January - Weston Public Schools

Wildcat Tracks
January 2010
Josiah Smith Tavern restaurant proposal defeated
Jack McDonald
STAFF WRITER
At the Nov. 30 Weston Town Meeting,
the request to provide more planning money for
the proposed restaurant at the Josiah Smith Tavern
was defeated by 110 votes, and the chance of
having a restaurant in this historic building was
lost forever. 545 residents voted for it and 435
voted against it.
Prior to this meeting, Weston had
selected the Webber Group to put a restaurant
in the tavern. The Webber Group currently owns
two other well-renowned and very successful
restaurants: the Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton and
the Scarlet Oak Tavern in Hingham. Although one might think that Weston
residents would be receptive to having more eating
options in town, the proposed restaurant was met
with much criticism and controversy. Signs for
and against the Tavern could be seen around town
leading up to the Nov. 30 2009 meeting. Interest
in this project was so great that nearly 1000 people
attended the town meeting, making it one of the
largest turnouts ever at a Weston town meeting.
The majority of town money designated
to be spent on the construction would have gone
to restoring the tavern building and the adjacent
old library. The rest would have been spent on
building restaurant facilities like a septic system
and parking lot. The Webber Group would have
been required to pay for the costs of the actual
kitchen equipment and other restaurant needs.
Before this meeting, the money
approved at previous Town Meetings was for
planning the construction. Whether the restaurant
was approved or not, the tavern building and
the adjacent library will still need to be restored
because they are presently in a dilapidated state. The proposed construction was
designed make the tavern and the library more
available for public use. The Josiah Smith Tavern
is currently used for private functions and by the
Women’s Community League for their clothing spots from businesses in the town, and some
exchange store. The old town library has not residents also believed that the restaurant would
been used much since the library moved to its cost the town too much money. Opponents of
current location in 1994 and the Recreation the plan also did not want the town to have a
Center was built. It is no longer open to anyone. large restaurant because they want to keep the
Converting the Tavern into a restaurant small rural town feel of Weston.
would have also meant moving the Tavernside “People probably didn’t want it
Playground
because they want to
to a different
keep Weston a small
location
and
town. They want to have
using the current
a safety bubble, and will
playground area
oppose any changes to
as a parking lot.
this,” said sophomore
The playground
Abigail Chan.
would
have
Some also thought
been moved to
that there was just no
Lamson
Field
need for a restaurant in
bordering
the
Weston since there are
Town
Hall.
myriad restaurants in the
Some residents
surrounding towns.
were
opposed
“I have lived
to the proposed
in Weston since 1988.
location of the
[There’s no need for
playground since
the restaurant since]
they thought it
a number of excellent
would ruin the The Josiah Smith Tavern Restaurant proposal was denied. restaurants are in local
PHOTO / wickedlocal.com.tif
historical status
proximity. There are nice
of
the
land
restaurants in Wayland,
there. Currently there is a historical plaque Waltham and Newton. You don’t have to go
commemorating the meeting of Minutemen in to Boston,” said long time Weston resident
Weston on the field.
and Research and Technology teacher Mary
Criticisms of the restaurant plan came O’Brien.
mainly in the form of traffic concerns. Opponents However, for other Weston residents,
feared that there would be an increase of traffic the restaurant was desirable because it would
during the construction of the restaurant.
have been a convenient local eating option.
“I think having a restaurant in town “I was in favor of the restaurant in
would have been different. It’s not [a] bad town that would serve food and alcohol. It
[idea], but there would be lots of traffic. People would be nice for people who aren’t members of
were probably opposed to it because of traffic, an exclusive club, like the Weston Golf Club, to
and it’s near an important historical area. But I’d have a reasonable local restaurant,” said Weston
say traffic is the main concern,” said sophomore resident and language department head Cortland
Thomas Liao.
Mathers.
Many citizens were also worried that In a previous meeting, the town had
people parking at the restaurant would take away approved an alcohol license for the proposed
restaurant, which would have allowed it to sell
alcohol, but only with the purchase of food.
Some residents were also concerned about the
sale and consumption of alcohol there.
“At first there was going to be a seven
seat bar, then an 18 seat bar and finally [they
changed it to] 31-35 seats. No one is supposed
to be allowed to buy alcohol unless they have
food also, but I don’t see how they can stop it.
Also, with the new industrial park on the edge
of Weston, people might stop here coming home
[from work]. They might have a few drinks and
drive through the center of Weston drunk. This
impacts the safety of our Town. Also, how will
[our] small police force stop it?” O’Brien asked.
The money that would have paid for
all of the construction is from the community
preservation fund, which gets its money from
a surcharge on the real estate tax in Weston.
The issue of the amount of money that the town
was spending on the project was also a major
concern.
“[People were] concerned about how
viable the restaurant was and whether it could
succeed, and the amount of debt the town was
incurring. The majority of the money is coming
from the CPA (Community Preservation Act)
funds. If we said no in May, we would have
wasted over $1 million, and that is a lot of
money in these tough economic times,” said
O’Brien.
For some students, the restaurant
provided hope for a livelier town.
“Weston is definitely not exciting. Its
purpose is to get to the Mass Pike. A restaurant
would not be bad, but it wouldn’t be enough [to
make the town more exciting],” Liao said.
As seen by the defeat of the proposed
Josiah Smith Tavern restaurant, future
entrepreneurs should be wary of trying to
create changes in Weston, as there will be much
controversy. Although a restaurant in the Josiah
Smith Tavern will not happen, there could be
hope for a restaurant at another site in town.
How to effectively use guidance counselors
Liza Kidonova
STAFF WRITER
Everybody knows that
a guidance counselor is someone
who manages students’ schedules
and helps them get through high
school and into a college that is
suited for them. But what kinds
of things should students come to
their guidance counselors for and
what is the best way to use them?
It is most likely that a
guidance counselor will get a visit
from a student based on schedule
changes, academic issues, and
classes, but some students have
other reasons for taking a trip
down to the guidance department.
“We [guidance counselors]
are here for anything that a student
wants to share with us. We can assist
students in interpersonal issues,
[such as] family, friends, bullying,
and emotional concerns. The more
a student lets us into their lives,
the more helpful we can be,” said
Richard Escobar, guidance counselor.
Guidance Counselors are
known to be very busy and occupied
with senior college applications
and letters of recommendation in
the fall and early winter, but that
does not mean that counselors
are incapable of meeting with
anybody
other
than
seniors.
“Seventy-eighty percent of
WHS Guidance Department
students apply early to colleges, and
we’re drawn to spending a lot of time
with them due to those reasons,” said
guidance counselor Bob Desaulniers.
“We purposely discipline ourselves
to meet a few times with freshman
NASA’s major find
Scientists find water on the
moon
Page 3
so that they don’t feel too ‘left out.’”
Escobar
held
a
similar opinion to Desaulniers.
“I know that we spend
a disproportionate amount of our
time with juniors and seniors.
PHOTO/westonschools.org
However, we are open to all
students. I have some students who
check in with me on a regular basis
and others whom I rarely see,”
said Escobar. “The responsibility
is on the student to seek out the
counselor. Though we encourage
appointments, I have students who
just show up at my doorstep.”
Those students who tend
to just “show up” at their counselors’
doors usually tend to have a
stronger relationship with their
counselors, which many believe to
be a necessary and very crucial part
of their four years in high school.
“I
think
it’s
really
important to have a good relationship
with your counselor because they’re
the ones that are going to help you
throughout the entire [high school
and college] process,” said senior
Nekou Nowrouzi. “They help you get
the classes you want, and the more
they know about you, the better their
letter of recommendation will be.”
Guidance
counselors,
familiar with the ins and outs of test
taking, can also be helpful in this regard.
“I needed to get my PSAT
scores from my guidance counselor
and when I went to go meet with her,
she was extremely accommodating.
She told me what I could do to
improve ,what my strong areas were
and allowed me to ask any questions
that I had,” said junior Seena Potter.
Junior
Stefanie
Moreno had a similar opinion
What I’ve learned
Tony Legaski
Page 5
about
her guidance counselor.
“I use my guidance
counselor for grade [concerns] and
questions about classes. I think it’s
important to have a good relationship
with your counselor because I feel
like you should have an adult figure
to go to in school and a guidance
counselor is definitely one of them.”
No matter how busy
guidance counselors seem the first
few months of school because
of senior college applications
and such, they somehow manage
to find time to juggle college
work and to help other students
with whatever they might need.
“Over the years, I learned
that interruptions are important.
I can always finish what I was
doing when interrupted later, but
at the end of the day you realize
that one interruption helped a
student out,” said Desaulniers. “We
always try to make ourselves seem
welcoming even if we are busy.”
The key to using guidance
counselors effectively, it seems, is
for the student to initiate contact, and
to be consistent in making regular
appointments as it can help to develop
a good relationship, one that will
have many benefits over the years.
Off the Tracks
Introducing Wildcat Tracks’
new fun page!
Page 9
In & Out of WHS
January 2010
Page 2
Lauren Avery
STAFF WRITER
On November 13,
scientists from the National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
announced that the Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing
Satellite (LCROSS) mission
had successfully located about
25 gallons of water on the lunar
surface. Many scientists and
Weston High School students
agree that this is a monumental
discovery because it suggests
that life could exist beyond
the Earth, and some even say
that this find could precede the
human colonization of the moon.
The $79 million
mission involved sending the
LCROSS and its companion
rocket Centaur to crash into the
moon at 5600 miles per hour
(twice the speed of a bullet) in
order to search for water beneath
its arid surface. After hitting
the moon on Oct. 9 (Centaur
impacted at 4:31 a.m. PDT), the
Centaur rocket ejected a plume
of dust high above the surface
of the moon, and LCROSS,
still in orbit, analyzed the dust
before it too plummeted into the
surface four minutes later. The
Scientists find water on the moon
two rockets collected samples
“I was really excited
and its frigid temperatures can
and examined them using a near[when I found out] because I
reach -220 degrees Celsius,
infrared and ultraviolet/visible
feel like it’s a big step. We’ve
or -364 degrees Fahrenheit. It
light spectrometer. To the surprise
never found water on the moon
seems clear that these extreme
of many scientists, the LCROSS
and it could be important for
conditions would make life
mission found water incorporated
investigation into life on other
incredibly challenging, if not
in the lunar dust.
planets,” said junior Micaela
impossible.
The lunar dust that was
Mone.
“[I don’t think there’s
ejected from the collision had “not Although some
life] at -220 degrees Celsius, but
seen sunlight in billions of years,” scientists suggest that life could if there is life, it’s microscopic.
wrote James Dino of the Ames
even exist on the moon itself,
The samples they brought back
Research Center on the NASA
others are more skeptical. The
in the ‘60s didn’t have any signs
website.
near side of the moon (the side
of life,” Kresl-Moffat said.
Many people speculate
that can be seen from Earth) is
“The near side of the moon is
that this find could
extremely hot, but there are
enable humans to
bacteria here that can live in
survive on the moon
burning hot temperatures,
for longer periods of
and bacteria could survive
time due to the large
in a vacuum under the dirt
quantity of frozen water
there.”
that was discovered.
Apart from the
prospect of life beyond
Earth, there is the new
“They found plenty of
possibility for human
water: at least 100 kg,
settlement on the moon,
or about 25 gallons.
thereby giving people
They suspect there is
“somewhere to go in
much more, and there
case the Earth becomes
The NASA LCROSS probe
may be enough water
PHOTO/floridatoday.com unlivable,” said freshman
to support astronauts,”
Kat O’Connor.
said biology teacher
Although many
in perpetual sunlight, and its
Janet Kresl-Moffat.
scientists and students alike
surface temperature averages
Many WHS students
have high hopes about lunar
at a scalding 107 degrees
view this discovery as an
colonization, some believe that
Celsius, or about 225 degrees
indication that life could exist
settlement on the moon is a
Fahrenheit. The far side of the
beyond the Earth.
daunting and possibly unrealistic
moon is in constant darkness,
task.
