Voice Magazine March 2011

Voice • Thayer Academy’s Student Magazine • March, 2011 • Vol. 14, No. 2

Stuff Thayer-isms

• McCauley Braun & Raisa Hoffman

A Dictionary for the Outsider’s Convenience Yeht Neht Beast

@ Contact

If you’re directing your thoughts toward a specific noun A confusing game, or a single word meaning, “Hey, yeah, I know what you’re talking about!”

McCauley Braun photo

You hear it shouted down the hallways, you read it on Facebook, you get it tweeted to your phone, and outsiders are confused by it…it’s the Thayer language. Within our 43-acre campus, we have adopted our own dialogue. The language that resonates vibrantly throughout our hallways receives inquisitive looks from those outside of the Academy. We flaunt our Thayer-isms wherever we go, despite the fact that nobody understands them. #SadPride.

Some of this language originated within specific groups of friends, but it has spread like wild fire to all the Homo sapiens lurking around campus. The origin of yeht and neht seemed to have come from the crowd of hockey players.

Michael Burgess and company nehting people in the Beast.

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McCauley Braun photo

An approval A denial Michael Burgess’ 1999 green Ford – long live the Beast!

Flissed Owned Heatwave Turning someone’s backpack inside out, putting his books back in, then zippering it Heatwavee The poor guy you just heatwaved Smoking Shouting someone’s name, then hiding Hashtag # A way of categorizing your thoughts

Sean Barbary struggles up the stairs with a heatwaved bag.

However, if you’ve seen Michael Burgess and company driving around in the Beast lately, you’ve probably heard him and his passengers shout “NEHT!” or the occasional “YEHT!?” out the windows to pedestrians. “Yeht” and “neht” have no clear definition beyond responding to something with approval or denial. Flissed has also evolved around campus. Sprouting from Ryan Vayo originally, it has become a well known term throughout the entire student body. It essentially means, “you have just been owned/shut down” and is now accompanied by hand gestures…the pointer finger-to-the thumb wrist flick has taken the Academy by storm!

Say heatwaved outside of school, and you’ll probably get a head tilt, single eyebrow lift response. The person you’re talking to is probably unaware of the phrase coined by Thayer students, meaning, “the act of removing books and all other items from a lone backpack, turning the bag inside out, putting the books back in the bag, then zippering the bag inside out.” This leaves the person to whom the bag belongs: incapable of finding his backpack for a few minutes, publicly struggling to unzip his backpack, having all of his belongings scattered around while he tries to return his bag right-side out, and most likely late for class. Or if perchance the heatwavee loathes tardiness, you might see him with his arms wrapped around his bag, struggling up the stairs, leaving the tedious process of turning his bag right-side out as a problem for later.

Third floor Main or the secret nooks in Glover are the perfect spots to utilize the definition of the next word: smoking. And no, not cigs, but “smoking” people as in, “the act of shouting someone’s name…and then hiding.”

Outsiders who hear us talk about “smoking” must think that every student at the Academy’s lungs are polluted. But quite to the contrary, everyone’s lungs must not be polluted considering the lung capacity it takes for all of them to shout each other’s names as frequently as they do.

Open your newsfeed on Facebook and you’ll find that Thayer also has customs that carry over to the world wide web. U pRoBz C a LoT oF wRiTiNg LyKe DiS<3!*~!!? Who knows if people are actually serious when they write like that, but some people do it so often that it appears they are actually being serious. As if the substantial amount of online hash-tags (#) and the use of the @ symbol weren’t a large enough dose for students, they’ve recently taken it upon themselves to verbalize both signs in everyday conversation; hash-tags are used to note the category of a specific topic, and the “@” symbol is used to touch base with a person to whom the conversation is applicable.

Among the many Thayerisms that have been acquired, there is yet another by the name of “Contact.” After many months of being around the same people, Thayer students

have virtually acquired the ability to read each other’s minds.

The game Contact played by many cast members during late night rehearsals, has been taken outside the simple boundaries of the game, and brought to our everyday campus life. Contact is a game where one person thinks of a word and the other players try to guess what word that person is thinking. If the players think they know what word that person is thinking of, they scream “CONTACT!” Now, contact is a way of saying “I completely just read your mind and know what you’re thinking about.” While walking through the hallway, by the courtyard, or up to Cahall, you may hear students screaming “Contact!” at each other. If you feel out of the loop, rest assured that sooner or later we probably will all be “contacting” the same thought via this telepathic line of communication that Thayer students seem to be developing.

The list of “isms” goes on and on, and I’m sure it will grow for years to come. I’m also sure that once seniors graduate, they will look back and laugh at this crazy lingo that they no longer use because they are educated, intelligent individuals who no longer employ such a juvenile language. As close-knit and obscure as our community dialect may come across, we sport it with confidence. After all, why not flaunt what takes so much personality to develop? #TApride.

Bon voyage!

Scranton, PA… but it’s always sunny in Philadelphia.

Back at the Barnyard with Hannah Montana Beverly Hills… zip code 90210.

Grounded… for Life. No vacation.

Laguna Beach, the OC, the Hills… who knows the difference?

Bikini Bottom… in a pineapple under the sea.

The Suite Life on Deck Cruise Line Curb Your Enthusiasm… you’re not going anywhere.

Thayer Academy • 745 Washington Street Braintree, MA 02184

Best of the Worst _______________________________________ Spring Break _______________________________________ Allie Morey _______________________________________ ___________________________________

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Allie Morey postcard design

Gilligan’s Isle… far away from any possible snow day

Stuff Seating Pattern Tells Ty Richardson, Greg Terrono & McCauley Braun

Greg Terrono art

You stroll into class on the first day of school and you scan the room for a minute… it’s time to pick your seat.

The Voice staff is here to educate you on the inanimate object that shouts about you: your desk.

Choose where you sit carefully!

Back Row: Hey, slacker, all the way back there! Don’t even worry if you can’t see the teacher because that means they can’t see you.

So, that means you’re free to: 1. Chat with your fellow back-row-mates.

2. Doodle. (You might be the next Picasso.)

3. Sleep—you only got 12 hours last night!

4. Get away with dress-code violations—a major plus for those of you who are wearing LuLu Lemons and a t-shirt.

But while you’re back there, just chillin’ out and breakin’ dress-code, don’t cry on test day!

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Middle Row: “No Man’s Land”—You don’t want to commit to either of the extremes—you prefer being in limbo. Maybe you’re: 1. A little insecure and care deeply about what everyone thinks about you. You don’t want to be perceived as either a front or back row-er.

2. A combination of both front- and backrower.

3. Too timid to be bold enough to sit in either of the extremes.

4. Having commitment issues, and can’t commit to either of the extremes, thus you plop in the middle.

5. Indecisive, you just can’t choose where to possibly go, so you choose a happy medium.

6. Having an identity crisis—you just don’t know who you are.

Front Row: A bit of a melting pot, because there are those of you who choose to be there, and those of you who are sat there by force. You might be: 1. Unafraid of commitment and the 165day obligation to the front row.

2. Over-compensating for your lack of good grades by sitting in the front row and sucking up to the teacher.

3. Motivated to succeed, always intently listening and taking notes.

4. Well rested—you don’t need to catch up on sleep in class.

5. Tardy—you were late to class on the first day. e seat in the front row was the only option left, and you haven’t wanted to disrupt the system since.

Comment

Voice archive

Although slavery in the United States is said to have ended over 140 years ago, the little known and shocking reality is that human trafficking for the sex trade is a worldwide industry today, and it takes place within our own borders. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the 21st century, second only to drug smuggling. But the little known fact is that the U.S. is one of the top three destinations for trafficked victims, with California, New York, Texas and Nevada being the most frequented locations in the states.

Contrary to popular opinion, trafficking is not just a European development, nor is it limited to the sex trade; the U.S. State Department’s 2009 “Trafficking in Humans” report documents problems in 175 nations and also explains that it appears in the form of domestic servitude, and factory and migrant agricultural work.

Traffickers use violence, coercion, and false promises of employment to compel women, men, and children into slavery. Many of these victims do not speak or understand English and are unable to communicate with anyone who might be able to help them, making it very difficult for them to escape.

Congressional reports estimate that 50,000 persons are trafficked into the United States each year. Why is the United States so susceptible to trafficking? The massive amount of money made through human trafficking is a powerful motive that has enticed more and more people to deal in such crimes.

Also, the United States has all of the characteristics that make it particularly appealing to traffickers.It has a large immigrant population that is vulnerable to exploitation, and it is home to a multitude of major agricultural employers in need of field laborers. Many people, particularly from South America, are lured into the country under false promises of needed work, are kidnapped by traffickers, and sold as prostitutes or slaves.

Just imagine you are on your way to a foreign exchange program like thousands of other university students. Late at night you arrive at the airport and are reassured by a man speaking your native language that he is your escort.

Tired, you step outside and abruptly are shoved into a

p

The New Slavery

to ho

• Emmi Koelsch

van and injected with drugs. This is exactly what happened to Katya and Lena, two young students traveling to America from Ukraine. “They gave us strip clothes and told us that we were going to be working at a strip club.”

This is where the two women worked for the next year, where they were subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse, living constantly in fear of their captor’s threats to hurt family members back home. As shocking as this may be to many Americans, tragic stories like this one occur right here in the United States.

So how is the United States combating this problem? Since 1998, the United States has supported a policy that includes prosecution, protection, and prevention. Human trafficking is a crime on the same level as murder, rape, and kidnapping, and must be prosecuted. Yet the numbers of prosecutions each year are extremely low in comparison to the extent of the problem. Protection includes helping victims adjust back into everyday life, as well as aiding them in their court case and finding justice. Prevention, the most important aspect, includes public awareness campaigns, focusing on the root causes of the problem, and enacting new law enforcement and border security programs.

One of the largest problems posed by the human trafficking crisis is raising awareness. Most people have no idea of how much it goes on, especially in the United States. Of course, some are aware that it does happen; programs like the Network for Missing and Exploited Children are nationwide. But most people don’t believe that this is something that could happen in the United States, it is merely a third-world-country problem. Also, it isn’t something that happens right under our noses. Although slavery is illegal and law enforcement works determinedly to get rid of this horrible crime, the people that take part in it go to great lengths to keep it secret. Secrecy is their strongest weapon. It may take time before the public fully realizes just how huge this issue is, but in the meantime, we need to do a better job of exposing this secrecy, combating it, and eliminating it from our country.

