THE EAGLE PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL 41 OBERY• APRIL 2021 • ISSUE 3
The Plymouth Public Schools Goes 1:1 The Plymouth Public Schools offer a Chromebook for every student in order to transition into a 1:1 model By: Kailey Reardon According to the Plymouth Public Schools Chromebook Handbook, some of the benefits of 1:1 learning include personalized learning and different instruction, enhanced student engagement, motivation and ownership for learning, and global connectivity. Though this model is very new to students and staff members in the Plymouth Public School district, PPS Educational Technology Coordinator Julia Colby and PNHS Tech Integration Specialist Jeff Hudson are hopeful when looking into the future regarding the 1:1 model. ELA Teacher Mrs. Michelle Terry is taking full advantage of the new technology available to her students. “1:1 has really helped facilitate a hands on learning experience for my American Literature students. They read The Great Gatsby on Actively Learn and have the advantages of having the text read to them, translated to them, and questions embedded within the reading,” said Terry. “Knowing the kids have technology in the classroom and at home has been so helpful to plan for digital reading and all of its benefits.” Hudson adds how he envisions the 1:1 model can aid students in their individual responsibilities, while also enhancing their abilities to learn both inside and out of the classroom. Hudson said, “We see it as an investment in the future of our students and a fantastic opportunity for them to access the world’s collective knowledge resulting in increased student ownership of learning. Through this initiative, we hope students seize the opportunity to seek out personal interests and learning experiences that will serve them and their community in positive ways down the road.” Plymouth North Freshman Max Wodzinski relies on his school Chromebook for all of his in-class work,
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School News Teachers are now vaccinated and the Nurses are the heroes of COVID-19!
Ashlan B photographed by Hannah Caple
homework, and Google Meets. Wodzinski said, “I’m glad that the school offers us Chromebooks because it makes homework and classwork easier and more accessible for us as students.” It is important for all students at both high schools to understand that the Chromebooks being offered to students are brand new. Plymouth North High School Tech Integration Specialist Jeff Hudson ensures students that the Chromebooks are of great quality for all work that needs to be completed in school and at home. “The beauty of the new Chromebooks is that they are relatively inexpensive, simple, and reliable,” said Hudson. “Breakages are almost always caused by student misuse and/or accidents, and component failure is rare among the new Chromebooks because of their simple design blended with our management of devices geared toward safety and sustainability.” In addition to understanding the qualities of the Chromebooks, it is also important for all Plymouth Public School community members to understand the benefits of the 1:1 model. A Chromebook for you, and you, and you too! The Plymouth Public Schools has worked hard with a plan to provide
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Future of Trips PN participates in Service Learning Trips in the Dominican Republic, however, due to Covid-19 they were not able to go
he resources for 1:1 learning within their district. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has been unlucky in many ways, the PPS district was granted money through the Coronavirus Relief Fund and CARES Act to ensure every student would have access to a Chromebook. Plymouth Public Schools Educational Technology Coordinator Julia Colby said, “The 1:1 model is one device/one student -- a device available for every student in our district. In our case, it would be a Chromebook.” The Coronavirus Relief Fund did allow for a Chromebook to be ordered for each student. All students at the elementary school and most at the middle school are taking advantage of this resource. Instead of taking Chromebooks, many high school students are turning to their own devices, rather than taking their own Chromebook. At Plymouth North High School there has been a total of 411 Chromebooks distributed and at Plymouth South High School there has been a total of 460 Chromebooks distributed. At Plymouth North High School, 55% of freshmen have taken a Chromebook, 30% of sophomores have taken one, and
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CNA Exams Seniors had to adapt to the COVID regulations when completing their CNA exams
% of juniors have. The Chromebooks are a resource for students in the remaining months of school. With the return to full-in person learning districtwide, all students will have the opportunity to get a Chromebook, if they have not already. In addition to sharpening their pencils, students are expected to arrive at school everyday with a fully-charged Chromebook that will last them throughout the school day. Chromebooks will help teachers reduce the use of paper waste significantly. In addition, going 1:1 will allow all students to be able to connect with their teachers. “We are very fortunate to be able to offer a 1:1 to all students in Plymouth Public Schools,” said Colby. “This will be so exciting for teachers and students, especially when we are back to normal and students are attending school fulltime again and teachers can integrate the technology whenever they need to.” As learning with 1:1 technology begins in the Plymouth Public Schools, so does standardized testing. The Chromebooks are a resource that will be used for all students of all levels to take this year’s MCAS testing. All freshmen and sophomores will need to take out a Chromebook before their standardized testing begins. To get a Chromebook at Plymouth North High School, simply fill out the Chromebook loan form of technology agreement. Students at Plymouth North High School with questions or concerns about their Chromebook can stop by Room 105 to seek assistance from Tech Integration Specialists Jeff Hudson and Joel Connors. Other inquiries can be directed to ppschrome@plymouth.k12.ma.us.
