The Eagle | Issue 3 | April 2022

Page 2 Return to Normal Mask Removal Return of Events

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Student Travel

Staff and Students

Courses and Clubs

Sports

England Trip

Ms. Rozak Award One Acts

New Courses SADD Club

Brook Reardon Ultimate Frisbee

41 Obery Street Plymouth, Massachusetts

Issue 3: April 2022

The Eagle Plymouth North High School

Legally Blonde

Guest director, Jason Luciana, provided insight and expertise for the Plymouth North Players in their Spring musical, a vibrant rendition of Unable to operate the entirety of the Legally Blonde By: Amanda Cherry Normally, year after year, the Plymouth North Players put on spectacular showings the whole town can enjoy. Hundreds of long, tiring hours go into perfecting the vocal performances, choreography, and acting. After a devastating end to The Addams Family on opening night in the Spring of 2020 when Covid-19 forced all schools to shut down, Legally Blonde made up for the calamitous loss of major theater productions. The theater program made an elaborate comeback with the help of an outside director.

Rachel Quinn and Helen Morrow are the typical directors of Plymouth North musicals. This year, Quinn is taking a year off from directing after having a baby.

Phot o Cr edit s: P lym out h

Pu bli cS ch oo ls

production on her own, Guest Director, Jason Luciana was brought in as head director to help out Assistant Director, Morrow.

Luciana works at Plymouth South High School as the Theater and Vocal Music Educator. He studied music education as well as vocal performance at Lycoming College.

Luciana has a long list of directorial credentials including Anything Goes and Little Women at Plymouth South High School. He has also directed for Bostonarea theater companies and has 10 years of experience directing at a performing arts summer camp in Pennsylvania.

Luciana’s directing skills were greatly shown off by the fantastic execution of the musical by the cast and crew each night.

Luciana’s directing skills were greatly shown off by the fantastic execution of the musical by the cast and crew each night.

Senior Hannah Ferro played the lead role, Elle Woods, and has been a part of the Plymouth North theater guild since her freshman year.

“Working with Mr. Luciana was a positive experience,” said Ferro. “He makes each person feel welcome and he makes sure they know how important they are to the process of the production.”

Senior Liam Wright, who played Professor Callahan and is a member of Plymouth North’s Northern Lights a cappella group, feels Luciana did a wonderful job as well.

“He [Luciana] takes a hands-off

Photo Credits: Plymouth Public Schools

“He dedicates so much of his time to teaching and he makes a safe spac e for learning.”

- Hannah Ferro approach while also offering his insight. He makes all the cast members feel comfortable and confident,” said Wright.

Luciana provided a pair of fresh eyes for the North theater program and he integrated greatly with his cast and crew.

“He is different from other directors because he cares deeply about the craft, rather than the product,” said Ferro.“He dedicates so much of his time to teaching and he makes a safe space for learning.”

His expertise comes from his vast background in the musical arts. He is the founder of the vocal band “Elevate” and he is also the director of Plymouth South’s a cappella group, South Avenue.

His extensive knowledge in musical education and performing made him a perfect choice for the comeback Spring musical.

“The best part of directing is watching my actors and technicians grow throughout the run of the show,” said Luciana. “I’m proud of my cast.

They've missed two years and for them to come back and put together a show as difficult as Legally Blonde is an incredible achievement.”

The Plymouth North Players put on an amazing performance in March with the help of their guest director. His expertise was exactly what the theater guild needed after such a tragic hold on theater productions two years ago.

No More Masks; Now What?

Return of the End of the Year Events

Student Singers Going Back to England

Robotics for All Ages

An update on Plymouth North’s muchanticipated lifting of the mask mandate

By Seeger Creane

With the Pandemic coming to an end, long-awaited end of the year events return in full flow this year

By Ryan Healy

For the first time since the pandemic, North students are journeying across the pond on a musical adventure

By Donald Proctor

Elementary school students participate in a fun night of innovative activities while competing with their own robots.

By Liam Husband

For almost 18 months, having to wear masks was a reality at Plymouth North and throughout the Plymouth Public Schools system. Students and staff wore masks to school every day throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with seemingly no end in sight.

However, on February 9th, the state of Massachusetts announced that it would be ending the state-wide mask mandate in schools on February 28th.

This led to Plymouth’s school board eventually announcing the decision to make masks optional on February 28th, the first day back from February vacation. A few weeks into this new maskless era, many wonder how these changes have gone.

Well, certain students and teachers seem to love the change. Although it was a necessary step in slowing the spread of COVID-19, masks bore a burden on the social lives of many in the school. Not being able to see each other’s faces was understandably difficult for some students and teachers.

Colin Raeke, junior, said, “Ever since the masks have come off for Plymouth North, I’ve felt a new wave of fresh air with the kids socially and how people interact and the smiles we see.”

Returning to a completely normal social life has obviously been looked forward to greatly by some students and staff. However, this is far from the only aspect of life that the mask mandate being lifted has affected.

Junior J.T. Sarris, a member of the Plymouth North wrestling team, said, “Having no masks has been better because I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

I can just wrestle and focus entirely on that.”

However, not everyone has decided to go to school maskless. Some still mask up every day at PNHS. Junior Jeremy Wilson, who has decided to still wear his mask during some public functions, including at school, said, “For me, I just don’t really see much of a reason not to wear it. Having it on my face doesn’t bother me as it does with other kids, and I still want to be as safe as possible.”

Constantly wearing masks had also placed a large strain on how classrooms operate, with so much daily interaction and understanding between people coming from facial expressions. But now that Plymouth North has gone mask optional, classrooms that were greatly altered due to masks for the last 18 months are now finally returning back to normal.

Mr. Jeremy Hales, the History teacher, said, “It’s nice to see kids’ faces, and see them laughing, and know that they’re laughing when before you would just kind of have to guess.”

The return back to the norm has been a breath of fresh air for many. Plymouth North’s last school year without masks was the 2019-20 school year, which of course was cut short in March by COVID-19 anyways. The patience of everyone involved has paid off, as Plymouth is now finally back to a fully normal school.

As great as not wearing masks has been for many, there were some legitimate concerns as to how it would affect the school and whether or not there would be a spike in COVID cases.

Mrs. Laura Wilson, the Nurse, said, “I was worried about the possibility of seeing a spike in cases, but now I don’t really see that being a problem. I feel like with the nicer weather coming and lots of things being outside, I think we’ll be okay.”

Although many voiced their very legitimate concerns about the end of the mask mandate in Plymouth’s schools, it seems as if PNHS is cruising along safely.

After a reasonable but very long 18 months, Plymouth North has finally ditched the last remnant of COVID era schooling, and all is back to normal at last.

Pandemic, COVID, Coronavirus. Seemingly every news headline over the past two years contained these nowdreadful words. With the easing of restrictions across the globe, events everywhere are making spectacular returns.

This spring, Plymouth North will see the full return of endof-year events which have been long-awaited for many. Senior Fest, Senior Hypnotist Night, and both Junior and Senior Proms are just a few of the events making their full, ‘back to normal’ comebacks this spring.

Although everyone was affected by COVID Restrictions, the classes of 2020’ and 21’ were especially devastated. Students were not able to have their traditional end-of-year events, tarnishing the end of their high school experience.

