Paw Print - Schodack Central School District

September 2014
The Voice of Maple Hill High School Students
A Season of Change
New Year, Same Spirit
by Damon Whimple
by Kassidy Berger
During the second
week of October,
the festivities of
Spirit Week will
Monday—Twin Day
occur at the high
―Be there for a Friend‖
school with different ―themed‖ days
Tuesday— Tuxedo Tuesthat lead to the
day ―Too Classy for
highly anticipated
Drugs‖
pep rally.
October 6– 10 Spirit
Week Schedule
Wednesday—Color
Wars
Seniors: Purple
Juniors: Yellow
Sophomores: Green
Freshmen: Orange
―Color My World Drug
Free‖
Thursday—Country/
Western day
―We Do Wheat, Not
Weed‖
Friday—- Spirit Day/Pep
Rally (wear class shirts!)
While you may have been relaxing beachside or hanging out with friends, the high
school (which everyone was so looking
forward to returning to) underwent some
major changes.
The most important change was the new
pipe system installed underground behind
the school. The new pipes connected our
school to municipal water from the village.
The pipes that were there previously were
This week is filled
installed when the building was first built in
with different theme
days including color wars, where all grade levels are 1955. Can you imagine having to share one
bathroom with everyone in the entire
assigned a color and compete against the others to
earn the most points for their class. Friday is the pep school for 2 months? The Business Office,
Administration and workers on this prorally, a day of fun-filled, friendly competition!
ject over the summer did.
The importance of this week is to promote community and school spirit with the different events during Another big change is one you can actually
the week and get our athletes pumped for fall sports see. All the teachers in the building got
new ThinkPads, laptops that turn into tabweekend! As a senior, I‘ve witnessed the past 3
lets, to replace their desktop computers.
years as a fun and thrilling time. Even people that
don't don‘t normally get involved at school seem to ―Mr. Segarra doesn‘t have a TV anymore
participate in this week as well. It‘s good to see eve- and the new laptops do not hook up to the
projector to play movies in Spanish class,‖
ryone participating in these school events. As each
is what Junior Michaela Mueller, had to say
class decides on t-shirts, designs posters and gets
about the teachers‘ new technology...
decked out in their respective colors, we will await
October to see which grade level has
See Season continued on page 4
the most Wildcat Pride. So join in and
have a blast!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
F
YI
.
isc
M
-Meet the
New
Teachers
-Pawprint
Editorial
Staff Bios
-Enterovirus
-Back to
School
Dance
Photos p. 30
-College
Info
p.2-9
p. 36-38
ws
e
N
-9/11
Memorial
-Ferguson
-Twitter
Police
p.10-14
E
&
A
-Book &
Movie
Reviews
-Fashion
-Music:
Yesterday &
Today
p. 15-27
on
O
i
pin
-Ice Buckets
-Senioritis
-Some Sports
& Not Others
p.28-30
s
S
rt
o
p
-Fall
Sports
Interviews &
Updates
-Sports
Drinks
-New AD
p.31-35
Paw Print
Editorial Staff 2014-2015
The Paw Print Editorial Staff






Editors-in-Chief:
Kassidy Berger & Audra Colliton
Section Editors:
FYI: Peter Aitken
News: Skylar VanAlstyne
Opinion: David Maurer
A&E: Alysa Kelly
Sports: Kerry Golden
Contributors: Gabe Dingman,
Grace Goodall, Tabitha Hogan (not
pictured), Amanda Kern, Julia
Keyoskey, Lauryn Krupa, John Paul
Kulpa, Christina Malthouse, Kelsey
Pascetto, Michela Rossetti, Hunter
Sanchez, Cody Seeberger, Dominic
Sinacore, Damon Whimple, Katya
Wilson.
Faculty Advisor: Miss Flood
The Paw Print
Editorial Staff
would like your
input to the school
newspaper this
year. If you see
news happening,
want to write a
feature or sports
story, or take
some photos,
please let any of us
know.
Keep current about school events!
Follow @MapleHill_HS
on
Twitter!
The Pawprint is now on Twitter too– follow
us @MH_ThePawprint
Save A Limb
The Save-A-Limb Fund, established in 2001, supports the fight to save limbs from amputation and provides
hip and knee replacements to patients in need both
domestically and abroad. The Fund also works to
advance patient care through the research and
work of the physicians and staff of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics (RIAO) at Sinai
Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The Save-A-Limb
Fund is a program of Sinai Hospital.
For more information about the ride or to make a
donation, contact Hunter Sanchez or go to the site
below to make a donation.
http://salride2014.kintera.org/huntersanchez
Page 2
FYI
Some Basic Advice from
a Senior you probably know…
by Anonymous
1. Be yourself. Kurt Cobain once said, ―Wanting to be
someone else is a waste of who you are.‖ Don‘t let anyone
change you, unless it is positive. And don‘t be worried
about being weird. You are what you are. And there is no
reason to be ashamed of that.
Heads Up, Upperclassmen!
by Damon Whimple
 Representatives from 30 different colleges to visit
2. Do your best in school, but don’t stress too
Maple Hill between now and midmuch. Set goals you can achieve and then set the bar higher every time you achieve your goals. But do not push
November. More information is posted outside
yourself too much. If you stress way too much, you can
guidance and seniors received a copy in their seneasily become overwhelmed. Try to get away from stress
ior folders from guidance. If interested in any of
somehow, whether it be talking to friends, listening to muthe colleges, students should ask for a pass from
sic, writing, reading, et cetera as long as it calms you down.
guidance for the date and time of the college visit.
3. Stand up for yourself and anyone you feel needs
it. I think everyone has been bullied, and we all know it
sucks. We joke around with our friends about ―bullies‖,but
real bullies are not acceptable. If someone is making fun of
you, don‘t just sit there or walk away. Defend yourself, not
physically but verbally. And do the same for a peer or
friend who is unable to do so or cannot do so themselves.
I understand there might be some friendly jokes about one
another in a friend group, but if it is someone who has no
right to make fun of you or another person, defend yourself.
4. Have Fun and don’t let anyone restrain you from
doing so. I don‘t care if you‘re at a school dance, the bonfire, pretty much anywhere, just have fun. If you look like
an idiot, who cares, honestly? But do not do anything you
will completely regret. If you‘re just the person who is always on the dance floor, that‘s great. It was one night and
if they‘re complaining about you having a good time, maybe
they didn‘t have a good time.
5. Stop caring about what your peers (other students) think. Honestly, does their opinions really matter?
You will (most likely) never have to see these people again,
and it will only be four years. In relation to how long your
life will actually be, high school is only a small part of your
life. High school might be great for you, or you just can‘t
wait for it to be over. These people (students) will not
matter after you graduate.

Ichabod Crane to invite seniors from Maple Hill
to participate in the Mini-College fair on
10/21/14. Seniors who would like to attend must
sign up in the guidance office.

A Health Education Symposium is being held on
11/12/14 from 6-8 PM at the Albany Medical College Huyck Auditorium. A panel of health professionals will discuss their paths into the medical
field. The event is free and students should register at http://hes-amc2014eventbrite.com

HVCC will be at MHHS for an Instant Admission
Day on 11/12/14. Seniors interested in applying
to HVCC should sign up in advance for this opportunity. The application fee is waived for seniors who participate in Instant Admission Day.

On 11/18/14, MHHS will be hosting a Financial
Aid Night starting at 6:30 pm. A financial aid expert will be presenting on the financial aid process as well as provide information about the
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid). All are welcome to this event .

Register by October 9th for the November 8th
SAT and by November 7th for the December
13th ACT.