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Comment INTO THE WOODS

â&#x20AC;˘ Abimbola Cole & Ava Moussavi

Mere minutes from Thayer Academy where families hike and children play is the Eaton Pond Conservation Area. There, deep in the forest, rests a battered mug overflowing with pine needles and rainwater. A lonely mattress lies a few feet away, blanketed with decaying leaves and piled with filthy pots. Immobile bicycle tires adorn the bare trees, bracelets glittering on the hubs. Unsuspecting hikers may stumble upon this seemingly ransacked dump. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a dump; to some, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. During the summer, areas such as the Eaton Pond Conservation area are inhabited by a number of homeless people who create makeshift camps in the forest while the weather is still warm. Through the summer months, the now fallen grills and worn pans were staples in their lives. Games such as darts kept people busy through those weeks in the woods. They retreat to the city when the temperature drops and leave behind former possessions.

We were a group of 20 Thayer Academy students from the Environmental Club set on making a difference in the environment. We believed we were there to clean up average litter and garbage. However, our task was not what we anticipated. We did not realize that cleaning up the forest would consist of removing what were essentially abandoned homes.

We did not expect the squalor in which these people had lived. There were filthy cots, broken bottles, sullied sneakers, and rotting mattresses. For a few moments, we all hesitated. We were used to picking up bottles and trash bags, but we had never emptied a cooler filled with unidentifiable foul liquid. We were glad for our gloves, for we threw away ratty clothes whose history was questionable. Tables were held together with duct tape and plastic. None of us were eager to pick up heavy sheets of rusted metal. We had to dig tires out of the ground with our hands.

To say we were grossed out was an understatement.

Yet the more we worked, the more we realized the greater meaning that lay beyond mere griminess. Despite these unbelievable living circumstances, there was still a sense of humanity, still a sense of creativity and style. The area was decorated as if it was a home. Jewelry was hung on trees as one would hang jewelry on a dresser.

Pieces of a mirror strung together revealed a concern for appearance. In some ways, these touches made the destitution all the more evident. We were reminded that homelessness is a situation that one does not choose to be in and it affects all types of people.

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Ava Moussavi photos

Homelessness is a growing epidemic around the world and occurs even here, in our seemingly affluent south shore communities, yet many of us are not aware of our close proximity to this grave issue. Student and teacher alike were struck by the conditions that people lived in. We were there to clean the environment, but we discovered a more pressing and immediate problem.

We learned from Jonathan Hill, who works with Friends of the Homeless of the South Shore, that the people who stay in the woods during the summer often do so to evade high rents. They create a comfortable place for themselves in the forest for free for a few months. These people are mostly likely single adults, since Massachusetts takes good care of children. Hill said, “It is pretty unlikely that there would be an elementary school kid with a mom staying in the woods.” He also added that people in general are communal, and it is natural that they would stay close together. These camps are a common sight during the summer. When the cold weather hits, people tend to return to places such as Father Bill’s & MainSpring, and other shelters. Father Bill & MainSpring’s mission statement is to help people by “giving temporary shelter and food, finding safe and affordable housing, providing permanent housing with supportive services and workforce development.” Organizations like these help people to “achieve self-sufficiency” by creating permanent solutions.

Although it is difficult to measure the number of people on the streets, in the winter of 2008-2009 there were an estimated 7,681 homeless people in the Boston area alone, according to the Annual Census Report. This increased 11% from the previous year. 3,854 of these people are in families and 2,268 of them are children. Homelessness does not discriminate.

People of all ages and backgrounds seek refuge in the shelters, streets, and, as we learned, the forest.

We sit comfortably in our classrooms, bedrooms, and offices; others sit on bare tree stumps, rickety lawn chairs, and the cold, hard earth. We crave our new 21.5” screen Mac computers and Smart Boards; others crave a warm meal and new clothes. While the biggest worry for us students may be the next test, other kids our age are worrying about where they will sleep next. Most of us will never know what it would be like to live without a home, but what about those who do? At first we were simply cleaning trash, but the beauty that we discovered put personalities to those who lived in the woods near Eaton Pond, and told a story about these people’s lives.

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Comment Where’d My Job Go?

F

ast forward four years from now. It’s 2015, and many of us will soon graduate from college and enter the work force. Excitedly, we will search for the coveted “first job” only to find that there aren’t many out there. One reason is that we have been sending many of these jobs overseas.

Historically, offshore outsourcing to low cost countries is nothing new. Businesses have been outsourcing domestic jobs to countries such as China and Mexico since the seventies.

The problem is that in the past ten years outsourcing has expanded to include highly skilled technical and customer service positions and advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs. It has been projected that by 2015 that as many as 3.3 million U.S. jobs, spanning various fields and over $136 billion in wages, will be moved from the United States to lower cost, offshore locations. That is four years from now, and these

Why pay an American $8 per hour when you could pay a 12-year old Chinese factory worker to do the same work for $1 a day?

33 million jobs won’t be there for us college graduates: Goodbye, First Apartment; Hello, Parents’ Couch.

The recent shift to outsourcing more moderate volume production in areas that used to be dominated by American manufacturers has caused great pain to the American worker.

Outsourcing jobs to low cost countries has had a direct impact on American job loss and is a main cause of the current high unemployment rates, which some economists estimate to be 20 to 22 percent in certain areas of the country. Take California’s tech center Silicon Valley for instance. This area has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country because many higher paid, technical jobs have been outsourced.

My dad’s company is a perfect example of how outsourcing can directly affect people’s lives. He owns an electronic manufacturing business, and his main competitors are factories in China and Mexico. Every time he loses business to one of these factories, he has to lay people off. These are American

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• Caitlin Chase

people who have now lost their jobs to factory workers in China who are paid less than minimal wage, and work under horrible and dangerous conditions. My dad, wanting to counterbalance this recession, considered opening a factory in both Mexico and China. Once he went to these countries and saw the factories that the people worked in he was appalled.

According to The New York Times, “In 2007, factories that supplied more than a dozen corporations, including WalMart, Disney and Dell, were accused of unfair labor practices, including using child labor, forcing employees to work 16hour days on fast-moving assembly lines, and paying workers less than minimum wage. Chinese companies routinely short change their employees on wages, withhold health benefits, and expose their workers to dangerous machinery and harmful chemicals, like lead, cadmium, and mercury. In the Pearl River Delta region near Hong Kong, for example, factory workers lose or break about 40,000 fingers on the job every year.”

So why do American businessmen purposely cut the jobs of their fellow Americans? There is one pretty compelling reason: Cheap Labor. Why pay an American $8 per hour when you could pay a 12-year-old Chinese factory worker to do the same work for $1 a day? Well, heads up big business, there are reasons labor is a lot cheaper in some overseas companies.

Many of these companies treat their employees very poorly, with low pay, objectionable work conditions, and no labor unions to protect their rights. Also, neither the companies nor the governments in these countries are held responsible for environmental and other regulatory standards that US companies have had to meet. So why is US labor more costly?

Because we pay our people decently, respect the rights of our workers, and put into practice environmentally friendly and safe policies that add cost to American businesses, but are in the long run friendly to the world.

Not everybody agrees that offshore outsourcing is a problem. Many see it as a chance to revitalize struggling businesses, to create more room for innovation, or to give their business a competitive edge. Their arguments all make sense, but the truth in what they are saying is that they are using the money they would have been paying American workers to fund new projects. Some argue that if you don’t do it, you don’t survive.

But with current practices, many good American companies and jobs won’t survive.

Paddle Boarding

M

the neglected drum set in my basement, took note of the unset place at my dinner table. In time, I mechanically returned to school and other activities. My family slowly grasped at some new version of “normal,” tiredly treading water with the dock still out of sight.

For months I managed as a spectator in my own life, merely going through the motions. It took even longer than that to slowly get back on the board. Over the years, I watched other families I knew suffer from loss. In high school, I learned about tragedy on a global scale and was drawn to causes that assist those who suffer. Time passed, and I noticed I wasn’t alone in the middle of an ocean. I was surrounded by millions of other people splashing in their own struggles.

This past summer, I really did fall off a paddleboard. My fiasco in the muck occurred during my break from a volunteer program designed to enable children with special needs to enjoy water sports. As a sailing instructor, I spent my days interacting with some of the brightest children I have ever met. Though they all had disabilities, they didn’t appear to suffer from them; they infused hope into everything they did. I saw that instead of desperately treading water, they were playing Marco Polo. Literally falling off that paddleboard made me realize my struggles were manageable, although it took a brush with terror and some thrashing about before I realized I would survive the experience.

It took some years to process, but losing Ryan clarified a lot for me. I have begun to feel gratitude for the time I had with him, rather than bitterness about the time I am left to endure without him. I am able to hear myself laugh again, and the feeling of my cheeks stretching into a smile has stopped feeling like a betrayal to my loss. I have stepped back onto the dock.

I am less aware of those who identify me as “the girl whose brother died,” and focus instead on being the girl who values the similarities she shares with him.

All the qualities in myself that remind me of Ryan are gifts.

I know life is fleeting and no one is immune to getting knocked into unruly seas. With this knowledge, I try to practice small measures. I never go to bed without saying, “I love you” to every member of my family. I try to keep my grudges to a one-day maximum. And I always remember that though the dock may be pummeled by squalls, it stands in shallow waters. I can see the shore. I can find my way back.

Flannery family photo

y arms flew through the air in a desperate attempt to restore my balance. The putrid marsh swallowed my feet as they were submerged in the dregs of the harbor. I let out an uncharacteristically girly squeal as a slimy sea creature skittered over my foot. The paddleboard flipped, stirring up a brownish cloud of muck. I yelped and thrashed my limbs, overcome with the terror of the unknown.

Eventually, I realized my situation was not improving. I was in the same position I had been in ten seconds prior: about ten feet away from the dock in knee-deep, lukewarm water that posed absolutely no threat to my well-being.

I stopped. I breathed. The waves I had created began to dissipate.

I flipped the paddleboard over and slowly got back on.

Before fourth grade, my paddleboard had barely wobbled. Then, on January 19, 2003, I was thrown off the board into a tumultuous abyss. My sixteen-year-old brother, Ryan, was killed in a car accident.

Never before had I been so consumed with fear. The void left by his sudden departure enveloped me. Prior to his accident, I lived life inside an invincible bubble, a transparent fortress separating me from life’s atrocities. Suddenly, the bubble popped, and the murky unknown dragged my ten-year-old self into chaos.