Senior Class Advisor Mrs. Wolcott said, “It was devastating for them because they missed out on some of the traditional things, but last year things were a little more flexible than the year before.”

The class of 2020 was hit harder by the pandemic spending the end of the school year at home in isolation. The one highlight of their senior year was drive-by graduation.

But last year, the class of '21 was able to have some events with restrictions like primarily outdoor activities and masks required when indoors.

Now, the graduating class of 2022 is extremely excited about normalcy. Seniors will have their traditional Senior Fest on May 11th as well as returning events such as Hypnotist Night on May 25th and a prom that they weren’t able to experience last year.

“We usually have a senior dinner dance, but officers last year came to us and asked if we could have it as a prom instead,” Mrs. Wolcott said.

Senior Prom committee member Reilly Hall has been working hard to organize Prom with her classmates.

“It’s been really exciting being able to plan everything out and be particular about what our vision is for something that’s so highly anticipated by almost every high school student. I think everyone has been working hard and are excited about what this year's outcome is going to be,” Reilly said.

“I think there is a heightened sense of excitement for the end of the year activities this year, especially for the seniors. I think everyone, including myself, is looking forward to some normalcy regarding the end of the school year and having the proper send-off of the classes before we were supposed to have,” Reilly said.

Juniors are also happy about the return of end-of-year events. It was a relief for them when they were assured their Prom would go on as scheduled.

Head chair of the Junior Prom Committee, Maggie Weaver said, “Given the past couple years that we’ve had it’s a really good chance for us to go back to normal, especially since now that we’re back without masks.”

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, many enriching parts of the high school experience were lost. One such thing was the unique opportunities that students had to travel abroad with their school. While the prospect of being able to ever travel like that again may have looked bleak for a time, new guidelines from local and federal authorities have once again permitted students to go on international field trips with their schools.

The first in the revival of these trips in Plymouth is being facilitated by the Visual and Performing Arts Department. It will bring a select choir on a journey across the Atlantic to Plymouth’s sister city of the same name in the United Kingdom.

The UK Acapella Tour is composed of 15 members from North and South High School that will cross the pond on July 7th to embark on a musical journey sure to widen their perspectives and imprint memories that are lifelong.

This trip restores part of the connection between the two Plymouths that had been severed these past two years. The VPA had established a strong relationship with the Plymouth UK schools, and both groups had sent several choruses and band ensembles to their respective counterparts before 2020.

These voyages showcase the culture and history of a foreign country that is integral to our history, as well as the generosity and hospitality that the host families are renowned for.

“Making friendships with everyone overseas was a learning experience for me,” said Maddy Fratus, a senior at North, who traveled in 2016 with the Plymouth International Chorus. “It taught me that there’s way more chance to grow as a person by seeing all the different cultures and aspects of different people's lives.”

The warm welcome of the English people and the resonance of such a wide variety of voices culminates in an eye-opening experience that is genuinely unforgettable for those involved.

The support from the directors and staff in the Visual and Performing Arts department is what makes these special opportunities possible. Those who are coordinating this year’s events carefully crafted a trip that includes stops at Stonehenge and London with several formal and informal performances with different groups along the way.

As well as the continuation of host families that make for a more well-rounded experience according to the director of the VPA Mike Caple. “It also gives our students a true sense of the culture by living with an English family for a week. When students stay in a hotel it is much more like being a tourist. It isn't as culturally enriching,” Caple said.

Ms. Julia McBride, the director of this year’s choir, cherishes these opportunities that students have to perform while they are in high school.

She said, “After the last two years of having performances become obsolete, it's special that our students can connect through the arts in this way again. Music is a fantastic way to build connections and foster relationships.”

The immersion of voices is a powerful force that turns can make something that possesses Earthshattering potential.

The students are profoundly impacted by the opportunity that they have to use their platform in a way that unites and inspires them. The ability that music has to influence the worlds of people is really in a league of its own. They have the potential to use their voices that will stay pertinent in the ears of anyone who listens. The 15 choristers trekking out this summer are aiming to make the most of that opportunity.

Parker Maslowski, a junior at North, appreciates opportunities such as this. “Now that we’re able to reconnect, we, as students and music lovers, won’t be so oblivious of the opportunities we are given,” said Maslowski.

The reunion between America’s hometown and their friends across the Atlantic will reignite a bond that will only be strengthened with music. These singers joining forces marks a return to normalcy and instills a sense of calm that may feel fleeting in these fast times. You can follow these inspiring musicians on their journey on Plymouth VPA social media platforms this summer.

“I’M JUST EXCITED TO HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER AGAIN" - MAGGIE WEAVER Freshman year got interrupted for us so we still haven’t had a normal high school year,” Weaver said.

The venue for Junior Prom is Lake Pearl in Wrentham on May 27th and Senior Prom this year is at Granite Links in Quincy on May 31st.

“It’s something I’m looking forward to, and it’s great that we can have the whole class attend and hang out with friends all in a really pretty setting,” Weaver said.

“I like the venue, it was a good choice, and because of good fundraising the cost isn’t too much,” said Senior Nate Kerr.

Nate also hinted at his excitement for the Hypnotist Night.

“I have not seen a hypnotist show before, I’m looking forward to it but from the audience, I will never go on stage,” he said with a chuckle.

Ultimately, the consensus between students seems to be general excitement for the month of May. “I have two junior-senior classes so we talk about different events. I think they’re excited to be able to do stuff. It’s going to be a busy May because there’s gonna be a lot going on with not only events but sports too,” Mrs. Wolcott said.

Senior Kevin Gorman said, “I’m excited to graduate and move on but I think the senior and school events are fun, they get people together and It’s a good send-off.”

As the days get longer and warmer, and we reach the last stretch of the school year, hopefully, everyone can relax and have fun after a long two years.

The Class of 2021 at their outside Senior Night Photo Credits: Emily Goonan

The Plymouth International Choir traveling to Plymouth UK, in July of 2019 Photo Credits: Hannah Caple

This year, students around Plymouth both elementary and high school have been working hard at this year's pilgrimthemed challenge, and it's been the help and inspiration of the high schoolers to get elementary students involved.

These elementary robotics club members are back after a covid hiatus and are ready to make a splash in this year's challenge and robotics rally.

The nature of robotics features motors, sensors, and legos working together with the coded software to complete a task and goal. With this comes the tight-knit community of Robotics members having fun and working together.

“Robotics is a great way to come together with a team and create some amazing projects to compete with” - John Driscoll These groups of students feature both high schools and elementary schools and are run by Plymouth North teacher Mr. Magno, Plymouth South teacher Mrs. Hall and Science and Tech Coordinator Mrs. Riordan.

The upperclassmen elementary students work hard on their projects either before or after school. They problemsolve and utilize critical thinking skills to achieve success through coding and construction, and show this isn’t a challenge just for high school students.

Robotics may seem smooth and easy when one might see the programmed robot complete challenges and tasks, although on the inside of the operation there is so much more to it.

“Currently we use the Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robotics system for the program. Other than the standard lego pieces, the kit includes a special microcomputer, motors, and sensors,” said Magno.

