E xpressions - New Hartford Central Schools
Transcription
E xpressions - New Hartford Central Schools
APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 1 S P A RTA N E x p r e s s i o n s News Sports Feature Opinion Jared Welch honored as Girls Softball travels to Florida Andrew Klockowski breaks New Trend: promposals outstanding jazz musician Page 4 deadlift record Pages 17-18 Page 36 Page 10 50 cents 90 km northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. (Source: Wikipedia). Many of the students made sure to post photos on Instagram of the volcano, capturing the rare beauty of it; a beauty not often It’s Paradise When You’re with Paradis seen in the Northeast. “It was amazing and a great experience because I’ve never By Sophia Ricco seen one in person before and it was really cool learning about it,” expressed Emma. “It was exciting.” Swimming under a rushing waterfall, riding horses, After this the group departed to and having a volcano for a neighbor all made up the Sarapiqui and went on a white action packed trip taken by New Hartford students to rafting tour on the Sarapiqui River. Costa Rica, making it a trip the students and chaperones The area around the river is mostly will never forget. Courageously lead by Mr. Paradis, 45 lowlands tropical rainforest, having students and 7 chaperones embarked to Costa Rica and lush vegetation with a large variety escaped the cold weather of New York. of plant, animal and insect life. “Costa Rica has so much to offer as a country,” said (Source: Wikipedia). Environment Science teacher Mr. Paradis. “That’s why I “My favorite memory was probably want to visit again next year. The whole country is on the white water rafting because we had same page about living sustainably and the trip was to work together as a team,” interactive review for the AP exam that the students will reminisced Emma. “Our guide was be taking soon.” really nice and funny. It was all While in Costa Rica, the students had full days of together really fun to do because activities planned for them. I’ve never done it before.” “We were doing activities non-stop and relaxing time The group traveled to many was really only at night before we went to bed and after All photos provided by Emma Manley. other cities around Costa Rica to dinner,” said senior Emma Manley. “We did have one free beach fully get the Costa Rican experience. They stopped in Tortuguero, day to do whatever we wanted.” Heredia, Monteverde, and Guanacaste. The first few days were spent next to the Arenal Volcano, an “It’s eye opening to see how differently they live in Costa Rica active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around compared to us,” expressed senior Morgan Whitney. A Once in a Lifetime Trip to Paradise spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! NE WS While in Tortuguero, the group visited Tortuguero Town and the Turtle Museum of the Sea Turtle Conservation. Also sightsaught Tortuguero National Park, this including a guided hike and riverboat tour through the Tortuguero canals. This was a perfect opportunity for them to explore the rich rainforest. “We learned about wildlife, the history of the country, and how the country runs off of tourism,” Emma said. “We did a lot of wildlife tours and visited coco, sugarcane, and coffee plantations.” On the way to Monteverde the group did stop at El Trapiche, a family-owned, working, organic coffee, chocolate, and sugar farm. Later on, the group took a guided tour of some of Costa Rica’s vital alternative energy sites. “We learned about the sustainable practices and energy sources Costa Rica uses. Also its goals for the future,” senior Taylor Duross told. “We learned how to communicate with people who spoke a different language and had different customs. How to adapt to the ‘pura vida’ Costa Rican lifestyle.” This “pura vida” lifestyle was a major part of the trip; making its way into people’s Instagram captions, on the shirts the students received for the trip, and forever being in the student’s memory of their trip. “It translates directly to English as ‘pure life’. It basically means it’s all good; embrace life, go with the flow, and live it up,” explained Taylor. “Kinda like a blend between YOLO and c’est la vie.” Pura Vida has a simple English translation but a far more profound meaning to the people of Costa Rica and anyone spending any amount of time in this majestic country. Pura vida means that no matter what your current situation is, life for someone else can always be less fortunate than your own. (Source: bestcostaricantours.com). “If someone asks how you are in Costa Rica, you say pura vida. We cheered it on our rafts, shouted it as encouragement, etc.,” said Taylor. “It’s the Costa Rican motto.” The next few days included a nighttime hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and a canopy zip line tour. Then the group had reached their final day in Costa Rica at the Flamingo Beach resort. “It went by super slowly because the entire day was free time to do whatever we wanted. We’d been traveling, hiking, and touring nonstop till then,” expressed Taylor. “It was super hot and relaxing.” After having activity after activity to do every day, this beach day was the perfect time for the students to sit back and enjoy their final day before they departed. “I woke up early, walked on the beach with Aidan, had breakfast, spent the morning in the ocean, walked to lunch, and went back to the beach for the rest of the day,” reminisced Taylor. “Then we had dance lessons, exchanged gifts, and had our last dinner together.” It’s not doubt that the events planned for the students would lead to fun times and the weather was ideal for their vacation. But what about the food? Did it make or break the vacation? “It was all very fresh! Lots of rice and beans, coffee, fruits, and vegetables,” Taylor expressed. “They served chicken and fish a lot; eggs, salad, and sometimes potatoes. Flan for dessert!” It’s official: the Costa Rica trip taken by the AP Environmental Science students was a success! All smiles and thumbs up from the students who took the trip. They were all able to embrace the pura vida lifestyle and by doing so live the Costa Rican life for their vacation. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 2 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 3 NE WS C R O I S C T A A spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 4 NEWS Most Outstanding Musician By John Rosato What does it take to be outstanding? Passion? Dedication? The road to becoming outstanding is both long and trying; it’s something New Hartford senior Jared Welch knows all about. Last month Jared Welch was honored with the award for Most Outstanding Musician at the Oneida Jazz Fest. Jared has been playing guitar for seven years and considers it to be his only passion in life. Although it took him years to get to the point he is currently at, the way it all started is quite interesting. “I started playing guitar because I liked playing Guitar Hero,” Jared said, adding that he quickly fell in love with it. “I like playing guitar because it allows me to express myself.” Jared started to dabble in his passion in the 6th grade when he started a local garage band with some of his neighborhood friends and considers that to be very integral to the growth of his abilities. “I feel like I have a strong improvisational skill due to the fact that I would rock out with my friends outside of a school environment, and I feel like that leads to a more experimental approach,” Jared said. “ I think that that is something that sets me apart from other musicians.” Jared Welch is clearly quite the talented musician, stemming from the hours of practice he puts in on a daily basis, but he did not get to the level of musicianship he is at now all on his own and considers Mrs. Maryann Snow, Mr. Martin Hollister, and his private instructor Carmen Carmonica to be very influential in the development of his skills. “As a senior Jared adds a lot of musical maturity to the jazz ensemble, private study and the effort he puts into his lessons have really helped with his improvisational skills as well as to create a large jazz vocabulary,” said Mr. Martin Hollister. Jared playing a solo during a performance. Jared along with the rest of the jazz ensemble really vibe and mesh together to create a truly astounding sound, and the ensemble is very much influenced by Jared and his musical abilities as well as his personality both on and off the stage. “He is always on point with his part, his high energy and enthusiasm always helped to push the band to its absolute greatest, and you can see how much he loves it, he lets the music consume him.” said Ethan Hopkins, fellow jazz band member. “His hard work, dedication, and love of music really adds to the group dynamic.” To Jared Welch music is everything, and he is both proud and incredibly honored to win the Most Outstanding Musician award, but the whole situation has evoked some rather mixed emotions. “It feels bittersweet because initially I was going to major in music performance but I began to question my abilities to play music at a college level and decided to go another route, however, upon winning this award, it’s kind of made me think that maybe I should have stuck with it’s, but its past the music auditions, so I guess we’ll never know.” Photos by Mr. Walters spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 5 NE WS “Christian conservatives in those areas likely disagree with the change because they’re subject to the local laws just as they were before the RFRA passed. The LGBT community in Indiana Lawmakers In Indiana Pass A Controversial probably sees the change as helpful because they’ll enjoy protection Law Against The LGBT Communtiy from discrimination in some communities,” Mr. Parker said. By Zhane’ McKnight Mike Fichter, president and CEO of the Indiana Right to Life, said “This law does not only apply to Catholics or “Christian evangelicals, or to people of the Jewish faith. This applies bakers, florists, to every citizen in the state of Indiana. So we think and everyone wins, but our style is not to run this up the photographers flagpole as some type of victory to gloat about.” should not be And it seems that the words of the law haven’t changed punished for Christians’ minds much with serving gay people. Though refusing to the law has since been changed, the idea of it still seems participate in a very offensive. And Christian businesses have already homosexual started to push the anti-gay agenda. marriage!” Memories Pizza, a pizza shop in Walkerton, Indiana, was This the first business to deny same-sex service, according to Activists in Indiana protest the RFRA. Photo obtained from statement was ABC, after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was said by Advance theguardian.com signed. America, a “If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas conservative group. Their leader, Eric Miller, had been invited by for their wedding, we would have to say no,” said Crystal Indiana Republican governor Mike Pence to sign the Religious O’Connor, one of the owners of Memories Pizza. Freedom Restoration Act, which gives Christian-run businesses the Though no one has actually reported that the shop has since right to opt-out of any involvement in gay marriage ceremonies, denied service to anyone; the owners clarified that they wouldn’t according to the Washington Post. refuse service to a gay man or woman, they just wouldn’t cater a gay Not only businesses, but as written by the Indiana General wedding. But, Memories has temporarily closed its doors after Assembly, “An individual, an organization, a religious society, a threatening phone calls and social media criticism. church, a body of communicants, or a group organized and “It is my hope that businesses see an economic backlash if they operated primarily for religious purposes. A partnership, a limited choose to discriminate against anyone,” said Mrs. Hamilton, a liability company, a corporation, a company, a firm, a society, a global history and humanitarian law teacher. joint-stock company, or an unincorporated association.” However, the NCAA, have expressed criticism against the bill, “Because neither sexual orientation nor gender identity are as reported by the Washington Post. protected statuses under federal law, it is technically legal for “Each of us strongly supports the position of the NCAA and businesses to discriminate against members of those groups,” said our respective institutions on the matter-- that discrimination of any Mr. Parker, a government and economics teacher at the high school. kind should not be tolerated,” four NCAA coaches said on Twitter. “The RFRA was written to enable religious conservatives to The NCAA, however, still played in Indianapolis on Saturday, cite their beliefs as a defense if they are sued or held criminally April 4th, and played their championship game on April 6th. liable under those local anti-discrimination laws,” Mr. Parker “I am not surprised that major businesses expressed criticism continued. why wouldn't they? They are in business to make money, not to However, the law has since caused an uproar of protest from prevent anyone from supporting their businesses,” Mrs. Hamilton the LGBT community, and so, lawmakers in Arkansas, Georgia and said. Major businesses such as Apple and Wal-Mart have expressed North Carolina have modified the law, now saying that it can’t be their displeasure with the bill. used by businesses to turn away gay customers. In other words, So it’s all legal; the bill has been signed by Mike Pence, and will don’t use homophobia as an excuse. go into effect on July 1, 2015. There’s nothing wrong with that and The Indiana RFRA spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! NE WS no laws are being broken. But, is this a matter of discrimination? Is Indiana discriminating against gays by not providing services to their weddings? Mrs. Hamilton think so. “I'm saddened that with all the progress this country has made toward enforcing equal rights, we would see this step back. It smacks of legalized discrimination more than a protection of religious freedoms,” she said. In fact, some critics are making comparisons of the Jim Crow laws back in the 1870’s after Reconstruction to the 1950’s, which required businesses to have separate sections for whites and AfricanAmericans. This was allowed under the expression, “separate but equal.” With all the backlash, one has to wonder why a law like this was created. “The RFRA was most likely written as a ‘consolation prize’ for religious conservatives (specifically, the Catholic Church, of which Indiana’s Notre Dame University is a part). Indiana used to have a law prohibiting same-sex marriages, but the federal appeals court that covers Indiana ruled last year that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional. Seeing as the state can’t ban same-sex marriage because of a federal court ruling, it’s legislators shifted focus to addressing the other concern of religious conservatives,” Mr. Parker said. But what’s to come in Indiana, for the next few months? “The overwhelming backlash to the passage of the RFRA clearly surprised and concerned Indiana’s lawmakers. While they want to appeal to socially-conservative supporters, they may have decided that doing so is not worth the fallout. In the next few months, I think you’ll find that similar measures in other states will either be withdrawn or changed,” Mr. Parker concluded. Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana. Photo obtained from Google Images. Photos of protests obtained from Google Images, and NBC News. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 6 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 7 NEWS Drunk Driving By: Kayleigh Nicotera What comes to mind when you think of drunk driving? Crashing, leave but he told him no don’t go. Next thing he knew, his friend did go for brutally hurt people, accidents, court cases, and more. People having too a drive and got killed instantly in a car accident. much fun, especially with alcohol, tend to be more dangerous. Be the one person to You won’t know what their actions consist of whether stop this kind of it’s involving violence, driving under the influence, or running horrific incident; by away somewhere. telling a friend to stay, What people just can’t understand is why? What kind of don’t drive, you’re person would want to risk their own life or even some innocent putting your life and person in the other car being hit? someone else’s possibly Every day of our lives, there have been accidents that at risk. This video concern this drunk driving issue. 30 people die each day, meaning really expressed one person every 51 minutes being traumatized and haunted celebrities talking about the fact that they killed someone else, or you have scars about these kinds of reminding you every day what you have done and feeling the things and how people guilt. just want to have fun Photo taken by Admin from www.springer-lyle.com. A soldier Teenagers are more expected to do these type of things as until something bad they get older, going to parties, having fun with friends. Most has happened. Justin expressing his feelings toward drunk driving. people say they know that it’s stupid and that they won’t do it but, Bieber and Lindsey when you have had a Lohan are two bad lot of alcohol, it’s examples to follow after because of their use of drugs and alcohol while capable of not driving, going to jail, etc. making you function What really caught many attentions in the video was they played a lot right. of good music and told touching stories about some peoples lives being That’s why the destroyed because of one mistake. They also showed a touching moment law says you can’t with Paul Walker and his car accident. drink under the age Individuals know it affected them because he was a great actor and of 21 because at 21 people enjoyed him. They thought it was an amazing video, hearing you’re more of an different celebrities about what they thought of drunk driving. Even they adult and everything have safety precautions too even when they have parties and have a good inside has developed time. Photo taken by Content Injection “ Drunk to a higher stage that The realistic Driving Statistics.” A death of a young girl. can handle these car accident that kinds of beverages. If was performed by you’re 21 or 80 it’s still not good for you to drink frequently. 6 or more students It’s has come to a point in time where even schools have become more and 2 outstanding involved with these type of issues. New Hartford High School has had a lot teachers, it was of assemblies presenting to all students about drunk driving and the very interesting but dangers of it. horrifying to not Here at New Hartford we have had a recent assembly on April 9th. In only see what it many opinions, people thought it was very inspiring how much dedication would look like, some students and the people that work with DWI’s came to our school but to imagine it presented a video and realistic accident scene. This video they showed us was you on prom had really grasped everything really about situations that involved drunk night. driving. Three or four Photo taken by Sootoday.com staff. Addressing to For example, there was a younger adult talking about how he was at a police officers, teenagers “You booze, you bruise, you lose.” party with his friend and they were both drinking and his friend wanted to multiple firemen, spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 8 NEWS and paramedics putting on this show was so sensible to all of the students and adults watching. Being charged for DWI’s, DUI’s, and more things similar, cost so much. Loss of your license, paying a fortune, paying for the totaling of your car, etc. These things come with major consequences that anyone wouldn’t want to deal with in their life. Some people don’t realize how serious theses things are. Some comments were made by a couple New Hartford students and what they thought about the video and accident. When Lauryn Messa, a junior, thinks about the words drinking and driving, she takes it very seriously. She believes that when talking about drunk driving there’s horrible head on collisions and parents sometimes losing their children. “ The video really opened up everyones eyes about situations like this because prom this past weekend has many parties and drinking. It makes students realize this could’ve happened if they drove when driving or got in a car with someone drunk and driving.” It was important to Lauryn that the video addressed a significant message to all of her fellow classmates. Drinking and driving really expressed to students, that if you drink, don’t drive. “You can save yours and another person’s life by staying away from being behind the wheel.” But what really caught readers attentions was that Lauryn doesn’t think that the video and accident got through to the students and that they will still do what they want to do just because they’re high school students. Dakota Nelson, a sophomore, thinks seriously about drinking and driving. “I think it really grabbed everyone’s attention and really spoke about the dangers to us,” stated Dakota. When the words drunk driving come to Dakota’s mind he thinks, drunk people, accidents, sometimes death, charges against the driver, and a lot of sadness. He exclaims that it was really moving when they interviewed the young man who was talking about his best friend that had died from a drinking and driving incident. But overall it really got him thinking about losing someone like that, would really tear him apart and that it is important to stop them from getting behind the wheel. The performed accident by the police, firemen, and ambulance, seemed really cool to Dakota and seemed so real if it were actually happening that moment. All he knows is that it got through to Dakota all of the dangers drunk driving has, he can’t speak for anyone else but himself. Even having one person that really got spoken to through the video makes a difference and hopefully many more students and young adults will eventually get there too. Its important to know a lot about drinking and driving, the dangers, the consequences, and many more to come with it. People don’t realize what happens until it’s actually done. Photo taken by Joe Patrice. This photo clearly states not to There was a saying that was once said, “Living with the fact you killed another person and took them away from their friends and family, and then saying goodbye to yours because you are going to prison for 2 ½ years, was that drink worth it?” Stay at a friends, call for a ride, do what you need to, to stay safe. DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE! Photo taken by Ryan Wasoba. This photo expresses what drunk driving looks like. drink and drive. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! Opinion SUNY Schools Public universities have come a long way, but why are they still lacking respect? By Brady Collea I just wrote about getting into colleges last issue, and at the time of this publication, everyone should know where they are going next year because the deposit date is less than a week away. A lot of students from New Hartford and other local schools will be attending SUNY schools, which for some reason are viewed as a joke and as less prestigious than private institutions. Why are kids throwing so much shade at them? Whenever I hear people talking about going to colleges, there always seems to be some negative connotation attached with the SUNY label. Kids say, “Yeah, I’m just going to SUNY.” Guidance counselor Mrs. von Schiller-Deep disagrees. She said that there has been no indication of such apathy towards SUNY schools. “Students feel suny.edu SUNY programs are just as nice, if not better than private schools.” Public institutions have come so far since the days when our parents attended them. My mom always comments on visits about how she wants to go back to college because of how much better they are than when she went. Multitudes of programs have expanded and been added with credentials to compete with private universities across the state, and compete they do. SUNY Binghamton was named the 12th smartest public school in the US by Yahoo, and SUNY Geneseo follows closely at #20. Clearly, these schools are not just fall back schools. Students must be high achieving in order to get accepted and go there. For Binghamton in particular, 2500 freshmen spots were filled from a pool over over 30,000 applicants this year. “In some cases, it’s even harder to get into a SUNY school than a private school,” von Schiller-Deep added. SUNY schools also force private schools to drop in price substantially by offering prospective students more financial aid. It’s not a hard decision to make between a school that’s $20,000 a year and one that is $60,000. This price differential gives SUNY schools much more appeal than if they were as expensive as private schools. Given the growing reputations of some SUNY schools, it is pretty evident that they are a much better value to the student than a private institution at full cost. Another advantage of attending a State University is that there is a lot less pressure on students. One reason why some people may shy away from attending big private schools or Ivy Leagues even if they could go is because of the immense stress students at those colleges are under. Students at such high achieving schools are under pressure to maintain or even exceed that standard. While SUNY schools still offer that ability to achieve a great deal of success, they do not pressure their students to the same extent. I think changing the stigma of SUNY schools starts with the current students and prospective students. Kids should not feel bad about going to schools where there is such a high value financially and academically. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 9 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 10 OPINION Is Prom the Same Without a Promposal? By:Camryn Carstensen Every dance has its hype, but prom’s excitement no longer only takes place on the day of prom, but with the promposal before. A promposal is a proposal by either a guy or a girl and in regards to prom, it’s usually an extravagant public gesture hoping the other person will say yes. But does being promposed to really matter? Well think about it; most of the time you attend prom with a date so why not be asked in a special way? I mean, who really hates feeling special? However, is promposing now an obligation or is the desire to “prompose” still there? “I think the only obligation in promposing is to say yes if it’s a public proposal,” says junior Marissa Spina. “ I think I did feel slightly obligated to prompose but then again I wasn’t opposed to it,” says Seamus Kearney. Seamus and Marissa both agree promposing is just as exciting as being promposed to. “Being promposed to is very exciting and I’d say the gesture is nice no matter what it is. Creativity does matter, however it doesn’t change prom,” says sophomore Christina Paul. Christina Paul was asked to the prom by her junior boyfriend Jake Massa. Jake asked her by shoveling it in the snow in her backyard. “Yes I was impressed! His gesture was amazing but no matter what it was, I am still just as excited for prom,” says Christina. Seamus and Christina both agree that promposing does not change prom, however Marissa Spina tends to disagree. “Promposing is not everything but it does impact prom and has a lot to do with it, it sets the tone for prom.” Personally I do think promposing matters, but I do not think it will impact the night of prom. Now the question remains: who asks who? Does the boy always ask or is it alright for girls to ask? “It depends who asks who I happen to ask a kid older to me and since it is my prom I asked him even though I am the girl. Now if they are the same age the boy should always ask,” says Marissa Spina. Prom is both a very exciting yet nervous situation, promposing could play an important part in prom but yet Marissa Spina also shows her creativity of a doesn’t have to. Jake Massa shows his creative promposal over promposal over instagram instagram spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 11 OPINION To Stay Or To Leave: That Is The Question Should college basketball players stay more than just one year? By: Gus Pfisterer As the final buzzer sounds, the college basketball season comes to a close. For most college basketball players, one question remains: stay in college or go to the pros? “It’s a shame that the NCAA allows people to leave after one year,” Alec Bard, New Hartford junior stated. “I understand these kids are trying to make a dream a reality, but they are giving up their college education for slim odds.” NCAA.org reports that in the country today there are an estimated 538,676 men’s college basketball players. There are 153,907 senior boy basketball henryparizek.blogspot.com players. 17,984 of these players will play some form of NCAA basketball whether it be division one, two, or three. Out of those players, 5,138 are freshmen that will end up getting a roster position. In the NCAA there are 3,996 senior athletes in college basketball. 