Page 3
October
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
HS Interims
5
12
6
7
8
9
10
11
Spirit Week
Spirit Week
Spirit Week
Spirit Week
Fall Sports
Weekend
SAT I
SAT II Testing
Spirit Week
Fall Sports
Weekend &
Homecoming
Dance
17
18
13
14
15
16
No School
PSAT
Columbus Day
Fall Sports
Weekend
19
26
20
27
21
28
22
29
23
24
25
Red Cross
Blood Mobile
Drive
No School
ACT Testing
30
31
Halloween
Season ...continued from cover
When asked if there were any plans to change
anything else, Principal Ron Agostinoni responded, ―We would like to give every student at
MHHS a ThinkPad as well. As a school we are
moving towards a more digital and studentcentered environment.‖ Would you like to receive a laptop in the future?
Also, two new things to MHHS are some new
classes: World History Through Film and Conflicts of the 20th Century. Let us at the Pawprint
know your opinions about these new classes and
anything else going on at Maple Hill!
Page 4
FYI
Beware: Enterovirus EV-D68
Dangers of Fast food
by Kassidy Berger and Tabitha Hogan
by Grace Goodall
Is it really that time of year again, where everyone‘s got
their noses buried in tissues, couch-ridden because of the
common cold? The complete lack of energy that comes
with being sick is something we all can relate to, but recent cases of cold-like symptoms have become a bigger
issue.
When someone eats at Burger King, McDonalds, or
even Wendys, they don‘t always look to see what the
healthiest meal on the list is that they can buy. They
usually just go for what tastes the best.
Runny nose, dry cough, low grade fever, sore throat,
headache and body aches usually lead people to believe a
cold is to blame. However, these are signs/symptoms of
the new respiratory virus, enterovirus. This virus can
cause pneumonia or bronchiolitis. It targets mostly young
children, especially those with asthma. It‘s a virus on a
mission; spreading all throughout the US, New York and
Connecticut being the latest to get hit. New York has
reported more than a dozen cases already.220 people
have been confirmed with the virus in a total of 32 states.
It spreads quickly through elementary schools because it
is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or by touching objects or surfaces contaminated with
the virus and then touching the mouth, nose or eyes. The
best way to prevent getting this virus is washing your
hands and staying away from anyone who has the virus.
The results for who offers the healthiest plain cheeseburger is Burger King. It has a serving size of 111g
which contains 270 calories. A plain cheeseburger at
McDonalds is a serving size of 114g which contains
300 calories. The least healthy plain cheeseburger is
from Wendys, it has a serving size of 190g with a total
of 520 calories.
At Wendys, one of the healthiest meals you can eat is
a small chili. A small chili is 190 calories, 6g fat, and 830mg of sodium.
According to lifehacker, ―The chili is
a favorite at Wendy‘s, and for a good
reason. Not only is it cheap and filling, it's also one of the least waistline
-beating options on the menu. If a
small chili isn't filling enough, swapping it out for the
larger only adds 280 more calories and a modest increase in fat and sodium.‖
At McDonalds, one of the healthier food choices to
buy is the premium bacon ranch salad, apple slices,
and a glass of water.
Lastly is Burger King. Some more healthy choices to
buy and eat at Burger King are in the chart below.
People can make better food choices no matter
where they go. Even if the choice they make is only a
tiny bit healthier, it‘s still less that you would have to
exercise and less you would regret eating it later.
Green states = states that have confirmed cases of the
virus as of September 24
PagePage
5 5
Ms. DeBarde-Who? Ms. DeBardelaben!
by Julia Keyoskey
Over the summer when Mr. Ryan jumped into a new role as
Technology Specialist, Maple Hill was in need of a new teacher
to instruct Geometry, Algebra A, and Intermediate Algebra. Ms.
Debardelaben (pronounced Dee-bar-dee-lay-ben) also coteaches Pre-Calc with Mrs. Balogh. She graduated from Siena
College and then went to The University at Albany, to earn her
Master‘s Degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional
Technology. As she starts her journey at Maple Hill, she thinks
she will do well here because she will challenge the students to
be the best that they can possibly be.
Ms. Debardelaben won't be a ―Ms.‖ for long; she is recently engaged. By the time anyone learns how to pronounce her last
name, she will be changing it. She is set to be married in June
and was very excited to show me her dress and save the date
cards. When Ms. Debardelaben isn't teaching or getting engaged
she likes to go skiing. Like every other girl, Ms. Debardelaben‘s
favorite TV show is ―The Bachelor.‖ Her favorite musical artist
is Beyonce and at the moment, her favorite song is ―Love on
Top.‖ When it comes to the seasons, Ms. Debardelaben enjoys
summer the most. Also, everyone has their pet peeves, and Ms.
DeBardelaben‘s pet-peeve is when she texts someone and they
reply, but then calls them and they don‘t answer. ―I know you
have your phone because you just replied to me, so why can‘t you answer my call?‖ says Ms. DeBardelaben.
Ms. Debardelaben‘s advice to any student taking her class would be to always do homework well and on time.
Also, study math vocabulary! Her advice to any student looking into colleges is to apply for a lot of scholarships . During her first year at Maple Hill, she is looking forward to getting to know the students. She has also
heard about spirit week and is very excited to participate. Within the next 10 years, Ms. Debardelaben foresees
herself teaching at Maple Hill by the name of Mrs. Archer, which thankfully is much easier to pronounce.
Whoop, here he is... Meet Mr. VanDerbeck
by Dominic Sinacore
Are you a soccer fan? If so, you need to meet the biggest Chelsea Football Club Fan out there-- Mr. VanDerbeck. It just so happens that he teaches business classes on the first floor of our high school. Before working for
Maple Hill, Mr. VanDerbeck worked at Chatham Central School District for 5 years. When asked about his life
goals, Mr. VanDerbeck responded, ―My life goals are to work on being the best teacher, father and husband that
I can be.‖ Mr. VanDerbeck has 2 kids, one of them being a newborn. His favorite car is an Audi S5, which means
he has good taste.
When asked what his favorite thing about Maple Hill is, Mr. VanDerbeck stated, ―My favorite things are the
teachers and the community.‖ One of the things Mr. VanDerbeck noticed in his few short weeks teaching here is
See VanDerbeck continued on p. 7
Page 6
FYI
Señora Sabia: Mrs. Bonville
by Christina Malthouse
Upon Señora Lepkowski‘s retirement, Señora Bonville joins
the faculty as the newest Spanish teacher. Mrs. Bonville
studied at SUNY Albany, SUNY Oneonta, and a University in
Barcelona, Spain. Her reasoning for becoming a Spanish teacher is because Spanish is a strength of hers and she also loveds
traveling. Before arriving at Maple Hill, she worked at
Shenendehowa and prior to that, she worked for almost
three years as an adolescent outreach coordinator for a Migrant Education Program. She says that the students and
teachers at Maple Hill seem to be especially nice, helpful, and
friendly. Mrs. Bonville is looking forward to a wonderful year
teaching her Spanish II and college-level Spanish IV course as
well as getting to know the rest of the students at Maple Hill.
Mrs. Bonville believes there is not just one thing that makes
up a good teacher. What defines a good teacher, she says, is
one that enjoys kids and has a passion for what they are
teaching. If you have Señora Bonville, one of her major pet
peeves is lining up at the door before the bell rings. There is always time to learn and learning never ends. With
regards to advice about college, Sra. Bonville thinks that college will not teach someone everything, and when
enrolling in college it is helpful and important to have a plan. If that plan changes that is fine. Mrs. Bonville thinks
paying attention to loans is beneficial because she warns that debt can be challenging to handle. ―For those that
have not decided what their dream is it is good to take exploratory classes that will the student different opportunities and possible paths worth taking. Set goals and look for a degree that does not have practical purposes,‖
says Mrs. Bonville.
In twenty to thirty years Mrs. Bonville wishes to be living in a warmer place while continuing to work in education. She enjoys cooking and hiking besides teaching the students at Maple Hill. So far, her Spanish courses are off
to a great start and Señora Sabia (translation=Mrs. Wise) is looking forward to seeing where the year takes her
as well as her students.