With these materials, they code on a Chromebook using Tinker, a coding language similar to SCRATCH which gives the robot simple commands to tackle big problems. Such as where to move, how to move, when to move, and how fast to move.

“It's not just if this happens, then do this, rather move forward for one rotation then turn 20 degrees then move one more rotation. Programming like that is detailed, '' said Elementary Robotics club member Phinn Keith.

These students aren’t alone however as high school students provide guidance and some assistance.

“We love to help out as best as we can with the younger students in our district both by showing them what we are working on to inspire them, as well as helping with their own robotics programs,” said Driscoll.

To culminate all the work of all the robotics students comes the Elementary Robotics Rally.

“The Elementary School Robotics Rally, an annual event for the Plymouth Public Schools. Since 1998 the ERR in some form has occurred across the district,” said Magno.

Each year the ERR has a theme and certain tasks. This year the theme is 1621 first harvest for the pilgrims. The goal is to move a fish basket to the Eel River.

“We are creating a bot to follow a path to drop a basket, and go back home, then go across the bridge, then pick up the basket and drop it in a specific spot, and then go back home once again,” said Phinn Keith.

The “home” is like a reference point for the robot to go to and from, and makes it tricky because it adds even more maneuvers.

They go through many trials and tribulations to make this possible, as these two challenges need to be completed in only one minute and five seconds!

“Right now we have worked on building the robot and all the programming to do the sequence. We are still trying to make it as quick and good as possible,” said Keith.

So be on the lookout on March 29th as over 180 students from across the district will compete. The high school students will be there to help run the show and inspire the younger students to keep up their robotic aspirations.

No More Masks; Now What?

Return of the End of the Year Events

Student Singers Going Back to England

Robotics for All Ages

An update on Plymouth North’s muchanticipated lifting of the mask mandate

By Seeger Creane

With the Pandemic coming to an end, long-awaited end of the year events return in full flow this year

By Ryan Healy

For the first time since the pandemic, North students are journeying across the pond on a musical adventure

By Donald Proctor

Elementary school students participate in a fun night of innovative activities while competing with their own robots.

By Liam Husband

For almost 18 months, having to wear masks was a reality at Plymouth North and throughout the Plymouth Public Schools system. Students and staff wore masks to school every day throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with seemingly no end in sight.

However, on February 9th, the state of Massachusetts announced that it would be ending the state-wide mask mandate in schools on February 28th.

This led to Plymouth’s school board eventually announcing the decision to make masks optional on February 28th, the first day back from February vacation. A few weeks into this new maskless era, many wonder how these changes have gone.

Well, certain students and teachers seem to love the change. Although it was a necessary step in slowing the spread of COVID-19, masks bore a burden on the social lives of many in the school. Not being able to see each other’s faces was understandably difficult for some students and teachers.

Colin Raeke, junior, said, “Ever since the masks have come off for Plymouth North, I’ve felt a new wave of fresh air with the kids socially and how people interact and the smiles we see.”

Returning to a completely normal social life has obviously been looked forward to greatly by some students and staff. However, this is far from the only aspect of life that the mask mandate being lifted has affected.

Junior J.T. Sarris, a member of the Plymouth North wrestling team, said, “Having no masks has been better because I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

I can just wrestle and focus entirely on that.”

However, not everyone has decided to go to school maskless. Some still mask up every day at PNHS. Junior Jeremy Wilson, who has decided to still wear his mask during some public functions, including at school, said, “For me, I just don’t really see much of a reason not to wear it. Having it on my face doesn’t bother me as it does with other kids, and I still want to be as safe as possible.”

Constantly wearing masks had also placed a large strain on how classrooms operate, with so much daily interaction and understanding between people coming from facial expressions. But now that Plymouth North has gone mask optional, classrooms that were greatly altered due to masks for the last 18 months are now finally returning back to normal.

Mr. Jeremy Hales, the History teacher, said, “It’s nice to see kids’ faces, and see them laughing, and know that they’re laughing when before you would just kind of have to guess.”

The return back to the norm has been a breath of fresh air for many. Plymouth North’s last school year without masks was the 2019-20 school year, which of course was cut short in March by COVID-19 anyways. The patience of everyone involved has paid off, as Plymouth is now finally back to a fully normal school.

As great as not wearing masks has been for many, there were some legitimate concerns as to how it would affect the school and whether or not there would be a spike in COVID cases.

Mrs. Laura Wilson, the Nurse, said, “I was worried about the possibility of seeing a spike in cases, but now I don’t really see that being a problem. I feel like with the nicer weather coming and lots of things being outside, I think we’ll be okay.”

Although many voiced their very legitimate concerns about the end of the mask mandate in Plymouth’s schools, it seems as if PNHS is cruising along safely.

After a reasonable but very long 18 months, Plymouth North has finally ditched the last remnant of COVID era schooling, and all is back to normal at last.

Pandemic, COVID, Coronavirus. Seemingly every news headline over the past two years contained these nowdreadful words. With the easing of restrictions across the globe, events everywhere are making spectacular returns.

This spring, Plymouth North will see the full return of endof-year events which have been long-awaited for many. Senior Fest, Senior Hypnotist Night, and both Junior and Senior Proms are just a few of the events making their full, ‘back to normal’ comebacks this spring.

Although everyone was affected by COVID Restrictions, the classes of 2020’ and 21’ were especially devastated. Students were not able to have their traditional end-of-year events, tarnishing the end of their high school experience.

Senior Class Advisor Mrs. Wolcott said, “It was devastating for them because they missed out on some of the traditional things, but last year things were a little more flexible than the year before.”

The class of 2020 was hit harder by the pandemic spending the end of the school year at home in isolation. The one highlight of their senior year was drive-by graduation.

But last year, the class of '21 was able to have some events with restrictions like primarily outdoor activities and masks required when indoors.

Now, the graduating class of 2022 is extremely excited about normalcy. Seniors will have their traditional Senior Fest on May 11th as well as returning events such as Hypnotist Night on May 25th and a prom that they weren’t able to experience last year.

“We usually have a senior dinner dance, but officers last year came to us and asked if we could have it as a prom instead,” Mrs. Wolcott said.

Senior Prom committee member Reilly Hall has been working hard to organize Prom with her classmates.

“It’s been really exciting being able to plan everything out and be particular about what our vision is for something that’s so highly anticipated by almost every high school student. I think everyone has been working hard and are excited about what this year's outcome is going to be,” Reilly said.

“I think there is a heightened sense of excitement for the end of the year activities this year, especially for the seniors. I think everyone, including myself, is looking forward to some normalcy regarding the end of the school year and having the proper send-off of the classes before we were supposed to have,” Reilly said.

Juniors are also happy about the return of end-of-year events. It was a relief for them when they were assured their Prom would go on as scheduled.

Head chair of the Junior Prom Committee, Maggie Weaver said, “Given the past couple years that we’ve had it’s a really good chance for us to go back to normal, especially since now that we’re back without masks.”

Amid the Coronavirus crisis, many enriching parts of the high school experience were lost. One such thing was the unique opportunities that students had to travel abroad with their school. While the prospect of being able to ever travel like that again may have looked bleak for a time, new guidelines from local and federal authorities have once again permitted students to go on international field trips with their schools.

