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Vol. XXIX · Issue VIII

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper · Newton, MA · Established 1984 · May 1, 2013

Newton reflects in wake of Boston bombings Kylie Walters Editor-in-Chief

On April 15, as the soles of running shoes clapped against the pavement of Boylston Street in the heart of Boston, two bombs erupted, sending clouds of smoke into the blue sky, killing three bystanders and severely wounding over 100 more.

The two suspects in the bombings, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, also killed MIT campus police officer Sean Collier in a crime spree on April 19. In a manhunt for the two suspects, Tamerlan was killed fleeing on foot and Dzhokhar was found and captured in the backyard of a Watertown residence exactly five miles from South.

Headlines, tweets and texts quickly spun the events into a spectacle of national mayhem and fear.

According to members of the South community, the marathon bombings, lockdown of Boston, Newton and surrounding towns and the manhunt for Tsarnaev have shaken students, parents and faculty alike.

Junior Danny Teich, who is a member of South’s Dreamfar marathon team, was running the last eight miles of the race with his mentor. Teich said he was only a few miles away from the site of impact.

“I’m still trying to fully grasp the notion that it happened so close to me, not just that it happened in Boston,” he said, “but the fact that I was in this race and it just happened at the end of it about three miles from me.”

Meanwhile, seniors Alanna Milshtein and Alexis Wing stood among a crowd of spectators just a block away from the second explosion. Milshtein said she and her friend were extremely close to the bombings. “I was on Boylston street. I was three blocks from the first explosion and then I was one and a half blocks away from the second explosion,” she said. “Everything was crowded. It was shoulder-to-shoulder; you could barely move in the crowd and then from a distance all we saw was a large puff of smoke come up, and then a really loud boom. The ground kind of shook and everyone was just like, ‘What the hell was that? That was so weird.’ And everyone just kind of stood still. Around 10 seconds later when the second one hit,

John Tlumacki/Boston Globe/AP

everyone was like, ‘Okay, now we need to start moving’ and everyone just kind of started running away as fast as they could.”

Milshtein said that when the bombs first exploded, her survival instincts kicked in. “I thought a building was going to go

going through my mind,” she said. “I bolted down the street. People tried to stop me and ask what was going on — I ignored them ... I was just running as fast as I could.”

Teich’s father, John Teich, said he had no news of his son’s safety for 15 minutes.

I thought something similar to 9/11 was going to happen — that all the smoke and debris was going to fill the streets and that I really wasn’t going to be safe.

- Alanna Milshtein, Class of 2013 down, and I was going to have to run for my life because I thought something similar to 9/11 was going to happen — that all the smoke and debris was going to fill the streets and that I really wasn’t going to be safe anywhere and I just had to keep running. I mean, that wasn’t the case, obviously, but that’s what was

“What was going through our mind was, ‘is our son anywhere near there?’ The first few minutes you want to figure out if your kid is safe,” he said. “We figured that they probably weren’t nearby, but we couldn’t be sure until Danny enlisted the aid of a bystander on the course and texted us.”

Junior Marissa Gropman, whose father is a Brookline police officer, hosted a marathon party for South’s girls lacrosse team. Gropman said the cheerful gathering quickly became a nightmare when she found out about the bombing.

“The sound is what killed me the most.

When I turned the volume on [footage of the bombings], I just shrieked,” Gropman said. “I didn’t know if [my dad] would go [to the site of the bombings], but when we were watching the news I saw his car in the background, and I didn’t want to believe it was his; and then when I saw that it was his license plate I got really nervous because he wouldn’t answer ... I was shaking on my couch until he called back.”

Gropman also said that she and her BOMBINGS, 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Divorce

Snow Days

The large number of snow days complicates summer plans, finals.

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The Roar looks into student experiences with divorce.

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12

Collegiate Lax Three lacrosse captains will be playing their sport at the collegiate level.

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NEWS 2 GLOBAL 5 EDITORIALS 6 OPINIONS 9 CENTERFOLD 12 FEATURES 15 SPORTS 20

news volume 29

issue 8

may 1, 2013

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South Spots compiled by Roar editors

Potluck Dinner and Play Faculty, parent volunteers and students will come together for a potluck dinner and a joint North and South performance of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” on Thursday, May 9. The potluck dinner will be from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. followed by the play at 7:30 p.m.

Used Book Sale Gently used books will be sold in Wheeler Commons from May 21 through 23. Profits from the event will be given to the English department to be used for literacy initiatives.

Book donations will be accepted through May 16 from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the POD trailer next to Goldrick House.

Sophomore Spring Fest Sophomores will gather for a festival featuring a moonbounce, bungee run, and a hypnotist at South on May 3 at 7:00 p.m.

The school year has been extended to June 26 due to a record six snow days, causing conflicts between students’ summer plans and

By Nathaniel Bolter and Anisha Dam 2000-2001 — closings: four; last day of school: June 22.

2011-2012 — closings: zero; last day of school: June 15.

2012-2013 — closings: six; last day of school: June 26.

Since they began keeping record, in the 1996-1997 school year, the Newton Public Schools (NPS) have never had more than four closings or ended its school year later than June 24. This year, NPS closed six times because of snow days and Superstorm Sandy, pushing back the last day for students to June 26.

But these record numbers translate into real-life effects.

Newton’s six weather-related school closings present obstacles and inconveniences to students both during and after the conclusion of the school year.

The closings force NPS to remain in session until June 26, and neighboring public schools such as Brookline will remain open until June 28. The June 26 date officially extends the school year by only one day; the school calendar ends on June 25 since five snow days were anticipated.

Without any closings, however, the school year would have ended on June 21, and students said they made summer plans in accordance with this date.

Junior Emily Kaufman said she is going to be a counselor at Camp Pembroke in Pembroke, MA this summer and is required to report for counselor training on June 19. This commitment, however, conflicts with her finals. As a result, Kaufman said she will leave for Pembroke after her final on Friday, June 21, for weekend training and will briefly return to South the following Monday morning for an English final.

Kaufman said she is concerned about the consequences of her schedule.

“I think it will hurt my final grades to be completely honest,” she said. “This is junior year so it’s really important to me that I get good grades on my finals, but it’s also really important that I’m at counselor training.”

Kaufman said she will have to put in extra time studying in preparation for the final. “I’m going to do my best to really focus and study hard all through June so I can focus on taking my finals, and then focus on camp and not worry about mixing them and only being able to put 50/50 into each,” Kaufman said.

Sophomore Mia Coleman, who

also attends Camp Pembroke, said the closings disrupt will her summer as well.

As a part of the oldest age group at the camp, Coleman is required to go on a trip to Israel in the upcoming summer, but the plane leaves June 23. “I have [a] history [exam] the day after I leave,” she said. “I will probably have to take it when I get back.”

According to Coleman, however, the option to take the test when she gets back is not a solution, as it means she will have to study for a final as well as take notes in preparation for AP U.S. History throughout her time at summer camp.

Freshman Joshua Freier, on the other hand, said he is not concerned about the extension of the school year despite the conflicts it presents. “It doesn’t really affect my summer plans other than camp. I just might be a day late to camp,” Freier said.

Superintendent David Fleishman said he believes many people will be in a position similar to Freier’s. He said that he acknowledges the difficulties students attending summer camp might encounter but cites the anticipated five snow days as a reason for expecting students be prepared. Fleishman said, “I mean everybody knows we could go to June 25 before we start, that’s no secret because it’s [on] the calendar.”

The closings have disrupted more than just summer plans. According to Fleishman, there are more immediate effects of cancelling school. “I think that [it’s] a challenge [for working parents] when you have so many snow days [because they] have child care issues,” he said.

“I think for teachers it is disruptive — and [for] students — in terms of continuity of learning and exams and everything else like that.”

In spite of those consequences, Principal Joel Stembridge said he does not expect the missed days to cause lower scores on standardized tests like AP exams. “If students have waited for the teacher to conduct the review without spending some time on their own I think that could be challenging,” he said. “[But] I would expect because they are in an AP class the teacher has done a good job describing to the students what they need to do to be prepared for the exam, and that hopefully on the discovered snow days they were taking some time ... to make sure that they were

graphic by Olivia Hamilton

doing what they needed to be doing to get ready for the exam.”

In addition, another standardized test, the MCAS English Language Composition Test, given to students in fourth, seventh and 10th grade, was moved from Tuesday, March 19, to Monday, March 25 as a result of a snow day.

The Jewish holiday of Passover began at sundown March 25, the day of the rescheduled MCAS. Stembridge said despite the expectation that MCAS attendance might be lower as a result of the holiday that was not the case. “It turned out that the number of students who missed the Monday exam was around the same number that missed the Thursday or the Friday exams,” he said.

Still, Kaufman said she wishes she could avoid these inconveniences. “I think that there were, I’d say, two days in the last month that we could have gone to school or just had a two hour delay,” she said.

Stembridge, however, said that delays were too high of a risk. “It’s always easier to do a delay if the snow stops before school starts. But when the snow is starting it’s hard to know a delay would work, rather than cancelling,” he said.

Fleishman agreed that the cancellations were absolutely necessary. “We really haven’t had any close calls this year,” he said.

But in addition to disagreeing with the closings themselves, Kaufman said she disagreed with changes to the schedule.

“One of my camp friends ... is in school ... on Good Friday, and then [on] one Saturday next month [in order to make up for] those two snow days, so I think if we had something like that it would make a lot of kids definitely happier with finals and their summer programs, camp, anything like that,” she said. “I know that the city was trying to be safe and worry about us, but I honestly think it’s hurting a lot of people.”

Fleishman agreed that safety is the priority, but said he felt tacking a school day onto the end of the year was the best option. “At this late stage to take away Good Friday or April Vacation was just too close. Because it is only one extra day and we hopefully won’t use any more, I didn’t really see another viable option [besides extending school],” he said.

“It’s kind of mother nature beyond our control; we’ll just have to figure it out.”

news

may 1, 2013

3

SLIC rules enforced to reduce socializing Amelia Stern & Carter Howe

News Editor, News Reporter In response to the heavily social atmosphere that has developed in the Science Help Center, previously known as the Science Learning and Instructional Center, teachers have begun enforcing stringent rules in an effort to transform the center into a place for work and academic help.

The enforcement of these new rules, though, according to those who use the center for fraternizing rather than studying, intrudes upon their social lives.

Science Department Head Gerard Gagnon, however, said the social culture of the center detracts from its purpose. “The Science Help Center had been one of those places where a lot of kids who are already accelerated in science hangout, which is wonderful except that there was no space for kids to drop in if they need science support,” he said. “It was a little bit intimidating for younger grades to drop into such a strong social culture.”

Biology teacher Amy Richard agreed with Gagnon that the social atmosphere of the Center was detrimental to students’ learning, especially those already behind in science.

“The Science Help Center is a wonderful resource for struggling students but is not used by most of them for that purpose,” she said.

In order to preclude a purely social atmosphere, teachers have begun enforcing the previously neglected rules of the Science Help Center. The rules include a ban on eating and gaming in or around the Science Help Center.

If a student is caught violating these

photo by Julia Hurwit

Students both work and socialize in the recently regulated Science Help Center, formerly the Science Learning and Instructional Center (SLIC).

rules, they will receive a warning and will have his or her name written down on a list. After the third offense, he or she will be banned from the Center.

Although these rules do not actively discourage socializing, senior James Wang said they fulfill their intent. “Now I don’t go to the science help center as much because of these enforced rules. It really is a whole community, especially since most of the people who hang there are from the Science Team, and we bond together when we eat,” Wang said. “Now with the eating enforcement becoming more strict ... [I am] less willing to go.”

This inability to spend time in the Science Help Center, Wang said, detracts from his social life. “I don’t have friends in the cafeteria, but in the Science Center I can socialize and feel safe,” he said.

Biology teacher Jordan Kraus said she recognizes that a lack of enough social area initially caused the problem. “There’s a

place where all the theatre kids hang out and there’s a place where all the art kids [hang out] and there’s a place for all the jocks to hang out,” Kraus said. “But what happened here was that students who legitimately needed a place to be where they could feel that they could hang out ended up hanging out in the Science Center.”

According to some Science Help Center regulars, the rules have achieved little more than generating resentment.

“We are all still doing the same things but we are now more careful not to get caught,” junior Nathan Foster said.

Senior Daoxu Ye agreed with Foster.

“The rules can be broken, people face their laptops away [to play games],” he said.

On the other hand, Foster said he has seen an increase in the number of students coming into the Science Help Center for help.

According to Gagnon, this influx of students was the intended result of the en-

forcement. “I have certainly seen new faces coming in and making use of the area, which is exactly what it’s supposed to be,” he said.

