Atlas, Volume 4, Issue 2

Commentary Bible in the curriculum?

Page 2

Features Fake Halloween in pics

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Arts Mac Miller: Grow Up! Page 5

Community There’s life after WMA Page 6

Sports 200 is magic Page 8

Wilbraham & Monson Academy

TLAS

A

Volume IV, Issue 2

By NICOLE ROBITAILLE ‘12 Staff Writer

As the fall trimester came to a close, students at Wilbraham & Monson Academy flooded the Founders Theater to watch the dance program perform their final show on Thursday, November 10th at 6:30pm.

In past years, the dance performances have taken place in the Jane McNamara Kelly Athletic Center in the dance room. However, with a new instructor, Ms. Melissa O’Grady came a change of scenery and production values, and the girls took the stage in Founders Theater with lighting and arena seating this year.

The seats filled up quickly, and the dance group performed before a standing room only crowd with many students sitting on the floor for a better view. According to Issa Best, “People were lining up outside the doors of Fisk just to get a seat.”

The twelve girls danced

The Global School ®

November 28, 2011

Let’s Dance!

to artists like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Adele.

While the first two selections were songs O’Grady has been waiting to choreograph, Take It All by Adele was a combination taught in class that the girls liked so much they wanted to put it in the show. To put together the costumes, the girls discussed the tone and imagery with each song and everyone brought in clothes that they thought would work well as costumes. After laying all the clothes on the floor they created each other’s costumes piece by piece.

Ms. O’Grady is no stranger

to the area. After growing up in the Sixteen Acres section of Springfield, O’Grady received her early training from the New England Dance Conservatory and was a member of their company New England Dance Theater.

She continued her studies in Pennsylvania at the University of Arts in Philadelphia. Upon graduating, O’Grady took her career to New York City where she continued to study dance at Dance New Amsterdam in addition to dancing for a company and performing in venues all around the city. Then, O’Grady and her husband moved back to Massachusetts to start a family.

While some girls have been dancing all their lives, others are novices time. Among the more experienced dancers were Stephanie and Kristin Reeves. The dance group also included: Ashley Impri-

Wilbraham, MA 01095

ano, Robin Dillon, Wen Yi Zhang, Ying Zhang, Yingxue (Yessica) Song, Lin-Hua Chen, Tae Young (Vivian) Youn, YaeHee Oh, Hyun Jung (Stephanie) Ji, and Isabel Geiss. Steph Reeves, commented, “There were lots of different types of dancers involved in the performance, but after a trimester of hard work I think we pulled together something we can be proud of.”

The wide variety of dance training and abilities also proved to be a challenge for the performance for Ms. O’Grady. “It is challenging to teach a class that is difficult enough for the ones with experience but not too hard for the ones without experience so they learn and don’t get discouraged,”she noted. Another challenge, O’Grady said, was the time frame. In the dance world, ten weeks of practice time is really too short to pull together a performance.

Ms. O’Grady said, based on her experience this fall, she plans to make the spring performance even bigger and better.

The Wright Stuff on the Arab Spring

By TERESA KENNEDY ‘12 Co-Editor-In-Chief

This year as part of the Springfield Public Forum, Wilbraham & Monson Academy travelled en masse to Symphony Hall on Wednesday evening Nov. 9 to hear journalist Robin Wright talk about the issues surrounding the Arab Spring democracy movement. Wright has written a book about her experiences covering the Middle East this past year, entitled Rock the Casbah.

Wright began her talk with a story about how she became a journalist. She grew up in a family of three girls with a football-loving father. For this reason, she said, as a joke, she joined the newspaper at University of Michigan…as a sports writer. She says she became the first female sports editor of a college newspaper in the country.

During a career that has spanned five decades, Wright bylined for the Washington Post and the New York Times. Over that

time period, she has traveled to 140 countries as a journalist, focusing mainly on the Arab world. Her first assignment in the Middle East began on October 6, 1973, which happened to be the day the fourth war in the Middle East erupted.

She has been reporting on the Arab world and its “hold out [against] the democratic tide” ever since.

Wright said she did not originally intend to write about the Arab Spring; her first idea was to write a book on the decade following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

However, by coincidence, she stumbled upon the Arab Spring and discovered the “extraordinary array of change” there and so began Rock the Casbah.

The agents of change are what Wright called a “counter jihad.” Among these change agents is demographics: there has been a population boom in the last two generations of babies born in the Middle East. Secondly, for the first time, literacy is widespread in the region, meaning that Middle

Easterners now have the ability to know what is happening beyond their villages and even their countries.

Additionally, there has been a boom in women’s education.

In Saudi Arabia, one of the most heavily Islamic countries, sixtyfour percent of women now attend college.

The fourth main change in the Middle East is the availability of technology.

There are now more satellite television stations that reach Middle Easterners, providing different perspectives on world events, rather than only one government perspective.

Wright says that people are ex-

hausted with the tactics of extremism and terrorism, along with “rigid religious ideologies” in place,

One of Wright’s main points is about the “new martyrdom” that is sweeping the Middle East. She gave the example of Mohammed Bouazizi, the man who began the revolution in Tunisia by setting himself on fire in protest of the corrupt government that had taken his livelihood because he refused to pay bribes.