My once sitcom-perfect family was stranded in the dark water.

After Ryan’s accident, life was frenetic. People I had never met before perched on the arm of my favorite chair and cleaned old cheese out of my refrigerator. I was besieged with questions, pity smiles, overbearing hugs. I sat in silence, listening to strangers scramble for something to say. I smiled politely, quietly resenting the inanities, allowing the waves to toss me about. My life felt like time-lapsed photography.

Everything around me was moving in a blur and I just sat there and watched it.

After the funeral, the waves began to die down. I was less likely to wake up in a petri dish, surrounded by people staring down at my bed and shifting noticeably when I opened my eyes. The abundance of casseroles in my freezer diminished.

The well-intentioned groups of people moving through my house began to dwindle down to those who truly belonged there. It wasn’t until then that I recognized the magnitude of my loss and suffered my greatest pain. I heard the silence of

• Tess Flannery

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Life

Evolutions in Style • Emma Quigley

A Emma Quigley photo

s we clamber up the totem pole of high school, we cycle through various images and appearances, hoping to find ourselves. From freshman to senior year, we are transformed. Maybe the self we leave Thayer with won’t be the one we carry with us the rest of our lives, but we will take away the new confidence we have built over the years here. For many, this confidence manifests itself in a distinct sense of style. Our clothes are the most outward form of expression, the first thing others see. Here are some notable seniors whose styles have evolved from plain and safe to distinct and daring.

Now

Abby describes her style as “a mix of vintage, bohemian, and prep,” and as being influenced by “summer looks.” Gravitating towards sophisticated neutrals like black, white, and brown because “they go with anything,” Abby’s style is all about versatility. She loves to layer and adds that “comfort is key,” avoiding heels and tight clothing. Though now you can spot her gliding down the halls in her high boots and graceful tunics, her style was not always so cultivated.

Abby describes her style freshman year as “safe,” having been, “more conscious of what people thought.” She then realized her junior year that “it was way too hard to please everybody else.” Now she simply states, “feels good to look good,” relishing in the freedom of being able to wear something that makes her feel “put together.”

Abby Sullivan photo

Abby Sullivan The Mature Bohemian

As a freshman (left)

Now

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The Suave Cosmopolitan “I guess my style was just quiet and humble. I would wear mostly hand-medowns,” explains Kyle about his freshman year self. Now his closet is stocked with hip streetwear from stores like Karmaloop, and brands like LRG. Kyle’s style is calculated casual. He coordinates his colors and adds sophisticated, original touches (see white bow tie, left), yet the overall effect is cool and nonchalant. He cites rapper J. Cole as a source for fashion inspiration, but explains that his own realizations were what really inspired him to dress out of the ordinary. Kyle explains, “In high school, I just realized that you don’t have to fit the stereotypical mold of a private school kid in order to fit in.” Although Kyle’s style is pretty clean cut, what sets it apart is how he incorporates unique details.

Rodgers family photo

Emma Quigley photo

Kyle Rodgers

As a freshman

Emma Quigley photos

Leigh Marr The Eccentric Collector

Now

As a freshman (right)

Leigh’s style is tricky to put a finger on. It’s eclectic for sure. There are elements of rock and roll, tastes of Rasta, a variety of colors, and pure randomness, but they are all genuinely pieces of Leigh. “I wouldn’t peg myself as anything in particular,” she states, “I just like layers. Homemade jewelry and animal tees are always considered awesome.” Where she shops certainly lends to her mismatched chic as she explains, “I buy a lot of my clothes at thrift stores. If you’ve never been to Salvation Army or The Garment District you’re seriously missing out.” It is safe to say Leigh’s clothes won’t be spotted on anyone else, as she has made her fashion a part of her, weaving beads and trinkets into her curly hair which she leaves free from any ties. Freshman year, Leigh broke out of the preppy uniformity of middle school fashion, shedding her Abercrombie for some PacSun. Now, as a senior, her style is even edgier, and composed of pieces from all over the place. Leigh sums up what most have discovered here at Thayer, and not just in terms of fashion, saying, “I’ve learned through being at such a small school that many trends come and go, so why be a follower when you can simply be yourself.”

Abby Sullivan photo

Now

Passing through the halls, you may have heard Melody on her iPhone with her mother or chatting with Ms. Khalili…in fluent Farsi. Soft, delicate, and graceful, the language is much like Melody’s style. Her heritage is reflected in the pieces she “gravitates” toward: flowy tops and gold accessories. She loves sparkle and flash, as well as incorporating pieces from her travels such as bangles, but she grounds her gypsy-chic with classic black and preppy pieces like pea coats and blazers. Melody came to us as a sophomore, but her move to Thayer helped facilitate her style transformation.

“I came to Thayer and immediately thought that everyone looked the same. I was overwhelmed with the repetition,” she explains. She describes her pre-Thayer style as “not so much a ‘style,’ but what other people would like on me. I really, really wanted to fit in.” You would think that being the “new kid” she would try to blend in with the rest of us, but she saw, “an opportunity to reinvent myself. I wanted to show who I was, my creative side.”

Attarha family photo

Emma Quigley photo

Melody Attarha The Polished Gypsy

As a freshman (left)

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Life Hidden Ties at TA • Abby Sullivan

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-sis ta

Jos h,

when • Mor

infamous sista

k&

ey f a mi ly

Th e

Jac

ack yb wa

From New Hampshire to Belize, the Moreys and Cotes have seen it all— together. Allie and Jack Morey and Shane and Josh Cote have known each other since their earliest days. Allie and Shane met in preschool, and have been teasing each other ever since. While on a trip to New Hampshire in 2009, Shane dragged Allie down a blue square trail the first time she ever snowboarded, though he claims it “never happened.”

So it may not come as a surprise that Allie refers to Shane as “The Grinch.” Apparently, he rarely attends their Christmas party, but Shane admits he “really is the Grinch.” He hates Christmas music and says “it’s usually really awkward because Allie’s extended family always talks to [my brothers and me] like they know us, when in reality we have no idea who they are.” He also mentions the late night singing of The Twelve Days of Christmas as “one of the biggest traditions we have.”

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The Morey & Cote Families

atively a rel s i er hay T e abo ut aus hing c t y e r B ve w e o n y u k Academ e yo h t s at ent d stu e m so t Bu

Tess Flannery & Brooke Menard met through dance, a high priority in both their lives. Although they are crazy about dance, they are NOT, as they repeatedly stressed, “Crazy Dance People.” They got to know each other when Brooke o t o h p joined the team as a 5th grader. Their older sisters were friends as well, so their “little y l y fami r e n sista-sista duo was pretty solid.” Luckily, their moms were far from crazy Fl a n y• l i in the dance world. They were not the typical dance moms, who, fam th according to Tess, are “pretty mental.” “[Our moms] make fun i w o of everything, are negligent in the dressing rooms when we need help, and hang in each other’s rooms whenever we have to stay in a hotel,” says Tess. “But it’s all in a good way,” she explains. “I would hate it if my mom turned into one of the psycho dance moms, they’re crazy.”

Aside from dance, Tess and Brooke were in a carpool for quite some time, which Brooke “so rudely left” when she got her license. She says it was like a second family and every morning she and Tess would gossip, mostly about dance-related things. As for now, they “still find a way to follow each other to school on occasion, which is always a nice surprise.”

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small scho o l, yo u mi g ht assu me the people sur r ound ing you . know each ot her b etter than you

ma y t hin k…

The Gill & Ginns Families

& Pat

Christine and Patrick Gill, Kathryn Ginns, and their families have known each other for many years. Mr. Ginns and Mr. Gill crossed paths through their jobs, and the families met soon after. Both families live in Hingham and their moms’ sisters know each other as well. “We’ve spent time on vacation in Florida (Captiva and Naples), Cape Cod, and for many years, celebrated New Year’s in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire together,” says Christine, reminiscing about the adventures the two families have shared.

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Sledding, camping, wrestling - these cousins have done it all. “Cousin-hunting might be something to talk about,” notes Anna Friedman, when asked to mention something worthwhile about her relationship with her cousins: Audrey, Peter, and Caroline Fitzpatrick. Caroline and Peter are siblings, while Anna and Audrey are from separate families. “Our oldest cousin, Alexander, would run around with a tennis ball and try to hit us with it as hard as he could,” Anna continues on about the tradition. Cousin-hunting was a common game played at family parties. As for cousinsledding, cousin-camping and cousinwrestling… those are pretty self- explanatory.

Aside from their various cousin activities, Peter mentions the lovely Christmas mornings they spend together and the week after, spent at their grandfather’s New Hampshire house. As for gifts, Audrey says that “For a while we got matching pajamas for Christmas; now we get matching sweaters from our grandmother and great aunt...”

page 13

Life TV Takeover

• Katie MacVarish

When asked what takes up most of your time in life, you probably think “School.” It’s a reasonable assumption, considering all the time we spend thinking and stressing about it, but in fact the average amount of time that American teenagers spend in school is 900 hours per year.

And the average amount of time that teens spend watching television? 1500. This is a pretty scary statistic, and many people argue that the overwhelming viewing of television is seriously detrimental to society in general and teens in particular, as so many shows and ads are targeted at them. However, TV has also had positive effects on American life, permitting people to become more informed about the world around them. So how concerned should we really be? hen television was first becoming popular in the 1950’s, there were about 5 million sets in all of America; now, there are over 300 million.

At first dismissed as a fad, it would soon become revolutionary, changing society and the setup of American living rooms for good.

Emmi Koelsch says, “It can be whatever you want it to be- dramatic, funny, sad, religious, motivational, scary, educational.” It can be an escape from real life, a way to relax and de-stress. Of course, too much relaxation can be a bad thing. As America becomes fatter day by day, the fact that our primary pastime is completely sedentary is only making the situation worse.

Watching TV for an hour burns about 68 calories; this is the equivalent of 1/4 a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

TV can be unhealthy in other ways, too.

Movies, shows, commercials- all tend to display completely unrealistic ideals of beauty. For some girls, this might drive them to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia in an effort to emulate the super-skinny models on the screen. Boys can also suffer from efforts to mimic the male ideal portrayed in pop culture; a lot of over-exercising and steroid abuse stems from a desire to obtain impossibly cut bodies.