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Sports Tournament After a cancelation of last season due to Covid 19 Spring Sports are back, looking different this year
April 2021
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Teachers Vaccinated Nurses Are the Real Heroes of COVID-19 Plymouth Public School faculty and staff rush to get vaccinations after news broke of full inperson return on April 12th By: Christian Hohulin For weeks teachers, faculty, students, and families of the Plymouth Public School district have been waiting for the final decision to be made when students will be back to school full-time. While waiting, many of the teachers and faculty members have experienced the chaos of booking an appointment and getting their two vaccinations for Moderna and Pfizer, or one vaccination for Johnson & Johnson (April 13th, the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines were paused by the FDA and CDC due to the potential of causing blood clots in the recipients). As of Monday, March 28th, the verdict was reached and all Plymouth Public Schools students would return to school full-time in person on April 12th. With the full-time in person school schedule now in effect, staff are still rushing to get at least their first dose, stressing the importance of teachers confidence as we take on this next obstacle. “Based on CDC and DESE, it is not integral to decisions to go back to school. However, I know that this is important to teachers and their ability to feel comfortable doing their jobs. It's a pretty important development in this school year to have teachers get the opportunity to take their first dose,” said Peter Parcellin, principal of Plymouth North High School. At this exact moment it is unclear the exact percentage of how many teachers and faculty have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But, on the upside, each day the number of people getting vaccinated continues to grow. While we haven't taken an official count, I have heard from a significant number of teachers who have gotten at least their first dose,” said Parcellin.
Many of the teachers lucky enough to secure appointments did so with the help of Mrs. Farley, a math teacher at Plymouth North who assisted in the appointment booking process. “Forty staff members plus many friends and family members, as well as retired teachers and teachers from other schools and members of central office...in total I have booked over 200 appointments,” said Farley. The process for booking these appointments isn’t easy, often staying up late or waking up at the crack of dawn constantly refreshing your screen hoping for appointments to pop up. People like Mrs. Farley detect patterns and keep up with groups/accounts across social media that post appointments. “Learning the tricks of the sites is key. Ther are many ways to get around glitches and there are patterns to appointments that would become available that I found. I use Vaccinetime on twitter to track state site drops and follow a FB group VaccineHunters/Angels which shares lots of information,” said Farley. Right now Plymouth County is yet again in the COVID-19 Red Zone for the number of active cases within the county. In light of this news the Plymouth Public School Department to bring all students back on April 12th. With Plymouth being in the red, school being back full-time, and teachers getting vaccinations, we are going to continue to be optimistic as this school year draws to a close.
Despite wild changes and constant restrictions, our nurses have still been able to keep us safe all year By: Seeger Creane
Every aspect of life here at Plymouth North has been altered by COVID-19. From the classroom to lunch to sports, everything has changed in some way over the last year. However, the people who may be most affected by the pandemic are our nurses. Being a nurse in a normal school year is no easy task, but COVID-19 has made this job twice as difficult. Adjusted classrooms have become the norm this year. Every classroom has separated desks, new layouts, and constant cleaning. This has been an even bigger challenge in the health office. “The office had to be accommodated for everybody. Cots were taken out and the waiting area was affected heavily. Also, kids can’t just line up anymore. They have to be signed out through a shared google sheet with all the teachers, then sent down,” said Nurse Schroeder.
