Atlas, Volume IV, Issue 4

Commentary New kind of MLK Day Page 2

Community Lak Dining Hall gets face lift Page 3

Arts Ruling Class has no class Page 5

Global Kim is dead, long live Kim! Page 6

Sports Dutch Hoops!

Page 8

Wilbraham & Monson Academy

TLAS

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Volume IV, Issue 4

The Global School ®

February 1, 2012

Digital Campus of the Future is Here

By ISSA BEST ‘13 Staff Writer

Although Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s 208-year-old campus is charming, one disadvantage has been the general lack of technology in our historic buildings. However, WMA’s IT department is heading a new initiative to help bring WMA out of the Victorian age and into the 21st century.

The new technology initiative includes WiFi being installed in all dorms and academic buildings. The new WiFi on campus was made possible by a grant from The Benedict Foundation, which funds improvement of the quality of education in independent schools.

Before the expansion, wireless was limited to only a few locations on campus: Blake Middle School, the Student Center, the Library and Wallace Blake.

The first phase of the new expansion was to cover the dorms and most academic buildings.

Aside from the obvious benefits

from the expansion, an added bonus of installing WiFi all over campus is that we will soon be able to add a guest network. The guest network will allow guests of WMA to use the Internet for short periods of time. As of now, guests are prevented from doing so as they are not registered members on the school’s network.

Mr. Casey Brown, who is on the IT staff, said: “It has been a pleasure to see WMA invest in upgrading the Network. Since I arrived five years ago we have gone from 3 Meg to 100 Meg bandwidth pipe, which rivals the capacity on many college campuses. Not only has WMA increased and improved

the backbone of our network, but we have added wireless capabilities to all our surrounding buildings.”

WMA’s new technology is not limited to WiFi, however.

Students and faculty may have noticed a new conference on their FirstClass Desktops simply called “The Pulse.” Unlike a regular conference, the Pulse allows the use of Web 2.0- style solutions. The Pulse is actually part of WMA’s FirstClass Social Workplace, meaning that it allows users collaborate with Wikis and other Web 2.0 style tools. Unlike a conference, the user can search and join communities created by other users. You can also follow groups to keep up with happen-

Wilbraham, MA 01095

ings. While WMA is figuring out ways to use The Pulse, IT hopes it will improve school communication.

This year the school is also welcoming Mimio Boards, which have been installed in all of the classrooms. In addition, the math and science departments have added TI-Nspire calculators, Mr. Brown noted.

Other technology advances around campus include the allschool text message alerts, intended to update students on weekend activities and other events taking place around campus. These text messages will also be used to alert students on important updates such as snow days.

The school has also loosened its rules on personal technology usage. Now, students may use smart phones during the academic day (outside of commitments, such as class). Student appreciation for this particular technology “advancement” is evident anywhere you look on campus.

How Sweet It Is…WMA Breaks the Brick!

By NICOLE ROBITAILLE ‘12 Staff Writer

On January 16th, 2012, the school’s video entitled “Wilbraham & Monson Academy gets FUNKY,” officially won the Breaking the Brick contest by popular vote. At the conclusion of the contest, WMA reined supreme with over 2,000 views and 170 votes, beating out the closest competitor.

The company that hosts the WMA website, Finalsite, holds an annual ‘Breaking the Brick’ contest for its clients. Each year, the company sends out giant chocolate bars, encouraging schools to make a creative video of faculty, students, and staff breaking the chocolate brick.

The video, developed by Mr. Michael Dziura, included seamlessly edited shots of the faculty, students, and children and

other people on the campus dancing the “Cha Cha Slide,” written by Chicago’s DJ Casper, which was popular in the early to mid 2000’s.

The first clip showcased Dean of Students Mr. Easler, lip-syncing Mr. C’s opening verse. Next the

video cuts to short clips of middle school students, familiar lunch staff, Mrs. Swanson’s Zumba class and students dancing while holding up the giant bar of chocolate. Smiling faces filled Rich Hall Lobby as faculty such as Rodney Labrecque,

Wendy Decker, and Anne Kindblom slid from the right to the left.

The contest had both people’s choice and critic’s choice categories. Wilbraham & Monson Academy won the people choice category, while LaSalle College High School, Lower Canada College, and St. Edmund’s Academy tied for first place in the critic’s choice.

Mrs. Hsaio’s entrepreneurship class brainstormed the idea of dancing the Cha Cha slide to break the brick, but making a music video is harder than it looks. Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s own Mr. Dziura took on the daunting task of editing and directing the video.

With a masters degree in both directing and media studies, Mr. Dziura used his skills to creatively capture faculty, dining staff, students, and children performing the well-known dance. Mr.

Dziura’s dedication was apparent in the finished product, totaling 2 minutes and 27 seconds. Although seemingly short, the clip is a result of over 30 hours of tedious filming and editing. Despite the amount of work required, Mr. Dziura managed to pull the footage together into an award winning video.

The physical prize for the People’s Choice Award is an Apple Ipod Touch, however as Ms. Rothschild stated: “the real win is the bragging rights among our peer schools.”