“You’d have to set up a
whole ecosystem. Besides water,
you’re looking at getting enough
oxygen and removing carbon
dioxide. There was an attempt
in the ‘90s called Biosphere,
which was a self-sustaining
dome that people lived under.
It failed [due to a lack of food
and other crucial supplies],
so I think it could be really
difficult,” Kresl-Moffat said.
“Also, long-term living without
gravity for humans is much
more complicated than originally
thought. Bones break down, and
muscles break down.”
Even if humans
cannot colonize the moon, the
discovery of water there could
enable scientists to answer some
longstanding questions about our
universe, and the find could even
provide insights about our home
planet.
“Permanently shadowed
regions could hold a key to the
history and evolution of the solar
system, much as an ice core
sample taken on Earth reveals
ancient data,” Dino wrote.
“In addition, water and other
compounds represent potential
resources that could sustain
future lunar exploration.”
9/11 plotters to stand trial in New York City
Jake Waxman
Henry Gula. “They hate us and we hate
them.”
STAFF WRITER
For years, Bush administration
officials argued against trying accused
After years of confusion and delay,
terrorists in civilian courts, claiming that
the Obama administration recently
they were outside the civilian rule of
announced that it will put the accused 9/11
law, and tried them in military tribunals
plotters, including alleged mastermind
instead. Military tribunals are courts
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, on trial in
run by the military, used to try enemy
a Manhattan civilian federal court, just
soldiers, or “enemy combatants” during
blocks from where the terrorist attacks
wartime, and are composed of officers
occurred.
making up the judge and jury. They
“Today’s announcement marks a
typically have looser restrictions on what
significant step forward in our efforts
evidence can be used and their rulings
to close Guantánamo and to bring to
cannot be appealed to federal courts.
justice those
The Obama
individuals
administration has taken the
who have
opposite approach and has
conspired to
decided to put several terrorist
attack our
suspects on trial in civilian
nation and
courtrooms to prove that the
our interests
United States is committed to its
abroad,” said
morals and obeying the rule of
US Attorney
law.
General Eric
“The verdict is pretty
Holder in a
much decided [for Mohammed],
press release
but I think the fact that
on November
they’re still getting a trial says
14, 2009.
something about the country.
This
Something good” said senior
decision,
Nike Power.
coming after The accused 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh
To further stir up
months of
Mohammad
PHOTO/dailymail.co.uk the controversy surrounding
deliberation
Mohammed’s civilian trial, two
over how to proceed, has set off several
other accused terrorists are being tried
new debates. These include whether or
now, one in a civilian court, and the other
not the administration is right to try the
in a military tribunal.
terrorists in a civilian court rather than a
The accused al-Qaeda terrorist
military tribunal, if the trial is legitimate,
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is currently on
and if having the trial in New York City
trial in a Manhattan civilian courtroom,
will encourage terrorists to attack during
though with none of the same fanfare
the trial.
as the 9/11 plotters. Many officials are
“I feel this is more of a military affair,
watching the outcome of Ghailani’s trial
and besides, how are they going to get a
to see how Mohammed’s trial might play
fair jury? Where in American can they get
out.
an impartial jury for this trial?” said junior
The Obama administration is also
putting the man accused of the 2000
U.S.S. Cole bombing, Abd al-Rahim
al-Nashiri, as well as a few other highprofile terrorist suspects, on trial in
military tribunals.
“The fact that many of the potential
witnesses are citizens of other nations
who cannot be compelled to attend trial
in the United States is one of several
evidentiary concerns that make trial by
military commissions the proper legal
venue [for al-Nashiri],” Bryan Whitman,
a Pentagon spokesman, said to the New
York Times.
Neither of these trials have caused
the same discourse as Mohammed’s, but
have added to that trial’s controversy by
providing precedents for both a civilian
and a military trial.
Observers and politicians on both
sides of the aisle have both condemned
and condoned the decision to try the 9/11
plotters in a civilian court. Those in favor
claim it marks a return to a transparent
and Constitutional justice system, while
those opposed claim it could be harder to
convict the accused, potentially expose
classified intelligence, and could pose a
risk to New York City. They also claim
the accused terrorists are war criminals,
not civilian murderers.
Several figures on the
Republican side have accused the Obama
administration of turning the war on
terror into something the along the lines
of “terrorism on trial.”
“The big problem I have [with the
trial] is that you’re criminalizing the
war,” said Senator Lindsey Graham,
Republican of South Carolina, to the New
York Times.
For others who oppose the
administration’s decision, including
the victims’ relatives and those living
near the courthouse, their main point is
that Mohammed and the other accused
terrorists are enemy combatants, and
do not deserve the rights and privileges
accorded to defendants in civilian trials.
“The more publicity something
like that gets, you always run the risk
that you’re going to anger someone or
some group,” said history department
head Jim Murphy. “At the same time
we sometimes forget, that democratic
traditions are not always safe traditions.”
Even so, there are others who argue
that giving Mohammed a fair civilian trial
is still the right thing to do.
“Highlighting the transparency in
our judicial process would strengthen
America’s reputation just as cracks are
beginning to appear in the jihadist base”
said Steven Simon, a Fellow at the
Council on Foreign Relations, in a New
York Times article.
There is also bitter disagreement
over the logistical implications of putting
Mohammed on trial in downtown
Manhattan. Some worry that his trial will
become a target for other terrorists to
attack, or become a platform for him to
preach his ideology.
“We should not be increasing the
danger of another terrorist strike against
Americans at home and abroad,” said
Representative Peter T. King, Republican
of New York, to the Times.
Many New York City officials,
including Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
have praised the decision and said that
New York City is prepared to handle the
extra security precautions necessary for
the trial.
“New York is not afraid of
terrorists,” said Representative Jerrold
Nadler, Democrat of New York, adding,
“Any suggestion that our prosecutors
and our law enforcement personnel are
not up to the task of safely holding and
successfully prosecuting terrorists on
American soil is insulting and untrue.”
In & Out of WHS
January 2010
Survey reveals greatest fears of WHS students
Halle O’Connor
STAFF WRITER
A survey at Weston High School
asked students what their biggest fears
are, and most students indicated that they
are most afraid of natural occurrences.
Although there were a variety of other
responses, the good news is that many
scientists believe that fear can actually
have beneficial effects on a person.
The results of the survey fell
into five main categories: Nature, Failure,
Being Alone, Death & Injury, and
Other. Out of the 95 participants,
33% of people chose Nature, 31%
chose Death & Injury, 11% chose
Failure, 3% chose Being Alone, and
22% chose Other. In the graph of this
data shown to the right, fear of Nature,
including things like spiders, snakes,
and earthquakes, contained the largest
percentage of people. This makes
sense, because fears of the unknown
are what guide most people to stay out
of trouble.
“Nature can be pretty crazy
and unexpected sometimes, so it isn’t
a surprise that people are afraid of it,”
said junior Danny Lee.
Fear can have both positive
and negative effects. For example,
it can protect a person from potential
danger.
It heightens a person’s
sensory awareness of everything that
is surrounding him or her.
“Sometimes it’s good to fear
things, because that fear is what pushes
people to take risks and accomplish
different goals,” said junior John
Kotsiopoulos.
Despite this the results were not
exactly what some students expected.
“I thought that most people
would be afraid of death, considering it
is probably the most unpredictable thing
that will happen to you in your life,” said
sophomore Julia Meehan.
Some students, however, found
that the results were not very surprising.
“I hate spiders and natural
disasters, so I wasn’t surprised with the
results at all,” said freshman Charlie
Saylor.
Dr. Angela Butkevic from the
Madison Psychology Department explains
the diversity of fears people experience.
“Comfort zones are key. Fear
is based around what you’re comfortable
with and what you’re afraid of,” Butkevic
said. “Everyone’s fears vary according to
their personality, and even how they were
raised at home.”
A survey taken by “Country
Living” magazine showed very different
results. Instead of fearing nature the most,
99.9% of people chose Death.
This very large difference
between the survey taken at WHS and
the survey taken by “Country Living”
magazine may be attributed to one main
factor: age. WHS students are in their
teenage years, and that may affect the
results greatly. As a child or teenager is
developing, they notice certain fears at
various times. According
to “Country Living,” adults
have fully matured brains
and are therefore more
realistic about what they
should and should not be
afraid of.
“Adults
are
definitely more rational in
their fears,” said sophomore
Joseph Pasquale.
“Kids
tend to let small things get
to them when they are still
maturing.”
No matter what
form fear takes, if it is
making a person scared
to live his/her life, it can
definitely be difficult to
overcome. Sometimes it is
hard for people to overcome
big fears, but overcoming
fears is what life is all about. Many
psychologists and WHS students agree
that people should not fear things that are
out of their control.
“It’s stupid to fear things when
you can’t do anything about them. Fearing
things is alright when it pushes you to
Page 3
achieve something, but dwelling on things
that can’t be changed just wastes time,”
said junior Kate Linde.
No matter what a person is afraid
of, it is clear that fear is inevitable. If you
want to overcome your fears, follow these
simple steps:
1) Recognize Your Fears: You
must realize that your fear is real, and
that it has become an issue for you. You
must carefully examine what reasons are
holding you back from doing something.
Make a list of the things you are scared of
and why you are scared of them.
2) Understand the Root of Your
Fears: Using the list of fears you have
created, try and find where exactly the
different fears are coming from. Go back
into your past and think about any past
experiences dealing with this fear. When
did it start? Who caused it? At this point
your list may also grow larger and become
more developed as you dig deeper. Try to
find as many commonly based fears as
possible, and that way the number of fears
you must overcome will decrease.
3) Overcome Your Fears: Fear
is uncertainty about situations, but once
you know what you must do in a situation,
your fear will disappear. It isn’t easy to
plan out every situation and how you
will overcome your fear, but one thing
that helps is knowing what you want to
achieve in life. Having this knowledge is
like having a guide to what to do, so once
again your natural instincts will come into
play.
Perhaps by taking into account
these suggestions, some of the fears, real
or imagined can be assuaged as fear is
something that can hinder, even cripple
one from moving forward in their lives.
Personal information can be bought online
Kristi Wagner
STAFF WRITER
write Intelius every day thanking them for their services.
Intelius not only reconnects family members and friends,
but it also has an application called “Neighborhood
Check,” which surveys neighborhoods to locate sex
offenders.
Many companies also use Intelius during the
hiring process to find if job candidates are safe and
trustworthy people.
There are some major downsides to Intelius,
however. Most people at Weston High School are not
aware that their public, or personal, information is being
sold online.
“I did not know that random people could buy
my information. That is really creepy. I used to feel
comfortable with the amount of information that I put
on the Internet, but I do not really anymore,” said junior
Sarah Keene.
Did you know that for 95 cents anyone in the
world can buy personal information about you online?
Through the website intelius.com, more than one million
people reconnect with old friends every day, or, on the
darker side, commit identity or credit card theft.
The services Intelius offers are available to
anyone with internet access and a credit card. Intelius
is mainly used in a positive way, to find friends whom
people had lost touch with decades before.
Intelius searches can be done with a name,
address, email, phone number, social security number
or even a screen-name. With any of these, people can
then buy the “People Search Report,” which includes the
person’s full name, age and date of birth, their relatives,
average income, address, phone number, address
history and home value. The background report
includes all of this plus criminal check, liens,
aliases, neighbors, marriages, bankruptcies,
judgments, lawsuits, death records, and divorces.
