v90i8 Graduation Issue

Newtonite

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

◆ Tuesday, June 7, 2011 • Volume 90, Issue 8

Class of 2011 graduates HILARY BRUMBERG Tonight, the Class of 2011 became the 150th class to graduate from this school and the first to graduate from this building.

Family Singers began the program with “America the Beautiful,” by Katherine Lee Bates, a member of the Class of 1876. Seniors Samuel Melnick, Kelly McIntyre and Fionnuala O’Donovan sang the National Anthem and senior Thomas Ansill interpreted it.

After principal Jennifer Price welcomed students, parents and faculty, graduating EDCO and English Language Learning students greeted the audience in Cantonese, Taiwanese, Mandarin, Greek, Farsi, Luganda, French and American Sign Language.

Next, mayor Setti Warren, superintendent David Fleishman, School Committee member Reenie Murphy and aldermen Leonard Gentile and Jay Harney spoke to the graduates.

Senior class president Molly Doris-Pierce then awarded the senior tribute to counselor Matthew Ford, the class adviser, and presented the senior class gift.

Senior Simona Gilman spoke for the Class of 2011 and fine arts teacher Sandra Truant, a retiree, spoke for the faculty.

Price presented the Principal’s Plaque, an engraved tray, to the Parametric Technology Corporation. This award is for a person or group of people in the Newton community who have made outstanding contributions to the students, faculty and programs at this school.

Price said she was pleased to pick PTC because “if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have the Innovation Lab.” Seniors then presented awards to their classmates.

Melissa Gomez presented Derek Butterton with the Charles Dana Meserve Fund Award engraved tray and scholarship for being an out-

Non-profit org.

US postage paid Newton, Mass.

Permit no. 55337

BY

Teachers address bullying SAMANTHA LIBRATY Beginning in September, a new anti-bullying curriculum will be incorporated throughout the school year in accordance with the new anti-bullying laws passed in Massachusetts, according to Brenda Keegan, a former English department head at this school and former deputy superintendent.

Keegan, guidance department head Beth Swederskas, Newton Partnership curriculum specialist Iris Leigh and other teachers have chosen a curriculum to keep up with new state legislature, she said.

The curriculum, which is called Bully -P roofing Your School, will allow students and faculty to learn and be aware of bullying situations, Keegan said at Tuesday’s faculty meeting.

There will be four days during the school year where there will be extended homeroom.

Ideally, two teachers will be assigned to a homeroom to conduct a lesson plan from the Bully-Proofing Your School workbook, Swederskas said.

Also, two or three physical education classes will be committed to anti-bullying lessons for all grades each year, Swederskas added.

Each teacher will also give one anti-bullying lesson to one assigned grade level during class time, Swederskas said.

For example, seniors would have an anti-bullying lesson during a math class, while juniors would have a lesson during one history class. “ We tried to incorporate the lesson plans so that there wouldn’t be too much class time lost,” Keegan said.

“The curriculum will be done this way so that everybody participates.

“Also, so that not one teacher, or one group of people, is responsible for educating and looking out for bullying,” she said.

The textbooks were made possible by a Newton Partnership grant, Keegan said.

BY

Teddy Wenneker

Jubilation: Seniors Alex D’Agostino and Jack McLaughlin and the rest of the Class of 2011 celebrate their last day of high school during Friday’s countdown. standing scholar and making significant contributions to this school.

A dedicated English student, Butterton was recognized for his work in all four grades with the Charles Kamar Award; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Award Honorable Mention; the Middlebury College Junior Book Award; and the M. Roland Heintzelman Memorial Award.

He was also a National Merit Semifinalist and scored in the 98th percentile in the National Spanish Exam. Butterton acted in multiple Theatre Ink shows.

The Senior Cups honor a girl and a boy who best respresent the ideal student at this school in terms of character, scholarship, involvement in the school community and personality.

D’Jaidah Akins-Wynn presented the Boys’ Senior Cup engraved bowl to Ezra Lichtman.

Lichtman received 12 varsity letters in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. He won Bay State Conference all-star titles seven times in the three varsity sports he played. Lichtman also won the Harvard University Club Junior Book Award, the Excellence in Italian Award in the National Italian Exam and the J. F. Kennedy Prize for Excellence for the best junior thesis in the Advanced Placement division.

Rosie McInnes won the Girls’ Senior Cup, and Cassidy Chan presented her with the engraved bowl.

McInnes acted in Theatre Ink shows, placed 11th in the country in the National French Contest and received the Smith College Junior Book Award. She played varsity lacrosse, co-directed the Forte a capella group and participated in Leadership in a Diverse Society.

Kevin Barisano presented the Phil Beta Kappa Award certificate and scholarship for academic excellence to Rebecca Harris.

Harris won the Brandeis Junior Book Award, the Lori Borden Award and a gold medal in the National Spanish Exam. She was a captain of the swimming and diving team. Harris also wrote for this newspaper and served as an Under-Secretary General for Model United Nations.

Christine D’Angelo bestowed T.J. Ryan with the Dickinson Memorial Award engraved bowl. It is annually awarded to a boy who has demonstrated the greatest improvement in athletic competition, sportsmanship, character and skill.

A three-season varsity athlete and captain, Ryan was ◆ continued on page 3

Faculty members oppose idea of Student Senate JARED PERLO Faculty members of the Student Faculty Administration opposed the idea of forming a Student Senate at a meeting Wednesday, May 25 as students argued that creating a second government group would increase SFA productivity.

Junior Allison Wu said that there is a growing consensus in the school that “SFA doesn’t do

BY

page 3

very much.”

Some students said perhaps student SFA members felt threatened by their faculty counterparts.

Freshman Jesse Metzger proposed that student members and faculty members meet separately several times a month to allow opinions to be shared more freely.

Chief innovation officer Steve

Chinosi said, “Having the Student Senate doesn’t deal with the intimidation problem.”

He also said that the SFA needed to be more productive.

Faculty members, including history teacher Gregory Drake, faculty co-chair, reminded student members that the teachers were volunteering their time to help students out.

In the new student govern-

pages 13-32

ment that was discussed at the l meeting Wednesday, May 11, there would be a much higher proportion of students to teachers, with only two faculty advisers and about 16 students.

Freshman Ned Martenis said that most student members do not see each other except for occasionally in the halls or in the weekly Wednesday morning meetings.

History teacher Ty Vignone agreed and pointed out that the organization usually has to wait for freshman elections to be held before it starts its meetings.

Vignone proposed starting the meetings before the freshmen are elected to get the ball rolling.

“I never did like starting late,” he said.

pages 36-44

opinion

2 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Students should stay on campus At the beginning of the school year, the cafeteria was a bland, empty space with sub-par food that usually got thrown away and inconsistent service that could take a while. It wasn’t the kind of place you could quickly stop into to pick up a drink or snack.

editorial Since January, the overall quality of the cafeteria has strengthened.

It started with Whitsons School Nutrition takeover of food services. Then the snack bar went in, stocked with Seattle’s Best coffee, Starbucks beverages, slushy drinks, ice cream and other snacks.

Around the same time, an extra pin pad was put in at all the cash registers, speeding up checkouts.

And the long-anticipated Moobella ice cream that was recently installed is open throughout the whole school day, as is the snack bar.

All of these new installments should encourage students to stay on campus during lunch and free blocks.

Freshmen and first semester sophomores are not

permitted to leave campus during these times, but that doesn’t seem to stop many kids. Newtonville is an evertempting place for students.

The most desirable place in Newtonville seems to be Starbucks––a caffeinedriven underclassman can’t be stopped by a weakly enforced rule. But, students shouldn’t feel they need to leave campus to get good coffee, food and service.

It used to be that when a student found out he had a cancelled class, he would immediately think to go to Newtonville. There wasn’t much to stick around for at school, and it’s only a quick walk down Walnut Street.

But now, students should consider staying on campus to enjoy the food that’s offered at this school. There are plenty of options, most of them cheaper than in Newtonville.

Students should look at the food selection here before deciding to go to Newtonville.

Next time you’re thinking of walking down to Newtonville during lunch or a free block to get food, consider the benefits of staying on campus.

Gabe Dreyer

Brick by brick: The old school sat in its final stages of demolition, Wednesday, May 11.

Military service is rewarding experience for many TO THE EDITOR: The last issue of the Newtonite published an article entitled “Military poses option after high school.”

I was very surprised to see letter the article and I thank the student newspaper for running it.

However, the article failed to cover the Army, and as the Army Recruiter to this school, I feel a need to correct this.

Service in any branch of the United States Military is one of the most honorable and rewarding things anyone can do. The Army is the largest of all the

services, offering over 150 skill sets and education opportunities granted nowhere else.

The Army can take a four year college graduate and make him or her (after proper training) an officer.

Or it can give a high school graduate the opportunity to be an X-Ray Tech, Paratrooper or Helicopter Mechanic, at Army expense.

Each day as a recruiter, I fight prejudice, ignorance, arrogance and outright hostility towards my profession.

Being a soldier means up-

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

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 — Arielle Conti, Rin Rogers Photography staff — Judith Gibson-Okunieff, Emma Hanselman, Jenny Lewis, Solomon Mercurio, Ivan McGovern, Teddy Wenneker Circulation staff — Irene Betts-O’Rourke, Eyob Gizachew, Sam Jones, Phillipine Kugener, Matthew Soloman 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.

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

holding the Constitution, spending time away from family and friends and if needed, giving my life for this country.

Nothing burns me more than hearing “you’re throwing your life away” or “you’re better than that.”

These words generally come from the ignorant but also come from highly educated people that wave the flag at the fourth of July parade and praise returning soldiers for their service.

But in private these same people say “not my kid” or “they shouldn’t be allowed in schools.”

They do all they can to stop the accomplishments and deeds of soldiers from reaching students.

These people disgust me.

For almost 236 years the Army has protected this country. Sons and daughters have come together, rich or poor, to keep the enemy at bay.

The U.S. Army is not for everyone. Most people cannot meet the requirements to join or rise to the challenge needed to become a soldier.

Ask questions, get answers.

Become knowledgeable about the Army, then make a smart

decision.

Never listen to people that tell you it’s for the poor or unsuccessful––they are to be avoided.

I’m glad Tigers and Troops: Side by Side was started at Newton North. I will lend any assistance I can to the group.

All anyone has is owed to a soldier, sailor, Airman or Marine.

—SERGEANT FIRST CLASS WILLIAM MALDONADO U.S. ARMY RESERVE RECRUITER

Wu acknowledges criticism TO THE EDITOR: On behalf of all the student representatives of the Student Faculty Administration, I apologize for the attendance at the meeting on Wednesday, April 27. This incident was reported in the Friday, April 29 issue of the Newtonite.

letter Is it acceptable to have a meeting with four students? No, but the response of adult members escalated the situation.

In past weeks, I have faced criticism of my leadership ability. I acknowledge that I have missed opportunities to improve SFA, and for that, I apologize.

SFA has been inefficient this year. Veteran members and alumni attest to this. My goal as student co-chair was to make SFA a more efficient organization—one in which work was done outside of meetings too.

Past SFA chairs have chaired many more meetings than I have. I have focused on organizing the students outside of meetings because in the position of student co-chair, I emphasize the student aspect. My

responsibility is to the student representatives more so than to the adult representatives. I have always been stronger at organizing people and ideas than at running meetings. I have undertaken initiatives deserving recognition, such as making and facilitating an online student representative group.

I have also made mistakes, and I admit to and apologize for them if they are truly my mistakes. I do not claim to have all the answers—I am sixteen, and more importantly, I am human.

To my critics: I know there are flaws in my leadership, and I thank the students who have provided helpful feedback. I cannot lead without the support of my peers, so I thank them for pledging their support not only for me but also for each other and for the student body we represent. We are all learning each day.

In undermining my leadership through unconstructive criticism, you have not improved the conditions of student representation but have inhibited our ability to accomplish meaningful change. I cannot

lead if you dissuade others from following. What I need, what we all need, including all of you, is constructive feedback.

So moving forward in the spirit of constructive feedback, we students have proposed restructuring SFA into a student senate: a format that allows us to best represent and engage the student body.

I thank all four senior class representatives, Jared Kalow, Emma Leader, Ana Mijailovic and Dylan Wolff, for representing their peers exceptionally.

Best of luck next year—you will be missed.

—ALLISON WU JUNIOR

SFA STUDENT CO-CHAIR

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

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

2011 graduates

Gabe Dreyer

Splash: Seniors Nick Sellke and Jacob Brunell row the homemade “Phloat” they made for the annual senior Physics Boat Project race, which was Thursday, May 26 in the pool.

Annual event displays Phloats BY

NED MARTENIS All senior physics classes participated in the Physics Boat Project, an annual event also nicknamed “Phloat,” Thursday, May 26.

A group of 100 seniors sank or floated 15 individual floats in the swimming pool, according to science department head Amy Winston.

This event marked the first time the Physics Boat Project was held in the new pool.

Using their understanding of buoyancy and density, seniors attempted to construct boats out of PVC piping and cardboard, according to science teacher Michael Hazeltine. Their goal: to complete a lap of the pool with-

out sinking, Hazeltine said.

“Phloat,” as the organizers call it, is a tradition stretching back many years, he said.

Previously, the Physics Boat Project was done with Hazeltine’s Pilot and Springboard classes, he said.

However, when those classes began to take MCAS, there was not time to complete the project, he said.

Instead, the AP and Honors Physics classes adopted the project, Hazeltine added.

Hazeltine said, “It started for me as a way to keep seniors invested in the class past the exam,” but quickly evolved into a tradition of its own.

Students create small, two-

seater boats over the course of four weeks. They start with coffee stirrer and tin foil models and work their way up to building the actual boat in groups of about four or five, he said.

Originally, Hazeltine said, boats were built out of bamboo, but “students had trouble working with the bamboo, so we switched to PVC.” While retaining similar construction concepts to bamboo, PVC connectors allow easy construction, Hazeltine said.

Seniors Emily Cetlin, Rebecca Gilbert, Anna Kaertner, Anita Li, Anita Sodder and Liz Thomas from Deborah Lund’s Honors Physics class won the “Phloat” race.

Coffee table book displays school photos

added.

Chapters include “The Houses,” “Bringing Down the House,” “Student Life,” “Murals,” “Demolition” and “the New NNHS,” according to Schindler Photo books are available for purchase at SharonSchindlerPhotography.com.

briefs

SAMANTHA LIBRATY Parent Sharon Schindler created a coffee table photo book as the last part of “Bringing Down the House.”

Parents Claudia Wu and Kristen Grannan, the directors of “Bringing Down the House,” also contributed.

Schindler, who is a photographer, took thousands of pictures during the “Bringing Down the House” celebrations and over the past year, according to Wu. “We really wanted to document the building and all of the murals because it was so special to people,” Wu said.

Schindler said, “There are about 500 photos of the old school and the new school in the book, with lots of quotes from teachers and students.”

The book was made as a historical piece for the Jackson Homestead, the Newton Public Library and for this school’s archives, Schindler said.

Wu and Grannan wrote the foreword for the photo book, commemorating the old building, while Schindler wrote about her experience documenting it, she said.

Principal Jennifer Price also wrote about her experience in the old building and the transition to the new one, Schindler

BY

After competitions, Ligerbots finish strong ALEX FEIT After finishing their season, the Ligerbots have met their major goals, according to junior Paige Grody, the team’s chief executive officer.

“The most important goal that we achieved was that everyone was involved and having fun,” she said.

The team has improved the most in its group management, Grody said.

“Working in smaller groups required an increase in communication, prototyping, planning and generally getting along with others,” Grody said.

“I’m glad to say we ultimately succeeded on all accounts,” she added.

Grody said she did not want to single out a few students for commendation because of the merits of everyone on the team.

“No matter how cheesy it sounds, everyone really did contribute something unique to

BY

the team,” Grody said.

Still, Grody said she believes that there is still “room for improvement” for next year.

“I think our next goal should be to try to convince more new people to join the team,” Grody said.

“We’ve tried in the past to get people to join, but we’re still relatively new and unknown.”

Grody said she believes that team spirit should be stressed in order to show excitement for the team’s robot.

However, this has also been one of the best years for the team, Grody said.

The Ligerbots were to have competed at the Beantown Blitz at Northeastern University Saturday.

Classes hold elections for student offices SAMANTHA LIBRATY For next year’s student government, rising sophomores, juniors and seniors elected class officers, School Council members and School Committee representatives last month.

Jon Paul Roby was re-elected as the president of the Class of 2012. The vice presidents will be Stephanie Brown, Benjamin Hills, Brooke Stearns and Ivan Wolyniec.

Senior Student Faculty Ad-

BY

◆ continued from page 1 a Bay State all-star for golf and hockey. He won the 2008 Simon Surabian Award for being freshman male athlete of the year and was an MIAA Student Ambassador.

Justin Phillips presented the Gary Elliott Prize for the Performing Arts certificate and scholarship to Skylar Fox and McIntyre.

Fox founded and directed The Circuit Theatre Company.

He also acted in, designed hair and makeup for, wrote and directed Theatre Ink shows. Most recently, he co-directed “Sunday in the Park with George” with David Gore.

McIntyre participated in 15 Theatre Ink productions, both in acting roles and back stage, and was a member of the Northern Lights a capella group.

Joshua Brooks presented Margo Gillis with the Helene Breivogel Award engraved bowl for improvement in athletic competition, sportsmanship, character and skill.

Gillis ran cross country, indoor track and outdoor track and was a cross country and outdoor track captain this year.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald voted her part of their all-scholastic teams. Her freshman year, she won the Simon Surabian Award for being the most outstanding freshman female athlete.

Gomez won the Margaret South Award for courtesy, courage, enthusiasm and unselfish service. Darris Jordan presented her with the engraved bowl.

Gomez held a leadership role in the Black Leadership Advisory Council, participated in Leadership in a Diverse Society and won a junior book award.

Marco Delicata presented the Newton Rotary Club William Rockwell Memorial Career and Vocational Technical Education Achievement Award plaque to Daryl Choa.

Choa was the lead designer of the Career and Vocational Technical Education Website, which won a Gold W3 Award.

She was a captain of the swimming and diving team and was also selected to serve on the

Design and Visual Communications Advisory Committee.

Jessica Parker presented Kate Lewis with the Wendell R. Bauckman Award certificate and money for performing outstanding public service to the community.

Lewis placed first in the nation in the National Italian Exam and participated in Theatre Ink productions, mostly behind the scenes. She was also executive editor of the Newtonian and arts editor of this newspaper.

Mercer Gary presented the Lenny Zakim/PTSO Human Rights Award certificate and scholarship to Gore and Michael Atkinson. It honors students who improve the quality of life at this school by promoting greater understanding and appreciation of differences.

Gore is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist; placed fourth in the nation in the National Italian Exam; and won the Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers Secondary School Essay Contest and the Yale Junior Book Award.

He took part in 15 Theater Ink shows.

Atkinson played football and wrestled at the varsity level, placing fifth at the Massachusetts Division I Central Sectionals and competing in the Massachusetts Division I State Tournament for wrestling.

Afterward, the members of the Class of 2011 received their diplomas.

In the old building, seniors were awarded their diplomas by section, rather than walking across the stage individually, because the old Dickinson Stadium did not have a stage.

However, Price feels that after “four years of high school, they deserve to walk across the stage,” she said.

Price enlisted carpentry teacher Garrett Tingle and his students to build the stage.

Robert Dalton, who worked on constructing the stage until just a few days before he walked across it to receive his diploma, said, “I’m part of the graduating class, and I’m leaving my mark for Newton North to remember me and the Class of 2011.”

ministration representatives will be Caleb Bromberg, Lucia Grigoli and Allison Wu. No one will serve as an alternate.

The Class of 2013 elected Brian Goldfinger as its president, while Shelly Altman, John Gohan, Ryan Lucken and Mike Safran will serve as vice presidents.

Frank Donato, Felege Gebru and Winston Huang will represent the Class of 2013 in the SFA. Jordan Ecker was elected next year’s alternate.

Jared Perlo was elected the president of the Class of 2014.

Next year’s vice presidents will be Ben Galgano, Yankel Karasik, Frederick Pierce and Emma Tavolieri.

The Class of 2014 elected Terry Altherr, Ned Martenis and Liran Bromberg as its SFA representatives.

Sophomore Kris Labovitch was elected as this school’s School Committee representative for next year.

Juniors Madeline Cetlin and Allison Wu will both be returning as School Council representatives.

Math teacher Cheryll-Anne Lane, a student government organizer, said, “Last year there was a record number of candidates for each class, especially the Class of 2012. Each year, including this year, we have a lot of candidates for students

to vote for.

“However, many classes have had only the required number of candidates,” she added.

Science team achieves fifth at Envirothon NED MARTENIS This school’s science team placed fifth in the Envirothon Thursday, May 12.

The Envirothon is an annual contest that evaluates the teams’ knowledge of Massachusetts’ ecosystems and was the science team’s final competition of the season, according to senior Sam Nelin, Envirothon captain.

Newtonian The contest Sam was divided up Nelin into four practical exams in the categories of wildlife, soil, water and forestry, as well as an individual presentation on a topic.

Nelin said, “I am very excited we did so well this year.”

In the forestry examination, “We were asked to identify species of tree from branches or leaves,” Nelin said.

Nelin said that next year, “The science team is looking for at least two more members for the Envirothon team.”

BY

4 â—† Newtonite, Newton North

advertisement

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Congratulations, Class of 2011!

Congratulations...

From the staff of...

Burr Elementary School Cabot Elementary School Franklin Elementary School Horace Mann Elementary School Lincoln-Elliot Elementary School Peirce Elementary School Ward Elementary School Williams Elementary School Underwood Elementary School Bigelow Middle School Brown Middle School Day Middle School Newton Teachers Association 46 Austin Street Newtonville, MA 02460 (617) 244-9562 NTAPresident@newtonteachersassociation.org

Strive for Excellence Subscribe to the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

arts

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 5

Stunning set adds to moving performance MALINI GANDHI “White. A blank page or canvas.” A man in a dark suit with a canvas in hand stands on a stage flooded with brilliant white light, speaking magical words like “balance” and “harmony.” With a whimsical smile he conjures trees and color from a palate of nothingness.

BY

review As his eyes brighten and his imagination turns to reality, a windswept park of pale summer colors emerges from the background, beginning the touching musical, “Sunday in the Park with George,” with subtle beauty.

How can we sit in front of a blank canvas and sift through the shallow lies and gossip that define human existence to find the beauty? And how can we do all of this in a world that does not understand us, where the people we love smile sadly and move on because we are stuck in our canvas and our work?

“Sunday in the Park with George,” a heartfelt tale with soft humor that was performed Thursday, May 26 through Sunday, May 29 in the auditorium, told this story of the sometimes painful, yet always beautiful,

process of creation with striking originality. Drawing upon powerful acting and a stunning set the musical captures what it means to be an artist.

Directed by seniors Skylar Fox and David Gore, the play is centered on the French artist Georges Seurat’s iconic painting “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The first act follows the life of Georges Seurat himself as he attempts to create his masterpiece.

Played by senior Edan Laniado, George is an honest, kindhearted man, caught up in his world of color and creation.

Laniado did an incredible job capturing George’s tender, absent-minded love for “finishing a hat” and “mapping out a sky.”

His eyes constantly drifted to an unknown image or brightened as he declared “more blue.”

Yet George’s obsession with his work leads him to live in another world, a cold isolation that hurts his model and lover Dot, played by senior Kelly McIntyre. In the first scene, George, enveloped in his work, indifferently tells her to “stand still” in the hot sun as he paints her. Dejected, Dot bitterly sings the number “Sunday in the Park with George,” with McIntyre’s forceful voice proclaiming,

Gabe Dreyer

A troubled artist: George, portrayed by senior Edan Laniado, struggles to balance his work with his personal life.

Gabe Dreyer

In the park: Sophomores Anna Nemetz and Eliza Burr play two gossiping young girls.

“Why do you always get to sit in the shade while I have to stand in the sun? Hello, George?”

Yet Dot’s love for the reserved, thoughtful artist is also evident, for in between sharp proclamations of “Not even a nod, as if I were trees,” McIntyre sings in a soft, resounding voice, “I love your eyes, George, I love your painting…”

Meanwhile, the audience is introduced to the beautiful and ugly truths of human existence through the quirky characters that wander through the park.

Garbed in colorful, intricate costumes created by senior Anna Gargas to match the painting, the park-goers represent an unconventional community; their dialogues, though brief, shine with acting talent and display fully realized characters.

Two gossiping girls portrayed by sophomores Eliza Burr and Anna Nemetz fight over attention from a soldier, played by senior Sam Melnick, while a bitter boatman played by senior John MacGaffey chases a young girl, played by sophomore Nora Elghazzawi, away from his dog. In other instances, these shallow coverings open to reveal the vulnerable humans inside: George’s nutty mother, played by sophomore Katie Wu, proves to be a frail old woman frightened of change.

Perhaps the most touching

demonstration of these sad truths that dictate our lives is when Dot, finding herself increasingly cut off from George, leaves him and runs off with Louis the baker, played by freshman Ezra Dulit- Greenberg.

George is enveloped in sadness but goes on with his work, adding more blue and creating more skies, and when Dot tells him she is leaving for America and shows him the child she says is his, he scarcely looks up from his canvas.

The poignant relationships and humorous chemistry between the park-goers was accentuated by an impressive, ever-shifting set designed by junior Aaron Siegal. Perhaps to reflect the wandering, creative tangents of an artist, the set did not remain grounded in traditional, realistic scenery but instead added elements of fantasy and quirky transitions.

In one instance, George decided he despised a tree and it promptly flew off the set, while in a transition between the park and a scene with two art critics, the park-goers literally jumped inside a giant picture frame.

The combination of pale colors and flowing dialogue gave the first act a nostalgic feeling.

During the second act, the audience suddenly finds themselves more than one hundred years in the future as a new

story emerges: George’s greatgrandson, a young, nervous artist also named George and also portrayed by Laniado, finds himself losing sight of his passion as he becomes increasingly caught up in the world of critics.

While his grandmother Marie, an old, spunky woman in a blue turtleneck and a wheelchair played by McIntyre, speaks of “children and art” as being the most important aspects of life, George is too busy trying to impress others as he introduces his latest work at an art gallery.

This is displayed in the fastsong “Putting It Together,” where George wheels out cardboard figures of himself to speak to critics and admirers, leaving a fake, friendly George to constantly smile in his place.

Though the second act recapitulated some of the same themes, the characters were not as richly developed as in the first act. The beautiful finale, in which George wanders back to the park and is visited by the memories of park-goers encouraging him to move on, ended the musical full circle.

Touched with soft yet profound creativity, “Sunday in the Park with George” was an incredible performance that captured the power of art and allowed audience members to reflect upon themselves.

Annual Pops Night concert celebrates end of year FATEMA ZAIDI To celebrate the culmination of this year’s musical season, the music department hosted Pops Night Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.

BY

review Having Pops Night in the cafeteria set the tone for a comfortable evening. Before the groups began playing, the department held a potluck dinner for guests and participants.

Fine and performing arts department head Todd Young welcomed everyone to the 55th annual Pops Night, describing it as “a smattering of our music department here at North.”

Ensembles that displayed their work included the Jazz Ensembles, Jubilee Singers, Concert Choir, Family Singers, Tiger BeBop, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Orchestra, Brass Ensemble and Saxophone Ensemble.

First, Brass Ensemble played Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

It started off slowly, rapidly changed pace and then ended in a slow and graceful tone.

Brass Ensemble, directed by Ed Harney, did an excellent job

Alec Mapes-Frances

Family Singers: Sophomore Ben Holland, junior Stoddard Meigs and senior Skylar Fox perform at this school’s annual Pops Night, which was Thursday, May 19 in the cafeteria. playing this piece, earning loud applause.

Symphonic band played selections from West Side Story.

The West Side Story selections were fast paced and intense with drums in the background.

Concert Choir was the next group to display its talent through the song “They Live

in You” from “The Lion King” and “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. A combination of powerful lyrics and beautiful singing made “They Live in You” a great choice for Concert Choir.

Next to come on stage was Jazz Ensemble II, which played an enjoyable and upbeat song called “First Groove Merchant,”

which reflected a blend of jazz instruments. Jazz Ensemble II created a joyful ambiance with the music it played, showing significant improvement since the beginning of the year.

Afterward, Family Singers chose to sing “Trashin’ the Camp” from Disney’s Tarzan.

Because of its fun beat and cho-

rus, the audience started clapping along and snapping as the singers swayed to the song.

The Orchestra played “A Magical World.” The music was pleasantly soothing with a beautiful ending.

Tiger BeBop played “Walkin’ Down the Street,” a song about a girl walking down the street as a boy falls crazily in love with her.

Senior Sam Melnick performed a solo for the song “Sir Duke”

by Stevie Wonder, which states that “music is a world within itself.” The piece truly brought the audience to another world with its lyrics and music.

Jazz Ensemble I played “Respect” and “Frankenstein,” which had a splendid beat.

Jubilee performed spiritually uplifting songs with a sweet soprano. “Speak to my Heart” started with a gentle tone, intensified and then died down in a seemingly endless note.

Last but not least, Wind Ensemble performed a piece by Duke Ellington, which ended the night with perfect tone of relaxation and happiness.

All in all, Pops Night was a great celebration of the music department’s talent, skill and hard work.

features

6 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

SYP allows students to independently explore MEREDITH ABRAMS Students can become experts in topics they are interested in through Senior Year Project, according to English teacher Stephen Chinosi.

“We believe that our seniors possess incredible intellectual powers and the best way to sharpen those skills is through an independent project, like SYP,” Chinosi said.

SYP is an alternative to regular classes in which second semester seniors do independent research in a subject, culminating in a presentation.

“When a student would like to pursue a topic, towards mastery, without the distractions of modern schooling, then SYP is a good fit,” Chinosi said.

Very few limitations on what students can research exist, he said.

The only requirement is that projects “possess a researchable question and an appropriateness for academic inquiry.”

Choosing to undertake a project is a big decision, though.

BY

Students have to be ready to “pursue a topic with a deep commitment towards autonomy, insight and mastery,” Chinosi said.

According to Chinosi, however, it is worth the work. “Our SYP alumni tell us, every year, ‘thank you for giving me my first year of college during SYP.’ Students gain insights into their own abilities, and they come to understand real scholarship and academic inquiry,” he said. Chinosi said that so far, SYP 2011 is an overwhelming success.

“It’s the journey that matters, not the destination. We have a world-class curriculum in SYP, and every student that participates is guided through an incredible and rewarding intellectual and personal journey.

“The students find ‘aha!’ moments, they feel fear, they struggle, they make breakthroughs, they discover what kind of thinker and doer they will be in university and in life,” Chinosi said.

SYP also creates a meaningful end to a senior’s high school career, said English teacher Kevin McGrath.

“Senior Year Project gives students control of their own education by allowing them to explore the possibilities of their own creative talents,” he said.

One advantage of SYP is that students are internally driven to do their work, he said.

“If you have a passion that you haven’t had a chance to explore yet in high school, it’s a good choice,” he said. “An SYP student from 2010 said it best: ‘finally, what I want to do is what I have to do.’”

Students that do SYP gain a skill set not achieved in high school, McGrath said.

“Students understand how to identify and reach toward their dreams. By this process, students gain the skills necessary to explore any subject.”

“We think and work both independently and collaboratively with faculty and experts in the field,” he said.

Project investigates products from luxury brands MEREDITH ABRAMS There’s a method behind the success of high-end brand name clothes and luxury items, and Christopher Rao tried to find out what it is, he said.

Rao undertook a Senior Year Project studying what certain luxury brands have done to make themselves understandable to consumers and therefore popular.

“I wrote a thesis on brand identity and its correlation with retail success,” Rao said.

“I hoped to further my understanding of what makes the best luxury brands so lucrative.

There’s definitely a formula.

“It was a study of the strategies that brands use to appeal to consumers,” he said.

“A lucrative brand has an aesthetic that is identifiable in every one of its lines, from ready-to-wear to accessories to scent.”

Rao said, “The foundation for a brand’s overall identity can be anything—its heritage, the primary material it works with, a message, a lifestyle.