Richard agreed with Gagnon. “I have been getting many positive reactions among students such as, ‘Wow, I get more work done in here now,’” she said.

Kraus said she is optimistic the effectiveness of the Science Help Center will continue to improve.

“Do we have enough help in there yet? No. Do we have customers we should be getting from lower level classes? No, not yet, but it’s like rebranding; it takes some time,” she said.

Sophomore Gabriela Sinclair, however, said the gains do not justify the severity of the punishments for violating the rules. “When I was caught eating, a teacher threatened not to write my college recommendation,” Sinclair said. “I think the rules and enforcement are great, but the punishment is absurd.”

Administration, Senate lift lobby food ban Nathaniel Bolter & David Li Sr. News Editor, News Editor

South Senate reached a compromise with the administration about eating in the auditorium lobby following April vacation with the intent to prevent a recurrence of the issues that caused the initial ban.

This agreement was reached when Senate President junior Jack Lovett met with Principal Joel Stembridge on March 18 to negotiate a deal to lift the ban, in which they agreed upon the general terms of a five-part bill. The bill passed in Senate, but Stembridge has adjusted requirements in order to maintain a clean lobby. Students are allowed to eat at all tables, but eating on the floor is restricted to the area of the floor with black tiles. According to the deal, Senate will create a commission, composed of students who eat in the lobby, to check in weekly with Vice Principal Mary Scott to ensure the rules are being implemented.

All changes were instituted on Monday, April 22.

Senior Yoonchan Choi, the co-founder of Bake Sale Club and one of the students who ran The Water Café, a gathering in the auditorium lobby during which the café served only water to students, said he is pleased with the decision. “I’m very happy that the administration and student body were able to reach an agreement, and I think there will be a lot of students that will be very happy to hear this,” Choi said.

Junior Marissa Gropman, who ate lunch in the lobby before the ban, said she is glad to return to her normal lunch venue.

According to Gropman, the area is quiet and more personal than the cafeteria. “Lunch is your escape time; it’s your time to just relax and wind down and get a break before going to your next class,” Gropman said.

But Gropman said that lifting the ban would have

had more significance had it come earlier in the year. “Now everyone has found a different place, so it’s kind of a moot point,” she said.

Scott said there are parts of the agreement that she does not support. “I want [students] to eat at the tables, [but] I’m not crazy about students eating on the floor anywhere in the school ... for reasons of hygiene. It also doesn’t look good. The floor is cold, and it’s more likely ... that you’re going to leave stuff on the floor,” Scott said.

“But Mr. Stembridge and the South Senate think they can

Lunch is your escape time; it’s your time to just relax and wind down and get a break.

- Marissa Gropman, Class of 2014 manage.”

Stembridge and the Senate’s confidence in the management of the area, however, was not the sole factor in the decision, according to Scott. “The administration — and the school in general — was really impressed with how creative students have gotten with The Water Café and how they handled themselves and how they took care of the area,” Scott said.

Lovett agreed that The Water Café was a catalyst in the process of reaching an agreement with the administration. “I think [the Water Café] had an effect on Ms. Scott.

She pushed really hard for these tables, and I think to see that students were using them ... really made her happy.

At least pushed her to think that maybe it’s time, now that the tables are here, that [the lobby] can be reopened

again,” Lovett said.

The Water Café helped to not only facilitate the reopening of the lobby but also to attract funding. The photos of The Water Café that Scott sent to the alumni organization compelled the group to donate additional tables and chairs for the auditorium lobby.

With the auditorium lobby open for eating, students are responsible for collectively taking charge of the cleanliness of the area, Scott said. “We expect South Senate and ... any student to say, ‘Hey, you know they’re going to close this down if you don’t pick up,’” she said.

Lovett said he believes picking up trash is something that students will be more inclined to do now because of both the new agreement and the ban itself. “I think students realize that [eating in the lobby] was taken away once ... [so] people will treat it with a little more respect,” he said.

But sophomore Emma Gomez-Rivas said she doubts anything will change since the last time the lobby was open for eating. “[Students] will just eat there. They won’t be cleaner,” she said.

Scott, however, said she is hopeful that the responsible students will prevail over a culture of negligence. “We have some really amazingly responsible students and it’s always just a few students that screw up and ruin something that would be good for everybody,” she said. “We are hoping that enough students will care about it and they’ll make sure that everybody will pick up after themselves. It’ll be part of the culture.”

The responsibility and common sense that students possess should allow the auditorium lobby to remain open for eating, according to Choi. “There are so many different ways that you can show the Newton South student body is an exceptionally mature and responsible group,” Choi said. “And with that in mind, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of hope for the space staying open for students to eat.”

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news

Why we should not laugh at a madman with missiles Oliver Xie

Politics and Points of View

Although Kim Jong Un’s smug, condescending appearance paired with a satirical comment about his piggy tendencies has become meme material, he is a force to be reckoned with. Armed with a few medium range nuclear missiles, Kim Jong Un and his belligerent behavior should alarm the global community.

Within the last two months, North Korea has severed its only hotline with Seoul, renounced its 1953 armistice, conducted cyber-attacks and closed down the Kaesong Industrial Complex, its last symbol of economic cooperation with South Korea.

While these actions are certainly consistent with North Korea’s policy of brinkmanship, where a country threatens to wage war to gain certain benefits from the global community, the recent developments have been especially dramatic. Even American businesses have been influenced by the recent threats; General Motors, South Korea’s third largest automaker, announced its plans to leave the country due recent tensions.

Although it is unlikely that North Korea will use its arsenal of nuclear weapons because of the thinking behind Mutually Assured Destruction, a theory that dictates states will never use nuclear weapons because of fear of retaliation, one cannot simply ignore North Korea’s recent temper tantrums.

Recall the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S. and the U.S.S.R — both generally rational countries — nearly engaged in an all-out nuclear war. Only the intense diplomatic efforts of Kennedy and Khrushchev helped the two countries to avoid turmoil. North Korea, however, is an irrational country led by irrational rulers, and thus is far more likely to cross the line and wage war than the U.S. and U.S.S.R were during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

A nuclear war, nonetheless, would be disastrous. If North Korea forced the U.S. into such a war, American employment of nuclear weapons would not only kill thousands of innocent lives, but the legacy of such an attack would become a vestige of the countless human rights abuses committed by America.

After clashing with North Korea, the U.S. would immediately have to respond to China, a key sponsor of nuclear proliferation in North Korea since the Cold War. If the United States were to attack North Korea, the resulting retaliation from China would be disastrous.

While a nuclear attack from China seems unlikely, the United States would immediately face tough economic sanctions and strong Chinese nationalist backlash that would severely limit U.S. hinfluence in the region.

To end on an optimistic note, we Newtonites will not be directly affected if the North Korean regime goes nuclear.

North Korea does not have nuclear missiles with the range to attack any state, including Hawaii. (I’m not sure about Alaska, but I bet Sarah Palin would be ready for the fallout.) Yet instead of standing idle, it is crucial that the U.S. challenges the necessity of nuclear weapons. Only then will we avoid mistakes of the past.

may 1, 2013

Teachers revive French homestay trip Sasha Kuznetsova & Julia Mount

Sr. News Editor, News Contributor For the first time in four years, the world language department successfully launched a week-long French homestay trip to Toulouse and Paris, providing unique language immersion and cultural exposure for sophomores and upperclassmen over April vacation.

Vistas In Education, an organization specializing in French homestays, coordinated the trip this year. Twelve students, nine sophomores and three juniors, traveled with students from Needham High School and stayed with French host families for three days before visting Paris with the rest of the group. French teacher and trip organizer Cathy Hammond and world language department head Suzanne DeRobert accompanied South’s participants in this program.

Although this program has been offered at South in the past, this year was the first time enough students signed up for the trip to successfully run.“I think we really profited from just the fact that the younger students this year are really excited about language and excited about the idea of traveling abroad,” Hammond said.

In addition to students’ enthusiasm, trip participant sophomore Anya Graubard said the character of the trip staff contributed to the program’s newfound success. “A lot of kids are just really into French this year and just the fact that the chaperones are really nice mature really quickly and ... realize what you makes a difference,” Graubard said. are really capable of,” she said.

Although junior Anna Garik did Graubard said that the program also not participate, she aids students’ underagreed that the inistanding of French. tiative of the staff “You’re going to the I think [the trip] would be an renewed its interest. place that you learn amazing tradition. It’s so worth “[Hammond] was about all the time and just such a major you’re going inside it, 100 percent. force behind it and ... all these monuments - Anya Graubard, Class of 2015 her positive attitude and museums that and all of the energy you always do projthat she brought to it ects on,” she said. “So was, I think, the ... main factor of it actually you’re like living the education.” happening,” Garik said.

Garik agreed that the trip offers benFor the first three days of the trip, efits that South’s curriculum does not. “[The each student lived with a French family in program] gives a real life application of the Toulouse, where he or she was challenged to French that we’re learning in class, which I improve his or her spoken French. Hammond think is really important, because most of said that this immersion is beneficial for the time ... we learn what we need to in class students. “When you travel to a place where [and] we never really see the importance you’re required to use a foreign language, of it,” Garik said. “It’s not just going to be a you personally are really put to the test, you classroom practicing verbs and practicing

photo courtesy of Parisa Siddiqui

The Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, one stop for students in their educational trip through France.

photo courtesy of Dana Michlin

different tenses; it’s going to be real life.”

Recalling her past experiences with similar programs, Hammond said that the trip would benefit students with both academically and socially. “Students build relationships with [the host families whom] you will always stay in touch with,” Hammond said. “The best thing I ever did was travel abroad and make a connection with an elderly couple. Every time I visit we have dinner.”

The immersion and exposure, however helpful, are not sufficient according to program participant sophomore Max Cooper. “[The program] is not long enough to really immerse yourself in the language but you do get a sample,” Cooper said.

Sophomore Ollie Chebac said that the high cost of the trip deterred her from attending and others may have been dissuaded by the prospect of speaking a foreign language for a week. “It’s kind of freaky to [have to] converse with someone knowing only the small amount of French you learned at school.” Chebac said.

Graubard also said students could have been nervous about visiting a foreign country on their own. “It is really scary to be dropped in a foreign country when you don’t know the host family,” she said.

Both students and teachers, however, said they remain optimistic about the program’s future. Graubard said she hopes for the trip to become a tradition at South. “I think [the trip] would be an amazing tradition,” Graubard said, “It’s so worth it, 100 percent.”

Hammond said she would also like the trip to occur annually and aspires to expand the trip to include an American homestay for French exchange students.

Hammond said that she thinks, given the current enthusiasm, that the trip will continue to spark student interest. “I am hoping that [the program] will gain some popularity for the French language and that the students who are currently sophomores and rising juniors will ... do the publicity for us for next years trip,” Hammond said.

may 1, 2013

news

5

Boston bombing shakes students, community BOMBINGS, from 1

lacrosse teammates were alarmed by reports of a suspicious package in Newton Centre. “That’s right down the street from my house,” she said. “The whole team’s sitting here with Google Maps on like, ‘How close is it? What’s going on?’”

John said that the Boston bombing is unlike other tragedies because it is so local. “We’ve watched sad events happen on the

news and we’ve talked about how tionals. In an interview with PO- University of Massachusetts - Dartterrible some of these things are, LITICO, Levine-Caleb said that mouth. No current South wrestlers but it’s really, really different when Dzhokhar “was just a kid who have competed against the suspect.

Milshtein said that weeks it’s your own,” he said. wasn’t spectacular at wrestling.”

19-ye ar- We’ve watched sad events happen on the news and we’ve later, she is still processing the old Dzhokhar talked about how terrible some of these things are, but events of Mararecently graduit’s really, really different when it’s your own thon Monday. ated from Cam- John Teich, South parent “I’m still shaky about it when I bridge Rindge and Latin.

‘11 South graduate Chris talk about it,” she said. “I went to In February 2011, ‘11 South graduate Zachary Levine-Caleb Barry also met Dzhokhar through the memorial ... with my family wrestled against and beat the wrestling, and the two maintained and I just broke down crying at younger Tsarnaev in D1C Sec- contact after both enrolling at the that because it was scary, and being

there definitely changed my view on it ... My mom and my brother weren’t there and they seemed to be fine and they think it’s sad, but they’re not as attached to it as I am.”

According to Milshtein, Boston’s resilience will prevail. “It’s going to be something that we’re all going to have to think about and process for a little while but Boston is such as strong city and strong community that we’re going to be ... stronger than ever,” she said.

A Glimpse of the Globe Information compiled by Roar editors from CNN, The Economist, BBC, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, Twitter and the rest of the Internet.

Syria: what is actually happening?

During the Arab Spring, a political movement throughout the Middle East in the spring of 2011 to overthrow oppressive regimes, Syrian protesters held a pro-democracy peaceful demonstration in the southern city of Deraa.