These rules that have been put in place are obviously a very big hurdle for the nursing staff to overcome. The entire health office has been rearranged, changing all facets of how the office operates. However, these changes are far from the only thing that altered the daily life of a nurse at Plymouth North. “Contact tracing is the biggest thing we do. The majority of the day is spent on the phone with people, telling them how long to isolate for, how to get tested, all that. We never even knew anything about it until the pandemic, when the board of health asked us to start doing it,” said Schroeder. The normal everyday procedures of being a nurse are almost completely thrown out of the window in favor of contact tracing.
Although it may seem a bit chaotic, every aspect of these rules and regulations has been carefully laid out and planned before the school year started. “Plymouth North has handled all of this really well. The amount of planning that administration put into one way hallways, staggered dismissal times, and those things have really helped to keep us safe. It’s a very streamlined process, and administration helps out a lot,” said Nurse Wilson. Our nurses are thankfully not on their own. Having administration lay out a general plan for how things will run has greatly helped keep Plymouth North safe, and has made life as a nurse much easier than it could have been. Thanks to our nurses and administration working hard all year long, we have been able to keep COVID-19 cases in the school down and return to full in person classes as of April 12. However, certain administrators feel that nurses deserve all of the glory for Plymouth North’s success in managing COVID-19.
“Our nurses have gone above and beyond any expectation we could’ve ever had for them. They have been heroes to the building. There are absolutely cases that haven’t happened because of the work our nurses have done. I would even say dozens of cases,” said Mr. Parcellin, principal. Although their jobs have been fundamentally altered since the start of the school year, our nurses have given their all in order to keep us safe, and it has paid off greatly. Nobody knew what the school year would be like when we came back in September, but through countless hours of hard work from our nurses, we have been able to stay safe and make our return to full in person school.
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Fundraising in a Pandemic By Karen Phan Students at Plymouth North have traditionally enjoyed events such as Homecoming, Powder Puff, and more that are student-led. This year, the classes must follow all COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of students and staff. Due to the lack of events caused by COVID, the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes have fallen behind in their fundraising efforts. The class goal is to achieve two thousand dollars each year of high school. By the time senior year rolls around, the most significant event, the homecoming dance, usually raises about eight thousand dollars. Although the amount can vary at the end of the year, classes should have twenty to thirty thousand dollars to spend frugally. In previous years, there have been exciting events that helped students raise money. The money raised ultimately goes towards celebrating their senior year. The senior class has been faced with handling the lack of finances for the upcoming senior events as graduation approaches. The 2021 class started with $3,000 this year. However, through the fall season, they sold apparel merchandise such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, and face masks. Now, they have created a “Snap-Raise” fundraiser where students provide their families and friends with an email link to a website where they can donate money directly. Many school events are normally surrounding larger groups of students interacting and socializing. Unfortunately, most were not permitted to happen due to rising concerns of COVID infections. The lack of student-driven events has made an enormous impact on school spirit. Ms. Goggin, senior advisor for the Class of 2021, has been helping the seniors make ends meet as the year wraps up. “Normally what a class should have is a certain threshold that will allow them to cover both the catering, t-shirts, things like that and then whatever is needed to make tickets much more affordable for students,” Goggin said. Despite the unfortunate timing of the pandemic, the uncontrollable situation does not bring the class officers down. Mariah Chuong, the Senior Class Vice President, started her leadership journey just last year. “We struggled to get people to our fundraisers causing us to be less successful than we had hoped, but we are still thriving!” said Chuong. The seniors have collected over $10,000 dollars in donations from the “Snap Raise” fundraiser. As they continue to persevere, they are hopeful to see what they can come up with next. With the expenses that have to be covered, such as making tickets more affordable, class merchandise, venues, and more, the classes could not avoid fundraising this year. Instead of in-person events, the class councils have had to get extra creative. For instance, the Junior and Senior classes have relied on fundraising at restaurants such as Moe’s and Panera. They can raise a couple of hundred dollars through each fundraiser, while still giving a portion of the percentage goes to the restaurant. The Sophomores created a shamrock scavenger hunt hiding shamrock pieces around the campus. The amount of money they raised went directly to the class, and the student body got the chance to win “gold” prizes which were raffle tickets.