The Friday night prior to filming, students gathered in the Greenhalgh Gymnasium to practice sliding, clapping, and getting funky. One of the student participants, Issa Best commented: “at first when Ms. Rothschild asked me to participate I wasn’t sure.

I thought it might make me look lame. But after seeing the finished product, I am really glad I participated. And I will never forget watching Mr. Easler lip sync in the opening clip!”

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Commentary

ATLAS Staff 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) 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 Nick Gilfor ‘14 Brian Kennedy ‘15 Faculty Advisor Timothy Harrington Additional Photography Matt T. Risley Risley Photography

MLK Day: A New Approach

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the few individuals in American history who truly embodied the greatest qualities of the American character. A pacifist, he combated some of society’s greatest ills through speech and protest. His brilliant oratory moved millions to tears and to action. King, a devout Christian, championed that most Christian –and most American- of virtues: that all are created equal. Though he fought for the rights of African Americans, his message of hope and equality extended beyond his own ethnicity. When King was murdered by the hateful, backwards-thinking offal that pollute the fringes of American society, he became a martyr for social justice, forever beatified in the American conscience and admitted into our pantheon of national heroes. Only two secular figures’ birthdays are national holidays: King’s (January 16h) and George Washington’s (February 20).

Therefore, we must pose the question: how do we remember, commemorate, and respect Dr. King?

Many organizations close their doors on MLK Day: the Post Office, the Stock Market, and public schools, among oth-

ers. Other institutions, like our own,keep their doors open and go about their daily routine in a (somewhat) normal way. Naturally, there is grumbling among the students who would like a holiday to sleep in, avoid dress code, and perhaps catch up on school work. The response from administrators is that an orderly day of academic and athletic rigor with a chapel meeting about Dr. King respects the holiday far more than a day of rest.

While student grumbling is understandable, there is also a certain credence to the administration argument. If one examines Dr. King’s principles, none of them support sloth and languor. Dr. King was a man of action; therefore a day of inertia is no way to honor his memory.

One small way to commemorate his accomplishments is to fulfill our daily responsibilities faithfully. In the words of Mark Twain, “Do something every day that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain”. The first step towards having the courage to act like King is to do simple things we may not want to do. Many say that we need another King, but if we can’t find it within ourselves to wear a blazer, tuck in our shirts,

or wear appropriate length skirts, how can we begin to follow his paradigm of industry and sacrifice?

There is, however, a flaw in this argument. How does an average day of solving for ‘x’, analyzing Shakespeare, and daydreaming through Chapel honor Dr. King? It simply does not. While the aspect of responsibility is present in this daily schedule, the aspect of duty is not. Appreciation and understanding is lacking. While Chapel speakers can articulate the importance of Dr. King, how many students actually pay attention? Moreover, is this method of honoring Martin Luther King Jr. effective? While I personally enjoy a good lecture, many students learn best when engaged directly. To honor a man whose greatest goal was to integrate all walks of American life, and to nullify the stark barriers between races and promote fraternity among all Americans, we ourselves should look to cultural integration. At the Global School, what better way to honor the ideals of King than to practice them? During Chapel this year, there was talk of a “day on” in lieu of a day off. This sort of change is precisely what is needed. The best way to honor Dr. King is to combine the best aspects of the academic day –fulfillment of responsibility- with the theoretical advantages of a day off: reflection.

which expressed dates as a series of five numbers. The first day in the Mayan long count calendar was expressed as 0.0.0.0.0, and by our calendar, this was August 11, 3114 BC. Every 144,000 days (or about every 395 years), a new cycle would start. On December 21st, the Mayan calendar will roll over from12.19.19.17.19 to 13.0.0.0.0.

This date signifies the end of the current thirteenth cycle, which has been considered of large importance to the Mayan people.

The ending of such a significant calendar cycle has caused many people to conclude that this cycle’s end will mean the end of the world as we know it. However most doomsday theories stem from a stone tablet that was discovered in the 1960s at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico. The tablet described the return of a Mayan god at the end of the thirteenth period, as well as a solar shift that was sure to change the world.

Theories on how the world will end vary, with popular predic-

tions ranging from earthquakes and tsunamis to alien invasion. One thing that remains the same in these predictions is that December 21st will change our lives forever and preparation by the human race is necessary.

On the other hand, for every believer there is also a nonbeliever, and there have been several attempts to logically disprove these “end of the world” theories.

Besides the one tablet, which nonbelievers agree is ambiguous and unreliable, there has been no archaeological or historical evidence that the Mayans themselves expected anything other than a New Year’s Eve party to happen on this date. They state that claims of this change in cycle representing the end of the world are nothing more than modern pop-culture creations.

In the past, there have been other similar predictions, the most recent being the Y2K scare, where many believed that all computers would crash in the year 2000 and cause global chaos. This prediction did not come to pass, and nonbelievers believe the failure of this as well as other past predictions proves that these current end of the world theories are nothing but a hoax.

So it looks like the fate of human existence is still up in the air. December 21st may end up being the most important date of our lives, or nothing more than an average winter day. So what do you do? Are you a believer or a nonbeliever?

