’s effort to do well.”

Mirrer, a captain with senior Andrea Marzilli, said the team did well at the Bay State Conference Meet.

“The team was able to pull together, relax and have an awesome competition,” she said.

Mirrer said that she was “still nervous” before competing on the beam.

“It’s hard enough doing flips on a four inch beam, but when you’re being judged, it’s much harder,” she said.

Mirrer said that she “completely made up the second half of my routine.”

“I had a big wobble, but I still managed to get a 9.5. Then, I thought for sure that I had to have placed,” she said.

Gabe Dreyer

Balance Beam: Sophomore Ariana Paone begins her routine at practice in the SOA.

Boys’ swimming trains for Sectionals, State Meet Jay Feinstein Boys’ swimming and diving, 1-5, finished its season on a high note, according to senior Jeremy Markson, a captain with seniors Ramzy Kahhale and Jamie Lew. “We started out with a lot of new members, especially freshmen and sophomores, and many of them weren’t the strongest swimmers,” he said.

“At that point, we had to work towards even placing and scoring.”

According to Markson, the team was able to greatly improve through hard work. “Considering what we began with, we by

did well,” he said. “We wanted to do better than this, but we tried our best and did well as a team.”

Lew, senior Alex Graf and sophomore Austen Young stood out as some of the team’s best swimmers, Markson said.

According to coach Amy Richard, camaraderie is a major strength of the team.

“Members can push each other at tough times, and it gets you going,” she said. “It keeps the team working hard,” she said.

The South Sectionals will take place at MIT tomorrow and the Division I States will be Fri-

day at Harvard, Richard said.

In both competitions, Graf will be competing in the 50 and 100 freestyles, junior Ryan Chan will be competing in diving and Young will be competing in the 200 medley, she said.

Young will also compete in the 100 backstroke and the 200 freestyle in Sectionals.

Thursday, Feb. 3 and Friday, Feb. 4 the Tigers participated in the Bay State Conference Meet at Brookline.

As a team, the Tigers tied with Wellesley for fourth with 175 points, behind Framingham in third, Brookline in second and Needham in first.

Highlights included Graf ’s first place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, Chan’s second place finish in diving and Young’s fifth place finish in the 200 medley.

Another highlight of the meet was the fourth place finish in the medley relay, swum by Graf, Kahhale, Young and junior Chris Yanachkin.

According to Markson, the Tigers prepared for this meet by practicing speed and shorter distances rather than endurance.

“We were able to do better in the Conference Meet than in the conference itself,” he said. “We

placed fourth in the Conference Meet, but we only placed fifth in the conference.”

Richard said, “The conference overall is very competitive.”

Personal records were acheived by Graf, Lew, Young, senior Seth King, junior Tianxiao Wu and sophomore Thomas Bishop.

At home Monday, Jan. 31, the Tigers swam against Needham, losing 98-86 in a meet that was postponed on two separate occasions because of weather.

“A highlight of the meet was the focus the team had throughout the meet,” Richard said.

Facing injuries, wrestling, 12-10, stays positive Jay Feinstein Despite inexperience, wrestling, 12-10, continues to try its hardest as it approaches the postseason, according to coach John Staulo.

Many varsity players are currently sick or injured, according to Staulo, so there are several freshman and JV wrestlers in every match.

“We haven’t been hit this hard by injuries and illness in years,” he said. “Matches that are normally easy wins are very, very close now. Matches are unpredictable as it is, but with the inexperience, even more so, anything can happen.”

In spite of their current situation, wrestlers are staying positive, Staulo said.

“It’s a challenge, but everyone’s keeping an upbeat attitude, doing the best that we can.”

The Tigers will compete in the individual Sectionals at Lexington tomorrow.

According to Staulo,the same 13 teams that competed in the team Sectionals will be there, but there won’t be any team scores, and only one wrestler in each weight class will participate.

The top six wrestlers will move on to the Division I States at Methuen Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19.

The team sectionals took place Saturday at Newton South.

First, the Tigers beat Everett, 51-18. by

Headlock: Sophomore Jonah Schumer locks heads with a Brookline wrestler Thursday, Feb. 3 at home.

Next, they faced Waltham in the quarterfinals, losing 42-39.

“They’re a competitive team,” Staulo said.

The Tigers had an early lead, which they kept until the final two matches. “In the end we only lost by three points,” Staulo said.

That put the Tigers in the consolation bracket, where they defeated Newton South 45-36.

South was ahead 36-18 with only five matches left, but the Tigers pulled four pins in a row near the end to achieve a dramatic victory, according to

Staulo.

Then, the Tigers squared off against Brookline in the fifthplace match, losing 63-12.