Plymouth North Service Learning Trips & Covid-19
As their senior year is right around the corner, the Junior class has been working diligently to uplift their classmates to join in on the fun. Junior Class President, Sarah has worked hard to bring more school spirit despite the challenges. “What we can do is prepare for the new norm and what there is to enjoy once this is over. It’s hard, but we can choose to be positive,” said McCormack. Junior Maggie Ladd serves as the Underclassmen Liaison on the Executive Board. Since the beginning of the school year, she has overseen the Freshman and Sophomore class councils, making sure they have the guidance to be successful. “They have tons of ideas, and there is a lot that will be coming from both the Freshman and Sophomores as soon as we are able to go back to normal. I’m excited to help them get to where they want to be,” said Ladd. As the state of Massachusetts continues to provide more vaccines and now that the district is back in the full inperson learning model, the councils will once again adapt to a new environment. Some of the officers are excited to see what these adaptations can bring for the councils.
“I believe when we go back to full time we will have a lot more success on the participation front,” said Chuong. While there was a lack of events, students have had to face different challenges presented by the pandemic. From academics to personal responsibilities, there is a lot to juggle as a student. With that being said, many have had to find a balance in their schedule which leaves less time for student council. The lack of school spirit is not permanent as Chuong and many suggest that there is something to look forward to soon, which is a time of abundance and joy to be together as a real class.
“Students from PNHS were able to teach the local children basic computer skills. We have also painted a school, built a fence in a recess area, and raised funds to provide school supplies. Plymouth students have organized English Language lessons for K-6 students. Learning English is an[[ important skill for students because obtaining a job in the tourist industry requires English proficiency,” said Hildebrand. “We also sponsor local youth sports teams by providing sports equipment and first aid
In normal years, Plymouth North participates in Service Learning Trips in the Dominican Republic, however, due to Covid-19 they were not able to go in 2020 and 2021 By: Bailey Norton
Photos by Katie Robinson
As a student at Plymouth North there are many opportunities to get involved in clubs, sports, and volunteering. However, one opportunity that all students at North are given is the chance to take advantage of is the service learning trips to the Dominican Republic. However, students are unable to physically go this year due to the global pandemic so Plymouth North is doing other things in order to support the country during this troubling time. Tara Frare, a Science teacher at North and Brittany Hildebrand, an English teacher at North, are the two teachers in charge of the Dominican Republic service learning trips. While in the Dominican, students work alongside Frare and Hildebrand on projects that would be very beneficial for the community. Many projects that they have worked on include: remediation of environmental issues, improvement of basic infrastructure, and improving education. Over the years, projects they have worked on include; planting 800 trees to help combat the effects of deforestation, they have also built dozens of birdhouses to provide nesting spaces for endangered birds. One year, they installed a solar panel on a school building that had no electricity, and in that same year, they brought down laptops for the children in the community to learn with.
Photos by Katie Robinson
supplies.” The most important aspect of these projects is that they are driven by the community that they serve. “We don’t arrive and tell them what we are going to do for them; we develop deep relationships with the leaders and help them with the goals they have determined will improve their community,” said Frare. All projects are completed by the students and the community members together.