Protesters called for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. Al-Assad took power in 2000 after the death of his father and former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

The al-Assad regime first came to power in 1971 as the representatives for the Ba’ath party. The Ba’ath party is a Socialist political party that, during the tumultuous times preceding its taking power, stabilized the country. Before al-Assad took power, there were many unsuccessful military coups to change control of the country.

Meet Bashar

March of 2011 marked the return of political disunion. Demonstrations started all throughout Syria, with the people expecting a quick end to the al-Assad regime. Bashar al-Assad, however, refused to abdicate power. He instead sent arm forces to quell the rebellion with the instructions to shoot at the protesters.

When guns started being used against the protesters, the demonstrations shifted from peaceful to violent. Both sides were armed; al-Assad’s loyalists were mostly made up of members from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and from the Syrian Armed Forces, though some decided to defect from that army and create a new one, the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The FSA is on the side of the protesters. With little training

and organization, the protesters, despite having more members than the loyalists, have been unable to defeat the al-Assad regime.

The Syrian National Coalition formed as a conjoinment of all the opposition groups. It named Moaz al-Khatib, a former imam and moderate politician, as its president. On April 22, alKhatib resigned, and a new president, George Sabra, was named until elections can be held.

Major battles have taken place in the capital city of Damascus and the northern key political city of Aleppo. In Aleppo, residents are experiencing power outages, famine and poverty from a lack of resources and from constant fighting.

Recently, there have been battles in the city of Qusayr, on the Lebanese-Syrian border,

where Hezbollah is helping alAssad.

Although the exact number of total casualties is unknown, sources report between 60,000 and 70,000 deaths over the past two years. This figure includes members of both parties, as well as civilians and foreign personnel.

In the past week, American, Israeli and British intelligence agencies have found evidence that al-Assad used chemical weapons against the protesters; however, there are varying degrees of certainty on whether these allegations are true.

President Obama has said that the use of chemical weapons would make direct US involvement necessary. With the reports still unconfirmed, no actions have been taken against al-Assad.

Date of Birth: 9/11/65 (age 47) Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Oppression Family Life: Married with 3 children

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Nonsensical News: Fun and informational.

Adult bites other adult in professional sports game

Liverpool soccer player Luis Suarez was banned from 10 soccer matches after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during gameplay.

The ban is one of the most severe punishments ever handed out by the Football Association.

The Roar recommends googling images.

Taiwan reported a case of the H7N9 bird flu virus, the first case confirmed outside of mainland China, where it has killed 22 people since this March.

At least 382 people have died in last week’s collapse of a Bangladesh building. Mohammed Sohel Rana, the owner of the illegally-constructed factory building, could face up to seven years in prison.

The European Union voted to stop the use of pesticides on plants for the next two years because scientists say the pesticides are killing too many bees.

CERN, the Swiss particle-physics laboratory, announced a discovery that could explain the dominance of matter over antimatter in the universe.

Mildly Fun Fact: According to Bashar’s poorly-translated website, he “specialized in Ophthalmology at Tishreen Military Hospital before pursuing his studies in London until 1994.” So he’s an eye specialist, basically. Ha. Website: The URL bashar.org leads to a site about Bashar, “a multi-dimensional extra-terrestrial being who speaks through channel Darryl Anka from what we perceive as the future. Bashar explores a wide-range of subjects with great insight, humor and a profound understanding of how reality creation occurs!”

News this week

Bashar al-Assad

Public Domain

Horacio Cartes was elected as Paraguay’s new president. Cartes is expected to lead the country to readmittance in Mercosur, a regional trade group.

Tetris found to be effective treatment for lazy eyes

A team of McGill University doctors found a new way to treat lazy eyes — playing the video game Tetris. According to Canadian doctor Robert Hess, this newfound treatment is a welcome alternative to the standard treatment of patching the stronger eye.

editorials volume 29

issue 8

page

may 1, 2013

The Cat’s

Meow All the news that’s fit to print ... and then some!

Gridlock in South Senate over food bill leads to rioting After a bill failed to pass in South Senate that would allow food in the front of the school again, several riots broke out across Goodwin and Goldrick houses. A total of 172 kids participated in the riots; 14 of them had to go see the nurse for minor bruises, although three of the students were accused of going to skip their long block classes. Senior Hadey Nouf, one of the leaders of the Goodwin riots said that such a thing was only a matter of time. “We were promised to have food back in the front after April break. After they didn’t deliver, I said to the campus aid ‘You can’t keep us locked out of the front like animals. We will retaliate,’” she said. Chinese teacher Needhel Pi, who was caught in the middle of the riot, said she has gotten no help to cope with the damages. “I stepped outside to see what all the commotion was, and next thing I knew there were about 30 students in my room pushing over desks.

One of them ripped up my attendance sheet, and I have asked several times for a replacement but I still haven’t gotten one.

Now I have no idea who is and who isn’t in my classes; this is chaos.” Among the damages were two Elmos that needed to be replaced, and another seven than tech support needed to take overnight for repairs. In Pi’s opinion, something needs to be done quickly. “This school is on the verge of total anarchy, they need to do something now or else it’s going to be Cutler next,” she said.

Rave cancellation leads to spontaneous Project X dance party The rave scheduled for this past Saturday night, April 26, was canceled last minute by the Mishop BacKenzie Center. When crowds of students, uninformed of the cancellation, congregated outside the building, the Center’s professional night watchman Soso Rhee (Ph.D.) said he had to refuse admission to the angry crowd. “I was just watching the building at night as a man when all of a sudden I heard lots of noises coming from outside. I opened the door, and right there in the parking lot there must have been about 400 kids. I told them to get the [expletive] out,” he said. According to Justin Thucraud, after a couple minutes of awkward silence someone who was leaving began blasting music from their car. “We didn’t really know what to do, but once the music from the car leaving began, everyone just started dancing.” After about an hour of dancing outside, Rhee called the police. Officer Idon Laekfun said that there was not enough manpower to shut the party down. “I showed up, but it was such a rager my car was flipped over. I realized we just had to let it burn out.” By the time the sun rose on Sunday, about two acres worth of land, including the Mishop BacKenzie Center, had burned to the grown. Thucraud is being charged with inciting a riot and causing millions in property damage, although he claims he is not responsible. “I was just in the crowd,” he said.

6

South’s school spirit presents itself in alternative forms

South’s bleachers stand half filled, at best, during most sports games. The crowd consists primarily of parents, and one rarely sees more than a handful of students among the spectators.

Generations of South students have sulked about this lack of school spirit.

Despite increasing efforts to demonstrate school spirit, opportunities to exhibit enthusiasm remain sparse. Recently, however, students’ support for their school has taken form in environments not limited to sporting events.

Members of The Roar’s editorial staff agreed that South’s annual pep rallies are unsuccessful because school administrators force students to attend. Only a select portion of pep rally events get students, such as the all-male cheerleading squad performance, get students excited and energetic.

The Roar asserts that the rally, rather than reinforcing a sense of community at South, actually pushes apart the junior and senior classes by creating a competition between the two.

The loudest cheers of the day result from students rejoicing

about missing classes.

Moreover, most sports games throughout the year go largely neglected by students.

Roar editors suggested that when one’s friends are not attending a game, one has little incentive to attend. The effect is cyclical, and no one shows up to cheer.

During a staff discussion, Roar staff members acknowledged that school spirit is not limited to student turnout for games or pep rallies, however.

Club-run events such as Asian Night and Habitat for Humanity’s Club’s Game Show Night also demonstrate of school spirit.

Neither of these events was mandatory, but many South students came willingly to both. Events spearheaded by student groups usually results in high attendance and energetic attendees.

South’s spirit stems from its clubs; fliers lining the hallways advertise bake sales and henna sales and all sorts of other clubplanned events.

Although South’s student body finds more success showcasing pride through club events than by showing up to sporting events, all hope for athletics-cen-

tered enthusiasm is not lost.

Those few games this school year for which athletes created Facebook events had high turnouts. When the girls basketball team made it far into the playoffs, students organized busing to and from games and designed T-shirts for spectators to wear. At the girls’ final playoff game, energetic South students and teachers filled the stands.

The Roar also believes class officers and South Senate can bridge the gap between South’s administration and its students.

When administrators alone try to bolster school spirit, their efforts get nowhere. This is not because South students lack school spirit, but because students feel more compelled to stand up and cheer during a pep rally or game when their friends, rather than their teachers, encourage them to do so. Change must come from the students.

Asian Night and the girls basketball playoff games were examples of successful studentplanned efforts. If other such events happened at South, school spirit would increase exponentially.

Editorial Policy

The Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes.

The Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Lion’s Roar in no way reflects the official policy of Newton South, its faculty, or its administration.

Editorials are the official opinion of The Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lion’s Roar. The Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors, and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed.

The Lion’s Roar is printed by Seacoast Newspapers and published every four weeks by Newton South students.

All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions.

In-school distribution of The Lion’s Roar is free, but each copy of the paper shall cost one dollar for each copy more than ten (10) that is taken by any individual or by many individuals on behalf of a single individual. Violation of this policy shall constitute theft.

Join The Roar!

Monday J Block Room 1201

Positions available for photographers, graphic designers, writers and editors

may 1, 2013

editorials

THE

Editor reflects on heroism during bombing, need for positive journalism

EDITOR’S DESK Jenny Friedland Editor-in-Chief

Spectators holding out hands poised for high-fives and offering water to runners at Heartbreak Hill.

A man, cowboy hat atop his head, grasping at the shredded leg of a bombing victim.

State police standing in formation, their guns at the ready.

Crowds in Watertown waving American flags as gleeful smiles spread across the faces of young and old alike.

The images of the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombing are striking; the actions in the aftermath of the disaster were equally so.

Boston eateries including El Pelón Taqueria, Oleana Restaurant, Appleton Bakery and others offered free meals to runners, responders and spectators.

During the lockdown, Brookline police officer John Bradley delivered two gallons of milk to a Watertown family with a small child.

Two Emerson College students designed and sold T shirts reading “Boston Strong”, raising more than $30,000 by midday on Thursday, April 18.

The wrong in our world make the news almost without fail; oftentimes, journalistic responsibility demands these

events be prioritized. But the folks who that make our city a place in which any emerge as heroes from the rubble during American would be lucky to grow up. such times deserve coverage as well.

Among those faces is that of my The photos and stories from last co-editor, Joe Joseph. Joe spent his April month confirm that despite evil elements, vacation away from home, but soon after our community in no way lacks caring the bombs went off, a message from Joe strangers. to the rest of Roar Senior Staff popped up, On a more personal note, in the time “everyone’s ok, right?” between the abrupt end of the Boston MaraSome communities, like families, thon and Dzhokhar come ready-made.

Tsarnaev’s capture, Others, like that my family received of The Lion’s Roar, The photos and stories worried e-mails and one chooses for phone calls from oneself. from last month confirm aunts in South AfThis is that despite evil elements, rica and uncles in transition issue, Israel. the turnover of our community in no way A former the newspaper lacks caring strangers. family au pair from from Volume 29 Sweden sent my to Volume 30, and sister a Facebook my time as Editormessage. in-Chief has come to an end.

My phone buzzed with inquiries Now, nearing the conclusion of my from camp friends living from Colorado time at South, I feel confident I have choto New York and everywhere in between. sen my high school community well.

Newtonites pride themselves on I’ve surrounded myself with people living in one of America’s safe havens: who care enough to interrupt a family for cities with populations ranging from vacation to check in and make sure I’m 75,000 - 99,999, our crime rate is the fifth alright, and that’s no small thing. lowest in the US according to CQ Press, a Whether you choose Roar — and I division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. hope you do — or another group at South, In light of recent events, it’s really find those people here whom you can comforting to be reminded of the faces depend on for support.

It is up to us to seek out those individuals, so when tragedy strikes or a bad day comes our way, there will be someone looking out for us.

And it is up to us to be the sort of people who run toward a blast to assist victims, who donate blood following a disaster and who offer a smile and a hand on a cloudy day.

For The Roar’s part, it is my wish that Volume 30 renew the newspaper’s commitment to reporting more on our local heroes.

As vital as it may be that we cover topics such as last month’s bombing and manhunt (29-8), South’s dearth of academic honesty (29-7) and the racial divisions that creep into students’ social lives (29-4), so too must we strive to tell our readers the sometimes-hidden stories of human goodness.

South’s Community Service Club, in conjunction with the Red Cross, hosts an annual blood donation drive. Through the One-to-One program, students serve as big brothers and sisters to local at-risk youth. These two examples are merely the tip of the iceberg.

Bostonians have recently demonstrated their capacity for immense compassion. Let’s continue to remind ourselves that our family, friends and the South community at large are no less capable.