“We just wrestled them three days earlier, and the match didn’t go our way,” Staulo said.

“The same thing happened during Sectionals.”

As a result, the Tigers placed sixth for the tournament.

The Tigers lost to Brookline 54-25 Thursday, Feb. 3 in the Tigers’ last home meet of the season. “It was one patched-up lineup with another,” Staulo said.

“We lost three key matches, which created a lopsided score,” Staulo said. “Everyone gave it their best, so we moved on.”

On the road Monday, Jan. 31, the Tigers lost 63-12 to Walpole, which has a solid team makeup, according to Staulo.

“With a full line up, we had good chances of keeping it close with a possible win, but with eight JV kids, four of them being freshmen, we weren’t able to stay close.”

The highlight of match was a 9-6 victory senior Mike Atkinson at 160 pulled on a highly

Jacob Schwartz

touted opponent, according to Staulo.

Saturday, Jan. 29, the Tigers participated in a quad meet with Weymouth, Milton and Norwood.

The Tigers lost 61-18 to a Weymouth team that is typically solid, Staulo said.

According to Staulo, the Tigers could have beaten Weymouth with a healthy line up, but with their “underman lineup,” they weren’t able to.

The Tigers defeated both Milton and Norwood 75-55 and 50-27, respectively.

sports

Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 11

Girls’ track looks for success at States Perrin Stein Throughout the season, girls’ indoor track, 5-0, “has worked really hard and done really well,” according to senior Katie Brandl, a captain with senior Amy Ren. “I’m really proud of the work everyone put in,” she said.

Although the final meets of the season are only for individuals, Brandl hopes “the girls continue to work together,” she said.

“Everyone still comes to practice, and we need everyone to come to the meets, so they can cheer on their teammates.”

During the final two weeks of the season, coach Joe Tranchita hopes that the Tigers work “to improve state qualifying performances and to prepare for the State Meet,” he said.

Practice has been difficult due to the weather, according to Tranchita. The team has been forced to train exclusively in the SOA, which hinders distance runners “who need to maintain their base condition with dis-

tance runs outside,” he said.

Friday, the Tigers will participate in the Division I State Meet, which includes all the Division I teams in Massachusetts.

Students who earn certain times at the Division I Meet automatically qualify for the State Finals, which are Saturday, Feb. 26.

Wednesday, March 2, the Tigers will partake in the Pentathalon Meet, which requires participants to complete five events in one day.

Students will earn points based on their performance in each event. At the end of the day, the scores for each event are added up in order to determine a winner. “This competition essentially shows who the overall athletes are in the sport,” Tranchita said.

Sunday, the Tigers attended the McIntyre Elite Meet, which included the top 24 scorers from the State Coaches’ Invitational Meet. Eight students from this school qualified for individual events. The team as a whole

competed in the 4x800, 4x200 and the sprint medley, according to Tranchita.

Wednesday, junior Kayla Wong won the hurdles and sophomore Carla Forbes won the long jump at the Bay State Conference Meet.

In lieu of the Interdivisional Meet, the Tigers defeated Needham 69-26 Friday. This meet determined the winner of the Bay State League Title.

Originally, the meet against Needham was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, but it was postponed due to snow.

At the State Coaches’ Invitational Meet Saturday, Jan. 29, the Tigers achieved 14 personal records, bringing the total for the season to 99.

This meet included 145 schools and was a non-scoring meet because “its intent was to offer a mid-season state level competition to give athletes the opportunity for high quality competition and to improve upon their state qualifying standards,” according to Tranchita.

Speed: Sophomore Eve Szerlip, junior Savannah Belmore and junior Katrina Kervin run on the track in the SOA.

Meredith Abrams With its 14th consecutive undefeated season, boys’ indoor track, 5-0, relied on proficiency in each event, said coach Jim Blackburn.

“We had a lot of talent on this team,” Blackburn said. “It gave us balance in all the different events.”

According to Blackburn, the main focus of the season was just to win. “In track, each person must prove himself individ-

ually and work on getting better in that event and that makes the team better,” he said.

Senior Ezra Lichtman, a captain with seniors Ben Clark and Ryan Donovan, said the team is happy with its performance.

“We had a lot of new people, and we didn’t know who was going to be able to do what,” Lichtman said.

“But they were able to do well, and that allowed us to have a good season,” he said.

“We had lots of strong individual performances.”

Friday, the Tigers will compete in the Division I State Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Blackburn said he had high hopes for senior Swardiq Mayanja in the shot-put and Lichtman and junior Justin Keefe in the 1000 and the 4x200.