“Whatever that may be, it has to be precisely communicated, and that is the essence

BY

of branding.”

Rao chose his topic because, “fashion has always been my number-one interest,” he said.

“And retail has become a true passion of mine within the last few years.

“I wanted my SYP to be something that would give me a thorough understanding of the industry into which I’m going,” Rao said.

senior Christopher Rao “It’s a study of the strategies that brands use to appeal to consumers. A lucrative brand has an aesthetic that is identifiable in every one of its lines.”

SYP was a good option for Rao because he was tired of traditional school, he said. “I wanted a change of pace,” Rao said.

“I was ready to spend my time working on things other than European history and math, things that I would not have to

push myself to focus on.”

To begin his project, Rao gathered research from a variety of sources, he said.

“I read Dana Thomas’s Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, which focuses on the steps that modern luxury brands take to develop brand awareness, visibility and profits.”

In addition, he kept a close watch on newspapers and magazines in order to get information, he said.

“The New Yorker just published an article on designer Reed Krakoff and the branding of his namesake label,” Rao said.

“Suzy Menkes of The International Herald Tribune writes frequently on how brand identity impacts sales.”

Rao said that he is very happy he chose to do SYP. “SYP was definitely the best choice I could have made,” he said. “SYP is one of the better programs NNHS has to offer,” Rao said.

“It allows you to do something innovative and intellectual on a topic you’re passionate about, and the product will be satisfying if you are willing to invest the time necessary.

courtesy Christopher Rao

Hands-on research: Christopher Rao browses luxury brand stores, gathering information for his Senior Year Project.

Senior studies tattoo meanings MEREDITH ABRAMS That tattoo you are considering getting might carry more meaning than you think.

For her Senior Year Project, Ilana Cohen investigated the designs and meanings of American tattoos, and their evolution over time, relative to the tattoos of other cultures, she said.

Cohen chose this topic because of a general interest in tattooing, she said. “Tattoos are awesome,” Cohen said. “I’m interested in going into tattooing, and I like history.

“It’s a really interesting topic because tattooing hasn’t always been okay in Western cultures, and it’s becoming more acceptable, where in some places it’s always been the norm,” she said.

Studying tattoos was not the idea Cohen had at first for the project. Originally Cohen planned to do a “study of depression and anxiety at traditional and non-traditional high schools,” she said. She switched

BY

Jacob Schwartz

Original ink: Ilana Cohen composes a tattoo for her Senior Year Project, which explored the meanings of tattoos.

to tattooing about two and a half months ago.

“I didn’t get very far with my first project because it was really difficult and relied on field work because not a lot had been published in that area, so it was too big to fit into the time schedule,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s goals for her final project were to design 15-20 tattoos and determine how most people choose what tattoo design they get, she said.

“I wanted to talk to tattoo artists around Boston and ask how many people just choose random tattoos out of a book or off the wall, and how many come in with an idea for their design,” Cohen said.

The decision to do Senior Year Project was an easy one for her, Cohen said. “I find it very hard to focus on classes, and I’m just so much more interested in tattooing than some of the other things you study at school.

“Senior Year Project allows you to do something that’s all

you, as opposed to just writing a paper on X, so I’m actually motivated to learn,” she said.

Time management was Cohen’s major hurdle, she said.

“It was really difficult, because it’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re not obligated to be anywhere at a certain time.”

Cohen discovered that tattoos aren’t always just decoration. “For the Maori people of New Zealand, facial tattoos tell everyone the individual’s status in the community—they’re a form of communication.

“In Italy, it is possible that tattoos were once used for medicinal purposes, such as therapy for back pain,” Cohen said.

Senior Year Project is a good choice for almost any student, she said. “Even if you sign up and don’t know what you’re going to do, you’ll find something you’re interested in. It’s good preparation for college, and it’s a good way to get yourself out of the building and escape senior slump,” Cohen said.

features

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 7

Beekeeping may solve allergy issues Honey could cure symptoms KAYLA SHORE Instead of spending the final term of her senior year counting down the days until freedom, Andrea Marzilli was outside, keeping bees and jarring honey.

Marzilli came up with her idea for her Senior Year Project from both her love of honey and her irritation with her seasonal allergies.

“One day, I was eating honey and talking about how much I love it, and a friend said I should use it in my SYP,” she said.

Her seasonal allergies were the inspiration for the research she did on the medical effects of honey and how it has been used historically.

Along with doing this research, Marzilli kept bees and conducted a study using the honey she jarred.

So that she was able to take care of her own hive, Marzilli worked at family friend’s house.

“This way, I’ll be able to continue over the summer,” she said.

Keeping a hive at her house would require at least a yearlong committment. Marzilli harvested the honey herself.

There were some difficulties with the logistics of this part of her project, said Marzilli, which surprisingly do not include overcoming the fear of bees. She took care of that, she said, when she was eight and was stung by a whole hive of bees.

“The beekeeping didn’t start until May because of the cold weather, which means my project wasn’t be finished by the end of the term,” she said.

She kept bees for the first

BY

courtesy Andrea Marzilli

Suited up: Andrea Marzilli displays the bees she kept for her Senior Year Project.

time in the first week of May. “It’s incredible hearing the buzz and connecting with the bees in some strange way.”

Once she harvested the honey, she conducted an experiment to test whether local honey can alleviate seasonal allergies, she said.

“I have a couple people, myself included, that have really bad allergies that I used for my project,” she said. Some test subjects ate the honey, and others did not, so Marzilli could see how the local honey affected people’s seasonal allergies.

Helping her with the medical honey part of her project was her former doctor, who had left his practice to do homeopathic studies.

For the SYP required research paper, Marzilli examined the medical effects of honey and its use in medicinal practices through the ages.

There is a relatively few number of high schools where students like Marzilli are given the opportunity to parlay practically any interest into a focused topic of study, especially with the support of the school.

“I chose SYP because I wanted a chance to finally be able to do my own work,” she said.

“Maybe the coolest part of SYP is that we’re given the opportunity to manage our time,” she said, adding that SYP really prepared her to manage her course load in college.

If Marzilli can solve her allergy problem, the benefits of college-preparedness will probably pale next to the achievement of sneeze-free springs.

Student says Potter should be taught KAYLA SHORE Harry Potter should have a place in classrooms outside of Hogwarts, according to senior Karen Brier.

“I think Harry Potter should be used as a text in classes to teach students about mythology,” said Brier, who researched the use of the Harry Potter series as a tool to teach mythology for her Senior Year Project.

Her final products were a paper exploring the concept of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ in Harry Potter and a handbook on ways in which one can bring Harry Potter into the classroom.

“It included a few lesson plans on the use of myth in Harry Potter,” she said.

Brier’s essay focused on Joseph Campbell’s concept of the ‘Hero’s Journey,’ which is the theory that many myths follow the same narrative pattern.

While her research paper focused on ‘The Hero’s Journey’ in Harry Potter, “my project, the handbook, is much broader than my paper,” she said.

Brier worked with English teacher Wendy Richardson, “who is practically an expert on Harry Potter,” Brier said.

With such a vast array of possibilities for SYP students to explore, Brier went through very different ideas before she arrived at Harry, she said.

Her initial idea was to interview Holocaust survivors.

“I just didn’t think I could do it justice,” she said, so she searched for another idea until she arrived at Harry Potter.

“Because it’s at the end of

BY

senior year,” she added, “I didn’t want to do something too serious.”

Even in the final stage of SYP, Brier’s project continued to change.

She began with the idea of looking at the cultural impact of the wildly popular Harry Potter series. “I realized there just wasn’t enough information on that topic,” she said.

Shifting her focus to the ways Harry Potter incorporates myths, legends and fairy tales, Brier said she found that this time, there was just too much information to cover.

With the tight time frame, Brier’s original plan to create a curriculum based on Harry Potter also had to be downsized, she said.

She then arrived at her final topic of Harry Potter and ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ The other information was included in her handbook but not her paper.

“Most people start out with a broad topic, and each week it gets more and more focused,” she said. “SYP is about finding a midpoint between what you want to do and what you are able to research,” she added.

Brier chose to do SYP because of the limitless opportunities it provided to explore anything one wants. “Kids our age are not going to get the opportunity to do this kind of thing for a while,” said Brier.

Brier and her Senior Year Project may be to thank if students begin learning English through the magic of Harry Potter.

shirt-guys.com

Congrats Class of 2011!

features

8 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

English department presents Roland Heintzelman Awards FATEMA ZAIDI In the 55th Annual M. Roland Heintzelman Memorial Awards assembly Thursday, May 19, the trustees announced one of the first-prize winners as senior Derek Butterton and the honorable mention winner to be senior Peter Wu. According to the program, the awards “are intended to recognize students’ sustained efforts to write or speak effectively, using their skill so that others may share their accomplishment and to declare the merits of a single piece of work representing the student’s finest creative achievement.”

English department head Melissa Dilworth welcomed everyone and said that this was the first year that she served on the board of trustees, so “it was the first year I got to see what went on behind the scenes.”

Dilworth went through the criteria of the award and then introduced Butterton’s piece by stating that it “was the only poem among the other submissions,” and “it emerged as a winner because it lingered in our consciousness long after reading it.”

“Silences,” by Butterton, described many soundless moments. One of the moments is when one is observing others and silently judging them: “I am the God of untold stories./ I am with you in the airport, watching the travelers./ I am with you on the subway, amid the reflections.”

The piece also spoke of the

BY

profound silence when, “you are alone in a room/ With someone you secretly care about/ And you are about to say something/ But then you don’t.”

Butterton speaks of the silence when one asks a question that yearns for an answer.

“I am the questions that ask softly for answers,/ Not because they deserve them,/ But because they are lonely,” he read.

Then, he ended his piece by saying, “I am the God of silences,” which earned a loud applause that reverberated throughout the auditorium.

Afterwards, Dilworth introduced Wu’s series of vignettes before he stood up at the podium to read his piece.

“His pieces speak of moments simply lived,” she said.

Wu’s vignettes spanned from first grade to 12th grade and enlightened the audience and caused them to laugh.

The description he gave of himself as a first grader in the vignette is, “a new kid with shaved head from lice, Harry Potter glasses and sneakers with shoelaces.”

This vignette spoke of his trouble with an impatient lunch lady as he struggled to tie his shoe.

“Tying shoes under pressure is difficult, especially for a person who just learned how to do it. My fingers fumbled on the long laces as I tied, then re-tied, then re-tied. I could feel Ms. Madden’s eyes bore into the top of my head,” he recounted He ended the story of first

grade defeat by sadly stating, “Ms. Rosengard, my first teacher, spent the rest of the day talking about how “Peirce” is an acronym. The “P” stood for patience…”

Skipping his second grade vignette, Wu read out loud his third grade vignette, the day most remember as 9/11.

Confusion of what was really going on was apparent in the vignette as he talked about his reaction to the scenes displayed on the televison. “Cool! Look at those explosions!” Wu read.

A third grader’s lack of ability to empathize was also emphasized in this moment.

After his mother describes how his own father could have been in one of the buildings, Wu recalls thinking, “But that’s stupid. Dad’s right here.”

Other memories spoke of racism and bullies, but the series ended with his 12th grade vignette.

Wu talked of the stresses of senior year as he read from the vignette, “I can’t go to the annual Brookline-Newton football game next month because everybody has too much work.

The phrases ‘GPA,’ ‘SAT II,’ and ‘Early Decision’ turn heads in twelfth grade classrooms.”

But he has also come to the realization that he is not the only one bearing all the stresses. “I told my sixth-grade sister that she’s lucky because she really doesn’t have any obligations, pressures, or stresses. But in retrospect, I realize how wrong I was.”

Jacob Schwartz

“Silences”: Senior Derek Butterton won the 55th Annual M. Roland Heintzelman Memorial Award for his poem.

Alumni reflect upon experiences after high school STEVEN MICHAEL JULIA MOSS Members of the Class of 2010 spoke about their experiences after high school at the First Year Forum Monday, May 16.

The panel discussion featured eight alumni during F-block and E-block in the auditorium.

Guidance interns Alyce Lepkowski and Trevor Woodworth moderated the discussion and asked the panelists to reflect on how their time at this school has affected their life after graduation. Their questions varied from food and roommates to laundry and academics.

To conclude the discussion, students had the opportunity to ask the panelists their own questions.

Leah Cepko took a gap year to work at a school in Queens, New York. “It’s a very rare time you can take off a year,” she said. “Before college, you have the complete freedom and opportunity to do something different.”

As part of her gap year experience, Cepko shared an apartment in New York City.

“As long as you set up rules and procedures, living with roommates really isn’t that bad. If you don’t like what you’re dealing with, don’t deal with it for the rest of this year.”

Cepko said that she made many new friends by “being friendly and outgoing with people every day.”

Although Cepko was “consumed by work,” she managed to keep in contact with two of her closest friends. However, she said that after high school, “Everybody goes on their own journey and takes their own path and that’s okay.”

Andre Donegan attends Penn State University and plans to major in psychology. During the

BY

AND

Gabe Dreyer

First Year Forum: Rocco Donohue ’10 and Andre Donegan ’10 discuss their first year after graduating from this school, during a forum Monday, May 16 in the auditorium. first semester, he had a single dorm room. “Having a single, you have a lot of space to yourself,” he said.

“Even not having roommates, it was not hard to make friends because I’m the type of person who would talk to anybody. I was basically a social butterfly,” he said.

During the second semester, however, Donegan lived with a roommate. He advised that students “establish ground rules, so you never have problems with each other,” he said.

According to Donegan, the best aspect of college was “being able to grow up on your own and experience life.”

He added that there was no negative side about being out of high school.

However, because college

classes only meet two or three times a week, Donegan said that it’s essential to prioritize your time. “Procrastination was kind of bad for me,” he said.

If he could do freshman year over again, Donegan said, “I would have focused more on the academic side of college. There are a lot of things you have to get used to.”

Rocco Donohue attends Boston University and plans to major in accounting and finance.

This year, Donohue lived in a triple. “It was a brand new experience living with other guys,” he said. “I think the most important thing we did as roommates was having good communication.”

Donohue also became friends with members of the swim and wrestling teams, who lived on

his floor, he said.

He urged students to become involved in college to meet new people. Nonetheless, Donohue said, “You have to balance your social life and academics because you are going to college for your education.”

Because many of his friends also attend college in the Boston area, Donohue said it was possible to visit his friends frequently.

Brendan Hathaway also attends Boston University and plans to major in mechanical engineering.

“I still have no idea what I want to do with my life, but engineering seemed like a good place to start,” he said.

Although he lives off campus with his grandfather, Hathaway said he has become very

involved, particularly with beekeeping. At the beginning of the school year, Hathaway attended a club showcase called Splash.

“That’s how I found out about the beekeeping club,” he said.

Naomi Genuth attends Harvard University, where she plans to major in cellular and molecular biology.

She lived in a suite with three other girls with a common room, and she said she recommends dividing the labor between roommates.

“You have to make sure that you’re doing lots of different types of work. It helps you mentally to get through it,” she said.

This lifestyle also entails planning your schedule to ensure that you do not have all final exams or papers at the end of the semester, she said.

She suggested joining any interesting clubs at the beginning of the year.

Genuth said the workload “was a step up,” but she “felt well prepared from North.”

Olivia Glennon attends Cooper Union University, where she studies art.

She said as a freshman, she could not pick many of her classes, but after this year, she will have more flexibility to take classes such as casting and photography.

Hannah Jellinek took a postgraduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy.

At Exeter, she was interested in a European history class, which she did not initially think would be interesting. Now, Jellinek plans to study European history as well as the humanities, in general, she said.

Jellinek said she stayed in contact with many of her close friends from high school.

“If you want to stay in contact, you can stay in contact,” she said.

retirements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 9

Richard Ballou displays commitment to school RYAN CONDON NED MARTENIS For longtime scheduler Richard Ballou, this year will be his last at this school. In his nine years here, Ballou has also been a math and history teacher, as well as serving for seven years as an assistant principal.

As this school’s scheduler, he maintains the master schedule, which has the block, teacher and room of every class in the school. The job also involves setting up students’ personal schedules in the spring, as well as creating reports for department heads and the School Committee.

Ballou grew up in Lexington across the street from a dairy farm, and “for a long time my family didn’t have a TV,” he said. “We would go over to the neighbors’ to watch TV, since they had a color TV.” Ballou also remembered “going mountain climbing and skiing with my parents, and also a horse-drawn ice cream truck,” as a kid.

Graduating Lexington High School in ’64, Ballou earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from Boston College, a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and, in 1984, a PhD in history from the University of Michigan.

After graduate school, Ballou said he spent a long time writing his dissertation. During that time, he was a substitute teacher for more than 200 days in area middle and high schools and filled in for professors who were ill at several area colleges, he said. He also worked as a trainer, programmer and system analyst at Computervision, a company that worked in

BY

AND

computer-assisted design and manufacturing, he said.

His teaching career started at F.A. Day Middle School as a computer coordinator and math teacher. At Day, he ran the “mountain trip” to Appalachian Mountain club facilities in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for six years.

He started to teach social studies instead of math in his fourth year and continued at Bigelow Middle School when it reopened.

Ballou is a National Board Certified teacher in social studies, and while teaching history at Bigelow, he said he noticed that the MCAS test can hinder learning in schools in Massachusetts. “Now that we have the MCAS, way too much effort and time is spent on teaching to the test,” Ballou said. “Now we teach kids information to memorize, not skills to learn.”

Looking for a different option rather than teaching history, “I started to get involved in scheduling a little at Day and more so at Bigelow,” he said. “One summer, I scheduled all of the students, and the Oak Hill students I scheduled another summer.” In 2002, he finally settled at this school.

Ballou had already been at this school as a student teacher, but this time, the experience was different. “I was following a scheduler with a lot of experience, and it was tough to fill those shoes,” said Ballou.

His teaching philosophy is that “all kids should be included, not just some,” he said. “We tend to either ignore or emphasize kids who are not doing well.

I try and do neither and instead

give all kids the same amount of attention,” he said.

His philosophy also includes “making classes fun so that kids think of school as enjoyable and not something to be endured,” he said. During his tenure as a math teacher, Ballou encouraged his students to “think of math as puzzle solving.”

Ballou said that his favorite part of teaching is being involved with students. “During the years that I didn’t have a class to teach, I really missed being involved with kids,” he said.

Part of Ballou’s job as a scheduler, he said, is to help small departments like Career and Vocational/Technical Education, fine and performing arts and physical education health and wellness get enough students to populate their classes.

Graphic Design teacher Sue Brooks said that she appreciates Ballou’s willingness to work with faculty to make sure that schedules fill the classes requested by students. Brooks said, “Because Mr. Ballou has been so accommodating, that has really allowed my program to grow throughout the years.”

Nancy Marrinucci, the head of the world language department, said, “Mr. Ballou is one of the kindest and most patient colleagues that I have ever worked with.”

A factor in Ballou’s decision to retire was, “When I was new to the job of scheduling, everything was new and exciting,” he said. “I had to use Microsoft Excel a lot, and it was challenging to use the program. I had to learn a lot of tips and tricks in order to be able to do my job ef-

Gabe Dreyer

“We need to make classes fun so that kids think of school as enjoyable and not simply something to be endured,” said scheduler Richard Ballou. ficiently and that kept me busy and active. Now that I know all the tricks, the job isn’t as fun anymore.”

Ballou spends his free time mountain climbing, sailing, canoe camping, skiing and bicycling, and said he plans to do more of these activities after retirement.

When he retires, Ballou plans

to live in Farmington, New Hampshire, in a small log cabin, which is surrounded by 30 acres of forest, he said. One of his plans after retirement is being a good steward of this forest, he said.

His cabin is near the New Hampshire Farming Museum, where Ballou plans to volunteer, he said.

Social worker Carol Evans helps students achieve ALEX FEIT “I think that people are the most important commodity in the world, and that it’s necessary to support and help people make their way through life,” said Carol Evans, a social worker at this school.

After over 20 years of service to the North community, Evans is ending a career at this school, which has changed the lives of countless students through Special Education programs.

Evans grew up in Tuscon, Arizona and attended Salpoint High School, a small Catholic private school, she said. She then attended the University of Arizona, but dropped out to pursue a theatrical career. “I reached the point where I could support myself and didn’t have to be a secretary or wait tables,” she said.

However, after a period of time, she quit her career as an actress in various theatrecompanies to spend more time with her son as a single mother, Evans said.

In late 1971, Evans moved to Boston and continued to work for social causes, such as the anti-war movement and women’s rights, she said. She also ran for Cambridge City Council and the United States Senate as a socialist candidate.

Evans returned to college in 1980 to receive a more formal education at UMass Boston, where she majored in English and then went to the Simmons College School of Social Work, where she got her master’s degree, she said. With her education, she could enter a career in social work.

“I discovered that I really liked working with teenagers,” she said. “A lot of fellow students found it weird, but I

BY

courtesy Carol Evans

“I want to leave school with a good attitude and a recognition that I did my job,” said social worker Carol Evans. enjoyed it.”

After providing psychotherapy for children and adolescents at Cambridge Hospital and in Michigan, Evans stumbled upon this school after hearing about a two-year position as a social worker through a friend, she said.

She began working for NewStart, a dropout prevention program for juniors and seniors, in 1990 and continued to work in this position for 15 years.

“NewStart had a strong academic expectation,” Evans said.

“What everyone knew about the program was that if you were 10 minutes late to class, you received 10 minutes of deten-

tion.”

Within NewStart, Evans met with students individually and with groups on a weekly basis to help struggling students.

Evans also worked with teachers and counselors in order to “try to figure out strategies that can help support students,” she said.

“What I liked about NewStart and teenagers in general was that I liked the energy and effort that they put into understanding themselves and the world around them,” Evans said.

“I have so much respect for teenagers who go to school, go to classes, get the job done and go to college and work. But not

all teenagers take a direct route.

Sometimes, they mess up, but by and large, they’re trying to explore their world in a different way.”

Paula Garrity, a now retired former director of NewStart with Gretchen Sterling, said that Evans “made it look easy” to join and work in the program, something which she feels was difficult to do.

“She got it—the mission of NewStart, the students that we were working with and the team that we had formed,” Garrity said. “No matter how difficult the situation, she could help us reach a solution that would meet the needs of the individual student and maintain the integrity of the program.

In 2005, Evans began to work in the Integrated Program, the less structured, more “open setting” successor to NewStart, as a social worker, she said.

“Three years later, the Integrated Program merged with the Learning Center and became the Academic Support Program, Evans said.

According to Brian Rooney, the co-director of the Academic Support Program, Evans was known throughout the program for being “a tremendous team player.”

“She was always willing to help out with a kid in any way she could, and it was very easy for her to work with other staff members. Those were some traits that I think are very ‘Newton North’ qualities that she brought out,” Rooney said.

Then, in 2008, Evans became co-director of the scholarship program, which helps match students with potential scholarships and helps them fill out applications, she said.

She will continue as co-direc-

tor of the program next year.

Mary O’Malley, another codirector of the Academic Support Program, was good friends with Evans, she said.

“I think one of the reasons Ms. Evans and I made a connection is one day in her office, I said I liked the chair that she had brought in, and she said, ‘you’d be surprised to know where I got that.’ When I asked, she said, ‘I found that on the side of the road.’ I suppose we’re both believers that one man’s junk is another person’s treasure,” O’Malley said.

When asked if she had any favorite or memorable students, Evans responded that it “is like comparing apples and oranges.”

Because of the students with whom she worked, Evans will miss this school, she said.

“I’ll miss the students. It’s like leaving before the end of a movie and not getting to see how the story’s going to end. I just saw one of my students as he was just coming in. I was thinking, ‘He’s a junior, I don’t know how he’s going to do next year.’

“I want to leave the school with a good attitude and a recognition that I did my job. I’ve done a good job, and it’s time to move on to a different phase of my life,” Evans said.

According to Evans, she will be fairly active after retiring from this school. She will continue to work at her private psychotherapy practice and begin to travel around the world, she said.

She said is is also considering pursuing several other interests, including reuniting a folk singing group she formed with friends from University of Arizona.

retirements

10 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Richard Jones shares grammar passion with school JULIA ORAN “He is the undisputed ‘grammar guru’ of the English department,” said English teacher Nick Grant, describing English teacher Richard Jones, who is retiring after teaching at this school for 12 of his 46 as a teacher.

“If there were a Jeopardystyle grammar competition that pitted Mr. Jones against the rest of the department, Mr. Jones would win easily.”

In addition, Grant said Jones “has sponsored numerous friendly seasonal competitions for interested faculty,” which “help to break up the too-regular rhythms of school and encourage faculty members to engage in laughter, debate and common interests.”

According to Grant, “For a number of teachers at Newton North, Mr. Jones helped to make this school a great place to be, and his energy, sense of humor and dedication to teaching influenced many of his colleagues.”

“In many ways,” Grant said, “he was a ‘teacher of teachers,’ but also a friend, a peer and just a great guy to work with. He will be missed.”

English teacher Jim Lallas said, “He is a great friend, a great teacher, someone to whom we have all turned for corroboration, coaching, support, and humor.”

Overall, Lallas said, “He’s been a very good and dependable friend to us in the department, and we’re going to miss him.”

English department head Melissa Dilworth said Jones has a “deep and rich knowledge of both classical and contemporary literature.”

In addition, she said, “He helps students see literature and poetry as a lens through which they will glean a better understanding of themselves and the

BY

Gabe Dreyer

“It’s important to create an energy and an interest to really learn,” says English teacher Richard Jones. world around them.”

Dilworth added, “We will miss his insight, scholarship and wit. He loves a good discussion, one where opinions are offered, contradicted, honed and, ultimately, changed.

“His passion for teaching has exposed students and adults alike to transformative world of literature.”

Jones was born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, graduated from Lakewood High School in 1961.

Even though his mother was a teacher, he had “not really considered it as a profession for himself,” Jones said.

In fact, after high school, Jones went to Princeton University to become a medical doctor, majoring in biology and morning in English. He earned an Artium Baccalaureatus (A.B.) Degree from Princeton.

However, throughout college, Jones said he took many English courses, which he enjoyed, and he decided there was “something impersonal” about

being a doctor.

He said he then decided he would “try teaching for a couple of years.”

He chose to teach English “because it involves genuine elements of living,” and he loves the “satisfaction as students learn,” said Jones.

“It’s important to create an energy and an interest to really learn,” he said.

He further explained, “There is something in many poems, plays and novels that connect with things that really matter to many students and really connect to authentic concerns.”

After college, according to Jones, he went to a number of graduate courses, but “the list is too long” to include all of them.

In the ’70s, Jones said he was teaching near Kent State in Ohio, so he enrolled in a master’s program in English at Kent State.

Then, in 1998, Jones completed a master’s program for teaching English at Columbia University, from which he earned a master’s degree.

In the fall of ’99, Jones said he came to this school because he “knew a couple of people, it had a great reputation and things just fell into place.”

He said he was also “interested in trying something a little different” because he had previously only taught English at private or boarding schools.

Former English department head Brenda Keegan hired him and since then, he said, he has taught every curriculum level for all grades.

Jones said even though he was a “veteran,” the “early weeks” at this school made his “head spin” from “the swirl that is Newton North—all of the concerns and considerations were refreshing but a little confusing.”

For the past three or four

years, though, Jones said he has been teaching two freshmen English classes, two senior English classes and Propaganda Techniques, a senior elective.

“I love each of the four primary books in freshmen English,” which are The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye, he said.

Even though Jones has only taught Moby Dick once at this school, it is his “favorite book of all” because it takes a while to read, but it is worth the time, he said.

Jones said he began teaching Propaganda Techniques in 2002 because “it was exactly right up my alley.”

Looking back, Jones said, “One of the joys of the teaching career is that it starts over every September.”

As a result, he said, “You can try to correct mistakes, which is an advantage and pleasure to teaching.”

However, Jones added, “I don’t think a teacher is every satisfied that they have completely anticipated every confusion or misstep in learning anything.”

His regret, he said, is “I never taught students to love what we’re reading as much as I do.”

Overall, “I’m worried about how much I will miss being in the classroom because it is stimulating, satisfying and personally therapeutic.”

Jones also said he will miss his “colleagues, close friends and their daily interactions.”

After retirement, Jones said he has “no specific plans—unwind, maybe some writing, possibly service work.”

Jones said, “I hope the importance of authentic teaching and learning and genuine relationships in the building would be something I might have had a positive influence on.”

Emilio Mazzola adds energy, humor to department STEVEN MICHAEL When the College Board planned the first ever Advanced Placement exam in Italian, the board selected Italian teacher Emilio Mazzola as one of the six teachers to design the nationwide test.

The College Board aimed to create a difficult exam, focusing on all aspects of Italian, including speaking, grammar, listening and reading comprehension—a course similar to what Mazzola already taught.

Of the six teachers—three high school teachers and three college professors—only Mazzola gave the full practice exam to his students. There were questions raised about the exam being too difficult.

The scores of Mazzola’s students were so impressive that when the inaugural AP Italian exam was offered the following year, the College Board measured students nationally against this school’s results.

“To me, that means he is the best Italian teacher in the country,” said English teacher Lyn Montague.

Mazzola, who has taught in the Newton Public Schools for 35 years, will retire at the end of this school year. He was born in San Donato V.C., Italy, one of Newton’s sister cities.

At the age of 14, Mazzola immigrated to the United States. In 1971, he graduated from Newton High School and attended Providence College, graduating in 1975 with a degree in Italian.

In 1999, Mazzola earned his master’s degree in Italian Litera-

BY

ture from Boston College.

One motivation to teach Italian was the opportunity to maintain his immigrant roots.

“In the 1970s, the concept of America as the melting pot began to disappear—we began to think of the salad bowl, not the melting pot,” he said.

The difference was that immigrants could keep their identities while adding to the whole, he said.

Mazzola began teaching Italian at F.A. Day Middle School in 1976 and moved to this school in 1982 as part of the restructuring of the school system.

“That move was important for my professional career,” he said. “It allowed me to go to an area of language teaching I never would have experienced in middle school.”

In the early 1990s, the world language department began to offer Italian at the honors level.

Mazzola taught these honors classes at the fourth and fifth year level, including Advanced Placement.

Over the years, Mazzola has accompanied students on both the Italian exchange and the Spanish exchange. In 1997, he won the Paul E. Elicker Award for excellence in teaching.

Mazzola said teaching Italian at this school made him a better teacher overall. “Many times, we talk about students pushing the teacher. Students have pushed for my level of achievement.”

In teaching Italian here, Mazzola claims to have found the fountain of youth. “Working

with young adults has meant slowing my aging process because you have to be ready for every class.”

To find joy in coming in each year, year after year, teachers have to “bring something new to the classroom,” Mazzola said.

“We like to share in their success. It’s nothing we can take home, but it’s an emotional boost to know somehow we were influential—we could make a difference for one student.”

Literature is an important part of the curriculum for Mazzola’s Italian classes. “It’s often difficult to put out individual texts for your lesson. In some classes we rely on excerpts for plurality and movement, but some texts are indispensable.

Grammar allows us to communicate correctly, but reading is fundamental.

“Because we are at a higher level of language acquisition, we can afford to talk to some of the literary masters,” he said.

Mazzola also uses film to help his students learn. “A film opens a window where students can climb through and where a student is surrounded by visuals and meaningful and practical language.”

World language department head Nancy Marrinucci described Mazzola as vivacious, expressive, easy-going, collaborative, helpful and reliable.

“He builds strong relationships with students, is always positive with them and supports all students and their learning.

His priority is to see that all of

Gabe Dreyer

“I’m finally in charge of my destiny and that’s a grand moment,” said Italian teacher Emilio Mazzola. his students can successfully communicate in Italian, and when they do, he takes immeasurable pleasure in it.”

Marrinucci said that Mazzola adds life to the world language department through his passion, sense of humor and problem solving skills.

“In particular, Mazzola is known for his culinary skills. He has held lunchtime gatherings for students and faculty alike, with authentic Italian food and conversation, Marrinucci said.

“He made sure that no one read or did work at the table— even me. Everyone got the message from him that the table is

not for reading—it’s for eating and discussing.”

After retirement, Mazzola will have more time for hobbies, such as reading and crosswords, he said.