The first in the revival of these trips in Plymouth is being facilitated by the Visual and Performing Arts Department. It will bring a select choir on a journey across the Atlantic to Plymouth’s sister city of the same name in the United Kingdom.

The UK Acapella Tour is composed of 15 members from North and South High School that will cross the pond on July 7th to embark on a musical journey sure to widen their perspectives and imprint memories that are lifelong.

This trip restores part of the connection between the two Plymouths that had been severed these past two years. The VPA had established a strong relationship with the Plymouth UK schools, and both groups had sent several choruses and band ensembles to their respective counterparts before 2020.

These voyages showcase the culture and history of a foreign country that is integral to our history, as well as the generosity and hospitality that the host families are renowned for.

“Making friendships with everyone overseas was a learning experience for me,” said Maddy Fratus, a senior at North, who traveled in 2016 with the Plymouth International Chorus. “It taught me that there’s way more chance to grow as a person by seeing all the different cultures and aspects of different people's lives.”

The warm welcome of the English people and the resonance of such a wide variety of voices culminates in an eye-opening experience that is genuinely unforgettable for those involved.

The support from the directors and staff in the Visual and Performing Arts department is what makes these special opportunities possible. Those who are coordinating this year’s events carefully crafted a trip that includes stops at Stonehenge and London with several formal and informal performances with different groups along the way.

As well as the continuation of host families that make for a more well-rounded experience according to the director of the VPA Mike Caple. “It also gives our students a true sense of the culture by living with an English family for a week. When students stay in a hotel it is much more like being a tourist. It isn't as culturally enriching,” Caple said.

Ms. Julia McBride, the director of this year’s choir, cherishes these opportunities that students have to perform while they are in high school.

She said, “After the last two years of having performances become obsolete, it's special that our students can connect through the arts in this way again. Music is a fantastic way to build connections and foster relationships.”

The immersion of voices is a powerful force that turns can make something that possesses Earthshattering potential.

The students are profoundly impacted by the opportunity that they have to use their platform in a way that unites and inspires them. The ability that music has to influence the worlds of people is really in a league of its own. They have the potential to use their voices that will stay pertinent in the ears of anyone who listens. The 15 choristers trekking out this summer are aiming to make the most of that opportunity.

Parker Maslowski, a junior at North, appreciates opportunities such as this. “Now that we’re able to reconnect, we, as students and music lovers, won’t be so oblivious of the opportunities we are given,” said Maslowski.

The reunion between America’s hometown and their friends across the Atlantic will reignite a bond that will only be strengthened with music. These singers joining forces marks a return to normalcy and instills a sense of calm that may feel fleeting in these fast times. You can follow these inspiring musicians on their journey on Plymouth VPA social media platforms this summer.

“I’M JUST EXCITED TO HAVE EVERYONE TOGETHER AGAIN" - MAGGIE WEAVER Freshman year got interrupted for us so we still haven’t had a normal high school year,” Weaver said.

The venue for Junior Prom is Lake Pearl in Wrentham on May 27th and Senior Prom this year is at Granite Links in Quincy on May 31st.

“It’s something I’m looking forward to, and it’s great that we can have the whole class attend and hang out with friends all in a really pretty setting,” Weaver said.

“I like the venue, it was a good choice, and because of good fundraising the cost isn’t too much,” said Senior Nate Kerr.

Nate also hinted at his excitement for the Hypnotist Night.

“I have not seen a hypnotist show before, I’m looking forward to it but from the audience, I will never go on stage,” he said with a chuckle.

Ultimately, the consensus between students seems to be general excitement for the month of May. “I have two junior-senior classes so we talk about different events. I think they’re excited to be able to do stuff. It’s going to be a busy May because there’s gonna be a lot going on with not only events but sports too,” Mrs. Wolcott said.

Senior Kevin Gorman said, “I’m excited to graduate and move on but I think the senior and school events are fun, they get people together and It’s a good send-off.”

As the days get longer and warmer, and we reach the last stretch of the school year, hopefully, everyone can relax and have fun after a long two years.

The Class of 2021 at their outside Senior Night Photo Credits: Emily Goonan

The Plymouth International Choir traveling to Plymouth UK, in July of 2019 Photo Credits: Hannah Caple

This year, students around Plymouth both elementary and high school have been working hard at this year's pilgrimthemed challenge, and it's been the help and inspiration of the high schoolers to get elementary students involved.

These elementary robotics club members are back after a covid hiatus and are ready to make a splash in this year's challenge and robotics rally.

The nature of robotics features motors, sensors, and legos working together with the coded software to complete a task and goal. With this comes the tight-knit community of Robotics members having fun and working together.

“Robotics is a great way to come together with a team and create some amazing projects to compete with” - John Driscoll These groups of students feature both high schools and elementary schools and are run by Plymouth North teacher Mr. Magno, Plymouth South teacher Mrs. Hall and Science and Tech Coordinator Mrs. Riordan.

The upperclassmen elementary students work hard on their projects either before or after school. They problemsolve and utilize critical thinking skills to achieve success through coding and construction, and show this isn’t a challenge just for high school students.

Robotics may seem smooth and easy when one might see the programmed robot complete challenges and tasks, although on the inside of the operation there is so much more to it.

“Currently we use the Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robotics system for the program. Other than the standard lego pieces, the kit includes a special microcomputer, motors, and sensors,” said Magno.

With these materials, they code on a Chromebook using Tinker, a coding language similar to SCRATCH which gives the robot simple commands to tackle big problems. Such as where to move, how to move, when to move, and how fast to move.

“It's not just if this happens, then do this, rather move forward for one rotation then turn 20 degrees then move one more rotation. Programming like that is detailed, '' said Elementary Robotics club member Phinn Keith.

These students aren’t alone however as high school students provide guidance and some assistance.

“We love to help out as best as we can with the younger students in our district both by showing them what we are working on to inspire them, as well as helping with their own robotics programs,” said Driscoll.

To culminate all the work of all the robotics students comes the Elementary Robotics Rally.

“The Elementary School Robotics Rally, an annual event for the Plymouth Public Schools. Since 1998 the ERR in some form has occurred across the district,” said Magno.

Each year the ERR has a theme and certain tasks. This year the theme is 1621 first harvest for the pilgrims. The goal is to move a fish basket to the Eel River.

“We are creating a bot to follow a path to drop a basket, and go back home, then go across the bridge, then pick up the basket and drop it in a specific spot, and then go back home once again,” said Phinn Keith.

The “home” is like a reference point for the robot to go to and from, and makes it tricky because it adds even more maneuvers.

They go through many trials and tribulations to make this possible, as these two challenges need to be completed in only one minute and five seconds!

“Right now we have worked on building the robot and all the programming to do the sequence. We are still trying to make it as quick and good as possible,” said Keith.

So be on the lookout on March 29th as over 180 students from across the district will compete. The high school students will be there to help run the show and inspire the younger students to keep up their robotic aspirations.

Mrs. Rozak Wins Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award Riley Dever (3) Mrs. Rozak found a new way for students to complete this project. She allowed them to arrange google meets in which those professionals would speak to the class. Then they would create a TedTalk with the help of EDTV. Finding a new and creative way to give her students this experience led to her winning Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award.