A good way to prevent this is to maintain a focus on what reality is like; of course, this is easier said than done. Everyone agrees that TV tends to misrepresent real life. Ty Richardson observes, “Everything is sculpted to a certain degree. Straight reality can be boring.” There used to be a clear line between fact and fiction; now, however, many people are concerned that the current surge in “reality” shows is starting to blur that line. Ryan Vayo says, “Reality TV shows make kids idolize lifestyles that aren’t realistic.” Emma Quigley says, “Shows like Jersey Shore and Real World promote getting wasted and hooking up with random people... TV makes unhealthy habits seem acceptable and without consequences, especially because the people acting stupid become famous.” These are all legitimate concerns, and can be serious

page 14

Katie

MacV arish a

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problems [imagine if every teenager who watched Jersey Shore started acting like they lived there...]. However, the very fact that teens are so aware of this means that it is not as dangerous as some people believe.

A less dangerous but more obvious annoyance associated with television is the vast number of advertisements.

When asked what they most disliked about TV, students unanimously replied, “Commercials!!” With only the occasional exception [remember Terry Tate, Office Linebacker? If you don’t, YouTube it], commercials are just plain obnoxious. But however much we may hate them, ads still manage to insinuate themselves into our brains; with 32 percent of air time devoted to commercials, it’s unavoidable [and just think—in one hour that’s over 15 minutes in which you could have been saving 15% or more on car insurance!]. Commercials increase consumerism and the desire for immediate gratification; however, this might not be entirely bad.

Commercials open us up to a vast range of products and allow us to be more discerning and selective. And like it or not, we live in an economy driven by consumerism; and in order for it to survive people need to be buyers.

Surreptitiously influential, annoying, even dangerous—none of these traits can live up to the ultimate adjective of television, which is: entertaining. TV now is as much a staple of American life as apple pie. We may be nostalgic for olden times. As Jack Bandera says, “In my opinion I feel that TV has created a society where people aren’t encouraged to think as much as they should. I miss the days where I sat by the fire with a warm cup of cocoa and read the newspaper, then pondered the ideas it set forth.”

But as the world evolves, TV is evolving with it, allowing people to become ever more immersed in their entertainment. Advances, such as the adaptation of 3D for home viewing, can make watching television more enjoyable, but they also blur the line further between fantasy, reality, and reality TV. So go ahead, turn on the tube, but just make sure that you are watchin’ with caution.

• Katie MacVarish

MacVarish family photos

Remember the phrase, “I’ll believe it when I see it”? Well, remember it nostalgically, because you won’t be able to use it much longer. Nowadays what you see—whether on TV, in advertisements, in magazines, even in “real” life—is almost certainly not going to represent the truth.

In our culture we are fed a reality that is completely and continuously distorted. To a certain extent, this can be fine—it is easy to recognize that much of our entertainment, in TV shows and movies, is supposed to be false. We may enjoy spectacular special effects, but we can recognize that insane car chases and shape shifters and alien worlds do not actually exist.

However, the subtle skews of reality are harder to perceive and thus are much more influential.

Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women; and yet they are still airbrushed more and more. The creatures you see in ads and magazines don’t exist; those long, thin legs, perfect skin, trim figures with 0% body fat are not possible without editing. These pictures look so real, however, that it can be very As a difficult to convince ourselves that Barbie After Valentine’s Normal they are unnatural. The rise of eating wannabe candy overdose disorders in America, now present in over 4% of both men and women, is a byproduct of this conviction, as people strive for the impossibly, skinny “perfection” that they see represented as ideal. More and more people are seeking plastic surgery to achieve the results that their natural bodies are not capable of. According to one medical survey, in the decade since 1997, the overall number of cosmetic procedures preformed increased by 457%.

Even if we recognize that images in professionally made ads and magazines are almost always altered, what about everyday photos?

It’s not hard to edit photos; even a Photoshop amateur can altar a picture to the point where it is unrecognizable (or worse, incriminating). To give you some examples, I’ve done a bit of editing of my own with pictures above and below.

Believe what you will...

Normal

After a little—well— a lot of work

Just weird

page 15

MacVarish family photos

Seeing Is Not Believing

Life Behind the Scenes

• Lily Bowen

8:05: you storm into Murph’s office (for the third time this week) flustered by yet another far from perfect morning, when Murph greets you with a big smile and says, “Being a movie star today?” Due to the number of times he’s said this to you, you’re beginning to believe you actually are a movie star… Aside from chit-chatting with the “Breakfast Club” (members Laura D’Allessandro and Heather Vazza strolled in during our interview), what does Murph really do? He can be seen wandering around campus at all hours of the day not to mention dancing in the fall musical. He seems to appear just about everywhere. What else don’t we know about the people who run TA?



sTudenT oFFiCe • John MuRphY

“Good Morning. Thayer Academy,” is probably a familiar phrase for most of you, whether that means you’re a member of Murph’s infamous “Breakfast Club,” or you’ve called in an early dismissal pretending to be your mother. Here’s news for you: Murph knows your mother. But Murph’s job is more than just watching the repeat offenders roll in while sipping on his daily Dunkin’ coffee (“America runs on Dunkin,” he adds). Murph spends his morning writing passes for you, manning the phone, taking attendance, and creating the announcements so that we can all have “Tomorrow’s news today.” Somehow beyond all his office work he manages to learn every student’s name, as well as those of their parents. What’s Murph’s favorite TA experience? Being involved with the play. Murph raves that he saw another side of the kids and teachers that couldn’t be seen from the other side of his desk.

AdMissions • Jon WhiTe 

Lily Bowen photos

Unless you are a tour guide, or one of those obnoxious people who yell out “Happy Birthday!” while students are giving tours, you probably don’t know much about Admissions. Although it may seem that most of the time the admissions staff is cooped up in their office, they are busy people. During the year the admissions staff interviews about 600 students from 70 different towns and cities and reads over 550 applications! However, conducting interviews and reading applications is only the beginning. With each student inquiry, admissions staff sends out packets of information, including quick facts and a brochure to help reach prospective students. Admitted students even receive a copy of the latest Voice. In his college years, Admissions Director Jon White rowed crew at Harvard, so don’t bother trying to outrun him if he catches you heckling the tour guides.

 iT • Joseph FuoCo If I asked most of you to direct me to IT, many would respond with nothing more than a blank stare or questionable look. Well, for future reference, the IT office is above Memorial Gym, right next to the cage. Inside the office sit a few guys staring at computer screens. They are checking all the services and servers to get ready for the day, checking email, voicemail, and the help desk queue (help.thayer.org). The tech guys control all the computers on campus and can log into them remotely from their own screens. They call it “putting out fires” as they are often logged into four machines at a time trying to work several problems simultaneously. What does IT Administrator Joe Fuoco enjoy most about his job? “Helping people. Solving problems to make people’s lives easier.” Aside from fighting tech crime, Joe is a 3rd degree black belt in Tao Kwon Do, so be careful not to make any sudden moves around the IT office.

page 16

How To Be Ridiculously Well-Rounded Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

• Kedian Keohan

Thursday

Friday

(B) Ap spAnish Shows you’re pretty close to being bilingual. Or tri-lingual, have you met some of the people in that class? Beasts.

(A) voiCe MAGAzine You stroll in late to Voice, much to the disgust of your group mates. Shout about traffic and then try to provide an outstanding topic idea for redemption.

(A) voiCe MAGAzine Spend a delightful day discussing group ideas and concepts for the magazines while keeping your current events knowledge up.

(C) FRee TAPAWs. Helping younger students achieve greatness too!

(B) Ap spAnish Vega coaxes Raisa Hoffman into performing her college acting monologue for the class.

(C) FRee Your peer tutee has a test on Friday and you can’t remember Geometry concepts. Is D congruent to F?

(B) Ap spAnish You can’t possibly handle the Spanish grammar on the test tomorrow which has only been drilled into you since 8th grade.

(B) Ap spAnish Wink at Señor Vega before the test starts & then subsequently burst into hysterics.

Oh wait, it wasn’t that bad.

MoRninG MeeTinG Don’t forget to make an announcement for the club you are president of/invented yourself.

(C) MoCK TRiAL Take Mock Trial. This can showcase your strong push for “moral excellence,” just as the mission statement says.

(d) hisToRY Polish off three essays and two weeks’ worth of reading in an attempt to prepare for your ultimate defeat Friday.

(C) MoCK TRiAL …what does Mock Trial even do?

(Apparently something right: they've won 3 trials and are headed to the Sweet Sixteen...)

AdvisoR MeeTinG Chat with your advisor about how well life is going, and how you just can’t wait for winter play/spring track/ Model UN trip to start.

(e) pRoGRAMMinG Take Programming; you’ve been slacking in the Glover portion of your education.

(d) hisToRY Global Lessons A: Getting you that extra .5 on your report card since 1877.

(e) FRee Enjoy your one true free period a week. Try not to get kicked out of Southworth.

(d) hisToRY Prepare for an in-class debate tomorrow.

(d) hisToRY Slink in, resigned. Ultimately, you’re going to be destroyed

by Abimbola.

(F1) LunCh Don’t bang on the doors for F1 lunch; wait patiently to be served.

(F1) MusiC Join Jazz Combo. And if you’re like Juniors Harry Bacon and Dimitri Antoniou you can also do Men’s Choir.

(G1) LunCh Arrive early to G1 to see if the BFL rumors are true.

(F1) MusiC Bring out your inner rock star in Combo. Arguments over what songs to do this year ensue. Throw a chair and storm out.

(F1) LunCh Enjoying a nice stack of ribs to end your week.

But why is all the hot sauce always at the teachers’ tables?

(F2) ConCeRT ChoiR Attend Concert Choir with Alan Richins.

(F2) That is two-for-the-price-ofone arts right there.

(G2) sCienCe Note taking period for your AP Science class.

(F2) Sorry, Mr. Browne. I know we aren’t doing Chaka Khan for the third year in a row.

(F2) ConCeRT ChoiR Mix-it-Up Day in Concert Choir. Now you can really hear how good Max Cabaj’s bass note is.

(F3) Find your cave as you listen to that freshmen boy hit a tenor high note. Oh nevermind, that was just Greg Kraft.







(A) voiCe MAGAzine Work Day in the Lab, perfecting your pieces.



(A) voiCe MAGAzine Mr. Levinson is angry.

Deadlines are approaching.

Avoid first period at all costs. Go take pictures for your article.