In Egypt, not long after, a blogger was killed by government officials for speaking out; the officials framed him as a drug dealer who had overdosed.

She also pointed out the role rap music has played in the Arab Spring. Cultural changes

Continued on Page 6

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Commentary

ATLAS Staff

The Gospel According To Nick

To some, the Holy Bible is the word of God; to others, it is a collection of myths. Regardless of one’s religious views, the Bible pervades western literature and culture. More importantly to us, the Bible pervades the works covered by the school’s curriculum. The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, Jane Eyre, and even our school wide summer reading, The Grapes of Wrath, each contain themes of Christianity and Judaism and are chock full of allusions to the Bible itself.

Since our school demographics include many different religions, and because even Christian students do not analyze or even read the Bible much anymore, a class teaching the Bible as literature should be available, perhaps even made mandatory, at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

To clarify, the Bible should not be taught at a secular school as truth. That said, outside of Homer, much of the Old Testament predates anything else in Western Literature. Therefore, much of the Bible is the basis of Western Literature. More importantly to our English curricula at Wilbraham & Monson is the pervasive influence of the Bible in

British and American literature.

Consider John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, our summer reading assignment.

The Grapes of Wrath references the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Book of Job among other Biblical stories. Consider The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, which both focus on Christian communities. Consider Jane Eyre: are Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester Delilah and Samson?

Consider also the stories of the Bible themselves, and how many tropes are either born or refined through them: David and Goliath as cunning versus strength; Jesus Christ as the Chosen One; the deeply flawed, tragic figure of Judas Iscariot, or Lucifer himself, the first antiheroic fallen angel figure in Western literature.

My suggestion is to incorporate an analysis of Biblical literature into freshman level English, which would require readings from the Books of Genesis, Exodus, and Revelation, as well as excerpts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with specific emphasis on the parables of Jesus.

This survey introduction to Biblical literature would not only highlight the most frequently discussed elements

of Judeo-Christian canon, but also afford students an early glimpse into the field of literary analysis.

That said, the focus of the Biblical analysis section of the course would be more concentrated on the comprehension of Old Testament and Revelation stories.

The winter trimester would be the ideal time to discuss Biblical stories, because it precedes the course’s coverage of Classical Greek literature. In general, translations of Biblical scripture are less dense than Classical Greek prose, poetry and theater, but also less colloquial and free form than most modern English texts. It would introduce students to the formulae ancient writing. The epic style of Exodus would, for example, prepare students for reading the Odyssey.

Biblical analysis yields not only valuable insight into the human condition via parables and stories but also an array of literary analytical tools useful throughout one’s entire secondary school and college English career.

Not only would this addition to Wilbraham & Monson’s English curriculum benefit the individual student, but it would also play into the school’s greater mission of global education by highlighting the central beliefs of one of the world’s largest faiths.

Mr. Easler explains that an ad hoc dress code board came up with these rules through a “very intentional and fo Preppy, private, cused process, productive: the global closely related image of Wilbraham & to a problem Monson Academy. The solving pronew school year brings cess called changes to many things, “appreciative most notably the dress inquiry.” It code and the repercuswas helpsions for breaking dress ful because code. a committee

In Mr. Easler’s discussion of opinion, “Most parts of dress code bethe new dress code are tween fourteen working, but some parts people of variare not.” The girl’s dress ous genders code changed substantialand ages could ly this year, from ultrapotentially be conservative to more manageable. very charged. In the end, because Girls do not have to wear collared of the process, I actually enjoyed shirts, but they have to wear “pro- the time I spent with other faculty fessional” shirts or blouses. members and felt pretty good about

For bottoms, girls’ pants the outcome.” cannot be form fitting to their body, In the view of Emma with skirt and dress lengths short- Hjarne ‘12, the new dress code is ened to an inch above your knee. “not only easier, but the dress code

is more functional. It is warmer during winter because of the ability to wear boots with skirts or dresses. I can also wear more preppy labels, like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren”. These changes offer more suitable situations when looking for clothes.

New student Tori Bernado said: “The dress code was not what I expected. Because my brother had gone to WMA, I was familiar with the dress code, but when I got the handbook it was completely different from what I expected. It was not as strict and it was easy to shop around and be preppy.”

In Mr. Easler’s opinion, the global image of the

school has changed with the new dress code, and he finds the dress code slowly turning out to be what he expected. “I think it’s going okay. I think some girls are pushing the limits with skirts being too short. If a girl needs to walk around campus constantly pulling the bottom hem of her skirt down to mid-thigh (ish) . . . I think she knows it is too short.”

In terms of the boy’s dress code, not many changes were made. However, boots can now be worn year-round.

This has helped in bad weather, as boys do not ruin their dress shoes when it is raining.

With new rules come new responsibilities.