VanDerbeck ...continued from p.6
that our School District is ―On the forefront of new technologies
to be used in instruction and by the students.‖ He‘s excited to
help the business program grow here at Maple Hill and wants to
give students more exposure to business classes. This will help
high school students transition to taking business courses in college, since most college freshmen have to take them.
It‘s worth taking the time to get to know Mr. Vanderbeck; I personally have class with him and have come to respect him--overall, he‘s a good guy.
Page 7
Page 7
Congratulations Newly Elected Student Council and Class Officers
Student Council
President— Jake Long
Vice-President— Bernie Daoust
Secretary— Allison Felts
Treasurer— Tori Olsen
Senior Class
Co-Presidents— Peter Aitken & Aine Hardaker
Vice-President— Bryce Perry
Secretary— Alex Konig
Treasurer— Eleanor Haase
Junior Class
President— Kristin McInerney
Vice-President— Greg Roe
Secretary— Hannah Gonzales
Treasurer— Kerry Golden & Sami Muller
Sophomore Class
Co-Presidents— Maddie Bryda
Vice-President— Dylan Rossiter
Secretary— John Paul Kulpa
Treasurer— Tessa Olmstead
Freshman Class
President– Shirah Strock & Bryan Kern
Vice-President– Kassidy Berger
Secretary - Tori Whimple
Treasurer - Rachel Jung
We look forward to the leadership you will provide to
your classes as well as the entire school. Best of luck!
Digitizing the newspaper, good or bad?
by Kelsey Pascetto
Recently, Maple Hill High School has changed its style of delivering news to the students. With everything going
electronic now, due to popular demands of being a technology advanced school, all the announcements, news,
stories, activities, etc., are online. There are pros and cons to this change. Some of the positive effects include a
faster and easier way of communication. However, some of the negative effects include internet glitches, lack of
reliability for technological devices, slow internet speed, malfunctions of technology, etc.
When asked if students prefer digitizing the newspaper
over printing hard copies of it, most people said that they
preferred it electronically. However, an alarming number
of students chose the response ―Either way I still don‘t pay
attention to the newspaper.‖
So with these results, what do you think we can do to
make the newspaper more worth your while? What
are your suggestions? Let us know! We are constantly
trying to improve the newspaper to make it better for
students here at Maple Hill.
Page 8
FYI
Fall Festivities
by Christina Malthouse
The leaves are beginning to turn and the weather is no longer a hot, humid, exhausting steam of air.
Are you looking for other things to do this fall? This upcoming weather brings out the new fruits and other
crops out of the fresh soils of the ground for all to see. They are no longer hidden, but waiting in anticipation for people to pick up and take home to enjoy. Here is a list of places that include apple picking, haunted
mazes and houses, cherry picking, pumpkin picking, and tantalizing cider donuts for the whole family!
Page 9
News
Gone, but Never Forgotten
by Peter Aitken
Picture this: Giant dust clouds of ash chasing you
down the narrow streets as you run
furiously to escape the death trap.
Earlier this morning, you roamed
freely around New York City and in
a matter of minutes, this freedom
was robbed from you. That‘s exactly
how businessmen and garbage men
alike felt on the streets of 9/11/2001
when terrorists attacked the World
Trade Center not once, but twice.
Only when others were running
away from the dust clouds, first responders like firemen, policemen and
EMT‘s were running into the burning
building to help. 9/11 was a tragic day
that took the lives of 3,000 people and affected
thousands more. The breathtaking 9/11 memorial
lets us remember (as well as honor) those who
were taken too soon. Each person whose life was
ended that day has their own special place on the
memorial with their name inscribed. You might be
wondering, how can they fit thousands of names onto a memorial? The memorial consists of two reflecting pools (each just under a football field in size)
that sits right where the twin towers once stood.
―Its design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal, and
creates a contemplative space separate from the
usual sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis,‖
reads the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc.‘s
website.
While in New York City this past summer, I finally
paid a visit to the memorial site. Although I left the
memorial a bit teary eyed, it was amazing to see
what was built in remembrance of the victims. I am
certain that my Uncle, Michael Stack, left with the
same feeling since his father (a NYFD Firefighter)
was killed when the towers came collapsing down.
When I spoke with him, he told me, ―The museum
[part of the Memorial] shows the visitors who
crashed the planes into the buildings, and who
Page 10
rushed to the burning towers to help the people in
need on that fateful day.‖ I later asked
his thoughts on the other part of the
memorial (the reflecting pools) and his
two-word response was, ―It‘s beautiful.‖
I encourage you to do what 15 million
people have done and visit the memorial for yourself. While there, you‘ll be
only hundreds of feet away from the
newest (and tallest) skyscraper being
built- ―The Freedom Tower.‖
The Freedom Tower stands at 1,776
feet (even taller than the Twin Towers).
This monumental figure compares to no
other within NYC or within the United
States for that matter. The Freedom Tower is a
symbol of hope and remembrance, just as the memorial is a symbol of hope and renewal. So if you
find yourself a free weekend, I encourage you to pay
your respects to all of the workers and first responders who lost their lives that day by visiting the
memorial.
Photos taken by Peter Aitken
News
How much do Maple Hill students know about the world
around them?
by Skylar VanAlstyne
Ferguson, Missouri began protesting his death and
In Castleton, everyone knows everyone and all the
―breaking news‖ here doesn‘t take a lot of time to get believed officer Wilson should be arrested. Police rearound. But why does the news here have to be the
sponded with a highly armed presence meant to contain
only news that students know about?
demonstrators and prevent violence. Protestors and police began a destructive battle in the
Eventually, all students will leave Maple
streets of Ferguson following the
Hill and enter the bigger world out
shootings.
there. Along with this transition, a
flood of new stories will come, too.
Ferguson used to be a quiet town,
Are all the students here ready for
with not much happening, almost
that?
like Castleton. Within an instant,
the entire town was flipped upside
Taking this into consideration, 50 studown with controversy, racism and
dents from all grades were randomly
a young man killed way before his
selected and asked this question: ―Do
time. News like this should be relatyou know anything about the Fergued and known by students not just
son, Missouri Riots?‖ The majority
in Maple Hill, but across the coundrew blank faces and needed a hint
try. Knowing how life can change in an instant is of value,
that consisted of the name of 18 year old Mike
but if someone can keep up with the world‘s changes,
Brown.
they are in the best situation. Knowing about the world
is the best way to fit in and be prepared for its changes.
For about 30%
of the students, There might be some students thinking this is no big deal
they had no
and it‘s irrelevant to their lives, but that is a mistake to
clue what they think that. The more people know about the world
were even be- around them, the better fit they are to become
ing asked. Anresponsible, helpful citizens.
other 40% had
only heard of
these recent
events, having
no further
knowledge on the subject, while 26% knew some of
the details. Only a small 12% knew a lot about the
topic.
For those who are still in the dark, on August 9th, 18
year old Mike Brown was shot multiple times and
killed by Officer Wilson. To put this in perspective, he
was a college freshmen, only a year older than our
seniors here. After much controversy around what
the motives were as to why he was shot, the town of
Page 11
News
Youth to Youth may be the answer you’re looking for to give
back to the community
by Alysa Kelly
NEW YORK (MH) -- Schodack Castleton Community Partnership,
or S.C.C.P., members attended the Eastern States Youth to Youth
Conference at the University of Rhode Island for the fifth time at
the end of July this summer.
The Conference involved both drug-free teens and adults from all
over the country.
The Y2Y message is always the same: provide an exciting, safe, and influential youth leadership program to encourage young people to live free of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Youth to Youth was originally founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio and has expanded into three regions: Eastern, Central, and International. Y2Y is so successful every year due to the fact that it is uniquely teen centered.
The amount of attendants at each Conference continues to increase each year, proving that the young attendees are making a difference, sharing the message, and encouraging others to experience Youth to Youth as
well.