“Returning to the same communities each year provides a level of sustainability for the projects, typically the community members express that the biggest need they have is to acquire skills so that they can work. Ultimately, our goal is to assist them and hopefully one day the community will be able to sustain their needs without our help,” said Hildebrand. “We had two trips planned for the 20192020 school year; one in April and one in June. Both trips were originally rescheduled for later dates in 2020, but then eventually had to be canceled due to the global pandemic,” said Frare. However, Frare and Hildebrand did not want to stop helping the Dominican just because they could not physically go down there and help out. They had been working with the Plymouth Sunrise Rotary to establish an international grant to support technology improvements in the Rio San Juan school. This grant was ultimately approved during the pandemic, so their partners in the Dominican Rotary are putting programs in place and purchasing computers for the school. “Since we are unable to travel, Partnering People Through Service is currently developing service opportunities on a more local level for students to participate in. The pandemic has affected many families in Plymouth and the surrounding communities and the need is great. We hope to have some of these service opportunities up and running soon,” said Hildebrand. It is great to see that even though students are unable to travel down to the Dominican and help in a hands-on way, they still have the ability to help those communities in some way. Once North is given the opportunity to again travel, students are encouraged to take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity. “Traveling is such a wonderful way to learn about the world and other cultures and perspectives. We truly believe that having a lived experience can be a much more informative and moving experience in education than just hearing or reading about something,” said Frare. “Our advice to students is to travel as frequently as they can; there is so much to discover and learn. It does not have to be a faraway place- a short road trip can be just as exciting, and if you can help people along the way, is even better.”
April 2021
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Teachers Find Creative Ways to
-on Courses with
Instruct Hands
Covid Safety Protocols
By: Caroline Richards
With COVID-19 safety guidelines in place, many art and physical education programs had to change their curriculum drastically during the 2020-2021 school year. Plymouth North High school offers a wide range of hand on courses. Some of which include art, ceramics, gym, and even woodshop. In past years, students would share a variety of supplies and equipment, but with COVID-1-9 safety guidelines, teachers have had to get creative. “We have added more lifetime activities like golf, archery, corn hole, and frisbee golf . With these activities students do not need to share equipment. After each class we clean off the equipment with a cleaner provided by the school district. We do not have the use of the locker room therefore we have taken a "no sweat" thought process, but still keeping with our philosophy of keeping students moving and being healthy,” said Physical Education Teacher Mrs. Jane Burt. Arts courses have also been immensely affected this school year because usually students are able to share supplies. This year, students received their own supplies in which they were able to take home.
“Our remote curriculum was the most difficult to create. We tried to be creative while still keeping our students moving. The fact that our students were in their bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and yards doing yoga and fitness workouts is really impressive,” said Mrs. Burt. “We created a fitness jeopardy game (FitPardy) and had students pick topics like core muscles, cardio, and yoga. I think the students appreciated the fact that we tried to do something different.” By implementing new and creative approaches, students were able to experience a unique style of learning that they may not have been able to experience if it weren't for the pandemic. “Having gym courses this year was not as bad as I expected. For the in person classes we were able to do a lot of different sports that are usually not in the curriculum like archery and frisbee golf. For the at home learning times, I feel like the teachers did a great job with changing things up a lot and coming up with fun games to play that kept us busy instead of
Not only was there a challenge with figuring out teachers can offer effective learning in the classroom, but with the hybrid learning model, most of the learning had to be done outside of the classroom. Students are only physically in each of their classes once a week, leaving students to be creative themselves as well. “At home I've actually had to work on a few different projects which is something that I've never had to do before in art classes in the past. Last year we had plenty of time to work on and finish our projects in school but now that we only have each class in person once a week, we now have the option to work on the projects at home” said Plymouth North Senior Tyler Ryan. “For sculpture specifically, I'd rather not work on my sometimes messy projects at home but I have to sometimes.” Even though it may be challenging to participate in hands-on courses at home, many teachers have come up with new ways to keep their students interactive online. The physical education staff has continued to go above and beyond to integrate physical activities while students are learning online.