Her students are also quite impressed by Mrs. Rozak's award. Two of her sophomore students, Emma Delorie and Ayla Flockton, speak to her character and teaching style, with Delorie stating “I love her personality in the classroom.”

Flockton also said that, “Mrs. Rozak makes sure that the learning style in the classroom is hands on and inclusive to all students… [she] always goes the full extra mile to fully explain the concepts that we are learning and provides students with helpful resources.”

Mrs. Rozak said that, “Teaching seemed to come naturally to me. I love animals and plants, so biology interested me.”

Teaching biology (which is what I taught first) and other science classes seemed to be what my life’s purpose was and still is.”

“Winning the award was a humbling experience, but it was also exciting to be recognized for my efforts. It also helped to bring recognition to an important and rewarding profession in our society.”

Mrs. Rozak has been and continues to be an amazing addition to our school's science program. From her handson teaching style, to her innovation and desire to give her students a well-rounded education , it is not hard to see why Mrs. Rozak won such an impressive award Mrs Rozak helping sophomore students in class Photo Credits: Mrs Terry

New Courses To Try Next Year:

Mr. Powers said, “It focuses on how fake news and misinformation is created and spread across the internet and social media. Students will learn how to spot misinformation online, conduct research to determine if something is reliable or not, and also look at case studies of hoaxes and conspiracies to understand how they are able to spread…”

An example of this can be using TikTok. The information on your For You Page, is it true? Mr. Powers says that this class will help to provide you with tools to figure that out.

Last but not least, Unified Team Building is in the making as a new course for next year. Available for grades 10-12, it will be a great option for students to collaborate with others, in a more physical, and team building environment.

Lauren Allen, Phys Ed teacher said, students who take this should be flexible within the learning environment, patient, and have a "we above me" attitude. This means that students who are willing to put the needs of the group above their own and work towards group success and not necessarily individual achievement.”

Mrs. Allen said, “The course will be quite similar to the Phys Ed curriculum and include individual sports, team sports, lifetime fitness activities but will be approached using modified/adaptive equipment and or rules if needed… by creating this course, we would be taking the same principles and applying them to in-school Phys Ed experiences and creating a PE environment that provides similar social opportunities for our students with special needs.”

These courses will open doors to all new types of knowledge for us students. As guidance counselors meet with students individually, during the upcoming weeks, make sure to ask about these new options.

Writers: Amanda Cherry Seeger Creane Ryan Healey Donald Proctor Riley Dever Hannah Flockton Gabby Colorusso Skyler Wodzinski Delia Joyce Brooke Holmes

African American History and Information Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies

Layout and Photography: Lilli Hanlon Hannah Caple Maya Galindo Madde Tassinari

Unified Team Building

Mrs Rozak recieving her award. Photo Credits Mrs Terry

of

t

Chris Kane is president of the Plymouth North SADD The Students Against Destructive Decision Club is a club. national non-profit organization. This organization Kane said, “This club advocates for ideas because we focuses on the health, safety, and wellness of students. are always trying to show students that some decisions SADD was formed to encourage students to be safe, and can lead to both good and bad.” strive for prevention.

Kane joined the club because of the lack of SADD is an organization that focuses on and conversation about students' decisions. He is very encourages engagement through positive change. The grateful for what the club has done for him. group introduces leadership and smart “I chose this club because I know there is decision-making.

“People need to know they always room for change,” Kane said.

Plymouth North hosts meetings for Meetings include engaging conversations are not alone facing the club. SADD is a long-standing club in with the members. They discuss the decisions the North community. A typical meeting challenges. Knowing others they have made in the past and how they can consists of the members discussing are interested and care is a fix them. Joel Odell leads the group in current events. They also focus on social powerful thing, ” informative discussions. media and how it connects towards the Odell said Mr. Joel Odell is a special educator teacher club's message. and has been advisor of the club for three The group gives students the opportunity to give back years. He encourages students to speak up in to the school community. The club makes posters and conversation. He loves getting the opportunity to provide hangs them around the school. On top of that, they design a safe space for students to open up in free discussion. and set up display cases around the school.

“People need to know they are not alone facing SADD declares empowerment of students and what they challenges. Knowing others are interested and care is a can do to make a difference. The club strives to provide powerful thing, ” Odell said. help and support to any student dealing with any sort of destructive issue in their lives. Nowadays, there are many students who lean towards the help provided.

en

The Students Against Destructive Decisions club teaches and enforces the wellness of students throughout the community By: Skyler Wodzinski

id

“Because of Covid, I never really got the chance to participate in the Night of One Acts, but I’m really looking forward to it. All of the alumni would talk about it all the time, so I can’t wait,” said Wodzinski.

There are multiple rehearsals that take place in the weeks leading up to the performance, and any student can participate. All that is required to participate is to show up to the audition eager to participate!

Make sure to support these students as they take the stage in the first Night of One Acts since Covid on May 5th.

SADD Club

res

“I was the stage manager for some of the musicals, including for 9 to 5,” said Robinson. Although she never participated in the Night of One Acts, she was able to see it from the outside. The majority of people who have acted in the Night of One Acts are 2018 and 2019 alumni, due to Covid.

“It was really great to see how happy my peers were while performing. It was a great experience, and more intimate than seeing a play or musical,” said Robinson.

The Night of One Acts, before Covid, were presented in a different way than most productions normally are. A smaller amount of tickets are sold, and the audience sits on the stage with the actors. This allows for a more intimate production, which also makes it less nerve wracking for the actors.

Rachel Quinn, the director of the Plymouth North Players, has seen the evolution of the acts, as it goes through Covid.

“Theater has changed drastically since Covid. Last year we weren’t able to have the Night of One Acts, which is why we are all looking forward to it this year,” said Quinn.

‘The Night of One Acts is fun, thrilling, and astounding, because of what these kids come up with, “ said Quinn.

Skyler Wodzinski, a current senior at North, plans on participating in the production this year.

According to Mrs. Figioli, the class will be mainly based on Virtual Business, a website where students can design their own stadium, venue, etc. within modules. As well as then carrying out each step it will take to make it run smoothly. This includes sections such as, ticket pricing, parking, and sponsorships.

African American History is going to be North’s newest history course. This class's development was encouraged over the past few months, as a way for students to learn more in depth about African American History.

Rob Powers, History Curriculum Coordinator, said that the course, “will explore Black and African American history from ancestral Africa to modern-day issues. The class will look at the challenges that African-Americans have faced and overcome.”

These topics will include issues from slavery, to the Jim Crow Laws, as well as modern issues of race. The elective will also go in depth of black achievements, and how vital they are to American history.

Mr. Powers said, “students who want a deeper appreciation for how far we've come as a country - and how far we still have to go - will really get a lot out of this course.

Another new course that will be making an appearance next school year is, Information & Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies. This class will be the new and improved version of the current Conspiracy class. It is also available for all grades.

Sports and Entertainment Marketing

A night where students can portray their inner actors and actresses with a compilation of theatrical performances Hannah Flockton

(1) For years, the Plymouth North Players have been expressing themselves through sharing out their own preferred acts. With their personalities shining through, North theater students are eager to share a small but powerful mix of plays with their community.

The Night of One Acts operates by students who are interested in performing, choosing their own act from any play of their liking, and performing it. They can perform alone, or with other people. Students who have partaken in this exciting show in the past typically have only performed acts with only lines, no singing.