By NICHOLAS JALBERT ‘12 Department Editor

It’s The End of The World As We Know It...

By EVA LANDERS ‘12 News Editor

The New Year has just begun, and for all we know, it could be the last: according to the Mayan calendar the world is about to end.

On December 21st, 2012 the Mayan calendar completes its 5,125 year cycle, presumably predicting the end of the world. This date has caused many people to welcome 2012 with both trepidation and uncertainty. It seems that the question on everyone’s mind is, “Is the apocalypse really upon us?”

To understand the Mayan prediction, it is necessary to understand the history behind it. The Mayan civilization had a knack for astronomy, and thus created what many believe to be the most accurate calendar system in the world.

They had two calendars that would synchronize every 52 years—a solar calendar that was 365 days long and a ceremonial calendar that was 260 days long. However, to measure longer time periods, they developed the long count calendar,

Community

Lak Dining Hall Gets a Face Lift

By KELSEY GOMES ‘13 Staff Writer

designs as well. Head of School Rodney LaBrecque reports that, “If all goes well with our fundrais Wilbraham and Monson ing efforts, we will be able to comAcademy’s Lak Dining Hall is plete a full make-over of the space, receiving a three-stage face lift removing the old serving line and which is expected to be completed serving stations and replacing them for the academic year of 2012with modern, granite-based serv2013. These particular renovaing areas. We will also add wooden tions will further improve WMA’s wall paneling and cover the cinder appearance, adding to the many block walls with sheetrock, paint improvements that have occurred them a relaxing color, and add in recent years. new carpeting, giving us a hand During winter break, WMA some space in which to dine. We began the installation of new dou- already have great food; with these ble-paned windows in the dining upgrades, we would have a great hall, adding more light and giving physical environment to match.” the room a more open feel. Dur The faculty and students ing the summer of 2012, one of the of WMA have already noticed the major changes will be the replace- changes in the dining hall’s appearment of the entrance doors of Lak ance . Five new tables with eight Dining Hall Lobby. The renovation chairs each have been purchased plans also include the addition of as a “test run” for the tables that new ovens for the kitchen. These will potentially fill the dining hall new ovens will greatly benefit the at the beginning of next year. If the ever growing WMA student popu- student body enjoys these tables lation, allowing the kitchen staff to more than the present tables, thirty keep up with the greater demand. more will be purchased, increasing In other words, the new ovens will the dining hall’s seating capacity to benefit the kitchen staff in making 240 people. With these improvefood preparation more efficient in ments, the hope is that the dining years to come. hall will become a more comfort If the fund-raising goal for able and relaxing area for the comthe dining hall improvements is munity. reached, there will be new interior Recently, many rumors

have been circulating about sit down lunches for both day and boarding students. The “pro sit down lunches” argument is that they will effectively bring the community closer together. The separation of day and boarding students would not be as obvious as it is with sit down dinners, making all students feel more comfortable around campus.

However, some students are concerned about the potential detrimental effects of sit down lunches.

Christine O’Donnell ’13 stated, “I use my lunch periods to socialize with my friends that I do not see during the day, and to spend extra time studying and doing homework due that day, or getting ahead on work.” There are, of course, positives and negatives to sit down

lunches, but as of now, nothing is set in stone. More information on this issue will be released later in the school year.

The changes to Lak Dining Hall will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but will better the dining environment of students and faculty as a whole.

Meals and athletic banquets should become even more enjoyable, as seating arrangements will become more comfortable, and new opportunities such as sit down lunches may arise.

The dining hall is frequented by hundreds of students, faculty, and visitors daily. Improvements to the dining hall will showcase this area as one of the highlights of WMA’s campus, for which we can be very proud.

“mystery judges.”

These anonymous judges were chosen by the Parents Association Committee. The judges each chose their favorite soups and then conferred/negotiated with the other two judges to select a winner. Each of the winners received a check for $100.

Sponsored by the Parents Association, the first Soup-A-Palooza event was focused on raising money for Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Performing Arts Department.

Ms. Melissa Reeves, treasurer of the Parents Association, noted that the occasion not only raised money, but also provided a chance for additional community building. Everyone was invited – from young siblings to grandparents.

The evening proceeded as follows: parents and students alike

were invited to make, create, and enter their soups into the competition. Each entry required a $25 fee, but students were also encouraged to make “group soups” that would lessen the cost per individual, and make for a fun project for friends or advisee groups.

Students and faculty were invited to participate in the event free of charge and sample soups throughout the night (outsiders $10 contributed); Mr. Scott Bicknell prepared two additional soups, bread, and salad for dinner. People bought tickets to vote for their favorites.

Originality and creativity were obviously considered by the judges and the overall crowd, but one did not have need to rob an entire grocery store of spices to win one of the prizes. In total, there were fifteen entries at the Soup-APalooza and we applaud each of them.

At the end of the night, $380 was raised for the Performing Arts department, the Parent’s Association’s new project. It was a great night, and we look forward to upcoming fundraisers later this year.