just having us run around our houses for forty minutes,” said Plymouth North Senior Anthony Zacchini. Through this year we have experienced the most unexpected road blocks, but students and staff came together with positive attitudes to build an unforgettable school year. Photos by Karen Phan
Senior CNA Tests Seniors had to adapt to the COVID regulations when completing their CNA exams By: Amber Pestana In a normal year, juniors complete their CNA tests through the Allied Health program at the end of May. When the closing of schools threw a wrench in everyone's plans last March, the CNA tests were postponed to senior year. The CNA test consists of two parts: a sixty multiple choice test and a hands on clinical test that is observed by an American Red Cross Instructor. The clinical test contains 15 possible procedures. Each student gets randomly assigned to 3 different possible procedures to perform. A lot of these procedures were changed this year to adapt to COVID and replicate a real time experience. Instead of the hands on portion being done on real life patients, the students had to use mannequins to perform their assigned skills. Many valuable opportunities were taken from the class of 2021 seniors in the Allied Health program. A CNA is the entry level professional position in healthcare and allows students to participate in internships and co-op jobs. Some of which include: nursing homes, hospitals, doctor offices, and assisted living. Since Allied Health is only a three year program, seniors do not have a class period. In a normal year, it is expected that seniors participate in a co-op which would take the place of their class period and give them experience in the workforce. With the absence of in-class time, students had to spend a lot of time at home and after school preparing for the test. “Luckily, us seniors had directed study with Mrs. Drew so we would practice then. Also, during February vacation we were able to come in a bunch of times and practice,” said Andi Martin, senior in the Allied Health program. Mrs. Drew and the students spent a total of 30 hours of their own free time preparing for the exam which took place on February 24, 2021. “I think a lot of them were scared to take the exam because it had been so long, but they really kicked it into high gear the last month,” said Laura Drew, Allied Health instructor and department head. A lot of the scenarios in the clinical test were changed this year because of the new COVID procedures. Despite all of the time
spent studying and practicing, four students did not initially pass the CNA exam. Mrs. Drew nor the students were aware of one small change in the infectious control procedure during the clinical portion which caused them to fail. “The students that did not pass worked diligently under very stressful circumstances and were perfect with the exception of the change,” said Mrs. Drew. With that being said, 100% of the students passed the written test and the four students who failed the hands-on portion are able to retake the test soon. The junior Allied Health class will have to adapt to these COVID changes as well during their test at the end of May. The juniors have the advantage of class time to prepare themselves for their certifications. “When we practice, we can’t do it on each other, we have to use the mannequins and a lot of verbal techniques” said Abigail Andrade, junior in the Allied Health program. In a normal year, the juniors would have plenty of class time to learn and practice for their test. This year, their class time has been cut in half and don’t have each other to practice with. Be sure to congratulate the seniors on their CNA certifications and wish the juniors the best of luck on their tests in May!
April 2021
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New Singing Regulations and the Cabaret By Madeline Dayie
Restrictions are a necessary and natural part of anything lifechanging, but for many students involved in the performing arts, masks and social distancing hit hard and left many unable to do the things they were interested in. However, new freedoms have come out of the recent revised singing regulations, and a spring cabaret has revitalized North’s theatre program. Until early March, singing was only allowed outdoors - if at all making it very difficult for choral classes, a cappella groups, and theatre programs to practice singing together. Instead, they focused on the elements of chorus that weren’t performance based. David Grossman, the director of choral classes and a cappella groups at Plymouth North, observed it had a negative affect on their emotional state. “For a lot of students, singing with others is what they look forward to in the day, and for some it's what they come to school for,” Grossman said. “It's the spark that a lot of them need for making social connections.” Then, as an answer to their hopes, Massachusetts finally let students sing indoors - as long as they stay ten feet apart and keep their masks on. It may be a slow start, but teachers and students are already finding ways to do what they love within the limitations. Even before the new regulations, Plymouth North Player’s directors, Rachel Quinn and Helen Morrow, knew they wanted to do something to resuscitate interested students’ participation in theatre-related activities. Earlier in the school year, they hosted a theatre workshop, where students could improve their acting skills and relationships with their peers. Then, they had the idea of hosting a cabaret. The Cabaret, composed of various different acts, will feature duets and solo musical performances, as well as short monologues and two person scenes. The lineup is diverse, ranging from veteran seniors to fledgling freshmen. This type of performance seemed the perfect option, able to be small, outside, and socially distanced. Quinn found that this year created new challenges when it came to practices (whether to be in-person or virtual; inside or outside), but simultaneously presented opportunities.