Also, if the feature reverse phone look-up is
intelius.com logo
PHOTO/intelius.com
used, the latitude and longitude of the phone’s
There have been many cases in which both
location is also available.
identity theft and credit card theft have occurred due to
However, most people who use Intelius are not
the services that Intelius offers. Ironically, Intelius does
interested in any of these things. The majority of people
not only create identity theft, but it can also help protect
are more interested in just finding old friends or family
someone from it, too. The application “IDWatch” gives
members.
people this option.
“Yesterday I was able to find information on
“IDWatch monitors all your personal data - not
how to contact my brother, who I have been searching for
for more than 12 years. We never met, as our parents split just your credit - and flags anything that looks suspicious
so you can prevent the havoc identity theft can wreak
just before I was born and our grandparents were given
on your personal and financial life,” wrote Dr. Natalie
custody of my brother. Yesterday was one of the best
Petouhoff on intelius.com.
days of my life. I cannot express in words the gratitude I
According to Intelius, “IDWatch proactively
feel to Intelius and the smiles and tears of joy you have
educates our customers, flags potential fraud and
brought to every member of our family. Thank you,”
safeguards against fraudsters.” This means that only
wrote David B on intelius.com.
Intelius’ customers are able to receive these benefits.
David B is only one of the many people that
However, it is also their customers who are committing
the crimes in the first place, creating a tangled web of
helping and hurting.
Intelius sells public information, like date of
birth and spouse’s name. This information is found in
public records. These records are kept in hospitals or
town halls, and are available to anyone. However, they
also sell personal information, which is both publicly and
commercially available, like cell phone number or salary.
This information is found through articles, blogs or press
releases, but it is not government information. Anyone is
allowed to take his or her information off of intelius.com,
free of charge. However, if the information changes,
Intelius is then allowed to sell the new information.
Intelius says that, “The security of your personal
information is important to us.” However, they seem
to do everything they can to sell people’s information.
This demonstrates that people can never be too careful
with the amount of information they put on the Internet,
considering it could be sold without their knowledge.
Most students at WHS use facebook.com, a
popular social-networking site. Many of these students
also post a large amount of personal information on
Facebook, without realizing the consequences. What
students do not realize is that the information they are
putting online could make them more vulnerable to credit
card or identity fraud.
To help protect themselves from these horrible
crimes, students should utilize privacy settings on all
social-networking sites, such as Facebook. They should
also try to limit the amount of personal information that
they put on the web because once information is on the
Internet it is permanently out there.
Intelius can be a great way to reconnect with
old friends or family. However, it can also lead to very
serious crimes, so it is extremely important to be very
careful when putting information on the Internet. You
never know in whose hands it could end up.
Page 4
Arts & Entertainment
January 2010
View of vampires has changed
Ruthi Dubilo
STAFF WRITER
With the release of “New Moon,” the newest
movie in the “Twilight Saga,” vampire mania has taken
over the lives of many, specifically female teenagers,
all over the country. Merchandise featuring Stephenie
Meyer’s fictitious vampire, Edward Cullen, from “The
Twilight Saga,” has found its way into the homes of eager
fans. Despite the fact that Edward Cullen is the most
famous vampire since Bram Stoker’s demon, Dracula, the
amount of historical knowledge the majority of people
involved in this phenomenon have about vampires is
limited.
Vampires have appeared in literature and folk
stories since Greek mythology, but until recently vampires
have always been viewed as something to fear. In modern
teenage literature such as in Meyer’s series, “Twilight,”
Rachelle Mead’s series, “Vampire Academy,” and L. J.
Smith’s series “The Vampire Diaries,” some vampires are
depicted as human-friendly and in some cases, the perfect
boyfriends.
The demonic portrayal of vampires has nearly
disappeared as these “vegetarian” vampires who refuse to
drink human blood have taken over the media. In history,
vampires were undead beings who came back from their
graves and subsisted off the living, typically by draining
the blood from humans’ bodies. Vampires were said to
return to their loved ones in the areas where they had lived
before their deaths. Records of vampires have been noted
in several areas including Greece, Romania, Serbia, and
Bulgaria, but the term “vampire” was not coined until the
eighteenth century.
Vampires first appeared in fiction in 1819 when
John Polidori published “The Vampyre” and were then
made famous in 1897 with the publication of “Dracula” by
Bram Stoker. “Dracula” was the basis of modern vampire
fiction and was the first vampire novel to reference the
myths of werewolves.
The popular representations that are more
representative of traditional thinking about vampires,
like Elizabeth Kostova’s “The Historian,” and the
movies “Underworld” or “Queen of the Damned,” are
significantly less popular works which incorporate
the blood-sucking vampires rather than the modern
Ryan Birch
STAFF WRITER
The town of Weston was founded
in 1713, and presently has a population of
11,698 people. Those who spend all of their
time here know that it gets kind of boring,
with forests and dull empty space everywhere,
and nothing to do but go eat at Theo’s, shop
at Omni, perhaps go to school and go home.
Not a thrill by any stretch of the imagination.
“Where’s Ryan” hopes to bring the thrill back
into your weekends.
Hello, I am Ryan Birch and this is a
review of places where I go on the weekends
that students of Weston High School might
not know about.
“Who the heck is Ryan? And why
should I care about where he is?” This is a
valid question that a person who doesn’t know
me might ask. But if they have to ask that
question, they will soon find out that I KNOW
WHAT’S GOOD and where you should be!
Many Westoners wonder what they
are going to do on the weekend, and how they
are going to relieve themselves of the tension
of the school week. Even though Boston is
in close proximity to Weston, it is astonishing
to Ryan that students rarely take advantage
of having the 21st largest city in America
just a short train ride away, where one of the
hidden jewels of the Boston area is located:
Downtown Crossing.
Downtown Crossing (DTC) is a
shopping mecca located in Back Bay, just
seconds away from the Boston Common and
the Green Line. When most Weston students
think of shopping, Boston, and food in the
interpretation of vampires such as in “Twilight.”
Vampires are “nocturnal creatures who have
fangs and suck the blood of humans. I know they cannot
go out into the sun or they will turn to ash, and that they
can transform themselves into bats,” said junior Francesca
Howe.
In addition to new and old stereotypes about
vampires and their characteristics, there is another kind of
vampire that exists in historical tradition. During the late
1700s and throughout the 1800s, the soul-sucking vampire
was believed to be responsible for many strange deaths
and illnesses in the United States. Most of these vampire
killings occurred in New England.
The soul-sucking vampire that appeared in
legends in America fed off the souls of humans rather
than by draining the blood from the body. These vampires
were closely related to consumption, now known as
tuberculosis, which was responsible for many deaths at
that time. When a family was struck by consumption,
it was typical for the community to accuse one of the
deceased family members of being possessed by a
demonic spirit, therefore turning that person into a
vampire. It was believed that the vampire then came back
from the grave to kill off the remaining family members.
The most famous of these soul-sucking vampires
is Mercy “Lena” Brown of Exeter, Rhode Island. Mercy
Brown is said to have been the cause of the deaths that
occurred in her family. Mercy was the third in her family
to die of consumption. Her sister, Mary Olive, and her
mother, Mary Brown, died before her. Mercy’s brother,
Edwin, the only son of George Brown, had been suffering
from consumption before Mercy’s death and continued to
struggle after she died.
The community in Exeter decided that the cause
of the deaths in the Brown family was a vampire. In order
to prove it, they exhumed the bodies of Mercy, Mary
Olive, and Mary. Mary Olive’s corpse was nothing but
bones and some hair growing from her skull, and Mary’s
corpse was decomposing at the normal rate. Mercy’s
corpse had not decomposed at all and she was found
to have blood in her heart and liver, a clear sign to the
townspeople that Mercy was the vampire. Mercy’s heart
was cut out of her body and burned on a nearby rock.
The ashes of her heart were given to Edwin to drink as a
potion in hope of curing him. Edwin died soon afterwards.
Where’s Ryan?
Despite the fact that vampire accusations were a
large part of New England history, very few people know
about them and they are not mentioned in any history
textbooks. In a survey taken at WHS only three people
out of 60 said that they had ever heard of the legends of
vampires living in the United States. Out of those three
people, only two of them knew about Mercy Brown.
The history of New England vampires is not
widely known because it is not taught in any school
curriculum. In areas where vampires have been said to
live, folk stories have been passed down through the
generations, educating those who have heard them.
Beyond that, classic tales of vampires have been lost in
history.
“I think [the history of vampires is not taught]
because teachers and the state do not believe it is relevant
to learning as the Salem Witch trials provide the same
kind of moral learning that education on vampire history
would provide,” said Lurie. “If this topic came up in class,
I’d be greatly interested. Who doesn’t want to know more
about vampires?”
Furthermore, a majority of people said that they
would rather read a book similar to “Twilight” than a
classic vampire book such as “Dracula,” thus proving
that the new modern vampire has captivated teenagers in
America.
“My opinion [about ‘Twilight’] is that the books
are good and the movies are terrible but [they] have hot
guys in them. The actors can’t act, but they look good so
it still sells tickets. I don’t personally mind the ‘Twilight’
craze, as I am an avid ‘Twilight’ reader myself,” said
freshman Sam Lurie.
Much of the success of “Twilight” movies
has been credited to the good-looking cast that attracts
viewers. In other words, it is not the vampires that have
grasped people’s interests, it’s the people who are playing
them.
The lack of knowledge about the history of
vampires in Massachusetts is surprising especially since
they have become such prominent figures in culture.
Vampires will continue to appear in literature and in the
media as the “Twilight Saga” continues, but beware the
next time you walk by a cemetery. There might just be a
vampire grave right in front of you.
same sentence, their mind automatically
sneaker heads will want to travel to
goes to Newbury Street or Faneuil Hall.
Expressions on Washington Street, which
Both areas are wonderful, but so overly
is like an upscale Footlocker that contains
expensive! Boston has so much more to
a plethora of cool sneakers for both sexes.
offer than high priced jeans, flashy gourmet Not only does Expressions sell the coolest
food, and a frou-frou lifestyle. DTC offers sneakers, but they also have some pretty
a breath of fresh air from those places and fresh clothing that when worn, makes the
gives you a great place to relax and enjoy
customer look pretty darned dapper.
the company of fellow
The food in
Massachusettians.
Downtown Crossing is
If you are the
like that found at any local
type of person who
mall food court, but it has
is into the shopping
a little more flavor. UFood
and clothes scene,
Grill, India Express,
DTC is for you. For
Sakio Japan, Quiznos and
the latest hip-hop
an abundance of other
clothing, walk into
excellent fast food chain
Manhattan Clothing or
restaurants encompass the
Hip-Zepi USA. Both
area. My personal meals
are located on Winter
of choice are chicken
Street in the heart of
selects from McDonalds
Ryan Birch, extraordinaire
DTC, and the best part
for $5.02, and streamed
PHOTO/Meredith Braunstein
about these clothing
white rice and General
stores are that they have reasonably priced Gao’s chicken for $5.00 from Sakio Japan.
quality clothing, a fresh change from ritzier
For the more mature palate,
stores.
Locke-Ober on Winter Street will satisfy
All the teen bargain-hunters
your taste buds but will test your wallet.
would be in heaven in Downtown Crossing Make sure it’s full before you enter
because it has Macy’s, Marshalls, and
because, while the food will fill you, it may
T.J.Maxx. These stores have designer
empty your pockets.
goods at low prices that most folks could
For the grown and sexy people
afford. Most of the styles in these stores are who are over 18, and maybe even some
the same brands that are being sold at high- of the hip teachers, the club scene in
end retail stores, just at lower prices that
Downtown Crossing is “poppin.” Club
are a good bargain.