S.C.C.P. intends on bringing members to the Youth to Youth Conference in the future for those
interested in getting involved with spreading the drug-free message in the community. Ms. Hill
volunteers her time as the S.C.C.P. advisor, along with Mr. Flach‘s help.
Twitter Police
by David Maurer
NEW YORK (NYC)-- Since May, the NYPD, or New York Police Department,
has started a new class for
commanding officers on how to stay modern - with social media.
Officers have been asking such questions like, what is twitter and how do you
tweet, as part of a course on twitter usage for the NYPD.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the course finds ―dad humor‖, hashtags and animal rescue as good things
while military time, insensitivity, and scams are considered as bad things.
For the NYPD, along with many other police departments, socialization with the citizens they serve and protect
could spell success or trouble. It gives a connection, between the police and citizens, on a human level. However,
photos of arrests and attacks have been posted as well in an attempt to break that connection.
With the growth of social media, it‘s only a matter of time until all police departments across the country have
their own set of twitters.
Page 12
News
SATs are near, but don’t you fear!
by Christina Malthouse
SAT tests are tough, but definitely achievable. A
student shouldn‘t fret over the amount of information that
is needed to know to do an SAT, but instead gradually
study for the test with effort and not
anxiety.
Do not stay up late the day before or morning of with a
jammed panic button because that will not get the grade
one desires. Put all anxieties to rest and focus on one section of the test at a time. Dedicate an hour or more a day
to just studying for the SATs rather than being distracted by
life‘s surroundings. Be prepared and get sleep!
There is only so much a student can do to reach a specific
goal on something like the SATs and that includes lowering
the stress level that has interceded the student‘s life before
the SATs
approach. The outcome of the SATs will be more desirable
if one does as fit best.
The upcoming SAT date is set on
October 11th for all those who are
willing to take up a challenge, conquer, and succeed.
International Club
by Julia Keyoskey and Gabe Dingman
NEW YORK (MHHS) -- Maple Hill High School‘s International club has decided to take an overnight New York City trip at the beginning of November.
The trip will be student funded with fundraising opportunities. For the students, it will be a great way to experience and get a taste for different cultures.
Club advisor, Mr Hoyt, says, ―I‘m looking forward to this trip. Hopefully we
will have enough interest to have a good time. I feel that this would be a
great experience for everyone.‖
Despite the fact that the club will not be leaving the country, the kids will be exposed to many different
languages, arts and foods, including Chinatown and Little Italy.
President Julia Keyoskey urges students to participate. ―It will be a lot of fun,‖ she proclaimed.
Page 13
News
NHS Kicks the Year off Right
National Honor Society members started the school year in a volunteer state of mind. So far, they have donated their
time to serve dinner to cyclists at the Ride for Missing Children as well as Best Pass‘ ―Touch a Truck‖ event.
The Ride for Missing Children Dinner took place at the New York State Museum in Albany after the cyclists rode 100
miles on their bikes, stopping at various schools throughout the day to spread awareness about stranger danger and
missing children. NHS members set up tables and chairs in the Adirondack section of the museum and served pizza,
salad, ice cream and cake to the hungry riders.
At Best Pass‘ ―Touch a Truck‖ event, NHS members helped raise money for Wreaths Across America, which puts
wreaths at the cemetery sites of all veterans during the holiday season. At the ―Touch a Truck‖ event, big rigs like Fire
trucks and 18 wheelers allowed children to climb up and take pictures inside the trucks while face painters and balloon
makers added to the festivities.
Should You Stay?: A Review of If I Stay
by Gabe Dingman
If I Stay tells the tale of the young
and talented Mia Hall who must
make a literal life or death decision
after her and her family are involved
in a tragic car wreck. While having
an out of body experience, she must
choose to live or die with the aftermath of the
accident. Throughout the film, Mia relives her
best days with family, friends, and serious boyfriend Adam. The entire movie as a whole was a
tear jerker from the beginning. Between the gut
wrenching final seconds before the accident and
Mia‘s rescue from the tangled mess, her loved
ones were coming to her pleading with her unconscious body to fight. Paired with Mia‘s internal and external problems she must face, there
isn‘t a moment to breathe until the final credit
roll. As for the cast, Chloe Grace Moretz
Page 14
brought her character to life. Her
portrayal of the brave Mia could not
have been better. As many actors
know, it's difficult to pull off such
strong and serious emotions, often
they have to come from something
real. Whatever Moretz used as inspiration was highly effective as she did not
falter once. The supporting cast did
more than their fair share to complete
the film: Jamie Backley‘s performance as
Adam was spot on. Whether he was
joking in a flashback or crying at the
side of his comatose girlfriend, Backley
brought the heat. Other cast members
did a commendable job as well. All in
all, If I Stay will rip your heart out, but
you‘re sure to love every second of it.
Arts & Entertainment
The Pressure's On: Back to School Fashion
by Alysa Kelly
The first day of school can either mean one of
two things: a pressure-filled couple of days trying to pick
the perfect outfit, or a dreadful start to another ten
month countdown until summer. Either way, a new
school year provides students and teachers the opportunity to reinvent themselves, if they choose to do so.
That doesn‘t necessarily mean people have to change
who they are, but they do have the chance to try out a
new style, get involved in different activities, meet new
people, and discover who they are. At Maple Hill, back to
school fashion played a major part in kicking off these
new first impressions.
Of course, girls and boys‘ fashion was much different; however, among them were some
common styles. Transitioning
from summer to school followed the famous crop top and
maxi skirt duo for girls, along
with sandals and a variety of
bright, exciting nail polish colors. Boys, on the other hand,
continue to wear their muscle
tees, prep cut shorts, and huge
collection of sneakers. In addition to the popular summer style, many girls sported the
floral print on their skater skirts and flowy shorts, with
the pop of color from Vans and Keds. Many guys came
into school looking fresh in their plain tees and cargo
shorts, going for a more casual and comfortable approach.
Besides common trends in clothing, almost every corner
you turned, some type of Vera Bradley bag was in sight.
Totes are essential for carrying around folders, notebooks, and pencils, while the Heather design seems to be
the most desired among them all. Most of the guys went
for Nike and Adidas backpacks this year, and continued
to wear tall socks with assortments of KDs, Jordan‘s and
other top brand sneakers. Now, let‘s not forget about the
dozens of students who topped off their outfits with a
nice iced coffee or coffee coolatta from Dunkin to wake
them up in the morning. Whether or not you were
a part of the common trends this starting school year,
I‘m sure you jazzed up the hallways with your own,
unique style, as well.
So, considering these different styles, how long did it take
everyone to choose their outfit? Depending on who you
are, it could‘ve taken you about a week, like Senior Dom
Sinacore, whose highlighted piece were his Versace boxers. Or ten seconds the morning of, like Junior Reid Lisosky, who was content with the first thing in his drawer.
Even the teachers joined the fun, like Miss Flood, who
said, "I was really looking
forward to wearing a dress,
and after scouring the outlets in Maine and Lee, MA
with no luck, I settled back
to the old routine of back to
school shopping with my
Mom." I, myself, event spent
a few weeks debating
whether or not I wanted to
wear my outfit, but the night
before I just decided to go
with it. As you can see, everyone has a different way of
undergoing the first day of
school outfit choosing process, but the results are likely
the same.
No matter who you are, it is normal that at some point
you felt the pressure of the first day of school jitters.
Picking out an outfit might have made it even worse for
others. Either way, the pressure was on, but if you
rocked that outfit or worked those shoes, your first impression is sure to have made a lasting effect on your
peers for the rest
of the year, or at
least until you forget to set your
alarm one morning.