In previous years, detentions would be issued for not being

Editors-in-Chief Teresa Kennedy ‘12 Austin Little ‘12 Sara Tardiff ‘12 News Editor Eva Landers ‘12 Production Editor/Photographer Sarah Goolishian ‘13 Department Editors Nicholas Jalbert ‘12 (Editorial) Brandon McKenna ’12 (Sports) Nora Harrington ‘13 (Arts) Staff Writers Stephanie Reeves ‘12 Nicole Robitaille ‘12 Arnelle Williams ‘13 Mia Konstantakos ‘13 Issa Best ‘13 Kelsey Gomes ‘13 Molly Moran “13 Maria Waslick ‘13 Brian Kennedy ‘14 Production Steven Ragnauth ‘12 Faculty Advisor Timothy Harrington Additional Photography Matt T. Risley Risley Photography

Hannah Peloquin ‘12

NICHOLAS JALBERT ‘12 Staff Writer

Dress Code: The Bane of Mr. Easler’s Existence

By KELSEY GOMES ‘13 MOLLY MORAN ‘13 Staff Writers

Continued on Page 6

Features

Pool Side Activities: A Short Story

By STEPHANIE REEVES ‘12 Staff Writer

who would be his unlucky victim this time.

November 9th. It was a plain day with plain people and a plain schedule. The young man arose at 7 am, as he did every other day of the year, and shuffled to his kitchen.

Not wanting to open his eyes all the way, he reached out his hand until it connected with something solid: a half empty box of Corn Flakes and 2% milk.

With a newfound excitement, he hurried to the swimming pool. The nearby school’s swimming pool. The Academy’s swimming pool.

He mixed everything together.

He dressed himself for a run. Then he ran.

The Village Store looked alive with people; there were lots of small children walking close by. “They probably go to that damn school”, he muttered as he jogged into the store. The lady with the blonde hair was taking orders today, and asked with a smile: “How we doing today?

Can I get you anything?”

She was too chipper for his liking, but he tolerated her perkiness because she was pretty.

“Yes, I’d like a Tuna Melt, please.”

She nodded.

