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