46 of these players freshman through senior will be drafted. After crunching the numbers, 3.3% of high school basketball players will play college basketball. Only 1.2% of these players will make it to the pros out of college. An astonishing .03% of college basketball players will go to the National Basketball Association straight out of nba.com high school. “Personally I believe these are not too favorable odds for a college or high school athlete.” New Hartford senior Andrew Hall said, “When dealing with these odds, college and high school athletes really need to consider whether it is worth giving up an education. I understand most athletes go to college for the sole reason of playing basketball, but what happens when it doesn’t work out, or when they get too old to play anymore?” Andrew brings up a very good point here. In the very slight chance a player makes it to the NBA, what if the person suffers a career ending injury? What happens if a player gets cut from budgetforhealth.com a professional team? What does that player have to fall back on? The players will have to go back to college to finish their education. The New York Times reports that only 10 percent of professional basketball players return to college to get a degree. For those who do not return back to college, ESPN.com reports that 60 percent of professional basketball players file for bankruptcy after their career has ended. These stats prove that a college athlete is financially safer getting a degree and a steady job than going to the pros and having a 60% chance of losing the money they make. In today’s world more than 60 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy require a college education americanradioworks.publicradio.org stated. With a percentage as high as that, it seems nearly impossible to enter the workforce and end up with a stable job without a college degree. I believe that the NCAA basketball committee needs to make a ruling saying that college basketball players need to stay a minimum of two years. This way if an tsquirrel.com athlete leaves they can at least have a two year degree from their school. A two year degree will be much more effective in the workforce than no degree at all. Another reason an athlete should consider staying in college is for the purpose of getting better. The more the athletes play, the better the competition, experience, and the chance to hone their skills to make them the best players they can be. The numbers indicate that staying in college for at least two years opens the doors to many more opportunities in the workforce than the daunting task of becoming the next NBA star. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 12 OPINION Twenty-one: The New Smoking Age? A chance to decrease addiction in America By Madeline McIntosh A quarter of a million fewer tobacco related deaths a year, a twelve percent decrease in adult cigarette smokers on United States grounds, and an increase in Americans living a life free of addiction; these are just a few of the many potential benefits of raising the smoking age to twenty one, according to Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper In Good Health. One in three people who try a cigarette will become addicted. One in three heavy cigarette smokers will develop some form of cancer related to smoking. Ninety percent of Americans who are addicted to cigarettes started by age eighteen. A study was conducted to figure out the good that would come out of raising the age to buy tobacco in New York State. If the legal age to buy tobacco products is raised to nineteen it is estimated that there will be three percent fewer cigarette smokers in the future. If the legal age to buy tobacco is raised to twenty one this number rises to twelve percent. Though New Hartford students would disagree. Jennifer Meislin and Nathaniel Moretz believe that by changing the legal smoking age to twenty-one more teenagers would choose to smoke. “An increased amount of young people would rebel because it is illegal.”. A New Hartford senior Meaghen Gape would agree. “I don’t think that the legal age needs to be changed. It’s simple just choose not to smoke because it is bad for you.”, Meaghen stated. There may be differing opinions on whether or not the legal age to buy tobacco should be changed. One thing most people can agree on are the negative effects of smoking tobacco products on an individual’s health. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! TO THE POINT POLITICS “No success in my life has ever come without a good fight, and there is so much worth fighting for today,” McCain said. “I’m eager to get started and ready for whatever comes.” Any possible candidacies seem to be under wraps because By Sophia Ricco the GOP is afraid to back yet another candidate that will only fall to McCain. Although they will not endorse him, “That’s how we fight wars, by the way: You just crush the Conservative House members from Arizona do not plan to run opponent, and then you don’t have to worry about as many against him, either. opponents,” former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl told Politico. “It’s best for me to demur on the question,” Rep. Trent This seems to Franks said, be a good strategy “because I that has worked in certainly have no the United States intention of favor for many running myself, years. So why not and I don’t know adopt it for a of anybody in the Senate campaign delegation that’s run? Well that’s running.” exactly what Sen. The GOP knows John McCain of that McCain has Arizona plans on held his seat for and has been doing. three decades and Seems to have been wonders if it’s working well for even worth him, as he has John McCain. politico.com funding an opposer, served in the Senate for three decades. which could lose them precious resources. Already McCain has “The reason why I’m still here is because I take every collected a “war chest” of $3.6 million after raising $1.6 challenge with the utmost seriousness,” McCain said. “If you million in the first quarter of this year. don’t, then you’re both foolish and vulnerable.” Back in 2010, he won the Already Senate campaigns have begun, including primary against J.D. McCain’s. Since he has had no problem in “crushing the Hayworth, but that opponent” in the past, holding his Senate seat since 1987, was by spending $20 McCain seems to have no opponents from the GOP to derail million on his him. campaign. By “There’s three reasons why incumbents (someone holding doing this, office) are able to keep their seats,” New Hartford AP McCain has Government & Politics teacher Mr. Parker explained. “Number clearly one is name recognition. Number two is they represent a fixed demonstrated that state, meaning the state demographics are not likely to he already has some significantly change. And funding.” of the funding for his Still, McCain is gearing up for a fight for the Senate seat campaign and is not afraid that he currently holds. wikipedia.org to use large sums of money to win. Ready for the Fight But No Battle Ahead spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 13 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! TO THE POINT POLITICS "I'm ready. I am more than ready. In some ways, I am eager," the Arizona senator told NBC News. It is true that McCain is ready, he has stated multiple times that he can’t wait to face an opposer and fight them for the primary. So far only state Sen. Kelli Ward has shown interest in the bid. However some of her actions in office, such as holding a field hearing on whether chemicals sprayed from airplanes are part of a government plot, known as the chemtrail theory, have caused conservative groups to keep their distance. “McCain’s going to call her ‘Chemtrail Kelli,’ or something like that. I worry about John McCain. that,” said Adam Brandon, CEO of FreedomWorks, a conservative group active in primaries. ndam1.org However with all this talk about McCain’s election and who will face him, people are forgetting to examine McCain’s effectiveness as a senator. “It depends on which party you are to determine if you think he’s effective,” said Mr. Parker. “At times he can be effective. However he always presents himself as a maverick, an independent-minded person, but consistently sides with the Republican party, his own party.” McCain does try to present himself as a moderate, weighing both parties sides and choosing what is best for the common good. But by doing this he has riled up many Republicans who thinks he is not loyal. nydailynews.com “There is already conflict between parties, so internal conflict within a party is not good for the American public,” expressed Mr. Parker. “It’s always the hope that moderate members will unite the parties; but instead McCain has just turned into the swing vote.” John McCain is one of the most famous senators of this time and it appears that he will continue to hold his seat in the Senate. However at the age of 78, it begs the questions; when does McCain plan on retiring his seat to allow a new face to enter the Senate? Is he old to be serving? At the moment, McCain is the 8th oldest senator; only three years years younger than the oldest Senator, Dianne Feinstein who is 81. "I say watch me," McCain said to NBC News. "Take a look. Take a look at my 18 hour days. Take a look at the hearings we have. Take a look at my legislative accomplishments." (Interviews of Senators provided by politico.com when not stated.) imgkid.com spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 14 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 15 Advice Friendship By: Kayleigh Nicotera What’s the real definition of friends? Some people think they know the meaning of friendship but it’s not the right one. "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born," stated Anais Nin. There are many definitions to this original word but, this saying really captures what it is all about. True friendship is something everyone should experience or have some time in their life. These type of people get you through deaths, break ups, depressing moments, but also to have them there to celebrate when you tell them Photo taken by Walter Winchell. good news, go on vacation or This shows importance of friendship. just having fun. But when it comes to friends, there are rules. Don’t tell each others secrets if told not to, don’t talk behind their backs, be honest with them-nothing is more important in a friendship than being honest and truthful. But now a days, when people don’t respect the rules that comes with a friendship, it tends to fall apart and they no longer are friends, become hurt, and can’t have that special person by your side anymore. The major question is why would you risk losing a friend by doing something that destroys them inside? Some people don’t have best friends or just a friend and that perfectly okay, but if you do then you won’t realize what you had until it’s gone. The people that choose not to have friends might not want to go through these stages that everyone has in friendship, never wanting to feel hurt just yet. There could be times in your life when your friend becomes more and more distant as days go on. Another friend might have come along and started hanging with your friend, or they are having a hard time in their life and want to be left alone. But there is always that friend that you haven’t really talked to anymore and were once best friends, that you would do anything for still if they needed anything. What’s important about friendship is that you want to have best friends by your side when you need them, not to break their heart for some stupid guy she met, to always have their backs when they get picked on or having a bad day or hard time with their family. The friends that really stick together or are best friends forever in life, are one of the most important people in your life, the ones that make you laugh and happy all the time, the ones you go on adventures with and do crazy things, and the ones that are there to pick you up if you ever fall down. In my life I have experienced one of my friends becoming more distant with me. It wasn’t the best feeling but, we talked everything out and made our friendship stronger by talking more and hanging out more. Everything became normal again. So if you never know what to do about a situation with a friend, then talk it out. Whether you’re in a fight or have just been apart for a while and resolve the problem. Also, if you have that one friend you haven’t talked to in a while and once were best friends, get together sometime and catch up on what you have missed. Friendship is one of the best things you could have in your life. “ Truly GREAT FRIENDS are hard to find, difficult to leave & impossible to forget.” Quote written by the State Leadership Team. Describing the what a great friend really is. Photo taken by Jay Sean. This photo really captures the true sense of friendship. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! OPINION GET A JOB! By John Rosato As you grow up you are expected to mature and take on new responsibilities. This starts as early on as you beginning to brush your teeth on your own to eventually owning and taking care of your own house. One big decision every teen has to make is whether or not they want to get a job once they are old enough, the big question being is working beneficial for high schoolers? Some teenagers are concerned that holding down a job will take away from their “childhood experience” or take away some valuable time that could be being spent of other things like homework and studying while others argue that its a good way to learn responsibility as well as the importance of money. I feel that having a job while in high school is something that can greatly benefit one’s growth as a person, the main reason being that it teaches responsibility. The most important thing a person can have to be successful in life is balance. The older you grow, the more responsibilities you gain, if you can learn to balance school with your job and your extracurriculars at a young age, then you are going to have a much easier time in the future when the adult responsibilities start to kick in. Having a job can also greatly aid in learning to manage your time better. If you are a full time student with a part time job, this severely limits the amount of free time that you have, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because of the cut in free time in your schedule you learn how to more effectively use you time to accomplish your goals throughout the day. It also helps you get into the habit of planning out your day, which is also incredibly important. Planning out your day is another key to success, if you have your whole day planned out, then you are putting yourself on a timer to complete each task within a set time period, this helps because it will help you focus on one task at time, finishing that one before moving on to the next. Another perk of -planning your day out is that you’re never bored, you always have something to do, a next task to move forward to, it helps you stay productive. Jobs also teach you how crucial money management is. When you work a job and start making your own money, you learn pretty quickly that things add up fast. It’s fun spending money, but it only takes a few weeks of blowing your entire paycheck in a day to get you to step back and reevaluate your money decisions. You work hard for your money and that helps you grow to appreciate budgeting your money and saving it as well. Working a job when you’re in high school can also really help you when it comes to college as well. The first big thing here is that it looks nice. When college admissions offices see that you have worked before, it shows them maturity, especially if the job you worked relates to your major in some way, this shows them that you have drive and initiative. And the second thing is that it’s just a good way to start exploring what career you might like to get into, or what you might like to major in when you do head off to college. All in all having a part time job while is high school is not only a good thing for you in the current time, but it is also something that could greatly benefit your future. Having money to be able to spend on things like clothes, or going to the movies, or eating a nice meal with your friends is great, and you probably won’t notice it now (but you’ll thank yourself later) but the personal finance lessons, responsibility and accountability you learn from working is great too, and will really help you in your preparing for the future. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 16 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! MEE T T H E S T A F F Sophia Ricco Camryn Carstensen By: Giovanna DeFazio By: Ryan Faro Journalism really excites Sophia and she hopes to pursue it in college! “I want to major in both broadcast journalism and political science, but I’m not sure where just yet,” she stated. When Sophia is not in school, she enjoys swimming in the Fall time and performing in school musicals. Right now, she has been practicing for “The Addams Family” as an ancestor in the ensemble. She is half Italian and enjoys her grandma’s homemade lasagna! Her favorite animal is a hedgehog because she thinks they’re so adorable and loves to look at photos of them online! She isn’t sure where she wants to goes to school yet, but she hopes to go somewhere in the city or in Washington D.C. and one day have her own major network! Camryn Carstensen is a junior at New Hartford Senior High School. When asked why is she taking the journalsim class at New Hartford, Camryn responded by stating, “I really like to write and I am looking at it for a career in the future.” Something interesting about Camryn is that she volunteers her time by teaching young children from other countries how to read, write, and speak the English language. Camryn also enjoys listening to music such as country, rap/pop, and even Spanish music. Camryn also likes English class because she enjoys writing using her imagination. When asked what her dream school is and where she wants to go to college, Camryn said she would love to go to Iowa because she has family there and she likes the town that surrounds the University of Iowa because it makes her feel welcome. Spartan Expressions is the New Hartford High School student newspaper. The NHHS journalism classes, as well as members of the Spartan Expressions club, produce the paper. Materials found to be published in the paper are the efforts of students who contribute and are not intended to represent the opinion of any school official or member of the New Hartford Central School Board of Education. Reviews or references to businesses, services, products or media do not represent an endorsement by the Board of Education. The copyright laws of the United States of America protect all materials published in Spartan Expressions. Any student may contribute to Spartan Expressions Articles and creative writing for consideration of publication must meet the following guidelines: CONTENT: • No slanderous or libelous material will be tolerated. • All reference to sex will be vague, scientific and will not use slang or be otherwise offensive. • There will be no excess of violence or morbidity. • No promotion of the use of drugs, alcohol, or recreational sex. • No interference with the educational process. • Content shall be factual and unbiased and shall not be derogatory toward an person on group. SUBMISSION: • All articles and creative writing must be typed and edited. • Please email submissions to jclive@nhart.org at least a week before publication. • See Mrs. Clive in Room 251 if you have questions or need assistance. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 17 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! MEE T T H E S T A F F Brady Collea By George Boufford Brady Collea is a senior here at the high school who writes a music column for Spartan Expressions. Brady took the journalism class because he has a passion for writing and to him would be an ideal back up career. In his free time Brady likes to listen to music, specifically alternative rock. Some of Brady’s favorite musical artists include of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Imagine dragons, and BOY. After high school Brady plans on attending either SUNY Binghamton or RIT to study industrial engineering or ergonomics. Ryan Faro By: Camryn Carstensen Ryan Faro is a junior this year who is best known for his athletic ability; Ryan plays basketball, baseball, and tennis. He writes a sports column for Spartan Expressions. Ryan is taking journalism to become a stronger writer and to keep open the possibilities of journalism as a career. After high school, Ryan is hoping to attend school in North Carolina or Syracuse and would be majoring in communication and sports management. His musical enjoyments are classic rock and if he could be one animal it would be a grizzly bear because they are huge. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 18 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! MEE T T H E S T A F F Alyssa Daley By Gus Pfisterer Journalism is something that really interests Alyssa. It is something Alyssa would like to pursue as a future career. Alyssa has dreams of being an investigative journalist. This job entails broadcasting on the spot crime. Alyssa has always been interested in NCIS. Therefore she thinks this career would workout for her. Her favorite things include snowmobiling, reading, being with family, photography, soccer for the school and also on club teams. She also is on the track and field team for New Hartford. Alyssa’s hidden talent is photography, and also poetry. Alyssa likes poetry because it is a way to express her feeling without having to discuss it with somebody else. Alyssa has contributed poetry and short stories to Spartan Expressions throughout her years at the high school. She is also the sales/marketing director of the publication. You will see her selling papers during lunch on Fridays. Alyssa’s favorite song is Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. She enjoys the the lyrics of the song mostly. She enjoys watching the movie Marley and Me because it is relatable to her life. On top of Alyssa’s bucket list is to going to Ireland. Alyssa has Irish roots so it makes sense to go. She would like to own a horse because as a child she used to ride a horse. Meet Christine Cornnell By Anthony Murad Christine likes hanging out with her Irish setter Brody . Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese. She likes all kinds of music and saw Chicago in concert at the Stanley Theater. Christine enjoys interviewing students and teachers as a reporter for Spartan Expressions. Check out her article on The Voice on page 32. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 19 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 20 MEE T T H E S T A F F Zhane’ McKnight By Alyssa Weibel Zhane’ McKnight is close to completing her last year of high school. She decided to take journalism this year because she took the class last semester and really enjoyed it. Also, she is strongly considering a career in journalism. Zhane’ enjoys listening to music in the alternative, punk rock genre. One of her favorite bands is My Chemical Romance. Her favorite class this year is AP English. When she is not in school, she loves to read and write in her free time. Once she graduates, she plans to go to MVCC for a few years and then hopes to become a student at NYU. Alyssa Weibel By Madeline McIntosh “My plans are to go to college and travel,” said Alyssa Weibe,l a sophomore who plans on going to community college and visiting England some day. Her favorite school subjects are English and Global History because Alyssa likes to learn about the world and loves to read and write. Alyssa’s grandparents have been a positive influence on her. Alyssa is inspired by her Grandfather because of his strong and charismatic personality. “My Grandmother has had the biggest impact on my life. She taught me to be accepting and not judge others,” Alyssa stated. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! SPORTS Spartan Softball Slides into the Sunshine State By Giovanna DeFazio Florida sun, clear blue skies, and a farmer’s tan that’ll last a while. The New Hartford Varsity softball team was able to experience Disney and play their favorite sport all at the same time. The girl’s team played at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports where the Atlanta Braves were also playing at the time. The Spartans played three scrimmages and two real games against teams from Illinois and Connecticut. The New Hartford Spartans won one out of two of the games that they played. In their first game, the girls were losing by quite a few runs but came back in the last few innings. They were unable to pull out the win, but made a great game out of it! Senior and center fielder Emily Acquaviva stated, “I think we rocked it and played really well for being outside for the first time. We played some really tough teams who are able to play year round, but we still played through and made it a tough go for them.” Dana Del Genio added, “I think we did well for only having a few practices together. Even though we won one out of the two games, we fought back and made it out to be a really good game.” The second game that the Spartans played had a slightly different outcome. New Hartford mercied the team 13-0, ending the trip on a bang. Emily said, “Ending the trip on a 13-0 win was definitely memorable and one of the highlights of Florida.” When the girl’s team wasn’t taking the field, they were either by the pool or at a park in Disney. They were able to squeeze in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios during their trip. For many of the girls, this was their first trip to Walt Disney World and it was definitely a memorable one. Senior and left fielder Madison Babicz stated, “experiencing Disney for the first time with all of my best friends was so fun.” Many of the girls on the team shared that the trip made the team closer and was a great bonding opportunity. “Being forcibly close to my team was the best part. If I needed something or wanted to see one of my friends they were just down the hall. We really bonded which created a better environment for playing as well,” Madison stated. This trip gave the team an opportunity to start their season early to prepare them for games in their league. This year, New Hartford hopes to win sectionals and move on to the next round. Last year, their season was cut short after a raindelay that caused the Spartans to lose to Oneida. Emily Acquaviva said, “I believe we have a lot of heart and motivation to come back and win sectionals this year” and Madison stated, “I think we are not only going to make it to sectionals this year, but also redeem ourselves and win the sectional game.” The New Hartford Spartans have plenty of heart and are more determined than ever to make it to sectionals this year and finish what they started. Their next home game will be against Proctor on April 28th. Be sure to come out and support! A photo of All Star Sports Resort, where the softball team stayed Photo provided by: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/all-star-sports- spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 21 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 22 Above is a picture of the NH Softball Team in front of ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. To the right is a photograph of fireworks over Cinderella’s castle. Below is a picture of all of the Seniors on the team after their last game in Florida. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 23 SPORTS Spring Sports Benefits of Lacrosse to the health Jehnnia Liver After a long Winter, the Spring finally came. Spring is the season of flowers, colors, and obviously Spring sports. Lacrosse is one of the sports that NH School offers to the students. You may not be able to join the team anymore, but if you are interested for next Spring, you should learn about the benefits of playing the sport. One of the primary benefits of playing lacrosse is the weight loss, the training is usually running and exercising, a lot of energy is stored. With intense practices and running miles on the field, lacrosse players get in shape really fast. The second benefit is the muscle strength. When playing lacrosse, besides running, the players also exercise their muscles when they are playing with the stick. Lacrosse is a really intense activity that increase resistance on the muscles. The third and most surprising benefit of playing lacrosse is that it helps strengthen the heart. ``When you play lacrosse on a regular basis, or combine occasional lacrosse with other regular physical exercise, the increase in heart rate strengthens your heart. A stronger heart pumps blood more efficiently and reduces the pressure within the blood vessels``,according Chris Sherwood. The last and most known, is that as any sport, lacrosse provides mental health benefits. When you exercise there is an increase of feel-good chemicals called neurotransmitters and endorphins, which help to combat issues such as depression and anxiety. If you want to become part of the team next year, I am sure that you will have a lot of fun and will have a lot of benefits playing lacrosse. Sources: http://www.livestrong.com/article/548486-lacrosse-health-benefits/ spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 24 H SPORTS Working Out at the Fitness Mill Anthony Murad Exercise is fun and healthy. My dad goes to the gym 4-5 days a week. Sometimes I work out with him and my Uncle George. Dad said, “I exercise for my health and my weight . I go when my schedule allows it before work, lunch hour, after work or weekends.” We like to go to the Fitness Mill. I like going there to work out with other people. I like lifting weights the best. Camryn Carstensen, a junior, goes to the Fitness Mill. She has worked with a trainer for four months . Her trainer taught her how to shape her body. Camryn said, “I like working with the stability ball for core the best.” She works out six days a week. Camryn has also done Tae Kwondo for 11 years and has a 2nd degree black belt. Photo by Luke Bogar Photo by nytimes.com @ADAM, Inc. “I like working with the stability ball for core the best.” --Camryn Carstensen spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 25 Comets The Team you know, love, and support By:Camryn Carstesen New Hartford's very own player of the year from 2009-2010, center Mike Zalewski. Mike played college hockey at RPI and even though his contract is up this year he is hoping to sign again next year with the Comets. “AHL hockey is much different than college; it is faster and as you move up each level of intensity increases,” said Mike Zalewski. Mike says his best quality would be his work ethic and his sense of hockey, however he is working on increasing his speed. “Also with the playoffs going on the team necds to be focused, every detail and second counts,” said Mike Zalewski. The Comets number one rival is Adirondack, their main mechanism to beat them is just to never let up. “Being so close as a team and always sticking together on and off the ice has really helped us be successful this season. We just need to continue this if we want to win. Even though our ages ranged from 34-20 and some players have families, I think we have one of the closest teams in the AHL”, said Zalewski. “The fans honestly play such