Felt is located right in the heart of
The snazzy sneaker selection
downtown. This lush club has four floors
in Downtown Crossing is so exquisite
of delectable lounge areas. Club Mantra
it makes me secrete sweet saliva. The
is located on Temple Street right across
from Expressions. It is another loungetype club, but not on the scale of Club
Felt. Not only is Mantra a posh club,
but it doubles as an “asian-esque”
restaurant when you need to refuel from
partying too hard to the bumping house
and techno music. However, I would
recommend Club Felt to everyone over
Club Mantra, and there is where all my
teachers and friends can see me dancing
on Saturday nights once I get a fake ID.
Just don’t expect much because if I see
a teacher, I will probably run the other
way.
The body art scene in
Downtown crossing is a budding
one. The Stocking Store located on
Winter Street is a cornucopia of funky
accessories, earrings, and eye contacts,
but the most coolest part of all is that
The Stocking Store offers a station for
piercing.
Downtown Crossing is a
wonderful place to kill a couple of hours,
and all you need to do is hop on the
Green Line, get off at Park Street Station,
and cross the street. Then you will be in
Downtown Crossing.
If you take my advice to travel
to Downtown Crossing and you find that
these stores aren’t for you and that the
scene isn’t as “poppin” as I said it was,
something is clearly wrong with you
and you need a reality check, pronto.
Go back to Theo’s and listen to the dull
elevator music they play, or go to Omni
and pick up a head of lettuce. Just don’t
blame me when you’re bored to tears.
Off the Tracks
Crossword Puzzle
How carefully did you read this issue?
1
2
Page 5
January 2010
Mr. Yegros’ Latest Cartoon
3
Warm up with this winter
recipe
Apple Crisp: Serves 3-4
Courtesy of Ms. Irwin
3 medium or 2 large apples
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup oats
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8-teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
¼ cup butter
How am I supposed to keep my resolution to get good grades
if you don’t keep up your end?
Sudoku
Can you solve it?
ACROSS
1. Sword Fighting
7. The Satellite that found water on The Moon
8. Officer Maloney began her career as a police officer in this city
9. _____.com allows users to search for information about other people
11. The _____ Department strives to be Upbeat and Welcoming
16. Paul Nelson feels that this class should be offered to all four grades
17. This candidate for MA State Senate currently serves in the MA
National Guard
18. ______ Rules have made many Weston “superfans” angry
DOWN
2. The Most Common fears in Weston relate to _______
3. Value that Tony Legaski appreciates most
4. 22% of MA High School Students reported being victims of
5. Ryan’s Favorite nightclub in Downtown Crossing
6. A _____ has been formed to make the final decision about graduation
10. Often forgotten type of Vampire
12. Class Bulletin Boards are located across from the ________ office
13. Integrity, Responsibility, Resiliency, _________
14. Tom Cavanaugh is the new WHS __________ coach
15. Until recently, Weston had considered putting a restaurant in the
______ Tavern
PHOTO/Abby Clutz
PHOTO/ Bastien Goubeaux
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Peel, quarter, and core apples.
3. Slice the apples very thin, and
arrange in an 8-inch square-baking
pan.
4. Combine the brown sugar, flour, oats,
cinnamon, nutmeg (if you use it), and
butter. Use a pastry blender to cut
in the butter. Continue the blending
process until the mixture is crumbly
and well mixed.
5. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples.
6. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven
for 30 minutes. Your apple crisp
should be crispy and brown, with the
apples tender.
7. Cool slightly before putting the
whipped cream on it.
Whipped Cream
2/3 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Death
Check out some student
submissions
Diana Flanagan
I wonder when Death will come
And where it will come.
I think I would like to die
In the grass
Or on the water
In a small boat,
Maybe on a misty morning lake
Surrounded by curls of hyacinth
And weeds, lily pads,
Tangled beaver castles,
Trailing my hands in the black mirror of the water,
Watching velvety indigo
Run to the night’s edge like water color
Yielding to the porcelain bloom of daybreak.
Perhaps I would lie back in my boat,
Glide to the mouth of the river and
Trip down the beaver’s rough twig terraces
Simply disappear
Amongst the brown rushes
1. Pour whipping cream into large
mixing bowl and beat with the
electric mixer until soft peaks form.
The whipped cream should look like
softly drifted snow. Do not overbeat,
as it will turn into butter.
2. Stir in the sugar and vanilla.
3. Refrigerate, if not using immediately.
PHOTO/ Joe Wagner
What We’re…
Listening to:
• Lady Gaga’s new album “Fame Monster.” Released in November 2009, Gaga’s latest album contains mostly pop and electro-pop songs like “Bad Romance.” I recommend the
song “Dance in the Dark.”
• John Mayer’s new album “Battle Studies.” Also released in November 2009, Mayer’s latest CD has a variety of musical genre, ranging from pop to blues-rock. I recommend
the song “Edge of Desire.”
Watching:
• “The Blind Side” starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. Based on a true story, “The Blind Side” tells the story of a homeless teenager who discovers a passion for football
with the help of a wealthy family. Released in theaters in November 2009, this drama is rated PG 13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug, and sexual references.
• “Zombieland” starring Jesse Eisenberg (from “The Village”) and Woody Harrelson (from “No Country for Old Men”). This comedic-horror film focuses on four humans who
have to find ways to survive a world taken over by zombies. “Zombieland” is due on DVD in February 2010 and is rated R for horror violence/gore and language.
Reading:
• “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. Published in 2004 and with a film adaptation already out on DVD, “My Sister’s Keeper” tells the story of a 13 year old girl who sues her
parents for expecting to her to undergo yet another operation to donate her kidney to her older sister who is dying of leukemia.
• “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. This mystery-detective fiction novel was written in 2003 and also has a film adaptation. The plot revolves around symbologist Robert
Langdon and his female assistant as they venture through Paris to discover a deadly secret about the Opus Dei religious group.
If you are interested in submitting your own work for an upcoming issue, send an email to whstracks@gmail.com
Wildcat World
January 2010
Page 6
Bullying problem at WHS?
Nicole Poritzky
STAFF WRITER
It is nearly impossible to
see television, watch movies, or
read books without encountering
a huge kid, who more often than
not has been held back a grade or
two, picking on a short, scrawny
kid wearing glasses, and shoving
him into a locker. But does this
cliché of bullying actually exist?
For many students it
does in this traditional way. For
others, the bullying experience is
much more severe. Some students,
like 11-year-old Carl J. WalkerHoover of Springfield, have
committed suicide because of
the intense and constant bullying
they experienced at school.
Other students have to
undergo major changes in life, like
switching schools, because of the
trouble they faced in their original
school. An autistic 13-year-old
from Sandwich, son of Theresa
M. Jackson, was dancing at his
first school dance, and later a
classmate who recorded him with
a camera posted his actions on
YouTube. This was considered
a form of cyber-bullying.
“Cyber bullying is
using any media like social
networking, or email, or cell
phones to intimidate others,”
said guidance counselor Marla
Schay. “It can range from things
like [Facebook’s] honesty box
[to] pictures manipulated or sent
around and emails that go viral.”
While
some
forms of cyber bullying do
exist here at Weston High
School, students do not believe
physical bullying is an issue.
“I don’t think there’s any
direct bullying, but I think kids
will get shunned or indirectly
made fun of. Often they don’t
realize it,” said junior Steph Lee.
teachers would have to document all still bully each other because
with
this. cases of general bullying and they want to seem popular, or
“There’s
some
of report them to the state education maybe because they feel a bit
this take the kid’s bag...so he regulators. These regulators insecure about joining high
searches for a half hour and would occasionally review each school,” said Brandon Lam,
then it reappears. There are little school’s guidelines and their level a senior at Wellesley High.
things, like little harassments” of enforcement, to ensure that they At WHS, many students
said math teacher John Monz. are following the model policy. said that it is the boys who
As for hazing, Weston
However, it is difficult do more of the teasing, while
students do not believe that to separate joking from real the girls do a lot of the rumor
“generic hazing” is common, but bullying. To make matters more spreading or behind the back type
that perhaps an upperclassman complicated,
many
schools of bullying. But other schools
taking a lunch chair from a would likely consider some do not have an equal amount
freshman is one of the more bullying a joke, just to make of each gender being bullies.
common examples at WHS. their school look better. These
“There is much more
“There’s
initiation issues will have to be considered. bullying from girls than boys
type stuff, but no real hazing,”
Though
virtually at my school. They don’t
said Sam Lurie, a freshman. all schools face the problem physically bully each other, but
Parents,
instead say nasty
teachers,
school
things about other
administrators,
and
people behind their
students want any type
backs,” said Lizzie
of bullying to end. These
Beers, a freshman
people have noticed the
at Newton North.
existence of bullying,
However,
and
its
negative
at Phillips Andover
effects. Victims of
the boys seem to
bullying often get hurt,
be more prominent
physically or mentally.
bullies than females.
“We
talk
“ [ O n e ]
about what to do to
type of bullying that
create a culture where
is present is just
kids
know
subtle A dramatized depiction of bullying
playful teasing. I
bullying
just
isn’t definitely see it more
SOURCE / miriiam.com
acceptable,” Schay said.
in the boys,” said
Some parents
Shannon McSweeny
of bullying, it presents itself
who feel fervently that bullying in various ways at different a senior at Philips Andover.
should
be
eradicated are schools. While here at WHS,
While
Weston’s
currently urging Massachusetts’ students believe that bullying bullying is more indirect, other
lawmakers to approve an mostly takes the form of schools have much more of
anti-bullying
proposal, upperclassmen
jokingly this indirect bullying, and a
which has yet to be voted on. harassing the underclassmen lot of physical fighting, too.
Despite the strong desire because some believe they
“The physical bullies
to halt this harassment, states are ‘own the high school,’ at other are mainly the guys that think
having trouble finding a solution. local schools it is a bit different. they are tough and too good for
The popular legislation at the
“Surprisingly,
the everyone else, and those who
State House would require the freshmen and sophomores seem are always stoned. There are
state to create model policies for to do most of the bullying, and constantly fistfights between two
schools. These contain guidelines get bullied the most. It seems or even three guys that belong
as to how acts of harassment, that because they are younger to the same group of friends.
intimidation, or bullying must and usually less mature, they The verbal bullies are just about
be handled. In addition, schools
everybody. It’s usually between
agree
Many
girls that are jealous of one
another, or girls that just simply
hate each other. The amount of
indirect bullying is outrageous,”
said Sam Hanson, a sophomore
at Ashland High School. “There
isn’t a day that goes by without
rumors being spread, or somebody
letting out someone’s secret.”
Some
schools
are
fortunately able to nearly
avoid all forms of bullying.
“The
thing
about
Belmont Hill is that since it’s an
all-boys school, there isn’t really
competition over girls which
makes a huge difference; people
aren’t going all out to impress,
so its a little more loose [in
terms of bullying],” said Gordon
Maas, a senior at Belmont Hill.
Despite the different
ways bullying can present itself,
there are a few ways individuals
can
avoid
being
bullied.
“When I was a freshman
and sophomore, I was rarely
teased, but when it did happen,
I just ignored the bullies. When
they get no response out of you
or your friends, they lose interest
in bullying you,” Lam said.
But just like the settings
and plots of the shows, movies,
or books one sees about bullying,
all schools are different. In each
individual school, just like in
each form of entertainment, there
are different people doing the
bullying, various consequences
for the act, and diversity of
ways it comes forth. WHS is
just one show, one movie, one
book, while thousands of others
exist with slightly, or vastly,
different scenarios. Regardless
of these differences, bullying
is an issue, in one form or
another, in nearly every school
community, and many parents
seem to be pleased that the state
legislature is taking it seriously.