Freshman Nick Fosina will be the team’s only representative at the Pentathlon Wednesday, March 2. For the Pentathlon,

Fosina will have to compete in the shot-put, long jump, high jump, hurdles and 1,000.

Senior Isaiah Penn won the 300 and Keefe won the mile at the Bay State Conference Meet Wednesday, said Lichtman.

Mayanja won the shot-put and the sprint medley team placed second in its event, as did Keefe in the 1000.

At the McIntyre Elite Meet Sunday, the Tigers had several strong finishes, according to

Lichtman.

The team defeated Needham at home Wednesday, Feb. 2.

“We did well in all of our different events,” Blackburn said.

“It’s just what we’ve been doing all season.”

At the State Relays Saturday, Jan. 29, “we did very well,” Blackburn said.

Mayanja won the shot-put and Lichtman, competing in the 1000 and the 4x200 events, placed third.

Meredith Abrams Despite steady improvement, girls’ hockey, 4-9-1, did not accomplish its goal of qualifying for the State Tournament, said coach Bob MacDougall.

“We played well all season, just not well enough to win,” MacDougall said.

Strengths of the team were the forwards and the goaltending, he said. “We were able to put out a couple strong lineups offensively,” he said.

“We were working on getting the puck out of our zone and our transitioning from offense to defense,” he said. “When we struggle with that, we lose.”

MacDougall said that though the team is not going to the State Tournament, the season can still be considered successful.

“You can define success in different ways,” he said. “We worked hard every practice and game, and we have a sense of team.”

Junior Stephanie Vitone, a captain with seniors Marissa and Michele Troy and junior Katie Caruso, said that every single game, the team has been in it whether they win or lose.

“We’ve gotten much better since the start of the season,” she said.

The Tigers visit Framingham tomorrow to play the role of spoilers, MacDougall said.

“Framingham is ahead of us in the conference and still needs to qualify for the State Tournament, so it’s our job to stop them,” he said.

Against Needham Wednesday on the road, the Tigers predict an exciting match, MacDougall said. “It’s always a great game against Needham,” he said.

“Anything can happen.”

The Tigers will host Braintree Friday for a tough match, MacDougall said, “Braintree is a top team in our division, so it will be interesting to gauge ourselves against them.”

Wednesday, the team defeated Brookline 7-3 at home.

Wellesley defeated the Tigers 6-1 Wednesday, Feb. 2 at home.

“They had been struggling, but they put it together at the wrong time for us,” MacDougall said.

At home Saturday, Jan. 29 the Tigers lost 2-1 to Dedham. “It was a really disciplined game on both sides,” MacDougall said.

utes when Wellesley added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

“We played extremely well in an excellent game,” Ryan said. “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y, d e s p i t e very good games from Hector Coscione, John Hogan, Jamie Moore and Phil Biancuzzo, we ended up on the losing end.”

Saturday, Jan. 29, the team lost at Dedham, 3-2. Ryan said he was very unhappy with the team’s performance.

“We were not mentally and physically ready to play, which was extremely disappointing because we had been playing very well,” Ryan said.

“Unfortunately, we picked a bad night not to play well.”

Ryan said the team put forth “the most disappointing effort in my three years at North.”

Junior Ryan Fanning, a captain with senior T.J. Ryan, said that the team is trying to improve its strength on defense.

“We need to put pressure on other teams in our defensive zone, and we need to be tough against bigger teams,” he said.

Still, Fanning said the Tigers have played better than their record.

“We’ve let a lot of close games slip away,” he said.

by

Maliha Ali

Strong individual performances key for boys’ track by

Girls’ hockey ‘has sense of team,’ says coach by

Gabe Dreyer

Netminder: Junior Courtney Leahy looks to make the save in practice at Fessenden Rink.

Boys’ hockey tries to build confidence, toughness Kristian Lundberg Boys’ hockey, 5-11-1, is trying to maintain morale despite suffering a number of close losses, according to coach Tom Ryan.

“Right now, we have a lack of confidence,” he said.

“We need to believe in ourselves more, especially because we’ve played mostly pretty good games,” he said. “The team doesn’t realize how good it is.”

In most of the losses, Ryan said, the Tigers had numerous chances to win and instead ended up with narrow defeats.

“A lot of the games have been one-goal losses—we tend to lose by

a bunch of close ones,” he said.

“It’s a psychological situation, mainly.”

However, according to Ryan, this season is still “a great experience, coaching a great team.”

The Tigers will host Framingham tomorrow. The Flyers will be a tough opponent for the Tigers, Ryan said.

“They beat us 5-2 earlier in the year. They’re well coached and they’re playing their best hockey of the season,” he said.