Gathering his lunch in his hands, he strolled away, his eyes sweeping across his receipt. When he saw the date, he remembered that today was the day. It was November 9th. He wasn’t an innately “bad” man (or at least, so he liked to think), but he also knew that it was almost time for his annual…event. He wondered

~~~ “Dillon, let’s go! Miss Cricket said she’d only be life-guarding for a few hours.

“Mom, relax. I’m coming,” Dillon said, bounding down the stairs.

“Honey,” she sighed, “they’re not usually open on the weekends, OK? We have to be respectful.”

Dillon rolled his eyes as he brushed past her and into the garage. He wished his brother were still here to give him a ride. ~~~ The car ride was silent; Dillon and his mom were too wrapped up in their own thoughts. After all, it had been almost exactly a year since the “incident.”

When the two of them arrived at the gym, they found the doors locked.

“That’s weird, Miss Cricket said she’d be here,” Dillon’s mom said.

Peering through the glass, they saw nothing but darkness – the place looked deserted.

Dillon glanced at his mom, and she shrugged her shoulders. They moved to a door leading to the pool and pulled the handle. It unlatched with a soft click.

“Hello?” he called out. Footsteps answered his question; there was someone there. Dillon’s mom followed close behind, whispering: “let’s go through that door over there, I see a light.” He nodded, eager to leave the gym and all its shadows.

When the two of them reached the main lobby of the building, they turned to each other as if to ask: what now? ~~~ You want to comfort her, but you’re just as nervous as she is. A sticky red substance materializes under your feet. You remember thinking it could be paint, but you know you’re probably wrong.

You hear a man’s voice bouncing off the white walls. You can’t tell where he is, because he sounds as if he’s everywhere. You don’t want to trust your ears because you don’t like what they’ve heard.

The man is telling you that it was he.

That it was he who caused your brother’s death.

You feel wind now, it’s growing stronger and stronger, it’s making your feet move, making your body move, towards the red. The red has a venomous tinge to its color.

Then you start to fall. The light is so bright. It’s blinding you. You splash into something warm and thick, and on your way down, you hear a chuckle. You wonder if it’s your deceased brother or the murderous man.

You reach out your hand, wanting to touch something, someone. ~~~ The man watches his latest victim slither and shake in agony. He wonders why he chooses to continue this tradition – why he feels the need to become “the bad guy.” Sometimes he considers what his life would be like if he was to end the malice, but then he remembers that he keeps the balance of the world: some must be sacrificed so others can live on.

He returns to his abode, letting the dead body rest on the pool floor.

It will be cleaned up by the next morning, and none of the students will have noticed anything amiss.

Nothing will seem different, and yet, everything will be.

The water grows redder and redder before your eyes. Now you can’t trust your eyes. Are you dreaming? Is this He knows his work is done now. real? You blink and glance at your

mother. Her pupils are ablaze with fury and fear.

HALLOWEEN!

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4

Arts

Mr. Wheeler Strikes a Chord

By ISSA BEST ‘13 Staff Writer

Despite the fact that parents weekend was over a month ago, the rousing performance given by the music department still rings through the halls; the entire school was captivated by the artistic genius of the music department led

by Mr. Clark Seibold, and our newest addition, Mr. Thad Wheeler.

Mr. Wheeler comes to us from New York City where he served as a Broadway conductor for 30 years. Some of his most famous works as a conductor include the musical Passion, a tour with the company of Chorus Line, and most recently, the New Broadway Cast of West Side Story.

He now serves as the director for Mosaic Harmony, the Academy Singers, and the Chamber Ensemble. We decided to interview him about his adjustment to teaching at a New England prep school and his plans for the rest of the year.

Mr. Wheeler has been a professional musician for about 30 years in New York City. During this time, he started working in Julliard and various free landscapes. He has also played many

Broadway shows as a professional percussionist and conductor until 2009.

Mr. Wheeler arrived at Wilbraham & Monson Academy after a vigorous job search and a series of coincidental events.

“I was job searching and looking for a full time position” Mr. Wheeler recalls. “Originally I was interviewing for a public school in Massachusetts and on the way back my wife saw a private school and said, since I still had my suit and tie on, that I should go apply for a position at that school.

They didn’t have any openings for me, but the headmaster at that school directed me to an agency that introduced me to Wilbraham & Monson Academy.”

When asked if there was a particular style or sound that he wants to bring to the music department, Mr. Wheeler replied that he likes to take many different approaches. “That’s why I like teaching,” he says, “for the freedom.”

So, in short, he suggested that he would like to delve into a number of different possibilities and go with the talent that is presented by students, and do what he can to enhance their talent.

Another topic Mr. Wheeler was eager to speak about is his project to develop a new school song. WMA is in the works of creating new school song. Spearheading this project is non-other than the talented composer himself.

about your grades, and you should keep striving to get the best grades you can. But if you think about it, what is checking PowerSchool every hour of every day going to do? It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. In fact, it’s more like watching yourself drive the train off the tracks in slow motion.

Focus on the books, not the gradebook.

If you have other AP’s and challenging classes, then maybe you should consider dropping it. Do what makes you happy and follow what you think is best for you!

Ask Atlas: Halloween Trouble

BY MIA KONSTANTAKOS ‘13 Staff Writer Dear Atlas, This year my parents are putting more pressure on me to get good grades than usual. As a result, I have become addicted to constantly checking my grades on PowerSchool. I check it in the morning after I wake up, at lunch on my iPhone, in between classes in the computer lab, and right after I’m done with sports in the afternoon. In fact, as I write this email to Atlas I just noticed that my Spanish II grade was updated and I now have a C+! I can’t help it, I’m truly addicted!