Students’ New Years’ Resolutions
“My New Year’s Resolution is to avoid Q-tips.” “I want to try to do my part to reduce my carbon
footprint.”
-Sophomore Noah Norbash
-Junior Maddy Gold
“My New Year’s Resolution is to have senioritis
“My New Year’s Resolution is to get rid of some
and get at least one Saturday School.”
of my pet peeves!”
-Senior Lauren Warner
-Sophomore Julia Meehan
“I want to learn how to dance.”
“I want to get into a college of my choice, gain
-Junior Emelia Barron
15 pounds, and finish up high school on a positive
note.”
“My resolution is to not sweat the small stuff
-Senior Jack Chory
and to be as positive as possible.”
-Senior Julia Bernstein
“My New Year’s Resolution is to win the Baseball
State Title.”
“My resolution is to try to not make my life
-Junior Robert Charpie
more complicated than it needs to be.”
-Junior Kimmie Remis
“This year I want to stop flirting with the
“My New Year’s Resolution is to try something underclassman swimmers.”
-Senior Devin McCarron
new the first day of every month, like trying
weird food, talking to people I don’t know well,
“My resolutions are to not go to bed late every
or learning something cool.”
night, spend my time wisely, and get away from
-Sophomore Eliza Robson
the computer and go outside more often.”
-Junior Brandon Blaesser
“This year I want to love myself.”
-Senior Kendall Michl
“Not make a New Year’s Resolution so I can
become less OCD.”
-Senior Margaret Crane
“I want to finish a painting I started.”
-Senior Kiri Endicott
“My New Year’s Resolution is to spend more
time with my family.”
-Sophomore Olivia Brackett
“2010 is likely to be the busiest year of my
life...I may find myself feeling extreme stress
over these parts of my life. Therefore, I have
set a goal of balancing myself in this new year,
not to get too involved in school work, but
rather to balance it with sports, music, and
spending time with my friends.”
-Junior Kar Epker
“My New Year’s Resolution is to wear jeans to
school, rather than sweatpants everyday.”
-Senior Maddie Roth
“My resolution is to not sweat the small stuff
and to be as positive as possible.”
-Senior Julia Bernstein
Wildcat World
January 2010
Page 7
“What I’ve Learned” with Tony Legaski
Mark Fishman
STAFF WRITER
Tony
Legaski,
a
personable
custodian
here
at Weston High School, has
learned many lessons that he
shared during an interview with
Wildcat Tracks.. His bright
personality makes many smile,
but his journey to become who
he is today has not been as
smooth as many would think.
I’m going to hell. When
I was younger, I thought I was
going to hell, because I was
drinking, smoking, living in a
$7-per-week apartment. It was
wild. Nobody told me what to do.
I had a mother, not a
father. I wasn’t an orphan. My
mother died from drinking when I
was fifteen. I grew up on my own,
learned how to fend for myself.
My neighbor, Walter Suzar, went
out of his way to let me rent an
apartment from him for seven
dollars a week. I got multiple
jobs, and ended up doing things
I shouldn’t have – but there was
nobody telling me what to do.
[Suzar] let things slide instead of
calling me out. He respected me,
and I learned to respect others
because of him. Through life you
learn to straighten up, how to save
money, eat right, pay for rent. I
worked at Gillette for twenty years
after being in the service; I wish I
had worked here forty years ago.
This year I will eat
more vegetables. I’m more
of a potatoes and meat man.
If you have nothing,
you expect nothing. An honest
person will give away what
they have to someone else--for
the person in need. It doesn’t
count if you are giving just to
be giving, giving for yourself.
My identity shifted
when I got married. I took on
more responsibilities when I had
kids. My favorite
memories are
the days they
were
born.
[My kids] are
the
greatest
things in my
life.
They’re
successful. My
daughter is 27
and a teacher’s
aide. My son is
35, and works
for IBM. I’m
proud of them.
When
s t u d e n t s
leave
their
trays behind, Tony Legaski it [angers] me
alot. I want to
go over there and say, “Hey,
I’m not your maid.” At home,
your parents wouldn’t want you
leaving dishes around. We’ve
got 365 days in a year; how
many times do I need to remind
them [to pick up their trays]?
I like cleaning up for people’s
messes, but it’s just disrespectful
when they leave their trays out.
I used to have bad breath.
If I could save money,
I would like to go on a cruise.
I’ve never been on a cruise
before. It’s my life-long dream
to travel the world with my kids.
When I took this job, I
didn’t know there were this many
Now, the students at Weston are
my kids. I love my kids. And
they think I’m great, a cool guy.
We’re friends and we get along
well. We can talk together, and
nothing is hidden. And if they
want something of me, I’ll do it,
within reason of course. I feel
like they would return the favor.
I used to be called
“Legs”. When I was working at
Gillette, there were a lot of Tonys
and Anthonys. It was always
confusing, trying to know who
they were talking to. So they
started calling me Legs. [The
nickname was taken] from
my last name of course.
The things I
value most are God, my
country, and respect. I
was brought up Catholic,
fought for our country,
and respect is something
I base my life on.
Without these, I would
not be the same person.
I think I’m a
better person than what
I used to be. It’s like, the
older you get, the more
you
appreciate
what
you have. Now I have a
different view of the world
PHOTO / Meredith Braunstein
and the people around me.
To this point, my
kids in school. I had never been
life
has
been
a
puzzle. Life has
around this many kids before,
changed
so
much--
but it allowed me to learn about
I have grown a lot from when I
was a boy. The toughest thing
now is to keep in control of
myself. I think, “One day at a
time. There’s no war here.” The
puzzle is finally coming together.
What I’ve Learned:
1. Nothing is handed to
you. [You have to] get it yourself.
Work towards getting what you
want. It pays off in the long run.
2. Respect others. In
order to get respect, show others
that you respect them. You need
to not judge others [in order to
respect them]. If I had an eyeball
hanging from my cheek, nobody
would want to talk to me. But it’s
what’s on the inside that counts.
To respect people, you can’t
criticize what they do, and [you
need to] respect how they do it.
3. Honesty comes from
within. You’re not born with it,
but it is something that you must
learn along the way. You can’t
[become honest] overnight. True
honesty is hard to come along by.
It’s not just not lying, but doing the
right thing. Like, if I found some
money or an iPod in the cafeteria,
I’m going to try to find the owner.
Honesty goes right along with
respect– you need them both.
Before I die, I would like
people to know who I really was. I
don’t want people to be phony with
me. truthful. That’s the way I am.
the different types of people.
Students’ guide to the 2010 MA Senate candidates
Grant Gilbard
STAFF WRITER
“Scott Brown--isn’t he a musician?” asked one
embarrassed senior.
With the Massachusetts senatorial election to
replace Ted Kennedy, it is important that Weston students
understand the backgrounds and views of the Republican
and Democratic candidates. Many students at Weston
High School will be eligible to vote this year, and it is
clear that many students still do not know much about
Scott Brown and Martha Coakley, so it is important that
students and faculty at WHS are informed voters and
citizens. That being said, here are profiles for the two
candidates:
State Senator Scott Brown
(R):
State Senator Scott
Brown is the Republican
candidate in the Massachusetts
Senate race. Brown was
raised in Wakefield, attended
Tufts
University
and
then Boston College Law
School. Brown’s career in
politics started out with his
election to the selectman
seat from Wrentham, and his
subsequent election as a state
representative. Brown was
elected state senator in 2004,
and he is also a Lieutenant
Colonel for the Massachusetts
National Guard. Brown is
a strong advocate for lower
taxes, a smaller government, a
decrease in the deficit, a strong homeland defense (including
sending more troops to Afghanistan), and market-driven
universal healthcare.
“If we allow more free enterprise and less
government intrusion into our lives, we can create jobs here
in Massachusetts,” said Brown on FOX 25 news. Brown has also been a very strong supporter
of the METCO program as co-chairman of the METCO
Legislative Caucus. He was “dumbfounded” by Governor
Deval Patrick’s cuts to the program. Brown is married to WCVB-TV reporter,
Gail Huff, and his daughter, Ayla, advanced to the
Top 16 of American Idol. Voters who desire less
government intervention in the economy, a strong
stand against terrorism, and
support the METCO program
should consider voting for Scott
Brown.
Attorney General Martha
Coakley (D):
Martha Coakley is
the Democratic candidate in
the Masschusetts Senate race.
Coakley lives in Medford, and
graduated from Williams College
and then Boston University
School of Law. Coakley served
as Middlesex County District Attorney
from 1999-2007 and then became
Massachusetts’ Attorney General that
same year.
She supports gay marriage,
environmental
concerns,
and
consumer rights. For example, she
won $60 million from Goldman
Sachs in a lawsuit over subprime
lending. As a prosecutor, Coakley
has sought to be tough on crime and an advocate for
children. On the issues, Coakley supports a public
health care option to compete with the private sector, and
has also sued pharmaceutical companies for “unlawful
sales and marketing practices,” says Coakley on her
website. Coakley believes greater financial regulation is
necessary for a better, stronger economy in the future,
and “took on Wall Street firms who helped cause our
economic crisis,” according to her website. Coakley aims to be seen as a champion of
the common man, emphasizing “equal rights” in her
campaign. She is a supporter of legalized abortions,
believes carbon dioxide is a pollutant that threatens public
health, and believes troops should begin to be brought
home from Afghanistan as soon as possible. Students
who seek greater government intervention in the
economy, a public health care option, and more action
taken in combating “climate change” should consider
voting for Martha Coakley.
Opinion
January 2010
Page 8
Students must fight to keep graduation tradition
Victoria Kinnealey
STAFF WRITER
This October, Principal Anthony
Parker released news that was very
upsetting for many Weston High School
seniors. He announced to the senior class
and their parents that students would no
longer be able to choose with whom they
walk for graduation. The responses to this
controversial decision have been both
positive and negative.
The exact set up of graduation has
yet to be determined and will be decided
by a committee made up of students,
parents, and teacher advisors led by
business teacher Clifford O’Connor and
math instructor Corlene Hosmer. Although
this committee was formed to help work
out the final details of graduation, the
student body has had no say in the decision
to change the format of how students will
enter the ceremony.
Parker claims he is making
this change to take the anxiety out of
graduation, but since this announcement
was made the anxiety level of students who
will be affected by the decision has risen
dramatically.
Parker said that this decision is
not meant to change tradition, but rather
to make a monumental class event more
inclusive. Despite the intent, many students
and parents disagree with the new policy.
Choosing a partner for graduation has been
a tradition at WHS for over thirty years,
and several students have been planning
with whom they want to walk for the final
event of their high school career since
eighth grade, or even before.
By assigning specific students
Maria Posa
graduation, and an issue like whom they
to walk with one another, WHS is not
The committee would work to the best of
walk down the aisle with should not be
preparing its students for life after high
its ability to make sure every student was
the deciding factor. But at the same time
school. Someone will not always be there walking with someone with whom they
to assign a roommate, or a date, or a
had some familiarity, and if anyone had an this is an event many students feel helps
partner. By the time Weston students reach issue with whom they were matched, they to symbolize the end of their high school
graduation, they need to learn to deal with could go and negotiate their issue with the career, and they have been expecting to
share it with a certain person for years.
these regularly occurring issues on their
committee.