The theater guild at North follows a typical structure regarding shows during the school year, that is before Covid. There is usually a play in the fall, a musical in the spring, and the Night of One Acts on May 1. The Night of One Acts gives seniors a chance to give their final bow before the curtain closes on their high school career.

Students have performed comedy skits, dramatic skits, dystopian skits, and many more. It is an opportunity for any desired expression.

Plymouth North alumni, Katie Robinson, was heavily involved in the theater program for the majority of her high school career.

Are you anticipating selecting your courses for next school year? Well, as this school year is over halfway complete, new and exciting courses are in the making at Plymouth North. The development of these courses is nearly finished, making them available for students to choose for the 2022-2023 school year!

These new classes consist of Sports and Entertainment Marketing, African American History, and Information & Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies, and Unified Team Building. Each course will be worth 2.5 credits.

Essentially, they are all semester long courses.

Sports and Entertainment Marketing will be a new course, taught by one of the marketing teachers.

Jennifer Figioli, Marketing teacher said, “The importance of our goal is to make the curriculum peak the interest of students in a field that they may not notice exist.”

This course will shed light on something that affects us in our day to day lives. Mrs. Figioli said,“Sports and entertainment marketing is around us in all ways… it helps students to understand how events such as the super bowl happens, and the Olympics and concerts happen and how we have those events successfully.”

Hollianne Sprowl, Marketing teacher, said that the course, “ Is a great option to open up new doors for marketing.”

Josh Murray, grade 10, will be taking this course next year. He said, “Marketing gives us important life skills, and sports have been a passion of mine growing up. It’s also a dream of mine to start my own business one day.”

e, P

A Night Of One Acts

By Gabby Colorusso

Kan

(2) The Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Coordinator for Plymouth Public Schools, Alison Riordan also said, “She turned around an unfortunate curriculum situation during COVID and developed a model project for her students that other districts/schools have started using as well. This project is also likely going to be used in a statewide initiative sponsored by Mass STEM Hub later this year.”

When the Biomedical program first came to Plymouth there were only a few programs in the state. Now over 40 have been established. The Plymouth programs acted as a blueprint for the ones that followed. According to Mrs. Riordan, “[Mrs. Rozak] has helped the program grow and has been a vital part of its success. Fortunately for us, her students get to capitalize on her dedication to this program.”

In a normal year senior students enrolled in the BioMedical program at Plymouth North High School complete an independent project during which they shadow a worker in a profession they are interested in. Due to the pandemic and the restrictions in place at the time students could no longer complete this project as they normally would.

A look into the classes being produced for next school year, and what they're all about

C h ris

(1) Since the beginning of the pandemic teachers have had to drastically adjust their teaching styles to accommodate online learning. Students and teachers alike have struggled with these changes.

Despite the limitations, Mrs. Nancy Rozak made the best out of a difficult situation and found a way for students to virtually connect with medical professionals, resulting in her winning Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award this past October. Due to Mrs. Rozak's innovation, students were able to complete a similar project and have a fulfilling experience.

“As soon as I saw the nomination opportunity I knew that I had to recommend her,” said Mary Raymond, Science Department Head and a fellow BioMed teacher at PNHS who nominated her for the award. “What really stood out when I nominated her last year was how she stepped up during Covid. It was challenging to say the least, and many times we were faced with labs, activities, field trips and opportunities that we could NOT do due to Covid. However, Mrs. Rozak spent the year focused on the positive.”

New Year, New Courses at PNHS

St

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It is important for students to learn how to prevent accidents and steer free of any type of destructive decision, while also realizing that they are not alone.

AJ Marotta is a senior at Plymouth North High School.

This is his first year as a club member. His role is to advertise the club and recruit new members. Marotta is very appreciative of the ideals the club provides. He is glad he can take this advice he learns and apply it to the real world.

“This club is important to me because, for students that make bad decisions, this club gives a chance to inspire them to do better,” Marotta said.

This group hopes to have a positive lasting effect on students. They hope that through their encouragement people think about the consequences to their actions.

The club will be hosting a school-wide guest speaker, Chris Herren on May 10th. Herren is a former professional basketball player and now tours the country discussing substance abuse prevention.

SADD is an organization that anyone can join. They meet Thursdays from 2-3pm at room 329A.

Mrs. Rozak Wins Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award Riley Dever (3) Mrs. Rozak found a new way for students to complete this project. She allowed them to arrange google meets in which those professionals would speak to the class. Then they would create a TedTalk with the help of EDTV. Finding a new and creative way to give her students this experience led to her winning Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award.

Her students are also quite impressed by Mrs. Rozak's award. Two of her sophomore students, Emma Delorie and Ayla Flockton, speak to her character and teaching style, with Delorie stating “I love her personality in the classroom.”

Flockton also said that, “Mrs. Rozak makes sure that the learning style in the classroom is hands on and inclusive to all students… [she] always goes the full extra mile to fully explain the concepts that we are learning and provides students with helpful resources.”

Mrs. Rozak said that, “Teaching seemed to come naturally to me. I love animals and plants, so biology interested me.”

Teaching biology (which is what I taught first) and other science classes seemed to be what my life’s purpose was and still is.”

“Winning the award was a humbling experience, but it was also exciting to be recognized for my efforts. It also helped to bring recognition to an important and rewarding profession in our society.”

Mrs. Rozak has been and continues to be an amazing addition to our school's science program. From her handson teaching style, to her innovation and desire to give her students a well-rounded education , it is not hard to see why Mrs. Rozak won such an impressive award Mrs Rozak helping sophomore students in class Photo Credits: Mrs Terry

New Courses To Try Next Year:

Mr. Powers said, “It focuses on how fake news and misinformation is created and spread across the internet and social media. Students will learn how to spot misinformation online, conduct research to determine if something is reliable or not, and also look at case studies of hoaxes and conspiracies to understand how they are able to spread…”

An example of this can be using TikTok. The information on your For You Page, is it true? Mr. Powers says that this class will help to provide you with tools to figure that out.

Last but not least, Unified Team Building is in the making as a new course for next year. Available for grades 10-12, it will be a great option for students to collaborate with others, in a more physical, and team building environment.

Lauren Allen, Phys Ed teacher said, students who take this should be flexible within the learning environment, patient, and have a "we above me" attitude. This means that students who are willing to put the needs of the group above their own and work towards group success and not necessarily individual achievement.”

Mrs. Allen said, “The course will be quite similar to the Phys Ed curriculum and include individual sports, team sports, lifetime fitness activities but will be approached using modified/adaptive equipment and or rules if needed… by creating this course, we would be taking the same principles and applying them to in-school Phys Ed experiences and creating a PE environment that provides similar social opportunities for our students with special needs.”

These courses will open doors to all new types of knowledge for us students. As guidance counselors meet with students individually, during the upcoming weeks, make sure to ask about these new options.