Signed, Hooked on Grades Dear (Fish)Hooked, It’s understandable wanting to check your PowerSchool every day. A website like that can be as addicting as Facebook, you find something new to obsess over every time you log in. Unlike Facebook, obsessing over PowerSchool will drive you crazy. You should try and limit yourself to checking it once a day. It is important to care

Dear Atlas, In the beginning of the year I thought I would really enjoy this class, but now it’s extremely hard and I’m having a tough time balancing it with all my other AP classes. I feel like everyone expects me to do well, and I don’t want to be a failure. But I am so stressed and really not enjoying myself.

What should I do?

Signed, AP Drop-out Wannabe Dear AP, You have clearly given this a lot a thought, and really stuck it out seeing as the trimester is almost ending. You can’t worry about what people think about you, and you need to make choices for yourself.

Dear Atlas, I hate Halloween. As a girl, I feel pressured to dress up in some provocative costume involving some type of animal ears and a minimum of clothing. I am not really into the “Mean Girls” style Halloween. But I don’t want to be made fun of, so what do I do?

Signed, Mad Modest Dear MM, Halloween is a time to have fun and, originally, people dressed up to look scary. It shouldn’t matter what everyone else dresses like; be what you are comfortable with! Be something scary or dorky (or dorky scary)! If you’re not comfortable being something silly by yourself, get a group of friends to dress up with you. Trust me, at WMA you’ll see some crazy costumes, so don’t get discouraged by the slutty costumes. Find the courage to be yourself, not show yourself!

“YES! That’s a project that I actually haven’t started yet, but I am going to be getting together a small yet dedicated team of students in the next few weeks to work with me to make a new school song” he says. He is looking forward to the exciting work ahead but knows it will be challenging.

As for the upcoming Christmas concert, scheduled for December 11th, he is preparing an a cappella version of “Keep Holding On” with Mosaic Harmony and working on a Antonio Vivaldi piece for chamber ensemble, but says that they are still open for any ideas.

What’s next for Mr. Wheeler? He says he would like to get a bigger band together for this years musical, West Side Story, and he encourages all students to come and audition.

Also, Mr. Wheeler invites any of the musicians on campus to join the band for any of the other upcoming performances.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy is lucky to be able to welcome Mr. Wheeler into our community. And having his talent at the school will surely usher in a new era of music at WMA.

The Thing

By NICK GILFOR ‘12 Staff Writer

The Thing, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., is a 2011 prequel to a 1982 remake of a 1951 B-rated sci-fi horror movie. As any horror movie buff can tell you, John Carpenter’s 1982 The Thing was a horror masterpiece. Incorporating elements from Ridley Scott’s Alien but with its own feel, The Thing made audiences squirm and hold their breath.

For those who haven’t seen the original, John Carpenter’s The Thing follows a group of American scientists in Antarctica, who end up finding a trashed Norwegian camp, along with a burned monster, a dog, and other odd things. The dog that they take in ends up mutating, and they discover that they have found a murderous alien that can take the form of anything it kills, including the scientists.

The prequel’s main mistake is assuming everybody saw the original 29 years ago and

Continued On Page 6

Arts

Mac Miller Debut Album: Time to Grow Up

By SARA TARDIFF ‘12 Co-Editor-In-Chief

It has been 15 years since an independent rapper made an album that made it to the top of the Billboard charts. Not that Mac Miller would have been old enough to even remember the precedent set by Snoop Dogg.

The 19-year old artist Malcolm McCormick dropped his anticipated first album Blue Slide Park on November 8, 2011. As you can tell from his sold out shows and over a million followers on twitter, his debut album was highly anticipated. The consensus view, however, seems to be that Blue Slide Park didn’t quite meet the high standards set by fans and critics alike.

McCormick’s young age should certainly be taken as an explanation for his lack of cohesion in Blue Slide Park. He’s being compared to artists who have been in the game longer than he’s been able to talk. Miller just needs some time for trial and error to really figure out what pleases his fans and himself.

As you can tell from his previous mix tape K.I.D.S., Mac Miller is all about indulging in his youth. Most of his tracks include a few novelties from his childhood, great party vibes, as well as references to his hometown, Philadelphia.

On the track “Loitering,” Mac raps: “I’m way too old to be chillin’ at the playground, never be too old to be chillin’ at the playground.” This line essentially embodies the entire album, which plays on the concepts of being young and embracing it, while still leaving room to evolve.

Without a doubt, the album has its experimental moments.

“English Lane” offers a bit of a spacey intro, followed by the short instrumental piece “Hole in the Pocket”. His track “One Last Thing” has vibe that is beyond trippy, gradually fading from smooth to chaotic and then back to a slow pace once again. It explores Miller’s inclination to create songs that are outside of the box.

He certainly goes a different route with “Party On 5th Avenue”, a clever revamp of DJ

5

Sure, Mac is a talented rapKool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat” per and all, but his singing isn’t exfrom 1996. His appreciation for hip-hop beyond his years is evident actly up to par. He lacks the vocals to truly make “Smile Back” incredible, but he lyrically slays his haters with his signature goofy grin regardless.

His more mature and compassionate side shows through in the track “Missed Calls”, which surprisingly addresses the hardships of relationships. Mac raps, “I guess people always goin’ through changes/ Did you think I would lose you once I got famous?”

But there is more behind his here and a bit of humor is thrown snap back than party anthems, as in during the video, which depicts in “Poppy” from his last mix tape. elderly men partying just as Mac Mac again proves that life is a little would.

The lead single “Frick Park deeper than all of that.

The only thing Mac Miller Market” is classic Mac Miller can do at this point is grow up insanity. It features him weaving in and out of an insanely jittery beat alongside his fans. He may be just and an intense chorus that you just a kid, but he is carrying some high know would be unreal in concert. expectations on his shoulders.

Scare Your Pants Off