Volume 29 The Lion’s Roar

Volume 30 The Lion’s Roar

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper

The Lion’s Roar 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

The Lion’s Roar 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

Editors-in-Chief

Editors-in-Chief

Jenny Friedland

Yonatan Gazit

Joe Joseph

Managing Editors Andreas Betancourt Ravi Panse

Kylie Walters

Managing Editor

James Wu

Dina Busaba

Section Editors News

Hyunnew Choi Julie Olesky

Centerfold

Opinions

Dipal Nagda

Dina Busaba Sophie Forman

Business and Production Manager

Chief Copy Editor Julie Olesky

Jordan Cohen-Kaplan

Section Editors Features

Kylie Walters Caroline Zola

Community Emily Ho

Editorials Anqi Gao

Carly Meisel Parisa Siddiqui

Graphics Managers David Gorelik

Distribution Managers Charlotte Levine Elena Ramos

7

Sports

Yonatan Gazit Tony Yao

News

Sasha Kuznetsova Nathaniel Bolter David Li Amelia Stern

Photo Managers

Dylan Block Jordan Cohen-Kaplan

Faculty Advisers Ashley Elpern Brian Baron Paul Estin Thomas Murphy

Business Managers Jordi Batler RJ Hayes

Copy Editors Jenny Morris Emma Race

Centerfold

Faith Bergman Hyunnew Choi

Graphics Managers David Gorelik Olivia Hamilton

Sports

Features

Carly Meisel Parisa Siddiqui Sophia Fisher Maia Fefer Shelley Friedland

Faculty Advisers Ashley Elpern Brian Baron Paul Estin Thomas Murphy

Jack McElduff Darren Trementozzi Lizzie Fineman

Opinions

Veronica Podolny Jack Rabinovitch

Photo Managers Katie Asch Dylan Block Sofia Osorio

Aaron Edelstein

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fun page

may 1, 2013

By James Wu

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Suburban Faves

In an online survey, The Roar collected data from 138 students about their favorite local establishments

Best Burger

Winner-Lee’s Burger Place with 42 votes!

ACROSS: 1. So as barely to be heard 7. Italy’s shape 8. Day of the week, or exam taken on that day 9. Foreign AP 11. Syrup source 13. Neighbor of Zambia 15. Crammer’s concerns; can be oral, physical or final 17. Gravely wound 18. Classical conclusion 19. Needless expenditure 20. Supranational organization, based in Paris 21. X 22. Atomic number 21 (abbrev) 23. More, in Ecuador 25. Comply with 27. Every 7 years 21. The quirkiest character in HP (plural) 23. Ususally precedes “vey!”

24. Two (en español) 25. Instead; in ___ of

27. Moderator 28. What Ron Burgundy urges San Diego to stay DOWN: 1. Accuses, in legal terms 2. Celtic’s org. (abbrev.)

3. Miniscule amounts 4. To such a great extent 5. Hester Prynne’s “A,” e.g.; precedes “against” 6. Lends grace or beauty; can be plants, iron or decoration 8. Cousin of bridge 10. Egotist’s actions 12. Nerve impulse transmitter 14. Low-calorie 16. Lions are ours 19. Descendants of Eve 24. Novelist Ran 26. Or not to, is the question

Embarrassing Roar Staff Photo of the Month:

Jack and Jack: fighting crime since the beginning of time.

opinions volume 29

issue 8

may 1, 2013

page

9

Juniors shed light on the challenges of planning the annual semi formal dance Melanie Gundersheim & Kaela Meyer Opinions Contributors

We did not anticipate the amount of effort that goes into preparing for semi. Other grades made the planning look so easy, so the past months came as a surprise to us.

We see South as a very diverse place; the school has the athletes on the fields, actors in South Stage, students on the debate, speech, math and science teams and various others in a wide range of clubs.

Although students at South have different passions, semi is one event that unites everyone. This year, it’s bringing together the class of 2014. And there is a lot of work put in to make semi possible that most don’t know about — and that we weren’t fully aware of until we bagan planning it ourselves.

For those who have marked May 25 on their calendars already, we want to give them a closer look into all that goes into planning an unforgettable night.

The 2014 class officers are responsible for planning semi. We began by trying their best to find an elegant location that fit within the budget, enforced by the school advisor.

Finding a great venue within the price range and on the perfect date was almost impossible. Every detail couldn’t accommodate to the needs of every single junior class member, but the class office put in what seemed like

endless hours to try and make it so. The officers, with the help of Ms. DeRobert, our class adviser, made the collective decision to book the Boston Park Plaza for May 25.

There is some inconvenience of having semi over Memorial Day weekend, but there were no other feasible options. The date and venue were the best choices for the collective convenience of the junior class, but it is unfortunate that scheduling issues came up for certain students.

Following logistical planning, class officers began to promote semi to all of the juniors. Each officer dedicated time to a specific area, distributing the semi information packets.

But class officers aren’t the only ones who have to plan for semi; members of the junior class have a lot of planning of their own to do.

First, stress is inherent in the process of finding a date. Boys and girls alike anticipate the process. Worrying about having a date is dreadful. The boys fear rejection and hope they are the first to ask their intended dates while the girls fret over being asked. Typically, asking someone to semi is the boy’s job and the girls are left to wait. The search for a date becomes public through social media, which only adds pressure.

After days of anticipation, we must admit that securing a date filled us with joy and relief.

One of the best parts of semi comes after finding a

date. Taking pictures before actually going to semi allows students and their friends to be together before the big night. Also, pictures will serve as keepsakes that we can look back on 30 years from now.

Unfortunately, the photo-taking process becomes difficult when a location cannot be agreed upon to fit the desires of everyone involved. Some people will be split between friend groups, or dates might have different friends. Remember that you can always bring a camera to the actual event.

Another drawback of semi is the high price of the ticket, costing $85 per person. This money goes toward paying for various costs of putting together semi and is saved to pay for a spectacular prom. Those opposed to paying this amount of money should realize that semi truly couldn’t be such a success for any less.

The last part of planning semi is organizing tables.

Five to six couples eat at the same table, and students will be sitting with their dates and at least a few of their closest friends; however, it is impossible to create someone’s dream table.

Although students will eat their meals at the table, the important thing is to remember that most of the night will be spent on the dance floor, having an absolute blast.

Semi is a night that the majority of juniors look forward to and with good reason. If all goes well, it will be a night that we’ll never forget.

The Roar compiled photos of a few of the cute ways South students were asked to the semi formal

Clockwise from top left: Mark Hochberg, Joey Cohen, Caitlin McDonald, Ben Handler, Caolinn McSwiggan, Dan Goldstien, Hannah Shields, Jordy Cohen, Cam Vicars, and Sydney Caminetsky.

10

opinions

may 1, 2013

Anonymity of ask.fm enables cyberbullying Sam Heesch

Opinions Contributor The social media website, ask.fm has become popular among many South teens within the past few months. Users receive questions or comments from other users or anonymous senders.

Although ask.fm can be used to send compliments, it also provides an outlet for cyberbullying because users can send a message without revealing their identity; with no consequence for rudeness.

My friends, when asked, agreed that the motivation behind making an account was based on curiosity as to what people felt about them.

When I brought up ask.fm in a discussion, most of these friends had negative comments about it, and agreed that being able to hide your identity is a convenience to the bully, leaving the person receiving hate vulnerable.

In 7th grade I had a similar experience with a website like that of ask.fm: Formspring. The gist of Formspring is the same as ask.fm; individuals ask and receive questions and comments completely anonymously.

Because all my friends made an account, I made one too. Looking back, I

realize how much of a mistake that was.

Originally I was happy with my decision to get an account since I was receiving comments such as, “You are so nice and pretty,” and “I can tell you anything.”

Soon enough, however, I started getting comments like, “Nobody likes you and you should have stayed at private school,” and “You are so dumb.” These comments damaged my self-esteem, since, inevitably, I started to believe them.

I wish I could have told my 7th grade self that one does not need to get an ask.fm or Formspring account to have people tell them him or her that he or she is are pretty, nice or smart; one should know it.

Formspring brought me negative attention, as my insecurities stood out more than my assets, and I heard people talking about the cruel messages. Formspring also caused friendships to be put on the line since everyone was accusing one another of asking and posting hurtful things.

Even though South has active antibullying programs and students must watch four videos that address bullying throughout the school year, this online bullying doesn’t stop.

Even if sites like ask.fm didn’t exist, cyberbullying would still be prevalent.

According to endcyberbullying.org, over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online. The most common cases concern sending hurtful comments and spreading rumours.

Cyberbullying wears students down and tears us apart. Since different people

react in different ways, cyberbullying can become deadly.

One step at a time, should narrow down the opportunity to send hate online by erasing the opportunity to be anonymous, thus eliminating unpunished cyberbullying.

photo by Katie Asch

Grading system needs uniformity, standards Nathaniel Fleming & Charles Zou Opinions Contributors

Which is easier, a test or an essay? For us, the answer that comes to mind is a test. Whenever we face a test or essay scenario in one of our classes, we always opt for a test.

In our school, there seems to be a universal belief that grades received are proportional to effort made. This is true of most classes where the grading is objective, which means that grading is based on a known fact or a set guideline. Math classes are usually more objective than other classes because math is usually pretty black and white. A2+B2 = C2. This equation will never change.

When analyzing a piece of literature, however, there can be room for more interpretation. Analysis is where subjective grading becomes a problem.

Subjective grading is based more on a teacher’s opinion than on set rules. If an English teacher happens to agree with the analysis given to them, then the student will do well. But if this teacher doesn’t, he or she is liable to take points off simply because of personal disagreement. This situation leads us to prefer a test over an essay; tests are more objective, and the grades we receive will be based on the effort we put into studying.

With an essay, grading could be a completely different story. If our teacher doesn’t like our writing style, our grades could change accordingly and no matter how conscious teachers are of their grading, these two factors will inevitably affect even the most “impartial” teachers.

Since the bulk of the work done in English is essays, my final grade will be largely subjective.

Subjective grading, however, is not a problem exclusively reserved to Englis Some teachers, even “objective” math teachers, often decide to curve grades if the whole class does poorly.

Since our respective intelligences don’t change from class to class, the discrepency in grading is unfair, especially in a competitive school like South.

This is how certain teachers earn reputations for being “hard” and others get a reputation for being “easy.” Subtle differences in grading style and class setup have a big role in determining students’ success.

Some classes may have homework worth two points, three points or none at all.

Participation and effort may be counted in only a few classes, while they may not be counted in others. All these factors are all based on the teacher’s opinion about what is important.

A solution to the subjective grading problem would be to regulate grading for all classes of the same subject.

For example, in math classes, all homework would be worth three points and every student would gets to make up one test. Tests would be curved if the class average falls under 60 percent.

Setting up classes uniformly ensures that no one can complain of unfair grades. Grade percentage should also be split evenly between classes as well.

Participation and effort should be taken out of the grading algorithm completely. Although some teachers believe that working hard should be rewarded, grading based on participation and effort is the most subjective of all.

The extroverted student is rewarded by participation grades, but the more shy student who works hard will be at a disadvantage. Encouraging students to participate is fine, but grading students on participation does not reflect those who do not actively participate in class.

Most students love group work since it provides an opportunity to do less work and let someone else do the heavy lifting. Group work is not a measure of individual merit; the final answers are generally from just one per-

photo by Sofia Osorio

son rather than the whole group.

Working in groups may be good for class work, but having group quizzes and graded work is unjust.

Group quizzes give students an opportunity to slack off; after all, only one person needs to know the material to get an A. Since the group is graded as a whole, teachers have no choice but to essentially ‘give’ everyone else in their group an A regardless of whether each person deserve it or not.

The students, then, do not understand the material because they don’t need to study to get a passing grade. Therefore, along with the group grade each student should receive an individual grade that reflects the amount of effort he or she put in.

When it comes to grading essays, one way to fix the problem of bias would be to mix in more objective-based material. Instead of essays counting for most of an english grade, 30 percent or so of the grade would count for tests and quizzes. Some English classes already follow this system, but other grades are almost exclusively based on essays.

In the same way that most teachers recommend a ‘fresh’ pair of eyes to edit an essay, English teachers should also have a second opinion on each of the essays they grade. Someone else looking at the essay would make sure there is no bias, because this second person would have no opinion on the writer.

We would much rather wait a few months for an essay that is graded fairly than to receive a possibly biased grade. After a week or so, rubrics for essays and written work are needed as well. An open-ended essay question will end up being graded more subjectively.

Since there is no specific topic everyone has to write about, the teacher grades in part based on whether he or she likes the topic the student chose, regardless of whether this is a consious decision.