“I’m about to be a teenager again,” he joked.

“First, I want to reclaim my Sunday. In the postmodern world, Sunday doesn’t mean anything, but I come from a generation where Sunday was a day off. I want to get Sunday back.

“I’m finally in charge of my destiny and that’s a grand moment. I’m not retiring, I’m turning a page.”

retirements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 11

Terry Melanson enjoys this school’s environment MEREDITH ABRAMS Fo r m e r s e c r e t a r y Te r r y Melanson, who retired earlier this year, said she had more than coworkers at this school— she had a family.

“Everyone cared for each other,” Melanson said. “We supported each other, and somehow, you didn’t mind going to work every day.

“It was such a nice group of people, and I really connected with some,” she said.

Melanson grew up in Waltham and went to high school at St. Mary’s, graduating in 1961.

Following her graduation, Melanson went to work for the New England Telephone Company as a secretary, she said.

Before working in the Newton Public Schools, Melanson was a stay-at-home mom, then a secretary at the company Thermo Electon.

In 1999, Melanson worked as a secretary for about a year at Newton South, followed by about year as a secretary at Oak Hill Middle School.

Melanson moved to this school in 2001, initially in the records office.

“I always liked the secretary, office-type stuff,” she said. “I like the work, I like the environment—it’s always what I’ve liked to do.”

Working at a school was even better than at a business, she said. “I’ve always liked kids anyway, and I loved working with them.”

After the records office, Melanson moved to the guidance department, then to the main office, where she remained

BY

Gabe Dreyer

“I learned a lot from the students, more so than you would think,” former secretary Terry Melanson said. until her retirement earlier this year.

Upon beginning to work at this school for the first time, Melanson found that the new job would come to be second nature.

“You get to a new place, establish friendships and fall into a routine,” she said. “It was an adjustment, but I settled in well.”

Originally, Melanson re-

corded the attendance each day, along with other duties in the records office, she said. “ You had to scan all the sheets from the house offices,” she said.

“I helped out when it was busy—we all pitched in and did a little bit of everything.”

However, her job in the records office did not last. “My position got cut and I ended up working in the main office,”

Melanson said.

“It was a different experience, but it was fun,” she said.

Working with students was a highlight of her job, Melanson said. “It was nice to be part of a group that helps people in some way,” she said.

“I felt that I was contributing; I felt that I was needed and I felt that I was doing something good and giving back to the community. Some of the kids were really special,” she said.

“Some just wanted a kind word or someone to talk to, and there were a lot who I looked forward to coming up to talk to me.

“We had a lot of fun, and there were some who were very funny,” Melanson said.

Vice principal Deb Holman agreed that there were some fun times. “Terry was a blast,” Holman said.

“She was really kind, friendly and incredibly funny. She would never let me forget anything, so in the best sort of way, it was almost like working with my mother.

“She knew the things I didn’t want to do and wouldn’t get done, and she wouldn’t let me miss anything.

“I’d be leaving the office and she’d give me the eye in a lighthearted sort of way, and she wouldn’t let me slip up,” Holman said.

“She had a quiet sense of humor and always kept everyone laughing,” Holman said. “She would always help anyone to solve a problem, and not let up until she had.”

The only part of her job Melanson took any issue with

was MCAS, she said.

“I’ve always thought MCAS was ridiculous,” Melanson said.

“I knew some students who didn’t pass just because they didn’t test well, and not because they didn’t know it.

“I can relate because I was the same,” she said.

“They have the intelligence, and there’s a lot of pressure on the kids—it just doesn’t prove a lot.”

Students and other faculty members are the things that Melanson misses the most, she said.

“It really was a family—the camaraderie, talking to the kids, going over problems with them—everyone supported each other.”

“There was a closeness—everyone was one unit together.”

One period when there was a very strong sense of community was when a teacher passed away some time ago, Melanson said.

“The school really came together and mourned together.”

“It’s been a learning experience, which makes it a little more personal,” Melanson said.

“I learned a lot from the students, more so than you would think. They can teach you things you don’t realize.”

In addition to working parttime as a secretary at Bigelow Middle School, Melanson said she hopes to travel.

“I’m going to take some time for myself, and it’s a little bit uncertain what I’m going to do.

“I walk, I go out with friends and I like to read,” she said.

“I try to be with people as much as I can.”

Sandra Truant appreciates rewards of teaching JACOB SCHWARTZ Sandra Truant, a teacher, a mentor and a leader in this school’s art department, said she enjoys everything about teaching art.

“I’ve always loved the materials, the projects and of course the students. When you get through to a student and realize that they finally get it, you can see it in their eyes and that’s your reward,” she said.

Her years of teaching experience at Warren Junior High School and this school “have just been fun.”

After 36 and a half years of teaching in and running the art department, Truant will retire at the end of this academic year.

According to her husband, former fine arts department head Tom Leonard, Truant “knew how to set appropriate goals for her students. She never settled for kids playing around with art, even when she was teaching very young kids.”

Patience was also an important quality of Truant’s teaching, Leonard said.

“She was very patient but also demanding. She made students not only want to have fun but to achieve at an extremely high level as well.”

Truant said she has been grateful that Newton has been pro-art. “It has always supported the art programs. Recently, times have been tough, but we still have been able to maintain a strong art department.”

Her motivation for art sparked when she attended a class in high school, she said.

“It was taught by Mr. O’Brien, who was my mentor and the reason I went into art. He always would tell me ‘the sky’s the limit,’ and helped me put a portfolio together, and he always believed in me.”

After graduating from New

BY

York State University at Potsdam, where she double-majored in print-making/painting and art history and after cross-registering with St. Lawrence University to receive her teaching certificate, Truant went on to be a long term substitute teacher in Pittsford, New York.

From there she returned to the Boston area, where her family was from originally, to substitute the following year “from Waltham to Duxbury, only in art,” she said.

After a year of subbing, she received three job offers and accepted one at Warren Junior High School. Truant taught there from ’76-’83. For the ’82’83 school year, she also taught at Horace Mann.

The following September, she was offered a position at this school, and she has been here ever since.

In 1990, Truant was asked by principal Marya Levenson to become head of the art department. Truant held the job until 2005 when the position was cut and combined with the music department.

Memorable moments in her career at this school have included traveling to London with the music and art students, she said. Another was when one of her students won a national award at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, which was presented at Carnegie Hall.

She also took over the art history class, according to Leonard, “making it into one of the most stellar art courses known in Massachusetts. It was an intense AP course, and students came out of it with quite a lot of knowledge.”

Also thanks to Truant, the photography department was revived and became what it is today.

“When I started, we had five old Omega Enlargers, and most of them were broken. When I called the company to ask if they could be fixed, they just laughed.”

According to Leonard, Truant built up the photo program from one class of around 25 to over 100 students.

Photography teacher Ron Morris said his first impression of Truant was that “she knew so much about art and about how to teach it.”

“She has a great overview of the whole school system from working at elementary school, middle school and high school.

She really knows how Newton Public Schools operates, which is something I have no idea about,” he said.

While art department head, Truant rehired Morris after his job was eliminated due to budget cuts. Truant also hired art teacher Shannon Slattery, who had been one of Truant’s students at Warren Junior High School.

Although the fine arts and performing arts department head positions have merged into one, Truant is looked up to as a leader among fine arts students and teachers, according to Morris.

Leonard shares similar views on Truant’s leadership in the department.

“Even though we combined the fine art and the performing art departments, she basically continued to be a driving force of the art department, in all capacities,” Leonard said.

Truant’s experience shows through her teaching, Morris said. “There are things she knows through her experience that many others don’t.”

According to Morris, “this experience will be sorely missed.”

Gabe Dreyer

“When you get through to a student and realize that they finally get it, you can see it in their eyes and that’s your reward,” art teacher Sandra Truant said.

Because of her attitude and charisma, students will miss Truant. Senior May SingletonKahn, an art major, recalls one time when, “I left art at home for the class, and she actually gave me a ride home to get it.”

When asked if she would do it all over again, Truant said, “Of

course I would. I love teaching, and I love my students. I am very lucky to have had a career that I have enjoyed so much.”

If a student hopes to be an admirable teacher in the future, Truant advises that he or she “have dedication, patience and perseverance.”

retirement

12 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Ty Vignone’s impact will last a lifetime KAYLA SHORE Stopped in the street on a regular basis by former students, whether they be businessmen, waiters or Harvard professors, Ty Vignone cannot go anywhere without encountering a student he’s made a “lifelong impact on,” according to close friend and history teacher Gregory Drake.

Whether they are 25 or 52, they all remember their classes with the energetic and passionate Vignone. “It’s a consistent lovefest,” said friend and vice principal Deb Holman.

Beloved by students and teachers alike, Vignone has “created connections to people in every corner of the building,” Drake said.

Vignone, an integral part of this school, is retiring after 46 years of teaching in Newton and a 50 year career.

Vignone, much to the relief of many students and faculty, will return to teach Close Up: Seminar in Government and do administrative work. He will also continue to lead the annual Prague Summer trip.

Vignone grew up in Longmeadow, Mass., attending Cathedral High School in Springfield, Mass., from which he graduated in 1956. He graduated from American International College in 1960 with a double major in psychology and English.

“I got into the classroom and I loved it, absolutely loved it. It was just exhilarating to see the kids were learning and getting the message and feeling good about the topic.”

From that point on, Vignone knew he wanted to stay in teaching, so he joined the Peace Corps in 1962. Vignone was part of the first Peace Corps group that went to Ethiopia, where he continued to teach.

“It was just another piece of candy. It just caught me again that I love being with kids and teaching kids.”

Next, Vignone returned to his former middle school in Longmeadow to teach. He ar-

BY

rived in Newton in 1965, when he began teaching at Day Junior High School, where he taught until 1983. Vignone received his master’s degree in education from Cambridge College.

He moved to this school in 1983 when ninth grade was shifted from junior high school to high school.

According to Vignone, staff members at this school were apprehensive when the new wave of teachers arrived.

“They thought that we weren’t quite ‘high school caliber,’” he said. “They changed their mind when they saw some very good teaching and even picked up on our little tricks of the trade.”

Vignone continued to establish himself in the new school.

He created and co-taught a course called “Whose America Is It?” The course, taught for two years in the mid-’80s, looked at immigration and diversity issues, focusing on Boston.

Besides this course, Vignone has also taught European History, American History, World History and Close Up. Some of Vignone’s fondest memories of this school come from the ninth grade Beals House Cluster he created and taught.

This consisted of a group of students that did interdisciplinary work in science, English and history. “Those were great years,” he said.

“The goal is, every day, to ask yourself the question when the kids leave the classroom, ‘Did they learn something in class that day, did they walk out feeling good about themselves, about the learning process?’

That’s what’s kept me going,” he said.

This is Vignone’s 46th year in Newton, a city that he feels has provided an excellent teaching environment.

“I would never, ever have stuck around if I didn’t think I was being challenged every day with new curricula, new students, new ideas and great parental support, school com-

Gabe Dreyer

“I would never, ever have stuck around if I didn’t think I was being challenged every day,” said history teacher Ty Vignone, on why he continued teaching as long as he did. mittee and administrators.”

One of the ways that this school showed its support was by awarding Vignone the Elicker Award in 1995.

If Newton had not compelled Vignone so, he would have pursued an international career, he said.

In lieu of this career path, Vignone was committed to making students at this school into global citizens. “Students must be well-informed about domestic and international issues,” he said.

From this commitment sprung the Close Up course.

“Close Up was a club, and to me, it was just too significant not to have offered to students

on a more formal basis.”

Vignone was able to draw a group of 100 students every Friday morning at 7 for this elective. “For them to get up early in the morning must have meant that they were interested in learning about current issues,” he said.

Eventually, Vignone convinced the administration to include Close Up as a course offered during the school day, and it continues to draw 100 plus students.

But Vignone’s commitment to creating fully realized and active citizens did not end with Close Up. “In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down, my senior

European history kids were joking around, saying ‘take us to Berlin.’

“I said, ‘If you’re serious, we’re going.’ So I took them to Berlin. We packed up our little hammers and our little chisels and screwdrivers, and we went to help take the Wall down.”

The group also traveled to Prague, Vienna and Budapest.

Upon their return, they implored Vignone to continue taking students to Eastern Europe.

So, the program continued and evolved into what is now the 22nd Prague Summer trip.

“I’m an advocate of touching history and smelling history,” he said.

Former English department head and assistant superintendent Brenda Keegan, a longtime friend of Vignone’s, praised him for having great presence in the school.

“He’s a dynamo of energy, and a positive spirit in the school,” she said, adding that he really “promoted collegial spirit” among the faculty members.

Vignone has a wonderful influence on kids, said Keegan.

“He persuaded kids to take responsibility for themselves,” she said. “I don’t know what this school would do without him.”

Holman said, “He is universally adored.”

Besides returning to this school for administrative work and Close Up, Vignone plans to do more traveling when he is not here. Vignone is too energetic and engaged in this school to leave for good.

“I’m too itchy––I don’t know how to relax, and I love teaching,” he said. “I’m going to miss teaching more kids,” he said, despite the fact that he will still teach at least 100 students next year.

Many have been apprehensive about Vignone leaving this school, but he makes sure that they know he is not going anywhere.

“Oh yeah, I’m not retiring, are you kidding me?” Vignone reassured a colleague. “I’m far from it, sweetheart.”

Advertisement

graduation issue

Senior Section Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 13

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Make a difference, expect great things To a Pioneering Class, You have set the tone. You are the class that will always be remembered as the class that ushered in a new era for Newton North. You were the first class in our new building and the first class to leave your mark on our new building.

Your mark is more than the new murals that adorn our walls. It is all the small things you have done to leave North a little better than you found it.

We so appreciate all that you have given to North over the last four years.

Your road has not been an easy one. You are a class that has persevered through so much.

You have come together as a class to celebrate, to mourn and to establish a new culture.

In the end, the fact that you have done all of this together is a tribute to all of the individuals who make up the Class of 2011.

The entire faculty and staff of Newton North wishes you luck

file photo

Jennifer Price for all that lies ahead.

Please stand strong on the foundation that the Newton Public Schools has given you.

Please use that foundation to make a difference in this world.

We expect nothing less of the Class of 2011.

—JENNIFER PRICE PRINCIPAL

Grab hold of future, remember friends Hilary Brumberg

Class of 2011: Senior Melissa Jewett carries celebratory graduation balloons on Main Street after the Senior Breakfast C-block Wednesday.

Search for your own success Dear Class of 2011, Congratulations! It is with grrreat Tiger Pride that I congratulate and celebrate you, my class, the first class to graduate from the new Newton North. In many ways, you have tasted the best of both worlds—the memories of Main Street and the old building, and the fresh air and wet paint of the first murals in our new building.

Regardless of the space, you took advantage of the lessons to learn and friendships to make.

Four years ago, in June of ’07, I advised you to focus on respect (for self, others and property) and continue learning on your search for your own success.

I stand by what I said to you on Step Up Day, and I wish you happiness as you step out of your comfort zone in the days to come.

It has been an amazing privilege and honor to serve as your housemaster for the last four years. You have impressed me, inspired me and challenged me.

Thank you. You will definitely be missed!

Please remember that the door is always open at Beals House—I look forward to hearing about your next adventure and how you’ve made your mark.

—MICHELLE STAUSS BEALS HOUSEMASTER

file photo

Michelle Stauss

Years have been challenging

file photo

Cheryl Stover

Dear Class of 2011, In June 2007, this class was preparing to leave middle school and become high school freshmen.

In September 2007, you walked in as the Newton North High School Class of 2011, nervous and excited, ready for your new challenge.

By October 2007, you had settled in and no longer could remember why you had ever been so nervous.

This September, you became the senior class in the New Newton North High School!

The past four years have brought you many joys and sorrows.

You have stepped up to every challenge presented to you to become the wonderful young men and women who graduate today.

Some of you will go on to college, some to work and some to other things, but all of you will go on to succeed if you just believe in yourself and what you’re worth. And all of you will go on new, exciting adventures after graduation.

Go out there, believe in yourself and live up to your potential, and you will make changes in this world.

I will miss you!

—CHERYL STOVER BEALS HOUSE SECRETARY

Dear 2011, I am honored to be a part of your class, and so privileged to have represented all of you during our final year at NNHS. Our class has experienced immense change, unimaginable tragedy and incredible unity.

We have come together in the saddest of times and in times of pure celebration. We knew red was for freshmen, blue was for sophomores and purple for juniors and seniors.

We knew that Gagne’s chem lab would occasionally set off the smoke detectors. We knew that taking the yellow staircase anywhere on the fourth floor was useless.

We knew all these things and thought that changing buildings would be miserable.

However, we’ve learned a few new things: that on Thursdays the fire alarm may go off before A-block, because of the steam from A.M. Swim showers. That the cafeteria gets a bit cozy in the wintertime with everyone jammed inside during third lunch. That it’s fun to watch “at-home” football games actually on our home field. We were the first to know these things.

We are 2011 forever, the first graduating class.

Now we find ourselves at the start of something new. We are at the end of an era. I hope you look back on your high school

Newtonian

Molly Doris-Pierce career and always remember your fellow sen11ors.

Remember the first person you met freshman year, remember the people who were just as upset that the library was “over capacity,” remember the people you saw all the time but never met.

Remember whoever it is that made NNHS home for four years.

I’ve said before that the things 2011 will do for the world will be remarkable. I mean it. Grab hold of the future, enjoy life, and never forget that wherever you go, you will always be a Tiger.

—MOLLY DORIS-PIERCE CLASS PRESIDENT

14 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

advertisements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Congratulations, Class of 2011 You’ve challenged your mind all year long.

Now it’s time to challenge your fitness!!!

NO OTHER strength and conditioning PROGRAM COMPARES!!

• • • • • •

Run FASTER, jump HIGHER, move QUICKER. Be STRONGER and more POWERFUL. FASTER RECOVERY and MORE ENDURANCE. TOUGHER, both PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY. YOUR OPPONENT will be NO MATCH FOR YOU. DON’T WASTE TIME doing anything else this summer!

See you at GARDEN CITY SPORTS CAMP REGISTER NOW WORK HARD! TRAIN HARD! BE READY FOR ANYTHING!

www.crossfitnewton.com

617.833.0340

community statements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 15

Lifelong learning starts now Draw your strength from core values Dear Class of 2011, Please accept my congratulations as you complete your journey in the Newton Public Schools. I hope your educational experience has been a time of both academic and emotional growth.

You will likely never forget the fact that you are the first graduating class from the new building.

While the beautiful building has brought wonderful benefits, I expect you will also remember the teacher or teachers that have sparked a passion, the adult in the building that helped you through a difficult time or the individual

who pushed you to accomplish things you never deemed possible.

I also hope that you had the opportunity to interact with others who bring backgrounds and perspectives far different from your own.

As you embark on the next stage of your life, I hope you are able to build on what you learned in Newton.

Know that this is only the beginning––the beginning of what I hope will be a path of lifelong learning.

Best of wishes for continued success.

—DAVID FLEISHMAN SUPERINTENDENT

family photo

David Fleishman

Your possibilities are endless Congratulations to all of you!

You have worked so hard and stand on the threshold of your lives. Although we as family, friends, faculty and staff will always be with you in spirit, it will be up to you to write the next chapter. Your decisions, your efforts, your successes and your challenges.

Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once famously said: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Yogi is famous for these pithy quotes, and this is obviously a silly statement––or is it?

I would like to tell you that you don’t have to choose, not yet. Not if you are not ready.

Some of you may have already made decisions as to what path you will take in life, and that’s great.

But those of you who haven’t, and even those of you who have, leave room for both roads at the

file photo

Claudia Wu fork in your lives.

This is the time to explore your interests and discover talents that you might not yet know you have. Although most of you are old enough to vote, fight for

your country and drive a car, among other things, you are still young and the possibilities are endless. Take both roads at the fork if you possibly can, and leave your options open for as long as you possibly can.

The time will come when you do need to make some choices, but take the time to explore your options and try to follow the paths that will expand your horizons, help you see things differently and teach you something new. Yes, at times it will be hard, but in the words of another baseball character, this time a fictional one: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

I wish you the courage to follow your dreams and those forks in the road that you will encounter along the way.

—CLAUDIA WU SFA REPRESENTATIVE, PARENT

What an exciting time: graduating from high school and moving on to the next big chapter of your lives. This is a significant milestone for each of you, full of emotion and accomplishment.

I have met many of you over the years, and you are an impressive group, with many varied talents and dreams.

You have made your way through one of the best school systems in our country, and you leave extremely well-prepared.

Your principal and teachers have urged you to try new things, to take measured risks.

At times you have stumbled, but you have persevered.

Graduating from Newton North is no small feat. This is a large and demanding school with high standards, a rigorous curriculum, and many social challenges. It may not always have been easy, but your journey through the Newton Public Schools has provided you with the skills and savvy to succeed in today’s complex world.

As you go forward into the world, draw strength from Newton’s core values: excellence, innovation, respect and responsibility.

file photo

Claire Sokoloff Stay connected to the many extraordinary adults and peers who have served as role models over the years.

Dare to dream, discover your passions and try to make a contribution to the world.

Remember, above all, to appreciate the opportunities you have been given, and to thank the people who have made a difference in your lives.

—CLAIRE SOKOLOFF SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHAIR

Appreciate lessons

It was fun to watch you grow

Newtonite

David Mosca

It has been a pleasure watching you all grow the past four years, not only alone as a member of the staff, but also as a parent.

I remember Step Up Day, seeing a bunch of scared eighth graders cautiously entering the auditorium, my son being one of them.

Somehow, I was just as scared as him. He went to a South side middle school and didn’t know many kids from the North side.

September came, and off we went. My son was different, growing up in Hyde Park and now attending a school with many strangers...with his dad.

I remember the day I knew

Congratuations to all of the seniors of Volume 89:

things were going to be just fine with him. I was in a bank in Newtonville during freshman lunch. I got a call on my cell phone while waiting in line. I was informed by a secretary that there might be some freshmen off campus. As I approached the teller, I looked out the window and saw my son with about ten others walk by, laughing and eating pizza. It was a moment better off left alone.

Now as he graduates, he is doing so with many, many true friends. My job has been great, since I have had the opportunity to see my son grow.

Be strong…stay gold.

—DAVID MOSCA CAMPUS AIDE

Lynne LeBlanc

We want to wish you success as you continue on your journey to adulthood.

You have faced the exciting and sometimes unsettling experience of spending your senior year in a new building, and you have handled it gracefully.

We hope you will learn from your losses and ultimately be strengthened by them. During “Just Think: Teens Making Smart Choices” week, many of you took part in activities de-

signed to help you look before you leap. We appreciated your support, your openness and your engagement. Please take the lessons to heart!

We wish you well in the future beyond the walls of Newton North High School. You have made us, and the parents/guardians we represent, proud. Congratulations!

—SALLY BRICKELL AND LYNNE LEBLANC PTSO CO-PRESIDENTS

Taylor McDade

Jacob Brunell Marena Cole Eli Davidow Caleb Gannon Emily Gulotta Kate Lewis Gaby Perez-Dietz Dan Salvucci Georgina Teasdale Teddy Wenneker

Best of luck in your future endeavors...

Thank you Ms. Shaughnessy for your guidance and leadership.

—from the Lewis family

file photo

file photo

Sally Brickell

Subscribe to the Newtonite!

Call 617-559-6273 Email thenewtonite @gmail.com

“Sunshine” ~ Enjoy the next wave!

Congratulations ~ We love you.

Mom, Dad, Lea and Bella

Stop by room 273 16 issues a year

16 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

advertisements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

SAT | ACT ®

®

No matter what you’re looking for, we have a prep program that’s right for you.

INSTRUCTOR-LED CLASSROOM COURSES Our Classroom courses are just what you need to prepare for Test Day.

ULTIMATE CLASSROOM 30 hours of personalized instruction combined with extensive in-class review and practice, plus 4 full-length practice tests.

CLASSROOM 18 hours of focused prep and 4 full-length practice tests are designed to improve your test-taking approach and help you achiece your best score.

COURSE

LOCATION

DATE

DAYS

SAT ULTIMATE SAT ULTIMATE SAT ULTIMATE SAT ULTIMATE SAT SMALL GROUP SAT CLASSROOM

NEWTON, MA NEWTON, MA NEWTON, MA NEWTON, MA NEWTON, MA NEWTON, MA

June 18 - Sept 24 July 11 - Aug 24 July 12 - Aug 25 July 23 - Aug 25 July 21 - Sept 22 July 25 - Aug 1

Saturdays Mon & Wed Tues & Thurs Tues, Thurs, Sat Thursdays M, Tu, W, Th, F

SEE MORE SCHEDULES AT PrincetonReview.com - SCORE HIGHER OR YOUR MONEY BACK. GUARANTEED.*

800-2Review (800-273-8439) | PrincetonReview.com *Visit PrincetonReview.com/guarantee for details on our guarantee.

Test names are trademarks of their respective owners who are not affiliated with The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.

Advertise in the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

faculty statements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 17

Graduation is rite of passage to promising futures

file photo

Michael Fieleke

High school graduation is just one of a myriad of “coming-of-age” rituals practiced around the world to mark the rite of passage of young people into adulthood.

Some of these rituals might strike us as strange at first. In some areas of Nigeria, girls, rather than slimming down for the prom, spend weeks in “fattening rooms” being fed and wearing copper coils around their legs to restrict movement as part of a ritual marking their official transition into womanhood.

In the Amazon’s Satere Mawe tribe, young men, rather than spending exhilarating hours of focused classroom study, are

forced to experience pain and numbness by wearing gloves filled with angry, stinging bullet ants for eleven hours.

Steven Backshall, writing for the New York Times, described trying this ritual this way: “First, I started wailing, then, once that had passed, the floodgates opened—deep, gutteral sobbing, uncontrollable shaking, writhing, convulsing...if there’d been a machete to hand, I’d have chopped off my arms to escape the pain.”

The young men of the Mawe tribe have to endure this ritual 20 times in order to “graduate.”

And one of my favorite rituals marking the transition into

adulthood was performed by certain Native American tribes, a kind of senior-year project with a dash of teacher fantasy.

Young people out for their first hunt would cut out the heart of the first buffalo they killed and eat it while it was still beating.

Yum. Of course, we would never consider such bizarre rituals here—too messy to perform and too burdensome to defend legally. But there really is something important about having rituals to mark transitions in our lives.

They allow the significance of the transition into adulthood to sink in.

In the U.S., we have our own public ritual marking the transi-

tion from naïve and dependent childhood to mature and independent adulthood: high school graduation.

For most, graduation is also when you can legally vote and enlist in the military. Our traditional rites might seem tame comparatively; we wear black nightgowns and toss flat top hats into the air. But these rituals are nonetheless meaningful.

This is a significant moment in your lives, former seniors.

May our strange, albeit tame, rituals help you recognize your newfound independence, and may you use your autonomy wisely, in service of the world.

—MICHAEL FIELEKE ENGLISH TEACHER

Imagine your new life, find something you love Here’s what I remember: The sun will be shining, and you will leave, suns yourselves, everything else in shadow. You will spend your summer making trips to Target to plan for your new life, debating which duvet cover best represents this new you. (None of them do, of course, but you don’t quite know this yet.) You will discuss your plans with your friends, while secretly imagining what your new friends will be like.

Your old friends will begin to annoy you in little ways, because it’s easier this way. You will feel bad about this. You will make a packing list. You will make another, better packing list. You will lose the packing lists you made, which won’t be important. Lists rarely are.

You will spend time study-

ing the paltry evidence you have of what the future will be like: glossy brochures where everyone is racially balanced and smiling.

Everyone you know will give you advice. The only advice you will remember will be your grandmother telling you not to let anyone else pour you a drink because she saw a program on television about this. Your grandmother never did what you are doing.

Then your new life will be about to begin. You will sense it one evening in a new and immediate way, each day feeling like it is, in fact: shorter than the last.

There will start to be boxes.

The car will be full of boxes.

On the boxes will be pictures of all the appliances your family

owns. (This is the kind of thing your mother saves.) Because of the pictures, it will look like the whole house is moving.

When you finally say goodbye, they will cry, even the one who never cries. You will pretend to be sad too, but your excitement will be too big to leave room for anything else.

At some point you will have a housemate named Radigan who will listen endlessly to the Smiths and never buy toilet paper.

You will meet your first new friend. You will fall in love. You will fall out of love, and you will cry silently about it, wrapped in the duvet cover that isn’t at all you.

Then, you will cry about it to your first friend, and your friendship will suddenly become

file photo

Elena Graceffa real, the way that only shared heartbreak can set a friendship.

You will go to your classes, or to your new job. You will forget about the new you that you planned and find that you are still yourself. It will be a disappointment and a relief.

You will notice things about the world that are surprising, things that will resemble the lines of advice you have been told, but be nothing at all like them, like the difference between cheese and Cheez Whiz.

You will listen to a song you’ve heard a hundred times, and suddenly you will know what it is talking about.

Eventually, you will find something worth doing, something you love. This will be the scariest thing of all. Because then all that is left is to do it.

—ELENA GRACEFFA MATH TEACHER

Look for happiness, find future success Each day is a new opportunity Dear Seniors, As you have come to the end of your journey through high school and are preparing for the next voyage, I am touched to have been asked to share a few thoughts and words with you.

Many of you have journeyed with me through these four years, whether it be the academic journey of learning or the physical journeys of learning experiences around the world.

Each journey was as important as the other.

Some of you have traveled to France with me. You have seen the D-Day beaches where your grandfathers landed. Others have traveled to Nicaragua with me, while working with and learning from Nicaraguan people who have so much less materially than us.

All of these learning experiences have taught you and me compassion.

Compassion for each other in difficult moments and compassion for others we have met in our travels is so deeply important.

Every moment in life is like a journey. Each day is an opportunity to understand more about each other.

Many of you have friends with a background similar to your own, but we can all learn so many new things from different people from different cultures.

If you, on your next journey after high school, can take the time to try and understand each traveler that you may meet, you will find a rewarding happiness in all that you do.

file photo

Fiona Blyth I wish every one of you the opportunity to find happiness and success.

You can look for this happiness and success from within.

Each of you is a blessing, and even on the days when you may feel worthless, you will need to remember that you are indeed a blessing and capable of achieving great things.

I have seen during these last few years, you can each become the master of your own self. You will be strong enough to withstand the oncoming storms, and you will build upon your learning experiences at this school.

Your future is made from your present. I wish you all BON VOYAGE in your next travels, to where ever they may be.

Be safe and realize your potential!

—FIONA BLYTH FRENCH TEACHER

Daniel Salvucci Underwood Elementary 2004 Bigelow Middle School 2007

NEWTON NORTH 2011 Next stop...

College!

We are all beaming with pride.

All our love, Mom, Dad, Michael, Juliana, and Diana

18 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

faculty statements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

We are unfinished, so keep improving Go forth into the world, using the lessons you learned at this school

file photo

Michael Hazeltine

Congratulations on four mostly wonderful but sometimes stressful and confusing, years at North.

You have gone from being sometimes overwhelmed and anxious freshmen to seniors who rule the building.

As you go forth in the big world, don’t forget the lessons that you have learned on your way.

I feel compelled to give you

some advice, which I hope will help. ◆Do your best the first time you do a job or a project. You never have a chance to make a second first impression. ◆Be nice to people on your way up the ladder of life—you never know when you are going to meet them again. ◆Find something you like to do and do it really well. It can be anything from video gaming

to playing cricket to fixing cars to playing music. ◆Always have a project to work on when you have spare time. It will give you something to do to relax, and it will be something to talk about when you are interviewing for schools and jobs. ◆Never stop learning. It is like breathing—very hard to start again if you stop. ◆Take chances and try dif-

ferent things—you might find a new passion. ◆If you don’t get it perfect the first time, try again. You can do it. ◆Think about how you want to be remembered because you will be remembered.

You are a great class, and it has been wonderful to have the pleasure of learning with you.

—MICHAEL HAZELTINE SCIENCE TEACHER

You are driven by good ideas Expand outlook, challenge yourself To the Class of 2011, It was only my second year as a counselor here at Newton North when all of you started high school as freshmen.