Page 15
Arts & Entertainment
The Story That Captured the Hearts of Many
by Alysa Kelly
When your favorite book comes to real
life in a movie with the most amazing actors, what more could you ask for? Based
on John Green‘s hit novel The Fault in Our
Stars, Director Josh Boone casted breakthrough actors Shailene Woodley, Ansel
Elgort, and Nat Wolff to portray the
main characters Hazel Graze, Augustus
Waters, and Isaac, respectively in that
order. Compared to the storyline of the
book, the movie was an excellent rendition that brought it to life, and in my
opinion, was one of the best book to
movie transitions I‘ve ever seen.
John Green is an incredible author, which
is very obvious in his novel, and it definitely takes a lot to have a movie prove
all of his writing ability. The story takes
place in modern time and is about two
teenagers who share a common fate: cancer. Hazel is reminded of her cancer by
her everyday companion, her oxygen
tank, while Gus walks around on his
prosthetic leg all of the time. The two
met at a cancer support group; one with
a great amount of hope, the other with a
lot of doubt and defeat. Together, the
two are perfect for each other, but Hazel
is just too afraid to admit it. The relationship between the two grows, but as time
progresses their battle with cancer remains a constant struggle. In the movie,
Boone did a wonderful job portraying
their relationship and making it become real. Despite my biased opinion of Woodley and Elgort,
the two did a tremendous job taking on such difficult roles. The connection between them was as
real on screen as in the novel, which left many
viewers sobbing at the end. One of the most
e
Page 16
effective features of the movie,
however, was how true it
stayed to the book. Of course,
scenes were taken out, as in any
movie, but those remaining all
related back to the novel and
followed the storyline exactly.
No scene seemed to be altered,
providing more props to the
director of the film. Plus, there
couldn‘t have been a better
choice than Ansel Elgort to play
Augustus since he is such an
adorable, genuine, and funny
guy.
As a result, the movie filled the
expectations of the novel and
more with the exceptional casting, and deserves a lot of credit
for the reality within it. If you
haven‘t read the book or seen
the movie, I highly recommend
that people searching for a romantic comedy, a heartfelt lovestory, or another movie with
the highly talented Ansel Elgort,
do both, especially now that the
film is available on DVD. Don‘t
pass up this opportunity, for
you‘ll be missing out on one of
the best films of the year.
Arts & Entertainment
Top 10 Up-and-Coming
Upcoming Concerts
by Julia Keyoskey
1. Fashion Trends
-T-shirts with floral pockets
-Floral dresses and skirts
2. Hot New Phones
-iPhone 6
-Galaxy Note 4
3. Stylish Shoes
-Nike 2014 Hyperdunk
-Air Jordan Oreo 6
4. New Technology
-Thinkpads
-Surface Pro 2 in 1
5. Actors to Watch Out For
-Ansel Elgort
-Shailene Woodley
6. Singers on the Rise
-Sam Smith
-Charlie XCX
7. Boy Bands are Back
-5 Seconds of Summer
-Emblem 3
8. Social Networking
-Twitter
-Instagram
9. Trending TV Shows
- ―Orange is the New Black‖
- ―Stalker‖
10. Movies to Keep in Mind
-Mockingjay
-The Best of Me
by Tabitha Hogan
Want to go out for a couple of hours, relax,
dance and listen to music? Concerts are the
way to do so. Being at a concert is such a great
way to let loose for a couple of hours, get rid of
stress, be with friends, and just have a great
time. I would recommend these upcoming concerts to anyone who listens to metal or rock:








September 27 - Five Finger Death Punch &
Volbeat: Times Union Center 5:30-11pm:
Tickets cost $25-39.95
September 28 - Keeler Headlighters: Upstate Concert Hall 4:00-10:30pm: $8 in advance or $10 Day of
October 4 - Troy Ave: Upstate Concert
Hall 7:00-11:30pm: $25 in advance or $30
Day of
October 19 - Mayday Parade: Upstate Concert Hall 5:30-11:15pm: $20 advance or $22
Day of
October 25 - Amy Schumer: The Palace
Theater 7:00-11:00pm: $37.50-$45
October 25 - You Me At Six: Upstate Concert Hall 7:00-11:30pm: $15 advance or $17
Day of
November 1 - Killswitch Engage: Upstate
Concert Hall 6:30-11:30pm: $25 advance or
$28 Day of
November 2 - Love and Theft: Upstate
Concert Hall 7:00-11:15pm: $18 advance or
$20 day of
th
th
th
th
th
th
st
nd
Page 17
Arts & Entertainment
Book and Movie Reviews
Are you on The List? :
A Review/Synopsis of the book by Siobhan Vivian
by Lauryn Krupa
Have you ever wondered if there is a book out there that
perfectly describes the everyday struggles of high school?
The drama, clubs, and sports? Then Siobhan Vivian‘s The
List could be the right book for you. Every year, on the
Monday preceding the long awaited Homecoming dance,
the list is posted throughout the halls of Mount Washington High School naming the prettiest and ugliest girls
from each grade. Years before, one student stole the
Mount Washington High Embossing stamp, the very one
that appeared on years of student graduation certificates,
and now appears on the lower right corner of the list.
Through the years this stamp has been passed down in
secrecy, along with the duty of writing the list, to a different student each year. Step inside the shoes of the eight
high school girls while they make their decision to embrace the list or to hide themselves in the shadows as the
spotlight tries to drag them onto the stage of Mount
Washington‘s oldest tradition. Newly appointed Principal
Colby desperately tries to uncover the writer of this
year‘s list in hopes of preventing future lists from once
again tormenting and throwing eight girls in Mount Washington High into the spotlight. Each chapter, told from a
different point of view of the eight chosen teenagers, unveils more insightful information into their lives and the
effect the list has taken upon them. Vivian takes you
starting on Monday to the annual Homecoming Dance on
Saturday night, revealing each day‘s hardships and the ever-changing expectations of the arrival of the dance
through the perspective of the selected girls. The novel
will bring you front and center to the show that is known
to teenagers as high school; where the pressures of popularity and academic achievement seem to never come
hand in hand. Vivian keeps her readers on the edge of
their seat by interweaving eight very different girls‘ lives,
each struggling with well-kept, sometimes unhealthy, secrets. Learn these secrets first-hand through Vivian‘s funny, heartbreaking, and truthful tale and uncover the writer of this year‘s Mount Washington High School list.
Page 18
Divergent Movie-Book
Comparison
by Amanda Kern
A lot of us don't like when our favorite books get
turned into films. The screenwriters usually change
several scenes so that the movie no longer follows
the storyline of the book. With Divergent, that didn‘t
happen as much. Many of the changes that I noticed
while watching Divergent were minute, but after
reading a book and then watching the movie, I can‘t
help but point out all the changes, no matter how big
or small.
Throughout the movie, I would notice just about everything that was in the book and not the movie. To
start off, the movie never shows Beatrice in school
and how she watches the Dauntless jump off the train
every morning. Also, in the book when the Dauntless
initiates first jump off the train onto the building roof,
one initiate misses the building and plummets to her
death. This scene was not in the movie, all the...
See Divergent continued on p. 19
Arts & Entertainment
Book and Movie Reviews
Divergent ...continued from p. 18
initiates successfully jump off the train onto the rooftop.
After the initiates are at Dauntless, Tris (Beatrice‘s new
name at Dauntless) goes with her friends to get tattoos,
but in the movie Tris only gets one. In the book, she ends
up with three! The fourth difference that I noticed while
watching the movie was Peter, after being
ranked below Edward, takes a butter knife
and stabs him with it. Lastly, in the book
there is a Visiting Day where the families of
the transfer initiates can visit. On that day,
Tris' mom decides to visit her. In the movie
though, there is no Visiting Day and Tris‘
mom finds her when Tris is doing work.
While the differences might seem small or
insignificant, after reading the book they
stick out no matter what.