(F3) It is Massage Monday in Concert Choir. Glorious day!

(F3) LunCh Eating with the herd at F3 lunch - a sacrifice all wellrounded individuals need to make.

(G3) sCienCe You’re informed there will be an AP science assessment tomorrow.

(F3) LunCh It’s nearing the end of the week, and it’s F3 lunch.

As an upperclassman, you know what that means.

(G) sCienCe Take an AP science this period. For the moderately ambitious, take APES.

(G) sCienCe Enjoy your stroll to the APES house.

(h) MATh Mr. Haney wears a festive sweater as he attempts to teach you about derivatives.

(G) sCienCe Get on my trophic level.

You probably should’ve studied harder.

(h) MATh Bring in horse race results for Mr. Haney. Cry at the end of the test (it helps your grade).

(h) MATh Calculus B. As a senior, it shows that you’re intelligent and capable without the added stress of an AP exam.

(e) Take a trip to the woods to identify types of plants, fungi, and the inner workings of our ecosystem.

Try playing basketball on campus so you can easily access all your other activities at a moment’s notice.

(h) MATh Haney Test Tomorrow.

Caution: This will be your only and final grade.

(e) pRoGRAMMinG Elder last period on a Friday. With a bunch of computer programs due?

Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Get your diversity points up.

Attend Allies.

Ugandaid Meeting. Yes, I know what is going on in the world.

TAcapella rehearsal Sing your heart out to “Bohemian Rhapsody” / Glee style.

Leave Thayer as quickly and safely as possible or you might as well sleep in the bell tower.



page 17

Lit Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana 4.20.10

â&#x20AC;˘ Quincy Nichols

e used to fish, crab, and clam. We used to walk through our marshlands down to the beautiful beach.

We were a successful community. We used to swim in the shimmering water. We used to have happy and prosperous fishermen. We used to be able to live on our own without the help of the government.

We used to have a thriving tourist industry. Our visitors used to enjoy the salt water fishing experience. Our birds used to feed on the healthy tuna and billfish. Our turtles used to travel out of the water, without a problem.

The pelicans used to nest in the long sea grass. Then the rig exploded. Then the oil spread. Then it killed eleven people, two thousand seagulls, six hundred sea turtles.

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op

hie

We s t ov e r a r t

Now we clean. We clean our ocean, once a glorious sight. Now we try to save our dying animals. Now we try to save our marshlands. Now we mop and rake the beaches. Now we sponge the water, in hopes that it will return to its celadon color. Now we use chemicals. Now we dredge, skim and solidify. We clean and clean and clean. Now we pick up the dead turtles, crabs and birds off our slick, dark brown beaches. Now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lost our jobs, our money, our community. Now we have little to offer. Now we are lost.

s

pa g e 18

Natural Aversion Gold scouts catapult on unsuspecting strangers launching their assault.

Showing no mercy, ey’ll wreak havoc on your nose which runs in distress Back along the path to home. You feel each silent bomb, but don’t lose hope; Fickle Spring pities and down pours sweet salvation, clearing up the air.

Behold, a bright world, free from drugs and itchy nose.

Nasonex no more!

— Irini Sotiri

Abby Sullivan photo Irini Sotiri design

pa g e 19

Lit The Love Affair

felt like I was cheating just by looking. The immediate spark I felt made me want to throw away my long-term relationship in a heartbeat and take a chance with this thing of beauty. The flickering neon lights of In-N-Out called to me from my apartment and brought to mind its heavenly burgers. The sesame-toasted buns envelope perfectly cooked patties lathered in sauce, decorated with plump, juicy tomatoes and crisp lettuce. Thinking of the well-named Animal-style Double-Double tempted me to rip apart the sandwich with renewed vigor; renewed, because I hadn’t rendezvoused with junk food since I started seeing my diet exclusively. The love affair ended after years of indulgence. I had started a more stable and balanced relationship with South Beach. South Beach was always truthful; he never lied about what he was doing and I could always trust him. But there was no spark. There was no enjoyment when I was out with South Beach, and I missed the fun, flirtatious days with junk food.

I missed the days when I could sneak out of the apartment under the cover of darkness and drive to the In-NOut, looking around frantically hoping no one would recognize me. My heart would be thumping in my chest, so loud I would think people could hear it. I would order my usual: an Animal-style Double-Double with Animal style fries and chocolate milkshake, and slide into a booth. I would start tentatively, nibbling around the bread. At this point I would still try to convince myself that I could return to South Beach and pretend this outing never happened.

But I would never turn back. I would tear into the burger, past the point of no return. The salty fries would fall apart in my mouth, a chocolate mustache embellishing my lip. It would be over in minutes. Before returning to my apartment and South Beach, napkins would need to clean me of evidence.

But I hadn’t been unfaithful with just In-N-Out. There were my regulars, Ben & Jerry, on Saturdays in the privacy of my bedroom. Mike n’ Ike would come over when Pringle or Twinkie weren’t there. But South Beach had suspected something was wrong and I was caught.

I then vowed to stay faithful and our relationship had been going strong.

Seven months later though, I was struggling with my head and my heart to keep the promise. Just the thought of seeing the burger with another woman made my heart flutter and stomach growl.

Staying faithful to South Beach was the smart thing to do. The faint light from the kitchen seemed to be pulling me towards the freezer. I could build a long, healthy life with him. I was weighing options and junk food came up heavier.

But my heart disagreed. My heart wanted the excitement I felt with junk food. I wanted spice in my life. I might regret my actions the next day, but this burger could comfort me in a way South Beach never could.

South Beach was waiting for me in the freezer, only a minute and a half away from being together. Yet I could not bring myself to peel apart the plastic film that separated us. Despite his words, a relationship with South Beach was not as delicious as it promised. Besides, the burger technically hadn’t lied to me; he never said he would stay within 300 calories.

I made my decision as my stomach made its last appeal. I grabbed my jacket and tip-toed out the door. South Beach never had to know.

Abby Sullivan photo

I

page 20

• Ava Moussavi

He Vants to Suck Your Blood (And Other “Good” Ideas Brought to You by Edward Cullen) • Sarah Reynolds ave you ever read a book that changed your life?

For some people a life-changing revelation comes from Shakespeare or Plato or the Bible. For me, it was Twilight. Ever since the release of Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular vampire series in 2005, vampires have seen an exponential growth in popular interest, and the human race, including myself, has changed for the better.

H

Before Twilight it had been too long since teenage girls had a strong female role model in the media. Former Mouseketeer and good girl Britney Spears broke down in the face of prolonged public scrutiny and Angelina caused Brad to leave his marriage with Jen. Then came Bella Swan. Bella is everything a teenage girl should aspire to be. She is determined and passionate. As soon as she finds out Edward Cullen’s bad boy reputation and un-dateable status, she does everything she can to snag him as her arm candy. She is fiercely independent, not letting anyone comfort her after Edward leaves her. Though her friends and family offer her assistance, she solves her problems with sensible strategies such as: locking herself in her room, sobbing, not eating, and distancing herself from friends so as not to drag them into her descent into despair. Bella is a risk taker.

She tries new activities such as cliff diving and riding a motorcycle.

to risk losing her mom, dad, college education, and her mortality to be with the man she loves. She endures days of constant pain to be beautiful for him. She makes a nose job and a move across the country seem like nothing!

Before Twilight I was on a path to destruction. I had an emotionally stable boyfriend who had never climbed in my window to fall asleep next to me, none of his siblings were married to each other, and his parents were appropriately old.

Thankfully, I read Twilight and realized I should be aiming higher. Now I’m single, but at least I’m not throwing my life away over some loser.

Next time you pick up a book, consider Twilight. It changed my life irreversibly. (Could you be its next victim?)

Ari F

lem ing

ar t

Bella’s committed relationship with Edward sets an example to be followed by everyone from teenage couples to newlyweds to longtime married couples. Bella shows women how to get their husbands to buy them diamonds (pretend it’s the last thing you want), how to get their estranged boyfriends back (near death experiences will have them running to your hospital bedside), and even how to get them to the altar (hold out on the physical aspects of your relationship and they’ll be begging to marry you). Twilight also provides the antidote to movies and TV shows that glamorize unwed mothers. Bella and Edward wait until after marriage to have their daughter, and she is a wonderfully “special” child.

From Twilight we learn that a part of life is making the right sacrifices. Bella makes the inspirational choice

pa g e 21

Arts

eSi eD

sto

ar t

What is 3-D? As I mentioned before, the science behind this stuff can get confusing (and boring). Quite frankly, it is nearly impossible to fully understand or decipher it without several years of intense study, which is something that I do not possess. With that disclaimer, here is all you really need to know about how 3-D works: • A 3-dimensional film adds the illusion of depth to the moving image and can be produced through two different methods: 1. Stereoscopic camera system that records the picture from two different perspectives 2. Computer-generated imagery creates the 3-dimensional effect in post-production (this allows filmmakers to reproduce old 2-D films in 3-D) • Then, by wearing the fashionable eyeglasses handed out at movie theaters, one is able to experience the illusion of depth.

Creating an illusion that messes with one’s depth perception is nothing new. All modern lenses do this already. A wide-angle lens elongates space between objects, and a telephoto lens compresses it,

page 22

Google Images

ogl e Im

g Pai

It is no secret that our world is constantly innovating, creating, and advancing. This is most apparent in the field of technology. Most of the reports, manuscripts, articles that are released concerning the latest alternative energy or scientific discovery that will make it easier for us to analyze the proton go way over our heads, at least they do mine.

If there’s one thing I do know, it’s how technology impacts one of the industries in this world I love and know most: the movie biz.

The most notable advancement in the world of film is the emergence, or should I say reemergence (we’ll get to that later), of the visual phenomenon known as 3-D. But there’s more to 3-D than meets the eye, literally.

So how does the idea of a concept like 3-D affect the way we watch, feel, discuss, treat cinema? It’s hard to say. Let’s start at the beginning.

age s

• Ty Richardson

Go

3-D

thus altering how we would normally see and perceive the proximity of two objects. These are the two main lenses that have been making 2-D films for decades. 3-D simply furthers the illusion.

History Yes, that’s right, history. Bear with me, in order to understand where we are going, we must understand from where we have come. 3-D was actually first produced in 1890 by William Friese-Greene, who patented the process for developing a 3-D film. When he first screened his 3-D project, audiences had to look through a special stereoscope at two films being projected side-by-side. This device converged the two images in order to create the 3-D effect, but it was not practical for theatrical usage.