As part of the faculty at Newton North, I am here to guide and support you so that you can succeed while hopefully teaching you some things along the way.

However, it should not go without saying that you have taught me many things as well and have made me a better counselor and person. You are young adults with shining personalities, fabulous senses of humor, a tangible passion for life and enormous goals.

You have challenged me professionally, connected with me personally and made me laugh daily—these are the reasons why I love this job. I

file photo

Amanda Tsetsi can only hope that I’ve taught you as much as you all have taught me.

You are a driven group of

people with magnificent ideas and big dreams.

Your experiences here at Newton North have given you the foundation to expand on those ideas and make your dreams a reality.

Apprehension about what the future holds is normal, but if you tackle the upcoming challenges head on, you will take part in life-changing experiences and will accomplish great things. Be sure to keep learning and take opportunities to continue teaching others.

A s M a r k Tw a i n s a i d : “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”

Congratulations!

—AMANDA TSETSI COUNSELOR

Do not forget lessons learned You are prepared for your next chapter in life Congratulations, Class of 2011!

I have known many of you in classes and, this year, in homeroom, and through the years as you worked at Cabot’s, Marty’s, New England Mobile Book Fair and as you just wandered (and now drive) around town.

You are a wonderful collection of people—you are nice, friendly and incredibly funny.

I have watched you grow (and, in some cases, grow and grow) and mature. When you were in my 10th grade classes, I sometimes despaired that you would ever be ready to take on the world—but you are, spectacularly, ready.

We live in exciting times —the world is a confusing place.

Revolutions are occurring.

Movies are in 3D. Jobs are tough to find. But all of you are ready for anything. (And, if you are lucky, jobs will be easier to find when you are graduating from

college.)

As ready as you are, remember that we are all still unfinished.

We all are growing, learning, using language we probably shouldn’t, building friendships —friendships around the world, even.

In your next step, you will live exciting lives in these exciting times. (Whether you want to or not!)

Be brave and try new things.

Take courses about subjects that you have never heard of.

Learn a language (including those words you shouldn’t use) and travel the world.

Sing and dance (maybe not in public).

Run a marathon. Paint pictures.

Read books. Lots of books!

Even more books! For fun!

(That should sound very familiar to my students!)

And, finally, work hard, be

file photo

Katherine Heidlage kind, take care of yourselves and your friends, remember to vote and call home frequently!

My love to you all. Come back and visit us.

—KATHARINE HEIDLAGE HISTORY TEACHER

Transition to new building handled phenomenally

Newtonian

Darby Verre

file photo

Tom Sheehan ward because you will come out the other side a stronger person, with an improved sense of yourself and a deeper sense of your capabilities.

Don’t be a passive onlooker in your own life. Be an active participant. Take action toward your dreams, passions and difficulties.

Along the way, try and reach out to people and be a good friend or support to someone who needs it.Have fun and don’t forget to “take care of your business.” All the best to all of you!

—TOM SHEEHAN COUNSELOR

Be true to yourself, appreciate others

You improve our community Thank you to this year’s seniors for a job well done!

Although I do not know many of you, I want to congratulate you for making it through a challenging year.

Your leadership in the new North has been appreciated.

By now, the entire North community has rejoiced and adjusted to our new home, and you have helped with this transition.

The transition was probably the hardest for your class simply because you had grown accustomed to the old school and had to recreate the community.

The rest of us—faculty, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and

Congratulations!

It has been my pleasure and privilege to have worked with you over the past four years.

You have been a hard working group who has been fun to get to know.

It seems like just the other day you were in my office during the fall freshmen seminar, sitting quiet and uncertain about what high school would be all about.

Now it is time to move on.

I hope you can truly appreciate this special time in your life, and in doing so, you should acknowledge family, friends and the people in your life who have supported you through your high school experience.

As you move forward, try to challenge yourself and move out of your comfort zone. Be eager to engage new people and places in your life. (So turn off your cell phone and stop texting!)

Connect with and expand your experiences. Some of the most rewarding times in your life will come from circumstances and situations that initially seem difficult and full of uncertainty.

It is these moments you should embrace and move to-

school administration—will have more time to make this place “our” Newton North, but you had to do it in one short year.

Your patience, leadership and initiatives helped us to build a community in our new space.

We will be sad that you are gone, but we hope to sustain the community you have built.

Stay healthy and happy!

“Whatever you are, be a good one…Stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.”

—Benjamin Franklin —DARBY VERRE COUNSELOR

Dear senior class, I can’t believe how fast the time flew! Can you?

I still remember you as freshmen—figuring out the “old” North building, finding ways to find your niche, talking about all the things going on in your lives and all of your ideas and plans.

It has been such a pleasure working with you, and I feel lucky to have known you.

Always remember what you have learned, be true to yourself, think of others, appreciate what you have and take care.

It’s never too late to become the person you want to be.

You have what it takes to help make this world a much better place. Remember that you are important!

Congratulations!

Newtonian

Christine Potter —CHRISTINE POTTER COUNSELOR

Congratulations, Jacob Brunell and the Class of 2011!

Love, Mom, Dad and Noah

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

advertisement

Newton North, Newtonite â—† 19

awards

20 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Senior prizes, scholarship recipients Margherita Acchione Scholarships Michael Bennington Marisa DiDino Diane Antonellis Childcare Scholarship Christine D’Angelo Celia Arovas English Award Aviva Galpert Jeffrey M. Banks Memorial Scholarship Marcus Parker David Barboza Memorial Scholarship Marco Delicata Ron Barndt Scholarship Dong Gil Shin Sandy Bartzak Award Thomas DeStefano Edward Beatty Award Sarah Wen Celia Betts Award Thomas DeStefano Stephen Bottomley, Murray Road Annex Award Gabrielle McNamara Charles E. Brown Scholarship Award Daniel Ranti Lt. Stafford Leighton Brown Memorial Scholarships Brandon Barry Jacob Maman Michael Cedrone Marjorie Byers Scholarship Craig Moore-Jenkins Robert “Beep” Calabro Scholarships Daniel Anderson, Jr. Kevin Barisano Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation Scholarship Lucy Mazur-Warren David Casavant Culinary Arts Scholarship Award Justin Agner Alex J. Castoldi Memorial Scholarship: Career Vocational and Technical Education Rory O’Neil Alex J. Castoldi Memorial Scholarships: Theatre Arts Zachary Grannan

Gabe Dreyer

Design and Visual Communications: Senior Daryl Choa won the Newton Rotary Club Rockwell Memorial Career and Vocational Technical Education Achievement Award.

Kevin Zabrecky Chaffin Educational Fund Scholarship Awards Daniel Anderson, Jr. Michael Atkinson Brandon Barry Corrine Beatrice Michael Bennington Jazmin Brito Zi Hua Chen Michelle Craman Christine D’Angelo Luis Escobar Bruna Gomes Melissa Gomez Alexander Graf Samnang Heng Rolli Jameson-Dudu Tamara Lamisere Tiffany Leung Tamara Matama Taylor McDade Gabrielle McNamara

Sarah Mead Alex Mironov Craig Moore-Jenkins Sarah Nunberg Jieun Park Isaiah Penn Madeline Perry Omar Pinkhasov Alexander Petitti Elisabet Qendro Daisy Richardson Andre Robinson Xue Rosenberg Dong Gil Shin Veronica Slabicki Kyle Sullivan Ross Swerling Jacqueline Tirado Doris Vincent Yangjun Wu Thalia Yunen Greg Chan Scholarship Alexander Petitti

Robert Chernis Drama Awards Derek Butterton Mercer Gary David Costanzo Award Benjamin Polci Caroline Costello Scholarship Veronica Slabicki Theresa L. Cram Scholarship Melissa Jewett Mary Cunningham Catherine Doherty Seth Daigle Memorial/ PTSO Scholarship Gabriella Pulcini Andrew Dealy Memorial Scholarship Zachary McAuliffe Robert Dephoure English Memorial Scholarship Ezra Lichtman

Bobby Donahue Scholarship Fund Award Benjamin Clark Robert Faulkner Career and Vocational Technical Education Student of the Year Scholarship Justin Agner Frank Federico, Jr. Memorial Award Benjamin Rosenblatt W. Eugene Ferguson Math Award Zachary Grannan Howard Ferguson Memorial Scholarships Corrine Beatrice Alexander Petitti Peg Festinger Memorial Award Yekaterina Blyum Margaret Flaherty English Award Benjamin Nitkin Haskell C. Freedman/NTA Scholarship Fund Lucy Mazur-Warren John Fuller/ Second Church of Newton Scholarship Corrine Beatrice Meredith Ghattas Scholarship Peter Wu Mary G. Gianferante Award for Citizenship Daniel Anderson, Jr. Golden Hammer Award Samuel Kinsella Kathleen Henighan Child Studies Achievement Award Christina Pressley Horlick Educational Fund/ ELL Awards Julia Rudzka Yangjun Wu Charlotte Howard/Claflin School Scholarship Marisa DiDino George Jessup Scholarship Casey Bryson Elizabeth Jewett World Language Scholarship Benjamin Schwartz

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! —Dr. Seuss Christopher Rao, Your path has been clear from the time you were very, very young and you have followed it fearlessly.

We are all so proud of your determination, creativity and incredible focus. Well done, lovey!

We love you—Mum, Dad, Bella, Charlie, Louis and Nana

Best Wishes From Mom, Dad and Jonathan

awards

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 21

Senior prizes, scholarship recipients Lanna Kelley Memorial Scholarship Josseline Godoy Barbara Killion Award Christina Pressley Max Kolb Memorial Award Lauren Brown Mar y Lanigan English Award Derek Butterton Edward Lareau Scholarship Achievement Award Adam Fisher Henr y Lasker Memorial Music Award Anne Gombosi A. Peter Leary Memorial Scholarship Megan Altieri Deborah E. LeBovidge Scholarship Kenneth King Thomas Leonard Music Scholarship Peter Wu Baron Hugo Lira Memorial Music Scholarships Kelly McIntyre Samuel Melnick Beverly Logan Scholarship Serena Accomazzi Adam London Memorial Scholarship Kevin Barisano Barbara Sulkin Lourie Memorial Scholarships Brandon Bailey Veronica Beaumont Eleanor Fisher Olivia Martins Richard H. Lovell Scholarships William Cruz Tiffany Lamisere Alex Mironov Adrianna Quintiliani Donna Mandatori Memorial Scholarship Award Cassidy Chan V. James Marini Scholarship Christine D’Angelo Richard Mechem Award Cassidy Chan Miriam Meyer Award Johanna Gittleman Robert Mitchell Scholarship Wei Kuang Pan Mitchell Nathanson Memorial Award Benjamin Tack National Achievement Semifinalist Mark Ingram, Jr. National Merit Scholarships Derek Butterton Rebecca Engelke Ellen Goldberg David Gore Rebecca Harris Flannery Sockwell Edward Weitzman Newton Aldermen Award Remi Torracinta Newton Educational Secretaries Scholarship Daniel Anderson, Jr. Newton Firefighters Association Scholarship Andrew Liebendorfer Newton North High School Honor Roll Scholarship Dong Gil Shin Newton METCO Academic Achievement Awards Taylor McCain Rolli Jameson-Dudu Newton METCO Academic Excellence Awards Darris Jordan Christina Pressley Newton METCO Ruth Batson Social Justice Award Taylor McCain Newton METCO Pacita D.A. Hayes Memorial Leadership Awards Rolli Jameson-Dudu Isaiah Penn Newton Police Memorial Scholarship Melissa Jewett Newton Rotary Community Scholarship Marjorie Doris-Pierce Newton Rotary Scholarship

Gaby Perez-Dietz

“Eurydice”: Seniors Rosie McInnes and Justin Phillips, who performed in “Eurydice” in December, won Theatre Ink Awards. and Tool Awards Adrianna Quantiliani Brian Zabchuk Newton Centre Women’s Club Scholarships Michael Atkinson Doris Vincent Newtonite/Helen Smith Scholarship Award Theodore Wenneker Dorothy Novack Memorial Scholarship Awards Megan Altieri Kenneth Farrell Oak Hill/Nonantum Children’s Memorial Scholarship Johnathan McKrill William O’Brien Scholarship Fund Martina Powley Phil Ochs/Alan MacDougall Award Madeleine MacWilliams Orr Foundation Awards Michael Atkinson Luis Escobar Isaiah Penn Andre Robinson David Outerbridge English Award Elektra Markogiannakis Vicki Patterson Memorial Scholarship Rebecca Harris Peltier History Award Leah Rossi Perkins History Prize Rebecca Harris Rosanne Perlmutter Scholarship Alexandra Pappas David Phelan World Language Award Veronica Slabicki Christopher Polci Memorial Scholarship Benjamin Polci Ellen Raphael Awards Christian Donato Melissa Gomez Nathan Alden Robinson Memorial Math Award Derek Butterton Nathan Alden Robinson Memorial Music Award Carissa Lin Rockland Charitable Trust Foundation Scholarship Daniel Anderson, Jr. Susan Rosenzweig Scholarship Matthew Holcomb

Giovanni and Louisa Rossi Scholarship Fund Samnang Heng Martin Rossman Scholarship Edan Laniado Helen M. Ryan Award Aviva Galpert Saint Mar y of Carmine Scholarship Cristina Leone Chuck Sakakini Scholarship Award Daniel Anderson, Jr. Mary Sapienza Award Stacey Terman Tom Schaefer Award Anita Sodder Michael Scheller Memorial Scholarship Joshua Brooks Clinton H. Scovell Fund Scholarships Abraham Adler-Cohen Catherine Corbett Kiril Filipov Nicole Goldberg Qiu Ye Jin Chloe Lee Cristina Leone James Lew Lauren Lob Andrea Marzilli Sindi Nune Maxwell Otsuka Alexandra Pappas Shirley Pareira Kayla Quinn Benjamin Tack Jim Shea Memorial Fund Madeleine MacWilliams David Shoul Memorial Scholarship Ryan Donovan Ellen Silk Scholarship Eleanor Fisher Frank Simmons Award James Barnett Raymond Smith Music Award Linda Bard Reginald E. Smith Memorial Award Thomas Ryan Social Science Club Award Casey Bryson Leslie Solomon Scholarship Darris Jordan Gail Stein Scholarship Ross Swerling Saul Stern Music Awards

Ezra Lichtman Evan Zhang Robert B. Swett, Jr. Fund Awards Nensi Cukalla Doris Vincent Thornton S. Thomas Poetry Award Skylar Fox Richard Thompson EDCO Award Thomas Ansill True Value Anne Serafin English Scholarship Abigail Wolfe

Marcia Tyman Memorial Scholarship Awards Erika Fernandes Daisy Richardson Daniel Uberti Memorial Scholarship Daniel Anderson, Jr. Maria Libera Vallone Italian Cultural Scholarship Michael Bennington Village Bank Auburndale Community Charitable Foundation Scholarships Ryan Donovan Megan Gentile Margaret Gillis Cristina Leone Madeleine MacWilliams Andrea Marzilli Sindi Nune Waban Improvement Society Student Scholarship Katherine Cox-Orrell Alice M. Warren Scholarship Awards Gina Paone Elisabet Qendro Adrianna Quintiliani Vollin B. Wells Business Scholarship Evelyn Hurwitz Edwin H. Wiest Memorial Scholarship Isaiah Penn P h i l i p J . Wo l f T h e a t r e Awards Anna Gargas Edan Laniado John MacGaffey Women’s Club of Newton Highlands Scholarships Kevin Barisano Veronica Slabicki Theatre Ink Award of Special Recognition/Certificates Linda Bard Skylar Fox Aviva Galpert Johanna Gittleman Marissa Goldman David Gore Eleana Gudema Philip Halin Katherine Lewis Rosemary McInnes Kelly McIntyre Samuel Melnick Fionnuala O’Donovan Justin Phillips Flannery Sockwell

Congratulations to the Seniors of NNHS Class of ‘11!

Best of luck and success in the future.

Go out and make it a better world!

Adolph’s Sports 841 Beacon St. Newton Centre, MA 02159 Telephone 617-964-6633

Koffman & Dreyer

Attorneys at Law 85 Cabot Street Newton, MA 617-965-9525 www.koffmandreyer.com

Real Estate Matters house and condo purchases/sales condominium conversions ownership dispute resolution

Joan A. Koffman

Nancy R. Dreyer

22 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

A

Accomazzi, Serena—Bard Adams, Jack—Emerson Adler-Cohen, Abraham—Union Agner, Justin—Johnson and Wales Akins-Wynn, D’Jaidah— Cushing Academy Altieri, Megan—U. New England Alton, Spencer—Johnson State Anderson, Jr., Daniel— Westfield State Ansel-Kelly, Ethan—UMass Amherst Ansill, Thomas— Rochester Institute of Technology Ansolabehere, Rebecca—Whitman Antonellis, Natasha—UMass Amherst Atkins, Sara—U. Hartford Atkinson, Michael—U. Pittsburg

B

Bagdonas, Annisya—Northeastern Bailey, Brandon— Mass. College of Art and Design Ball, Ethan—Mass. Bay Banerjee, Devika—U. Delaware Barbone, Michael—Syracuse Bard, Linda—American Barisano, Kevin—UMass Amherst Barnett, James—U. Texas at Austin Barstone, Abigail—Pitzer Barry, Brandon—UMass Darmouth Batutis, Gail—Northeastern Beatrice, Corrine—UMass Amherst Beaumont, Veronica— Worcester State Bennett, Suzanna—U. Texas at Austin Bennington, Michael— UMass Dartmouth Bhatt, Vinayak—UMass Boston Biedermann, Alexander—St. John’s Blyum, Yekaterina—Salem State Bolio, Shannon— Everest Institute Chelsea Boudreau, John Boudreau, Ryan Brandi, Maria—Boston College Brandl, Katherine—Trinity Bray, Kyle—military Brier, Karen—Brandeis Brito, Jazmin Brooks, Colin—Salem State Brooks, Joshua—UMass Boston Brown, Emily—U. Colorado at Boulder Brown, Eric—college Brown, Joshua Brown, Kendra—Mass. Bay Brown, Lauren—Roger Williams Brown, Samuel— Brooklyn College of the CUNY Brunell, Jacob—Cornell Bryson, Casey—UMass Lowell Butterton, Derek—Vassar

C

Cabrera, Kimberly—UMass Amherst Camerato, Courtney— U. Miami at Oxford Cannistraro, Paul Cantor, Max—Skidmore Cariani, Zev—Northeastern Cedrone, Michael—UMass Amherst Cepko, Eleanor—year off Cetlin, Emily—Wellesley Chan, Cassidy— Florida Institute of Technology Chelminsky, Benjamin Chappell, Julian—UMass Amherst Chen, Zi—U. Connecticut Chiarelli, Gerald—Curry Choa, Daryl Choy, Elaine— Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Christopher, Nicholas—college Civitello, Elizabeth Clark, Benjamin—Lawrenceville Prep Clements, Evan—George Washington Cochran, Kara—Tufts Cohen, Ilana Cole, Marena—Boston College Comenitz, Michael—Vermont Tech.

Connard, Andrew—Rider U. Connolly, Elizabeth Connor, Catherine Constant, Marc—work Corbett, Catherine—Bryant Cortina, Armando—Northeastern Cossaboom, Jeffrey—Merrimack Cox-Orrell, Katherine—DePaul Craman, Michelle—Bridgewater State Creedy Powers, Nicholas Cruz, Michael Cruz, William—Johnson and Wales Cucchi, Michelle—Bentley Cuccurullo, Julia—NYU Cukalla, Nensi—Northeastern Cunning, Joseph Curhan, Nicole—UMass Amherst Curry, Cheryl—Mass. Bay

Tuesday, Ju

D

D’Agostino, Alexander—Bentley D’Amore, Alyssa D’Angelo, Christine—Mass. Bay Dalton, Robert—work Davidow, Eli—Macalester DeFlorio, Gerald Del Mar, Marina Delicata, Marco DelVelcchio Lyle Denny, Michael—Boston College DeStefano, Thomas— Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Diaz, Emil Dickey, Matthew— Northfield Mount Hermon DiDino, Marisa—Lasell DiStefano, Guilia Doherty, Catherine—Suffolk Doherty, Thomas— Mass. Maritime Academy Donahe, Joseph Donato, Christian—Quinnipiac Donovan, Ryan—Westfield State Donovan, William— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Doris-Pierce, Marjorie— Hobart and William Smith Doucette, Evan Dover, Isabel—Duke Doyle, Terrell Drecun, Luka—U. Toronto Dube, Nicole—Clark Duckham, Brandon—Arizona State

E

Earle-Coppola, Dominique—work Engelke, Rebecca—U. Pennsylvania Escobar, Luis— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Ethier, Carissa

F

Falzon, Tevin— The Winchendon School Fanelli, Daniel—U. Maryland Farrell, Kenneth—Mass. Bay Faulkner, Ryan Feinberg, Perry— IDC Herzliya, Israel Fernandes, Erika— Southern New Hampshire U. Fidelman, Russell—Wentworth Filipov, Kiril—UMass Amherst Fisher, Adam— Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Fisher, Eleanor—Lesley Forman, Daniel—Northeastern Foust, David Fox, Skylar—Brown Froehlich, Tatiana-Liza—Bentley

G

Galpert, Aviva—UMass Amherst Gannon, Caleb—UMass Amherst Gansler, Jeremy—U. Vermont Gao, Helen—U. Chicago Gargas, Anna—year off Gary, Mercer—Smith Gentile, Megan—Ohio Wesleyan Gilbert, Rebecca—Washington U. Gillis, Margaret—Georgetown Gilman, Simona—Tufts Gittleman, Johanna—Tufts Glantz, Matthew—Nichols Glasser, Jacob— U. Colorado at Boulder Gluzov, Denys—Bunker Hill Godoy, Josseline— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Goldberg, Ellen—Brown Goldberg, Nicole—Emory Goldman, Julia Goldman, Marissa— Rhode Island School of Design Goldman, Matthew— Mass. College of Liberal Arts Goldman, Sarah—Westfield State Goldstone, Derek—UMass Amherst Gombosi, Anne—U. Vermont Gomes, Bruna– Sacred Heart Gomez, Melissa—Mass. Bay Gooley, Dana—American Gore, David—Yale Graf, Alexander—Regis Grannan, Zachary— U. California at San Diego Greenberg, Allison—U. Delaware Griffin, Ryan—Mass. Bay Gudema, Eleana—Emerson Gulotta, Emily—Wheaton Gurvits, Jeremy— U. Maryland at College Park

On the sideline: Seniors cheer on the Tigers as they come from behind to defea

Congratulat Class o H

Halin, Philip—year off Hall, Kewon—Mass. Bay Hallock, Cyrus—Drew Harney, William—Union Harris, Rebecca—year off Hart, Tylor Heng, Samnang— Rochester Institute of Technology Heroun, Nicolas Herrlich, Hannah—Eugene Lang Holcomb, Matthew Hollister, Mackenzie— U. Wisconsin at Madison Howard, Jenna—UMass Boston Huang, Isabella— Maryland Institute College of Art Huang, Kelly— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Hunt, Briana—Franklin Pierce Hurwitz, Evelyn—Bryant Hutchinson, Emily— U. New Hampshire Hyde, Emma

I

Igumba, James—Mass. Bay Ingram, Jr., Mark—Clark

J

Jackson, Jr., Darryl— Johnson and Wales Jafri, Syed-Rafay—UMass Boston Jameson-Dudu, Rolli—Daniel Webster Jepsen, Kyle—Lasell Jessico, Matthew— Universal Technical Institute Jewett, Melissa—Saint Anselm Jin, Qiu Ye—UMass Amherst

Jordan, Darris—Emmanuel Justice-Moote, Jaryd—Dalhousie

K

Kaertner, Anna—MIT Kahhale, Ramzy—Skidmore Kalow, Jared—Pomona Kamisher-Koch, Myles—Middlebury Karabchievsky, Daniel Kelleher, Caitlyn—Framingham State Kelly, Emily—Salem State King, Amanda—Bard King, Dylon—UMass Boston King, Kenneth King, Seth—McGill Kinsella, Samuel—Wentworth Knotts, Zachary—U. Maryland Koch, Austin Kramer, Jessica—Brandeis Krasker, Kyle—Northeastern Krasnow, Eric—Cornell Krieger, Nathan—Dean

L

Lamas, Nathane Lamisere, Tamara Land, Sasha—U. Michigan Laniado, Edan—Muhlenberg Laredo, Matthew—Syracuse LaRosee, Nicole—Bryant Leader, Emma—U. Arizona Lechiaro, Jamie—Mass. Bay Lee, Chloe—UMass Amherst Lee, Miriam—Boston Conservatory Lehman, Jennifer Leone, Cristina—Merrimack Leung, Tiffany—UMass Amherst Lew, James—Union Lewis, Katherine—Boston College Lewis, Samantha—Keene State Li, Anita—Wellesley

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 23

une 7, 2011

O

O’Donovan, Fionnuala—McGill O’Dowd, Marilyn—U. Connecticut O’Neil, Rory—Norwich Obinna, Felicia Otsuka, Maxwell—UMass Amherst

P

Jacob Schwartz

at South 9-7 at Albermarle Field Thursday, May 26, in the DePeter Cup.

tions to the of 2011 Lichtman, Ezra—Brown Liebendorfer, Andrew— Case Western Reserve Lin, Carissa—Mount Holyoke Link, Nicholas—Rice Lob, Lauren—UMass Boston London, Elizabeth Looper, Pierre––U. British Columbia Lowe, Gregory––military Lu, QingYun––Dartmouth Luce, Ashley––Framingham State

M

MacGaffey, John––Northwestern Mackenzie, Jillian––Bunker Hill MacWilliams, Madeleine––Kalamazoo Magidson, Shanie Mahoney, Emma––Boston College Majewski, Samuel––Bryant Malloy, Kevin––Lasell Maman, Jacob––UMass Amherst Mann, Brody––Arizona State Markogiannakis, Elektra Markson, Jeremy––Williams Marshall, Alexa––Oberlin Martins, Olivia––UMass Amherst Marzilli, Andrea––SUNY Binghamton Matama, Tamara––Lasell Mayer, Alexander––year off Mazur-Warren, Lucy––Muhlenberg McAuliffe, Zachary––U. Vermont McCain, Taylor––Regis McCarty, Peter––Arizona State McCoy, Michael––work McDade, Cory––Framingham State McDade, Taylor––Roger Williams McGlame, Andrew McInnes, Rosemary––Bryn Mawr McIntosh-Case, Brennan––Hampshire McIntyre, Kelly–– U. Hartford Hartt School of Music McKrill, Johnathan––Plymouth State

McLaughlin, John––Clemson McNamara, Gabrielle––Sacred Heart McNeil, Stephen Mead, Sarah––Plymouth State Medina, Eduardo Mejia, Cassandra Melnick, Samuel––Syracuse Mijailovic, Ana––Boston University Miller, Rachel––U. Rhode Island Mironov, Alex––Middlesex Mirrer, Victoria––Temple Monge, Joshua Moore-Jenkins, Craig–– Johnson and Wales Morgan, Jr., Jose Morgan, Joseph––Bentley Morris, Erica Mosca, Lucas––Framingham State Mostafavi Abdolmaleky, Sabaseyedeh— Suffolk Mychal, Devon–– U. Southern California Myhill, Jesse––Vassar

N

Nadolny, Jessica—Mass. Bay Nathwani, Gina––Boston University Negrobard, Kamisha—Bunker Hill Nelin, Samuel— Worcester Polytechnic Institute Nesgos, Phoebe–– Rhode Island School of Design Newman, Nathan–– Franklin and Marshall Newton, Richard––Westfield State Ngo, Louis Nickerson, Sean––Roger Williams Nitkin, Benjamin—Lafayette Nunberg, Sarah—Roger Williams Nune, Sindi—UMass Amherst

Packer, Uri Paikowsky, Tamar Paiva, Joseph—Johnson and Wales Pan, Wei Kuang—Boston College Panaggio, William—U. Vermont Paone, Gina—Boston University Pappas, Alexandra—Boston University Park, Jieun— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Services Parker, Jessica Parker, Marcus—Roanoke Patel, Juhi— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Science Paul, Gabriel—George Washington Peirce, Benjamin Penn, Isaiah—U. New Hampshire Pereira, Shirley—Merrimack Perez-Dietz, Gabriela—Skidmore Perides, Andrew Perkins, James—St. Mary’s Perkins, Timothey—St. Mary’s Perry, Madeline— Olin College of Engineering Petitti, Alexander Phillips, Justin—U. Hartford Pike, Amber—work Pincus, Jessica—UMass Dartmouth Pinkhasov, Omar—Suffolk Plati, Jr., Jacob— Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Plotkin, Rani—year off Polci, Alexander—Middlesex Polci, Benjamin—Merrimack Posno, Sanne—Hofstra Polonsky, Natalie Pospishil, James—U. Vermont Powley, Martina Pressley, Christina—Wheelock Proia, David—Johnson and Wales Puglisi, Jahlil Pulcini, Gabriella—Framingham State Pursley, Meghan—Vanderbilt

Q Qendro, Elisabet—Cornell Quach, Bonnie— Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Quatromini, Kevin Quigley, Samuel—McGill Quinn, Kayla—Coastal Carolina Quintiliani, Adrianna—Sacred Heart

R

Rangel, Whitney Rankins, Jashawn—Becker Ranti, Daniel—Northwestern Rao, Christopher— Fashion Institute of Technology Reed, Rebecca—Mount Holyoke Regensburg, Eric— College of Charleston Ren, Amy—Dartmouth Rensing, Rachel—U. Toronto Reuman, Monica—Ursinus Ribner, Lauren––Boston University Richardson, Daisy––Champlain Robinson, Andre–– Rochester Institute of Technology Rodman, Benjamin––Tulane Rosenberg, Benjamin––year off Rosenberg, Xue––U. Vermont Rosenblatt, Benjamin–– Boston University Rosenthal, Jake––U. New Hampshire Rosman, Yonah––Temple Rossi, Leah––Colby Sawyer Rozhansky, Lior––UMass Amherst Rozman, Zev––military Ruby, Elizabeth––High Point Rudzka, Julia––UMass Amherst Russo, Fiona Ryan, Thomas

S

Salvucci, Daniel––UMass Dartmouth Santana, Nicholas Scheuerell, Ella––Tilton Prep School Schon, Hannah––U. Michigan Schwartz, Benjamin––Washington U. Segal, Edward––Dean Sellke, Nicholas––UMass Amherst Shane, Jacob—U. Vermont Shapiro, Micah Sharma, Gauri–– Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Shi, Andrew––Skidmore Shin, Dong Gil Silva, Kevin Simko, Amelia––Franklin Pierce Simmons, Jesse––U. San Francisco Slabicki, Veronica––NYU Smith, Joey–– American School for the Deaf Sobieraj, Jocelyn––Oberlin Sockwell, Flannery––Yale Sodder, Anita––Villanova Spitaels, Allison–– Mass. College of Art and Design Strakus, Christopher–– Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Strange, Christopher–– Boston University Stukalov, Alexandr–– Wentworth Institute of Technology Sullivan, Jennifer––Lasell Sullivan, Kyle–– Rochester Institute of Technology Sweeney, Taylor––Coastal Carolina Sweet, Nathaniel–– Worcester Polytechnic Institute Swerling, Ross–– Rochester Institute of Technology Swomley, Elizabeth–– U. Colorado at Boulder

T

Taber-Simonian, Peter––Mass. Bay Tabib, Daniel–– Southern New Hampshire U. Tack, Benjamin––Indiana U. Tarnower, Lydia Teasdale, Georgina––Union Terman, Stacey––MIT Thibeault, Eva Thomas, Elizabeth––UMass Amherst Tirado, Jacqueline—Suffolk Torracinta, Remi––Cornell Triest, Patrick––Grinnell Troy, Marissa––U. Rhode Island Troy, Michele––U. Rhode Island Tucci, Anthony

V

Ventouris, Nikolas— Wentworth Institute of Technology Victor, Matthew––Syracuse Vincent, Doris––Wheelock Viscomi, Gianluca—college prep Vo, John––U. Hawaii at Manoa Vo, Max––UMass Boston Vukadinov, Angel

W

Waxman, Matthew––year off Webber, Lucas–– The College of Wooster Wedekind, Brendon––Mass. Bay Weidenbach, Alyssa—Mass. Bay Weinstein, Sienna––U. Vermont Weitzman, Edward––Swarthmore Wen, Sarah––Western New England Wenneker, Theodore––Washington U. Weyman, Zuzanna––Hampshire Whittum, Philip––U. Rhode Island Wilker, Olivia––Boston University Wilson, Andrew–– College of William and Mary Winik, Joshua––Tulane Winograd, Daniel Wolfe, Abigail–– Rhode Island School of Design Wolfe, Sarah––UMass Amherst Wolff, Dylan––Boston College Wu, Peter––year off Wu, Yangjun––Boston College

X

Xian, Lilly––U. Vermont Xible, Melanie

Y

Yee, Christopher–– Mass. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Yelen, Joanna––UMass Amherst York, Katelyn––UMass Dartmouth Yunen, Thalia––SUNY/Stony Brook

Z

Zabchuk, Brian––Lasell Zabrecky, Kevin––Emerson Zagame, Anthony––Curry Zegarelli, Michael––Mass. Bay Zhang, Evan––Dartmouth HILARY BRUMBERG, MALINI GANDHI, AMANDA HILLS, JACOB SCHWARTZ, PERRIN STEIN AND FATEMA ZAIDI

COORDINATED BY

24 â—† Newtonite, Newton North

advertisements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!