By NORA HARRINGTON ‘13 Art Editor

his best as well , since it was made into a classic horror film).

1. The Shining by Stephen King

2. The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H.P. Lovecraft

Stephen Kings’ classic horror story, The Shining, is about a normal family living in the Overlook Hotel, where they have to deal with the combination of prolonged isolation and the shining. The main character, Jack Torrance, is a flawed man with a drinking problem and a violent temper, but a sense of humor and a genuine love for his wife and child. The reader will start the novel rooting for him, which makes his descent into madness is so powerful and chilling. This story is one of King’s first (and some consider it

This book is a collection of sixteen of H.P. Lovecraft’s more terrifying stories. Lovecraft has a unique writing style that separates him from other horror writers.

Most of the horrors are described either vaguely or not at all, leaving a lot up to the reader’s imagination. This practice is in line with Lovecraft’s famous saying: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

3. It by Stephen King

Moving back and forth between 1958 and 1985, It relates

the tale of seven children in a small town in Maine who discover the source of a series of horrifying murders. Having conquered the evil force once, they are summoned together 27 years later when the cycle begins again. It is two stories told simultaneously.

One recalls the story of their childhood, their first encounter with Pennywise the Clown, and their troubles with the local bullies. The other story relates the impact of It upon their lives, their own personal struggles, and the eventual defeat of It. 4. Dracula by Bram Stoker During the recent vampire fad, many may have forgotten who the real vampires are. Dracula was neither the first vampire novel, nor was it Bram Stoker’s first book.

Still, Bram Stoker managed to create the ultimate vampire story, which has

spawned countless spinoff and imitation books and movies that follow the outline of the Transylvanian Count. This book is eerie, horrifying, and mysterious; Dracula is undoubtedly the most biting vampire novel yet penned and yes, that includes Twilight.

5. Let the Right One In

by John Ajdvide Lindgvist translated

by Ebba Segerberg Set in a suburb of Stockholm on a social housing development, Let the Right One In is the most compelling portrayal of a humanvampire relationship there is. The relationship between children and the vampire, Eli, is by no means good but is still incredibly sympathetic. Much more violent than the movie (which is definitely worth watching). Let the right One In is a story both moving and terrifying.

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Features

Hit The Road, Jack!

By MARIA WASLIK ‘13 Staff Writer

have the opportunity to visit a variety of countries around the world.

In March, students can

Whether you want to hike take a trip to Italy that will focus through the Amazon jungles, view on both ancient Roman art and magnificent works of Italian Remodern Italian art and design, and naissance art, or visit ancient Hin- much in between. Travelers will du temples, you can find something visit Milan, Florence, and Rome, and see Renaissance masterpieces in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. This trip also gives trimester art credit to the students who go, and they will have to prepare a final art project that will be due when they get back to school. According to Mr. Swanson, this is the first year that the Academy will offer academic credit for school trips.

WMA is also offering a trip to England in March to our “cousin” school in provide a trip to England in Plymouth. This trip is slightly different from the others, because only four students and one of interest in the upcoming school faculty member can go and they trips that Wilbraham & Monson do not have to pay for it. The stuAcademy will be offering this year. dents are chosen for the trip based Through the six trips scheduled for on essays that they write, their the 2012 school year, students will academic record, and general citi-

The Thing (Cont’d)

zenship. Lev Hubbard, a friend of WMA, is the sponsor of this trip.

The itinerary for the trip includes a visit to a Southern English boarding school, Plymouth College, where students can learn about life in a British private school. They will also visit historical sites in London.

In the spring, there will also be a trip to India, which will be similar to a trip that WMA students took two years ago. This trip will visit New Delhi, Amritsar, and Dharamsala. Students will visit organizations that work for economic change in India. They will also see ancient Hindu temples and the Taj Mahal, travel by train through Northern India, and hike through the Himalayan Mountains.

In June, for the first time, the Academy is offering a trip to Vietnam. This trip is unique in that it will be carried out in partnership with Westfield State College. Students who participate will be able to earn college credit for the trip.

It features two academic tracks: a comparison of the U.S. and Vietnamese accounts of the Vietnam War and an analysis of how Vietnamese media affects the country’s youth. Students will tour Hanoi

Wright (Cont’d) Dress Code(Cont’d)

From Page 4

From Front Page

From Page 2

would understand that this is a prequel, not a remake. Most people who see the 2011 film probably have seen the original but are also probably a little fuzzy on the details. The prequel doesn’t care, and gives no explanation for anything in the film.

There is no scene about how the alien works, or context for the large spaceship that appears at the beginning. Those who remember the 1982 film will notice continuity errors between the two, and differences between the alien in each movie.

The incoherency wouldn’t be a problem if the movie was scary, but it isn’t. The four moments that might make you jump are predictable, and the CGI is an insult to the 1982 version’s physical effects. What the prequel has going for it are the little things that tie into the original, but too bad for those who have not seen it.

For all that, The Thing is a rather faithful prequel: it gets most of the facts straight, and sets up the 1982 masterpiece. It could have been a classic B-movie, but it took itself too seriously, and for that, it has suffered.

have occurred as a result of the growing impact of the new Arab mass media. One of those changes, Wright says, is that “rap has become the rhythm of resistance across the region…Song can be an incredible idiom of the opposition.”

Comedians, she says, are also playing a role in initiating change; they have introduced the ideas of ridicule and skepticism directed at the regimes. There have even been workshops on how to incorporate politics into stand up comedy hosted across the Middle East.