3-D never really died, but it did die down during the early 1900’s. Though Filmmakers were constantly testing with the idea of 3-D, using and expanding Friese-Greene’s patent from back in the late 1800’s, they ultimately found these films to be either too difficult or too expensive to make, or simply not high enough quality to be worth the effort.

The late and early 1970’s and into the1980’s brought a boom in cinematic progress known as the “ b l o c k b u s t e r.”

These big budget features drew in audiences for the simple thrill of the big screen, the big sound, and the big explosions. It was a revolutionary

viewing experience. Some could say that this is when the idea of “films,” pieces of art carefully crafted through every shot, was pushed aside by the invention of “movies,” whose sole purpose was to rake in the big bucks.

That being said, filmmakers are, in a way, entertainers.

As Alfred Hitchcock said, “I don’t direct films, I direct audiences.” It was the industry’s job to give the people what they wanted: bang for their buck, and a “wow-factor.” The 3-D effect could produce that reaction.

The Future As the process of making things in 3-D advances, so does the way it is distributed. Society is slowly becoming more and more exposed to different types of 3-D media. Not only do we have access to it at the local move theater, but the invention of televisions capable of showing 3-D content is provides a whole new avenue for 3-D entertainment.

There is one sticking point in the expansion of 3-D compatible products: the need for eyewear. This is why scientists are striving to find a way that 3-D can be projected so that there is no need to wear the glasses (sorry, Ryan Vayo). If this were achieved, it would make the production of 3-D far more practical for cinema screenings as well as at-home viewing.

Take Avatar, for example. This is a movie with a huge budget and incredible effects, but ultimately, the story, acting, and script just isn’t that good. What happens when technology advances to the point where all movies can look like Avatar?

What is it about that movie that will make it stand out?

Nothing. And yet it cost 500 million dollars to produce (it did make four times that at the box office, but not all movies have been so lucky).

I am not completely against 3-D; there are certain places I think it belongs. I would say that I hope it’s just going to be a fad, and some have said that, but then I remember that Charlie Chaplin, the most influential silent film star ever, said that talking pictures were going to be just a fad.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

A Few Upcoming 3-D Films 2011 The Smurfs 2011 The Three Musketeers 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2012 The re-release of Titanic in 3-D 2012 Men in Black III 2014 Avatar 2 2015 Avatar 3 I, for one, take a more philosophical stance when it comes to the future of 3-D. Sure, it really is quite something to look at. It’s a visual marvel. Just like the way music can be a festival for the ears, certain constituents of cinema can be festivals for the eyes. This is known as video art, and 3-D would fit into that world quite nicely. However, in terms of modern cinema and the film industry, 3-D poses a threat to the essence of storytelling.

As soon as filmmakers decide to concentrate all of their efforts towards the actual visual production of a project, they can lose all sense of story, theme, and larger meaning. When these movies come out, they are popular because of the experience they give the audience as they watch it on the big screen, but, in 20 years when the technology catches up, they are simply “good-for-their-time” movies. Something like 3-D could strip cinema of what is really important.

Google Images

page 23

Arts Behind the Noises Off Curtain Raisa Hoffman & McCauley Braun You’ve heard about it, you’ve known about it, and hopefully you’ve seen it. The knee-slapping British comedy Noises Off by Michael Frayn that hit Thayer Academy’s CFA stage this past February was an experience like none other. From sardines to Arab sheiks to missing contact lenses and of course, the monstrous set piece—this play was surely one of the most challenging projects Thayer Academy’s drama program has ever embraced. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look to aid you in your understanding of how this whole production came together.

Never mind the nine principal characters (played by Peter Fitzpatrick, Harry Bacon, Kedian Keohan, Raisa Hoffman, PJ Leddy, Katie MacVarish, Dimitri Antoniou, Chippy Kennedy, and Emma Quigley), without a doubt, the infamous and unpredictable “sardines” clearly stole the spotlight. In order to keep track of which plate was needed at what moment, cast members labeled paper plates as sardines #1, sardines #2, sardines #3, and one labeled “sardizzles.” Heaven forbid we got them confused!

Raisa Hoffman photos

A round of applause to our tech crew for their lovely sound effects as the characters in Noises Off began to perform “Nothing On” at the start of Act Two. The tech crew made life significantly easier for us as we tackled this concept of a “play within a play.”

Listening intently in the wings, they simulated the audience’s applause as the actors “bloodily staggered” or “blindly stumbled” through the show.

More important than the characters, the text, or even the sardines, was the gargantuan, multi-level, rotating house that we called our set. This piece, which you could literally live in if you so chose, swallowed many hours of many Saturdays and Sundays to construct. Noises Off is one of the few shows where technical aspects and the set are more important than the actors. A huge thank you goes to Technical Director Brooks Donnelly. His intricate planning and unconditional devotion made this possible. THANKS!

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The Die-Hards

• McCauley Braun

Every mid-November, the curtain goes up on the CFA get absolutely nothing accomplished the Sunday night stage for the musical. To the cast members, it may seem after auditions. like forever and a day ago that they were merely anxious So, how do students prepare for such a taxing day in auditioners, sitting in the CFA, waiting for their names the CFA? Each person has his or her own specific method to be called – summoning them up to the stage to sing in order to prepare for try-outs. Molly McGlynn and Julia or dance alone. It wasn’t forever and a day ago, though.

Budde fuel up on brunch at Olympian Diner down the It was in early September right at the start of the new street, Danny Steinberg rehearses the songs on piano, school year, that the cast list was assembled by a group of Greg Kraft listens to different YouTube clips, and Chelle intelligent, experienced, and kind adults. The cast list, Ohlson reads and re-reads the audition packet. Raisa unlike Rome, was built in a day…

Hoffman, who prefers the winter McCauley Braun photos on a Sunday to be more specific. play over the fall musical, The fact that it was assembled “simply mentally prepares in a day, though, should not [herself,]” because she thinks mislead the reader into believthat she will “humiliate ing that it was “just a day’s [her]self in two of the three work.” It was a grueling sevenmusical theater components: hour process in which everyone singing and dancing.” Kedian was sweating bullets. who, like Raisa, fancies the While Arts Department winter play over the fall musiHead Jeff Browne hopes that cal, doesn’t really do anything the audition process is to prepare herself. “I run an “relax[ing] and puts [the stuall-night clinic,” she explains, dents] at ease as much as possi“in which I talk all my hysterble,” most students replied in ical friends down from the the affirmative when asked if a ledge regarding how ‘SOcertain aspect of auditions AND-SO WILL GET THE makes them queasy. Many feel PART OVER ME, AND I that singing in front of their CAN’T HIT THAT HIGH peers is the most difficult part of NOTE, AND I DON’T the audition because they only KNOW HOW TO DANCE, have one shot, and... it’s only AND SO-AND-SO LOOKS one shot singing an unfamiliar MORE LIKE THE PERSON song. They’re being judged by a mob WHO PLAYED THAT CHARACTER IN THE of people – some they know well, others they’ve never MOVIE, SO THEY’LL OBVIOUSLY GET THE PART spoken to before in their lives. With this knowledge, their OVER ME, AND I SHOULD JUST NOT EVEN AUminds run rampant with “What-if ’s?” Erin Carberry and DITION BECAUSE IT’S NOT EVEN WORTH IT Dimitri Antoniou both agree that the hardest part of auBECAUSE I KNOW I WON’T GET IT SO WHY ditions is the time between vocal warm-ups and when EVEN BOTHER?!?’” Colin Geary (TA, class of ’10), on they’re individually called up to sing. The anticipation the other hand, prepared for his musical auditions at the figuratively kills them, but when they’re actually singing, Academy by simply putting on gold spandex shorts and they claim they’re fine. Kedian Keohan, on the other then just singing his heart out. Apparently that does the hand, dislikes the dancing portion of the audition because trick! Try it sometime. she has “no rhythm and…get[s] sweaty and gross,” many Whatever aspect may scare you the most, and however people think that dancing is the least nerve-racking aspect you might prepare, I would recommend trying out for of auditions because according to Max Cabaj, “It’s okay the musical to anyone who has even remotely considered to make a fool out of yourself while dancing.” On the it. Performing in front of a crowd is scary and getting to other hand, P.J. Leddy claims that the most stressful part the point where you are prepared to perform in front of of auditions is after auditions, when you’re home, waiting a crowd is a lot of hard work, but it is so rewarding. Take for the cast list to be e-mailed, and you’re hitting the a risk, and see what happens. Don’t wait until senior year refresh button. And hitting the refresh button… and hitto do it. And most importantly, as the director of choral ting the refresh button. A word of advice? Do your homemusic, Alan Richins, always says, “Don’t let the fear of work on the Saturday before Sunday’s audition. You will striking out keep you from playing the game.”

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Arts TA Toons

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â&#x20AC;˘ Melody Attarha

Gallery

T

he Spring issue is the Voice staff’s single opportunity all year to use full color throughout the magazine, which is why the theme for this gallery is simple: color. We’ve chosen to display pieces from the Photography, and Painting & Drawing classes that we feel best suit this theme. e artists, ranging from sophomore to senior, have used color to make their work jump off the page at first glance.

Chalk • Anthony Brown

Slice • Rose Shapiro

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More Gallery

Eyes • Bonnie Leta

Untitled • Chris MacDonald

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Make Your Mark • Erin Purcell-Maillet

Indian War Horse • Danny Sears

Cottage â&#x20AC;˘ Danny Sears

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Sports Hazing A Complex Issue

• Brennan Murray

92% of high school students will not report hazing incidents.

it’s a dark, brutally cold Tuesday night. The rest of your soccer team, standing in a circle around you, laughs hysterically as a pie is thrown in your face. Your new clothes One on are wrecked, and to add a little more illi o l m hazing-related o 5 humiliation to the equation, the 1. ch re h s death per year hig ents a year. older players decide to leash you like in the U.S., d h a dog and walk you around the field. stu eac since 1970. d e After your knees are scraped and your pride is stomped on, haz you are finally accepted.