The grade we get is supposed to reflect our knowledge of the material.

Any grade given due to the bias in a teacher is not a fair representative of that student. This flawed part of South’s grading system must be reworked to ensure a safe and fair learning environment.

Objectivity should be an aspect of school that is strived for in order to build confidence and partiality to the administration.

The ClicHE Diaries may 1, 2013

arts review

11

Sophomore expresses her criticisms of The CW’s new prequel to “Sex and the City,” “The Carrie Diaries” photo illustration by Dylan Block

CW’s The Carrie Diaries chronicles the life of Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City while she is a teenager, documenting many of the challenges and experiences of adolescence.

Vivian Li

Opinions Contributor The pilot episode of “The Carrie Diaries” starts off introducing 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, a girl living in Casselberry, Conn. in 1984. Almost as soon as the episode starts, characters are introduced faster than women on “The Bachelor,” with each one more cliché and bland than the last.

Carrie Bradshaw is a young, innocent teenager with big dreams of becoming a successful writer and living in Manhattan, NY. She is recovering from the loss of her mother to cancer months before the show supposedly takes place. Her father struggles to take care of his two daughters after his wife’s death and tries to embrace his role as a single father.

Carrie’s innocence is exaggerated, and watching her wide-eyed naivete is painful.

Carrie’s younger sister Dorrit is a stereotypical rebellious teenager who listens to loud music, wears excessive amounts of eyeliner and has a tendency to sneak out with her friends. But no rebellious teen I’ve ever met actually follows this mold.

Carrie’s well-known friends from the original “Sex and the City” — Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda — have been replaced with new friends: Walt, Mouse and Maggie.

Walt is a young man struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality. Mouse is a stereotypical booknerd, worrying about her education constantly and willing to go to extreme measures to reach her goal of getting into Harvard. Her view on the importance of education is so forced and frustrating that it makes me want to grab her by the shoulders and scream “community college” just to see her reaction.

Maggie is an outgoing girl with no direction in life.

Besides providing these two characteristics, the show doesn’t expand any further on her qualities, making it seem as if her entire personality is defined by those two

qualities.

Carrie’s love interest is the school’s troublemaker, Sebastian. Having been kicked out of several schools, he maintains a bad-boy reputation. I see Sebastian reinforcing the expression “nice guys finish last,” where girls are interested only in the reputation of recklessness because of the desire to be the one to make him “change.”

The school’s mean girl, Donna, is (obviously) attracted to Sebastian. She is the unoriginal, vain popular girl who rules the school. In reality we know that high school is not “ruled” by one person who has all the control.

Every show has some version of these characters.

Their dialogue is overused and utterly predictable. The episodes are not worth the full hour. I find myself halfwatching as I do my homework or even leaving to get a snack in the middle of an episode.

The pilot episode starts with a conversation between Carrie and her two girl friends about their summer and quickly it turns to their views on sex. Between the three friends, various opinions are portrayed. One believes in abstinence, one thinks sex is no big deal and one lies about her virginity. The show does a nice job of displaying different situations that teenagers can be in, but also evokes a few insecurities in teens that are watching.

The pressure to have sex is blatant in the show.

Even if Carries chooses to stay a virgin, she makes no real argument to defend her decision and has no credibility because she is still a naive 16-year-old.

Apart from sexual activity, the show also promotes bad behavior. Carrie sneaks out and lies to her father in order to have a fun night out in Manhattan. She and her friends are exposed to drugs and alcohol, which all of the characters on the show who are perceived as “fun” consume. In one episode, Carries goes out and a friend persuades her to take a few ecstasy pills because it makes the party more fun. These displays of these harmful substances with no obvious down side is concerning. They

should not be encouraged on a show intended for teenagers. “The Carrie Diaries” shows the pressure high school students experience concerning social actions, drugs and alcohol, but provides no way to deal with or stand up to these pressures. Instead, Carries succumbs to the peer pressure from those around her, setting a bad example for impressionable adolescents.

In addition,“The Carrie Diaries” displays the idea of maturing through pushing oneself into uncomfortable situations.

The pressure to have sex is more and more prominent when a friend said that virginity is “so over” and Carrie prepares to lose her virginity to her boyfriend.

The show demonstrates nothing of the emotional importance of an act of love and treats sex as a necessity in a relationship rather than anything special. There is no depiction of the preparation and planning that goes into sex, leaving many viewers confused and feeling as if having sex is the only way to have and keep a boyfriend.

Watching this show, I’m inspired by the way that Carrie makes people want to follow their dreams, but unimpressed by the sacrifices of dignity and morals made to achieve goals.

“The Carrie Diaries” is very different from the original “Sex and the City.” The easygoing banter that made the characters more realistic in the original show changed to boring conversations from the dull characters in this prequel.

Carrie does not own her iconic Carrie necklace; she wears a personalized cross-body bag was her mother’s.

Minor details that have been changed to make the viewers miss “Sex and the City” even more.

Although the show is boring, stereotypical and predictable, many are dedicated to “The Carrie Diaries” because of their loyalty to the old Carrie.

To me, the show seems slightly dated, as it supposedly takes place in the 1980s and the characters are old fashioned and unoriginal. It’s harder for me to connect with to the new Carrie. I was left disappointed.

BREAKDOWN

THE

SPLIT

By Hyunnew Choi

13

graphic by David Gorelick

The Roar investigates how divorce influences the lives of students with separated parents

A

few days before her eighth Christmas, junior Liana Butchard wrote a letter to Santa saying she did not want toys, like she had in past years. Instead, she had only one wish: her parents getting back together.

Shortly after her parents divorced when she was 6 years old, Butchard found herself frequently wishing for a traditional family with two married parents.

“I just wanted my family to be like my friends’ families,” she said. “It was less about the specifics and more about wanting what other people had.”

Like Butchard, junior Tristan Pesaresi was young when his parents separated.

He said the divorce has posed various challenges, many of which have shaped his daily responsibilities and personality. “[Divorce] definitely takes something out of you, but it also builds a lot of character. It definitely shows me more sides of life,” he said.

According to Pesaresi, one of biggest challenges of dealing with divorce is trying to please parents with contrasting views and opinions.

“The challenge is figuring out what they both want from me because they both

have different standards that I have to at least meet in some way or another,” he said.

Sophomore Anna Mason said similar struggles have led her to focus on fulfilling others’ needs rather than her own.

“I think because of that pressure to please both parents, I’m a person that is very eager to please others and maybe take some self-sacrifices to please other people,” she said. “You need to make sure that other people do have what they need, but you also need to make sure you have what you need. The divorce has made that problem of balance for me.”

In addition to the daily struggles of having divorced parents, Pesaresi sits through his parents’ disagreements in court once every two months. His parents are often unable to make unified decisions concerning Pesaresi. For example, his parents disagreed about whether Pesaresi could fly alone to Italy, where his father currently lives.

Pesaresi said the turmoil between his parents has forced him and his sister

to rely on one another, rather than on their parents.

“I’ve had to advocate for myself when my mom can’t or doesn’t, but it makes me have to parent my sister,” he said. “We have to be adults when we shouldn’t be. It definitely prepares us for when we’re older, but I feel like you need a childhood, and you need to be able to mess up.”

Junior Grace Smith said her parents’ divorce forced her to grow up

the kids are where they’re supposed to be. Those kinds of things sort of happen naturally when a family is together, but it takes a lot more effort when the parents are not together,” Tracy said. “[Grace] has had to really take ownership of her school work and her personal life and getting around.

She’s always been independent as it is, but I think she’s kind of had to rely on herself to make arrangements for carpool and things like that.”

Mason said that in addition to gaining independence from her parents’ divorce, she has also learned lessons through difficulties at home, which she has applied to similar situations at school.

“I’ve learned how to work with a group of people that have contrasting ideas and make sure that everyone has a little bit of what they want,” she said.

Butchard said a complex environment at home has influenced the way she interacts with others.

“I matured pretty quickly when it was happening just because it was a little confusing to not know whether I was not supposed to talk about my dad with my

[Divorce] definitely takes a lot out of you, but it also builds a lot of character.

- Tristan Pesaresi, Class of 2014 independently, but this independence has contributed to her level of maturity.

“I’ve learned to grow up and take care of myself sometimes. When I was younger, it was hard [being so independent], but it’s gotten easier because I’m used to it,” she said. “It becomes a way of life.”

Smith’s mother Tracy Smith agreed and said both Smith’s father and she have relied on their daughter’s maturity when faced with logistical difficulties of the divorce. “[It’s a challenge] making sure

mom and my mom with my dad,” she said.

“So I think I’m a very aware person in terms of knowing what to say or knowing how to behave around certain people.”

Pesaresi agreed that the environment at home significantly influences the development of one’s character. He said that although the divorce process has been challenging, he believes that if his parents had not separated, the environment at home would have adversely affected his relations with others.

“I feel that if my parents were still together, I’d be a much more cynical person and much different from the way I am now,” he said. “If you grow up around constant unhappiness, it leads to problems growing up. If you see fights, you think that’s normal, so you treat people like that, and it carries out into who you are when you’re interacting with people.”

Smith said that she, like Pesaresi, has grown into a distinct person in account of the divorce and its contributing factors.

“I wouldn’t really be who I am today if they had stayed together. I’ve become … very much my own person. I think that’s because of the divorce since I’m forced to do things on my own a lot and adapt to everything in life,” she said. “It does suck that they aren’t together, but there’s both good and bad.”

There is one divorce every 13 seconds in the U.S.*

53

percent of U.S. marriages end in divorce *

49 percent of marriages in MA end in divorce * * According to the National Center for Health Statistics

14

may 1, 2013

centerfold

Editor discusses the difficulty of splitting his time between divorced parents

graphic by Mika Gross

Yonatan Gazit Editor-in-Chief

Last spring I went out with a friend, and not wanting my parents to nag or check up on me, I told my dad I was at my mom’s house and vice versa.

Neither suspected that I had actually spent the night roaming around the Greater Boston area.

Since my parents rarely talk, the plan was foolproof. That night was the first time I pulled an all-nighter.

My parents got divorced when I was about three years old. Back then, many of the complications that came with being a child of divorce were left to my parents. As I got older, however, I had more power to solve issues that arose, but also more of blame.

The most frequent problem that comes up between my parents and me is custody, how much time I spend with each of them.

I have been living in two separate houses since the divorce, and I don’t have a single memory from before my parents split — I can’t imagine what having both parents under the same roof might feel like. But I don’t feel bitter or angry about my situation because I understand that in the long run it was better for me to grow up in two quiet houses than one in constant turmoil.

Actually, I often use my parents’ divorce as an excuse for just about anything or to poke fun at them. Last September I wished them both a happy anniversary.

Whenever I get a bad grade and my dad asks what happened, I tell him it is because my parents are divorced. If he asks me why I went to bed at 1 a.m. the night before, I tell him it is because my parents are divorced.

Whenever I don’t have a legitimate excuse, I say it is because my parents got divorced. Yet even now when I can joke about my situation, I am left with some tough issues following the divorce.

When my parents first got divorced, they had joint custody of my sister and me. Since I was only three at the time and couldn’t clearly articulate my opinions, I didn’t have much say in the

court’s decision. After a few years, however, in which my parents could barely agree on anything, my dad appealed to have full custody of me and my sister. The court ruled in his favor and appointed my mom visiting rights. It was then that the schedule that I follow today was made.

Legally, I’m supposed to split my time about 70-30 between my dad and mom. On Thursdays and alternating weekends, I’m supposed to be with my mom. This has been my weekly routine for as long as I can remember.

Until I started high school, my parents had to ensure that this routine stayed in place. It was up to them to make sure my sister and I spent every Thursday at my mom’s house and to remember which one had the two of us for the weekend.

If, for some reason, there was a deviation from the plan, my parents had to work it out.

At t h a t time, for me, the routine was a constant.

It wasn’t until my sister was a senior at Gann Academy and I was a freshman at South that I realized I could change the routine.

During her senior year, my sister slumped a bit too hard during the second half of the year. Naturally, my dad became upset when slumping started to have a noticeable impact on her grades.

Instead of listening to my dad, my sister’s response was to move into my mom’s house full time because my mom was much less strict about grades, and for about a month and a half my sister severed all contact with my dad.

Eventually, my sister did come back to my dad’s house and things settled down, but she made me realize that as I grew older, more mature and a bit better looking, I had a much larger say in where I wanted to spend my time. I could change the schedule; if I wanted to, I could completely flip the schedule so

that I’d spend Thursdays and every other weekend with my dad.

At the same time, though, I learned that Spiderman was right — with great power comes great responsibility. I saw how not having my sister around affected my dad, even though he said he didn’t care.