New Courses Offered at North By Brooke Holmes
“I don’t always get to work oneon-one with the students,” Quinn said, “The Cabaret has given me that chance to nitpick them for a second because we’re not in a room full of people and we don’t have to move on to something too quickly.” Although a large cast has its benefits, a simpler approach has allowed her to get more involved in each individual performance. Quinn also says that she’s been impressed so far by the continued eagerness of the actors and how they're adapting to the limited physical connectedness. She recommends that students involved in the Performing Arts continue doing what they love, citing Broadway performers - who had to stop acting about a year ago because of concerns over COVID-19 - as having a positive and reassuring attitude that things will one day get back to normal.
Photos by Maddy Dayie
Grossman agreed with keeping the mindset positive. He says, “if we can remember that this is temporary and see it as an opportunity to further some of our skills that we don't always have time to focus on, we have a shot at making the postpandemic experiences a lot better than they otherwise would be.” The Cabaret will be held inperson on May 6th and 7th in North’s back parking lot. With the current regulations in place, the program is closed to the general public, and each performer is allowed to bring only two guests. However, the students involved are hoping to film the performances and make the broadcast available to the school.
As the 2021-2022 school year creeps around, course selections for next year need to be made. This year there are a few new options available to students. Three of the new upcoming classes for next year are a senior selection of Literature of War and Conflict, a new Introduction to Television and Broadcasting course, and Introduction to Organic Chemistry; all of the semester courses are a new addition to future schedules. Literature of War and Conflict is an English course offered exclusively to seniors in both an Honors and CP 1 track. The course will examine writings about the experience of war both historically and thematically and from diverse perspectives. Through the reading of a variety of texts and engagement with multimedia, students can explore how writers speak of, reflect on and tell stories about war in context of history along with the evolving technology of conflict. “The reason why we came up with this new course is because we were trying to engage more seniors who might not be engaged with some of the other options available. Well this course appeals to anyone, we wanted to do something that was super interesting to a lot of our males, so we tried to come up with a course that was challenging and interesting from a perspective of war throughout history,” said Mrs. Shelley Terry, English Department Head. The new Introduction to Television and Broadcasting course is an elective open to grades 9-10. Students will be able to learn the technical and creative skills to produce video content for multicamera studio based television productions, such as talk shows or game shows. Productions will encompass both prerecorded “live-to-tape” style videos, such as interview & news magazine shows; as well as “live-to-audience” productions, such as nightly TV news. This course is project oriented and will require students to be available after school hours on some days as determined by the needs of a particular production. “We have the capability to do TV broadcasting, but we haven’t necessarily had the opportunity to do it. Plymouth has a ton of film production classes, but in reality that is only fifty percent of the video production industry. TV Broadcasting is completely different,” said Mr. Evan McNamara, the instructor of the class. “There's a different method through the pre-production aspect to the production aspects all the way to postproduction and distribution. So there are some similarities between the skills you can learn in
film production and editing the at translate over to TV broadcasting but in terms of actually producing content there completely different.” Introduction to Organic Chemistry is open to students in both CP 1 and Honors who have taken the prerequisite course of Chemistry with a recommendation from a teacher. This course includes focusing on the classification, structure and function of organic compounds. Students will also learn to use organic chemistry nomenclature, analyze structures for isomers, identify functional groups, observe different physical and chemical properties along with studying different chemical reactions and mechanisms. It's important to note that this class has a hands-on aspect as it is a laboratory focused course inorder for students to be able to take a step deeper into learning organic chemistry. The course is relevant and applicable as it identifies and classifies chemicals many of us come across in our daily lives. This course can help students break down and understand everyday objects to the molecular level such as the clothes we wear, materials we use and food we consume. “We have regular AP classes, but one of the things as far as chemistry goes is that a lot of students are interested in biomedical. Everybody who's going to go into a medical science field is gonna have to take organic chemistry and it tends to be one of those classes that can weed kids out,” said Mr. Cliff Buckley, the instructor of this course. “It's a different class. It's a difficult class for a lot of students, so I just thought with a lot of interest here in that field it might be helpful to students to get some exposure to it before they went off to college.” Any students who are interested in a science or chemistry course, this gives students the ability to take their interest in chemistry to the next level. There are always new classes being offered each year and our teachers are working their hardest to make the next school year an enriching and interesting year for students through the school. If you're interested in war and conflict to television broadcasting or organic chemistry please consider these new classes and always stay informed on what new courses are being offered at North!