Let Them Eat Soup!

By STEPHANIE REEVES ‘12 Staff Writer

Look in your kitchen cabinets! Most families unknowingly have a broad array of seasonings because they do not use them on a daily basis. Sweep the dust off those little containers – they will thank you, we promise.

Think outside the box and test lots of recipes – your siblings ad parents will not mind tasting them. At the end of the day, choose the best-tasting recipe to enter in the Soup-A-Palooza.

These preceding instructions were given to the dozen or so people who dared to enter the Soup-A-Palooza in late January.

On January 28, 2012 from 4-7pm, people from all across campus flocked to the dining hall to taste an array of soups.

Middle Schooler Gwyneth Osborne won both the People’s Choice Award, and the Middle School Award for her Chicken Tortilla soup; and Ms. Whipple won the Adult Award with her delicious chilled raspberry soup.

“I was very surprised and excited to win the prize,” Ms. Whipple said. “I never thought I would win with a cold dessert

soup.”

The People’s Choice Award was voted on by the event attendees. has collected the most votes from the overall crowd. The attendees purchased tickets with each one counting as a ballot. The tickets were dropped into bucket besides each soup entree.

The two other prizes were awarded to the chefs selected by three

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Arts

Extremely Interesting and Incredibly Average

By NICHOLAS GILFOR ‘14 Staff Writer

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, a Stephen Daldry movie based off of the Jonathan Safran Foer book, follows 8-year-old Oskar (Thomas Horn), a socially inept, easily frightened boy who loses his beloved father (Tom Hanks) in the attacks on 9/11.

The movie’s advertisements aptly state that: “this is not a movie about 9/11. It is a movie about every day after.”

The main plot of the story is Oskar’s adventure while trying to find out more about a key he discovers in his father’s closet that is simply labeled “Black”.

Oskar attempts to search all of New York for every ‘Black’ surname until he finds one who knows something about the key and what it unlocks. Oskar affects many lives along the way, including his own, while his relationship with his mother (Sandra Bullock) is tested, torn, and rebuilt.

The movie has a few weak points, including a winding narrative that never quite feels as connected as it might have been on paper, rather unmemorable charac-

ters, and an overwhelming stench of Oscar bait. However, it makes up for it with touching emotional scenes and an excellent performance from Thomas Horn as Oskar.

It is usually the case whenever a child actor plays a lead role in a dramatic film, critics and magazines are there to jump on the ‘remarkable’ performance the actor portrayed, as if people forget that children can act.

Usually, a child being silent for a certain amount of time followed by a line or two of quiet dialogue is enough to get them an Oscar nomination. Thomas Horn takes child acting to a different level. His performance is layered,

with subtle changes when necessary, and rather loud, unexpected reactions to certain events in the film, which foreshadow the character’s possible mental illness.

Many critics call Horn’s performance awkward and unsettling, but that is exactly what it should be, and his performance leaves viewers with different conflicting emotions towards the events that unfold in the film.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close definitely tries to use 9/11 as a platform to sell itself, regardless of what it says, but it should be seen anyway.

The movie itself is strong and emotional, and would stay so

for uploading a picture of your feet on the Internet, then maybe this tip will work better for you. Join the swim team! Your feet will always be exposed, and then word will get around that you only have ten toes.

Good luck!

to you!

whether Oskar’s father died in the 9/11 attacks or the sinking of the SS Lusitania, or any other similar disaster.

The film’s erratic storytelling, with numerous flashbacks and jump-cuts that don’t seem to be related, tend to stop the story from reaching its full potential, and the actual character of Oskar could have been more fleshed out.

Some of his odd quirks are never really explained or used often enough to make sense within the narrative, and therefore are dismissed with a hand-wave of ‘possible mental disorder’, which is unfair to the character, the actor, and the audience.

The movie overall is good enough, for the most part, to outweigh these small problems, though the snobbier moviegoers may see all the clear Oscar bait littered throughout the movie and dismiss it as vacuous and superficial.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is regardless a powerful, emotional movie that is much more about relationships and the feelings that go along with them than it is about 9/11, and it is a recommended watch.

Ask Atlas/Atlas Shrugged

By MIA KONSTANTAKOS ‘13 Staff Writer Dear Atlas, Lately, there have been many rumors going around school about me. I don’t know how they started, or who started them. Just to clarify, I don’t have eleven toes. I don’t even know why anyone would start that. Now everyone is giving me weird looks, and multiple freshmen have asked me about it. What do I do? I have normal feet!

Signed, Twenty Digits in All Dear Didget, I am sure no one actually believes you have an extra toe! You shouldn’t care if people think that, as long as you know you have the normal number of toes, that’s all that matters. Although if that is not enough for you, here are a couple tips. Friend request a bunch of people from school on Facebook, and in the same night upload a picture of your feet either bare or in sandals. Then, when they accept your request, the first thing they will see on your Facebook is this picture of your normal feet. If you’re afraid of people thinking you’re weird

Dear Atlas, I am so depressed by the snow.