Although there were several differences in
the movie, which is to be expected, the
movie was very similar to the book. One
thing,for obvious reasons, was that there
were still the five factions: Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite, and Amity. Other
obvious similarities include the aptitude
testing, Beatrice and Caleb Priors‘ choices
during the Choosing Ceremony, the storyline of Beatrice's initiate training, the Erudite's plan to overthrow the government,
and the romance between Tris and Four.
With these, there were other, maybe smaller similarities. Even though she doesn't get
all three, Tris gets a tattoo of three flying
crows on her collarbone. Tris also still becomes friends with Christina and Will. The
directors also kept the scene where Tris
joins some Dauntless born initiates to go zip
line over the city. The bulk of the movie
stays true to the book, albeit the slight
chances from the book to the movie.
Half the joy of reading is getting to imagine
and create the characters. When reading
the Divergent novel, how I pictured some of the characters
were portrayed well in the movie, but others
weren‘t as I pictured them. Shailene Woodley
does a superb job playing Beatrice Prior. Woodley
captures the persona of Beatrice which is conveyed well on screen. I did not, however, like the
fact that in the book, Beatrice is a blonde and in
the movie, she is more of a light brunette. Though
Woodley is how I envisioned Beatrice, one of her friends, Christina, played by Zoë Kravitz, is not
how I pictured her. First off, in the
book, Beatrice is described as the
smallest in the group of transfer
initiates, but in the movie, Christina is shorter than Beatrice. Second, I pictured Christina with
medium length hair, not the short
hair that she has in the movie. Despite not being pleased with Christina‘s casting, Four‘s casting of
Theo James was excellent. Like
Woodley, James portrays the
character of Four well. He‘s able
to be serious, confident, kind, and
charming all at the right moments.
Although I may not agree with
some of the characters, looking as
a whole, the casting for the movie
was satisfactory.
Overall, the movie, Divergent, was
a success in that it stayed relatively true to the story. Though there
were minor details that were different from the book, the similarities and the storyline weighed
them out to produce an outstanding film. Young adults and teenagers, anyone interested in some
action with some romance, anyone who read The Hunger Games,
or anyone who has read the book
should check out the movie and/
or read the book.
Page 19
Yesterday and Today: Album Edition
Yesterday:
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon
by Audra Colliton
This year for this column, I am going to cover album
reviews because each album has their own personality
to them and they are simply wonderful. One might be
very happy, others are sad, inspirational, and fun. Dark
Side of the Moon is definitely an album you should listen to at least once in your lifetime (or more). So, just
for fun, here is some information, like songs, cover
artist, the band (members and contributors) and some
facts about the album itself. This album is very near
and dear to me. Just as a tip, before you start listening
to albums, always listen to the entire album in order,
because if you don‘t, you will miss important lyrics or
meaning to the music/album.
Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side of the Moon
was released in March 1973, and sold
15,000,000 copies. The sleeve art
was created by George Hardie and
designed by Thorgerson and Hipgnosis. This album was made with Roger
Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason
and Richard Wright. Waters played
the bass guitar and supplied vocals
along with synthesizer work and tape
effects he generated with the help of
Wright, Gilmour and Mason. Gilmour also provided vocals as well as
played the guitar. Mason provided
percussion for the album. Wright
played the keyboards as well as supplied vocals.
The first track, ―Speak To Me‖ was written by Nick
Mason. The song is very short and builds up as it continues. The song features ticking,a cash register, mad
laughing, speaking and a rapid fan noise. By itself, it really isn‘t much of a song, but when paired with
―Breathe‖, the next track written by Waters, Gilmour
and Wright, the song provides a tense kind of introduction and ―Breathe‖ starts with screaming. Then it
morphs into a relaxed, droning kind of song that I can‘t
really explain. It is very languid and relaxing. I find it
quite relaxing. My favorite lyrics are ―For long you live
and high you fly, And the smiles you‘ll give and the
tears you‘ll cry, And all you touch and all you see Is all
Page 20
your life will ever be‖. These lyrics are eerily soothing
and lovely.
―On the Run‖ follows ―Breathe‖ and picks up speed. It is
a lot of synthesizer, so there are announcements, this
constant beat, with an electronic sound to it, which
seems to echo. There are no lyrics to this song composed by Gilmour and Waters, but it really sounds cool.
Again, I have no words to fully explain it.
―Time‖ written by all four members of the band, follows
this synthesized section quite naturally. The whole album
flows amazingly. The various sounds of clocks at the beginning of the song ring out and tick, which gives me as a
listener, a very anxious feeling. The guitar works hand in
hand with the synthesizer and percussion, but it is all
very limited until the first lyrics are sung, which also
builds up anticipation
for the song. Then,
right as the first words
are sung, everything
played explodes into
more use, the guitar
becomes more played,
there is more percussion, bass and keyboards present. Waters sings, at first kind
of yells (sings it very
forced, not screaming)
and then after the first
verses, his voice becomes relaxed with background singers ―oohhing‖ and ―ahhing‖, and these differing singing
styles are repeated in the song. After the second verses
are sung, a guitar solo that I cannot describe plays. The
background singers softly sing in the background.
―Great Gig in the Sky‖ features more keyboard playing
and it is also along the lines of ―Speak To Me‖ and ―On
the Run‖. There are voice recordings, and very smooth,
relaxing guitar. The difference is the singer Clare Torry,
whose vocals fill the song, moaning and wailing along
with the music, and as her vocals fill the tune, the keyboards, guitars and percussion pick up and
See Floyd continued on p. 23
Arts & Entertainment
Yesterday and Today: Album Edition
Today: Ariana Grande’s My Everything
by Gabe Dingman
Ariana Grande's newest album My Everything dropped in June
2014. After the success of her first album Yours truly , released in 2013, there was much anticipation for this newest
addition to Grande's albums. The single for the album,
"Problem" was a great hit and featured rap star Iggy Azalea
which peaked at number two on the
top 100 chart. This song hit a wide
variety of audiences. Grande's fanbase
grew rapidly with this newest single, as
to be expected due to its catchy beat,
memorable lyrics, and Grande's always
stunning voice.
The highly anticipated next single
dropped in July 2014 and featured Russian and German musician Zedd. Although the tune was very successful it
failed to top it's predecessor recorded
by Ariana and Azalea. However, it did
manage to reach number four on the
top 100 chart, which is nothing to stick
your nose up to. Finally in late June,
the 28th to be specific, the album was
released at last.
As to be expected the album did extremely well, reaching
number one in several countries including: Australia, Belgium, Norway, Taiwan, and the US. It also reached the top
20 in countless countries around the world. Grande represents a new wave of pop and R&B music becoming more and
more popular in the early 2010's. Her obvious vocal ability
paired with songs that can relate to anyone are showing that
Grande is a force to be reckoned with, and has a bright future in the music business. Props must also be given to the
popstar for her ability to break away from Nickelodeon and
stigmas that associated with being a child television actor.
Although not edgy, Grande has shown that she is no longer
the idiotic redhead many of us have come to know and love
also known as Cat.The next single expected to drop from
the album is titled "Love Me Harder" and is expected to
come out September 30. Despite having not yet heard this
new song, many are anticipating it to be a chart topper. -All
in all the album itself is truly a piece of art that should be
marveled at: Grande‘s ability to relate to her
listeners through music is truly astounding.
The sky's the limit for this young talented vocalist, what comes next for her career is still a
mystery but it is imaginable that whatever
Grande has in store will sure
to be even better in every
way to this seemingly perfect
album. If you have not yet
purchased Grande's album it
seems you are behind with
the latest and greatest
trends, but never fear Ariana
seems to have a promising
career so you have time to
jump on her bandwagon.