Writers: Amanda Cherry Seeger Creane Ryan Healey Donald Proctor Riley Dever Hannah Flockton Gabby Colorusso Skyler Wodzinski Delia Joyce Brooke Holmes

African American History and Information Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies

Layout and Photography: Lilli Hanlon Hannah Caple Maya Galindo Madde Tassinari

Unified Team Building

Mrs Rozak recieving her award. Photo Credits Mrs Terry

of

t

Chris Kane is president of the Plymouth North SADD The Students Against Destructive Decision Club is a club. national non-profit organization. This organization Kane said, “This club advocates for ideas because we focuses on the health, safety, and wellness of students. are always trying to show students that some decisions SADD was formed to encourage students to be safe, and can lead to both good and bad.” strive for prevention.

Kane joined the club because of the lack of SADD is an organization that focuses on and conversation about students' decisions. He is very encourages engagement through positive change. The grateful for what the club has done for him. group introduces leadership and smart “I chose this club because I know there is decision-making.

“People need to know they always room for change,” Kane said.

Plymouth North hosts meetings for Meetings include engaging conversations are not alone facing the club. SADD is a long-standing club in with the members. They discuss the decisions the North community. A typical meeting challenges. Knowing others they have made in the past and how they can consists of the members discussing are interested and care is a fix them. Joel Odell leads the group in current events. They also focus on social powerful thing, ” informative discussions. media and how it connects towards the Odell said Mr. Joel Odell is a special educator teacher club's message. and has been advisor of the club for three The group gives students the opportunity to give back years. He encourages students to speak up in to the school community. The club makes posters and conversation. He loves getting the opportunity to provide hangs them around the school. On top of that, they design a safe space for students to open up in free discussion. and set up display cases around the school.

“People need to know they are not alone facing SADD declares empowerment of students and what they challenges. Knowing others are interested and care is a can do to make a difference. The club strives to provide powerful thing, ” Odell said. help and support to any student dealing with any sort of destructive issue in their lives. Nowadays, there are many students who lean towards the help provided.

en

The Students Against Destructive Decisions club teaches and enforces the wellness of students throughout the community By: Skyler Wodzinski

id

“Because of Covid, I never really got the chance to participate in the Night of One Acts, but I’m really looking forward to it. All of the alumni would talk about it all the time, so I can’t wait,” said Wodzinski.

There are multiple rehearsals that take place in the weeks leading up to the performance, and any student can participate. All that is required to participate is to show up to the audition eager to participate!

Make sure to support these students as they take the stage in the first Night of One Acts since Covid on May 5th.

SADD Club

res

“I was the stage manager for some of the musicals, including for 9 to 5,” said Robinson. Although she never participated in the Night of One Acts, she was able to see it from the outside. The majority of people who have acted in the Night of One Acts are 2018 and 2019 alumni, due to Covid.

“It was really great to see how happy my peers were while performing. It was a great experience, and more intimate than seeing a play or musical,” said Robinson.

The Night of One Acts, before Covid, were presented in a different way than most productions normally are. A smaller amount of tickets are sold, and the audience sits on the stage with the actors. This allows for a more intimate production, which also makes it less nerve wracking for the actors.

Rachel Quinn, the director of the Plymouth North Players, has seen the evolution of the acts, as it goes through Covid.

“Theater has changed drastically since Covid. Last year we weren’t able to have the Night of One Acts, which is why we are all looking forward to it this year,” said Quinn.

‘The Night of One Acts is fun, thrilling, and astounding, because of what these kids come up with, “ said Quinn.

Skyler Wodzinski, a current senior at North, plans on participating in the production this year.

According to Mrs. Figioli, the class will be mainly based on Virtual Business, a website where students can design their own stadium, venue, etc. within modules. As well as then carrying out each step it will take to make it run smoothly. This includes sections such as, ticket pricing, parking, and sponsorships.

African American History is going to be North’s newest history course. This class's development was encouraged over the past few months, as a way for students to learn more in depth about African American History.

Rob Powers, History Curriculum Coordinator, said that the course, “will explore Black and African American history from ancestral Africa to modern-day issues. The class will look at the challenges that African-Americans have faced and overcome.”

These topics will include issues from slavery, to the Jim Crow Laws, as well as modern issues of race. The elective will also go in depth of black achievements, and how vital they are to American history.

Mr. Powers said, “students who want a deeper appreciation for how far we've come as a country - and how far we still have to go - will really get a lot out of this course.

Another new course that will be making an appearance next school year is, Information & Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies. This class will be the new and improved version of the current Conspiracy class. It is also available for all grades.

Sports and Entertainment Marketing

A night where students can portray their inner actors and actresses with a compilation of theatrical performances Hannah Flockton

(1) For years, the Plymouth North Players have been expressing themselves through sharing out their own preferred acts. With their personalities shining through, North theater students are eager to share a small but powerful mix of plays with their community.

The Night of One Acts operates by students who are interested in performing, choosing their own act from any play of their liking, and performing it. They can perform alone, or with other people. Students who have partaken in this exciting show in the past typically have only performed acts with only lines, no singing.

The theater guild at North follows a typical structure regarding shows during the school year, that is before Covid. There is usually a play in the fall, a musical in the spring, and the Night of One Acts on May 1. The Night of One Acts gives seniors a chance to give their final bow before the curtain closes on their high school career.

Students have performed comedy skits, dramatic skits, dystopian skits, and many more. It is an opportunity for any desired expression.

Plymouth North alumni, Katie Robinson, was heavily involved in the theater program for the majority of her high school career.

Are you anticipating selecting your courses for next school year? Well, as this school year is over halfway complete, new and exciting courses are in the making at Plymouth North. The development of these courses is nearly finished, making them available for students to choose for the 2022-2023 school year!

These new classes consist of Sports and Entertainment Marketing, African American History, and Information & Media Literacy: Fake News, Hoaxes, and Conspiracies, and Unified Team Building. Each course will be worth 2.5 credits.

Essentially, they are all semester long courses.

Sports and Entertainment Marketing will be a new course, taught by one of the marketing teachers.

Jennifer Figioli, Marketing teacher said, “The importance of our goal is to make the curriculum peak the interest of students in a field that they may not notice exist.”

This course will shed light on something that affects us in our day to day lives. Mrs. Figioli said,“Sports and entertainment marketing is around us in all ways… it helps students to understand how events such as the super bowl happens, and the Olympics and concerts happen and how we have those events successfully.”

Hollianne Sprowl, Marketing teacher, said that the course, “ Is a great option to open up new doors for marketing.”

Josh Murray, grade 10, will be taking this course next year. He said, “Marketing gives us important life skills, and sports have been a passion of mine growing up. It’s also a dream of mine to start my own business one day.”

e, P

A Night Of One Acts

By Gabby Colorusso

Kan

(2) The Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Coordinator for Plymouth Public Schools, Alison Riordan also said, “She turned around an unfortunate curriculum situation during COVID and developed a model project for her students that other districts/schools have started using as well. This project is also likely going to be used in a statewide initiative sponsored by Mass STEM Hub later this year.”

When the Biomedical program first came to Plymouth there were only a few programs in the state. Now over 40 have been established. The Plymouth programs acted as a blueprint for the ones that followed. According to Mrs. Riordan, “[Mrs. Rozak] has helped the program grow and has been a vital part of its success. Fortunately for us, her students get to capitalize on her dedication to this program.”