She concluded her speech with a recap of a conversation with her friend Dalia Ziada. Wright had asked Dalia her thoughts on the revolutions sweeping the Middle East. “She responded that she is concerned there is not a deep democratic culture, and that the people do not have the knowledge to create one, especially this quickly.

I asked if she was scared, and she said no, because now they have power and know what to do with it.” The goal for the region now is to observe the outside world’s patterns of change, and learn how to handle this new political power.

in proper dress code. But instead of detentions this year, teachers mark students off for being out of dress code and tell Mrs. Shults. If the Deans see a student has a habit of dress code violations, they will set up a meeting with your parents.

This meeting with Mr. Easler could result in conduct status depending on the number and severity of the transgressions. “I like not having detentions as a consequence. As a result, I have actually found fewer students pushing the limits with dress code. It certainly makes life on campus more pleasant when we are not dishing out detentions constantly. I haven’t had to have any parent meetings or assign any conduct status yet,” Mr. Easler says.

In the near future, Mr. Easler envisions that the skirt issue might yet become a problem.

“If it continues to plague us, “ he said, I could see the school going back to knee length.” Even with these changes, students still want to know why pants cannot be tucked into boots? Why ties need to be tight to the neck? And why boys can’t wear khaki shorts when it’s hot out? Something about “not dressy enough?”

and Ho Chi Minh City, and interact with English-speaking Vietnamese college students.

Also in June is a trip to Israel. This trip will focus on Israel’s history, culture, and contributions to the world. The students will learn about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, and listen to viewpoints of people from both countries. Travelers will stay with Israeli families from the Ramot Hefer School during their visit.

In July, WMA again offers a trip to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The students will explore the frontier and the Amazon Basin area. They will also interact with native people and settlers, and conduct environmental research.

This trip also includes recreational activities such as cattle ranching, fishing, exploring the jungle, and wildlife observation.

When asked about what trip he is most looking forward to, Mr. Swanson says he is eagerly awaiting the school’s first-ever visit to Vietnam. “They’re all great trips, but this is something very new for us,” he says. And indeed, whether it’s South America, Europe, or India, Wilbraham & Monson Academy offers a great variety of upcoming travel opportunities that should not be missed.

Make your voice heard!

Write a letter to the editors and you could be published in our next issue!

Austin Little Teresa Kennedy Sara Tardiff alittle@wma.us tkennedy@wma.us stardiff@wma.us

7

Community

College 411: WMA Alumni Tell It Like It Is

By AUSTIN LITTLE ‘13 Co-Editor-in-Chief

This fall, members of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy class of 2011 matriculated at variety of different colleges and universities around the world. As the class of 2012 fills out applications and applies to various schools, several of WMA’s recent alumni were up to the challenge of sharing their early college experiences.

Sommer Mahoney went from a successful tenure at WMA to George Washington University in Washington, DC. Her schedule offers up a plethora of classes, varying in difficulty and size. Sometimes size breeds additional challenges: there are 300 kids in one of her the classes. But Sommer says she was, “definitely prepared for the reading and writing level of college.”

While taking a challenging course load, Sommer still manages to find time to participate in sports. Sommer says she “had a hard time losing the community feeling of WMA,

but club rugby has done wonders for that!” Sommer says that in college people are, “loud, obnoxious, curious, and friendly,” but that she, “loves being able to meet someone new every day!”

In terms of dorm life, Sommer says that, “living with over one thousand college freshmen is crazy!” It must be because Sommer’s dorm has more than three times the number of students enrolled in the upper school at WMA. However, Sommer says she loves her college experience so far.

Jeremy Gilfor has traveled to the Sunshine State to continue his academic career at Stanford University. Jeremy says that he wasn’t overwhelmed going out west. He says, “I’m sure going from cold angry Massachusetts to beautiful California frazzles a lot of folks, but not me.” It’s nice to see that California has not taken away that famous Gilfor sarcasm.

Jeremy says that classes so far at Stanford, for him at least, have not been too difficult. However, the most difficult aspect is only having classes twice a week. “It is up to me to get my work done for the next class, or maybe the next

class, and there’s always temptations that distract me from getting work done,” says Jeremy.

Jeremy describes dorm life at Stanford as “awesome.”

He currently resides in Twain, an all-freshman dorm, and lives on the second floor. Twain is a “pretty tight-knit group,” often going to parties or sporting events together.

Jeremy notes that Twain is “clearly the coolest dorm on campus.”

Food at Stanford is “great.”

Jeremy enjoys the wide variety of dining halls, and the dining hall in his dorm has a Mexican theme. In addition to this dining hall, there is one across the street that has all styles of food. Jeremy must spend a lot of time here, because he made sure to say that, “I can eat food at almost any time.”

Jeanette Viens decided to travel across the pond to St. Andrews University in Scotland.

Jeanette says that her “classes are great,” and that WMA prepared her well for being a “confident, independent individual”; however, Jeanette notes that keeping up with the amount of reading can be difficult.

Jeanette says dorm life “has

its pros and cons.” While she loves constantly being surrounded by her friends, Jeanette says, “at times you miss the simple things like a clean bathroom and a kitchen.”

Food at St. Andrews is not one of Jeanette’s favorite parts of the school. “I would recommend vitamins to everyone going off to college because your diet will change so much and it really affects your health.”

Jeanette has one strange piece of advice to give the students of WMA. “I recommend bringing costumes and things you can use as costumes to college; you’ll be surprised by the number of times you’ll need one and by the number of times you randomly see people in costume,” says Jeanette. Clearly, Jeanette has just added another essential item to the packing list for the fall of 2012.