If students really have been
own.
skipping graduation in the
Some students are going to
past because of that, then
be forced to walk with people they do
something must be done to
not know well, and this could mean
make sure every student has
the person with whom they walk
a partner. But what the school
might be someone they dislike or feel
seems to be overlooking is
uncomfortable with. While Parker’s
the fact that in past years
decision intends to diffuse anxiety,
there has been absolutely no
it could actually increase tensions
involvement on the school’s
within the grade and perhaps backfire,
part to help students find
causing more students to skip
someone to walk with. Now
graduation than in prior years.
they are trying to take over
The school, it seems, is
the entire process and force
simply trying to take an easy way out
every student to succumb to
of the current graduation issue. Rather
their request, a request that
than sitting down with the students
they have put forth without
and really discussing the problem, the
consulting those it affects
administration is bypassing them in an Students walking in ceremony at graduation 2009
PHOTO/Annie Goldman the greatest. Why is there no
effort to make the majority of students
middle ground? Do we really
happy.
This plan is the most fair, least
need to assign the entire grade to meet the
A proposal was presented to
excluding, and most mature approach
needs of a few?
Parker in October, which I believe would
to the current graduation issue. Weston
The plan to change graduation is
make both parties happy. The idea was
High is not doing its students any favors
a long way from being perfect, and is even
to give each student in the senior grade a
by coddling them at the age of 18, and in
unfair to many. The school has shown
ballot with two options. The first option
their attempt to fix a very specific issue
would allow students to acknowledge
they are only causing more tension within very little interest in the opinions of those
that they had someone to walk with
the grade. The fact that the administration opposed to the plan, and although Parker
says he is open to new ideas, he has yet to
and the second option would give the
did not consult the class of 2010 once
administration permission to pick them
during this decision speaks volumes on its make any changes at this time. The final
a partner. All of these ballots would then
own, and it could be a clear indication that outcome is still unknown at this point, and
be placed in a box and the committee in
they knew the majority of students would I hope that more students, administration,
and parents stand up for a graduation that
charge of graduation details would work
respond negatively to this change.
more fairly represents the students who
together to match the students who chose
I do believe that every student
partake in it.
the latter option with students they knew.
should attend an event as monumental as
What makes a good teacher?
STAFF WRITER
In any high school environment, it is common
to overhear a conversation among students either
praising or criticizing their teachers. But what exactly
is it about high school teachers that students like and
dislike?
I would have answered the question with
something along the lines of: “A good teacher is
someone who can convey information and personally
connect to his or her students.” However, I wanted
to find out what other students, teachers, and faculty
members believe, as my opinion is not the only
pertinent one, and it is bound to be different from
others’.
After discussing this question with numerous
members of the Weston High School community, the
only thing that became clear was that nobody agreed
on what constitutes a good high school teacher.
On one end of the spectrum, some felt as
though a good teacher is light on the homework and
easygoing in class.
“A good teacher
is someone who is laid
back in the classroom and
doesn’t assign too much
work,” said freshman
Moshe Wander. “They
do more actual teaching
in class and assign fewer
worksheets.”
Even though it
is nice to take a break
once in a while from the
overwhelming, endlessly
assigned work, I have
found that reasonably
challenging classes are
more rewarding in the end. Handing in a solid essay
and receiving a deserving grade is more gratifying
than filling out tedious and straightforward worksheets.
“When I was a high school student, my favorite
teachers were the ones who challenged me,” said Sharon
Kerns, a math and Spanish teacher. “I was the type of
student who did fairly well and never felt over my head.”
A difficult teacher might be better suited for a
student who is rarely academically challenged but not for
one who struggles to maintain passing grades.
The first thing that came to other students’ minds
was developing a personal relationship.
“Good teachers are nice, understanding, and tell
their students a lot about their lives. That way, it’s easier to
understand where they’re coming from,” said sophomore
Alex Wile.
Personal connections often help students
understand and remember academic material, so this
relationship with the teacher can be very valuable to
learning. I still remember the ridiculous vocabulary stories
Mrs. Scott’s eighth grade English class made up to help
learn the words. Mrs. Scott shared with us a rather disturbing
personal anecdote to help us remember the word “perturb,”
and I remember the definition to this day. Even though she
is a middle school teacher, this educational technique still
strikes me as one that would be
effective in the high school as well.
On a different note, one
faculty member touched upon the
necessity of not only passing on
information but also caring for the
job.
“Good teachers need to have
a love of the subject,” said Vice
Principal Kelly Flynn. “Beyond
that, they also need to have a love
of sharing that knowledge. They
have to relish the challenge of how
to do that.”
PHOTO/blogpot.com Although I know that older
teachers do not necessarily lack
this enthusiasm, I have found over the years that younger
teachers more often possess it. Another benefit of younger
teachers is that it is easier to connect to teenage students
because of the smaller age gap, and one student argued
that the most important aspect of being a good teacher is
being able to connect to his or her students.
“A good teacher is one who is relatable because
if they can achieve that, students are going to want to
learn the information,” said senior Kara Hedges. “If all a
teacher can do is relay the facts, students will only learn
them because they have to, and they won’t be excited
about the subject.”
Although I ended up agreeing with parts of
most of these opinions, reaching a consensus was nearly
impossible. The fact that they were all so diverse was
significant in and of itself. Maybe the best teacher is not
one who is the best at relaying information and relating
to his or her students. Although these qualities may
very well be present in good teachers, they are certainly
not the deciding factors. Rather, I came to realize after
interviewing members of the WHS community that good
teachers are not those who are liked by the entire school
population, but they are the ones who can adjust to my
learning style. On a larger scope, to be considered a
good teacher, he or she needs to be able to adapt to the
multitudinous personalities of all of his or her students.
I am the type of student who works in bursts.
When I am distracted in the slightest bit, I simply cannot
accomplish anything until I regain focus. In the high
school, I have had one teacher who allowed his class to
take two-minute breaks in order to refocus when he felt
that the class was distracted. In other classes, however,
requests to take short breaks have been disregarded,
and focus levels suffered greatly because of it. These
teachers’ unwillingness to adapt to their students’ learning
styles inhibits classroom learning and negatively impacts
students’ opinions.
In short, interviewing members of the WHS
community showed me that the opinions of what makes
a good teacher vary unbelievably. This observation led
me to the conclusion that a student will like a teacher if
he or she is able to adapt to the student’s personality and
learning style. Therefore, to be considered a good teacher
by the school population, the teacher needs to be able to
adjust to each of his or her students.
Opinion
January 2010
Page 9
WHS should take to heart the school core values
middle school, I auditioned for the plays and was rejected
twice in three years. Though I knew I loved being in the
STAFF WRITER
plays, I was afraid of rejection, and I did not try out for any
plays in my freshman year. In my sophomore year, I was
At the beginning of the year, Principal
finally able to gain the courage to take a chance and audition
Anthony Parker and Assistant Principal Kelly Flynn
for a school play, and I was glad I did. Since then, I have
made a speech to the senior class reminding us of the
been part of six high school plays, and my only regret is that
Weston High School Core Values and Expectations.
I had not started sooner. Resilience is about taking risks,
They asked us what we, as seniors, wanted to be
cheerfully facing situations that are difficult, and dealing
remembered for and ultimately reminded us of the
with life’s inevitable problems with a positive attitude. This
consequences of disobeying school rules, showing us
experience taught me that you miss 100% of the shots you
the familiar disciplinary list of “Things To Ruin Your
don’t take and when you fall off the horse, you must simply
Day” and the more extreme list of “Things To Ruin
get back on. Taking responsibility for failure and thinking
More Than Just Your Day.”
clearly about how to recuperate are essential to success.
I was interested in the list of values for
INTEGRITY and ENGAGEMENT
Weston High School, especially since these words now
I felt that some of the other ideals did not fit quite
circle the Weston High School insignia, which—as
as well with WHS. The word that I find least true to the high
of this year—covers up the large painted image of a
school community is integrity, and
Wildcat in the gymnasium.
I’m not just talking about cheating.
The insignia can also
WHS certainly tries to crack down
be seen on a similar
on cheating, but I feel that creating
banner in the Media
an atmosphere of constant mistrust
Forum. The banner says
and paranoia in class is not a very
“Weston High School,”
permanent solution and is arguably
then below in smaller
counterproductive. Cheating is
print, “Town of Weston
merely the symptom of a greater
Incorporated 1712-13.”
disease that should be addressed:
Surrounding this seal
the lack of respect for a good
are the words “Integrity,
education. When I think about
Responsibility, Resiliency,
integrity, I think about kids who
Engagement.” The same
value their education and study
insignia appeared on the
driven by their own interests rather
front of the Student/Parent A new banner hangs in the high school gym
PHOTO/Meredith Braunstein than grades.
Handbook that was mailed
From more than one
to homes at the beginning
of the school year. When I first looked at these words, source I have heard that WHS students have somewhat of
a reputation for being “snobby rich kids.” I advise those
they seemed generic and disconnected; the kind of
students who are the reason for this reputation that wealth is
bland “ideals” that any establishment would want, but
not a crime, but wasting resources due to ungratefulness is
my initial opinion changed the more I thought about
foolish. Though school is not always fun, we go to a school
how these ideals actually might apply to the WHS
with incredible opportunities that should not be taken for
community.
granted. My parents did not have the opportunity to study at
RESILIENCY and RESPONSIBILITY
a great high school, and I feel the need take advantage of an
Some of the words on the poster fit well with
education that is not available to everyone.
the Weston community. After seeing the poster, I
On the other end of the “snobby rich kid” spectrum
realized that resiliency is, in fact, the most important
are the students who focus solely on their grades and the
attribute I have taken from WHS, as it was the ideal I
college they plan to attend. These students take no interest
struggled with the most. Without resilience, I never
in finding any joy in academics. For them, high school
would have auditioned for a high school play. In
is simply ‘what you do before you go to college,’ and
Mikey Bullister
these kids limit the community of the school because
they don’t feel they have to invest in the experience.
For me, integrity involves working because I want to
improve my writing or thinking, or because I want to find
school interesting. It must be incredibly frustrating and
unsatisfying for students who make life choices solely
based on whether or not it appeals to a college admissions
board.
Students at Weston High School work hard,
but rather than working to get the best grade by doing
the least work, students should work harder to engage
themselves by searching for personal meaning in their
classes, which is ultimately more satisfying. Equally,
teachers should work hard to maintain a level of
excitement in class. Teachers who have a personal
connection to the material they teach are generally more
engaging. All too often, articles about exciting uses of
math and science in the real world are passed around
between teachers doing work in the math office and
interesting novels are recommend by English teachers to
other English teachers. These same articles and novels
should be shared with and recommended to students.
Teachers should encourage students to learn based on
interest by sharing their own excitement for the subject
and by giving students the opportunity to get excited
about material that is not necessarily on the curriculum.
Though some of the ideals do not represent the
WHS I know, I commend the banners that have been set
up in the gym and the media center as they are ideals that
are worthy of working towards in the future. (My only
regret is that I wish perhaps “community” was among
those ideals that we are working towards). Though words
like these sometimes seem general or disconnected, I
encourage students and faculty to think more carefully
about how these words can affect our school. Words
like resiliency and integrity are ideals that are well worth
working towards in the future. Coming back to WHS
in a few years, I hope to hear more celebration of what
makes our high school community unique, perhaps
instead of the annual reminder of “How to Ruin Your
Day.” Although there are many students who cheat and
complain, I hope that more students will learn to discover
joy in their academics as opposed to constantly fretting
about grade point averages and life past high school. I
hope that students will lose the reputation for “snobby
rich kids from Weston,” and gain a reputation of kids who
diligently enjoy and value the opportunities given to them.
Weston needs more personalized classes
Paul Nelson
STAFF WRITER
Why do we go to school?