Best wishes as you embark on new opportunities and adventures!

Claudia and Charlie Wu Congratulations, Teddy!

Newton Community Education Keep Learning with NCE this summer Classes for high schoolers: Driver's Ed (four one-week intensive sessions) SAT Prep classes College Essay-Writing Class NEW: Circuit Training sessions

We love you, Ellie, Max, Mom, Dad and Molly

Lots of week-long summer programs for younger kids ages 4-14 Classes for adults too!

Check out our complete course selection at www.newtoncommunityed.org or call 617-559-6999

Subscribe to the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

graduation issue

Senior Statements Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 25

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Maintain this school’s traditions, show Tiger Pride It seems so typical of me to say that Newton North is unique and that my high school is the best of the best.

I am not one who enjoys being typical––I try my best to be unique. Newton North has taught me the most important thing: to be unique.

I will not say that everything works out well for you if you are unique. In order to be unique, there will most likely be some bad things and hopefully to cancel out the bad things, some good things are included as well.

I have cried because of playoff losses for the North basketball team, and I have also been seen in an American flag jumpsuit at basketball games. I designed a T-shirt for our grade junior year without any help or

guidance from the school, and I had to spend my senior year watching my old school get torn to shreds. I have made a countless number of friends, and I did not get to spend my senior year with three friends.

I have worn a suit on a Friday and used the excuse of it being Fancy Friday when people asked why I was wearing it. I have rented out dancehalls and had parties strictly for business reasons. I went through the most brutal process just so we seniors could have nicknames on the back of our shirts, and I did not get lost in the old or the new school.

I have walked down Main Street, and I have walked around Tiger Drive. I have eaten my lunch on Hull Street and on the new football field (and I

had to listen to people call it a multi-purpose field). I have been kicked off Main Street by Mosca at the old school, and I have been kicked out of The View by Staulo at the new school.

These events that have all happened within my four years of high school are a huge mix of events that only happen to very few.

Usually the stories are about people being prom king, hitting a 3-pointer to win their basketball game or being involved with the hardest play to get a role in.

But kids at North have better stories––stories you do not hear everyday.

There have been three different superintendents, two mayors, two schools, one principal, one Michael Bennington and one Class of 2011 during

my four years at Newton North, and no matter how hard a school will try, no school can match the uniqueness of Newton North.

No grade can match the uniqueness of the Class of 2011.

And no person will match the uniqueness of Michael Bennington.

I wish the best to the future of Newton North High School.

I would like to thank every teacher, custodian, student, housemaster, campus aide, coach, secretary and counselor who has been a part of my ride here at Newton North.

To all of those students who remain at Newton North, please remember that tradition and pride makes Newton North the best, so be unique, make more traditions and show your pride.

Newtonian

Michael Bennington To the Class of 2011, I believe that we will win.

—MICHAEL BENNINGTON

Make extra-curricular activities a high priority Well, it’s 12:30 a.m., and I have no idea where to start.

Yeah, I used to be a freshman, I guess. I remember those awkward days. The days of BroHammer, Vig and Craig-O in the cluster. It’s been a very long four years, and I’m finally about to graduate. I’ve learned a lot at this school, and I don’t just mean in my classes. Sure I learned a lot of “stuff” here, but I’ve had a lot of experiences here, too. (Well, most of them in the old school).

Coming to Newton as a commuting student, I’ve had to adjust a lot. Not just physically, i.e. waking up earlier, but also mentally.

Newton is very different from Foxboro. While I don’t agree with everything that goes on in Newton, I’ve learned to have a healthy respect for the values that are upheld. I hope this doesn’t offend too many people,

file photo

Joshua Brooks but when I first came to North I used to use “gay” and “faggot” as insults fluently throughout my daily conversations. I had never really thought about why I used those words and how

they can truly hurt people. I’m at a point now where I have a great respect for the LGBT community, and those words have been fully removed from my vocabulary.

North is definitely a special place. It’s a trade school, but it also has high academic standards. It’s a school with recordholding athletes, but it also has an award-winning music program. There is truly a place for everyone.

Most of my fellow students know me by my slightly crazy antics and my involvement in Graphic Communications, but that’s only part of my involvement here at North.

I’ve been deeply involved with Theatre Ink, the Family Singers, carpentry and even basketball. At North, anyone has the opportunity to pursue anything they desire. There are so many amazing programs

Passion should lead your life About four years ago, I walked into Newton North as Adam Fisher the blank freshman. Now, I prepare to walk out of Newton North as ShAdOw_LaNcE, a man ready for college, a man willing to speak his mind, a man who will be forevermore known as the DotA guy!

But how, how is this possible?

Well, aside from my natural maturing as a member of the human race, it was taking in four years of the Newton North Experience (NNE).

My NNE will always be in my memory: start, finish and everything in between. I am thankful for everything I have learned, done and experienced and for better or worse, wouldn’t change a thing. That does not mean everything was always fun and chipper––obviously things got tough on occasion. But now that I’ve stepped out the other side, I’m just that much wiser and prepared for the future.

I wish to share a few of the lessons I learned, and hopefully either introduce something new to you or affirm an already existing belief. Take and leave what you want but regardless, prepare yourself! These are the lessons learned by Adam “ShAdOw_LaNcE” Fisher.

First and foremost, have fun.

In every class I’ve ever taken at North, I’ve done whatever I can to lighten the mood and make it as enjoyable as possible, regard-

less of what it takes.

Because of my attempt to have fun, work became less intimidating and difficult, my teachers have been more approachable, and I’ve learned the science behind how to make people laugh (whether that be at me or with me).

Secondly, where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you didn’t know, ShAdOw_LaNcE is my gamer name, and that’s what it will always be. Why I bring this up is because it’s an identity I have obtained from starting the DotA club.

I didn’t want to play school sports, act in a show or perform in a musical group, I wanted to game. I went through half a dozen teachers, three or four computer labs, a sizeable number of applications and various trials to make it happen.

I had the will, and there are now over two dozen members of DotA club to prove it’s success.

Thirdly, not enough teenagers know about esports! Here’s some shameless promotion: esports—no joke—is professional level gaming. 45 percent of you who just read this just thought, “esports? You can’t be serious.”

40 percent of you just thought, “I guess I can believe that… it’s probably boring though.”

13 percent of you just thought, “esports, sounds interesting.”

And to you, you wonderful

file photo

Adam Fisher 2 percent, just thought, “esports ftw!!! I <3 taht 1337ness!”

(Don’t believe me about esports?

Google it). If you couldn’t tell: I have a passion for gaming.

Connected to that is my final lesson: fourth, and most importantly of all, follow your passion and be proud. Take it from me, people have laughed at how I spend my time: DotA, Heroes of Newerth, Starcraft 2 and now recently yoyos. Rather than collapse under negative feedback, crush it with conviction about how strongly you feel and prove how important it is.

And with that, GLHF with your lives! (Good luck, have fun.)

—ADAM FISHER

here––you just have to go get involved.

If I could give one piece of advice to all the underclassmen, it’d be this: don’t get too stressed out. Some stress is all right, but too much will just drive you nuts. If you aren’t prepared for Osipenko’s chem test, don’t sweat it. It’s not the end of the world. If you forgot to do your homework for Jobe’s French class, honestly, it really doesn’t matter later on.

Now, I’m not telling you to boycott homework and never study for tests, but if you mess up once in a while, it’s okay.

Stuff like the SATs are important, and you should take them seriously, but if you can’t break past the mark you set for yourself after the third try, don’t worry.

Whatever you do, make sure you enjoy your time here at North. In the words of Kenny

Chesney: “Don’t blink.

Just like that you’re six years old, and you take a nap, and you wake up, and you’re twenty-five, and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.

Don’t blink.”

Make sure you enjoy your time at North because when it’s over, it’s over.

I’d like to give a personal shout out to some of my friends here at North, Mr. Daniel Anderson who truly made this last year at North spectacular.

I’m very proud to have worked with him in Graphics and to have cheered with him at Tiger basketball games.

I’d also like to thank Tom, JonPaul and Marlene who have made me feel at home in Graphics. Lastly, I’d like to thank my mother for putting up with me for the past 18 years.

—JOSHUA BROOKS

Abby, Congratulations on a job well done!

We’re very proud of you!

Good luck at RISD! Love, Mom, Dad and Zach

26 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

advertisement

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam.

And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you’re far from home.

And may you grow to be proud, dignified and true.

And do unto others as they’d have done to you. Be courageous and be brave.

May good fortune be with you, may your guiding light be strong.

And when you finally fly away, I’ll be hoping that I served you well.

For all the wisdom of a lifetime no one can ever tell.

But whatever road you choose, we’re behind you win or lose.

Advertise in the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

senior statements

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 27

Beginnings, endings help you discover yourself I am fascinated by beginnings and endings. I can’t really explain why. I guess it might have to do with my love of theatre.

As a director, I know the impact beginnings and endings can have. If you start “A Streetcar Named Desire,” to name a play we all know, with an abrupt “lights up” and Stanley’s first line, it may not transport the audience the way a bluesy saxophone solo in the light of a streetlamp might.

Despite this directorial understanding, I have never felt the impact of beginning and ending something as strongly as I have as an actor.

To enter, to live in a moment for a short period of time and then to exit, leaving little trace of where you were, is such a strange phenomenon. It’s hard to put your finger on it.

The best example I can think of is my experience acting this year in “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Derek Butterton and Mercer Gary. Each

night of the show, I would duck beneath the boardwalk that made up the set, terrified of the audience that was just beyond the green mesh curtain in front of me.

And, on cue, I would enter.

Light beamed down, and I was not living my life anymore. I was living the life of Eurydice’s father. This life moved quickly each night. I would feel love and hate and joy and fear and hardly be able to stop to catch my breath.

Before I knew it, I would be standing on the bank of the River of Forgetfulness, my character ’s journey nearing its end.

Once the father steps in this river, he sleeps forever and cannot remember anything. The river itself was built brilliantly

by NNHS’s astounding stage crew to actually hold hundreds of gallons of water. So, props to them.

Anyway, I was to finish my line and lie back in the river, allowing myself to be soaked.

Newtonian

Skylar Fox Each night, as I did, I felt a wave of freezing cold water pour over me, and I had to steel myself and bite my tongue to keep from visibly shaking from the chill.

It was here that I had to remain still for the last 10 minutes of the show, freezing my butt off in a soaking wet suit while the white hairspray I was wearing

bled out of my hair.

While I lay there, I became myself again and began to reflect on the evening’s performance.

Did the audience get my jokes? Were they crying or were they just bored? I could never remember.

Then, Rosie McInnes, who played Eurydice, would lie down in the river, sending a miserable wave of arctic-cold over my body. So, that was fun.

On the last night of the show, though, I noticed something strange.

As usual, I lay back in the river, and my character drifted away. But I wasn’t quite myself.

I mean, I was, but I was changed somehow. I had grown and learned, and there I was, someone entirely different.

I felt wonderful and new.

And then, Eurydice got into the river, sending a terrible cold wave over my momentarily warm body, and the feeling went away.

We are all now lying in a

river. Imagine it, as stupid as it sounds. You are lying in a man-made onstage river in your clothes, colder than the old building in June.

And you can see yourself at the beginning of all this, entering through a green mesh curtain into blinding lights. And you can see yourself now. And you see how you are the same.

However, you also can see how you’ve changed. Capture that. Eurydice is going to get into the river soon, and you will freeze again, and the lights will go down and come up again, and you will smile and bow and exit and towel off backstage.

But, before that happens, if you can see that change, if you can beat the River of Forgetfulness, then it was all worth it.

You don’t need to end with a s h o w - s t o p p i n g n u m b e r.

Blanche’s triumphant exit on the arm of a true gentleman is enough. Just so long as your ending gives your beginning meaning. That’s all.

—SKYLAR FOX

Make sure to enjoy friends, Become involved do not rush into applications wherever you can Freshman year I walked into the old North and found my ‘color ’ where I would spend the next three years’ worth of lunch times.

Sophomore year I met my favorite teacher, who showed me that a perfect combination of fear and faith inspires students to perform extraordinary feats.

Junior year I wrote the longest paper I had ever written, about my favorite subject: college. From then on, my life revolved around one idea: the perfect university.

I took the traditional tour of potential schools, driving as far as Princeton and staying as close as BU. I began to assess all of my accomplishments and failures on a scale from ‘bad for a college applicant’ to ‘good for a college applicant.’

A bit of advice: DO NOT be me. Never try to put yourself into the framework of a perfect college applicant––it is not worth it.

Instead, start the process early, work gradually and leave a ton of time in your

senior year to enjoy your life and your final months with your high school friends.

A message to the Class of 2011: Well, what can I say, y’all rock. We’ve gone through a lot as a class, and we’ve been an interesting group.

I have to say, you’ve made me proud, not that that means much.

For once, I’m not looking at the list of colleges we’re all headed to, and I’m not paying much attention to the awards and such that y’all have won but rather the connections you’ve made between each other.

It sounds corny, I know, but that doesn’t make it a lie. I can’t count the number of Facebook groups I’m part of that are devoted to gathering seniors together for this and that. I guess I have to thank Mark Zuckerburg for helping to bring us together even after 3 p.m.

I hope that our class can come together again in 10 years or so. By then, who knows, we might have our own Mark Zuckerburg or a Bill Gates in our midst.

We are all destined for some

Newtonian

Simona Gilman fantastic thing in our future.

So let’s take this country and this world by storm and make it a better place to live in for everyone! But never forget that you were once a little freshman, waiting to step into the scary world of high school.

As we prepare to do it all over again, keep in mind that the friends you make now will stay with you forever.

—SIMONA GILMAN

Students protest segregation, go on strike against the Vietnam War and Kent State. Senator Ted Kennedy speaks to the school.

The SFA and School Committee reaffirm students’ rights to freedom of expression, following a decision by the Supreme Court.

Students and teachers from the U.S.S.R. come to North in the first exchange in the country between a secondary school and the Soviet Union.

Students on the Chinese exchange witness the Tiananmen Square protests. Students and staff march to the Newton Armory to demonstrate against the Gulf War. Newton North students have a tradition of standing up for their rights and the rights of others. They test limits, challenge narrow-mindedness, encourage and lead each other.

When it was time to leave the old North, parents, teachers and alumni came forward with amazing stories of student, as well as faculty, dedication.

We have an opportunity to make ourselves heard like they did. History is being made right now, even though you might not realize it. Pay attention to the

Newtonian

Dana Gooley news. Have an assembly about current events. Talk to other students. Invite alumni to speak about their experiences at the old North. Ask your teachers about things other than homework.

Eventually our beautiful new school will come down. Since I’m graduating, I’ve lost my chance to make a mark on the school. You all haven’t. Take my advice, or at least some of it, and get involved.

—DANA GOOLEY

For better or worse, change is part of high school There has not been a greater four year period in my 18 years of life in which I have undergone more change, than I have here at Newton North High School.

Elementary school, sure you grow a few inches year by year.

And of course, there’s the obligation to change the color of one’s Solo pants daily in middle school.

But to my fellow seniors, I guarantee that if you were to reflect back upon your little freshman self, you would recall that vague memory of entering Main Street and staring that long unwinding road down for the first time, intimidated and scared. Yes, that, freshman.

Now, that freshman is most likely a completely different person than wherever it is you may stand today.

Change is woven throughout the course of a high school ca-

reer. It is inevitable and entirely unavoidable.

Some of this change is good: receiving a driver ’s license, having a later curfew, earning one’s own money, buying better clothes, realizing you are able to actually carry out an intelligent conversation with an adult.

Then, of course, the change that might not necessarily be labeled as “good”: there’s a heavier workload, a greater amount of pressure, taking the SATs, realizing that you are suddenly supposed to act responsible and a series of things I am probably not allowed to submit to the Newtonite.

Class of 2011, we probably have had to deal with a greater amount of change than most other graduating classes have ever been or will ever have to go through.

Through Newton parents’

file photo

Hannah Herlich eyes, we were rescued from a pile of crappy, old, smelly, disease-infected bricks and relocated to a state-of-the-art

21st century palace, complete with interactive whiteboards and all. On the other side of the stick, however, stands the majority of the senior class. We know the truth!

We were ripped from a school bursting with life and color and relocated to where? An office building? A hospital? I wouldn’t know—I spend the minimal amount of time in the building that I can get away with.

We also will not be rotating our tassels and tossing our caps in the air in June with as many people from our class as we would like.

Friends dear and close to our hearts are no longer with us for an assortment of reasons that still make absolutely zero sense to me. Yet all of these things we experience in high school help to build and shape this strange and confusing path we start to

come across as we approach adulthood.

Each laugh and tear, each scream of joy and scream of rage, each “Holy Havahd!” and “Oh Yaaaaaaaa,” has defined the people we are today.

And if there is one thing I am to take with me from high school, it would be the ability to accept this change.

From here on out, life will be changing quite rapidly, but I am quite confident that every senior will be able to handle these life changes with ease. I know this because we are a class compiled of leaders, followers, brainiacs, jocks, pranksters, hippies, rockers, preps, whatever it may be, but we also have a whole ton of heart. We have more heart in our fingernails than ’010 had in their entire grade. And that is not a fiction.

—HANNAH HERLICH

senior statements

28 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Graduate with no regrets, look towards the future Halfway through junior year, I forgot my locker combination.

It was the day after February break. Too ashamed to bother the custodians, I just left it locked, letting the few binders and packs of gum stay there for the rest of the year.

Now it’s demolished. The chance of me getting back whatever was left is a snowball’s chance in hell. It is among the ruins of the first high school that we had to leave behind.

Do I regret not opening that locker one last time? Not at all.

That one locker is a metaphor for all the experiences and things I could have had at Newton North.

The past four years of Newton North have been a whirlwind I can barely encapsulate in a few paragraphs. So, the

best way I can sum up my high school experience comes from a saying that used to be plastered around the old Dickinson field: No regrets.

A few weeks ago, right around when college decisions were coming out, I started making a mental list of all the things I wish I had done. Pretty soon, I realized how silly this was. High school is practically over, and we cannot change the time that we have spent here.

What has happened over the past four years, in the building at 360 Lowell Avenue and the building at 457 Walnut Street, has passed. We will never be able to go back in time and re-live the past four years with the retrospective wisdom. The lockers that we kept locked can never be re-opened. We can

Newtonian

Jared Kalow never again pass through the dark, winding corridors of the old building and admire the mu-

rals. We can never experience the rapid temperature changes as we traverse the school. We can never again walk down the red-brick Main Street. All we can do is accept the joy and the tragedy that we have lived through between September 2007 and today.

There are plenty of lockers that I left locked, not just that one in dark green. But there is no point in remembering what could have been and what should have been. What we can do now is to celebrate what we have achieved and move forward.

I’ll be the first one to admit it: I’m burnt out of high school.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Newton North is a place of unimaginable opportunities.

I took advantage of as many

opportunities as I could, and I do not look back and wish I had done something else.

Newton North has given me, and the rest of the Class of 2011, all the tools to succeed as we move on to the next stages of our lives. The most important things that I’ve taken away from the whole shabang are to take advantage of every opportunity, never take anything for granted and most importantly, never look back.

The last four years at this school made me more than proud to be a Newton North Tiger and a member of the Class of 2011. We’ve been through a lot, but we are stronger than ever and finishing four fantastic years together. Congratulations!

—JARED KALOW

Do not let high school opportunities pass you by When Mr. Mitchell, my Latin teacher for my first two years at North and one of my favorite people ever, passed away in the middle of our sophomore year, I came to a realization: life is short.

People always say that, but as a teenager, the days seem like they last 30 hours, not 24, and a week seems like a month, not seven days.

Once I experienced this loss, however, I realized how true this was. Mr. Mitchell did not miss one day of class our freshman year (much to our chagrin because all we wanted was one day free of conjugation and translation), and he was more in shape and healthy than anyone

I knew.

In one night, he could swim the entire length of a lake, run a marathon and still have time to read The Odyssey for the hundredth time (in the original ancient Greek of course).

He seemed like the picture of health, until he unfortunately got sick and passed.

His death taught me that there is no time like the present, and if I wanted to do something, I had to go get it for myself.

Up until then, I had been too self-conscious to do what I wanted. I was a member of a couple clubs, but I would only attend meetings, not actively participate. I rarely talked if I was not called on in class.

As teenagers, we are naturally self-conscious and think that people are staring at us and critiquing every little thing we do. Newsflash: they are not!

With my realization that life, as well as high school, goes by quickly if you are not paying attention, I decided to focus on what I wanted to do and achieve. I spoke up and actively participated, and I felt that I was actually contributing something meaningful.

What I challenge you to do as high school progresses or college looms is to try focusing on yourself and what makes you happy and excited because the only person you have to please at the end of the day is

Discover your true identity What is a high school? I’ll give you a minute...most of you reading this probably think it’s a stupid question. “Everyone knows what a high school is, moron!” One of you might say.

Another one of you might say, “A high school is a school, especially in the United States, usually including grades 9–12 or 10–12” because that’s the definition given in the MerriamWebster dictionary.

But, let’s take a moment to really think about this extremely difficult question. Allow me to assist you.

A high school is a place where a kid can walk in, clueless and perhaps still slightly unfortunate-looking from the treacherous middle school years and become a freshman.A freshman with an amusement park of opportunities ahead of them.

They walk into the school on the first day, completely unaware of the kind of individuals they will become as seniors. Completely unaware of the indulgent faculty members that were hired and endless course opportunities that were designed for the sole purpose of guiding them on their journey to find themselves. Sounds kind of like a hallmark moment to me.

Some of you might be saying, “That’s the corniest thing I’ve ever read.” However, a certain level of “corniness” is necessary, in fact, required, when describing such important and valuable aspects of one’s life.

Most psychologists will tell you that the main aspect of one’s personality that developes during the high school years is identity. This powerful description of oneself is incredibly poignant, and finding this “identity” can be extremely difficult.

However, there are teachers, friends and family available to

Newtonian

Edan Laniado assist with this task and offer you a familiar question: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” A very troubling question.

Most people have no idea what they want to do when they grow up, and high school is a place where people are expected to have no answer to that question. In fact, it is even harder to answer because of the plethora of opportunities laid out from day one.

These opportunities are what make high school unique. It is a place where everyone can find their niche.

Of course, there are times when the last thing you want to be doing is solving an algebraic equation, but it is this knowledge that helps your brain develop a sense of what you enjoy and what you do not enjoy.

A place where one can grow from being an immature freshman, confused about most things, to being a successful, knowledgeable senior with a whole life ahead of them.

And not only that, but a brain full of memories and relationships with individuals unlike any other that will always be treasured. That to me is not what any old high school is.

That to me is what Newton North High School is.

So now let’s go back to the question: what is a high school?

I think Merriam-Webster dictionary already answered the question for us. What MerriamWebster fails to define, however, is Newton North High School.

And here I am now, a senior at Newton North High School, with my own definition.

Newton North High School is a place where academics and social experience go hand-in-hand in the development of growth, opportunity, individuality and of course, sustenance of the human spirit!

—EDAN LANIADO

Congratulations, Rachel!

Knock 'em dead in Toronto.

–Mom, Dad, Jordan and Ethan

yourself.

If you want to join the Science Team or dye your hair purple, do it! Tell the class about your opinion of Daisy in The Great Gatsby or try out for the musical because to be honest, you have nothing to lose.

You’ll regret it more if you don’t try than if you do and don’t do well. Newton North has so many opportunities, and you shouldn’t miss out on them because you’re scared of failure. You never know where life is going to take you, but what you can control is the present, so why not take advantage of this great school and all it has to offer?

—SASHA LAND

Newtonian

Sasha Land

Congratulations Joseph on all that you have achieved!

We are very proud of you!

Good luck at Bentley!

We love you, Mom, Dad, Nicholas, Robert, Steven and Giulia

Congratulations to

Emily Gulotta You’ve earned it!

Love, Mom and Dad

senior statements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 29

Go with the flow, take advantage of opportunity You never know what kind of experience you are going to leave with when you enter that dark cave on your first day of high school. Well, most high schools aren’t as dark, damp and windowless as the old building, but you know what I mean.

You walk in that first day with hopes, dreams, expectations, fears, desires and memories of life.

What you don’t realize is that when you cross over that threshold, you are ending life as you know it. It is about to get waaayyy better.

The adults in the world always talk about how important it is to get involved in high

school. What they don’t realize is how hard it is to not get involved in something. Whether it be swimming, DotA, TA-ing, Ultimate Frisbee or just chilling with friends, everybody is involved with something.

People I know often say, “Life is a river, you have to go with the flow.” Despite how cliché it sounds, these people are extremely right.

High school is a maze of choices and decisions. You never know what’s ahead, so you have to take the good with the bad and learn to get something out of both.

I entered North with a set place in one of the first plays to be produced by Theatre Ink

file photo

Jamie Lew

that year.

In the winter, I joined the swim team, hoping to use it as cross-training for lacrosse. At that point in my life, I was set with focusing on theater and lacrosse for the next four years.

I never expected that I would drop both and end up managing girls’ swim team and being the captain of the boys’ team.

You can’t survive high school trying to stick to a plan from eighth grade. You have to make your choices and accept the changes as they come.

The best part about high school is definitely the people.

Humans are social beings and meeting people in high school is inevitable.

In retrospect, people realize that any fear of not making friends in high school is completely irrational. Heck, according to Facebook, I’ve made 596 friends.

Who knows if that number is close to legitimate or not, but the idea is that high school is meant for meeting people. You will bond with these people.

You will help them when they are down, and in return, they will do the same for you. They too will be making changes and choosing new paths just like you.

High school is an ocean of opportunity. Use it, and cherish it. Tiger Pride, baby.

—JAMIE LEW

This school teaches more than just the curriculum Yeah, I learned some stuff at Newton North.

Since September 2007, I’ve discovered that Italian, though second in uselessness only to Latin, is, without a doubt, the most enjoyable language to study here; I’ve been taught the secrets of differentiating ex; and I’ve found out that it pays to get on the good side of the hardworking men and women in the cafeteria.

And, as I near the end of my time here, I recognize that I am still ignorant of many other things—how to do long division and just what, exactly, the Nrule is, to name two of them.

But if there is anything, I hope

to carry with me out of North, besides a profound thankfulness for properly functioning temperature control systems, it is this: the thoughtfulness to appreciate my surroundings, even if the thermostat is faulty.

I cannot tell you how many days I have wished for a teacher to forget it was a long block, or how many afternoons I have ignored an athletics event occurring in the school or how many evenings I have turned down tickets to a performance of some sort.

However, as I prepare to say sayonara to high school, I realize that if I could repeat my time at North, these are the types of

Recall memories, enjoy close friends I have learned a lot while at Newton North, but I’ve also had a lot of fun. I’ve learned about solidarity and what it means to be a team. I’ve learned about trust and friendship. I’ve even learned about work and selfdiscipline.

Newton North has certainly taught me , but what I will remember most is all the good times I’ve had there.

I’ve learned so much at this school. My teachers gave me the information that I will need to get a higher education. They also gave me the skills I will need to work in an academic environment.

My friends taught me the importance of loyalty. They also taught me about the joy and value of teamwork.

Both my teachers and friends have given me the tools that I will need to mature and advance. The things I learned at North will always be with me.

Although I’ve learned a lot, I’ve also had a lot of fun at Newton North. The old Main Street is the one this I miss the most about the old building. It

file photo

Jake Maman always gave people a place to gather and talk. Whether it be for eating lunch or just to kill time, Main Street was always an excellent place to stay.

Looking back now, I can say that some of my fondest memories took place on Main Street because good friends and a nice location are really all you need to enjoy yourself.

—JAKE MAMAN

experiences I would value most highly.

Smack me if I start to sound preachy here, but there is an astounding amount of intellectual, creative, athletic and miscellaneous (don’t think I forgot you, guerrilla yo-yoers) talent at this high school, and one of the most important things I have learned at North is how to take in and marvel at the amazing things going on around me.

I do not mean to say that you should always sit and listen with rapt and unwavering attention to every detail about the ungrammatical escapades of President Warren G. Harding, or that you should go to every

Tigers’ game in Braintree and Walpole.

But I would encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you not just here at North, but everywhere you go—to try to be a little less eager to always leave.

I believe that when you are finally on the home stretch of nearly any experience, if you take the time to look around, you will long to have back some of those seemingly interminable hours that you previously wished away.

That being said, I’m out of here. Have fun still being in high school, suckers.

—EZRA LICHTMAN

file photo

Ezra Lichtman

Be confident in self, future Be forewarned that the following paragraphs may be a combination of sappy, corny, awkward and nostalgic. But nonetheless, here goes!

Oftentimes when I find myself in an uncomfortable situation, I go for a long run, blast my favorite Pandora station, make off-beat humorous comments that try desperately to come across as witty jokes or even cry into a friend’s shoulder.

But today I find myself at a very uncomfortable crossroad that I cannot run from, drown out with music or laugh away.

I have never been very good at saying goodbye, and with graduation creeping towards us, I cannot help but feel the tight knot of panic in my stomach.

And yet I also am incredibly excited for all that is in store for the future.

So instead of allowing myself the liberty to plunge into a sentimental reflection of my years at high school, as wonderful and impacting as they were, I ask you to all take a moment and ask yourselves some questions:

Newtonian

Amy Ren 1) Did I eat breakfast? Yes, it still is the most important meal of the day, and quite frankly the most delicious.

2) More importantly, when I wake up tomorrow morning, and the morning after that, (as Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon once said) will inertia be my guide, or will I follow my passions?

3) When life gets tough, will I give up or be relentless?

We’ve all been through some of

the best and the worst times, and we’re still alive and kicking—might as well go pursue some dreams!

4) When it’s Friday, will I have fun fun fun fun? I know we will today.

5) But in all seriousness, when I step out of Newton North for the last time this school year, will I be confident and ready to take on whatever is waiting for me out there? Yes, you will be.

So to the first graduating class of the new Newton North, to the students, leaders, artists, athletes, actors and actresses and beyond, to the amazing and talented Class of 2011, thank you for the most influential, motivating and exciting four years yet.

Congratulations to everyone for all that you have accomplished in the past four years.

I will miss this school immensely, the old building and the new, the teachers, coaches, directors, counselors, administrators and most of all the teeming masses of students.

—AMY REN

School community is diverse, accepting

Newtonian

Monica Reuman

I have truly loved my time at Newton North. My friends made the past four years fantastic.

But, the experiences I had in the art department and the foreign exchange program cemented my love for North.

The most life-changing thing that I experienced at North was my involvement in the foreign exchange homestay program in Guanajuato, Mexico.

I signed up on a whim, and wasn’t even interested in Spanish at the time. Upon my arrival in Mexico, I fell in love with the beautiful town, colorful houses,

smiling people and vibrant culture.

Mexico made me appreciate language and cultural diversity.