April 2021
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Spring Sports Are Back With A Different Schedule! After a cancelation of last season due to Covid 19 Spring Sports are back, looking different this year By: Liam Husband From swinging a bat to running on the track, student athletes at Plymouth North love their spring sports and after a cancellation last year many are eager for the season ahead. Many may not know the changes that have been made this year. As this school year has unfolded, many students have seen change throughout many aspects of their lives, from online classes, eating lunch in the PAC, and now changes to the spring sports schedule. This ensures athletes can get a season whether it’s taking the field, court or track this coming spring.With the addition of the fall two season the spring sports ending date was pushed back and we see many positives although some negatives with this decision. “The MIAA, along with the MIAA COVID task force and in conjunction with the MIAA Tournament Management Committee made the decision to play state wide tournaments that will start the week of June 10th, with state championship games being played on July 3rd,” said Plymouth North Athletic Director Justin Domingos. This is great news for teams with tournament aspirations or players who missed out on it last year. “The decision was based on trying to give spring athletes the most amount of games to play, along with a tournament experience, in what is a condensed season due to the addition of FALL II, which is being played through the traditional start of spring sports,” said Domingos. So although the season is condensed expect action packed nonstop sporting events to
take place. Through this change in scheduling there has been positives for athletes who partake in football, cheerleading, dance team, and winter track as they were able to fit their “FALL II” season in because the start date was moved back for spring sports. Positives are also seen in the spring sports side of things. This decision can help many as some may have been worried that their spring season would be really different. “Normally the start of the season in March is very windy and cold, but with the later start date we should be able to avoid that cold start,” said Robby Cooney, North tennis player. Not only tennis but many other sports see cancellations due to the bad weather. Hopefully this change will cut down on practices being canceled. “Those first few practices could be snowing and 30 degrees,” said Track and Field Coach Mr. Buckley. Lot’s of runners battle the extremes although Coach Buckley and fellow runners won’t mind the warmer weather. Not only will the warmer weather please many athletes, but the opportunity for competition will benefit many. “We are going to play a 10 game regular season in most spring sports, be able to compete for a league championship, run a Patriot League Cup Tournament for all spring sports (with the exception of track & field- they will have a league championship meet), and all teams will be able to "opt in" to the MIAA state tournamenets,” said Domingos. This is great news for athletes
itching to get back into their spring sport. With this “opt in” choice teams will be happy to have the opportunity to possibly make it to state tournaments. This is something that has been absent since the winter season of 2020. These competition opportunities will help make the spring sports season feel normal, through a unique year. “Seniors who have graduated or students with other commitments after the school year is already over might not be able to compete the whole season,” said Coach Buckley. Some will be faced with tough decisions or something they can’t get out of like a planned vacation, which would be a downside. No matter the pros and cons of this schedule change, the atmosphere around this spring season is electric. “I think myself and many of the guys are extra pumped for this season since we lost ours last year. Without having last year we have a lot of potential built up and I think more gratitude towards whatever we end up getting this year,” said Cooney. “We are really looking forward to the weather getting warmer and hosting competitions on campus,” said Mr. Domingos. There is a lot of optimism in this upcoming season. “Us getting a spring season is a positive,” said Coach Buckley. This spring season is long awaited and geared up to be a great one. Good luck to all sport teams and individuals competing in their respective sports this season.
Photo by Lily Johnson
Thank you to this year's Newspaper Club! This school year proved to be challenging but this team of journalists persevered to create three complete issues.
Chief Editor: Karen Phan Photographers: Hannah Caple, Emma George, Mariah Chuong, Lily Johnson, Brandon Nyguen Writers: Kailey Reardon Tyler Smith Caroline Richards Madeline Dayie Amber Pestana Seeger Creane Bailey Norton Brooke Holmes Christian Hohulin Liam Husband Jamie Keep Andrew Melville