Sometimes it seems the attitude at Weston
High School suggests it is simply to get a
good grade point average that will get you
into a quality college before escaping after
four years. Sometimes lost in this driven
community is the fact that every individual
inside the WHS building is a human being,
a human being with complex thoughts,
emotions and an intricate personal life
outside of the confines of this campus. So
why do we become machines from 7:33
a.m. until 2:50 p.m.?
The answer is that the learning
environment at WHS is impersonal. The
learning environment at Weston is one that
makes the student feel uncomfortable due
to the air of professionalism. There is a
fine line of professionalism that cannot be
transgressed in an academic setting, but
the truth is that kids learn more in personal
settings where they are comfortable. A
comfortable setting consists of a positive
environment where students and teachers
alike are working together on the same
level. Unfortunately, the structure of
classes at WHS does not encourage this
type of environment.
“Although I talk and interact with
a lot of kids in a class setting every day for
the past four years, I don’t feel I know
them in a real sense,” said senior Will
Jackson.
I believe there is one class
offered at WHS, however, that is
an exception. Senior Sociology is
conducive to a comfortable and positive
environment and not only should a class
of its caliber be available to all four
grades at WHS, but it should be required
all four years.
Senior Social Science is much
different from other classes at WHS.
In the class, students learn about each
other through individual interviews
and various activities that explore the
depths of our peers. The academic
learning is complemented by legitimate
personal connections with peers. The
course description for Senior Social
Science states, “by studying various
psychological theories of Goleman,
Erikson, Freud, Gilligan, Maslow,
Kohlberg, and Skinner, students better
understand their own experiences
and become more aware of their
place in the community as learners,
athletes, club members, and citizens.
Individual participation is essential in
communication, motivation, and class
discussion.”
Junior Health Seminar is
the only class that is similar in that it
touches on the academic component, but
it falls short in the personal department.
interesting curriculum about how human
“I really like the concept of
beings function emotionally, I have learned
[Senior Social Science], but it would be a
more about myself, and more importantly
lot better if we had a group-oriented class
about my peers, than I have in the previous
earlier in our high school career because
eleven years of my life going to school
senior year feels late. I am going to hear
with these same people. This is by far the
someone’s interview at the end of the year most valuable thing I will ever take away
and realize I wish I got to know them
from my years at WHS. I think this class
earlier,” said senior Carter Hulings.
is so essential because it has allowed me
A common misconception of
to see how much there is to every single
Senior Sociology is
person when you scratch the surface.
that it is an easy A and
It helps break down some of the
you do not do anything
inhumane high school social barriers
in the class. This
that make high school years so
could not be farther
painful for some.
from the truth. The
“You think you know
academic study and
everything about your classmates
application of those
because you’ve been in school
concepts to students’
with them for so many years, but in
lives encourage greater Wildcat Logo
reality, you have no idea what their
levels of learning.
life is like. People go through so
PHOTO/highschoolsports.net
“In the Social
much, but never tell anyone about
Science class environment, everyone is on it,” Young said.
the same level. I have seen that this setting
There is so much to learn
allows people to open up and to connect
beyond what’s in textbooks. It is critical
with all different types of people and go
to remember that we are all humans.
beyond stereotypes and assumptions. I
We would all prefer if every 79-minute
find that as a result, people are willing
class in the day were personal because
to open up to more people and be less
personalization makes learning more
judgmental. This life lesson is vastly
bearable. If personalization can be
more important than any other lesson I
restored in more classes or if sociology
can instill upon my students,” said Social
is potentially offered all four years, then
Science teacher Kim Young.
learning would take on a whole new
In addition to learning the
meaning at Weston.
Page 10
Wildcat News
January 2010
Weston Police do more than meets the eye
David Miller
STAFF WRITER
When most students think about the Weston
police, they think of officers who break up parties
and give out traffic tickets. While it is in their job
title to try to prevent speeders and underage drinking,
the police officers do more than one could even
imagine. Many students are curious about what
duties the job of a police officer actually entail. Officer Kelly Maloney interacts the most with
students at Weston High School because of her job as
a Community Service Officer. Officer David Spellman,
a patrol officer, is not as well known by students,
and the ones who have met him probably were not
happy afterwards. Unfortunately, their titles as police
officers alone may cause them to be disliked by some. “I think all [police officers] do is try to
break up parties,” said freshman George Peters.
Many students agree with Peters’ statement,
because the only time they really see the police is either
breaking up a party or giving someone a ticket. The police
officers here in Weston, however, do much more than that.
The average day for a police officer is different
for each position. Maloney’s daily schedule involves
interacting with many different people in town.
“My job is as a community service
officer. I deal with the juveniles, the elderly, and
[cases of] domestic violence,” Maloney said. For
Officer
Spellman,
on
the
other hand, each day is always different. “One day could be 100 miles per hour with
multiple calls, and another could be really quiet, but we
are always ready for the unexpected,” Spellman said. Weston
has
always
been
perceived
as a safe and quiet town, but crime records
suggest that this is not always the case.
“In the past year I have had to
investigate five sexual assaults in town. [They
were] not at the high school but mainly involved
citizens in their early twenties,” Maloney said.
Officer Spellman has also seen some
things
expect
that most Weston students would never
to happen in their seemingly quiet town.
“I’ve been at some fatal motor vehicle
accidents, and on average there are three fatalities a
year in Weston due to cars rolling over,” Spellman said. Officer Maloney worked for a year and a
half at the Waltham Police department before moving
over to Weston. Even though Weston is a smaller town
compared to others in the Metrowest area, the calls for
officers are usually the same in Weston as in other places.
“Although I do not receive the same amount of
calls as I did in Waltham, I get the same type of problems.
Almost all the calls I get here are legitimate,” Maloney said. Officer Spellman worked for three years as a
dispatcher in Franklin and
for six months in Littleton.
“The same type of
stuff happens here in Weston
as in other towns, just in
smaller volume due to the
town’s small population,”
said Spellman. “We see a
little bit of everything.”
The
police
get
calls all day long that
hardly anyone hears about,
including some extremely A Weston police car
interesting
situations. “The
most
[dangerous] call I have ever gotten was in the summer of
2008 when a 20 year-old kid who was under the influence
of a substance had a knife and wanted to hurt himself.
We had to make him drop the knife and eventually go
to the hospital to make sure he was OK,” Maloney said.
There are many different misconceptions, and some
students do not know what the police do other than get high
school students in trouble. Even though police officers do
have a lot to do in this town, some students remain skeptical
about how much actual work there is for them to do.
“I think they try to pull people over too
much. I always see them waiting around trying to
catch speeders,” said sophomore Sami Gosman. Some students do not take the police as seriously
as they should, and they think they can get away
with anything, but according to Officer Spellman, the
intricacies of the job in this small town are known only
to a few and are important in making our lives safe.
“Being on the road eight hours a day, I see
patterns, and I can tell when things are not right. I know
who drives what car, where they live, and who they hang
out with. When I often confront students at a party and ask
them their names, they are in awe that I can tell them their
street address, parents, and type of car,” Spellman said. Although some may believe that the
town
is
“dry,”
Officer
Maloney
disagrees.
“The thing with police work is you never
know what could happen,” said Maloney. “We have had
a murder and [several]
break-ins. You can never
know what could happen,
so we are always ready.”
Not
many
students appreciate what
the police do to keep
everyone safe, and protect
the town. Weston may be
smaller than other towns,
but the Weston Police
Department is ready
for the unpredictable. “In 1995 I
PHOTO / crownvicsetc.com
was in a serious car
crash when a young man swerved into my lane and
hit me head on. The police were there in less than five
minutes, and were great at getting the situation under
control. The police helped me but also made sure traffic
was still moving. I have known the police well since I
moved to Weston because my old job as a journalist, and
I know that their main goal is to keep the town safe and
comfortable to live in,” said English teacher Lisa Alcock.
Officer Spellman said that the one thing
he wants the community to know is that the
police do much more than they get credit for.
“I wish people in Weston understood that a lot
happens in this town,” said Spellman. “I wish people who
lived here knew how involved we are and what we do.”
Exploring the value of class bulletin boards
Sophia Wirth
STAFF WRITER
question; why aren’t more people
using them?
“We get the information
from class meetings and
assemblies, so we don’t have the
need to look at them,” said junior
sign up using the bulletin boards,
but I think class meetings are
probably much more effective,”
said junior class advisor and
chemistry teacher Abigail South.
Some students even say
Around the school and
specifically in the main hallway
across from the Attendance Office,
students, teachers, clubs,
and councils display news
about events and meetings
on the bulletin boards. It
seems, however, that most
students simply walk by
their class boards without
a glance, challenging the
class officers and student
council to make them more
flashy and noticeable. The
class boards are also rarely
updated, giving the students
little reason to check them
regularly. Perhaps what the
boards need are not more
people looking at them,
but a reinvention of their
purpose.
“I do [think they’re
important],” said Student The bulletin boards are located in the attendance hallway. PHOTO / Meredith Braunstein
Activities Director Danielle
Cooper. “I think it’s another
that they make an effort to look at
form of advertisement. You have Nolan Neu.
This
seems
to
be
a
the boards, but they are updated
to have a multitude of venues for
repeating
problem
as
students
so rarely that their efforts are
each student; some learn through
feel
that
they
do
not
need
to
look
frequently in vain.
listening, others are visual learners,
at
the
boards
because
they
are
“I look at the class
[and] the boards are helpful for this
able
to
receive
the
information
boards
whenever
I walk down
reason.”
elsewhere.
the
attendance
office
hall,” said
If the boards’ purpose
“We
have
students
that
sophomore
Katie
Bui.
“Notices
is quite significant, this begs the
and announcements aren’t posted
regularly, so I don’t feel the need
to check.”
Class officers are aware
of this problem, and are taking
steps in order to combat it.
“Our [board] is pretty
new, but we try to make it
colorful, because if you make
it more colorful and big, it will
stand out more,” said freshman
class secretary Deniz Cateltepe.
Many
administrators
agree that unless the boards are
maintained, they do not serve
much purpose.
“If they’re done, if
they’re kept, they serve their
purpose,” Cooper said.
New
events
and
community service opportunities
are also a draw for students,
encouraging the class officers to
create more activities to boost
class spirit and motivate students
to attend sports games and other
events. This task has become
especially important now that
there is a new Hogwarts point
system, challenging other grades
to beat each other out in the
number of students attending
their events.
“I rarely [look at the
boards] just in passing, but if I
need something, [or] if there’s an
event going on, then I do,” said
senior Amanda Cowgill.
The class bulletin
boards are also helpful in
other ways, including giving
the teachers another venue of
finding out what the students
are doing. Now that the Daily
Announcements are only sent
out through list serv, the class
boards have an even more
important job.
“I just want to know
what’s going on,” said librarian
Pat Koval. “Now that we don’t
get the Daily Announcements,
it’s the only way to find out
what’s happening in the school.”
Despite the number of
students who don’t feel the need
to look at the boards, they are
still helpful in terms of serving as
another form of advertisement.
There are also a number of
other things such as the new
point system and the lack of
printed daily announcements,
which make the class bulletin
boards all the more important.
By keeping them exciting and
updated, the number of students
who do feel inclined to pay
attention to them will increase.
So a word of advice to student
government from sophomore
Ryan Lee: “Update [them] more
often and tell us that you’ve
updated them!”