All of the people I met there and the experiences I had changed my outlook on life: I left Mexico with an appreciation of what it means to live a full life, and how happy you can be without a lot of money.

I realized how much a sense of community matters to me and how I have it at Newton North too.

In the art department, I fostered my love of painting, draw-

ing and photography.

Ms. Truant, my fabulous art teacher managed to double as a strict teacher and caring mother-figure.

I’m finishing this year painting a scene from the old Newton North building to leave in the new one.

The old building felt like a second home; it had character and was filled with memories.

The old building, like Mexico, was not pristine or picture perfect, but was filled with energy and happiness that I was excited to be around each day.

Spending senior year in the new building has been a difficult transition—if I had never known how warm and welcoming the old building felt, I might appreciate more the shiny new one for its cleanliness and novelty.

Thankfully, the Newton North community remains friendly, diverse and accepting.

Without Newton North, I would not be as well-rounded.

I would not have fallen in love with art, Spanish and the cultures and communities of Newton and Guanajuato.

—MONICA REUMAN

30 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

advertisements

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Solid Results.

Sensible Solutions.

Committed to Newton.

Congratulations from our family to yours!

David, Rebecca, Debra & Charlie Shapiro volunteer for NewtonSERVES.

t

Shapiro Re-elec

Charlie

ALDERMAN

AT- LARGE

from Ward 6

www.VoteShapiro.org Paid for by the Cmte to Elect Charlie Shapiro, Andrew Zaff, Treasurer.

Congratulations, Class of 2011!

Looking for ways to show your Tiger Pride?

Get involved with the Tiger Athletic Booster Club (TABC)! The purpose of the TABC is to: • • • • •

help promote good sportsmanship throughout the Newton North community and BUILD OUR FAN BASE BACK UP encourage student athletes to participate in the athletic program encourage the involvement of parents to enhance and enrich the athletic program at NNHS assist the athletic department in providing a safe environment for student-athletes help provide financial support for athletic programs.

We are currently seeking volunteers and committee members to work on various initiatives, including team liaisons, concessions (food as well as merchandise), website and events.

Have a good summer!

Tiger Athletic Booster Club 457 Walnut Street Newtonville, MA 02460 tigerathleticboosters@gmail.com

Advertise in the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

senior statements

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 31

Explore unique opportunities Take a moment, look back, reflect

Like many, I have had a lovehate relationship with Newton North over the past four years Hating it while trying to finish a history essay at 3 in the morning and loving it while eating lunch outside with friends on a nice spring day.

Many seniors say that it seems like only yesterday we were awkward, confused freshmen.

It’s true. Even though time has moved exceptionally slowly sometimes at Newton North, in particular the spring of Junior year, I cannot believe it has already been four years.

As seniors, we’re now grown up and wiser (supposedly), but really, we all still have freshman moments at times. And entering a new, unfamiliar school our senior year definitely has added to those freshman moments.

We learned how to get around, though and managed to make this new school our own, filled with Tiger Pride.

Newton North is an amazing school; but still, high school is hard. Even if you don’t factor in homework, APs and finals, just simply being a teenager is hard.

So, underclassmen, although I do not know if I am knowledgeable enough to give worthy advice, I do know that in order to make your time here at North as rich as possible, it is key to find your passion.

Try new things; think outside the box; you’ve heard these words a thousand times, but it

is valuable advice.

Once you find your passion, whether it may be a sport, theatre, community service, fashion, debate, Career/Vocational Technical Education or even watching movies, stick with it.

Yes, it will look good on your college applications, but more importantly, it will make your experience at North that much greater.

North has an incredible amount of opportunities in terms of teams, clubs and even connections with outside internships and programs.

Take advantage of these opportunities—apathy isn’t an option.

To those of you who will be applying to college in the next few years, you have my sympathies. It is a grueling and stressful process.

I understand the pressures of doing certain extra-curricular activities and studying certain subjects for the sake of college.

We all have done it.

However, please don’t limit yourselves. Give yourself plenty of options though—if possible, have an alternative plan to college as well.

This is especially important to rising seniors, the Class of 2012: it’s hard to think about, but be prepared for the worstcase scenario. Don’t dwell on it, but if applying to college, apply to more “safeties ” and “targets” than “reaches.”

Also, make sure that every school you apply to—especially

Newtonian

Jocie Sobieraj your safety schools—is one that you love.

To do this, you need to take time to research your schools.

Hint: make an appointment at the College and Career Center!

It’s an outstanding resource that Newton North is very privileged to have. Don’t be afraid to ask them for guidance and have an open mind about the schools they suggest.

It’s tough to consider, but your safeties might be the only schools you get into, and you need to be prepared.

Honestly, apply to only a few reach schools because rejection is hard to take.

Good luck to all you underclassmen. I hope your experience at North was as positive as mine was.

—JOCIE SOBIERAJ

Do not depend on anybody, stop caring what others think One hobby of mine is to watch and learn from many movies.

After watching movies like Mean Girls and Superbad, it was easy to judge high school poorly, and I was admittedly terrified of it.

I had the mindset that high school was filled with bullies, cliques, being buried in homework and that freshmen would have the hardest time.

Yet, I quickly learned in my first month that I was wrong to judge a book by its cover.

I’ve had an extraordinary time, which has made me who I am today.

With my experiences, I can truly state that doing well in

high school is as simple as being yourself.

Everyone has a different experience here at Newton North, but the advice that I can give to you underclassmen is don’t depend on anybody.

Life is about doing things for yourself.

Second, stop caring about what other people think of you and go out and try new things because if you keep staying in your own shell, you won’t have the courage to explore new dimensions and aspects of life.

Last quick tip: just have fun, loosen up and don’t take everything in life seriously. You live once—don’t blow it.

—DANIEL TABIB

file photo

Daniel Tabib

Hands-on experience is key Entrepreneurship class encourages independence With graduation fast approaching, I count the days and hours until I have the diploma in my hand that I have been waiting for for four years now.

Recently, I have been looking back on all the good times I have had at both the new and the old North.

I have enjoyed everything from the New Orleans trips in my carpentry major to all of my academic classes.

The lesson I have learned over my high school career is that the most important thing you will learn is not from a textbook.

It is from the teachers like Mr. Tingle and Mr. Kane who have the hands-on experience and have been down the same road you are struggling down.

I can’t say I loved all the academic classes through the four years, but I also can’t say I didn’t learn important things in every

file photo

Brian Zabchuck class.

The class that I have learned the most in would have to be Entrepreneurship, a class that I was forced to take through my carpentry major. The class

encouraged me to start my own landscaping company.

In Entrepreneurship, one of the many assignments was to start a business and calculate all the expenses a small business faces during its everyday operation.

I decided to take this to the next level and use the advertisement I had created in school to get jobs.

After a couple of days, I had a couple of good customers. You can’t learn something like that from a textbook!

I will truly miss attending Newton North because of my great experience with the whole community.

In September, I plan to attend Lasell College. I will be in the business major and plan to expand my landscaping company. Congratulations all 2011 graduates!

—BRIAN ZABCHUCK

This is it. The end of senior year. It looks weird just typing it.

I’m experiencing the adrenaline-fueled, pre-summer sensation like I do every year. I’m itching to go on vacation, hang out with friends, forget about what day of the week it is and sleep for a very, very long time.

The spring months of school always fly by for me.

I’ve always seen it as a blessing, a time that allows me to think about a coming summer that becomes a reality in almost the blink of an eye.

Our tendency is to look forward, to see what the future will bring for us because, when it comes to senior year, you’re done with school.

I was green with envy when I watched the ’010 seniors go crazy at the Countdown.

I wished I could’ve been one of them on their Senior Skip day, carefree and in high spirits as I plunged into finals and AP hell week.

If you asked me in application-packed December what I’d give to be a senior in June right then and there, I would’ve said anything in a heartbeat.

So in one, two or three years of hard work and anticipation, you too will be a senior in June.

You’ll no longer look to the class ahead of you and wish you were one of them. You’ll be right at the heart where we’ve wanted to be for so long. So, naturally, you’ll want to tune out North and sign in with summer, because you’re done. Right?

I’m a nostalgic person.

I will often sift through old pictures or home videos of old Christmases, birthday parties and little league games for pure enjoyment.

It sounds stupid and boring, but I love it. It brings back so many little memories that seemed to have never existed in the first place. It’s like I’m rediscovering my life.

That’s kind of how I view— or want to view—high school.

I want to retain as many little memories as I can from my time here. I’m scared of losing them.

I suggest that when you’re a senior in the spring-time, try to consolidate all your best memories.

Sure, you can party like

Newtonian

Peter Wu crazy, study hard for tests, slump or just sit around, but try to step back and think about what you will remember about this place 10, 20 years from now.

Be able to tell your kids about when you and your friends went skiing over a weekend and one crashed into a tree. Or the time when you found your sister locked in a trombone locker.

But seriously, milk high school for all it’s worth in those last few weeks. Not from an academic perspective but more a social one.

Think about all the inside jokes you shared with your friends.

Remember the best and most hilarious gossip and some of the banal high school drama that you’ll laugh about 10 years from now.

Strengthen your friendships with those who are closest to you. Those are the people who you will remember for the rest of your life.

Try to make it so when you come back to North for the 25th reunion, you can walk around Main Street, the cafeteria, Newtonville or the library and have some of your high school experience come back to you.

As seniors, we can get caught up in the prospect of just being done and forget to take a moment to recollect ourselves as we move on.

Because when you step onto that graduation stage, you’re ending a chapter in your life, and it’s only natural for you to end this chapter with your own, personal conclusion.

—PETER WU

School shapes life This school has impacted my life greatly. From the amazing staff and strong support systems, I was able to reshape myself and become a better person.

This school has given me opportunities that I may never have encountered anywhere else, and for that, I am grateful everyday.

I have learned many values and morals while being here and have encountered many words of wisdom from people.

They come from people including Spanish teacher Juanita O’Neill, nurse Kathleen Walsh, graphics teacher Tom Donnellan, French teacher Fiona Blyth, Principal Jennifer Price and many other staff members.

My time here was amazing, and now, I will not only leave here with wonderful memories and friends, but a warm heart

file photo

D’Jaidah Akins-Wynn knowing that I have crafted another family larger than life here at this school.

—D’JAIDAH AKINS-WYNN

editors’ columns

32 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Profound insight gained from time on newspaper At about midnight, all of the lights in Newton North High School go out.

I don’t think many people know this, but it’s true. Sometimes it’s at 12:05 or 12:15 or 12 exactly.

Sometimes, it takes just a second for them to pop back on, and sometimes, it can take 25 minutes.

I have no idea why this is.

Needless to say, taking a whizz by flashlight is an art I mastered through serious practice every other Wednesday of my senior year.

For anyone that doesn’t know, I was The Newtonite Kid. I spent ~20 hours a week in rooms 101/273 (depending on which side of the street we’re talking about) from the beginning of my sophomore year through this past January.

I made 40 issues of that thing, and to tell you the truth, I’m gonna miss it way more than any other part of high school.

Because as much as I hated it, (and anyone who knows me/has taught me will attest to my hatred of doing productive work) I had a weird kind of love for that place. (Stockholm syndrome much?)

I knew from the moment I became editor of the paper in

Newtonian

Marena Cole January 2010 that eventually I would have to write one of these little retrospective pieces. I’ve read hundreds of these little retrospective pieces.

Unfortunately, I’m no brilliant inspirational speech-maker, and I still haven’t quite made sense of the Newtonite or high school on the whole in any sort of deep, meaningful context.

But I did see a little movie called The Social Network recently, and good ol’ Mark Zuckerberg gave me a great lesson in the merits of stealing the ideas of people who are smarter than

you.

So, I thought I’d try to boil down all the great statements before mine into a few common themes that popped up again and again over the years. Yay for intellectual property theft!

The Me As A Freshman: Uhm, can we not? No matter how much you look back and cringe, rest assured I was dorkier and more awkward than you.

The War Stories: So, so many to pick from. One of my favorites is the time that SOMEHOW, four pages of the Newtonite happened to be irreparably destroyed two days before press time.

I happened to be sitting at the computer at the time. To this day, the exact details of the incident remain shrouded in mystery. (No, I did not hit Apple+A+Del, Apple+S. No, not at all.)

The Things-I-Loved-AboutOld-NNHS: In loving memory of my dear, dearly departed old friend, I loved: Eating lunch all over the floor of Main Street.

Late-afternoon homework sessions in fifth floor yellow.

That teeny feeling of glee from successfully navigating the first floor for the first time.

Mysterious stains on the carpet.

Doors that didn’t functionally open or close.

Sitting next to the heater in the winter and moving one of the textbooks covering the vents and being really warm until someone yelled at me for making the room too hot. You know, all those normal high school things...

The Thank Yous: I definitely wasn’t an easy student to have.

Thanks to the teachers who tolerated my inattentiveness, indifference, foul-mouthedness and my general refusal to give a damn about my grades.

Thanks to my friends and to the fam most of all (anyone who can live with this much teenage angst for four years of high school deserves a purple heart).

The Advice To Younger Kids: I wish I could say I feel sage and wise after four years at NNHS. I hate to disappoint, but in reality, I’m a tad bit taller, decently less awkward, somewhat less impulsive, fairly less hormonal (to the point that I believe adults can now tolerate me), considerably more pretentious and a whole hell of a lot more cynical.

But kids, what I’d like to say the most is for those of you that take school really, really seri-

ously—try to cut back on that a little bit.

Because guess what? I’m way prouder of the Newtonite than even my best schoolwork.

Take the time out of studying to make as many friends as you want and don’t be shy!

Because one day, you’ll realize that that kid you always wish you got to know is going to school in Honolulu and you’re off to Johannesburg and sadly the time is up for your paths to cross.

No one leaves high school wishing they knew fewer people. Find something you’re passionate about while you’re here and find some crazy kids to do it with and then go do it.

Homework can wait until 1 a.m. when you finally get home, and you remember that you’re actually a student some of the time. It’s fun in a REALLY masochistic sort of way.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, or anything. I think I need some help now from the last kind of statement, The Inspirational Quote: “It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness.”

Yeah, high school sucks. My advice? Kids, you better learn to pee by flashlight.

—MARENA COLE

Newtonite taught valuable life lessons Newspaper staff, production process shaped high school experience My entire time spent at Newton North High School can be encapsulated in one room, which is the Newtonite office, room 101 in the old building.

The palindromic nature of the number 101 sort of freaks me out.

It seems almost too perfect for a piece of writing like this, which is to sum up my high school career. It ties up quite neatly. And it is a heck of a good metaphor.

101 ends where it begins and that is basically telling of the path, which I followed through these last four years of schooling.

I took Journalism 1 as an elective beginning the first day of my freshman year, and my tenure as editor-in-chief of

this newspaper ended this past January in the new school. The office may now be room 273, but in my mind, it will always remain 101.

I dedicated four years of my life to the production of the Newtonite.

And I could calculate all the numbers and statistics for you all, reveal to you all how many hours I invested in shop, how many missing homework assignments I had after strenuous press nights or how many articles I wrote, but the numbers carry no meaning.

The only thing that matters here is that I was really passionate about the newspaper. I found my passion.

Sometimes you might be misunderstood, but that doesn’t

always matter if you’re passionate about something.

Room 101 is many things to me. It is strange collection of many rooms joined together, carrying many years of excellence in journalism.

It is a room of learning and brutal honesty and often scrutiny. It is a room of people interacting and working together toward a common goal.

But I think more importantly, it is a room that represents the real world. And that is what high school is about.

My favorite song or album changes day to day, but 101 is a constant. The time I spent in 101 will always be my favorite and dear to me.

I’d like to thank Helen Smith one million times for being the

best teacher I have ever had.

You are an extraordinary educator and friend who taught me what it means to be a real journalist and a real person.

I’d also like to thank Kate Shaughnessy for being a everneeded guide and source for support during these past two stressful years of my high school experience.

In addition, I would like to thank my parents and Jackson for all of the support that they have given me.

And lastly, my good friend Marena, my co-editor and copilot through this journey called “high school.” Without you, I have no idea how I would survive. I love you all.

Shout out to all my other good friends as well. You mean

Newtonian

Eli Davidow the world to me.

So congratulations Class of 2011! I hope you all find your own 101 and that you discover success as you walk from this room into another.

—ELI DAVIDOW

Simple pleasures make up high school experience “I’d like to make myself believe…” Who remembers “Fireflies,” Owl City’s smash hit from the summer of 2009? Probably most of us.

In 20 years, who will remember Owl City? Probably no one.

Except me.

Owl City’s music is not particularly complex, it incorporates no interesting or new ideas, it is not too catchy and it is not that great to dance to.

Owl City’s music is nothing more than nice and that is why I will always remember Owl City.

Owl City is the brainchild of solo member Adam Young of Owatonna, Minnesota.

Young got started writing music in his parents’ basement and has since moved to writing in his own basement.

In this secluded environment, Young writes escapist, ethereal lyrics about the ocean, the sky and other distant places.

The lyrics have little depth and evoke a simple, pleasant feeling in the listener.

His basic, yet pretty melodies go right along with this model.

The point of his music is nothing more than to bask in the warmth and basic pleasant-

Newtonian

Teddy Wenneker ness of life.

What I have taken away from Owl City’s music is a greater appreciation for everything nice and that has been an important part of my time at Newton North High School.

Life at Newton North is filled with tests, extracurriculars and college preparation. With all these pressures, it is very important to take some time to relax and enjoy the little things in life that are so great.

Why not take the long way to school to enjoy the fall foliage?

Why not take a second during the baseball game to look up and admire the coming storm clouds?

Why not go out for lunch and enjoy a juicy burrito?

Why not spend a half hour listening to Owl City before starting homework?

Filling life with pleasantness is as easy as taking a moment to appreciate.

The other great lesson learned from Owl City is that you do not need to go looking for a deeper meaning to everything in life.

“Inception” might be filled with hidden meanings left and right, but I prefer “Despicable Me.” That movie made me smile.

AP European History is a great and challenging class filled with important information, but I chose Law and Society because that was more interesting to me.

In high school, it’s important not to strive for certain things just because other people deem them to be important.

It’s perfectly okay to sit back and enjoy what you enjoy. High

school is about preparing students for life, but life should be enjoyed, so why not do what makes you smile?

Remember, “I’d like to make myself believe that planet earth

turns slowly. It’s hard to say that I’d rather stay awake when I’m asleep, because my dreams are bursting at the seams.”

Why? Because it’s pleasant.

—TEDDY WENNEKER

Congratulations Ducky!

The years went by quickly, but A whole future awaits you…..

Love, Kent (papa Duck), Alina (mama Duck), & Jordan (JDucks)

features

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 33

Summer history proves controversial JACOB SCHWARTZ Every year, rising juniors have the option to take U.S. History I in summer school, replacing the year-long course.

However, it is not for everyone, according to some teachers and students.

Counselor Matthew Ford said he has advised students on whether Summer History was right for them, and he can provide a perspective on how the course is viewed by colleges.

Students have, according to Ford, taken the course in order to make room for other junior year opportunities. “For taking the course to be a good idea, it depends what they are making room for,” Ford said.

“If they are challenging themselves with curriculum levels and are planning to maybe move from curriculum I to honors in other courses, it is certainly not looked down upon by colleges to take it.” Ford said he usually deters students from taking the course if their sole purpose is to have more free blocks in their junior year.

Students who take Summer History tend to lack the same experience of writing and researching for the Junior Thesis compared to students who complete the year-long course, according to Ford.

“I never had to do a research paper in high school, and I was not prepared for when we had to do them in college,” he said.

“I probably would have hated the Junior Thesis if I had to do it in high school, but it is a really valuable resource to have.

Colleges didn’t teach you how to write a research paper, they just expected you to be able to do it.

“I don’t know if they do now, but Summer History still doesn’t

BY

give you the same walk-through of the thesis as the year-long course,” Ford said.

Sophomore Aneesh Anand said he decided not to take the course this summer because having a shorter time to write his junior thesis concerned him.

“I don’t want to write a rushed thesis,” he said. “Also, the class must be rushed, and students probably don’t learn as much.”

On the other hand, sophomore David Demarest, who signed up for the course this summer, pointed out that participants are only in the class for four hours a day, and then you have the rest of the day to work on their theses.

School during the year is seven hours long, then most students have after school activities, and then do their junior thesis on top of all their other homework.

Senior Jocie Sobieraj said she remembers feeling relieved from stress by taking Summer History before her junior year.

“I took it because I didn’t want to deal with my thesis during the school year, and it was a nice way to get it out of the way.”

According to Sobieraj, the class was not as difficult as she expected. “It was definitely easier than what my friends took during the year. There was less depth and we watched a lot more movies,” Sobieraj said.

Interested students should be informed that the grade for Summer History is not averaged into one’s GPA, which can be considered a pro or a con, depending on the student.

For Demarest, the GPA factor is a pro. “It’s definitely a good thing for me that the class isn’t included in my GPA, because

Arielle Conti

Students can take U.S. History I over the summer instead of during the school year. history has never been my strongest class,” he said.

History teacher Duncan Wood, who teaches the summer course, cautions students for whom history is not their strong suit not to take the course. Wood said students who “have a hard time with history are better off studying it during the year, because it’s less rushed.

“Summer school is designed for kids who are motivated and can work and write their thesis without as much support as they might get during the school year.”

Junior Matt Moss-Hawkins decided not to participate in the summer course because, “I felt like I wouldn’t learn all the material I needed to,” he said.

Unlike Wood, Moss-Hawkins said he believes students should take the class “if they don’t like history and want to open up their schedule for other classes.

It’s also a great way to get the thesis out of the way.”

Junior Genevieve Resnick participated in Summer History because she “wanted to double in science. I wanted to take oceanography and biology, but I knew they would be a lot of work, so I wanted to get my thesis out of the way for the year,” she said.

In one day of summer school, according to Resnick, students complete as much as a week’s worth of material.

History teacher Isong Ibokette, who has taught all the curriculum levels of U.S. History, subbed in to teach in the summer course for a week, where he learned how the course operates. “My personal opinion, based on this experience that I had, is that there is no legitimate scholarly reason for a student to take the course,” Ibokette said.

“It amounts to information

overload, because it is four hours a day, five days a week and for only six weeks. Even if a student has a good grasp of the content, all the other skills that are taught during the year are significantly compromised.”

According to Ibokette, these skills that are lost include learning to write a strong junior thesis.

Ibokette also emphasized that Summer History “is certainly inappropriate for students who take tenth grade Modern World History at the Curriculum II level.”

Senior Edan Laniado did not take Summer History, but said he believes the course should be an option for students. “Students choose to be in the course, meaning they want to be there and will try hard.”

When reached, history department head Jonathan Bassett declined to comment.

Program ‘eliminates racial imbalance’ in schools JULIA ORAN Through the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), which is statefunded through the Department of Education, students of color from Boston are brought to “predominantly white schools,” said METCO counselor Paula Diggs.

According to the METCO website, this program was started in 1966 to “eliminate racial imbalance.” Diggs said, METCO achieves this goal by bringing 415 students from Boston to the Newton Public Schools an-

BY

nually. Of these 415 students, 56 now go to this school, said Diggs.

To apply to participate in METCO, parents of students must go to the METCO office in Roxbury and register their child, according to the METCO website.

The waiting list is very long, the website said. As a result, Newton METCO Director Lisa Reed said that some parents even “register their child as early as the day they leave the hospital.”

The only requirements to

participate in this program, said the website, are that the child must be of African American, Latino, Asian or Native American descent and live in the City of Boston or Springfield.

There are no income guidelines in the application and participation in METCO is free, said the website.

Depending on space in schools, students are placed by the Reed, Newton elementary principals and the assistant superintendent for elementary education, said Reed.

In addition, Reed said that

some parents sign up their child, but “decide that the program is not for their child or them” because “their child is too young to handle the bus experience and being so far away from home.”

According to Reed, students in the Newton METCO program “exercise all of the rights, privileges and services of the Newton resident students.”

For an individual student, Diggs said this opportunity “provides the student with an excellent education in an atmosphere that encourages student achievement.”

According to Diggs, most of the graduating seniors who participate in METCO attend college.

In addition, Diggs said most METCO students pass the MCAS, which she said is different from many students attending schools in Boston.

Diggs also emphasized that METCO students are not the only ones benefiting from METCO. They are also giving something back to participating communities by sharing “different perspectives and adding cultural diversity.”

Forbes reflects on experience CARLA FORBES METCO has been in my life since before I was even able to go to school. My parents applied for me to get into the program when I was just a little toddler to ensure that I would have a chance of getting into this outstanding program.

BY

viewpoint

courtesy Jack Prior

Triple jump: Sophomore Carla Forbes, a METCO student, ran in a home meet against Needham, Wednesday, April 27.

I have been going to the Newton Public Schools since kindergarten and could not imagine what my life would be like without METCO. The METCO program has enabled me to have a good education and has allowed me so many opportunities I might not have had going to a Boston Public School.

It has allowed me to take classes, electives and even field trips that would not have been available to me otherwise. It has offered me the opportunity to come to a school with a fantastic sports program, which is where

I spend a lot of my time.

Being able to be on the track team at a school like Newton North is one of the greatest opportunities that I have taken advantage of.

It has introduced me to a sport I love, fantastic coaches who are dedicated to the team and a great group of people that I have formed wonderful friendships with.

METCO has also allowed me to come to a school where I can challenge myself. It allowed me to work to my full potential, both in school and in extracurricular activities like track, which are just a few of the things that make the program so important to me.

Being able to come to a school where I am offered all of these opportunities that enable me to grow as a student and a person is a great privilege that would not be possible without the program.

Aside from the educational and athletic opportunities

METCO has introduced me to, it also offers me a group of kindhearted people.

I have also had the chance to get to know the close-knit group of students in the METCO program. It gives me the chance to get to know a group of teenagers that I can more closely relate to sometimes and that I can feel really comfortable around.

Not only has METCO introduced me to some great students, but counselors as well. METCO counselor Paula Diggs is a woman I have had the privilege of getting to know. She has really made this school a special, enjoyable and engaging place for the METCO students.

METCO has offered me so much. It has allowed me to get a good education, become part of wonderful sport teams and know many, many great people that I would not have had the chance to know otherwise.

My life truly would not be the same without the METCO program, and I am grateful.

advertisements

34 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Your Village. Your Bank.

CIEE Gap Year & High School Abroad

language / culture / challenge

See the world for yourself!

“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” ~Daniel J. Boorstin

australia / brazil / chile / china / costa rica dominican republic / france / germany ireland / italy / japan / spain

Auburndale • Newton Highlands • Newtonville Nonantum • Waban • Wayland • West Newton www.village–bank.com • 617-527-6090 Customer Care Center 617-969-4300

www.ciee.org/hsabroad www.facebook.com/CIEEHSandGap

Member FDIC Member SIF

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

Eat a balanced diet • Keep active • Stay smoke free Y

www.nwh.org Subscribe to the Newtonite! Call 617-559-6273.

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 35

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Talk of the

Tiger Scary Driving

Guess that Definition We asked 12 students to guess the definitions of these unusual words. Their predictions were almost as odd as the real definitons.

Dactylion “A combination of a terradactal and lion.”

—senior Kelly McIntyre “Pertaining to floral arrangements.”

—junior Caleb Bromberg “A type of dandelion.”

—junior Abby Dalzell “A kind of dinosaur.”

—junior Allie Phillips “A serious disease.”

—freshman Gabe Dan Real Definition: tip of the middle finger (noun)

Lethologica

Mammothrept

“A group of people that lie around all the time and don’t contribute to society.”

—senior Flannery Sockwell

“Strep throat for mammals.”

—junior Emily Schacter “How a mammoth is looked upon by other mammoths.”

—sophomore Chris D’Agostino

“A type of flower.”

—sophomore Samantha Chan “Sad.” —sophomore Mike Safran

“Something that has been made bigger.”

—freshman Marianne Engelke

“A philosophy pertaining to sadness.”

—freshman Will Champion

Real Definition: a child who is raised and spoiled by his or her grandmother (noun)

Real Definition: the inability to recall a precise word for something (noun)

Definitons courtesy of dictionary.com

Congrats, Seniors!

Julia Moss

JULIA MOSS There’s no way around the fact that everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes, mistakes can be a good learning experience.

However, in certain situations, they can have dangerous consequences. Driving is one of those situations.

In fact, due to their own mistakes and the errors of other people around them, many students who have had driving lesson have had some pretty scary experiences on the road.

Although these incidents can be terrifying for the students themselves, they are even scarier for the driving school instructors, who are responsible for protecting the students on the road.

BY

Brookline Driving School:

Ilya Tverskoy, manager and driving instructor at Brookline Driving School, said, “I have the scariest experiences with my students every single day.”

Tverskoy said that in his 20 years working at Brookline Driving School, he has had to grab the wheel from a student countless times in order to prevent a disaster.

One of the most memorable times took place right outside this school.

“I was picking up a student at Newton North,” Tverskoy recalled.

“The student got in the car, and we were ready to get started, when out of nowhere, a kid pushed another kid in front of the crosswalk.

“My student got nervous and meant to step on the brakes, but he accidentally stepped on the gas instead!

“Thank God I was able to stop the car before anyone got killed!”

Tverskoy added that certain habits can contribute to students’ driving mistakes.

“A lot of kids have habits that come out when they’re under pressure,” Tverskoy said.

“Kids observe the way their parents and friends drive and pick up bad habits. Adding to this, they acquire their own bad habits, which makes learning to drive so dangerous. Kids need to be aware of these habits.”

According to Tverskoy, students’ personalities can also come through when they are driving.

“If a student is very agressive and impatient, they will do the same in their driving,” he said.

Although it can be very stressful for Tverskoy dealing with students’ errors, he understands that nobody’s perfect and knows that it is part of the job.

“People make mistakes in everything they do,” he said.

“Mistakes in driving are expected. It’s all a process of learning.

It’s the driving instructor’s job to protect the kids from themselves and their mistakes, and help them learn.”

Perfection Driving School:

It is not only Brookline Driving School teachers who have had incidents on the road. Yohannes Joseph, the founder of Perfection Driving School and a specialist in nervous drivers, said he has also had a number of scary experiences with his students.

Joseph said that he had a crazy experience on the road with a student from this school very recently.

“I was driving with a student of mine from Newton North a couple weeks ago,” he said.

“We were right under the tunnel on the Mass Pike, and we were behind a huge truck.

Suddenly, glass windows started falling out of the truck!

“There was nothing she could do to get around it because we were in the tunnel, and it was almost impossible to change lanes. We couldn’t stop at any point in time because of all of the cars that were behind us.

“That might have been the scariest moment I had in my life. I was saying ‘Go, go, go!’ because you can never stop on the highway or backup because it can cause an accident.

“You have to keep driving, as there are cars driving 55 to 65 miles per hour behind you.

Safety is always a first at Perfection Driving School.”

“It’s not an easy job,” Joseph added. “Sometimes I will have to take control of the wheel. But it is an interesting job and that’s the way I like it.”

SENIOR Prom

Julia Moss

sports

36 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7 , 2011

Fall sports usher in new fields, facilities Athletic director Tom Guisti said “the long-awaited, much anticipated opening of the new Newton North High School opened successfully, and with the excitement of a new athletic facility, student athletes, their families and faculty looked forward to fall season games at Dickinson Stadium for the first time in three years.

“The new facility also boasts a spacious gymnasium for basketball and volleyball as well as the Simulated Outdoor Area, which accommodates track and field, gymnastics, cheerleading and dance.

“A beautiful swimming pool and viewing area topped off by a state-of-the art fitness center make the Newton North Athletic Facility one to be proud of.”

The Tigers had a collective record of 65-37-12, with a winning percentage of .570. Seven out of 10 teams made it to the postseason.

—JAY FEINSTEIN

Cheerleading places third in Bay State Conference JARED FREEDMAN Cheerleading qualified for Regionals after placing third in Bay States, according to senior Taylor Sweeney, a captain along with senior Corrine Beatrice.

“The team gave 110 percent at all of the practices,” said Sweeney. She said the team had three-hour practices many nights and that most girls were dedicated to improvement.

According to coach Adriane Callahan, the Tigers had a strong performance at Bay States.