a huge role. It’s so appreciated! As soon as I get on the ice I’m nervous, excited and my love for the ice is uncontrollable. I’m so happy the fans are there to support us,”said Mike Zalewski. “My biggest priorities would have to be family, friends, and playing at home. It’s such an honor,” says Zalewski. Luckily the Comets are doing great right now in the playoffs and are looking forward to continuing their season. Record 1 Seasons (GP-W-L-T-OTL-SOL) 76-35-32-0-5-4 FANS NH hockey player Brandon Dziegiel and fan of the Comets gives thoughts- “the comets had a really good season, they're a super talented team” “having a hockey team here is good publicity for our town, also it’s really good that more and more people are being drafted to the AHL” “The Comets inspire me to believe no matter how small the town if the potential is there the world is yours” spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 26 Sports: NASCAR Written By: Alyssa Daley NASCAR STANDINGS The standings in NASCAR or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is done by points. Of course the winner of a race would get more points than second, or third, but different races are worth different amounts of points as well. The top ten driver’s for points right now are as follows: D RIVE RS CAR # Kevin Harvick 4 Joey Logano 22 Martin Truex Jr. 78 Jimmie Johnson 48 Brad Keselowski 2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88 Kasey Kahne 5 Matt Kenseth 20 Jeff Gordon 24 Kevin Harvick Joey Logano Jeff Gordon Pictures thanks in part to the driver’s online sites and www.nascar.com spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 27 Sports: NASCAR The Thrill Not many students or in general people of the High School age group are interested on keeping up on the latest races and statistics of NASCAR and its drivers. At least that is the conclusion that is drawn if you ask around New Hartford High School. When you look at the overall big picture though the interest in this high risk sport seems to be more regional than demographic. NASCAR came out of racing on dirt roads and mainly in the south. The people who love the thrill of the ride are the people who not only wish the speed limit on the road was 85 instead of 55, but who grew up flying down dirt roads at break neck speeds. The “country bumpkin” is not the only demographic to enjoy watching around 50 cars go hundreds of miles per hour for over 200 laps to complete a 500 mile race all together. When we are little we have dreams like being an astronaut, a princess, a superhero, well for some the dream is to become a race-car driver and the one way to do that is to race until you reach the big leagues, NASCAR. Ethan Daley, a nine year old third grader, said, “I think that driving a really cool car really fast would be tons of fun!” The truth as someone said a long time ago comes from the mouth of babes so is that the truth? That NASCAR only has its ups and no downs? Using Fame to Make a Difference The Tony Stewart Foundation Better to Be Safe than Sorry Every parent and every teacher warns that you should do things the way you know they should be done so that heaven forbid something should happen it will be done, and if you go the extra mile such as save a document on a hard drive you’ll have a plan B when things go array. The same situation applies Pictures provided by the www.tonystewartfoundation.org to when a NASCAR driver gets ready to race. New regulations The mission of the Tony Stewart Foundation is to raise and safety measures have been and donate funds to help care for children diagnosed with critical or put into place to ensure not only chronic illness, animals which are at-risk or endangered, and for that the risk is as minimized as drivers injured in the sport of motor racing. possible, but that if something happens there are precautions “Racing is my profession but I’m also driven to help others already in place. through the work of my Foundation. There are so many Teams must pay around organizations providing outstanding service and programs and my $4,000 to get their car approved impulse is to help them all. However, it has been necessary to focus to race, drivers may only our funding to those programs that most closely match my passions communicate with their crew, children, animals and fellow drivers in need of assistance.” ~Tony and such not allies or enemies, all drivers must wear a head and Stewart neck restraint, helmet, fireproof Please feel free to visit the foundation’s website, suit, gloves, etc. www.tonystewartfuondation.org to find out more information or to After deadly crashes and make a donation. accidents caught on television, REMEMBER THOUGH THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO seen by fans, and experienced by BE FAMOUS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE drivers it is important to be safe rather than sorry because in series are on Sundays in the computers alike it has become NASCAR it could mean that afternoon. easier to enjoy this timeless sport someone’s life is on the line. This may be why people created in 1948. have a hard time watching the So be there from the time WHY? actual race live. the green flag is waved and the Most NASCAR races, In today’s day and age cars begin there journey until especially in the Sprint Cup though with live streaming on the checkered flag is in sight. handheld devices and spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 28 Sports Islanders Clinch Playoffs By Ryan Faro The New York Islanders have made the NHL (National Hockey League) playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons. This being the Islanders last season in Long Island and the Nassau Coliseum, are in search to bring home the Stanley Cup back to Long Island. The last time New York had won a Stanley Cup was back in 1982 when the team consisted of Hall of Famers like Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith, Clark Gillies, Bobby Nystrom, Captain Dennis Potvin, and Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour. Before the Islanders won their last cup, they had won three before that, giving them four Stanley Cup championships in a row. This years 2014-2015 team will go up against the Washington Capitals who have veterans who have outstanding playoff experience. The Islanders are led by Captain John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and goaltender, Jaroslav Halak. It’s true that the Islanders made the playoffs back in 2012-2013 but they had an early exit when they went down to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders have an advantage this year because they are receiving players with playoff experience such as Nick Leddy from Chicago, Jaroslav Halak from the Blues, and Johnny Boychuk who won a Denis Potvin on the left and Mike Bossy on the right. Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins. Zach Cole, a junior here at New Hartford High and Philadelphia Flyers fan was asked if the Islanders have a good enough team to make a run for the cup this season. Zach Cole said “ They have a good group of players that know how to put the puck in the back of the net, especially Tavares.” Zach Cole was also asked if he thinks the the Islanders match up against the Capitals will be hard or easy. Cole stated “ Its going to be very hard, Halak must be on his game at all times, mostly because they will be facing Alex Ovechkin who leads the NHL in goals and is top 5 in points. Barry Melrose, an ESPN/NHL analyst said on ESPN that “The Islanders have finally have the talent to make it far and actually win the cup this season.” They have players who are healthy like Tavares and Okposo and having those two together is a deadly combo.” Islanders John Tavares and Kyle Okposo high five after a win to clinch the playoffs. The Islanders have a great chance to make it far and bring the cup back home to Long Island for the first time since 1982 and the last time in franchise history before they move to Brooklyn. They will have to go out and compete at the highest level and not slack off if they want to go far and win the Stanley Cup. The Islanders will be taking on the Washington Capitals in their first game at 7 P.M. eastern time on the USA channel. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 29 SPORTS Who’s Playing Who? NBA Playoff’s start this week By George Boufford With the NBA’s regular season coming to a close, the playoff race peaked to a sprint this past week with the Brooklyn Nets and the New Orleans Pelican fighting hard with the Thunder and Pacer in an attempt to clinch the 8 seed in their respective conferences. At the end of the week it was the Nets and the Pelicans who won out for the final seed in the easter and western conferences. The pelicans will go on to face the Golden state John Wall’s Wizards face off against The Raptors during the regular season Warriors, owners of the best record in the league. The Nets will go on to face the Atlanta Hawks, owners of the second best record in the league. Aside from 1 v. 8 seed matchups, NBA fans are in for some exciting action in the east between the 7th seeded Boston Celtics who will face off against LeBron James and the 2nd seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6th seeded Milwaukee Bucks and Syracuse alum Michael Carter William face off against Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls. In my opinion however, the most heated matchup in the east will be the 4-5 seed matchup between the Washington Wizards and John Wall going up against Jonas Valenciunas and the Toronto Raptors. In the western conference the matchups that are most intriguing are the matchups between Tim Duncan and the San Antonio spurs and Marc Gasol’s Memphis Grizzlies. My favorite western conference matchup to watch will likely be between Damian lillard’s Portland TrailBlazers and James Harden’s Houston Rockets, a matchup that will very likely go down to the wire which will be extremely competitive NBA action, action which any sports fan would appreciate. LeBron James’s Cavaliers face off against The Celtics L Dwight Howard’s Rockets take on LaMarcus Aldridge’s TrailBlazers spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 30 SPORTS Mets Face Problem’s? By Ryan Faro Zack Wheeler, pitcher for the New York Mets will have Tommy John surgery this 2015 MLB (Major League Baseball) season. Wheeler who has been a pitcher for the Mets for the past three seasons. Wheeler was a member of the San Francisco Giants farm system when he was drafted back in 2009 as the sixth overall pick in the draft. The Mets were disappointed to hear that Wheeler will be out for the 2015 season after Matt Harvey returned from his Tommy John surgery. The Mets pitching staff this season, was ranked in the top 5 according to espn. The Mets pitching staff included Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee, and Jonathon Niese. With Wheeler being on the DL (Disabled List), this gave New York Mets veteran pitcher Dillon Gee to make the team and show off what he has. Having Wheeler out for the season could be a huge loss for the Mets or it could be an advantage. Wheeler had a record of 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA (Earned Runs Allowed) in the 2013-2014 season. The Mets also have hit a wall with closing pitcher Jenrry Mejia, who was suspended 80 games on April 11, 2015 for performance enhancing drugs. Mejia has a career record of 8-14 as a starter before getting moved to the bullpen, where he broke an MLB record for being the youngest closer to earn over 25 saves in a season. Having Mejia out is a huge loss for the Mets bullpen because he brought excitement to the fans when he throws his outstanding slider or his 96 MPH (Mile Per Hour) fastball. The Mets also have All-Star closer Bobby Parnell out on the 15 day DL (Disabled List) due to a season ending Tommy John surgery last season. Parnell has been a big contributor to the Mets bullpen during tight situations. Parnell has a career record of 18-24 as a closer and has a career ERA of 3.57. Another closer out for the season is Mets new comer last year Vic Black. Black has had an amazing career down in double A and triple A baseball for the Binghamton Mets and the Las Vegas 51’s. Black had an ERA of 2.96 just last season before he was injured. Losing Parnell and Black for the beginning of the 2015 season could’ve been scary for the Mets but the bullpen has been standing their ground against some of the toughest hitters in today’s game. Local Mets fan and principal at New Hartford, Mr. Hunt was asked upon what he feel’s about the Mets injuries and what they can do to stay positive and win games. Mr. Hunt responded with “ This is going to give young players opportunities like Eric Campbell and this is when the young players have an advantage and need to take this opportunity to play well and earn a spot on the roster. Also the starting pitching will have to sustain an excellence and they’re going to need guys like Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee to step up as the four and five pitchers in their rotation.” The Mets bullpen this season contains the 37 year old Buddy Carlyle, the flame throwers in Jeurys Familia and Rafael Montero, and three year veteran Carlos Torres. The Mets will have to keep up the good work they’re doing in the bullpen so far this season until they add Parnell and Black back. Maybe having these guys back will make the bullpen even better or worse but the fans won’t find that out until the studs return. Closer Bobby Parnell (Bottom) throws his first pitch in the 2015 spring training during his rehab.http://photos.nj.com/ Zack Wheeler delivers pitch in 2014 season.http://isportsweb.com/ 2015/03/16/new-york-mets-zack- Mets young closer Jenrry Mejia celebrates after earning one of his 28 saves in the 2014 season.http://nypost.com/2014/07/18/jenrry- Mets set up/closer Vic Black delivers a pitch in last year’s regular season game. http://www.amazinavenue.com/ spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! FEATURE Pops Concert Annual concert allows students to showcase their vocal abilities By Brady Collea The annual Vocal Pops concert differs greatly from other high school concerts, allowing individual students to showcase their talents and be seen as separate entities from the choir as a whole. This is a rarity in high schools, where the emphasis is usually put on the ability of the choir as a whole. In order to perform in the concert, students must be a part of the choir and audition in front of a panel consisting of the choir officers and the teacher, Mrs. Gutowski. This too is unlike other concerts, or even choir in general. People do not have to audition to get into choir, but they do audition if they want to sing in the Vocal Pops concert. The chorus and the chorale perform songs as well, but the individual performers make up the majority of the show. “You get to see people sing individually, which is rare in the choir,” stated junior Dylan Van Savage. He will be performing an original song entitled “Thunderstorm,” and will also accompany Dana Del Genio in her cover of Sara Bareilles’ song “Gravity.” In addition to writing his own music, Dylan plays the piano and learns pieces by ear, as he is unable to read