Just this fall, a situation almost identical to this one occurred at Needham High School, when the girls varsity soccer team Two sophomores at Thayer who took part in my interview both decided to “welcome” a group of underclassmen to the squad. said that they had never been taught what hazing was, nor In what has notably been a bullying era, it is rare that a week warned of its consequences before Decisions class freshman year. goes by without hearing of a high school controversy like this Hazing, according to them, was just “something that seniors one. But students continue to push their peers to depression, do.” This is not the type of trend that any school wants; unaware feelings of inferiority, and in some recent cases, even suicide. underclassmen following unsafe upperclassmen traditions and Though bullying and harassment both have new, relatively allbelieving that it’s acceptable. encompassing laws to punish their offenders, the separate do administrators know when hazing happens at their hazing law does not seem to be scaring anyone. The high numschool? Athletic Director Matt McGuirk said he did not believe ber of hazing cases in high schools and universities throughout hazing played any role at Thayer. However, a majority of the the country has called us to question why so many. A lot of student-athletes I interviewed said they had at least heard about cases, like the Needham High School one, point to the possian incident here they thought could be hazing. Mr. McGuirk bility that high school and college students alike may be a bit emphasized his desire for kids to report instances of hazing. “All unclear or uninformed about what counts as hazing, what of the coaches are given information about hazing every coaches’ doesn’t, and when an initiation turns into it. meeting every year,” he said. “I hope that if something did hap“i have no idea what hazing is,” said one TA senior, when pen, it would be brought to my attention.” Surely that seems asked how he would describe hazing. In fact, after interviewing like a reasonable request, but again, how can students report 15 two-or-more sport athletes at Thayer (boys and girls ranging hazing if they are still so unclear as to what it means? I asked from sophomores to seniors), I found that he was not the only Mr. McGuirk how he thought the school administration and one. Almost every student interviewed hesitated for at least a coaches could do a better job of teaching their athletes about moment before he or she attempted to give a definition of hazing, and he gave a solid suggestion: “Instead of just talking hazing, as though it were a foreign concept to most of them— about what hazing is, coaches should sit down for an hour or something they had never been called upon to discuss before. two with their players and go over some hypothetical situations, Answers varied greatly. One student said hazing was simply, “an talk about scenarios. Talk about what is acceptable and what is initiation,” but a fellow classmate in the same grade gave this not.” more thorough, complex definition: “Hazing is putting an I think many would agree that discussing real-life situations individual into an uncomfortable and unwanted position and would be a better way for kids to learn about hazing than by forcing an act upon them.” Though the responses I received reading a fancy, strictly constructed law on a piece of paper. Seewere so varied, when I asked the same group of students if they ing pictures, watching videos, reading stories about past hazing believed hazing took place at Thayer, an almost unanimous 13 cases, and talking through “What if?” scenarios, students could out of 15 said yes. How could it be that a group so diverse in adopt a more colorful, less black and white interpretation of their definitions of hazing could almost unanimously agree that what constitutes hazing and what does not. The key to decreashazing plays a role in some form at Thayer? ing hazing numbers in high schools and colleges throughout The discrepancy is worrisome, especially concerning such the country might just be having a better understanding of what a dangerous topic. Hazing, in many cases, has gotten teams susit is. In many of the news stories we hear, the hazers, like the pended and coaches fired in other schools. Far more alarmingly, Needham High girls, may not understand they have done anyinitiations-gone-too-far have led to multiple accidental deaths. thing wrong until they are disciplined, which, in their case, The Massachusetts Hazing Law was pushed through the legismeant suspended from the team. lature 25 years ago, prompted by the death of a college student so teachers, coaches, and advisors, before the sports who had been forced into consuming alcohol for a fraternity seasons start, or just at the start of the school year, take a little initiation. time to inform students about some past hazing cases. Make up The law was intended to prevent but also set out a clear defsome hypothetical situations and make sure the kids know what inition for hazing, including specific examples of unacceptable is acceptable and what’s not. Make the extra effort. It won’t take actions like branding, whipping, and forced consumption of much to help prevent unnecessary controversies. food or beverage. But why is hazing still so unclear to students?

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And students and athletes, take hazing seriously and make sure you understand what it is. As a back up, you can always count on the “If you wouldn’t do it in front of your mom, you probably shouldn’t do it” saying to guide you. Hazing is unnecessary. Like Mr. McGuirk suggested during the interview, play some karaoke or something. Start some fresh, new, fun traditions. Team bonding is a lot more useful than team humiliation.

But athletes and coaches are not the only ones who have work to do. It is clear that the Massachusetts lawmakers need to be working

harder too. Our hazing law does not currently require the Department of Education to gather any information about real hazing cases that occur in Massachusetts schools. Therefore, many school administrations are not feeling pressure to document the incidents or look for ways to prevent them from occurring in the future.

While the new bullying law puts at least some heat on school administrations to comply, the 25–year-old hazing law does not.

If the Massachusetts government agrees that the hazing law needs an update, now would be a better time than ever to get it done.

1.) Why is hazing so dangerous to the people involved? hazing is dangerous, physically and/or emotionally, because it usually involves some form of “extreme” behavior which is meant to test the target’s resolve to be part of a group. There is an imbalance of power between those who are hazing and those who are being hazed; the target implies “consent” to the hazing in order to be accepted into the group. hazing is a form of emotional blackmail; the targets believe they must participate to be accepted.

2.) How do you think TA, or high schools in general, can do a better job of preventing initiations and acts of hazing? education and consequences. high schools need to do a better job educating students and coaches (or other adults) about the law prohibiting hazing. Reading the law is not enough; students and adults need to discuss certain scenarios and specific acts. some “team-building” behaviors, even when participation is allegedly voluntary, constitute “emotional blackmail.” The student really doesn’t believe they have a choice; if they don’t participate they stand apart from their teammates and appear to be unwilling to sacrifice for the team (athletic teams are not the only groups who “haze”). Consequences, such as disciplinary actions imposed by the school or a conference athletic association, usually in the form of game suspensions, would deter athletes.

3.) When it comes to bullying and hazing, how do you and other faculty members work on improvements? education is our best tool. Coaches, students and parents need to be informed about what acts constitute hazing and be warned disciplinary consequences will be imposed if hazing occurs.

Black and Orange photo

Q&A with Beth Sullivan, Director of Counseling

4.) Do you think we will ever see the day when hazing becomes outdated?

If so, when?

At the high school level, hazing may become obsolete when there are uniform and consistent disciplinary consequences for all students (and adults) who participate.

5.) With all the emphasis being put on bullying nowadays, is hazing left out of conversations? Or is it part of the conversations? hazing is really a very insidious form of bullying because the hazers believe those being hazed are “consenting” participants in exchange for acceptance into the group. in fact most being hazed believe they have no choice and therefore are the victims of “bullying.” schools should include “hazing” when discussing the topic of bullying.

6.) Do you think the MA government should work on a new hazing law like they did with the bullying law? i think the MA Board of education should be more vigilant about making sure schools are enforcing the law that has existed since 1985 called “An Act prohibiting hazing.”

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Sports The Boston Sports Scene

• Kevin Deng

Anybody who lives in Boston has experienced in one way or another the sports scene in one of the greatest sports cities in the nation. We have a rich history of professional teams including the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins. Many have had success in recent years, either by reaching the playoffs or winning their respective championship. Along with athletic success, Boston sports teams have achieved financial success as well, featuring higher than average ticket prices. Are more expensive tickets justified by the teams’ successes or are the prices simply too high? It’s a tough battle for either side; regardless, any one of the Boston sports games is a memorable experience, sure to leave a good impression. pATRioTs The New England Patriots play at Gillette Stadium which has recently been revamped with the addition of Patriot Place, which features a hotel, movie theater, the Patriots Hall of Fame, and much more. The Patriots franchise has been the most successful in the National Football League in the last decade by winning three Super Bowls. Additionally, the Patriots have made the American Football Conference Championship five times this decade, winning four of them. Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots boast a record of 12650 wins to losses and have had ten winning seasons, but with all the success comes high ticket prices. According to Team Marketing Reports, the source for all ticket price statistics, Patriots tickets are the most expensive in all of the National Football League, averaging $117.84 per non-premium ticket, much higher than the $76.47 average of the league. So out of

Deng family photo

The author enjoying a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium

all thirty-two professional football teams, the Patriots are the most expensive but also the most successful.

Fans who chose Patriots games as the best Boston sports experience described the atmosphere and fans as the best. Brennan Murray claimed the fans are better; the crowd is unified and more into the game. He also claimed that football is a fastpaced game with lots of action that captures the attention of fans. Jeremy Cundall enjoyed his Patriots experience the most, stating the fans are into the game and the tailgating before games gets everyone excited. Sammie Miller described her experience as lively and added that everyone was into the game.

David Prendergast added that Pats fans are outside experiencing the same elements as the players are, so the crowd feels like part of the game. Molly O’Brien also said that no matter how cold or snowy it is, the energy at Gillette is always up.

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Red sox The Boston Red Sox have played in historic Fenway Park, currently the oldest baseball stadium in use, since 1912. Every home game at Fenway has been sold out since May 15, 2003; the storied ballpark currently holds the record for most consecutive sold out games in Major League Baseball. The Red Sox have also triumphed in recent years, winning the World Series in 2004 and 2007. For the last ten years, the BoSox have boasted ten winning seasons and made the playoffs six times.

The Sox have also attained a record of 1009-772 regular season wins to losses in this decade with a .566 win percentage, but they too have expensive tickets. The average nonpremium ticket price of $52.32 for a Red Sox game is the second highest, trailing only the Chicago Cubs by several cents. The average ticket price for Major League Baseball is $26.74, which is approximately half the average price of a Red Sox ticket.

Those who enjoyed Red Sox games the most mentioned the classic experience of going to a game at historic Fenway. Chris Dillon described walking into Fenway as something special: the atmosphere, the fans, the park itself, the food, everything.

Emma Taylor said Red Sox games are the most fun experience because of the fans and also because they are a classic. Bryan Viera said there was no other feeling like walking up the ramp and seeing the bright green grass and the Green Monster in the background. Luke Ferrari commented that he loves the Red Sox because they are a part of his family due to his personal connection with Fenway Park, where his father and grandfather worked selling food and souvenirs when they were teenagers. Allie Bookstein added that Fenway Park is a fun place and that the Boston spirit is great.

CeLTiCs The Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins both play at the TD Garden, which opened in 1995 in place of their previous home at the old Boston Garden. The Celtics are the most successful and storied basketball team in the history of the National Basketball Association with 17 Championships.