When I wake up and see snow, my whole day is ruined. I do not know how I am going to make it through this winter. So far, it hasn’t snowed but a few inches but I can’t stop checking the Weather Channel and weather.com. What can I do?

From, Snow Makes Me Sick Dear Snowy, I completely understand your hatred of snow. I wouldn’t stress too much about it though, since none of the snow has stuck around longer then a few days before melting.

Don’t let the snow ruin your mood, just keep thinking about how awesome summer will be. So keep praying that the clouds continue to pass us by and drop the snow on England, not New England, and maybe the weather gods will listen

Dear Atlas, I am considering training myself tolive without sleep. I read this website that says you can make yourself not rely on sleep, and be able to stay awake for twenty-plus hours a day. I would be able to get so much homework done! On the down side, it says it takes about a week to adjust to, and you turn into a bit of a crazy monster in the meantime. I think it’s still worth it though! Should I do it?

From, Insomnia4ever Dear I4ever, Are you crazy?

That is the most insane idea ever!

I don’t think this is a very good idea, and whatever website that informed you about this must

not be a one. It’s not healthy to not sleep, and although it would make you extremely productive, sleeping is a basic human necessity. If you don’t believe me, consult Mrs. Power with this outrageous idea. I am sure she will tell you to sleep on it!

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Arts

Attack Attack! Run, Run

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

It’s important for me to be up front: Four Year Strong is about as far as I go when it comes to even remotely hardcore bands.

Scream-o? Too much. Frankly, it’s scary, and music is supposed to be enjoyable, not make your neck tense up and eyes wince like mine seemed to when Attack Attack!’s new album This Means War was released.

This was the metalcore band’s third album since their formation as a band back in 2005.

They’re from Ohio, so obviously they’ve led extremely tough lives and felt the need to express it creatively through interpretive screaming and violent guitar thrashing.

Believe it or not, several of the band members are hardcore Christians (see what I did there?) and even some of their lyrics are about God. This Means War also focuses on short war-related stories in various tracks. “The Revolution” is all about a dictator, based on the characteristics of Hitler, and one

of his soldiers who starts to hear voices after killing so many people in the war. So did Attack Attack! purposely make the opening sound like a zombie apocalypse then?

For those who actually like their eardrums and haven’t exposed themselves to Attack Attack!, they are the epitome of loud.

We’re talking blatant, incoherent screams directly into the microphone, which make one reminisce about basically any scene from Saw where someone is in the midst of removing a body part. So naturally it is difficult to listen for long periods of time, and the entire album holds a pretty consistent sound.

“The Abduction” is about

“The Wretched” is the lowest point in the soldier’s life on this album. The track is basically filled with crying and prayers to The Big Guy. “The Confrontation” is where he finally gets the courage to tell the dictator what’s up. It’s extremely angry (like every other track), but its all channeled specifically towards the one evil man.

Apparently, he screwed up a lot of people’s lives in the hypothetical Attack Attack! world.

The final track on the album is appropriately called “The Eradication”. As one might guess, it is all about overtaking the government and living a free life.

The dictator is killed, freeing the soldier from his harsh rule. This house for some reason or another. all seems like a beautiful, uplifting message, but of course its sung in It is without a doubt one of the the standard deafening way Attack most angry and aggressive songs Attack! is so fond of. on the album, which says a lot Although I could undersince the whole thing isn’t exactly stand Attack Attack!’s music about bursting with rainbows and bunas much as I understand a staticnies.

The songs are pretty hard to filled TV on full volume, their differentiate; they’re all pretty loud war theme was entirely consistent and obnoxious. However, the plots throughout their album This Means War. in each track are unique but still At least something makes manage to hold a continuous story sense with these guys. line. just that: the same soldier frantically searching for his son who has been taken by the evil dictator. In reality, the whole kidnapping was a ploy to lure the soldier out of the

The Ruling Class: Enough with the Mean Girls!

By NORA HARRINGTON ‘13 Arts Editor

Sometimes I choose a book to read randomly. This has led to some pleasant surprises and entertaining reads, but my most recent accidental find was disastrous.

The Ruling Class by Francine Pascal is the worst book I have ever read.

Its hackneyed plot about a nice girl moving to a new town and being picked on, is, in basic terms, a terrible attempt at novelizing the film Mean Girls. The book makes a mild attempt to address the serious issue of teen bullying but makes the victims seem whiny and unjustly vindictive

It somehow manages to be offensive to nearly everyone with lines such as, “all foreigners are hairy” and “poor people don’t shower”. The characters, even the ones Pascal hopes we’ll root for, are whiny, cruel and one-dimensional.

The book plays on the girl’s close-minded views of other cultures. These opinions are not only offensive to the people they mention but also to the citizens of the real-life town of Highland

Park, where the snobby characters reside.

The book presents a one sided, incredibly stereotypical view of life in Texas, one entirely

filled with giant houses, designer clothes, and complete hatred for anyone the least bit different.

Francine Pascal begins the book with hopeless wannabe Myrna

Fry’s first person narrative describing “the Ruling Class, a mean girl clique, led by queen bee Jeannette Sue. There is then half a chapter describing, in incredible detail, her perfect teeth, eyes and “to-die for figure.” A large portion of the book is told from Myrna Fry’s perspective.