Sports
January 2010
Page 11
MIAA Fan Rules bring controversy
not say anything negative about the other
team. I do not see the point in enforcing
STAFF WRITER
the MIAA rules so strictly. Nothing bad
would have come from me holding up my
According to the Dual County
sign. I was just cheering for my friend,”
League’s Expectations of Spectators
said junior Madelaine Gold.
policy, “noisemakers, inappropriate
The Dual County Leagues
signs, etc. are not allowed,” and “all
Expectations of Spectators goes on to
cheers should be positive at all times.”
say that all fans must, “obey and respect
This conveys that all fans and attendees
faculty supervisors who are responsible
of Weston High School sporting events
for providing a safe and friendly venue
must act in a sportsmanlike manner,
and respect the integrity and judgment of
which seems appropriate. Some
game officials.”
students, however, feel that the rules and
Students polled at WHS agreed
regulations at these games are overly
with these regulations and felt that
strict in their enforcement.
the rules made based on them were
“I think the rules are unfair.
necessary in order to promote to a healthy
They do not let us have signs to cheer on
environment at sporting events. However,
our classmates and friends,” said junior
most still believe that there could be more
Sara Hassan. “They are a great way to
leniency in how the rules are interpreted.
show school spirit, yet we are not allowed
“[The enforcement of] some of
to use them. I wish our school had more
the rules are just ridiculous,” said junior
spirit; it would
Nolan Neu.
just be a good
“We are not
way to allow
allowed to
everyone to
have signs
bond.”
or use body
Many
paint, which
other students
makes sense
at WHS
in some
agree that the
cases, but I
execution of the
think they
Massachusetts
are taking it
Interscholastic
a little too
Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Administration
Athletic
PHOTO/www.miaa.net far. I do not
Administration
understand
(MIAA) rules regarding fan behavior is
how face paint could be
too harsh and may inhibit the continued
unsportsmanlike.”
growth of our school spirit.
Some students feel as though
“When the boys varsity soccer
Weston is at a disadvantage since fans
team made the state tournament this year, at many other schools do not follow the
I made my friend a sign and was not able MIAA rules nearly as strictly.
to have it at the game, even though it did
Emma Honeyman
“So many other schools’ fans
use signs and chant. It raises their school
spirit as well as the morale for the players.
We should be able to do this too and I do
not think it is fair that we are not allowed
to,” said sophomore Julia Mello.
Many students agree that that
“More attention was paid to them when
they were reprimanded than when they
were actually cheering, so I really do
not see the point [of making them take it
off].”
Students do recognize the
positive intentions of the MIAA rules,
though.
“I think that in a
way that the MIAA rules
are good because it is
disrespectful to the other
team if you say or write
negative things about the
other team,” said junior
Emmie Perry.
Coaches at WHS,
while always advocating
for fan attendance and
greatly appreciating those
Many Weston students wish they could show more school who come, also understand
spirit at games
PHOTO/insidesocal.com the necessity of limiting
fan behavior.
these modes of fan cheering are not
“The signs, body paint, etc. are a
disrespectful towards other teams and
fun aspect of the game, but unfortunately
should therefore be supported as they
some people take things too far. Being
promote school spirit.
a fan at a game is a wonderful thing and
“The fact that people are
not only encourages the team, but also
enthusiastic and excited about their
school’s teams is a good thing, unless the contributes to the community feeling in
Weston,” said JV girls basketball coach
body paints, signs, etc. are offensive,”
said junior Will Brewer. “I truly think that Colleen Hill. “But it has to stay positive.
If not, then it puts a negative connotation
body paint, signs and other things that
show school spirit should be encouraged, towards Weston. As long as there is
nothing discriminatory, it is good to raise
not dissuaded.”
At the soccer state final game in spirit at school.”
The MIAA rules are set in
Worcester, a group of senior boys used
body paint to write out the name of one of place in order to ensure that a respectful
environment is kept at every sporting
the players.
“They were just trying to support event. However, students disagree on
their viewpoints concerning how strict
a friend and add even more excitement
the WHS faculty members should be
to the game, but then they were forced to
regarding their enforcement.
take it off,” said freshman Joe Wagner.
Wrestling and boys hockey under new starts
Dan Wu
STAFF WRITER
“[Moore’s] a little less focused on the mental
aspect of the game and more on the system,” said senior
Nick Hugon. “Other than that there haven’t been any
significant changes.”
Not that there is a need for any though, according
to some players.
“Our team philosophy is, and always has been,
team first,” added senior Hunt Batter. “Our most important
rule is to never let your teammates down.”
The team won its home opener over Bedford and
currently stands at 1-4-1.
“I was very encouraged in how we played
together, and it definitely gives us a lot of confidence for
qualifying for the state tournament,” Hugon said.
Reaching this point of the season for the hockey
Approaching mid-January, the wrestling and
hockey seasons are in full swing. Both are under the
guidance of new head coaches, Tom Cavanaugh and
Jeff Moore respectively. Yet despite the challenges that
come with taking over the reins, each welcomes the new
opportunity.
“I am very close with Coach Baldanza [previous
wrestling coach up to 2008] and he shared a lot of his
knowledge and experience with me,” said Cavanaugh.
“It’s really helped me understand how this wrestling team
runs.”
The transition for the wrestling team has not
all been easy, however. The team currently
stands at 0-6, but part of the reason for that
can be attributed to having three different
head coaches in three years.
“We need to adjust to new
leadership and how practices are now run,”
said junior Elvin Johnson. “It’s different, but
not necessarily a bad thing.”
Cavanaugh acknowledges this
situation but knows he cannot dwell on it.
“Obviously it’s something the kids
are dealing with, but we just have to keep
moving along,” Cavanaugh said.
The Weston boys hockey team
meanwhile is in an opposite position. New
Nick Hugon and Sam Goodman on defense
PHOTO/Scott Alperin
head coach Moore had been a longstanding
assistant with the team and thus knew the
team though has not been without its challenges. The
players pretty well even before day one.
Junior Varsity team was cut this year, putting all players
“There are lines of communication between us
on only one varsity team.
that are already open from previous years, which have
“Being a young team, it has been a challenge
made for a very smooth transition,” Moore said.
getting the players up to the speed of play at the varsity
Keeping the same coaching philosophy also has level,” said Moore.
been a major factor for maintaining continuity on the
This however does not mean the younger players
hockey team.
are not valued as much.
“We see every player as an integral part of the
team, and everyone, from seniors to freshman, tries their
hardest to contribute,” Batter said.
The same challenge is also holding true for
wrestling, as many freshmen were forced into the lineup
due to a number of injuries.
“If we are all healthy, we have a solid team. But
we still can walk away from our meets so far knowing we
have five positive freshmen starters capable of stepping
up,” Cavanaugh said.
Yet there are remaining concerns that loom even
larger than this as many players quit the wrestling team
after the first couple of practices, something that rarely
happened before.
“It’s difficult drawing people to the sport, and
we need to reestablish credibility,” said Cavanaugh.
“Wrestling is very physically demanding, but if you put
the time in it you will have success.”
As a result, practices have been a little easier this
year to reduce the wear and tear on bodies and to keep the
players fresh until February, when sectionals roll around.
“Our goal is to do well in that tournament.
[Cavanaugh] is trying to make the team closer and bond
more, which will help us down the road,” said sophomore
wrestler Andrew Seto.
Despite the rough start to the season, the
wrestling team has 12 more meets to turn things around.
“My goal is to make the kids have a positive
experience and let the sport be enjoyable. If that happens,
then the success will come,” Cavanaugh said.
The hockey team is looking to build off its
previous winning seasons and continue to improve.
“The future is bright for this group of players. We
are looking to be successful not only this year but in the
years to come,” Moore said.
Both coaches appear to be fitting in nicely with
their respective sports, and each hopes this year can be the
beginning of long tenures at Weston.
Sports
January 2010
Page 12
Swordfighter in the halls of Weston
Megan Moran
STAFF WRITER
Whether one is watching a sports
game or a performance on a stage, there
is always a talented person that stands out
in a certain way. However, in settings that
are away from the campus, these talented
people are not easily identifiable. Weston
High School junior Stephanie Lee may
not have chosen the most traditional sport
in this country, as she participates in a
traditional Japanese sport mostly unknown
in the United States.
Lee participates in the modern
martial art of sword fighting based on
traditional Japanese swordsmanship
known as kendo. The sport is both
physically and mentally challenging,
and combines the old, traditional values
of martial arts with sports-like physical
elements.
“I started kendo while I lived
in Toronto. I was in the seventh grade.
I found out that one of my friends did
kendo at a place near my house, and he
really recommended it. But what really
got me interested was when my dad told
me that he did it in college, and he told
me all these amazing stories of what they
do at practices. It sounded awesome and
intense,” Lee said. Achievement in this sport is
measured by advancement in grade, rank,
or level. The Kyu grading system is used
to indicate one’s proficiency in modern
kendo.
“Kendo is a competitive sport,
and people compete at regional as well
as international levels. Many people
believe it is battling and hitting, but it is
actually very contained, and you have to
hit specific targets in order to get points,”
Lee said.
Since the earliest Samurai
government in Japan, which lasted from
about 1185-1333, sword fencing was the
main martial pursuit of the military clans.
Kendo also developed under the strong
influence of Zen Buddhism. Bodhidharma
was a Buddhist monk from southern India
who lived in the early fifth century and
is credited as the transmitter of Zen from
India to China.
Bodhidharma was quoted as
saying, “The Way of a Warrior is based
on humanity, love, and sincerity; the
heart of martial valor is true bravery,
wisdom, love, and friendship. Emphasis
on the physical aspects of warriorship is
futile, for the power of the body is always
limited.”
Swordsmen established schools
of kenjutsu which continued for centuries
and which form of the basis of kendo
practice. The names of the schools
reflected the essence of the originator’s
enlightment.
“I started doing kendo in the
winter, and I got to the bogu level that
spring. Bogu is a set of protective armor
that one would wear during practice. The
practices prior to bogu were learning
the basics, and the bogu practices meant
sparring, which, to say the least, is always
interesting. Once I got to the bogu level,
it became very serious, and it took a lot of
endurance to continue,” Lee said.
Kendo is practiced wearing a
Japanese traditional style of clothing,
protective armor called bogu, and one or
two shinai, or sword. It is made up of four
Stephanie Lee
bamboo slats, which are held together
by leather fittings. The clothing worn
under the bogu is called the hakama. It
is a garment separated in the middle to
form two wide trousers. The kendoka, or
sword-fighter, does not wear shoes while
practicing or fighting.
“I love [kendo] because you do
it by yourself, but in the same way, you
do it with people
you know. I have
learned, unlike other
sports, to depend on
myself rather than
my teammates,” said
Lee. “The [kendo]
studio is a non-talking
environment. It is a
place to practice selfdiscipline and respect
to your elders, or
sensei’s.”
Kendo
encourages selfdiscipline, requires
respect to one’s
sensei, and teaches
determination in
getting back up
even when one has
fallen down. Unlike
many other modern
sports, one practices
and competes
independently.
“The most
important lesson I
have learned through
PHOTO/Lauren Avery
kendo is to never give
up. There have been
many times where you do want to [give
up], but if you continue, then you will
succeed,” said Lee. “I also learned that if
I get pushed down, the best thing to do is
get back up and try again.”
Upcoming Varsity Sports Schedule
PHOTO/imagedir.org
Wildcat Tracks
Editor-in-Chief
Julia Bruce
Editors
Lauren Avery, Mikey Bullister, Grant Gilbard, Liza
Kidonova, Jake Waxman, Daniel Wu
Photo and Graphics Editor
Meredith Braunstein
Faculty Advisor: Peter Banker
Staff Writers
Ryan Birch, Nicole Brenner, Ruthi Dubilo, Mark Fishman, Emma Honeyman, Victoria Kinnealey, Jack McDonald, David Miller, Meg Moran, Paul Nelson, Halle
O’Conor, Nicole Poritzky, Maria Posa, Kristi Wagner,
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