The Tracklist for My Everything
―Intro‖
―Problem‖- (feat. Iggy Azalea)
―Why Try‖
―Break Free‖ - (feat. Zedd)
―Best Mistake‖ - (feat. Big Sean)
―Be My Baby‖ - (feat. Cashmere Cat)
―Break Your Heart Right Back‖ - (feat. Childish
Gambino)
―Love Me Harder‖ - (Ariana Grande & The
Weekend)
―A Little Bit Of Your Heart‖
―Hands On Me‖ - (feat. A$AP Ferg)
―My Everything‖
Page 21
Arts & Entertainment
Yesterday and Today Music
Floyd continued from p. 22
adjust to her singing style. There are slower parts,
where the keyboards play a bigger role, but Torry picks
up the singing as do the musicians. It fits the album perfectly, and I personally love it, although there are no real
lyrics to the song.
―Money‖ is a song written by Waters. The song starts out with the
jangling of coins and the sound of a
cash register repetition along with a
solid bass paired with guitar. Waters
sings this song somewhat sourly as
he sings lyrics such as ―I‘m alright
Jack keep your hands out of my
stack.‖ The saxophone played by
Dick Parry provides a different feeling to the song and after it comes a
bass and guitar part that cannot quit
(it is excellent). The percussion
keeps the beat of the song as a whole
for the times where the guitar playing
and bass playing become less and less restrained. Near
the end of the song, more voice recordings fill it until it
becomes unusually relaxed. Probably my second or third
favorite track on the album. Its groovy and completely
relatable.
―Money‖ soon fades into a mellow ―Us and Them‖ written by Waters and Wright. keyboard and synthesizer
playing leads up to and pairs with a mellow, relaxing guitar and bass, making it whole, minus the lyrics as far.
Saxophone soon joins playing just as softly, making it
sound beautiful. The lyrics echo and are sung softly,
completing the lineup. It builds up, creating a fuller
sounding song with backup singers and when ―Forward
he cried‖ is sung, the song takes a completely different
tempo, only momentarily and returns to how it started
out with the lyrics. The song builds up again when
―haven‘t you heard its a battle of words‖ is sung and returns to the mellow tempo after only three other verses
and is followed with another recording and saxophone.
It gets really crazy with saxophone and backup singers,
but as always, it relaxes. I believe it is the most beautiful
song on the album
Page 22
―Any Colour You Like‖ comes after ―Us and Them‖
and is like a break between songs. More synthesizer
and guitar soloing. Mellow and just wonderful to listen
to. Percussion is also present on the track, but features the guitar the most. Bass is present, but acts as a
backup for guitar. It is not overwhelming like the
songs with lyrics can become.
―Brain Damage‖ is probably the
strangest song on the album. It was
written by Waters alone. Waters
sings softly, with a sad tone, and the
guitar seems to whine. The song
revvs up with backup singers, but
Waters‘ voice remains fairly relaxed.
There is mad laughing on this track
too, which I think adds to the song.
The song is rather melancholy, but it
is beautiful sounding.
―Eclipse‖ is the last song on the album and is also written by Waters. I
think it does a wonderful job wrapping the entire album up. The drums really get present in the track,
and it sums up everything covered by the album. It is
sung like a chant, with the percussion, guitar and bass
working together with the chanting. There are pauses
between the parts that are more dramatic with the
playing of the instruments in a constant beat.
Listen to the whole album and I‘ll see you on the dark
side of the moon.
Pilots continued from p. 23
They sing about how
they‘re feeling about all of
this and how they are dealing with it. They also sing about giving advice on how
to deal with it. For example, in their song title,
―Kitchen Sink,‖ Tyler‘s brother is featured in it. Tyler
sings about his advice he gives his brother with dealing with his demons. So, if you're going through a
hard time, listen to these guys; they‘ll help you.
Arts & Entertainment
Upcoming Music:
Twenty One Pilots
by Kelsey Pascetto
If you‘re curious about what music you‘re missing out
on that someone else has already discovered and if
you‘re tired of the same sound you‘ve been listening
to, maybe it‘s time for a change. Trying to discover
new music can be an easy thing, seeing how there‘s
new bands popping up all over the world. But it can
also be a hard thing, since you don‘t quite know
where to start. Everyone likes to
think that they‘re the first person
to discover a band before they
become famous and well known.
Sometimes this is the actual case,
sometimes it is not. Before we
get into that, we must ask ourselves, what makes a band dive
head first into the spotlight to
begin with?
Besides for their decent
sounding music, each band has
their own style of doing things,
which makes them draw in attention and skyrocket in publicity. Each different genre of
music has their own top-notch bands….the ones who
people adore and crave to hear and see even more.
Sometimes bands can fall into multiple music genres.
That‘s the beauty of music; it comes with its own set
of rules. It comes with its own unique beauty. Music
can say a lot about people; you are what you listen to.
Why is this true, you ask? Well, you‘re obviously listening to the music you listen to because you like
something about it. Whether it is the lyrics, the band
itself, the rhythm or the style. Each band relates to
each person in different ways. This is due to the fact
that music carries power, advice, art, stories, poetry,
etc. It truly is a remarkable thing. So why not just
simply share it? Connect each other with it? Inspire
and help others with it?
Everyone is always looking for the next band
that is different than any other ones that came before
it. Twenty One pilots might just be what you‘re look-
ing for. Their genres are Indie pop, alternative
rock, indietronica (also called Indie electronic), rap
rock, and experimental rock. Twenty One Pilots
consists of only two band members; Tyler Joseph
and Josh Dun, which is really all they need for this
band. Tyler Joseph is the singer, but he also plays
the piano, drums, ukulele, etc. While Josh Dun
plays the drums only. Everything else is just added
to their songs through computer software. In 2009,
Josh and Tyler came together in Columbus, Ohio
to create T.O.P. with the idea to change up the
music industry. What makes TOP different is the
fact that they‘re so in touched with
their fans, they make each concert
one to remember and very interactive, and their music is totally relatable.
TOP has a very interactive fan base
that is growing and growing by the
second. On 09/09/14 at Upstate
Concert, Clifton Park, New York; I
got to witness this personally
firsthand. The fans standing in the
front row of the concert all held
thank you signs for the band as they
played their final hit song ―Car Radio.‖ If you like poetry, I highly recommend listening to that song. You see, they‘re labeled with the
genre of rap, when really they‘re just simply reciting poetry with a beat behind it. That goes for all of
their songs….they‘re not rap artists, they‘re poets.
This is what separates them from other bands.
TOP also has trademarks and signature
moves. Tyler routinely does a back flip off the piano, jumps into the audience, comes out onto
stage in the beginning with a mask (along with Josh
too), plays the drums alongside with Josh, and they
both even go into the audience with drums and
plays over top of the people.
Twenty One Pilots sing songs about depression,
schizophrenia, split personality, anxiety, and other
mental illnesses as well.
See Pilots continued on p. 22
Page 23
Arts & Entertainment
If you could share a meal with a fictional character,
author, or filmmaker, who would this be? How has he
or she affected your life? What would you eat? What
would you discuss?
A Creative Essay by Hunter Sanchez
I would choose an author because I‘m a realist. A fictional
character may be inspiring, but how do you talk to them?
And how would you talk to the man who made that fictional character seem so real? Quite simply I couldn‘t, so I
chose an author. The greats came to mind first; George
Orwell, Ernest Hemingway and Fitzgerald, but they were forced authors. I wouldn‘t know who
they were if reading and summarizing their books wasn‘t for a grade. The author I settled on
was also the source of a graded assignment, but seeing that this assignment was given in sixth
grade, it wasn‘t something I stressed over.
Rick Riordan was this author, and to this day is the most inspiring writer I have ever read the
works of. When I say ‗works‘ I mean that in the most plural sense because it was maybe a
week from the time I was told The Lightning Thief had a sequel to the time it took to read
that series in its entirety. For the first time since I could read, I actually wanted to. I can vividly
remember having days off of school for Thanksgiving and spending every day reading the
books in that series. My mom told me that if she bought me those books I had better read
them, and I told her I would swallow them whole before I went back to school. By the time
Thanksgiving dinner was on the table (just under a week later), I had fully inhaled the series
and was in the midst of the depression most people now only feel over binge-watching a series on Netflix in a week and reaching the finale. I‘m not knocking Netflix by any means, but
my first experience with that feeling was the old fashioned way, through a story written and
read.