“At that level of competition, you have to be flawless, and the girls were not,” said Callahan.

“But to go as far as they did with only two seniors on the team was impressive.”

At Bay States, Sweeney was named a first team all-star.

Beatrice was named an honorable mention at the same event.

The captains for the next year are to be decided.

BY

Boys’ cross country, 9-2, finishes ninth at State Meet PHILLIP RUBIN Boys’ cross-country, 9-2 in the regular season, was bested only by Brookline and Weymouth.

“They ran hard, and individually, everybody tried and succeeded in improving their times,” said coach Jim Blackburn.

According to Blackburn, the highlight of the season was the State Coaches Meet.

“We did very well this year,” he said.

The Tigers placed ninth out of 40 teams in the State Meet, but only the top five teams advanced to the next round.

“The boys’ cross country season was very fun, encouraging and relatively successful,” according to senior Ezra Lichtman, a captain with senior Dan Ranti.

“It was satisfying to win all but two of our meets. Lots of new, and some returning, members of our squad stepped up, and they will make up a promising team next fall,” Lichtman said.

Litchman, Ranti and junior Justin Keefe were named Bay State Conference all-stars. Keefe and junior David Buzby will be next year’s captains.

BY

Girls’ cross country grows, develops throughout season AMANDA HILLS Girls’ cross country, 6-5, had a season of “development and growth,” coach Peter Martin said.

Junior Melissa Weikart, a captain with seniors Devika Banerjee and Margo Gillis, said, “The team improved by becoming close-knit and working together to achieve our goals.”

With many of their top runners having graduated, the Tigers lacked experience, but Martin said their talent grew throughout the season.

“It was a delightful team to coach,” he said.

The team finished third at the Bay State Conference Championship. Gillis was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Next year’s captains will be Weikart and juniors Allie Phillips, Rosie Sokolov and Rebecca Trayner.

BY

Teddy Wenneker

Footwork: Sophomore Matt Callahan makes a pass at Brookline October 22. The Tigers tied the Warriors 1-1. The Tigers would later edge Brookline in the Sectional Finals 2-1 in penalty kicks to advance to the State Semifinals.

Field hockey achieves goals, wins postseason game in OT ANNA CLEMENTS Field hockey, 6-4-3 in the regular season and 8-5-3 overall, had “all the elements of a championship season,” said coach Celeste Myers.

This season was field hockey’s first as a co-ed team in a long time. “The boys impacted the team in a very positive way,” said Myers. “They brought out a different energy.”

Myers said the team worked well together, and it was a “total team effort.

Everyone adapted to a role,” she said.

The Tigers accomplished their goal of making the postseason, said senior Ali Pappas, a captain with senior Andrea Marzilli. “It was unexpected that we went that far,” she said.

Pappas said a highlight of the season was the first game of the tournament in which the Tigers beat North Andover 3-2 in double overtime.

Pappas and senior Julia Cuccurullo were Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Alison Berkowitz and Stephanie Vitone.

BY

Football defeats Brookline NOAH THOMPSON Achieving its goal for the season, football, 5-6, demolished Brookline in the annual Thanksgiving Game 41-12 in Dickinson Stadium.

“The win over Brookline in front of all those people is something that we are going to remember forever,” said senior Ben Clark, a captain with seniors Kevin Barisano and Isaiah Penn.

Coach Peter Capodilupo said that a major achievement of the players was their ability to keep improving despite many early losses. “The captains did a very good job leading us, and I thought they did a nice job with that.”

Clark and Penn both made the AllLeague Defensive Team and were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Mike Bradley, Pat Bryson, Brendan Fagan and Swardiq Mayanja.

BY

Golf avenges major rivals NED MARTENIS Against a tough field of competitors, golf, 8-3 in league play, defeated its three main rivals but still suffered losses, said coach Bob MacDougall.

“We focused on playing a more teamoriented game,” MacDougall said but added that the team had some inconsis-

BY

tent play.

The Tigers beat Wellesley Monday, Oct. 4 at home in “the best game we played,” MacDougall said. “It was a huge boost and gave kids confidence.” Wellesley was undefeated at the time.

However, MacDougall said “a couple losses kept us from contending” in the State Tournament as a team, although freshman Charlie Goldberg went on to compete individually, finishing with a score of 85.

According to senior T.J. Ryan, a captain with senior Eric Regensberg, “It was a successful season since we beat Wellesley, Needham and Brookline, whom we are always competing with,” he said.

Ryan was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Boys’ soccer wins Section in fairytale postseason run HENRY DEGROOT Despite entering the postseason seeded 19th, boys’ soccer placed fourth in the state as the Northern Division I Champions. The team finished 7-5-6 in the regular season and 12-6-6 overall.

“Our goal was to make the tournament, because once you’re in the tournament, anything can happen,” said first-year coach Roy Dow. Senior Jeremy Gurvits, a captain with senior Gabe Paul, said, “It feels good to look back at the beginning of the year and think how we were determined to simply make the postseason, and then we exceeded our expectations and finished in the top four teams in the state.”

Juniors Tim Stanton and Luke Westman, who will be next year’s captains, received Bay State all-star awards and senior Gianluca Viscomi received an honorable mention.

Next year’s captains are to be decided.

BY

Girls’ soccer bonds as team, finishes with winning record JESSE METZGER Girls’ soccer, 9-8-1 in the regular season, saw much improvement since last season despite an unusually young team, according to senior Ellen Goldberg, a captain with senior Evelyn Hurwitz. The team’s main goal was “getting the ball in the back of the net,” she said.

The Tigers made it into the tournament this year, beating Brookline 1-0 at home to gain their spot. The Tigers made it two games into the tournament, beating North Andover 2-0, then losing

BY

to Peabody 5-2.

Success was partly due to how the players were “dedicated, committed and hard working, and they all worked together,” according to coach James Hamblin.

Hurwitz and senior Emily Brown, the team’s top scorer, were named Bay State Conference all-stars, and junior Sarah Perlo was awarded an honorable mention.

Next year’s captains will be Perlo and juniors Katie Regan and Lauren Smith.

Girls’ swim, 6-5, starts well RYAN CONDON Girls’ swimming and diving, 6-5 in the regular season, started strong and improved on its weaknesses, said coach Kirsten Tuohy.

A highlight of the season was when freshman Irina Rojas set a new school record by swimming the 100-yard butterfly in 1:00.57. According to senior Rebecca Harris, a captain with senior Daryl Choa, “Having successful underclassmen gives everyone hope for the team’s future.”

Rojas was a Bay State Conference all-star and junior Hunter Hedenburg received an honorable mention.

The team finished 12th at the Division I State Meet and 15th at the South Sectional meet.

Next year’s captains will be Hedenburg and junior Veronica Ingham.

BY

Girls’ volleyball improves, makes Sectional Semifinals JULIA ORAN Girls’ volleyball ended its season 15-2, which was its “biggest accomplishment,” said senior Nensi Cukalla, one of eight captains. In the postseason, the Tigers lost in the South Sectional semifinals to North Quincy.

Cukalla said the Holyoke Tournament was a highlight for the team. The Tigers came in second against “one of the best teams in Massachusetts.”

The team’s goal was to “play volleyball at a high state level,” according to coach Richard Barton. “We established ourselves as a legitimate, powerful volleyball team, which was exciting.”

The Tigers were Bay State Conference Champions. Seniors Tatiana Froehlich, Emily Hutchinson and Melissa Jewett and freshman Micaela Cohen were Bay State Conference all-stars. Froehlich was also named a Boston Globe allscholastic.

All of the seniors on next year’s team will be captains.

BY

sports

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 37

Winter teams find success in postseason “The team worked hard, and we moved from tied for fifth to tied for fourth with Wellesley.”

According to Richard, the team “will become a contender in the BSC in the next few years as the freshmen and sophomores gain more competitive experience.”

According to senior Jeremy Markson, a captain with seniors Ramzy Kahhale and Jamie Lew, “The team was able to improve through hard work.”

Senior Alex Graf, junior Ryan Chan and sophomore Austen Young were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be Chan and junior Ben Salwen.

“Once again, no matter what the Tigers played or where we played throughout the season, we played with character, confidence and class and were always competitive,” athletic director Tom Giusti said.

He said he would like to thank the athletes for their effort, dedication and enthusiasm throughout the season.

The Tigers had a collective record of 69-69-2 and a winning percentage of .493.

Four teams out of 12 made it to the postseason.

—GLORIA LI

Boys’ basketball improves, makes deep postseason run KRISTIAN LUNDBERG Boys’ basketball, the seventh seed in the MIAA Tournament, pulled off a string of upsets to advance to the Sectional Finals at the TD Garden. There, the Tigers lost 48-46 to Mansfield, the top seed in the tournament, in a heartbreaker.

“From where we started to where we ended up is a huge difference,” said senior Avi Adler-Cohen, a captain with senior Tevin Falzon.

“We fought until the very end against the top team in the section. That’s something to be proud of,” he said.

The Tigers, 19-7, played most of the regular season without Falzon, a McDonald’s All-American nominee. However, Falzon returned in time for the playoffs to spark consecutive upsets of secondseeded Weymouth and third-seeded New Bedford.

The Sectional Finals appearance is the furthest the team has advanced in the tournament since winning the State Championship in 2006. “We had a great season. We have nothing to hang our heads about,” coach Paul Connolly said.

Junior Michael Thorpe was named a Bay State Conference all-star. Next year’s captains will be Thorpe and juniors Jared Masinton and Luke Westman.

Boys’ track goes undefeated

BY

Girls’ basketball, 12-9, falls to New Bedford in playoffs KRISTIAN LUNDBERG Girls’ basketball, 12-9, ended it its season with a 61-47 loss to New Bedford in the second round of the MIAA Tournament. For senior Megan Gentile, a captain with seniors Briana Hunt, Ella Scheuerell and D’Jaidah Wynn, the team’s performance in that game was “upsetting.”

“I feel as though we did not play the way we are capable of,” Gentile said.

“I was unhappy that we couldn’t pull it all together as a team to do more in the tournament.”

Still, according to Gentile, there were “many good things that happened this season.”

Coach Hank DeSantis said the team “did well, all things considered.”

“Considering the injuries we had and how the younger team members needed to step up, I think we played well,” he said.

Hunt and Scheuerell were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Kayla Farina and Gracie Rolfe.

BY

Boys’ gymnastics improves PERRIN STEIN Although boys’ gymnastics ended the season 0-5, team members were enthusiastic and worked hard during practice, according to coach Steve Chan.

During the season, the Tigers had difficulty because the team was inexperienced and did not have enough time to practice due to the many snowstorms this winter, he said.

At the end of the season, the Tigers’ hard work paid off because they finished sixth in the State Championship, beating South. “It is always satisfying defeating our cross-town rival,” Chan said.

Some of the key players were senior Julian Chappell, junior Curran Ferrey and freshman Eric Weiss, who all “provided steady performances,” according to Chan. Also, senior Alex Petitti, the captain, was a great leader and mentor to the other team members, Chan said.

Petiti said he enjoyed both defeating South and receiving fourth place in the All-Around category. “Hopefully, next year the team will take it to new levels, which even I could not reach,” he said.

BY

JAY FEINSTEIN AND GLORIA LI Boys’ indoor track, 5-0, had an “extremely successful season,” said senior Ezra Lichtman, a captain with seniors Ben Clark and Ryan Donovan.

“We continued our 14-year undefeated streak in Bay State Conference meets,” he said.

A highlight of the season included the Division I State Meet, he said. “At AllStates, we had a number of high-ranking performances, and we even performed well at Nationals, earning All-American status for the four members of our Sprint Medley.”

According to Lichtman, “An influx of new talent also makes it look as though we can expect similar results next year.”

Coach Jim Blackburn said the team did “very well” during the season.

Clark, Lichtman, seniors Tylor Hart and Isaiah Penn and juniors Young Guang, Justin Keefe and Swardiq Mayanja were named Bay State Conference all-stars. Mayanja was also named a Boston Globe all-scholastic and a Boston Herald all-scholastic.

Next year’s captains will be Guang, Keefe and Mayanja.

BY

Jacob Schwartz

Half Court: Senior Ella Scheuerell dribbles around a Framingham defender January 19. The Tigers defeated the Flyers 40-32 at home.

Next years’ captains will be decided at the beginning of next season.

Girls’ gymnastics qualifies for Sectionals for first time GLORIA LI For the first time in school history, girls’ gymnastics, 5-4, qualified for Sectionals, according to coach Jim Chin.

Sophomore Ariana Paone, a captain with senior Victoria Mirrer, said, “Our hard work definitely contributed to this great success.”

Chin said that the team finished eighth out of 48 teams in the South Section.

He said the team should have finished 8-1, and it would have had it not been plagued by injuries early in the season.

“The biggest challenge this past season was definitely staying healthy and getting a complete line up during competitions,” Chin said.

Mirrer, and sophomores Allison Hurwitz and Paone were named the Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next season’s captains will be junior Lena Golick, Hurwitz, and sophomore Lili Margolin.

BY

Boys’ hockey tops Brookline KRISTIAN LUNDBERG In a frustrating season, boys’ hockey can still take solace in a season sweep of Brookline.

The Tigers, 5-14-1, had a “disappointing season in terms of the win-loss record,” according to coach Tom Ryan, yet the younger players were still able to “gain experience,” he said.

“We have 17 young kids coming back next year, so we’ll have a higher experience level then,” Ryan said.

Ryan said that the season sweep of Brookline was a high point in the season.

“It’s always fun to beat them,” he said.

Senior T.J. Ryan, a captain with junior Ryan Fanning, said that the “team worked hard night in, night out.”

“Although we didn’t get the results we wanted, we still played hard,” he said.

Ryan and Fanning were both named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains are to be determined.

BY

Girls’ hockey shows effort GLORIA LI One of the high points in the season for girls’ hockey, 5-14-1, was its 1-0 shutout of Milton, according to coach Bob MacDougall.

“Milton is a strong team, and we beat them by playing, for the first time, as a team that displayed its strength in all three periods,” MacDougall said.

At the Milton game, the team members played to their full potential, MacDougall said.

“Junior Courtney Leahy played well all season, and she really put forth a fantastic effort in goal,” MacDougall said.

MacDougall said the team’s strength lied in its depth at forward.

“Something a bit weak on the team

BY

was probably the inexperienced defense,” he said.

Senior Michele Troy, a captain with senior Marissa Troy and junior Katie Caruso, said, “Although we didn’t have much experience at the beginning of the season, by the end, we definitely improved.”

Caruso, Leahy and junior Stephanie Vitone will be the captains next season.

Alpine improves technique AMANDA HILLS Alpine skiing found strength in numbers this season, according to senior Derek Goldstone, a captain with senior Myles Kamisher-Koch.

“It was one of the biggest teams we’ve had in years,” Goldstone said.

Although many freshmen and sophomores joined this past season, he said, “Everyone caught on quickly and scored points by the end of the season.”

The team gained skills by running drills and talking about different ways to improve their technique.

Goldstone said, “The more experienced skiers were a really big help in teaching and coaching underclassmen.”

The team’s race at Ward Hill was the highlight of the season, Goldstone said.

“Everyone on the team did really well. It was a very good moment when it seemed everyone had done well.”

BY

Committed nordic team overcomes Dover-Sherbon JAY FEINSTEIN Beating Dover-Sherborn was the highlight of this year’s nordic skiing season, said senior Ellen Goldberg, a captain with senior Amy Lu. “It was the first time we’ve beaten them in a decade,” she said.

The major strength of the team was commitment, according Goldberg.

“Everyone always coming to practice everyday helped.”

Another strength was the diversity of skiers on the team.

“There were a lot of beginners, who were just learning to ski, and there were also some more advanced skiers who were able to teach the beginners,” she said.

According to Goldberg, one weakness might have been preseason training, but overall the Tigers had a good season.

Next year’s captains are to be decided.

BY

Boys’ swimming works hard JAY FEINSTEIN Despite inexperience, a desire to succeed stuck with boys’ swimming and diving throughout its 1-5 season, according to coach Amy Richard.

The team held strengths in sportsmanship and team bonding, she said.

“After the last league meet, which we lost, I challenged the team to improve its standing at the BSC championship meet by working hard in the next two weeks before BSC champs,” Richard said.

BY

Girls’ track builds chemistry, places second in State Finals PERRIN STEIN Girls’ indoor track, 5-0, “had solid work ethic, team chemistry and consistency of execution,” resulting in the team “winning title competitions against the best teams in the state,” according to coach Joe Tranchita. “This really tested our abilities to compete consistently at a high level.”

The Tigers made it to the State Finals, where they placed second overall. Based on their performances at this meet, senior Amy Ren, juniors Steph Brown and Kayla Wong and sophomore Carla Forbes qualified for Nationals. They came in eighth place in the shuttle hurtles, and they beat the best ever time for the event in New England, Tranchita said.

Ren, a captain with senior Katie Brandl, said that the team made it so far in the season because “everyone bonded and became a cohesive unit.”

Forbes, Ren, Wong, senior Margo Gillis, junior Lucia Grigoli and sophomore Meghan Bellerose were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Forbes and the 4x400 relay team were named Boston Globe all-scholastics and Boston Herald all-scholastics.

Next year’s captains will be Wong and junior Maggie Heffernan.

BY

Wrestling, 12-10, meets goal of achieving winning record JAY FEINSTEIN Wrestling finished its season 12-10, achieving the Tigers’ ninth consecutive winning season through its persistence and hard work, according to coach John Staulo.

“Everyone put in their best effort and gained a good understanding of the sport,” he said.

“We got all of the team to do what they were supposed to do.”

According to senior Mike Atkinson, a captain with seniors Matt Laredo and Ben Polci, the season was a general success. “We faced quite a few injuries, but people were able to step up and help out, and we were able to overcome our obstacles.”

Polci was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Next year’s captains are to be determined.

BY

sports

38 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Tournament ends abruptly for softball JACOB SCHWARTZ Central Catholic defeated the Tigers 7-2 Thursday in the first round of the State Tournament.

According to coach Lauren Baugher, the Tigers struggled in the field, hurting their chances of winning.

“We didn’t make plays when we had the opportunities,” Baugher said. “We basically gave them the game with our errors.”

Still, according to Baugher, there were some bright spots to take away from the game.

“Junior Clare Doolin pitched well, and senior Meghan Pursley hit a triple to knock in sophomore Bridget McLaughlin,” she said. Pursley subsequently scored the Tigers’ second and final run.

Like many years, this season was one of learning for softball, 14-7, Baugher said. “We’ve learned about how we can play defense behind our pitchers and the importance of being strong on defense, as well as in general just taking it one game at a time.”

According to Pursley, a captain with senior Ali Pappas, since this time last year, the team has changed. “We were completely different than we had been a year ago. The dynamic was just different. We had different types of hitters, and we were younger.”

Because of these changes, Pursley said, the team has different parts of the game it will continue to work on next

BY

Jacob Schwartz

Wrist-snap: Senior Rachel Miller pitches against Brookline at home Friday, May 20.

season, including putting an emphasis on defense.

On Senior Day, Thursday, May 26, the Tigers defeated Wellesley 12-1 at home.

One day before the victory over Wellesley, the Tigers defeated Needham in a landslide on the road Wednesday, May 25, 14-1.

At Framingham Monday, May 23, the Tigers won 6-2.

The Tigers defeated Weymouth 8-2 Saturday, May 21 on the road, in what Pursley described as the high point of the season for the team.

“We played with such an aggressive attitude and took advantage of their mistakes.”

“We were aggressive on the bases and took every opportunity they gave us and ran with it.”

Pursley also was impressed by the fact that every teammate contributed.

“Everyone did something that helped us succeed, whether it was being loud on the bench, helping a player warm up or pinch running,” she said.

In the 32-1 demolition of Brookline Friday, May 20 at home, younger players were given some varsity playing time in order to prepare them for their futures with the team.

The victory qualified the Tigers for the State Tournament.

Juniors Katie Caruso and Clare Doolin were first team Bay State Conference all-stars.

Sophomore Zoe Cassidy recieved an honorable mention.

JV, freshman softball teams put focus on skills JV works on defense PERRIN STEIN JV softball, 12-3, worked on perfecting execution on defense, base running and pitch selection at the plate throughout the season, according to coach Kate Hurd.

By working in practice and learning from their mistakes, the Tigers “learned that by putting pressure on our opponent to have to make plays while we are running the bases, it puts us in a better position to score runs,” Hurd said.

The Tigers’ strengths lied “in our intensity and our ability to make plays in the field and at the plate in pressure situations,” she said.

The pitching of sophomore Ellie Wenneker and freshman

BY

MacKenzie Dreese also enabled the Tigers to successfully prevent opponents from scoring more, according to Hurd.

The most memorable game of the season was the Monday, May 9 game at Natick, Hurd said.

The Tigers were down by two runs in their last at bat.

Sophomore Steph Kolozie put down a squeeze bunt, allowing sophomore Emma Berger and Dreese to score and win the game 5-4.

According to sophomore Bridget McLaughlin, a captain with Berger, the Tigers “came together by bonding and improving every day on personal skills.”

Up until the end of the season, the Tigers were able to

maintain focus in practice, allowing them to do well in games, she said.

Next year, McLaughlin said she hopes that the team will continue to utilize practice well, thus improving on fundamental skills everyday.

9-2 freshmen succeed JESSE METZGER Despite losing multiple players due to injuries and illness during the season, freshman softball prevailed and had a winning season.

Ending the season with a record of 9-2, the Tigers defeated many strong teams, such as Braintree, which they beat by only a single run at the beginning of the season. “ We know each other ’s strengths and weaknesses very

BY

well,” said Isabel Rivero, a captain with Juliet Roll. “We improved our skills together, and as a whole, the team has accomplished a lot.”

The two captains had a major impact on the season’s positive outcome, according to Melissa Joseph, an outfielder.

“The captains always looked out for the team,” Joseph said.

“They’re real leaders, and they did a great job.”

According to coach Laurie Arcovio, “They have been fantastic captains.”

Rivero is the team’s catcher and Roll is a pitcher. “They held two positions that require strong leadership, and they have taken this leadership role and run with it,” Arcovio said.

“They organized fundraising,

team dinners and team spirit days.”

Arcovio said that she believes that most importantly, she is proud of Rivero and Roll because they have led the team by example.

In addition, two players who were key in the team’s victories were Roll and Daniela Fei, the team’s pitchers, who “were phenomenal and worked hard throughout the season,” according to Leah Herman, an outfielder.

Arcovio noted that the team had players with little experience in the beginning of the year.

“They have since transformed from beginners nervous to make plays to confident members of the team who make big plays.”

Spring athletes earn awards RYAN CONDON STEVEN MICHAEL Athletic Awards Night recognized the achievements of this school’s student-athletes Tuesday, May 31 in the auditorium.

Athletic director Tom Giusti opened the ceremony with his thoughts on the challenges and benefits of high school sports.

“Cherish every practice game and season you play,” Giusti said. “The determination you learned will stay with you forever.”

P rincipal Jennifer P rice spoke about the lessons learned through sports, such as putting the team above the individual.

Then, each varsity team came on stage as the coaches and captains talked about their team’s season highlights and accomplishments. Each captain also gave a brief speech.

Throughout the night, some student-athletes were given scholarships and awards to recognize their achievements.

Senior Dan Anderson received the Chuck Sakakini scholarship, the Robert B. Ca-

BY

AND

labro Scholarship and the William E. Connors Award. Also receiving the William E. Connors Award was senior Ellen Goldberg.

In addition to Anderson, senior Kevin Barisano also received the Robert B. Calabro Scholarship.

Receiving the David Costanzo Award and the Christopher Polci Scholarship was senior Ben Polci.

S e n i o r To m D e S t e f a n o received the Sandy Barztak Award, and senior Zach MacAuliffe received the Andrew Dealy Memorial Scholarship.

Senior Ben Clark received the Bobby Donohue Scholarship, and senior James Barnett received the Frank Simmons Award.

Receiving the Reginald E. Smith Memorial Award was senior T.J. Ryan, and senior Isaiah Penn received the Edwin H. Wiest Memorial Scholarship.

The George Jessup Scholarship went to senior Casey Bryson.

The night also included awards for freshmen who

showed dedication and commitment to the athletic program.

The Simon Surabian Award went to freshmen Amelia Williams and Jermel Wright, the Sandy Barztak Award to Anthony Vitone and the Marilyn Murphy Award to Evie Heffernan.

For earning at least seven varsity letters, plaques were given to seniors: ◆ Corrine Beatrice ◆ Ben Clark ◆ Ryan Donovan ◆ Tatiana Froehlich ◆ Megan Gentile ◆ Margo Gillis ◆ Ellen Goldberg ◆ Evelyn Hurwitz ◆ Emily Hutchinson ◆ Ezra Lichtman ◆ Nick Link ◆ Amy Lu ◆ Isaiah Penn ◆ Ben Polci ◆ Meghan Pursley ◆ Dan Ranti ◆ Amy Ren ◆ T.J. Ryan ◆ Marissa Troy ◆ Michele Troy

Jack McLaughlin

Spring Awards: Senior Ryan Donovan, a captain of boys’ track, speaks at Athletic Awards Night Tuesday, May 31.

sports

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 39

Tigers edge Brookline Win qualifies boys’ tennis for State Tournament GLORIA LI Boys’ tennis, 8-7 Friday, experienced its most exciting moment of the season by “beating Brookline 3-2 in order to make it into the State Tournament after losing to them earlier in the season 4-1,” said senior Eric Krasnow, the captain.

Against Dedham on the road Wednesday, May 25, the Tigers claimed a 5-0 victory.

Tuesday May 24 against Needham at home, though, the Tigers suffered a 5-0 defeat.

Sophomore Kris Labovitch played third singles for the first time, and he “performed exceptionally well,” said sophomore Pablo Oyler-Castrillo, the team manager.

The Tigers lost, 4-1, at Wellesley, Monday, May 16.

According to coach Phil Goldberg, at the MIAA Individual

BY

State Meet Saturday, May 14 and Sunday May 15, senior Zev Cariani, Krasnow and junior Parker Swiston played singles.

Krasnow said, “We all made it to the second round of the tournament but unfortunately did not advance past there.”

Goldberg said, “I thought that Cariani played very well but lost to a tough player.”

The Tigers played at Brookline Friday, May 13, “in a rematch that we had to win to have a chance at making States,” Goldberg said.

The Tigers won 3-2 in a tight match there, he said.

“Swiston truly played his best match there, he won in straight sets. Both doubles also played well and won in straight sets,” Goldberg said.

Swiston said he thinks that tennis is a frustrating sport. He

enhanced his performance and kept his annoyance at bay by “focusing on the point that is being played and not what the score is.”

Despite Swiston’s win at first singles, Goldberg noted that the boys lost at third singles and were swept at second singles.

Many seniors, according to Goldberg, “have greatly improved throughout the season as well” and were significantly better from last season “due to their hard work” in the off-season.

Goldberg said he hopes that the underclassmen will continue to practice during the off-season to improve and help enhance the team’s strengths, just as the seniors did.

The Tigers were to have played in the preliminary round of the MIAA Tournament against Franklin at home Saturday.

Communication benefits JV KRISTIAN LUNDBERG JV boys’ tennis “was exceptionally deep this year in its talent,” coach Katie Gryska said.

“The team members were highly motivated to improve their technique and to learn advanced strategies,” Gryska said. “Their results have demonstrated this.”

The Tigers’ victory over Brookline Friday, May 13, was a highlight in the team’s season because “we lost most of our JV matches to Brookline,” she said.

BY

Maliha Ali

Concentration: Senior Lior Rozhansky serves the ball Tuesday, May 24 at home in a match against Needham.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2011 and to your future in a greener world.

greendecade.org

Gryska also cited the “team spirit” as being one of the Tigers’ strengths.

“The boys were tight as a group and particularly supportive during matches. They were always respectful of me and open to constructive criticism, even during matches,” she said.

“Partners high-fived and communicated very well during doubles play. This was essential for unity.”

According to Gryska, one of the challenges that the team

faced was “being on a different practice site at Cold Spring Park.”

“It wasn’t so desirable at the start of the season, but later it was like our oasis,” she said.

“When we were away from our practice courts for too long because of the rain, I missed my time with the team.”

Sophomore Zach Rosenof said that the team “played well.”

“We held our own against some very good teams,” he said.

sports

36 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7 , 2011

Fall sports usher in new fields, facilities Athletic director Tom Guisti said “the long-awaited, much anticipated opening of the new Newton North High School opened successfully, and with the excitement of a new athletic facility, student athletes, their families and faculty looked forward to fall season games at Dickinson Stadium for the first time in three years.

“The new facility also boasts a spacious gymnasium for basketball and volleyball as well as the Simulated Outdoor Area, which accommodates track and field, gymnastics, cheerleading and dance.

“A beautiful swimming pool and viewing area topped off by a state-of-the art fitness center make the Newton North Athletic Facility one to be proud of.”

The Tigers had a collective record of 65-37-12, with a winning percentage of .570. Seven out of 10 teams made it to the postseason.

—JAY FEINSTEIN

Cheerleading places third in Bay State Conference JARED FREEDMAN Cheerleading qualified for Regionals after placing third in Bay States, according to senior Taylor Sweeney, a captain along with senior Corrine Beatrice.

“The team gave 110 percent at all of the practices,” said Sweeney. She said the team had three-hour practices many nights and that most girls were dedicated to improvement.

According to coach Adriane Callahan, the Tigers had a strong performance at Bay States.

“At that level of competition, you have to be flawless, and the girls were not,” said Callahan.

“But to go as far as they did with only two seniors on the team was impressive.”

At Bay States, Sweeney was named a first team all-star.

Beatrice was named an honorable mention at the same event.

The captains for the next year are to be decided.

BY

Boys’ cross country, 9-2, finishes ninth at State Meet PHILLIP RUBIN Boys’ cross-country, 9-2 in the regular season, was bested only by Brookline and Weymouth.

“They ran hard, and individually, everybody tried and succeeded in improving their times,” said coach Jim Blackburn.

According to Blackburn, the highlight of the season was the State Coaches Meet.

“We did very well this year,” he said.

The Tigers placed ninth out of 40 teams in the State Meet, but only the top five teams advanced to the next round.

“The boys’ cross country season was very fun, encouraging and relatively successful,” according to senior Ezra Lichtman, a captain with senior Dan Ranti.

“It was satisfying to win all but two of our meets. Lots of new, and some returning, members of our squad stepped up, and they will make up a promising team next fall,” Lichtman said.

Litchman, Ranti and junior Justin Keefe were named Bay State Conference all-stars. Keefe and junior David Buzby will be next year’s captains.

BY

Girls’ cross country grows, develops throughout season AMANDA HILLS Girls’ cross country, 6-5, had a season of “development and growth,” coach Peter Martin said.

Junior Melissa Weikart, a captain with seniors Devika Banerjee and Margo Gillis, said, “The team improved by becoming close-knit and working together to achieve our goals.”

With many of their top runners having graduated, the Tigers lacked experience, but Martin said their talent grew throughout the season.

“It was a delightful team to coach,” he said.

The team finished third at the Bay State Conference Championship. Gillis was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Next year’s captains will be Weikart and juniors Allie Phillips, Rosie Sokolov and Rebecca Trayner.

BY

Teddy Wenneker

Footwork: Sophomore Matt Callahan makes a pass at Brookline October 22. The Tigers tied the Warriors 1-1. The Tigers would later edge Brookline in the Sectional Finals 2-1 in penalty kicks to advance to the State Semifinals.

Field hockey achieves goals, wins postseason game in OT ANNA CLEMENTS Field hockey, 6-4-3 in the regular season and 8-5-3 overall, had “all the elements of a championship season,” said coach Celeste Myers.

This season was field hockey’s first as a co-ed team in a long time. “The boys impacted the team in a very positive way,” said Myers. “They brought out a different energy.”

Myers said the team worked well together, and it was a “total team effort.

Everyone adapted to a role,” she said.

The Tigers accomplished their goal of making the postseason, said senior Ali Pappas, a captain with senior Andrea Marzilli. “It was unexpected that we went that far,” she said.

Pappas said a highlight of the season was the first game of the tournament in which the Tigers beat North Andover 3-2 in double overtime.