During the decade, they have had a resurgence, with seven winning seasons out of the last ten and a NBA Championship win in 2008. With their comeback, their popularity has skyrocketed as well. Three of the four most expensive games in the National Basketball League for the 2010-2011 season feature the Boston Celtics. The price for the average ticket at the February 10th Lakers at Celtics game is $316, at the October 26th Heat at Celtics game is $396, and the January 1st Celtics at Lakers game is $615.

BRuins The Boston Bruins is another storied Boston franchise, which is the most successful American team in the National Hockey League with 5 Stanley Cup Championships. The Bruins had a comeback in 2008, though not as drastic a return as the Celtics, which has turned the organization into a competitive and winning team. Under head coach Claude Julien, the Bruins have recaptured the attention of Bostonians compiling a 92-49-23 wins losses overtime losses record during the last two years. With promising playoff runs in 2008 and 2009, the Bruins are now a contending team that looks to be in the hunt to win the Stanley Cup once again. As for the Bruins’ prices, they have the third most expensive tickets out of thirty NHL teams averaging $61.40 per ticket, above the league average of $49.66.

Bruins fans most commonly associated Bruins games with intensity. Bob Sommer said that even though he doesn’t skate or play hockey, the intensity of the Bruins is unmatched.

Frankie DeGiacomo described the fans as being involved and attentive in watching the game. Along with that he continued by saying, the fans are all focused and not there to socialize.

Jon Miller also liked the atmosphere and the intensity of Bruins games. He also claimed that everyone is enthusiastic and that he simply likes the Bruins the best. Allie Morey said she enjoys watching the hockey fights and the enthusiastic fans in the nosebleed section who are constantly chanting. Jack Bandera replied by saying that he enjoys the Bruins the most because hockey is the only sport where people get only a 5-minute penalty for fighting during the game. He added that the Bruins are a storied franchise where the atmosphere is great. expeRienCes Some Thayer students have attended some of the most memorable moments in Boston sports history. Ryan Vayo attended Game 6 of the National Basketball Association Championship in 2008 between the Celtics and Lakers,

both prominent franchises with a historical rivalry between them. This was the final game of the Championship series and the Celtics won by 39 points, the most ever in a championship clinching game. The Celtics finally won their 17th NBA Championship twenty-four years after their last one in 1986.

Ryan said, “Kobe started the game real hot and was scoring, but the Celtics took over after that. They were scoring and draining threes all day. The crowd was ridiculously loud, especially after the shot that was probably the shot of the game. It was close to the end of the second quarter and Kevin Garnett got a pass in the paint, and while getting fouled, hung in the air and managed to shoot a hanging bank shot with one hand while falling back. After the game, there was green and white confetti all over. When the Celtics received the O’Brien trophy and Paul Pierce got the MVP award, everyone in the stands was cheering. As I was leaving the Garden, everyone was pumped up and I could feel the whole city’s support for the Celtics.

Chippy Kennedy attended Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and Yankees in 2004 at Fenway Park where the Sox staged a historic comeback to win a pivotal game in extra innings off a David Ortiz two-run home run. The Sox then went on to win their next seven games, winning the American League Championship Series and going on to sweep the Cardinals in the World Series. Chippy recollected, “I got in with two tickets and four people. I snuck in (happen to know the ticket booth guy).

Some lady saw me in the standing room and gave my dad two third-base line tickets right behind the Yankees batting box.

I learned lots of colorful language that day as the drunk fans behind me ripped into every Yankee. It was Red Sox history and purely amazing.”

Ryan Peterson, Abby Sullivan, Brad Peterson & Brenden Sullivan before a Bruins game

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Abby Sullivan photo

Celtics fans gave a variety of reasons for why they believed that the Celtics are the best experience. Yannis Barros said the atmosphere is the best and the fans are into it. Quentin Hall said the fans, the announcer, and The Garden are nice especially when everyone gets pumped up. Vanessa Kelly described them as a fun experience where everyone has a lot of spirit.

Ayub Acikgoz replied that the Celtics games are the best because the players are so close, which gets the fans into the game. Darius Williams also commented that the fans can talk to the players on the court and no one cares.

Sports Who Says They Don’t Count?

• Brennan Murray

R Football • Baseball • Basketball • Hockey • Soccer vs The Fake Sports R Crew • Cross-Country • Golf • Swimming • Ski Team The Big 5

aka “the real sports” and “the ones that require skill”

aka “the sports for people who can’t play anything else”

The “fake” sports are the outcasts according to many high school kids today - they’re ones who never dodge ridicule, the ones that the best athletes seem to stay away from, and the ones that wouldn’t dare sit at the same table as the big guys. They aren’t as cool, they lack large numbers of members, and they are simply not the sports that anyone brags about being a part of. A lot of high school students would even say they shouldn’t count as sports; they are just “hobbies” and nothing more.

This is a ridiculous perspective, and it frustrates me to no end when I hear someone bashing any sport without thinking about it first. Having participated in crosscountry this year, I take great comfort in knowing that there may be some justification for this absurd trend, this view that sports like running, swimming, and skiing are subordinate.

I feel obliged to blame the media first. They are the first to address this issue and they are the ones writing the articles about sports, covering sporting events, and showing them on TV. But how many times do you see an NCAA cross country race broadcasted on your Hi-Def? A professional swim meet? A ski competition? I doubt anyone reading this can say they have seen more than a couple in the last year, if that.

Unless it’s the rare chance that the Olympics are on or you have a subscription to every channel in existence, you’re most likely not going to see much about the fake sports.

But as for the major sports, you cannot even check the TV guide without coming across at least one of them, no matter what time of day, week or year. This is especially true in the fall and winter when helmets and shoulder pads dominate the screen every Sunday, taking priority over and pushing back regular programs.

So why should we value the fake sports when we never see them on our TVs? Although blaming the media and TV producers is fair, I think it’s just too easy to blame then for everything. Sometimes we forget that the media is just a group of people. It’s not a machine, just a bunch of human beings

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with pens and notepads. Instead of tossing out the word media so much, we should be putting the blame more on the students who make fun of these sports. High school kids especially are too quick to call a sport like cross-country easy or say that golf is just a hobby. They strip the honor of these sports without giving it some thought first.

My opinion is that unless you have given one of these sports a try, you really have no right to say it’s pointless or too easy.

Try running a 5k full of hills Katie MacVarish art on a rainy day, or placing a bunker shot within a foot of the cup, or racing through a patch of icy moguls, and then call it wimpy. Try completing a 500-meter freestyle before the seven other swimmers in the pool and then say swimming isn’t a real, competitive sport. Do some quick research online and see for yourself that the odds of becoming a professional rower are almost ten times less than becoming a professional baseball player, and then say that crew isn’t a super elite sport.

The root of this problem is that not enough people understand the intensity and difficulty of these sports. TV channels don’t broadcast them, so they must not be important. And people don’t try out these sports for themselves, so they don’t understand how competitive and demanding they really are.

For all those fake sports players out there dealing with the same frustration as me, next time you hear a hater slamming your sport, tell him or her calmly, “You should give it a try and see how it works out for you.” If you’re anything like me, you will walk away with that awesome feeling of, He wouldn’t last a minute in my sport.

And for the people out there who still think the fake sports are actually fake (hopefully not too many of you), take a minute to consider some of the athletes that you and the rest of the world have idolized over the last few years. Do Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt ring a bell? Which sports do they belong to?

Who Knows Them Best?

• Caitlin Chase

Who knows your intimate secrets the best: Your teammates or your friends? To find out, we interviewed two athletes about their interests and asked a teammate and a friend to guess their answers. Each correct response earned 5 points. Let the games begin.

Favorite Teacher?

hidden Talent?

Favorite Quote?

Emily Matthews

Various middle school voice-cracking incidents

Younger Cedrone

Dr. Goodale impressions

“George Wilson”

First day of school in 6th grade when he had a full mustache (0)

Younger Cedrone

Teacher “Georgina” impressions

(5)

(5)

(0)

Getting cut from 6th grade hockey (0)

Dr. Goodale

“George Wilson”

(0)

Growing creepy mustaches (0)

(5)

7.5

Most embarrassing Moment?

Favorite Teacher?

Hidden Talent?

Favorite Food?

sCoRe

Athlete’s Answers:

Teammate’s Answers:

Friend’s Answers:

Brendan Lawler

Ali hooley

Luke Ferrari

QuesTions

Athlete’s Answers:

Teammate’s Answers:

Emily Matthews (5)

Jay Matthews (2.5)

TA Crush?

Ali Hooley

Larry Carlson (0)

Friend’s Answers:

What is embarrassment?

Singing.

I mean I am an incredible Mr. Carlson dancer, but that’s no secret

He does so many Mr. Carlson embarrassing things he doesn’t even get embarrassed.

(5) (5)

sCoRe

15

Broccoli & Burger Pizza

Singing

Pizza

(5)

(0)

Ali Hooley

Being caught on camera dropping the football

Mrs. Harper (Ms. Smoot)

Dancing

Broccoli & Burger Pizza

(5)

(0)

(0)

(0)

(5)

15

10

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Caitlin Chase & Kelcie Finn photos

Mike vassalotti

Most embarrassing Moment?

Brad peterson

TA Crush?

Charles Bowen

QuesTions

Sports Strong Side/Weak Side

STRONG SIDE

WEAK SIDE

r

r

Either in foul trouble or on the bench

r

Believes refs are biased against people above 6’8’’

r

Has trouble fitting through doorways

r

Worried about tipping over short railings of third story Main

r

Has a fear of heights

r

Cross Country singlet shows a little too much Clougher cleavage

6’ 9’’… exactly

r Of all seniors, holds the record for most... ¨ minutes ¨ points scored ¨ blocks ¨ rebounds

Only senior on the team

r

Strong veteran presence

r

Can dunk

r

Not the tallest man alive

r

Still growing

r

Crew is his best sport

r

Used to be ridiculously lanky, now just somewhat lanky

r

Claustrophobia in normal-sized car forces aggressive driving style

r

Can touch backboard without jumping

r

Commonly mispronounced last name (It’s “Claw-her”, not “Clogger.”)

r

r

Too many nicknames:

Eats his own weight every day at lunch

r

Tallest person at Thayer

r

Has personal fan base led by Greg Kraft

eng photo

r

K ev in D

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• Caitlin Chase & Kevin Deng

¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨

Cauliflower Mantis Danny Phantom Lankasauras rex Big Mike Claw MC Ghost Clooher