After hosting a “very strong” Needham squad Wednesday, the team will travel to Watertown Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the final

game of the season.

“Watertown will be an emotional game, as it is our seniors’ last game,” Ryan said.

The team won at Wellesley 7-1 Wednesday. Ryan said the team played “very well, as we did in the last few games.”

Monday, the Tigers tied 3-3 at Braintree, and Saturday, the Tigers hosted Weymouth, losing 9-2.

The Tigers defeated Brookline Friday at home, 4-0, in their fourth victory of the season.

Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Tigers lost 3-1 at Wellesley. The team was down 2-1 in the final min-

sports

12 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, Feb. 11, 2010

Girls’ basketball prepares for stretch run Kristian Lundberg In recent games, girls’ basketball, 10-6, has played with physical, tough defense, according to coach Hank DeSantis.

“We still need to get better and grow as a team,” he said.

According to senior Briana Hunt, a captain with seniors Megan Gentile, Ella Schuerell and D’Jaidah Wynn, the team needs to remain healthy.

“We need to ensure that people don’t hit the wall at this point in the season,” she said.

“It’s really important that we stay healthy as a team.”

Today, the Tigers will square off at home against traditional rival Brookline at 6:45 p.m. The Warriors defeated the Tigers 6054 earlier this season.

After playing Tuesday at Framingham and hosting Needham Thursday, the Tigers will participate in the Comcast Tournament Saturday, Feb. 19 and Sunday, Feb. 20, Hunt said.

“Our first game in the tournament is against South, and they’re always a big rival. It’ll be an exciting game,” she said.

According to Hunt, the Comcast Tournament will be a prelude to the State Tournament.

The Tigers defeated Dedham 60-32 Wednesday at home.

Tuesday, at Weymouth, the Tigers crushed the Wildcats 7142. DeSantis said he was happy with the team’s offense.

“Our offense played well, but our defense could’ve been betby

Jacob Schwartz

Fast break: Senior D’Jaidah Wynn sprints up the court Friday, Jan. 28. The Tigers defeated Braintree 49-40 at home.

ter,” he said.

The team hosted Wellesley Friday and lost, 64-55.

“We played well for three quarters, but we couldn’t hold on, and Wellesley came back,” DeSantis said.

Friday, Jan. 28, the team handed Braintree its first lost of the season, 49-40, in a thrilling back-and-forth game. The Tigers trailed multiple times before pulling off an impressive third quarter comeback. Then, the team managed to stave off a furious rally by the Wamps to secure a huge victory at home.

“The main key to the game was our defense and intensity,” DeSantis said. “We played better defense in the second half.”

Leading 23-19 at the start of the second half, Braintree wore the Tigers out with its fluid passing and made an easy layup on its first possession.

Those would be Braintree’s last points in the quarter.

Wynn immediately took over, dicing her way through the Braintree defense, creating easy buckets for Gentile and junior Jaimie Renner.

She then drilled a long-distance three-pointer to give the Tigers their second lead of the game, 26-25.

Braintree coach Kristen McDonnell noted, “In the second half, our shots just weren’t falling, so we weren’t able to keep up with North’s scoring run.

“We had strong defense, but

it’s hard to play tough if the offense struggles,” she said.

The Tigers would go on a 120 run for the rest of the quarter, extending the lead to 31-25.

The Wamps would be unable to come back from that deficit.

“We played with increased intensity in the second half,” DeSantis said. “That and our defense were the keys to our improved performance.”

On numerous occasions in the fourth quarter, Braintree pulled within three points, but the Tigers tightened up their defense and made their free throws to close out the game.

“I thought we, as a team, played well but give credit to North,” McDonnell said. “They played an excellent game.”

“We knew their two guards could pose problems for us, and they played really well.”

Braintree came flying out of the gate, while comparatively, the Tigers started out flat. Senior Amanda McKenney drained a three pointer as the Wamps took an early 8-0 lead.

However, Wynn made two spectacular plays to reduce the deficit. Down 10-4, Wynn drove to the paint and finished with a spinning layup, and on the following possession, she stole the ball in the Braintree backcourt and laid it in, cutting the Wamps’ lead to two points.

She finished with a game high of 21 points, while Gentile added 10 of her own.

Defense first priority for boys’ basketball, 13-4 Jacob Schwartz Defense has become a priority and a strength for boys’ basketball, 13-4, according to senior Avi Adler-Cohen, a captain with senior Tevin Falzon. “It’s been helping us a lot because when we have good defense, it usually leads to good offense,” he said, Coach Paul Connolly said he commends assistant coach Tom Donnellan for the team’s newfound defensive strength.