Pappas and senior Julia Cuccurullo were Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Alison Berkowitz and Stephanie Vitone.

BY

Football defeats Brookline NOAH THOMPSON Achieving its goal for the season, football, 5-6, demolished Brookline in the annual Thanksgiving Game 41-12 in Dickinson Stadium.

“The win over Brookline in front of all those people is something that we are going to remember forever,” said senior Ben Clark, a captain with seniors Kevin Barisano and Isaiah Penn.

Coach Peter Capodilupo said that a major achievement of the players was their ability to keep improving despite many early losses. “The captains did a very good job leading us, and I thought they did a nice job with that.”

Clark and Penn both made the AllLeague Defensive Team and were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Mike Bradley, Pat Bryson, Brendan Fagan and Swardiq Mayanja.

BY

Golf avenges major rivals NED MARTENIS Against a tough field of competitors, golf, 8-3 in league play, defeated its three main rivals but still suffered losses, said coach Bob MacDougall.

“We focused on playing a more teamoriented game,” MacDougall said but added that the team had some inconsis-

BY

tent play.

The Tigers beat Wellesley Monday, Oct. 4 at home in “the best game we played,” MacDougall said. “It was a huge boost and gave kids confidence.” Wellesley was undefeated at the time.

However, MacDougall said “a couple losses kept us from contending” in the State Tournament as a team, although freshman Charlie Goldberg went on to compete individually, finishing with a score of 85.

According to senior T.J. Ryan, a captain with senior Eric Regensberg, “It was a successful season since we beat Wellesley, Needham and Brookline, whom we are always competing with,” he said.

Ryan was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Boys’ soccer wins Section in fairytale postseason run HENRY DEGROOT Despite entering the postseason seeded 19th, boys’ soccer placed fourth in the state as the Northern Division I Champions. The team finished 7-5-6 in the regular season and 12-6-6 overall.

“Our goal was to make the tournament, because once you’re in the tournament, anything can happen,” said first-year coach Roy Dow. Senior Jeremy Gurvits, a captain with senior Gabe Paul, said, “It feels good to look back at the beginning of the year and think how we were determined to simply make the postseason, and then we exceeded our expectations and finished in the top four teams in the state.”

Juniors Tim Stanton and Luke Westman, who will be next year’s captains, received Bay State all-star awards and senior Gianluca Viscomi received an honorable mention.

Next year’s captains are to be decided.

BY

Girls’ soccer bonds as team, finishes with winning record JESSE METZGER Girls’ soccer, 9-8-1 in the regular season, saw much improvement since last season despite an unusually young team, according to senior Ellen Goldberg, a captain with senior Evelyn Hurwitz. The team’s main goal was “getting the ball in the back of the net,” she said.

The Tigers made it into the tournament this year, beating Brookline 1-0 at home to gain their spot. The Tigers made it two games into the tournament, beating North Andover 2-0, then losing

BY

to Peabody 5-2.

Success was partly due to how the players were “dedicated, committed and hard working, and they all worked together,” according to coach James Hamblin.

Hurwitz and senior Emily Brown, the team’s top scorer, were named Bay State Conference all-stars, and junior Sarah Perlo was awarded an honorable mention.

Next year’s captains will be Perlo and juniors Katie Regan and Lauren Smith.

Girls’ swim, 6-5, starts well RYAN CONDON Girls’ swimming and diving, 6-5 in the regular season, started strong and improved on its weaknesses, said coach Kirsten Tuohy.

A highlight of the season was when freshman Irina Rojas set a new school record by swimming the 100-yard butterfly in 1:00.57. According to senior Rebecca Harris, a captain with senior Daryl Choa, “Having successful underclassmen gives everyone hope for the team’s future.”

Rojas was a Bay State Conference all-star and junior Hunter Hedenburg received an honorable mention.

The team finished 12th at the Division I State Meet and 15th at the South Sectional meet.

Next year’s captains will be Hedenburg and junior Veronica Ingham.

BY

Girls’ volleyball improves, makes Sectional Semifinals JULIA ORAN Girls’ volleyball ended its season 15-2, which was its “biggest accomplishment,” said senior Nensi Cukalla, one of eight captains. In the postseason, the Tigers lost in the South Sectional semifinals to North Quincy.

Cukalla said the Holyoke Tournament was a highlight for the team. The Tigers came in second against “one of the best teams in Massachusetts.”

The team’s goal was to “play volleyball at a high state level,” according to coach Richard Barton. “We established ourselves as a legitimate, powerful volleyball team, which was exciting.”

The Tigers were Bay State Conference Champions. Seniors Tatiana Froehlich, Emily Hutchinson and Melissa Jewett and freshman Micaela Cohen were Bay State Conference all-stars. Froehlich was also named a Boston Globe allscholastic.

All of the seniors on next year’s team will be captains.

BY

sports

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 37

Winter teams find success in postseason “The team worked hard, and we moved from tied for fifth to tied for fourth with Wellesley.”

According to Richard, the team “will become a contender in the BSC in the next few years as the freshmen and sophomores gain more competitive experience.”

According to senior Jeremy Markson, a captain with seniors Ramzy Kahhale and Jamie Lew, “The team was able to improve through hard work.”

Senior Alex Graf, junior Ryan Chan and sophomore Austen Young were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be Chan and junior Ben Salwen.

“Once again, no matter what the Tigers played or where we played throughout the season, we played with character, confidence and class and were always competitive,” athletic director Tom Giusti said.

He said he would like to thank the athletes for their effort, dedication and enthusiasm throughout the season.

The Tigers had a collective record of 69-69-2 and a winning percentage of .493.

Four teams out of 12 made it to the postseason.

—GLORIA LI

Boys’ basketball improves, makes deep postseason run KRISTIAN LUNDBERG Boys’ basketball, the seventh seed in the MIAA Tournament, pulled off a string of upsets to advance to the Sectional Finals at the TD Garden. There, the Tigers lost 48-46 to Mansfield, the top seed in the tournament, in a heartbreaker.

“From where we started to where we ended up is a huge difference,” said senior Avi Adler-Cohen, a captain with senior Tevin Falzon.

“We fought until the very end against the top team in the section. That’s something to be proud of,” he said.

The Tigers, 19-7, played most of the regular season without Falzon, a McDonald’s All-American nominee. However, Falzon returned in time for the playoffs to spark consecutive upsets of secondseeded Weymouth and third-seeded New Bedford.

The Sectional Finals appearance is the furthest the team has advanced in the tournament since winning the State Championship in 2006. “We had a great season. We have nothing to hang our heads about,” coach Paul Connolly said.

Junior Michael Thorpe was named a Bay State Conference all-star. Next year’s captains will be Thorpe and juniors Jared Masinton and Luke Westman.

Boys’ track goes undefeated

BY

Girls’ basketball, 12-9, falls to New Bedford in playoffs KRISTIAN LUNDBERG Girls’ basketball, 12-9, ended it its season with a 61-47 loss to New Bedford in the second round of the MIAA Tournament. For senior Megan Gentile, a captain with seniors Briana Hunt, Ella Scheuerell and D’Jaidah Wynn, the team’s performance in that game was “upsetting.”

“I feel as though we did not play the way we are capable of,” Gentile said.

“I was unhappy that we couldn’t pull it all together as a team to do more in the tournament.”

Still, according to Gentile, there were “many good things that happened this season.”

Coach Hank DeSantis said the team “did well, all things considered.”

“Considering the injuries we had and how the younger team members needed to step up, I think we played well,” he said.

Hunt and Scheuerell were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains will be juniors Kayla Farina and Gracie Rolfe.

BY

Boys’ gymnastics improves PERRIN STEIN Although boys’ gymnastics ended the season 0-5, team members were enthusiastic and worked hard during practice, according to coach Steve Chan.

During the season, the Tigers had difficulty because the team was inexperienced and did not have enough time to practice due to the many snowstorms this winter, he said.

At the end of the season, the Tigers’ hard work paid off because they finished sixth in the State Championship, beating South. “It is always satisfying defeating our cross-town rival,” Chan said.

Some of the key players were senior Julian Chappell, junior Curran Ferrey and freshman Eric Weiss, who all “provided steady performances,” according to Chan. Also, senior Alex Petitti, the captain, was a great leader and mentor to the other team members, Chan said.

Petiti said he enjoyed both defeating South and receiving fourth place in the All-Around category. “Hopefully, next year the team will take it to new levels, which even I could not reach,” he said.

BY

JAY FEINSTEIN AND GLORIA LI Boys’ indoor track, 5-0, had an “extremely successful season,” said senior Ezra Lichtman, a captain with seniors Ben Clark and Ryan Donovan.

“We continued our 14-year undefeated streak in Bay State Conference meets,” he said.

A highlight of the season included the Division I State Meet, he said. “At AllStates, we had a number of high-ranking performances, and we even performed well at Nationals, earning All-American status for the four members of our Sprint Medley.”

According to Lichtman, “An influx of new talent also makes it look as though we can expect similar results next year.”

Coach Jim Blackburn said the team did “very well” during the season.

Clark, Lichtman, seniors Tylor Hart and Isaiah Penn and juniors Young Guang, Justin Keefe and Swardiq Mayanja were named Bay State Conference all-stars. Mayanja was also named a Boston Globe all-scholastic and a Boston Herald all-scholastic.

Next year’s captains will be Guang, Keefe and Mayanja.

BY

Jacob Schwartz

Half Court: Senior Ella Scheuerell dribbles around a Framingham defender January 19. The Tigers defeated the Flyers 40-32 at home.

Next years’ captains will be decided at the beginning of next season.

Girls’ gymnastics qualifies for Sectionals for first time GLORIA LI For the first time in school history, girls’ gymnastics, 5-4, qualified for Sectionals, according to coach Jim Chin.

Sophomore Ariana Paone, a captain with senior Victoria Mirrer, said, “Our hard work definitely contributed to this great success.”

Chin said that the team finished eighth out of 48 teams in the South Section.

He said the team should have finished 8-1, and it would have had it not been plagued by injuries early in the season.

“The biggest challenge this past season was definitely staying healthy and getting a complete line up during competitions,” Chin said.

Mirrer, and sophomores Allison Hurwitz and Paone were named the Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next season’s captains will be junior Lena Golick, Hurwitz, and sophomore Lili Margolin.

BY

Boys’ hockey tops Brookline KRISTIAN LUNDBERG In a frustrating season, boys’ hockey can still take solace in a season sweep of Brookline.

The Tigers, 5-14-1, had a “disappointing season in terms of the win-loss record,” according to coach Tom Ryan, yet the younger players were still able to “gain experience,” he said.

“We have 17 young kids coming back next year, so we’ll have a higher experience level then,” Ryan said.

Ryan said that the season sweep of Brookline was a high point in the season.

“It’s always fun to beat them,” he said.

Senior T.J. Ryan, a captain with junior Ryan Fanning, said that the “team worked hard night in, night out.”

“Although we didn’t get the results we wanted, we still played hard,” he said.

Ryan and Fanning were both named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Next year’s captains are to be determined.

BY

Girls’ hockey shows effort GLORIA LI One of the high points in the season for girls’ hockey, 5-14-1, was its 1-0 shutout of Milton, according to coach Bob MacDougall.

“Milton is a strong team, and we beat them by playing, for the first time, as a team that displayed its strength in all three periods,” MacDougall said.

At the Milton game, the team members played to their full potential, MacDougall said.

“Junior Courtney Leahy played well all season, and she really put forth a fantastic effort in goal,” MacDougall said.

MacDougall said the team’s strength lied in its depth at forward.

“Something a bit weak on the team

BY

was probably the inexperienced defense,” he said.

Senior Michele Troy, a captain with senior Marissa Troy and junior Katie Caruso, said, “Although we didn’t have much experience at the beginning of the season, by the end, we definitely improved.”

Caruso, Leahy and junior Stephanie Vitone will be the captains next season.

Alpine improves technique AMANDA HILLS Alpine skiing found strength in numbers this season, according to senior Derek Goldstone, a captain with senior Myles Kamisher-Koch.

“It was one of the biggest teams we’ve had in years,” Goldstone said.

Although many freshmen and sophomores joined this past season, he said, “Everyone caught on quickly and scored points by the end of the season.”

The team gained skills by running drills and talking about different ways to improve their technique.

Goldstone said, “The more experienced skiers were a really big help in teaching and coaching underclassmen.”

The team’s race at Ward Hill was the highlight of the season, Goldstone said.

“Everyone on the team did really well. It was a very good moment when it seemed everyone had done well.”

BY

Committed nordic team overcomes Dover-Sherbon JAY FEINSTEIN Beating Dover-Sherborn was the highlight of this year’s nordic skiing season, said senior Ellen Goldberg, a captain with senior Amy Lu. “It was the first time we’ve beaten them in a decade,” she said.

The major strength of the team was commitment, according Goldberg.

“Everyone always coming to practice everyday helped.”

Another strength was the diversity of skiers on the team.

“There were a lot of beginners, who were just learning to ski, and there were also some more advanced skiers who were able to teach the beginners,” she said.

According to Goldberg, one weakness might have been preseason training, but overall the Tigers had a good season.

Next year’s captains are to be decided.

BY

Boys’ swimming works hard JAY FEINSTEIN Despite inexperience, a desire to succeed stuck with boys’ swimming and diving throughout its 1-5 season, according to coach Amy Richard.

The team held strengths in sportsmanship and team bonding, she said.

“After the last league meet, which we lost, I challenged the team to improve its standing at the BSC championship meet by working hard in the next two weeks before BSC champs,” Richard said.

BY

Girls’ track builds chemistry, places second in State Finals PERRIN STEIN Girls’ indoor track, 5-0, “had solid work ethic, team chemistry and consistency of execution,” resulting in the team “winning title competitions against the best teams in the state,” according to coach Joe Tranchita. “This really tested our abilities to compete consistently at a high level.”

The Tigers made it to the State Finals, where they placed second overall. Based on their performances at this meet, senior Amy Ren, juniors Steph Brown and Kayla Wong and sophomore Carla Forbes qualified for Nationals. They came in eighth place in the shuttle hurtles, and they beat the best ever time for the event in New England, Tranchita said.

Ren, a captain with senior Katie Brandl, said that the team made it so far in the season because “everyone bonded and became a cohesive unit.”

Forbes, Ren, Wong, senior Margo Gillis, junior Lucia Grigoli and sophomore Meghan Bellerose were named Bay State Conference all-stars.

Forbes and the 4x400 relay team were named Boston Globe all-scholastics and Boston Herald all-scholastics.

Next year’s captains will be Wong and junior Maggie Heffernan.

BY

Wrestling, 12-10, meets goal of achieving winning record JAY FEINSTEIN Wrestling finished its season 12-10, achieving the Tigers’ ninth consecutive winning season through its persistence and hard work, according to coach John Staulo.

“Everyone put in their best effort and gained a good understanding of the sport,” he said.

“We got all of the team to do what they were supposed to do.”

According to senior Mike Atkinson, a captain with seniors Matt Laredo and Ben Polci, the season was a general success. “We faced quite a few injuries, but people were able to step up and help out, and we were able to overcome our obstacles.”

Polci was named a Bay State Conference all-star.

Next year’s captains are to be determined.

BY

sports

38 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Tournament ends abruptly for softball JACOB SCHWARTZ Central Catholic defeated the Tigers 7-2 Thursday in the first round of the State Tournament.

According to coach Lauren Baugher, the Tigers struggled in the field, hurting their chances of winning.

“We didn’t make plays when we had the opportunities,” Baugher said. “We basically gave them the game with our errors.”

Still, according to Baugher, there were some bright spots to take away from the game.

“Junior Clare Doolin pitched well, and senior Meghan Pursley hit a triple to knock in sophomore Bridget McLaughlin,” she said. Pursley subsequently scored the Tigers’ second and final run.

Like many years, this season was one of learning for softball, 14-7, Baugher said. “We’ve learned about how we can play defense behind our pitchers and the importance of being strong on defense, as well as in general just taking it one game at a time.”

According to Pursley, a captain with senior Ali Pappas, since this time last year, the team has changed. “We were completely different than we had been a year ago. The dynamic was just different. We had different types of hitters, and we were younger.”

Because of these changes, Pursley said, the team has different parts of the game it will continue to work on next

BY

Jacob Schwartz

Wrist-snap: Senior Rachel Miller pitches against Brookline at home Friday, May 20.

season, including putting an emphasis on defense.

On Senior Day, Thursday, May 26, the Tigers defeated Wellesley 12-1 at home.

One day before the victory over Wellesley, the Tigers defeated Needham in a landslide on the road Wednesday, May 25, 14-1.

At Framingham Monday, May 23, the Tigers won 6-2.

The Tigers defeated Weymouth 8-2 Saturday, May 21 on the road, in what Pursley described as the high point of the season for the team.

“We played with such an aggressive attitude and took advantage of their mistakes.”

“We were aggressive on the bases and took every opportunity they gave us and ran with it.”

Pursley also was impressed by the fact that every teammate contributed.

“Everyone did something that helped us succeed, whether it was being loud on the bench, helping a player warm up or pinch running,” she said.

In the 32-1 demolition of Brookline Friday, May 20 at home, younger players were given some varsity playing time in order to prepare them for their futures with the team.

The victory qualified the Tigers for the State Tournament.

Juniors Katie Caruso and Clare Doolin were first team Bay State Conference all-stars.

Sophomore Zoe Cassidy recieved an honorable mention.

JV, freshman softball teams put focus on skills JV works on defense PERRIN STEIN JV softball, 12-3, worked on perfecting execution on defense, base running and pitch selection at the plate throughout the season, according to coach Kate Hurd.

By working in practice and learning from their mistakes, the Tigers “learned that by putting pressure on our opponent to have to make plays while we are running the bases, it puts us in a better position to score runs,” Hurd said.

The Tigers’ strengths lied “in our intensity and our ability to make plays in the field and at the plate in pressure situations,” she said.

The pitching of sophomore Ellie Wenneker and freshman

BY

MacKenzie Dreese also enabled the Tigers to successfully prevent opponents from scoring more, according to Hurd.

The most memorable game of the season was the Monday, May 9 game at Natick, Hurd said.

The Tigers were down by two runs in their last at bat.

Sophomore Steph Kolozie put down a squeeze bunt, allowing sophomore Emma Berger and Dreese to score and win the game 5-4.

According to sophomore Bridget McLaughlin, a captain with Berger, the Tigers “came together by bonding and improving every day on personal skills.”

Up until the end of the season, the Tigers were able to

maintain focus in practice, allowing them to do well in games, she said.

Next year, McLaughlin said she hopes that the team will continue to utilize practice well, thus improving on fundamental skills everyday.

9-2 freshmen succeed JESSE METZGER Despite losing multiple players due to injuries and illness during the season, freshman softball prevailed and had a winning season.

Ending the season with a record of 9-2, the Tigers defeated many strong teams, such as Braintree, which they beat by only a single run at the beginning of the season. “ We know each other ’s strengths and weaknesses very

BY

well,” said Isabel Rivero, a captain with Juliet Roll. “We improved our skills together, and as a whole, the team has accomplished a lot.”

The two captains had a major impact on the season’s positive outcome, according to Melissa Joseph, an outfielder.

“The captains always looked out for the team,” Joseph said.

“They’re real leaders, and they did a great job.”

According to coach Laurie Arcovio, “They have been fantastic captains.”

Rivero is the team’s catcher and Roll is a pitcher. “They held two positions that require strong leadership, and they have taken this leadership role and run with it,” Arcovio said.

“They organized fundraising,

team dinners and team spirit days.”

Arcovio said that she believes that most importantly, she is proud of Rivero and Roll because they have led the team by example.

In addition, two players who were key in the team’s victories were Roll and Daniela Fei, the team’s pitchers, who “were phenomenal and worked hard throughout the season,” according to Leah Herman, an outfielder.

Arcovio noted that the team had players with little experience in the beginning of the year.

“They have since transformed from beginners nervous to make plays to confident members of the team who make big plays.”

Spring athletes earn awards RYAN CONDON STEVEN MICHAEL Athletic Awards Night recognized the achievements of this school’s student-athletes Tuesday, May 31 in the auditorium.

Athletic director Tom Giusti opened the ceremony with his thoughts on the challenges and benefits of high school sports.

“Cherish every practice game and season you play,” Giusti said. “The determination you learned will stay with you forever.”

P rincipal Jennifer P rice spoke about the lessons learned through sports, such as putting the team above the individual.

Then, each varsity team came on stage as the coaches and captains talked about their team’s season highlights and accomplishments. Each captain also gave a brief speech.

Throughout the night, some student-athletes were given scholarships and awards to recognize their achievements.

Senior Dan Anderson received the Chuck Sakakini scholarship, the Robert B. Ca-

BY

AND

labro Scholarship and the William E. Connors Award. Also receiving the William E. Connors Award was senior Ellen Goldberg.

In addition to Anderson, senior Kevin Barisano also received the Robert B. Calabro Scholarship.

Receiving the David Costanzo Award and the Christopher Polci Scholarship was senior Ben Polci.

S e n i o r To m D e S t e f a n o received the Sandy Barztak Award, and senior Zach MacAuliffe received the Andrew Dealy Memorial Scholarship.

Senior Ben Clark received the Bobby Donohue Scholarship, and senior James Barnett received the Frank Simmons Award.

Receiving the Reginald E. Smith Memorial Award was senior T.J. Ryan, and senior Isaiah Penn received the Edwin H. Wiest Memorial Scholarship.

The George Jessup Scholarship went to senior Casey Bryson.

The night also included awards for freshmen who

showed dedication and commitment to the athletic program.

The Simon Surabian Award went to freshmen Amelia Williams and Jermel Wright, the Sandy Barztak Award to Anthony Vitone and the Marilyn Murphy Award to Evie Heffernan.

For earning at least seven varsity letters, plaques were given to seniors: ◆ Corrine Beatrice ◆ Ben Clark ◆ Ryan Donovan ◆ Tatiana Froehlich ◆ Megan Gentile ◆ Margo Gillis ◆ Ellen Goldberg ◆ Evelyn Hurwitz ◆ Emily Hutchinson ◆ Ezra Lichtman ◆ Nick Link ◆ Amy Lu ◆ Isaiah Penn ◆ Ben Polci ◆ Meghan Pursley ◆ Dan Ranti ◆ Amy Ren ◆ T.J. Ryan ◆ Marissa Troy ◆ Michele Troy

Jack McLaughlin

Spring Awards: Senior Ryan Donovan, a captain of boys’ track, speaks at Athletic Awards Night Tuesday, May 31.

sports

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 39

Tigers edge Brookline Win qualifies boys’ tennis for State Tournament GLORIA LI Boys’ tennis, 8-7 Friday, experienced its most exciting moment of the season by “beating Brookline 3-2 in order to make it into the State Tournament after losing to them earlier in the season 4-1,” said senior Eric Krasnow, the captain.

Against Dedham on the road Wednesday, May 25, the Tigers claimed a 5-0 victory.

Tuesday May 24 against Needham at home, though, the Tigers suffered a 5-0 defeat.

Sophomore Kris Labovitch played third singles for the first time, and he “performed exceptionally well,” said sophomore Pablo Oyler-Castrillo, the team manager.

The Tigers lost, 4-1, at Wellesley, Monday, May 16.

According to coach Phil Goldberg, at the MIAA Individual

BY

State Meet Saturday, May 14 and Sunday May 15, senior Zev Cariani, Krasnow and junior Parker Swiston played singles.

Krasnow said, “We all made it to the second round of the tournament but unfortunately did not advance past there.”

Goldberg said, “I thought that Cariani played very well but lost to a tough player.”

The Tigers played at Brookline Friday, May 13, “in a rematch that we had to win to have a chance at making States,” Goldberg said.

The Tigers won 3-2 in a tight match there, he said.

“Swiston truly played his best match there, he won in straight sets. Both doubles also played well and won in straight sets,” Goldberg said.

Swiston said he thinks that tennis is a frustrating sport. He

enhanced his performance and kept his annoyance at bay by “focusing on the point that is being played and not what the score is.”

Despite Swiston’s win at first singles, Goldberg noted that the boys lost at third singles and were swept at second singles.

Many seniors, according to Goldberg, “have greatly improved throughout the season as well” and were significantly better from last season “due to their hard work” in the off-season.

Goldberg said he hopes that the underclassmen will continue to practice during the off-season to improve and help enhance the team’s strengths, just as the seniors did.

The Tigers were to have played in the preliminary round of the MIAA Tournament against Franklin at home Saturday.

Communication benefits JV KRISTIAN LUNDBERG JV boys’ tennis “was exceptionally deep this year in its talent,” coach Katie Gryska said.

“The team members were highly motivated to improve their technique and to learn advanced strategies,” Gryska said. “Their results have demonstrated this.”

The Tigers’ victory over Brookline Friday, May 13, was a highlight in the team’s season because “we lost most of our JV matches to Brookline,” she said.

BY

Maliha Ali

Concentration: Senior Lior Rozhansky serves the ball Tuesday, May 24 at home in a match against Needham.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2011 and to your future in a greener world.

greendecade.org

Gryska also cited the “team spirit” as being one of the Tigers’ strengths.

“The boys were tight as a group and particularly supportive during matches. They were always respectful of me and open to constructive criticism, even during matches,” she said.

“Partners high-fived and communicated very well during doubles play. This was essential for unity.”

According to Gryska, one of the challenges that the team

faced was “being on a different practice site at Cold Spring Park.”

“It wasn’t so desirable at the start of the season, but later it was like our oasis,” she said.

“When we were away from our practice courts for too long because of the rain, I missed my time with the team.”

Sophomore Zach Rosenof said that the team “played well.”

“We held our own against some very good teams,” he said.

sports

40 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Boys’ lacrosse prevails in DePeter Cup JAY FEINSTEIN Boys’ lacrosse, 10-9, made it to the postseason, losing the first game of the tournament to Barnstable Wednesday.

“The game didn’t go too well, but it was nice that we made it to the tournament,” said coach Bussy Adam.

Adam attributed the Tigers’ success in reaching the tournament to the team’s improved defense. “Our defense got better as the year went on,” he said.

According to Adam, “At the beginning of the season, we didn’t have a face-off person, but junior Nate Menninger stepped up and has done a great job. He was key to our success.”

According to junior Jake Shearman, a captain with senior T.J. Ryan, “As a program, making tournament was a step forward for us because we haven’t made it for a couple of years.”

In the first game of the tournament, the Tigers lost 7-4 at Barnstable Wednesday. “ We didn’t play the best game,” he said.

“We could have possessed the ball better. We had many unforced errors from not protecting the ball.”

At home Thursday, May 26, the Tigers defeated South 9-7 in the DePeter Cup. “Newton

BY

South played very well,” Adam said. “We had a difficult time getting things executed and struggled in the first half.”

According to Adam, the Tigers “got composure during the second half and outscored South in the last quarter.”

Hosting Needham Monday, May 23, the Tigers lost to the Rockets 11-6. “They’re one of the best teams in the Bay State,” Adam said. “We were close with them for three quarters, but their high-power offense let them beat us at the end.”

In a defensive home game Saturday, May 21, the Tigers lost 3-2 to Concord-Carlisle in overtime, Adam said.

“They’re an excellent team, and they only lost one game this season,” he said.

Thursday, May 19, the Tigers lost 10-6 at Wellesley. “They’re undefeated, and we struggled with penalties,” Adam said.

In an “exciting” game Wednesday, May 18 the Tigers defeated Dedham 20-1 at home, according to Adam. As the team’s ninth win, this game qualified the Tigers for the State Tournament.

Friday, May 13, the Tigers lost 9-6 at home in a “tough” game against Brookline, Adam said.

Jacob Schwartz

Netminder: Sophomore John Hogan guards the post against South in the DePeter Cup.

JV, freshman boys’ lacrosse put forth strong effort JV has winning record FATEMA ZAIDI Striving to have a solid record this year, boys’ lacrosse finished the season 10-6, according to coach Nick Capodilupo.

“Our goal for the year was to improve and have a winning record, but we had some challenging games in our final stretch,” he said.

According to Capodilupo, the team had “an experienced defense” and “won games by outworking its opponents,” and

BY

although the team’s skill was not overwhelming, “we were able to win games by way of work ethic.”

The captains, juniors Matias Page and Orion Wagner, “were strong leaders throughout the year,” said Capodilupo.

Wagner has worked with new members of the team since the beginning of the season and has seen great improvement, he said.

“They have really stepped up and contributed to our defense,”

said Wagner.

According to Wagner, the team started off slow, “but now we have come together as a team and finished off strong.”

’14 represents school JAY FEINSTEIN Freshman boys’ lacrosse ended its season with defensive strengths, according to coach David Curnick.

Important players included Jack Boucher, Cory Chin, Henry DeGroot and Anthony Vitone, but according to Curnick, ev-

BY

eryone tried his hardest.

“The team had a good group of guys,” he said. “They represented the school well in all facets. The kids were really positive and full of spirit, and I look forward to working with them in the future.”

According to Curnick, “This year, the Tigers improved considerably from where they started.”

The Tigers’ biggest improvement was in their knowledge of the game. “Some players,

like, Matt Mackenzie, picked up the game for the first time, but everyone picked up overall game skills by the end of the season.”

The season ended 4-9, but according to Curnick, “The record is not indicative of our overall progress.”

According to Vitone, passing greatly improved throughout the season.

“We got better and more coordinated as the season progressed,” he said.

Girls’ tennis closes season hindered by difficult weather GLORIA LI Despite adverse weather throughout the season that impeded productivity during practices, junior Emily Chan, a captain with senior Emily Kelly, said she believes that everyone on girls’ tennis, 7-8, put forth commendable effort at each game.

Wednesday, May 25 against Wellesley, the Tigers lost 5-0 to a tough team.

“Although we fell short of our goal this season, to make tournament, I’m still proud of the team for putting in their best effort,” coach John Gaustchi said.

At Needham Tuesday May 14, the Tigers also suffered a 5-0 defeat.

At Wellesley, however, Tues-

BY

day, May 24, the Tigers played a match that was cut short due to time constraints against Natick, winning 3-1.

The girls also claimed a 4-0 victory when the match at home against Dedham was cut short due to rain Monday, May 23.

Friday, May 20, against Needham at home, the girls were defeated 4-1.

Chan said, “Even though the rain caused a lot of our matches to get cancelled or postponed, our spirit was not brought down by that fact.”

Monday, May 16, when the Tigers were supposed to have played against Wellesley, a downpour commenced.

“It was heart wrenching though, to see our one night match of the season get can-

celled,” she said.

At Hingham in the MIAA State Individual Tournament Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, the girls put forth a strong effort, Chan said.

She lost in the third set after a tiebreaker in the first round of first singles.

Kelly, along with sophomores Sejal Vallabh and Tatiana Yugay, won against their first round opponents but were defeated in the second round, she said.

Junior Katie Regan lost in the first round, according to Chan.

At Brookline, Friday, May 13, the Tigers lost 4-1 against the Warriors.

“Even though we lost, everyone tried really hard there, and three or four matches went up to the third set,” Chan said.

Older JV players lead team AMANDA HILLS Throughout the season, JV girls’ tennis improved its volleys and basic strategies despite the ever-present rain, according to coach John Gaustchi.

Gaustchi said the team had many players who were new to the sport.

“Many people were very raw to competitive tennis.”

This season was also an unfortunate time for them to start, because “we lost a whole week due to rain.

BY

Gabe Dreyer

Forehand: Sophomore Sejal Vallabh warms up before a game Wednesday, May 25 at home against Wellesley.

“I wish we could have gotten more done,” he said.

But, he said, “The older players really helped to teach the younger players.

“There was a lot of leadership involved this season.”

Gaustchi named a strength of the team as having “a dynamic, strong makeup.”

Freshman Sammy Robertson remembers a specific game as bringing the team together.

“We were playing a deciding match at Framingham, Wednes-

day, April 27, and it was really late. One player played very intensely for a really long time, and it was the heart of the season. That match really brought us together.”

Gaustchi added, “That was the match of the season. Everybody got to see the big picture of all different dynamics of a match.

“Every swing was a point back and forth at that match, and it really showed that it’s not over until it’s over.”