Myrna Fry “wishes her mother was prettier so she could have married someone richer” and will not go to her cousin’s play even though it is her “first time out of the wheelchair”. She is under the illusion that she is in the clique, completely oblivious to the fact that she is being bullied too.

As a reader we might almost feel sorry for her if she wasn’t such a despicable human being.

The protagonist, Twyla Gay, begins school in the posh Highland Parks area where she is immediately bullied because her

clothes are bad and she has less money.

The girls of Highland Parks trick Twyla into making a fool of herself several times before she decides it has gone too far when they come up with the clever insult “Twyla is gay”.

She decides to get even and befriends another girl who has been ostracized for being too pretty and Hispanic. Somewhere along the way she also falls in love with the queen bee’s boyfriend.

By the end when they finally get their revenge (don’t worry, I’m not really spoiling anything) they become the equally mean, but slightly less pretty and rich clique of mean girls.

In a different context, the mean jokes and stereotypes could be viewed as a satirical take on the over-dramatizing of high school life, but, unfortunately, by the end of the novel, I was pretty sure that this was not the case.

The plot is uninteresting, the characters are horrible and the ending is cliché.

Despite all of this, it is still an amusing read, but only if readers are willing to sacrifice a few thousand brain cells.

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Features

Run DMZ: Another Kim Rules North Korea

By BRIAN KENNEDY ‘15 Staff Writer

While traveling across North Korea by train, the dictator Kim Jong-Il allegedly died from a heart attack on December 17, 2011.

North Korean citizens reportedly cried in the streets over the loss of their country’s leader, South Koreans were not nearly as upset by Kin Jong-Il’s death.

Immediately after his death, his son Kim Jong-Un was named his successor as the ruler of North Korea. Much is unknown about Kim Jong-Un.

“We weren’t as shocked

by Kim Jong-Il’s death as we were when Kim Il-sung died, but Kim Jong-Il’s death still surprised us.

Some people seemed like they were really consumed with fear but others did not seem too fearful,” said Eunvi Joung ‘13. However she noted that people from North Korea “seemed very sad about the news.”

Even before his reign, Kim Jong-Il was involved in several acts of state-sponsored terrorism including the bombing of a passenger plane. Succeeding his father

as head of state of North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has been in power since 1994. Early on in his rule, he instituted a policy that devoted the majority of the country’s resources to the military. This policy, coupled with droughts and floods that plagued North Korea, created a great famine in the country that is estimated to have killed up to 3.5 million people.

One of the more significant effects of Kim Jong-Il’s reign has been the tension between North Korea and other countries over the development of North Korea’s nuclear program.

On October 9, 2006, North Korea completed its first successful nuclear test, much to the disapproval of other countries, including its neighbor, South Korea.

Kim Jong-Il was also known for his abuse of many human rights.

Under his rule, the North Korean government created “re-education camps” that held as many as

50,000 political prisoners convicted of crimes such as failure to adore the “dear leader” (referring to Kim Jong-Il). He also ordered the kidnapping of Japanese and South Korean citizens off of beaches, supposedly to use as an intelligence community for North Korea. In the words of Jeff Park ’15, “North Korea is scary.”

It isn’t clear yet whether the death of Kim Jong-Il will have any real impact on North Korea’s relations to the rest of the world. According to John Lee ‘12: “His death didn’t really change or affect South Korea’s relationship with the North.

However, he added, “North Korea got a little angry because South Korea’s president did not show any big reaction after Kim Jong-Il’s death and that was pretty much it.”

The world is waiting to see what happens with Kim Jong-Un. “There are two scenarios,” Eunvi Joung explained. “One, is that Kim

Multicultural Week!

Jung-Un, Kim Jong-Il’s son, will follow in his father’s footsteps by actions such as conferring with other countries to try to avoid tensions. The other scenario is that North Korea may provoke South Korea. Hopefully, that never happens.”

Some South Koreans are scared that there may be an escalation of the conflict between North and South Korea. People who believe that there won’t be any kind of additional conflict, such as John Lee, point out that “many are indifferent to this news because we are all pretty sure that a war is not going to happen and there isn’t much we can do about what happens next.”

Eunvi Joung noted that “North Korea and South Korea have been in conflict for some time. There is nothing important that has happened yet, but Kim Jong-Il’s death greatly increased tensions between North Korea and South Korea.”

Optimists hope that Kim Jong-Il’s death could mark the beginning of a much more prosperous era for North Korea and its relations with the rest of the world.

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

MultiCultural Every Day at the Global School

By MARIA WASLICK ‘13 Staff Writer

During the week of January 16 to 22, Wilbraham & Monson Academy truly lived up to its nickname, “The Global School”.

WMA held its very own Multicultural Week during which the Academy celebrated different countries and cultures through various activities. Multicultural Week was both fun and enriching for students, as they learned about cultures other than their own and recognized each culture’s significance.