The common sentiment from each of these three recent graduates is how much they miss WMA, and how well the school prepared them for college. Apparently working on the Atlas or the Rubicon prepared them well for the challenges of a university.

The 2011 Bunion Derby and Powder Puff Game

8

Sports

By BRIAN KENNEDY ‘15 Staff Writer

Ben Marcus ‘12 scored his 200th goal of his Wilbraham & Monson Academy career during Varsity Water Polo’s home match on Parent’s Weekend in a 14-12 victory over St. Johns Prep.

Scoring 200 goals is a great accomplishment in any sport and it requires more than just pure athletic talent. It requires all the qualities of a well-rounded athlete: determination, hard work and dedication.

“The goal was just like any other. All the crowd yelling and cheering made it special,” said Ben. The Wilbraham & Monson Academy community is lucky to have an athlete like Ben.

Ben’s talent for scoring goals has been evident, since he joined the Water Polo team his freshman year, But his career has really taken off over the past two seasons.

In fact, just last year, Ben recorded his 100th goal. The fact that he was able to score another 100 goals in just over a year is truly remarkable.

Coach Gray, who started the water polo team at the academy and has been the head coach for 27

Mr. 200

individual players.

Ben’s talent for scoring goals is only one part of his importance on the water polo team. He is also a captain and a great team leader.

“This year’s team is really special because we have a good core group of experienced players who work hard to help the newcomers. This proved to be helpful in many of the close games which we had,” said Ben about this year’s team.

With talent like Ben’s, you Risley Photography would think that he had been play31 goals in just 5 games for the ing water polo for his entire life, month of October. That’s one goal but he is what Coach Gray calls a for each day of the month. Ben’s “home grown” player at the Acadfinal goal count for the season is emy.

236, and it is likely that his record

Everything that Ben knows will stand for quite a while. about water polo was learned at the

Coach Gray pointed out Academy and all of his playing exthat, as if Ben’s 236 goals are not perience with water polo has taken enough, that Ben has had a hand place at the Academy. in a large percentage of the team’s Coach Gray mentioned that goals over the course of his career. it’s not just Ben’s scoring ability However, in water polo, assist records aren’t tallied and tracked for that makes him an important part years stated that Ben’s 200 goals are a “personal, team, and school record.”

Coach Gray notes that “Ben rarely has a game that he scores fewer than 2 points in, and almost always has a multi-goal game.”

A testament to this is Ben’s

of the team, but also his ability to stay level-headed, even while players on the other team were trying to bait him into a fight. His ability to do what is best not only for himself, but for the team as a whole, is another important quality.

“One of the biggest contributing factors to Ben’s 200 goals is his longevity,” said coach Grey, “he has never missed a game and is rarely ever sick or injured”

Over the years, many coaches of other schools have come up to Coach Gray and said that, out of all the players they have seen in their time coaching, Ben is definitely one of the premier players.

Coach Gray agrees with that assessment, noting that Ben is truly one of the most talented players he has ever coached and says that he is frequently double-teamed or even triple-teamed in an effort to prevent him from scoring.

One of Ben’s goals for the season was to ensure that the water polo team had a winning record.

The final record of the Wilbraham & Monson water polo team this fall was 6-3, so Ben’s set of preseason goals were accomplished.

He will be greatly missed by the WMA water polo program next year.

Milestone win for Coach Nick and other honors

By ATLAS STAFF

On October 22nd 2011, Coach Don Nicholson celebrated his 200th victory as the Girls Varsity Soccer Coach at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

At Ethel Walker on October 22nd the team notched the victory for him with a 9-0 win with Carly Cronin and Nica Bernardo each scoring two goals apiece and Christina Wakefield, Julia Winer, Julia Beech, Stephanie Bramucci, and Alex Baltazar also scoring.

A game ball signed by the entire team was presented to Coach Nicholson during school meeting the following Thursday..

The 200th victory capped another successful campaign by the Girls Varsity Soccer team. The team finished the year with a 9-32 record and qualified for the New England Class B championships for the 15th year in a row.

In addition, Girls Varsity Soccer won the Class B division of the Women’s Western New England Prep School Soccer Association

WWNEPSSA). The Titans were the defending champion from last year when they were recognized as the champ of the entire WWNEPSSA , outpointing the Class A teams (not to mention the Class C and D teams) as well.

The 2011 season came to a disappointing end when the 2nd seeded Titans posted a tough loss to 7th seeded Lawrence Academy at home in the first round of the New England Championships on a rain soaked November 16th.

The loss in the rain was especially tough because the Titans dominated through most of the match.

Though the final score was 2-1 Lawrence Academy, the Titans out shot Lawrence and had a great advantage in possession, territory and corner kicks. But this is soccer. “The only statistic that counts in the end is the score,” said cocaptain Brianna Goncalves.

The future looks bright for the young Titans, who started three of freshmen this year and carried a total of seven freshmen.

Next year, the Titans lose only two seniors -- the captains.

On Tuesday night, November 15, Wilbraham & Monson Academy celebrated its fall sports season with the annual fall banquet. The following student athletes were recognized by the coaches for their contributions to their respective teams this fall.

Girls’ Field Hockey MVP - Richelle Davis Coaches Award - Gillian Callahan Water Polo MVP - Ben Marcus and Eva Landers Coaches Award - Ben Cobleigh Boys’ Cross Country MVP - Joe Thibault Coaches Award - Trey Kelley Girls’ Cross Country MVP - Marissa Small-Towns Coaches Award - Heather Little

Football MVP - Mike Mendes and Craig Martin Coaches Award - Sam Hart Volleyball MVP - Lucy Wang Coaches Award - Michaela Fortin Girls’ Soccer MVP - Julia Beech and Carly Cronin Coaches Award - Brianna Goncalves 12th Player Award - Kelsey Gomes

Boys’ Soccer MVP - Phil Antonacci Coaches Award - Ryan McLarney 12th Player Award - Chanawin Tengamnuay Great work Titans!