I understood how tough it could be for a parent to not spend time with their child, and because of what my sister did, today I am more sensitive to upsetting either of my parents.

One Thursday at the start of this school year, my mom sat me down and told me she was going to get married. I had never met her fiancé, and it turned out my mom had only seen him “about six times” beforehand, as she put it.

I was speechless, only thinking, “isn’t one divorce enough for you?” That weekend I was supposed to be with her, but I needed time to process the news, so I told her I had some stuff I needed to do at my dad’s house.

That Monday night my maternal grandmother called me, telling me my mom called her crying hysterically saying her only son didn’t love her anymore. I explained that I didn’t come over because I needed to think about what was happening, and I then called my mom to tell her all I needed was some time.

Whenever things like this happen, my first reaction is usually to ask why. I never asked for divorced parents, or to be the younger child left behind while my sister doesn’t have to deal with these things while at college.

I have come to realize, however, that I could yell at the top of my lungs for hours on end out of anger, but no matter how long it would take until I ran out of breath or my voice got too hoarse, the problem would still be patiently waiting for me afterwards.

Leaving children in control of their own custody is akin to asking them to choose one parent over the other.

I have to tackle these problems head on, which is much easier said than done, if I ever expect to get past them.

All it took was one weekend and some miscommunication to push my mom to hysterics. Had this happened five years ago, I wouldn’t have had any say in whose house I stayed at and probably would have never gotten that call from my grandmother. I have to be extremely cautious about how I balance my time between parents or else situations like this one occur.

Ever since my sister moved away for college, my parents want to spend as much time as possible with me. I love both my parents, but they simultaneously decided that I should call the shots about where I stay (hoping I spend more time with them) and then became hypersensitive to missing out on time with me.

This means that I’m to blame if either of my parents is angry about not seeing me enough, which seems to be more and more frequent as I come closer to graduating.

Many of the problems that I face are similar to those of other kids with divorced parents. Although, there may be differences between our exact situations, the overarching problems are the same.

If both parents are still in the child’s life, he or she has to split their time between the two of them and keep them both happy.

I stuck to the same routine I have had for the past 14 years trying to maintain this happiness, but as I grow older, ensuring everyone is happy has been getting harder and harder.

As teenagers mature, they have more say in what happens in their lives, which in the case of children of divorce includes their custody. Leaving children in control of their own custody is akin to asking them to choose one parent over the other.

How can anyone be expected to choose between his or her parents? This is a struggle for anyone who has a say in their custody i.e. anybody over the age of 14 with divorced parents. I have over a year to struggle with that question, and I hope I’m never asked to answer it.

features volume 29

issue 8

may 1, 2013

Cake

15

page

Boss Senior Nathan Matzka has loved cooking since he was a kid and is attending the Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts in the Fall

photo by Yu-Ching Chang

Matzka bakes with the Oneg Shabbat Committee at his temple. He looks forward to expanding his range of ingrediences and techniques so he can better improve his skills as a chef.

By Sophia Fisher and Maggie Zhang In addition to being an actor, Boy Scout and student, senior Nathan Matzka has another title: master of the duck-butt cupcakes.

“It looks like a duck reaching down underwater, so just the butt’s showing up,” Matzka’s mother, Nancy Goldberg, said.

“So it’s sassy, but they’re delicious, and they’re just funny to look at. To me, that’s a Nathan cupcake. A little unexpected, but really pretty.”

According to Goldberg, Matzka shares his passion for cupcakes with friends and family alike.

“He loves to make cupcakes,” she said. “He’ll have friends over and make cupcakes. It’s sweet and it’s creative.”

Although Matzka has never taken formal culinary classes, he aspires be a chef. “It’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “It’s just something that I’d love to do for the rest of my life.”

Matzka currently works at the New England Soup Factory and will attend the Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts in the Fall.

Goldberg said Matzka has taken interest in cooking since his toddler years.

“Even in preschool, when he’d have playdates, other kids would be focused on the toys ... he’d always find a menu,” Goldberg said.

Matzka’s friend, sophomore Nikki Caminetsky agreed that Matzka has always derived happiness from cooking. “He’s always had an interest in [cooking],” she said. “He’s really happy working around

food and he just really enjoys it.”

Goldberg said that as Matzka grew older, his enthusiasm about cooking expanded to baking cookies for his congregation at Temple Shalom in Newton. The Oneg Shabbat Committee, which bakes desserts for the congregation to eat after

“

career with cookies and other snacks, he said he would like to use fresh, sustainable ingredients as a professional chef.

“It’d be my dream job to be a chef in a farm-to-table restaurant, where everything is grown locally and organically,” he said. “One, because it’s awesome to be

Nancy Goldberg

They’d invite him to cook with them and praise his efforts and work with him until he got better at it ...

It was like having 12 extra grandmothers praising your work.

Friday night services, adopted Matzka as one of their own.

“He got on that committee as a young, grade-school kid,” Goldberg said.

“They’d invite him to cook with them and praise his efforts and work with him until he got better at it … It was like having 12 extra grandmothers praising your work.”

Matzka said the women had a major influence in his decision to become a chef. “[One woman in particular] would always invite me over and show me her old recipes for baking cookies and stuff,” he said.

“No matter how poorly they came out, or how much I messed up the recipe, she always told me that I could do it and that I was going to make great things one day.”

Although Matzka began his cooking

sustainable; two, it’s always the freshest ingredients that have the best flavor.”

Matzka said that though he has found his niche in cooking, putting this passion into practice will still pose challenges.

South’s lack of a vocational education program for cooking has also been a challenge for Matzka.

“He has pursued an academic course of study, and yet he wants to go to chef school,” Goldberg said. “Usually you pick one or the other, and he does both … it’s not the traditional background that one applies to

culinary school.”

Matzka said that his friends’ and family’s encouragement has helped and will continue to help him overcome these challenges.

“They’re very supportive,” Matzka said. “My mom tells me that once I become a chef, she wants me to cook for at least one holiday a year.”

Caminetsky said Matzka has the talent necessary to succeed as a chef.

“He’s a quick learner. He’ll catch on very quickly,” Caminetsky said. “I’m just really glad that he’s doing something that he enjoys doing … I think that he’ll be really successful.”

Clayton said she admires Matzka’s dedication to his goals.

“I think that he found a passion in his life and he decided to really go for it, and I find that admirable,” she said. “It might take a long time for results that he wants, but I think that he will persevere and succeed in the end.”

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may 1, 2013

features

APPLICATION

THE

The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate their way through the college process over the course of the school year

By Caroline Zola

photo by Sofia Osorio

Senior Jake Gitlin, formerly referred to as Tyler, has officially enrolled at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst (UMass.) Gitlin was also accepted to University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire and Union College and waitlisted at the College of William and Mary and University of Richmond. Ultimately, however, Gitlin said that he chose UMass because he felt like it would be a better place for him. “It was, like, money and location, and I thought about it and was like, ‘You know what? Whatever. I want to go to UMass - Amherst,’ so I sent my money to UMass,” he said. Now, Gitlin has been focusing on finding and meeting his roommate through an online system called Roomsurf to prepare himself for next year.

“I filled out ... a survey on Roomsurf, and I looked through my matches ... and I came across Dan ... and I found out he goes to North,” he said. “We hit it off ... he’s a relaxed guy, laidback, very nice, open about things, a really chill guy, and we just started talking.” Gitlin said that he and Dan have decided to room together. Gitlin has also signed up to attend an orientation day, spoken to other incoming freshman and started researching where he wants to live.

Overall, Gitlin said, he is now just getting excited for college and is happy that the pressure of the admission process is over.

“It was a very stressful process, but once it’s over, I feel like I’m weightless, a huge weight is off my shoulders,” he said. “It’s nice.”

graphic by David Gorelik

Emmy’s identity is not being revealed yet because she has heard back from all of her colleges except University of Waterloo, which she expects to hear from in the mid-May. Emmy has already been accepted to University of Toronto, McMaster University, McGill University, University of Massachusetts - Amherst and Northeastern University, but after touring McMaster, Toronto and Waterloo over her April vacation, Emmy has made a decision.

“I am going to Waterloo if I get in, and if I don’t I’m going to University of Toronto,” she said. Emmy’s timeline is unique because the three schools she is considering are in Canada. The Canadian decisions can be released as late as mid-May, and decisions are due on June 1st, as opposed the common American due date of May 1st.

Despite the wait, Emmy remains enthusiastic about her college prospects, specifically University of Waterloo because of its cooperative education system, which allows students to gain work experience while taking college classes.

“Waterloo has the best co-op program I have ever seen, and that is something I have really looked for in the college process,” Emmy said. “It gives you real world work experience while you’re still in school ... I don’t want to go into research or anything like that. I want to go into the workforce, so the more opportunity I have to do that while still in school and get that experience, the better it will be for me.”

photo by Dylan Block

Senior Lucian Cascino, formerly known as Greg, will spend next year at Tabor Academy participating in a postgraduate year, a fifth year of high school many athletes pursue to better prepare them for the college recruitment process. Recently, Cascino visited the school for an accepted student day. Cascino spent the day touring the school, observing classes and meeting with athletic coaches, all of which he said went well. “[The visit] made me, actually, more excited to go,” Cascino said. “It seems like it’s a very interesting atmosphere there at this school since classes are a lot smaller and a lot more relaxed.” Although the majority of seniors will attend college next year, Cascino said that choosing to instead pursue a postgraduate year feels like the right decision. “I don’t really feel weird at all. It’s becoming a lot more common for students to take postgraduate years,” Cascino said. “I don’t feel strange because of this because I just thought this was the best route, and it’s not a cop out in my opinion. I was able to get into colleges, so this just was a better option for me at the time.” While getting excited for his year at Tabor Academy, Cascino is also re-starting the college application and recruitment process and is starting to look at liberal arts schools like Wesleyan University, Sacred Heart University and Trinity College. This time, however, Cascino said colleges are more interested in him because of his post graduate year. “[The application process] is literally the same thing, although colleges will look at a student who takes a postgraduate year and be more interested in them and give them opportunity for programs they would have never considered before, and now they’re interested in looking at you because of this postgraduate year.”

photo by Dylan Block

Senior Taylor Beidler, formerly referred to as Heather, has committed to attending the Boston University School of Theatre next year, which she said was her top choice.

Although she was also accepted to Emerson College, Bennington college, The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, University of the Arts Philadelphia and Drew University, Beidler said that the specific program that Boston University offers make the school appealing to her because she will not have to declare a major until her sophomore year. “[At Boston University] you have a freshman performance corps where you take conservatory acting classes, and from there you decide if you want to go into a BFA acting or a BFA theatre arts,” Beidler said. “For other programs that I got accepted to I kind of had to make that decision now, and that’s not a decision I’m ready to make considering that I haven’t even been to a conservatory style school yet.”

Beidler said that attending an accepted student day at the Boston University College of Fine Arts and shadowing students in the acting program made her even more excited about studying at Boston University because she became more familiar with the professors and the features of the program, including a small class size and a diverse student body.

“I met the professors, and it’s great because ... they’re really only expecting a freshman class size of about 65. You really kind of get to develop relationships with all of these professors,” Beidler said. “[And] what I love most about this program is how diverse the student body is, even with such a small class size. I met ... all different types of people and all different types of artists and actors.”

While her audition and application process was stressful, Beidler said that she is now just getting excited to go to college and focusing on graduating.

“I just have to graduate high school, but I’m going to college,” she said.

may 1, 2013

features

17

Express Yourself Despite criticism, students find meaning in tattoos and piercings Feli Kuperwasser & Allie Lushan

photo by Katie Asch

Clockwise from above: Kelsey Logan, Vinny Milani, Guya Tuval and Tuval again.

Features Reporters

Tattoos are often seen as a form of rebellion, but for junior Alexander DeSouza, his tattoo represents an important family value. DeSouza has a tattoo on his left arm of the sun and the moon.

“I got it … while I was in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, where the Mayans lived,” he said. “I always wanted to have a tattoo,” he said. “The sun and the moon, and also Mayan philosophy were always very important to [my family]. They represented opposite forces that when together, are balanced. One half completes the other.”

For some students, tattoos and piercings are a means of personal expression. “It’s not that I don’t care about what other people think,” sophomore Kelsey Logan, who has multiple ear piercings and a navel piercing, said. “They have their own opinions, and that’s fine ... as long as I like [my piercings], then that’s all that really matters.”

According to Logan, her family is supportive of her piercings.

“Basically everyone in my family has them,” she said.

photo by Sofia Osorio

Senior Guya Tuval has two tattoos: one of a sunflower and one of an aquarius symbol.

“Most of my family and friends were accepting of my tattoos, some people might have been confused about why I rushed to do it at such an early age,” she said. “For me it’s just a form of expressing myself.”