Throughout the week, a different activity took place each day to honor the cultures of the world. On Monday, January 16, which was also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a special chapel meeting was held. A presentation about Dr. King was shown, teaching the student body what this man stood for and the importance of accepting all races and cultures.

Tuesday, January 17, was an all-school out of dress code day.

Students could wear whatever they wanted to school, as long as they represented their country by doing so- either their home country or the country of their ancestry. Their

outfits ranged from simply the colors of their native countries to traditional clothing that would be worn in that particular country.

On Wednesday, January 18, henna tattoos were painted on students’ hands. This took place

there was a contest that awarded prizes to the first three people who could answer all 11 facts. The first place prize was a $50 iTunes gift card, the second place prize was a $20 iTunes gift card, and the third place prize was a $10 Dunkin Do-

in the spa throughout the school day. Many students flocked to the spa in order to participate in this activity, and the remnants of their tattoos could be seen for over a week.

During the week, many facts about different cultures were posted in various areas of the school. On Thursday, January 19,

nuts gift card. Steve Ragnauth won first place, Andrew Lombard won second place, and Jared Osumah won third place.

An inter-school dance for Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Williston School was originally supposed to take place on Friday, January 20. However, this dance was postponed and held

instead on the following Friday, January 27.

These engaging activities were not the only part of Multicultural Week. The Wilbraham & Monson dining hall staff also participated in this celebration of cultures by serving meals from different countries all week. On Monday, Southern food was served; on Tuesday, the dining hall served Korean food; Wednesday, German food; Thursday, Thai food; Friday, Latin-American food; Saturday, Caribbean food; and on Sunday, Chinese food.

Overall, Multicultural Week at the Academy was a major success.

Most of the student body participated in at least one of these activities, and learned the importance of diversity.

Although we sometimes don’t realize it, there are many cultures in the world that are very different from our own. Some countries are far away, but Multicultural Week helped bring these places and their cultures a little closer to home.

Jeans: You Can’t Wear ‘em so Give ‘em Up!

By ARNELLE WILLIAMS ‘13 Staff Writer

Wilbraham & Monson Academy will be collecting jeans for the Jeans for Teens campaign until February 12th. Jeans for Teens is a nationwide charity campaign aimed at helping homeless youth by distributing as many jeans as possible to shelters.

Why jeans? Because jeans are the most requested item at homeless shelters. In its four years of existence, the charity has collected and donated over 1.5 million jeans, a number that WMA hopes to further increase.

The goal of the campaign is to collect as many jeans as possible and give aid each year to the more than two million teens who are homeless. The popular clothing store Aeropostale is running this charity along with DoSomething. org, a website dedicated to motivating teens to do good through the power of the internet.

Alina Shirley ’15 heard about the drive through her mother and immediately saw this as a way for WMA to help those in need.

After becoming involved herself, Shirley promptly persuaded Mr.

LaBrecque, Mr. Easler, and Ms. Norman to approve WMA’s participation in the program.

In order to participate in WMA’s Jeans for Teens drive, all you have to do is drop off a pair of old jeans (or any other pants) in the box outside of Ms. Norman’s office in the student center. Bring as many

DoSomething.org, WMA has the potential to win prizes in the competition. The school that collects the most jeans will be eligible for prizes, including up to $5,000 in cash, new Aeropostale jeans for students, and a party thrown for the entire school.

Not only are teenagers

as you can. Jeans can vary in style from ripped to skinny. After the jeans are collected, they will dropped off at a local Aeropostale store, where they will be counted and distributed to local homeless teens.

Because WMA will be participating in the drive with Aeropostale and the charitable

across America participating, but many high-profile celebrities, such as Demi Lovato, Rachel Bilson, Hayden Christensen, Matt Lanter, Jay Sean, Keri Hilson, and the talented Cody Simpson, who performed in the Greenhalgh Gym at WMA’s production of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition in September. Simpson even headlined

the kick-off event for the Jeans for Teens program in Los Angeles on January 11, 2012.

WMA is excited to start this drive and to make a difference in the community. Shirley hopes that “at the end of the drive, every student takes away a successful experience of helping those in need.” Like other charity events on campus, such as WMA’s 21 Days of giving, we hope that through community service, WMA students will learn not to take for granted the things we have.

In addition, Shirley expressed her goals for the goal.

“If I could set a goal for the school, it would probably be to collect over one hundred pairs of jeans. If we could surpass that goal, it would be one of my proudest moments for my school.

Even if we don’t reach that goal, what matters is that students and faculty alike come together to help homeless teenagers in our area.”

So, Titans, raid your closets to help out local homeless teens! Any contribution could make a world of difference to someone in need.

8

Sports

Dutch Treat: Titans Take Europe by Storm

By MOLLY MORAN ‘13 Staff Writer

Over winter vacation, the Boys Varsity Basketball team had the opportunity to play the sport they love overseas in Amsterdam. The team competed in the Rinus De Jong and had 4 games in which they finished with two wins and two losses.

“The best way to describe the competition in the Netherlands is to compare them to college teams from the US,” Coach Sparks noted.