sheet music. This is something that is very hard to do without an acute sense for music. Although Dylan was not in choir last year, he did accompany some performers. Despite this, he said he was not nervous for his audition. “There’s no reason to be nervous,” he said. “If you’re less nervous you do better. That’s just the way it goes.” Nerves are not avoidable for everyone though. Most times, people are nervous about whether or not they will pass the audition and sometimes nerves can affect a performance. “I thought I was going to be nervous but I wasn’t because I was prepared,” said Nicole Krumbach, a senior. She has not performed in the Pops concert before, but she did not want to miss out on the opportunity. She will be singing “Maybe” by Birdy in this year’s concert. “I convinced myself to do it senior year because it’s the last chance to leave your mark on that stage and I would have regretted not doing it,” Nicole 2015 Vocal Pops Concert Lineup said. (tentative order) The students truly believe that there is something special and different High School Choir Talking to the Moon -Mary Magdalene Tehan about the Pops concert. Shake it Out -Olivia Danis “It is a perfect way for students to express themselves and share their I Miss the Mountains -Kira Chontow vocal ability and talent with others,” Nicole added. Lay Me Down -Gia Santiago One of the people who had to judge these performers on their auditions Maybe -Nicole Krumbach and Brady Collea was junior Gianna Paniccia. She herself did not audition this year, but she did Thunderstorm -Dylan Van Savage express the difficulties of being a judge. This is the Stuff -Emma Clive ”You have to put aside everything you already know about each musician Bright -Eliza Giacobbe and all personal relationships in order to judge everyone on a fair scale. That High School Chorale is probably the most difficult part.” She continued on to say, “You always Landslide -Taylor DuRoss, Jessie Rust, Andrew Sandock want to put every act through but when it comes down to it there’s only “x” Lifting the Sea -Marissa Dorn What Is This Feeling -Cara Szeles & Laurel Beattie amount of spots and you have to consider vocals, stage presence, song choice, Life’s For the Living -Brady Collea etc.” Gravity -Dana Del Genio Gianna ended by saying that “based on everything we’ve seen so far it Skinny Love -Maddie Morris will be an amazing concert.” Rivers and Roads -Shania Aponte & Andrew Sandock The Vocal Pops Concert is on April 29th at 7 pm in the auditorium. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 31 APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 32 Feature This is The Voice By Christine Cornnell The Voice is on Blake is friendly and gives his Monday and Tuesdays team hugs.” nights at 8:00 pm on NBC; The four coaches sometimes it is on for three love to dress up for the live nights. The Voice starts out playoffs. Blake loves to wear as a blind audition for the plaid with cowboy boots contestants. The four because Blake is a country coaches are Blake Shelton, boy. He likes country music Pharrell Williams, Adam the best. Pharrell likes to Levine, and Christina wear a nice top, nice pants, Aguilera. Each coach has a with red sneakers. He also chair which is controlled by likes to wear a hat, with two a button. The coaches push necklace chains, and wear’s their button when they want Michelle’s Chamuel’s glasses. Photo by www.goldderby.com to turn their chairs around and possibly have Adam likes to dress casually. Christina loves to that contestant on their team. If more than wear a dress, a nice dress shirt, and a skirt. one coach pushes their button then the coaches will have to When it is the final show and are down to three contestants convince the contestant to pick them for their coach and fight for they will stand in a line and and we first find out who came in a spot on their team. (It gets funny sometimes). third place. Then the remaining two artists stand next to each Next, are the battle rounds and after that are the knockout other on stage and one of them will be crowned The Voice. rounds. The contestants keep singing during each round and Every contestant that was singing on The Voice will get a signed when the show ends you can vote for the people to move on to the record contract and a car of their choice. live playoffs. America saves two people by voting and the four Of the New Hartford students and staff interviewed coaches have to save one. They will tell you who goes home in the Kimberly Nicole has the majority of votes and India Carney top 12. comes in second. Jess hopes that Hannah wins this epic season on Then they go to the live playoffs. The four coaches get their the voice for her coach Blake. New Hartford senior Brady teams ready to do warm ups to get them to sing better before they Collea’s favorite singer is Sawyer Frederick’s because he sings folk go head-to-head together. This is when two different people sings music. at two different times on the stage. Each contestant has to sing at least three songs. When the show ends then you will be able to continue to vote for the people to move on in the show. Based on the survey of 7 New Hartford students and staff the favorite coaches are Blake, Christina and Adam. “ Blake has a great sense of humor. During the show Blake and Adam like to fight like they are He is friendly and gives his team hugs.” brothers. Adam likes to get on Blake’s nerves during the show. --Jessie Burnett Blake loves to try and get people on his team by doing his finger moves. New Hartford senior Jess Burnett said her favorite coach was Blake. She likes his coaching style because he likes to “work calmly and he gets feistier and feistier. He has a great sense of humor. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 33 Music Year of the Yeezy The past few months have been very important in the hip hop community, from the release of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s new albums to the discovery of Fetty Wap. But, one particular artist stands out among the rest, just as he would want. Kanye West, a name everybody knows and reveres, really wants to make sure you feel his influence. In the past few months Kanye has been making some very big moves, and not only in the music industry, but in the fashion industry as well. Towards the end of 2013 Kanye made it public knowledge that he was in the studio working on his 7th album, which is to be entitled So Help Me God, but no real news about his next album really came about until more recent times. Kanye West appeared at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, where he premiered a new song called “Wolves” which has been reported to be the first song on his upcoming album. It features singer Sia Furler and fellow Chicago rapper Vic Mensa. Then again, on March 2nd Kanye West release his second single for his upcoming solo album called “All Day” which features artists such as Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney. Kanye then premiered the song at the 2015 BRIT Awards, in a performance tinted in fire and fashion. This year has also been very big for Mr. West from a fashion standpoint. Yeezy has always been a big fan of designer clothing, as most rappers are these days, and has released a couple of his own fashion lines in both 2011 and 2012. But the biggest move Kanye has made fashion-wise this year was with his collaboration with Adidas. Way back in december of 2013 Adidas confirmed that they were working with Mr. West on designing a pair of shoes. After months of rumors and wild guesses, Kanye came forth and confirmed the The Yeezy 750 Boosts release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts via twitter. Then as if that wasn’t enough Kanye confirmed that there was to be a West X Adidas fashion show through video updates on his website alongside a countdown to February 12th of 2015. On February 12th the Yeezy Boosts were released and showcased along with the full Adidas collaboration in New York City, the Fashion show streamed to 50 theaters in 13 countries, and all 9000 pairs made available for sale that day were sold out in ten minutes. But, fortunately for all the fans that weren’t quick enough, the shoes were released worldwide on February 28th. It is also rumored that Kanye is currently working with Adidas on releasing a full fashion line. The last notable thing Kanye did this year was when he walked on the stage at the Grammy’s while Beck was receiving his award, making everybody think it was going to be Taylor Swift situation all over again, but then he walked off the stage, leading to many raised eyebrows and speculations that he was just joking, but West later stated in an interview "Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyoncé", proving that Mr. West is still up to his old ways as the outspoken and controversial artist he is known to be. Kanye performing at Coachella spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 34 THE ENVIRONMENT A History of Earth day By Madeline McIntosh “I should do my part to clean up because if I don’t then who will?” - Sophia Ricco The modern environmental movement beginning in the 1970’s; Earth Day. According to Earth Day Network the 1970’s was during the hippie/flower child culture in America. Many students were protesting the war in Vietnam. The smell of pollution was a consequence of the growing economy. It was not until Rachel Carson wrote her New York Times bestseller, Silent Spring in 1962 that people were even aware of the environmental consequences our Earth was due to face if we did not take action. Carson’s book sold over 500,000 copies in twenty four different countries. Rachel Carson was one of the first people to raise awareness of the negative effects that pollution has on living organisms and public health. Earth day in 1970 brought about a change in priorities. The focus shifted from an antiwar in Vietnam movement to an environmental movement. Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, is the original founder of Earth day. After witnessing the after math of the massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, Nelson decided that it was necessary for him to take action. Nelson made an effort to shift the student antiwar energy towards something new; an environmental movement. His efforts were a success, as of April twenty second 1970 twenty million Americans showed their support for a change in the American way. People wanted a more sustainable environment. The new found movement brought about rallies, people protested the deterioration of the environment all over college campuses and communities around the United States. Earth day in 1970 also brought people together. Republicans and Democrats alike both supported the movement. The Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air, Water and Endangered Species Acts were all passed. Fast forward twenty years, in 1990 people called for another environmental campaign. This time it went global. The point of involving other parts of the world was to encourage recycling in all different places. As of 2015 the celebration of Earth day has not changed much. Teachers educate students on ways to take care of the environment, people pay more attention to things they can recycle, rallies are held and people put effort forth to make change happen. SJE Highway Clean up Sunday May 3rd Students for Justice and Equality will be holding a highway clean up from one to two p.m.. All students are welcome, many students from SJE will be attending. SJE will be meeting by the railroad tracks at the New Hartford shopping center parking lot at one o’clock according to a New Hartford senior Sophia Ricco, a member of SJE. “It’s best to do it with a group. You will feel a sense of team work and accomplishment.”, Sophia stated. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 35 SPARTAN PROFILES Justin LeFave Joins Jimmy John’s Crew New restaurant begins to thrive in New Hartford By Giovanna DeFazio Looking for both a delicious and nutritious meal? Jimmy John’s is the way to go! On April 7th Jimmy John’s made its debut on Champion Road in New Hartford. New employee Justin LeFave confirmed that he joined the Jimmy John’s team just two weeks before opening day. “I think the restaurant definitely has a lot of potential to be very successful. Also, besides the extremely tasty subs, it’s a really happy, energetic environment making it enjoyable for both the employees and customers,” Justin stated. The restaurant has a load of fresh ingredients that can make any sub melt in your mouth. “I personally really enjoy the Vito. I think anyone who likes that kind of food would enjoy it,” Justin exclaimed. However, with a new job comes great responsibility. Justin has to make sure he manages his time wisely between Jimmy John’s and schoolwork. “I definitely think it’s a challenge to juggle both at the same time. During the week it’s especially difficult where you would have to get out of school, go right to work, end up working late, and have to go home and stay up late to do homework.” It’s important for a high school student to manage their time effectively. Justin advises underclassmen to “take full advantage of their study halls and anything they can do to make it easier on themselves. Also to try to make the most fun out of it and it’ll make it all a lot less stressful.” Previously Justin worked at Piggy Pats and was able to manage his time between school and work, so he isn’t too worried about working at Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s is open Monday through Sunday 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM. “Go check it out, I promise you will not be disappointed,” Justin said. Favorite Movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Favorite food: Steak Favorite color: Sea Foam Green Favorite sport: Baseball Favorite thing to do: Hang out with friends Favorite ice cream: Cookies and cream Favorite animal: Turtle Favorite TV Show: The Office Favorite artist: J Cole Plans for the future: Justin plans to go to St. Bonaventure for four years. Then I am either going to get my MBA (Masters in Business Administration) or find a job somewhere down South. “It’s crazy thinking about the fact that I’m a senior. It all just went by way too fast.” -Justin LeFave spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 36 SPARTAN PROFILES Klock Deadlifts His Way Into The History Books Andrew Klockowski Breaks State Record With Deadlift By Gus Pfisterer With hard work, determination, and a can-do attitude to match anything is possible. New Hartford Senior Andrew Klockowski knows what it takes to accomplish a goal. On March 14, 2015 Andrew Klockowski walked into Ithaca college for the USPA 1 weight lifting competition. “I felt really good going into it. I wasn’t sore, I wasn’t tired, I just felt like it was going to be the day that I broke the record,” Andrew stated. Andrew broke the New York State record for deadlift at the event. He dead lifted 405 pound at this event. For his 140 pound weight class the previous record was 400 pounds. This lift is almost triple Andrew’s body weight. It puts him in a very elite group of people to be able to lift almost triple his body weight. “I do most of my workouts on my