Tuval said that both tattoos are significant to her, so she spends little time worrying about criticism.

“I’m sure there are some people who judge me for having tattoos but I don’t really think about that,” she said, “[My tattoos] both mean a lot to me. It’s not that I got bored and decided to get inked,” she said.

For some students, however, having a tattoo means being under frequent scrutiny. Junior Ally* has a tattoo across her rib cage of an Arabic phrase that means “with God through thick and thin.”

Ally said that she identifies as very religious, and for her, the tattoo is a way of

photo courtesy of Vinny Milani

expressing her love for God. Ally said her experience with having a tattoo has not been entirely positive. She said some people make assumptions about her based on her tattoo.

“When I wear a bathing suit and [people] see the tattoo, they would stare at it, and … think the place I got it is vulgar … and so, they would just ... say ‘Oh, wow ... she gets around,’” Ally said.

Ally said that even her sister, who also identifies as very religious, was critical of her choice to get a tattoo.

“My sister ... was very upset with me,” Ally said. “She thinks [my tattoo] is vulgar … She’s very religious, as I am, but

she believes the way God makes you is the way you should stay.” Additionally, Ally said she is afraid of her teachers ever finding out about her tattoo.

“My teachers don’t know [I have a tattoo], and I want to keep it that way. I don’t want them to know, because then they will look at me differently,” said Ally.

“I like to hide [my tattoo],” Ally said.

People are not usually judged based on piercings and tattoos, freshman Brianna Rivers said. Rivers has had her ears pierced since she was a few months old.

“Sometimes people can judge other people based on [if they have tattoos or piercings] ... [but] I don’t really care about who the person is on the outside,” Rivers said. “I just care about who they are.”

Rivers’ mother, Alana Rivers, has two tattoos and three piercings and supports the decisions of those who choose to get them.

“I think it all depends on the individual and how they handle themselves. If you’re a responsible, respectful individual, then it shouldn’t matter what you do,” Alana said. “It’s who you are.”

Black Student Union welcomes all students Maia Fefer & Shelley Friedland Features Editors

Once a week, the Black Student Union (BSU) fills library classroom 7113 with students who come together to discuss issues important to them, which primarily regarding race and culture.

According to BSU members, the club strives to create a place where not only African American students, but also students of other races can feel comfortable and participate in the club’s activities.

Although the club’s name may imply exclusivity, BSU is not only for African American students. “I just love having white students involved so it’s not just a black student organization,” BSU adviser Katani Sumner said.

“Anyone can come.”

Several white students have participated in BSU, and although it is uncommon for white people to join, club members say that they are included and respected.

“I feel like a lot of people think that because it is called Black Student Union, it excludes people who aren’t black. We actually had a white student come, which was not a problem. We had a white student be a secretary. It is unusual, but they are welcome,” senior and BSU Vice President Jonee Harrison said.

Many members of the club encourage students outside of the African American community to join.

“I want the student body to know that BSU is open to any race, to know that we’re not trying to leave anyone out or be an isolated kind of atmosphere,” senior Shafia Gray said. “I would recommend for more white people to check it out.”

The club helps preserve an African American

community at South, according to Harrison. “This is a predominately white school, so it gives [African American students] a chance to express themselves and feel comfortable.”

Senior and BSU President Chelsea Jones agreed with Harrison. “We try to build a small community into a large community so that people can speak their voices in this school,” Jones said. “We make it available for them to

We try to build a small community into a large community so that people can speak their voices in this school.

- Chelsea Jones, Class of 2013 have somewhere to go because it is better to be represented some way than not at all.”

During BSU meetings, members do more than just have discussions. “We don’t only talk about racism. We also play a lot of games to get to know each other so that we can trust each other to tell each other about stuff going on in the school,” Harrison said.

Sumner said that activities at the meetings vary. “It’s pretty free flowing and loose, but sometimes we might watch video clips and talk about them, sometimes we might talk about something that’s going on in school,” Sumner said. “If students had a particular issue they want

to talk about, if they feel as if someone may have approached them incorrectly, [they talk about it at a BSU meeting] … it’s kind of a free place for people to share.”

The Black Student Union also organizes several projects to raise awareness, and every year they hold a fundraiser to pay for the club’s expenses. “We usually sell citrus fruits and that provide us with funding to do other activities, like [paying] for the Honor Roll lunch for African Americans and students of color,” Sumner said. “[The members of BSU] want to have a cultural dinner celebration at the end [of the year], so we raised money for that.”

Additionally, during the month of February, BSU members host an annual Black History Day. “Recently we had the Black History Day, which is where we have local presentations promoting Black culture and just spreading awareness on Black issues from the past and now,” Harrison said.

According to members, BSU is a safe community for students to come together and talk. “I think we’re like a big family,” senior and BSU secretary T’lani Tyler said.

Gray agreed with Tyler. “[BSU is] almost like a safe house, where you can just tell people about your teacher [with whom] … you had a rough day,” she said.

In Sumner’s opinion, BSU is a necessary club for students to feel comfortable at school and have a support system. “I used to be a METCO student … and I knew how important it was to have a group who you could just come together with and talk with,” she said. “Students ... wanted to have a place to call their own,” For freshman Zachary Lyncee, the club has been a positive experience. “I have to say that every memory [of the club] is a fond memory,” he said. “I have enjoyed … just listening to everyone talk.”

may 1, 2013

features

Jung Min Lee is...

19

Every issue, The Roar randomly selects a student and explores what makes him or her unique.

from

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photo courtesy of Jung Min Lee

Junior Jung Min Lee connects her Korean and American identities through poetry translation

By Caroline Zola Once a week, junior Jung Min Lee volunteers with other Korean students in the area to translate Korean stories and poems into English, which helps her maintain a link between her Korean heritage and American culture.

Jung Min translates old Korean poetry about women working for Korea’s independence, an experience she said is both challenging and rewarding.

“I have a lot of difficulties with all the poetic languages ... ‘How do I translate this to English?’ ‘I don’t think this makes sense.’ But I think maybe by the end of the year we can finish publishing,” Jung Min said.

“The poems are about women who work for Korea’s independence, so each poem is about a particular person, and since [women are] not really portrayed well in history, [the poems are] very interesting to [read],” she said.

Jung Min also volunteers with a Korean cultural outreach program to translate Korean literature to English. The group compiled some of the stories into a book.

“Last year, our group …

translated Korean folk tales into English. We also have illustrations done by students and [the book] is currently selling on Amazon,” she said. “The title is ‘When the Tiger Used to Smoke.’”

Translating Korean writing is just one example of Jung Min incorporating different cultures into her life in America. Jung Min’s father is a diplomat for her native country of South Korea to Libya.

Her family usually moves every two years when her father’s position changes. This year, her family has chosen to stay in the United States while her father works in Libya.

Jung Min said that she has worked to get through the changes in culture, though it has not always been easy. Although she was born in South Korea, Jung Min has also lived in North and South Vietnam.

Before starting 8th grade, Jung Min moved to Newton and began attending Brown Middle School.

Freshman year, she said, was difficult as she found herself questioning her true identity and nationality. “In 9th grade I had a very hard time ... and during that time I thought a lot about who I was, [to] what category ... I fit

in,” Jung Min said. “I wouldn’t really identify myself as a full just really Korean person ... I also don’t identify myself as American because I have some Korean values ... I guess I identify myself as not really in any of the groups, but in a group that belongs to no one.”

Despite cultural setbacks, Jung Min’s friends, family and teachers said that she is a content and bubbly girl who is always

I identify myself as not really in any of the groups, but in a group that belongs to no one.

- Jung Min Lee, Class of 2014 willing to help others.

After taking honors chemistry her sophomore year, Jung Min was asked by chemistry teacher Alan Crosby to work as a teacher’s assistant the following year.

Crosby said that Jung Min’s positive spirit and attitude will lead her to success. “Jung Min

will go far,” he said. “She’ll do well. She’s a good mixture of fun and work with the right attitude about it.”

Jung Min’s friend, junior Vinh-Hop Ngo, said that Jung Min’s bright personality is magnetic. “She’s alway happy with everyone,” Ngo said. “When she meets someone, she says ‘Hi.’ Even if ... they don’t see her, she makes them see her.”

According to Jung Min, she and Ngo’s friendship is strengthened by a shared past in Vietnam. “It was very interesting because when I first met [Ngo] in ninth grade her name sounded familiar, so I asked if she was Vietnamese, and she said she was, and we knew the same people in the same city,” Jung Min said.

Sophomore Seungmin Lee, Jung Min’s sister, said that Jung Min is constantly looking out for others.

“She’s kind of like a second mother to me and my younger brother,” Lee said. “She always takes care [of] us. I feel like she is the person who always takes care of other people.”

Jung Min said there is more to being a diplomat’s daughter

than just being a content high schooler. Her father’s position has had a profound effect on her personality and the way she carries herself, she said.

“Since I was little, my parents have always told me that people from other countries judge [me and] my country by how I act,” Jung Min said. “So I always have to ask properly [and politely].”

Jung Min said, however, that she often prefers to have fun than to act according to societal expectation. “I never thought I actually listened to my parents in that sense very well,” Jung Min said. “I still had a lot of fun rather than go all manner and proper.”

Working as a translator with other Korean students has helped answer some of Jung Min’s identity questions.

“During ... the folktale publishing, we met [nearly] every weekend,” she said. “And since we are all Korean students who’ve lived here outside their home country for a long time, we’ve had some talks about how Korean ideology is different from American, how our parents don’t understand us sometimes. I think I learned a lot,” she said.

sports volume 29

issue 8

page

may 1, 2013

20

SCHOOL SPIRIT

BLUES

Despite substantial student support for the boys and girls basketball teams in their playoff runs, school spirit remains a controversial topic at South photo courtesy of Yu-Ching Chang

Students cheer on the girls basketball team during a playoff game this year. According to some students, the display of school spirit at the game was uncharacteristic of South.

A

By Yu-En Chang, David Kim and Darren Trementozzi

sea of blue covered the stands of North’s gym during the girls basketball team’s playoff game in March as South students joined together in an act of solidarity and school spirit.

According to several students, however, the support shown at the game is uncharacteristic of South students.

“I don’t attend [the games] unless I’m on the team and I play in it. I sometimes go to ones I don’t [compete in], but that’s mostly because I know the game and the people who play, so I’d be there to support my friends playing as well,” sophomore Anton Malin said.

Sophomore Danny Brack said that the only reason he goes to sports games is his “obligation as a player in the team.”

Other students saidBthat they go to the games to Y YOONCHAN CHOI spend time with their friends.

Junior Matthew Lu said, “I mostly go with my friends. I never go if none of my friends are going.”

Several students think that making the playoffs, which South’s girls basketball team did this season, helps motivate the average student to attend and watch the games.

“A winning record, more often than not, means a team is pretty good — and for a reason. It makes the game so much more fun to watch South win and it’s not a match between two weaklings,” Malin said.

Sophomore Daniel Goldstein agreed that the team’s success affects student’s attitude towards attending games. “When we win it’s actually fun to watch, and I think more people would go if teams started a winning streak,” he said.

Even though many South sports are doing well, several students believe that lack of time restricts them from watching the games.

When asked what held him back from watching games on a regular basis, Malin said, “I would go to any game so long as it’s entertaining to watch and worth taking

the time out of my day to do so. Maybe they are worth it, but unless I’m specifically invited, I won’t go since I’m a busy guy.”

“Although it would be nice having people attend more games and meets, not everyone is willing to spend their time going to sports events,” Lu said.

Even with successful sports teams, some students reveal that several sports are boring and unexciting to watch. “Lets face it, some sports are just not entertaining

Although it would be nice having people attend more games and meets, not everyone is willing to spend their time going to sports events.

-Matthew Lu, Class of 2014 at all,” Malin said.

Several students say sports like football and basketball attract the most attention and spectators because they are more popular sports in general. Many students said that they want to go and watch the football games more than any other sport’s games.

Lu said, “Out of all the sports here at South, I would want to go watch football because it’s just so popular among everyone and I feel like it would have so much

excitement and intensity.”

With popular sports like football garnering the majority of the interest among the student body, many other South sports, overcast by the more popular games, fail to attract enough attention.

Sophomore Ian Paul said, “Compared to sports like football and basketball, which get a lot of the spotlight, many other sports at South are most of the times just ignored.”

This sentiment can also be seen in the decision by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to cut boys gymnastics in public schools around the state due to the lack of supporters and poor attendance in meets.

Despite the low attendance at South sporting events, these underwhelming figures do not reflect the interest several South students have towards playing sports. Sophomore Charles Goodfriend said, “I like sports in general because they encourage a healthy lifestyle, and I just love being in teams and its environment.”