“The play was different. Teams had much more experience, and were much more physical.” During the week, WMA played teams from Spain, Serbia, and the Netherlands.

Playing in a new environment, staying in hotels, and experiencing the culture of other people around the world can affect players’ ability on the court.

However, the team did very well in keeping their focus and competing in such an alien environment.

The play of point guard Jaylen Brantley ‘13 was a highlight of the tournament, according to Coach Sparks. “Jaylen scored 78 points in three games, while Kamali [Bey ‘13], Maodo [Lo ‘12],

By AUSTIN LITTLE ‘12 Co-Editor-In-Chief

In the month of October, Wilbraham & Monson Academy was shut down by a rare fall snowstorm. Many believed that this storm was a sign that the winter of 2012 was going to be one of the snowiest ever, especially in the aftermath of the previous winter when Wilbraham received 84 inches of snow! Snowboarders, skiers, and snow lovers alike waited with baited breath for… the less than 3 inches of snow that have fallen since the fall storm.

With snowboarders breaking their boards, skiers standing around, and snow lovers crying their eyes out, what can be done?

To help get everyone through this warm, sunny, awful winter, here is a list of ten fun winter activities that can still happen: 1) Go ice skating! There are many ice rinks that hold open rink time for novices to go and slide around on the ice, almost as fun as sliding on snow!

and Marcel [Pettway’15] had very good games as well. Throughout the tournament different players stepped up and made a nice impact.

We had at least 4 players in double figures each game.” Overall, the trip was a great experience for the

team, Coach Sparks added.

“The trip was very different than I expected. Everyone was very excited to have had the chance to have the experience.” The players experienced playing overseas for the first time and they agreed it was different than any other tournament they had played in. The returning players hope to have the opportunity to play in another tournament

overseas in the upcoming years.

Being the Global School, it was fitting for the Titans to do something no other US prep team has had the opportunity to do.

“Overall, the unique experiences we provide at WMA allow us to attract some of the best students, and athletes,” Coach Sparks commented.

Since the trip, the team has had very successful season, knocking off competitive teams in and out of league.

The Boys Varsity Basketball team currently has 15 wins and 2 losses.

In the rivalry game against rival Suffield Academy on the road, WMA beat the Tigers 79-62 in a loud and wild game. In the games against Marianapolis, Vermont Academy, and Blair Academy, the Titans played tough to the very end where the results were within 3 points with some games ending in a 1 point difference.

During the 2011-2012 season Jaylen Brantley has had great

success. His biggest achievement was when he reached his 1000 career point at a tournament in December. He has hit buzzer beaters against Vermont and Winchendon as well as getting the game winner against the German team. As captain and playmaker, Brantley has played a big role in the success of the team this year.

Kamali Bey has contributed his skill and passion to the team throughout the season. Last season he struggled with a slow to mend broken leg, but this only motivated him to get back on the court.

The international students, Alex Ramon Fernandez De Arroyabe from Spain, Maodo Lo from Germany, Mark Overdevest from New Zealand, and Djery Jean Baptiste from Haiti have been great additions to the team this year.

The team chemistry on and off the court has clearly been reflected in the team’s success. .

The team heads into February with a series of AA league games, including several at home. Come out and cheer the Titan hoopsters on as they face Worcester Academy, Masters, and Cheshire in the coming weeks.

Depending on those results, another post-season appearance could be in store for the Titans.

by the cold.

no snow in the movies. Go to a movie theater and see the newest movie, or else watch an old favorite like ELF or The Polar Express.

No Snow? No Problem!

2) Make paper snowflakes.

Paper snowflakes can help to create an illusion that there is snow.

Hang them around your house, and this will make your house feel as cold and welcoming as the outside is supposed to be.

3) Design a gingerbread house. Who cares if it is past Christmas, a gingerbread house will make you feel in a wintry mood, and make you remember past winters.

Try putting some icing around your house to make it look like it is covered in snow!

4) Make a fire in your house.

Well, actually in your fireplace that is in your house. If you don’t have a fireplace, make a bonfire outside It will make you feel warm and cozy while surrounded

5) Make a snow village with cotton and ceramic houses. Ceramic houses can be found at places like Yankee Candle, and cotton can be found almost anywhere.

Arrange your cotton to appear like snow around the village.

6) Make marsh mellow snowmen.

Stack three marsh mellows on top of each other, use pretzels as arms, and use chocolate chips for eyes and a mouth.

Not as fun as a real snowman, but definitely tastier.

7) See a winter movie. Just because there is no snow in the real world doesn’t mean there is

8) Go sledding on grass! To do this, put baby oil on the bottom of your sled and on the grass, and you will be able to slide almost as well as on the snow.

9) Go on a vacation. You could take a warm trip to somewhere like Hawaii, but why waste your time going somewhere that doesn’t have snow either? Try a trip out west, where there is always snow in the mountains.

Climb high enough, and you will be able to play in the snow on the Rockies.

10) Go hiking. Hiking in the winter will allow you to enjoy nature during a completely different season than usual. Without leaves on the trees, you will be able to see so much further.