In a normal year senior students enrolled in the BioMedical program at Plymouth North High School complete an independent project during which they shadow a worker in a profession they are interested in. Due to the pandemic and the restrictions in place at the time students could no longer complete this project as they normally would.

A look into the classes being produced for next school year, and what they're all about

C h ris

(1) Since the beginning of the pandemic teachers have had to drastically adjust their teaching styles to accommodate online learning. Students and teachers alike have struggled with these changes.

Despite the limitations, Mrs. Nancy Rozak made the best out of a difficult situation and found a way for students to virtually connect with medical professionals, resulting in her winning Project Lead The Way’s 2021-2022 Outstanding Teacher Award this past October. Due to Mrs. Rozak's innovation, students were able to complete a similar project and have a fulfilling experience.

“As soon as I saw the nomination opportunity I knew that I had to recommend her,” said Mary Raymond, Science Department Head and a fellow BioMed teacher at PNHS who nominated her for the award. “What really stood out when I nominated her last year was how she stepped up during Covid. It was challenging to say the least, and many times we were faced with labs, activities, field trips and opportunities that we could NOT do due to Covid. However, Mrs. Rozak spent the year focused on the positive.”

New Year, New Courses at PNHS

St

ud

en

ts A

gain

st D estr

u cti v e D e c

isio n

s

It is important for students to learn how to prevent accidents and steer free of any type of destructive decision, while also realizing that they are not alone.

AJ Marotta is a senior at Plymouth North High School.

This is his first year as a club member. His role is to advertise the club and recruit new members. Marotta is very appreciative of the ideals the club provides. He is glad he can take this advice he learns and apply it to the real world.

“This club is important to me because, for students that make bad decisions, this club gives a chance to inspire them to do better,” Marotta said.

This group hopes to have a positive lasting effect on students. They hope that through their encouragement people think about the consequences to their actions.

The club will be hosting a school-wide guest speaker, Chris Herren on May 10th. Herren is a former professional basketball player and now tours the country discussing substance abuse prevention.

SADD is an organization that anyone can join. They meet Thursdays from 2-3pm at room 329A.

Senior Brooke Reardon Takes Her Talents to Nationals By: Delia Joyce On February 21st, Brooke Reardon attended states, where she earned a victory as an all around gymnast, on her way to the national competition for high schools gymnastics. This is a huge achievement for Reardon, and a step up from last year's competition where she went to New Englands on only bars.

“My mom put me in gymnastics when I was two and I've done it ever since,” said Reardon who has dedicated much of her time to gymnastics.

Ever since her start at 2, she has soared. At the state competition she received an 8.85 on vault, an 8.2 on bars, an 8.1 on beam, a 9.0 on floor, and an all around 34.15 score. These numbers were high enough to bring her to the National competition.

“Generally Brooke is here for about 18 hours a week practicing, and then she also coaches on the days she's not practicing. She's probably here a total of 25 hours a week,” said Cassey Mello, Reardon’s gym coach.

Hard work pays off. Her countless hours in the gym have guided her to the successes she has experienced in her high school gymnastics career.

Reardon’s younger teammate, McKenna Ruth, looks up to her as a driven athlete.

“I look up to Brooke because she is so self motivated. She makes everyone feel included.

She's so nice to the younger girls and has really made a great bond with everyone,” - Ruth

Reardon’s supportive attitude and kindness is just as admirable as her high scores at states.

“It takes a lot of being here so many hours a week. It also takes having some setbacks…You can't get too frustrated with it, you need to be like, ‘yes I can do this.’” said Ruth as a fellow gymnast, “It's a lot of practice time but it's all worth it and Reardon has done awesome this year and is going to senior nationals.”

Cassey Mello describes gymnastics as, “a mental sport just as much as it is a physical sport.”

“It’s not over!” said both coach Cassey and teammate McKenna in synchronization. Reardon’s gymnastics career is not ending after graduation. She will be taking her skills to college to compete in division three.

"I have level 9 states coming up, and I have senior nationals for highschool. They take the top 20 girls in the state and we go to nationals in Florida. I’m gonna do division 3 gymnastics in college,” said Reardon.

Her teammates will be sad to see her go, but look forward to witnessing her future achievements, “It makes me sad that she's going to college next year but at the same time I'm like, ‘yes Brooke you're going to continue gymnastics in college and do awesome!’” Keep an eye out for Brooke and the future of her gymnastics story.

“It's a lot of practice time but it's all worth it and Reardon has done awesome this year and is going to senior nationals.”

Cassey Mello describes gymnastics as, “A mental sport just as much as it is a physical sport.”

“It’s not over!” said both coach Cassey and teammate McKenna in synchronization.

Reardon’s gymnastics career is not ending after graduation. She will be taking her skills to college to compete in division three.

“I have level 9 states coming up, and I have senior nationals for highschool. They take the top 20 girls in

the state and we go to nationals in Florida. I’m gonna do division 3 gymnastics in college,” said Reardon.

Her teammates will be sad to see her go, but look forward to witnessing her future achievements, “It makes me sad that she's going to college next year but at the same time I'm like, ‘yes Brooke you're going to continue gymnastics in college and do awesome!’”

Keep an eye out for Brooke and the future of her gymnastics story.

Photo Credits : Ma ggie La dd

Plymouth North’s Unique Sport: Ultimate Frisbee By: Brooke Holmes

Plymouth North's one-of-a-kind sport of ultimate frisbee is an opportunity for kids to participate in and connect with sports in a different way.

Started by a North student in 2015 Tommy Belcher, ultimate frisbee is an inclusive and student-oriented community.

During Belcher's time at Plymouth North he was determined to create a team to share their love for the sport. On his own, he ran a coordinated effort of fundraising and outreach by organizing games with surrounding high schools and buying uniforms for North's future team. After speaking to Mr. Perlow, history teacher at Plymouth North, the intramural sport was born.

The intramural shares many characteristics of an official sport as ultimate frisbee players wear uniforms, practice regularly and play against other schools on the South Shore.

Ultimate frisbee is able to foster greater peer connection as the sport does not include referees

in their games, rather all disputes are worked out amongst students.

"There are people from all over playing with different levels of skill.

Everyone can go at their own speed, there's the opportunity to play a sport without the pressure of winning or losing” - Mr. Perlow head coach of ultimate frisbee.

A game of ultimate frisbee is played over two 20 minute halves and the team that scores the most points over these two halves wins.

Much of the game play for ultimate frisbee mirrors the rules of flag football. The game of ultimate frisbee is played on a football field thus to start a match, both teams line up in front of their endzone lines. The defense then throws the disc to their

offense for a reception. If the pass succeeds, the team must pass the disc across the field to reach their endzone in order to score. Running with the disc is not allowed. If the pass should drop or gets blocked by the opposite team then a turn over occurs.

Still, with a focus on student leadership, ultimate frisbee works to create an outlet for kids to have fun after school without much commitment required for other spring sports.

“I've made a lot of new friends and it has helped me become more social with everybody, it's just an all around good sport,” said Madde Tassinari, ultimate frisbee player.

However, in the coming years, the club may be in danger as there is a large number of seniors on the team and the club is looking for more underclassmen involvement.

Will Palmer, underclassmen and prospective ultimate frisbee player said, “I think it's going to be good to be able to have more opportunities to meet new and different people in the North.”