Malin feels the same. “I like sports. Many of them are fun to play, especially in a social environment with friends, and it’s also good exercise,” he said.

Several students also said that when trying to find a good extracurricular activity, they found sports to be the most suitable and fitting. “ I think sports are a great extracurricular activity, especially if you’re trying to find something to do after school,” Malin said.

Sports are also a great way for some students to relieve stress accumulated from a long day of school and can help set one’s mind off of the school workload for a certain amount of time, according to various students.

“Whenever I go to the gym for gymnastics, I can start not thinking about all the homeworks I have to do, which really pulls a lot of stress off of me,” Lu said.

sports

may 1, 2013

21

Marathon Club flourishes, increases numbers Daniel Carney & George Morgan

Sports Contributor, Sports Reporter In 2008, the first Dreamfar High Scool Marathon (DHSM) team was introduced at South with the goal of training students and teachers for the Providence Marathon. In the years following, DHSM has expanded to include high schools from across the MetroWest Boston area.

According to the Dreamfar High School Marathon (DHSM) website, “DHSM gives students the opportunity to realize the significant achievement of completing a marathon through a training program that values mentorship, dedication, hard work and support.”

In 2012, the program helped 51 students cross the finish line in Providence.

Senior Nicholas Hurney said that Dreamfar has helped him accomplish one of his longtime goals. “Having lived in Newton my entire life and having watched the Boston Marathon every year since I was little, I had always wanted to run a marathon, but I never thought I would be able to,” he said. “When I heard about Dreamfar, I was a little skeptical at first, but I thought I would try it out during my junior year. I stuck with it, I ran the Providence Marathon last year and I am back for a second year.”

Hurney said DHSM is about completion and goal-setting rather than competition.

“My personal goals are finishing

each run and race. Since this is my second year, I am pushing myself a little harder, because I know I can do better than I did last year,” he said. “I am not setting a time goal for the marathon, or any of the races.

Our goal is to complete the marathon, not compete in it.”

According to Hurney, another key belief of the program is inclusion. “There is a mentoring component to Dreamfar.

This year, we currently run in families,” Hurney said. “Each family has several students and several adult mentors, so one ever runs alone.”

World language department head and team mentor Suzanne DeRobert joined the Dreamfar Marathon Club last year. “I’ve witnessed the team running before and I had always toyed with the idea of running a marathon so I decided to join,” she said.

DeRobert said there are both returning Dreamfar participants and new members this year. “This year’s team is full of repeat runners, whereas last year there were mostly new members,” DeRobert said. “There are lots of new mentors this year as well.”

DeRobert also said the program has changed student participants for the better. “They are visibly more confident. You can see it when you see their faces,” she said. “It makes them act more mature both inside and outside of school.”

Throughout the training process, DHSM students are encouraged to participate in community service. Their website

photo courtesy of Jonah Kan

Junior Jonah Kan completes the New Bedford Half Marathon with one of his Dreamfar mentors.

says, “DHSM students ... are asked to volunteer with different running organizations throughout the season. Whether it’s to assemble goodie bags or actually man a race day water stop, our students learn the importance of giving back to the community.”

Sophomore Katherine Zhu said she joined the Dreamfar Marathon Club because of the athletic community it offers.

“I wanted to get some more exercise, but I didn’t want to do cross country or track,” Zhu said. “I heard about how the Dreamfar Club was more team-oriented, so I decided to try it.”

Zhu said that thus far, she has enjoyed participating in the club. “I got to meet a bunch of new people from other schools. The club definitely benefits everyone positively.”

Seniors pursue collegiate lacrosse

This coming fall, three lacrosse captains will be taking their talents to college. See what they said about their experiences in the sport as well as their futures at their respective universities

By Jack McElduff and Darren Trementozzi

photo by Katie Asch

Captain Sam Houston-Read was recruited by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, a Division III school that competes in the Liberty League. Houston-Read, who has played lacrosse for five years, said that the most important skill in the sport is dilligence. “Work hard both on the field and in the classroom, because even if you are the best player in the world, you can’t play collegiately if you don’t take care of business in the classroom,” he said. As well as the importance of hard work, HoustonRead also believes that persistence is key in the recruitment process. “Be proactive,” he said. “Always be in contact with the schools you’re interested in.”

photo by Sofia Osorio

Captain Zach Pawa will be playing at Colorado College, a Division III institution in Colorado Springs, CO that is a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Confer-

Just stick with it, and keep in contact with the schools you want to go to.

- Zach Pawa, Class of 2013 ence. Pawa, who started playing the sport in 7th grade, attributes his success on the field to family. “I began playing because my cousin was a great player and a great role model for me growing up,” he said. Pawa also believes that hard work pays off. “Just stick with it, and keep in contact with the schools you want to go to.”

photo by Sofia Osorio

Captain Brian Spink will be heading to Division III Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. Earlier this year, Spink was recruited by the program, and after touring the campus, he was sold on the college. Spink said that the school offers more than just athletic opportunity. “They also have what I am looking for in a school with criminal justice, so I am really excited about that,” he said. When Spink started playing lacrosse in 7th grade, he said he never imained collegiate lacrosse to be a realistic possiblity. “Just because you’re at Newton South doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance to make it to the next level,” he said.

22

sports

may 1, 2013

THE ULTIMATE BALANCE South’s student-run ultimate frisbee team, Angry Corn, balances competition and pleasure

photos by Aaron Edelstein

Players on Angry Corn practice for upcoming games. Participants said that regardless of having no coaching staff, the team provides a relaxed yet competitive envirornment.

Lizzie Fineman & Robby Fineman

Sports Editor, Sports Reporter South’s ultimate frisbee team, Angry Corn, proves that frisbee is much more than just tossing around a plastic disk in the backyard. Angry Corn is a completely student-run ultimate team that practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and plays games twice a week.

Senior and captain Jake Gitlin, who has been a member of the team since his freshman year, said that he enjoys both the physical exercise and laidback atmosphere of Angry Corn.

“I like frisbee because it’s a very relaxed sport. People don’t think of it as a sport, but it actually involves a lot of skill, a lot of athleticism, and it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “A good group of people do it.”

The team consists players in every grade. According to upperclassmen, the most effective way of trying to attract new members has been through word of mouth.

Junior and captain Elliot Martin said many join in this way.

“They just hear it from others then show up to the school meetings,” Martin said. “One of my friends told me about it.”

Along with this approach, the team also baits newcomers by putting up fliers and giving away free pizza.

Junior Tristan Pesaresi, who started frisbee this year, said that newcomers are always welcome, even if they have never played before.

“It’s really easy to start and to get to learn how to throw and stuff,” Pesaresi said. “It’s just that the plays and the strategies can be difficult, but we’re not spectacular, so any person that’s new will probably fit right in.”

Despite an increase in freshman to learn to run and to perfect to use in a quirements ... We don’t have adults mainly turnout, Gitlin said it is still a rebuilding game or else we won’t be very prepared,” because nobody wants to be helping us,” year for Angry Corn. he said. “A lot of the practices are spent Pesaresi said. “Being student based we “We definitely lost a lot of good learning about what that certain maneuver can critique each other much more than seniors last year, a lot of tall seniors to or tactic is and then drilling it until we a coach can. People do get angry about it, be specific,” he said. “We have a lot of know how to do it in games.” but we do learn much faster.” freshmen this year, so our team is really All players feel a love for the sport, Kirshenbaum agreed that the rebuilding. It’s probably not going to be as but some take it more seriously than othcaptains’ experience and knowledge of strong as last year’s team, but this year will ers do, Pesaresi said. the sport takes the place of the guidance a set up next year’s team to be really good.”

“We’re all close, but there’s a big divi- coach offers.

Gitlin said that ultimate frisbee re- sion between the team of upperclassmen,” “Yes, it can be difficult without a quires a great deal of athleticism and strategy. he said. “There are people who are really coach, but our captains are really knowl“People walk onto a frisbee team intense about frisbee and the people who edgeable and know what they’re doing, so thinking that it’s just throwing a disk, and are more mellow about it who just want to it’s also like there’s really no difference,” he there’s actually a lot more intricate mechanics play to have fun.” said. that are involved, Martin Gitlin said that the team successfully formations that agreed, and said balances work and play to create a friendly, we run and you that the team cooperative atmosphere.

There are people who are need to be able to can be both fun “We’re very relaxed, so there’s no run and be able to and intense. tension in the team. There’s no stress on really intense about frisbee toss a disk, that’s “I mean the team. When we’re at practice we have and the people who are more we have a laugh a good time,” he said. “On the field, we’re a athleticism,” he said. sometimes but cohesive group.” mellow about it who just Freshman it gets pretty Kirshenbaum agreed that the team want to play to have fun. frisbee player serious when it has a strong sense of camaraderie.

Kieran Fitzmaugets to games or “Without a coach and being a - Tristan Pesaresi, Class of 2014 rice, who also something,” he student-run team, we really hit that balplays basketball said. ance of having so much fun,” he said. “I’ve and tennis, Accordmade friends with so many people and agreed and said that ultimate requires the ing to players, the lack of adult supervision such close friendships with people that I same skills as other sports. “They both is both a blessing and a curse because it would not have even expected.” involve a lot of endurance,” Kieran said. calls for more freedom Gitlin said that during practices, and responsibility. the players participate in rigorous drills to They said that though a further their understanding of the sport. coach’s scheduling and “We run in the beginning of practice organizational skills to warm up. Then, we run drills to get peo- would benefit the team, Business days: 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. ple good at the mechanics of frisbee and the players can still the formations,” Gitlin said. “At the end we manage on their own.

Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. have a scrimmage to apply those skills.”

“We are student 1-888-232-2631 ask for Anatoly Sophomore Jonathan Kirshenbaum based, mainly because 617-484-1119 (24 hours towing) said these practices are vital to in-game we’re not approved by 48-50 Prentiss Street success. the school because we Watertown, MA 02472 “There are a lot of plays that we have don’t have all the re-

sports

may 1, 2013

23

Boys volleyball primed to continue success Sam Detjen & Jack McElduff Sports Contributor, Sr. Sports Editor

Over the last decade or so, South boys volleyball has been a program built around lofty expectations and success. Last season, the Lions tried to meet expectations, going on to a fourth consecutive sectional final.

Now, with five of six starters from last year graduated, younger talent looks to carry the Lions to success.

Coach Todd Elwell said he was pleased with the team’s effort last year. “I was very happy,” Elwell said. “I thought we did a nice job getting all the potential out of what we could do.” This year’s team, however, currently holds a record of 8-1 and looks to make an even bigger splash in the Dual County League than last year’s record of 16-6.

As the Lions prepared for the season, many players took to private clubs and leagues to ready their skills for the season. Senior and captain Zack Halpryn said preparation has been key for this season. “We had captains’ practices when boys’ basketball ended,” Halpryn said. “A lot of our players played club volleyball at a higher level”.

Junior Anthony Fu is confident that the loss of the seniors can be overcome. “Last year, we had a great run in the tournament,” Fu said. “This year will be better as the returning sophomores have more experience, and the upperclassmen also got better.” Sophomore Johnny Lee is similarly confident. “It has made some people a little worried about who will fill in those spots,” Lee said, “but it makes people push themselves to become the best they can be to take those spots before someone else beats them to it.”

The universal goal of the team this season is to exceed the team’s achievement last season of reaching the sectional finals. “I expect the team to make it to the

photo by Aaron Edelstein

After an exciting postseason run in 2012, the boys volleyball team is aiming for another playoff run this Spring. sectional finals again and win that round making it to the all state bracket,” Lee said.

Halpryn shares this belief, and said, “We expect to win the South sectional final.”

Elwell said his ultimate goal is improvement of the team as a whole through hard work. “I just want our kids

to get better every day,” Elwell said. “I want everybody to play to the highest level they can.”

Fu said that as long as players continue to work hard, the team’s efforts will have a favorable outcome.

“Everyone is working hard,” he said. “As long as we all do our part, we will be successful.”

South Scoreboard ***All information is as of 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, 2013***

Team

Next Game/Meet

Last Season’s Record Current Record

Boys Tennis

May 1: Away against Westford

7-9

1-3

Girls Tennis

May 1: Home against Westford

18-5

0-4

Softball

May 1: Away against Westford

9-11

5-1

Baseball

May 1: Home against Westford

11-11

3-2

Boys Lacrosse

May 2: Home against Concord-Carlisle

7-11

4-5

Girls Lacrosse

May 3: Home against Notre Dame

0-12

4-4-1

Boys Volleyball

May 1: Home against Arlington

16-7

8-1

Boys Outdoor Track

May 1: Home against Wayland

7-1

5-1

Girls Outdoor Track

May 1: Home against Wayland

5-3

5-1

24

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