“He is really a defensive guru, and he has been helping the team make switches on defense, which has been throwing our opponents off balance,” Connolly said.

“He is a terrific coach and by

such a great asset to have.”

How the team plays on defense should be a major factor when the Tigers face the Warriors today at 4p.m. in Brookline, Connolly said.

Earlier this season, the Tigers defeated Brookline 6250 here.

A d l e r- C o hen said, “We learned from the last time we met that Newtonian their freshman Avi p o i n t g u a r d Adler-Cohen was one of their best players. Also, they’re going to be amped-up and are

going to want revenge. We will have to come ready to play.”

Aggressive defense will be key Tuesday, when the Tigers host Framingham at 6:45 p.m. in the Reginald E. Smith Gymnasium, Adler-Cohen said.

“They hurt us a lot with dribble penetration the last time we met,” Adler-Cohen said. “We can’t let their guards get in front of us—we’ll have to be aggressive.”

The team hosts Needham on senior night, Thursday at 6:45 p.m. in the final conference game of the season. According to Adler-Cohen, if the Rockets start off strong, they can be lethal.

The Tigers defeated Need-

ham 66-58 when they met last, Saturday, Jan. 22 on the road.

The game began with a strong Tigers’ lead. However, in the second half, Needham began to catch the Tigers in a half-court trap, Adler-Cohen said.

BC High hosts the Tigers Saturday, Feb. 19, in the opener of the Comcast Tournament. “They always play well as a team, which makes them dangerous,” Adler-Cohen said.

At Dedham Wednesday, the Tigers won 56-41.

At home Tuesday, the Tigers defeated Weymouth 56-45, thanks to great play by junior Barry Santana, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three steals.

Although the Tigers held a strong lead at first, Weymouth put up a fight in the second half, even making it a one-point game at times, but a Tiger run in the last minutes gave them a victory.

The Tigers defeated Brockton 62-49, in a blowout at home Sunday. Junior Michael Thorpe made great passes throughout, leading the team’s offense.

At Wellelsey Friday, the Raiders proved to be one of the Tigers’ most challenging opponents, defeating them 52-48.

The Raiders challenged the Tigers’ offense, forcing players to attempt contested shots.

The Tigers lost at Braintree Friday, Jan. 28, 60-50.

Boys hope to set new season high at States today Kristian Lundberg With only two end of the season tournaments left, boys’ gymnastics is about to finish a successful rebuilding season, according to coach Steve Chan.

The Tigers have not won a meet this season, but, according to Chan, with only three gymnasts returning from the previous year, a rebuilding season was to be expected for the team, 0-5.

“We’ve competed very well, despite our inexperience,” he said.

“Many gymnasts on our team have been doing gymnastics for the first time in their life, so we’ve done very well considering that.”

Today the Tigers will travel to Braintree to take part in the State Tournament, a meet in which all of the team’s opponents during the year will compete, according to Chan.

“Our goal is to score higher than a 115,” Chan said.

“It would be good if we could break our high score for the season at the State Tournament.”

After States, the Tigers will by

compete in the Coaches’ Invitational Monday, according to Chan.

“The Invitational is an individual meet, so our team score won’t be counted,” Chan said.

“Instead, the individual gymnasts will compete, and the top six scores will receive an award.”

Chan said that he expects some of the more experienced gymnasts to contend for a position in the top six.

“Senior Alex Petitti, the captain, has a chance to place on the parallel bars, and junior Curran Ferrey also has the potential to do very well,” he said.

Thursday, Feb. 3, the Tigers competed against both Lowell and Attleboro on the road.

The team came in third but set its new season high score with 115.7 points.

Attleboro won the meet, scoring 141.4 points, while Lowell finished in second place, scoring 133.4.

“We did a pretty good job at that meet,” Chan said.

“It’s good that we could set a new high score.”

According to Petitti, the team

has performed “fairly well for the most part.”

“I wish we could improve in some areas, but overall we’ve done well, dealing with inexperience issues,” he said.

Petitti said that he is currently training for the Coaches’ Invitational, in which he hopes to place fifth or sixth, as well as the State Tournament.

“I’m going to need to step up my game and learn a few more difficult moves, but I’m hoping to get the fifth or sixth place allaround medal,” he said.

Doing gymnastics for the first time ever, sophomore Billy Cohen said that he was “very happy” that he decided to take up the sport.

“I did much better than I expected this season, and I’d love to return to the team next season,” he said.

“The team has done great this year, and I’m really happy with our performance.”

Cohen said that he thinks the Tigers could surprise teams at the State Tournament.

“I think we’ll do better at States than most people expect,” he said.

Routine: Senior Alex Petitti practices in the SOA.

Maliha Ali