own. Sometimes I train with Mike Lackey(a Utica man), and Justin Crystl(an Oriskany man). They really push me which I love. We do a lot of strength training like high sets low reps, also a lot of high percentage lifts with wraps and other accessories,” Andrew mentioned. Andrew does his workouts at Hell Barbell on Oriskany Boulevard in Whitesboro. He has been going there for about three years now, and loves the atmosphere of the people around him when he lifts. Andrew said, “I felt extremely accomplished, and incredibly relieved when I broke the record. I knew what I needed going into it, and the feeling was surreal when I finally got it done.” Andrew added, “I’m just trying to be the best I can be. I want to break more records, and continue to improve, until I feel like I have accomplished all the records I want.” “He is a kid that works incredibly hard at everything he does.” New Hartford football coach Hutchinson said. He added “He spent every single day in the weight room getting stronger, and better everyday.” Andrew hopes to continue his weightlifting career for a very long time, and break more records. He will continue to work hard, and be determined. Andrew Benching 240 pounds at an competition in Ithaca New York Andrew working hard at hell barbell deadlifting 455 pounds spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 37 FEATURE Roth’s Sequel Takes the Box Office By Storm The action begins with Tris, Four, Caleb (Tris’ brother), and Peter (Four and Tris’ “friend”) all running from Erudites. “It’s always so fun to do action sequences and stunts and But is it enough to keep critics interested? whatnot, [but] this one was really great because By Alyssa Weibel [“Divergent”] was a lot of fighting and this one [included] Looking for an action packed film full of twists and more on-the-ground running, wire work and stunt work,” turns, drama, and romance? actress Shailene Woodley, who plays Tris, tells Los Angeles Check out Veronica Roth’s highly anticipated film, Times. Insurgent. The four eventually team up with the factionless and The film is the second book/movie in Roth’s series. another group called Dauntless. Their goal: destroy Jeanine Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant all make up the young and let the world know that Divergents are not an enemy, but adult series. vital for survival. The story follows a young girl Beatrice, “Tris”, Prior. “My favorite part was when Divergents, the The story takes place in a desolate area, supposedly Chicago. Factionless, and the Dauntless all formed together to destroy The society Tris and others live in has these divisions called the main villain, Jeanine,” said sophomore Bianca Donnelly, factions. who loved the book series. Once the citizen turns sixteen, they are split into one The climax of the film is when Tris turns herself into of these five factions based on personality and by completing Jeanine. a rigorous mental challenge. Jeanine discovered a box that contained a message Factionless for the outsiders, from the founders of their Amity for the farmers, society. The catch was that Candor for the truthsayers, only a true Divergent may Abnegation for the selfless, open the box. Tris just Dauntless for the daring and happens to be 100% Erudite for the smarties, Divergent. according to Time Magazine. Jeanine is on a frantic Tris soon realizes she manhunt for Tris. Jeanine is is Divergent, meaning she anxious to open the box that belongs to more than one should only be opened by a faction. Divergents are Divergent for a Divergent. considered a threat to society Tris does not want to see Theo James and Shailene Woodley star and will be killed. anyone get hurt, so she in Insurgent Tris now must fight decides to turn herself in so Source: divergent.wikia.com for her life. nothing will endanger her Soon she meets a boy who belongs to Dauntless friends/family. named Four. In order for the box to be opened, Tris must complete five The two must battle the Erudites, who are led by the psychological challenges for each faction. Once all five are villain Jeanine, and show that Divergents are not the enemy, completed, the founders’ message will appear. Erudites are. The movie begins to play with the viewer’s mind. Insurgent is mostly about Tris having to fight with When we believe Tris is in reality, she is actually herself and face a number of psychological obstacles along completing the challenges. Everything around her will the way in order to destroy Jeanine once and for all. disintegrate into thin air before the audience can even spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 38 FEATURE decipher what is happening. The obstacles are very relatable to what may be going on in the one’s life, making the challenges a million times harder. “My favorite part was towards the end of the movie when she had to open a box by using techniques from all five factions,” sophomore Alexis Keller recalls. Now, most say the second movie is never as good as the first. Is this statement true when talking about Insurgent? “I don’t believe so,” Donnelly said. “Both movies were full of action and definitely left me on the edge of my seat. The two movies follow nicely.” Keller shares similar thoughts. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Some sequels aren’t as action packed as the first movie but not in this case. The second movie was just as good or even better than the first!” Insurgent is a fantastic movie with a great prequel, plenty of action, and possibly an amazing sequel. Critics did not enjoy Insurgent as much as Divergent, but every critic is different. Some say the idea has been used to death, but others still enjoy the plot and the because both share a similar idea, but Roth shows a new action these movies serve.Articles tell critics were “put to perspective on the idea of a new futuristic society. sleep” or “bored.” novels and few bonus ones here and there, but these number According to Deadline.com, Insurgent collected over Hunger Games’ fans would really enjoy this movie Roth’s franchise was already a hit, with her three $100 million at the international box office. This movie has just go to prove the role young adults have on recent the chance to pass Divergent and collect more money. It is on Hollywood and its ticket sales. its way to compile over $100 million in North America alone. Part one of the Roth’s third book in the series, Allegiant, is expected to hit theaters in 2016. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 39 MOVIE REVIEW Fast and Furious 7 review certainly seems like a good point for the producers and directors to take a break from the Fast and furious Is the latest installment in the long running movie series, at least until they find a suitable replacement for series as entertaining as it’s predecessors? Walker. Fast and Furious 7 was however a beautiful eulogy Fast and Furious 7 has been released this past weekend, for Walker and ensured that to his fan base he will and from what critics are saying the movie focuses heavily always be remembered as Policeman turned street racer on Paul Walker who died last year before filming had been Brain O’Connor. completed. Apparently, Walker’s absence in the later scenes By George Boufford was poorly written and quite obvious. But I can imagine that it would be a daunting task to mask the absence of such a crucial character throughout the series. “I’m not embarrassed to admit that I cried a little at the end” said Blake Walters, a senior here at the high school who has been a lifelong fan of the Fast and Furious series. Some critics are saying that the 7th movie was stretching the idea of the series further than it should be stretched. The plot seems overused now because every movie in the series has seemingly told quite a similar story. The acting however has always been what set the series apart and Paul Walker has always been a big part of that. Working alongside the likes of Vin Diesel, Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson, Walker learned many acting talents and became one of the better action actors in the movie world. But with Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel getting older, and Walker having passed, it will surely be a challenge for an 8th Fast and Furious to become a reality, and even bigger a challenge for the 8th movie to become a successful one after a 14 year run with the first movie having been released in 2001. The film Paul Walker with his car in one of the movies The Theatrical cover of Fast and Furious 7 Walker with Vin Diesel in one of the older movies Photos courtesy of google images spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 40 TRAVEL Best Countries to Study Spanish Jehnnia Liver There are probably 400 million of Spanish-speakers around the world,what makes it one of the most spoken language,it is also spoken in all South America,except Brazil. Nowadays,it is really important to be able to speak a foreign language and to communicate to people from other countries. New Hartford offers courses of foreign languages as Spanish,French,Latin and Chinese; Spanish one of the most studied by the students. Thinking about this I searched the best countries to study Spanish,in case if you want to study abroad and improve your Spanish. Spain Spain is the second biggest country in the Western Europe,after France. Spain is known mainly because of the ``siesta``,a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal,but trust me you will not want to sleep with so many beautiful things to see in Spain. Spain has incredibles beaches in the islands of Maiorca and Ibiza,besides of that,big and old cities as Madrid,Barcelona and Valencia. The spanish in Spain is characterized by the strong accent and traditional Spanish,the best schools to learn Spanish are Don Quijote,Enforex and Sprachcaffe Languages Plus. Peru Peru is in South America,it is still a country in development. Pe r u i s c o n s i d e r e d o n e o f t h e o l d e s t a m e r i c a n civilizations,approximately 10 thousand years,because of this Peru is one of the most attractive destinies to go in South America. The scenario is composed by beaches,mountains and desert. The main language is Spanish but the Peruvians also speak at least 50 dialects. The main destinies are Cuzco,Machu Picchu and Lima.The best schools are Enforex and Ecela. Peru also offers many opportunities to work as a volunteer during the summer. Argentina T he countr y was colonized by the spanish. Which brought a strong culture and architecture to the c o u n t r y. Fa m o u s because of the Tango,Argentina is a country to adventurous people. This destiny has several landscapes as beaches,mountains,waterfalls and forests.The best destinies are Patagonia,where you can visit Bariloche,one of the best destinies for skiing.Buenos Aires,Cordoba and Ushuaia. Argentina has many programs to study spanish and learning Tango at the same time. Chile Chile is situated in South America,between the Andes mountains. Known because of the sympathy of the chileans and the culinary based on the seafood,Chile attracts many tourists every year. The country has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world,since deserts,beaches and mountains. During the winter it offers attractions as ski and snowboard.During other seasons is possible to visit Salar de Atacama,a natural salt pan,Santiago,the capital of Chile and the Easter Island.The best schools to study Spanish in Chile are Coined and Ecela. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 41 C REA TI V E WRI TI N G A Girl Like Me Part One By Zhane’ McKnight It was my first year of college. I was very excited to go away and get a fresh start in the city. Upon my arrival into my dorm room, I saw a girl sitting on an unmade bed, typing on a cell phone. She was very pretty with short black hair and blue eyes. I knew from a summer of emails and a few phone calls that she was my new roommate. “Hi, are you Jenny?” I questioned. The girl looked up from her phone, smiled, and nodded. “Yes, are you Taylor?” I nodded as well and Jenny clapped her hands. “Ohmygosh it’s so nice to finally meet you!” “You too!” I exclaimed and stumbled slightly when Jenny hopped up from her bed and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back tentatively. “Wow, we look a lot alike,” I noted. She looked me up and down and her eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah, we do. Are you sure you don’t have a twin?” she teased. I laughed and shook my head mournfully. “No, just three very annoying younger brothers.” I rolled my eyes. “No way, you’re so lucky! I’ve always wanted siblings!” “Well, you can have them… I always wanted a sister though,” I said thoughtfully. Jenny threw her arms around me again, and whispered, “Don’t worry, Taylor, I’ll be the sister you never had.” I smiled. That sounded wonderful. *** Three months into my new life and Jenny and I had bonded faster than I had with any of my friends back home. I claimed it was because we had to live in such a small space, but Jenny claimed it was “simply meant to be.” We did everything together; we ate our meals together, walked each other to classes, helped each other with homework if we could, and on the weekends, we went shopping or out to museums. I was surprised how easily she understood me. She proofread my long, rambling, English essays with ease, and made comments that always helped me get better grades. Not only that, but we were able to talk about important topics such as art or literature, and small things like bands or clothes. She really was the sister I never had. But now I was sitting in my dorm room, anxiously waiting for her return. Jenny had told me she was going out after her class of the day, and told me not to wait for her. However, now it was getting late. Jenny, where are you? I texted to her. I bounced my leg. This was the city after all; what if something bad had happened? Suddenly, the door flew open, and a waft of perfume- my perfume, that I had lent her- floated in the air as Jenny herself appeared, grinning brightly. “Where were you?” I cried as I ran to envelop her in a hug. I stopped as I examined her more carefully. “J, your hair!” “I know!” she squealed as she ran her fingers through it. “That’s why I’m so late! It took forever to bleach it! I thought they were going to run out of hair dye!” She giggled. “Do you like it?” “Um… yeah, I love it.” I gave her a weak smile. Jenny’s once, short, black hair was now dyed a mixture of white and golden blond, depending on where the light hit it. It looked a lot like my color, actually. And I could see long extensions mixed in with it, creating shaggy layers that ended at her waist. Where my own hair rested. The more I looked at it (seriously, I was right in her face at this point), I could see how similar it was to mine. She had even gotten the sideswept bangs down pat. “Um… Jen, not trying to narcissistic, but did you… um, copy my hairstyle?” I asked. “Uh, sorta…” Jenny trailed off. “But that’s okay, right? We definitely look like twins now! Oh, don’t be mad. Taylor, are you mad at me? I’m sorry.” She peered at me out from under her bangs, a look I did when I wanted to get out of something. I shook my head. I was being ridiculous. Sure, maybe it was weird that Jenny had copied me a bit, but she was weird. I was weird. And she didn’t have any siblings, either. I guess she didn’t either know how to act, or just wanted to be like me. Imitation was the best form of flattery, after all. “No, no. I was wrong, J. I’m sorry. You look seriously beautiful,” I said sincerely. Jenny grinned at me again, and slung her arm around my shoulder. She pivoted us so that we were facing the mirror by the bathroom. We really did look alike now. “We look beautiful,” she corrected. I laughed. “Hey, want to go grab dinner?” I asked after some time. “Nah, I grabbed something as I was walking back on campus,” she explained. “But you go! Eat!” She put a hand on my shoulder and steered me out of the room. “Okay!” I said, laughing. “I’m going! And stay out of my stuff !” I added, only half-joking as I closed the door. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 42 C REA TI V E WRI TI N G *** I walked back to my dorm an hour later, my stomach and mind at peace. I had rationalized with myself all throughout dinner. I truly felt better about the situation with Jenny. I had overreacted, I told myself. “Hey, Jen!” I called as I opened the door. “Let’s watch a movie tonight or-” I stopped as I surveyed the situation. Jenny was propped on her bed, my laptop on her lap. I could tell it was mine from all the band stickers on it. She looked up guiltily and froze when she saw me. “H-hey,” she stammered. “I thought you would be back later…” “What are you doing?” I snarled as I strode to up to her. I let the door slam behind me with an angry thud. I grabbed the laptop from her and saw that my email account was open. “What did you do?” I yelled at her. Jenny cowered. “Nothing! I just answered an email from your mom.” I glared at her. “Okay so your laptop was asleep on your desk, and it made a noise and I just thought I would check it, because I knew it would keep making noises and I was trying to study.” She paused to swallow. “But, um, it was an email from your mom. She was just wondering how you were. So I answered it. As you.” The blood drained from my face. “As me?” I squeaked. “Did it sound believable? Why did you say it was from me?!” “I didn’t think it would matter! It doesn’t matter, in fact. I wouldn’t even had told you. It’s just a small thing.” “You forged an email. What did my mom say?” I demanded. The laptop chimed in my hands. “I think that’s her,” she mumbled. I rolled my eyes at her as I read the response from my mother. Hey, hon! Sounds like college life is going great for you! I had my doubts about you moving so far away, especially to NYC, but you’ve clearly made it work for you and I couldn’t be more proud. Your roommate sounds like a lovely girl, and I can tell how close you to are! I can’t wait to meet her, and see you both on Parents’ Day! Until then, take care, and I love you. XOXO~ Mom. Then I read the email Jenny had typed as me. Looking at it, she had copied my writing style perfectly. I knew that if I had found the response a couple of months ago, I would have believed it was from me, and not given it a second thought. I had heard the roommate horror stories. The stories where roommates had fought horribly. Where they played mean and nasty tricks. But I had never heard of a story where a roommate had tried to copy someone. It just didn’t happen. At least not in real life. In movies, and books, sure. Now it seemed as if Jenny really, truly wanted to be me. She remembered small details about me, then used them herself. She had changed her hair so it matched mine. And now she had emailed my mother, the woman who I thought knew me so well, as myself. And she believed Jenny. I believed her too, I hated to admit. Later that night, I tossed and turned restlessly. I was facing the wall away from Jenny. I hadn’t looked or spoken to her since she returned my laptop. I had taken it, along with any other valuables, and locked them in my trunk my mother bought me for college. Then I had put the key on a chain and around my neck. I turned again so that I was facing Jenny. I saw that she was perfectly awake. I screamed a little, my heart pounding. “What?” I hissed. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Jenny stared at me, her eyes a bright, crazy blue. At last she hummed, “Good night. Jenny.” No, I tried to reason with myself. It was a mistake. She didn’t call me Jenny. But she had. And I knew she truly thought she was me, Taylor. And apparently I was her. I was Jenny. Reflection of a girl. Photo obtained from Google Images. Poseur. Photo obtained from Google Images. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! TRANSPARENT ! 43 ANONYMOUS ! To be transparent would mean that someone would have to notice that they do not even notice me and for that to happen I would have to be acknowledged by someone besides my mom. The probability of this happening is right up there with being killed by lightning, basically zilch. So in case you didn’t notice, which is highly probable, my outlook on life isn’t all peaches and cream, or rainbows and ponies. I have been told by close family, who seemingly are the only people to hear my mumbling and understand that it is a form of intelligible communication, that I am a cynical pessimist and that I should see the glass as half full instead of half empty once in a while. My answer to that, of course in my head because it would be rude to say aloud is, then why do you keep drinking from the glass if you believe it to be half full because it just becomes less and less full with each sip and sooner rather than later you have an empty glass?When there is nothing inside the glass can you really say, “Oh it’s completely full-- it’s full of air?” Nope didn’t think so it doesn’t work like that just like when your parents announce that they’re getting a divorce because the love has just died out, but it’s totally not your fault, there is absolutely no realistically sane, optimistic twist you could possibly put on that. Only sarcastic, trivial attempts that end in more tears, like, “Well at least now there are two Christmases,” when really they are each just a half of what the old one was. There are those real life situations that cause me to want to physically, emotionally, and mentally shut down which is probably why I am currently sitting here thinking that maybe I am a vampire or a zombie, at least some type of undead living thing, because frankly when my hands get cold which is like 95% of the time they go from purple to a pasty yellow, quite dead looking really, in about a minute flat. Also there’s the part where my sleeping patterns have drastically changed. Apparently I have gone from being an early bird who gets the worm to a night owl. Yep normal teenagers would be like, “Finally you spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny 0 1 5! ! 44 graduated 2from going to bed at like 10:30”, but really when you feel bone-tired APRIL 24, all the time not only physically and mentally, but also towards other people, and things that you have to do, I think that the childhood bedtime of eight o’ clock really isn’t that bad. If everything was okay I probably wouldn’t be staring at some shrink who smells like hand sanitizer in a room that is so modern and sterile that I’m afraid to breathe. My mom’s worried about my social life, and my dad is worried about my academic performance. Are either of those things really me? Of course not. See that is the harsh reality that is shaping today’s generation. We live not for ourselves, but for those around us. People complain because they have a middle-aged crisis or that their “Golden Years” aren’t really golden. Well try being a teenager and already feeling like you are unhappy with the way your life has gone, the way it is, and therefore all hope is invested in the future where because of the high expectations there will most likely be a strong chance of disappointment. Ah, the way of the world, and society’s messed up views. Take high school for example. Today there are still your stereotypical jocks, theater kids, skaters, musicians, potheads, outsiders, and others. Sure it seems as though kids are mingling with other people of social designation more-so now than say fifteen years ago, but as an overall entity the youth today are just as divided as they were in the past except now most of them rarely go outside and have no appreciation for opportunities, the people around them, and so on and so forth. Yep I said it and I am not taking it back. You see I have this pet peeve, of sorts, and it is that school clubs exist that people have no idea about and, “why on earth would that bother you?” you may ask. Is it because the club doesn’t ever do anything worthwhile, is it because they don’t reach out to the student body, is it spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 45 because the officers are more focused on themselves than their members that no one stays committed to the club? And the answer to all of those is NO. It is not the club’s fault if there is an activity of significance at least once a month and no one bothers to come even when announcements are made, flyers are created, the officers personally invite people, incentives are given, and all this is done with a smile. The blame falls onto the shoulders of the student body who fail to take part in anything outside their comfort zone. Either they choose to completely ignore the person, smile and make an empty promise, rudely and bluntly say, “No, now get out of my face,” or literally avoid all people who are in clubs that ask for their participation. All of these choices are cowardly and the fact of the matter is that because many of the students in high school are doing this, culture is dying. The school newspaper for instance barely sells sixty copies even with subscriptions, and some teachers’ loyalty. You know it’s become an epidemic when the newspaper sales person asks a teacher to buy one and they pretend they didn’t hear them or literally in the most obnoxious manner ever, shake their head, say no, and pick up speed as they continue to walk by without even breaking stride. That’s just me though everyone has their own biased opinion. For most people they work, they play, and mostly just pretend to live life. Missing out on the purpose and the vitality of why we are here and I don’t necessarily mean religiously, but just that they don’t ask questions. After they pass the age where that’s all they do, “Why is the sky blue? How come birds can fly but I can’t? Is there a special reason you always call daddy that word when your mad?” It all just comes to an abrupt stop. I think that I “ponder life’s mysteries” just as much as the next person, and lately I’ve been thinking that’s not enough. So in order to do something about it I told my grandmother that I would go to church with her. You know just to see if I would have an ethereal experience or a spiritual connection with my maker. Well she was thrilled as I knew she would be and we went. She warned me that the pastor wasn’t going to be there because he had a previous obligation and that their church had invited a little singing group to come. I thought that’s okay it spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! might be more interesting anyhow… how wrong I was. The “singing group” 46 was a group of three, made up of two elderly ladies, and one lady who was about forty. Okay I don’t judge based on age though so I was still optimistic. Then they literally did song after song with only little tidbits of encouraging sentiments that had to do with each individual lyrics’ title. The worst is yet to be described though. They did not hand out copies of the music so as I looked around the church people were staring blankly at the women, some were swaying to the music, some have their eyes closed, and of course the children were consistently getting harder and harder to pacify. If the group had been vocally unsurpassable in talent this would not have been a problem, even if they had interacted with the crowd by making them stand up or clap or if they moved a little while they sang it would have been better. Instead it was just them singing to recorded music, there wasn’t even an actual person playing on the church’s piano or organ. To top it off the two older women may have been seasoned performers, but they weren’t in season any longer. I am gently trying to say that they were trying too hard to hang on to the high soprano religious sound with tons of vibrato and it was not working for them. Now I don’t need anyone to give me a lecture on how it’s not about the talent in which they were singing it was the purpose that they were singing to praise the lord that mattered. Still as we walked out I knew that I had not felt anything even as the two out of three of the performers fought back tears as they talked and as the majority of elderly ladies cried along with them at some point. I didn’t get it. I didn’t feel that as they talked about how good God was in their life and how they had experienced hard times so “pray for us as we pray for others,” that it was real. It all felt like an act. spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 47 They had literally asked for prayers. I have not been a regular to church since I was little, but I’m pretty sure it’s not appropriate to ask for people to pray for you in front of a whole congregation. So they seemed transparent to me. They seemed to put forth not that they actually were in emotional torment, but they were acting as though they were to put the message across, because they thought the music or the message would hit people with more force if they added tears. As it is, my quest for being noticed still pushes forward and to be assured I am keeping in mind all the lessons we have learned as children about positive and negative attention and how we don’t have to “leave our mark on the world, just leaving an imprint on one person is enough.” I just have this yearning to make my life worthwhile, to find myself (as cliche as that sounds), and to make sure I have at least gotten close to being the person I was meant to be. As of right now I don’t feel that what I am doing in life is meaningful. I am just going through the motions and putting on the mask everyday before leaving the house. Right now no matter how hard I work, no matter how many things I try to get involved in I feel unfulfilled. And so I need to break out of this rut that I am in because I know my level of ambition has gone down and because of that my life is in a state of slow degradation. So here’s to straining to be all that we can, for trying to make our own way, and adding color to a canvas that was once ! ! ! TRANSPARENT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! . spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny APRIL 24, 2 0 1 5! ! 48 PUZZLE PAGE Spring Ahead! Credit to clipartpanda.com (left) Check out the puzzle page! By Alyssa Weibel DOUBLE WORD START FINISH CRYPTIC MESSAGE Credit to clipartpanda.com Can you figure out the message? 11 19 1 7 9 3 15 13 26 14 23 6 21 24 17 2 16 8 4 20 5 18 10 12 22 25 Puzzles generated with Puzzlemaker at Discovery.com spartan expressions • New hartford senior high school • new hartford, ny