Rick Riordan completely changed how I felt about reading, so my next task is not one I‘m going to take lightly. That task is one that every man must accomplish, and that is picking a restaurant. Granted these circumstances are different; I‘m picking dinner for an author that
changed my life, whereas most guys are just trying to get through an awkward dinner date. My
go to place would be Verdiles in Troy. I could write an entire essay on just what that restaurant
means to my family, but the important thing is the pizza. Specifically the white pizza which I
had an irrational hatred for my entire life, until I was about 13 when I went there with my Memere. The ‗irrational‘ part of it all was the fact that I refused to try it, and I mean you couldn‘t
pay me to eat it, unless you were my Memere. All she said was try it, spit it out if you have to,
but try it. And I did. Not only did I try it...
See Essay continued on p. 27
Page 24
Arts & Entertainment
Creative Writing Corner
Summer,
Happy to be out of school
Is when the pretty flowers come out
The time to relax by the pool and eat chocolate ice
cream
-Katya Wilson
Starlight,
The lights that shines bright at night
Is the moon's best friend
The beauty after the sun falls and when the darkness
fills the sky.
For this section of The
Pawprint, student work
will be showcased.
Please submit your short
stories, poetry and
artwork to Miss Flood or
a member of our Editorial
Staff.
-Katya Wilson
Artwork by Michela Rossetti
Page 25
Arts & Entertainment
Teacher Trivia
By Kerry Golden
Who…
Was it…
1. Has gone skydiving and raises bees?
2. Started hiking the 46ers (high peaks of
the Adirondack Mountains)?
3. Performed the Heimlich on someone
in a restaurant?
4. Ate 4 subs in one hour?
5. Ran the Disney World half marathon?
6. Has been to about 25 countries?
7. Went hang gliding a mile high and lived
in the Outer Banks?
8. Was once a belly dancer?
9. Shared a half gallon of Stewart‘s ice
A. Mrs. Austin
B. Mr. P. Austin
C. Mr. Frese
D. Miss Golden
E. Mrs. Strock
F. Mrs. Wollner
G. Mrs. Colwell
H. Mr. Ryan
I. Mrs. Balogh
J. Señor Segarra
K. Mrs. Gregoire
cream (cut by a butcher knife) with his
brother?
10. Enjoys kayaking?
11. Jumped off of a 100 foot cliff?
1. Balogh 2. Golden 3.Segarra 4. Frese 5. Mrs. Austin 6. Wollner 7. Colwell 8. Strock
9. Mr. Austin 10. Gregoire 11. Ryan
Page 26
Arts & Entertainment
Essay continued from p. 24
I devoured that piece of white pizza, then about 7 more slices.Verdile‘s white pizza was very
much like reading; I thought I hated it ‗till someone proved me wrong-extremely and deliciously wrong. Before Riordan and I were even seated, three white pizzas would be sitting on
the table reserved for Riordan and myself. I don‘t think I would tell him the story of why the
pizza was being forced on him, but the symbolism of it would still be there for me.
Now onto the conversation, and allow me to set the scene. At this point, the three white
pizzas that once sat in their infinite, juicy and cheesy glory have been eliminated as though
they hit on my sister in front of me. Rick Riordan and I have of course bonded over this
male domination pizza destruction and naturally we have chased these pizzas with
milkshakes (though sadly, I‘m relatively sure Verdiles does not serve them).
We suffered through the small talk that comes with any dinner, the food was delicious,
milkshakes-out of this world etc.. It‘s time to bring up the books, and I plan to in the only
way I know how; quickly, between breaths, as I start to ramble about how much I loved the
characters he created. That is not enough though, because after all, it wasn‘t his characters I
chose this meal with, it was him, and in that fashion I would have to ask him about how he
became a writer. How did he know it was right for him? Did someone inspire him, or did
someone drive him? One of my English teachers told me they fell in love with literature
by failing assignments. It wasn‘t straight A‘s that put them on their career path, it was struggling, learning and failing that got them where they are and made them love what they have
gone on to teach me. I would ask him everything my nervous brain could think of about
writing, reading and his methods. I wouldn‘t include how most of my writing takes place
around 3 a.m. in a red bull/sleep deprived haze, but I imagine some of his writing for deadlines happened in similar circumstances. Maybe this topic would come up and we‘d bond
over it. Lastly, I would tell him what his first book changed for me-- reading. Reading changed
from a chore to something I enjoyed, at least when it was his writing.
I can‘t imagine the end of this meal. From who I want
to meet to what I want to eat I can describe in great
detail, but I can‘t write this ending. Maybe that would
be my last question for him, how do you write an ending? Specifically this ending? Do you ignore the finality
of it or leave a door open? I wouldn‘t know unless I
talked to him, so for now I will take a page from the
Sopranos notebook and ———————————->
Page 27
Opinion
Have something to say? Put it in print!
Share your opinion pieces with The Pawprint.
Nothing Good Comes from a
Bucket, Water, and a Little Ice
by Alysa Kelly
Did the online phenomena, the ALS Ice Bucket challenge,
really help spread awareness of the disease? Considering
many had no idea what ALS truly was and what it stood
for, I don‘t think the challenge made that much of a difference.
First of all, the majority of the challengers dumped the ice
cold water on their head, rather than take the fifty or one
hundred dollars out of their pocket. If they were truly
helping the cause, wouldn't they be willing to donate
some money of their own? Critics say that just by doing
the challenge, more awareness grew and not every participant needed to donate to help the cause. However, it‘s
hard to tell if those who didn‘t donate really cared about
helping the cause or just did it for attention and awareness of their ―good deeds‖. Of course, some did donate,
but that still doesn‘t mean much if they didn‘t know what
they were paying for.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, stands
for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which I‘m sure majority of the challengers didn‘t know. So what was the point
of dumping the bucket of water on your head if you didn‘t
know what it was for? It‘s not like you were going to pay
the ―fine‖ if you didn‘t end up doing it. I know for a fact
that the pets that got nominated and failed to accept
weren‘t expected to pay their dues; I mean how could
they? Plus, the money that was being
Page 28
collected for ALS took away from the money being donated to other charities that are much more effective in
making a positive impact on people‘s well-being. In all
honesty, the challenge just got to the point where I refused to watch the videos and had to scroll through my
Instagram feed until a different post finally appeared.
I‘m not saying that I don‘t care about the cause, but I
think this challenge could‘ve gone for another approach.
Maybe in addition to dumping the water, people could‘ve
also shared a fact about ALS to spread knowledge of what
it really is. Then, and only then, do I think I would‘ve been
a fan of the challenge. In my opinion, the ALS Ice Bucket
challenge really shouldn‘t have been praised as such an
effective measure to help raise awareness for ALS and
shouldn‘t have gone on for as long as it did. So if you‘re
planning on getting involved in another challenge like this,
I suggest you spend a little more time doing your research rather than figuring out which bathing suit you
look the cutest or coolest in.
Opinion
Least Trusted...
Senioritis
by Hunter Sanchez
by David Maurer III
Here's an interesting question, what group of people is
the least trusted in this country? With group being anything from
a religious group or racial/ethnic group, which is trusted the least?
One might think a racial group due to some sort of prejudice or
another. The answer to this
question may surprise some.
Atheists.
Atheists are the
least trusted group in America. This is based on a Pew
Research study on the
American population.
What is an Atheist?
An atheist is someone who
doesn't believe in a higher
power (God or Gods). This mistrust might makes sense since
about 84% of the country are theists, 74% of whom are Christian.
But there is more to this than divinity or lack thereof.
It's because of a thing called ignorance, or to lack or outright refuse to accept knowledge. Most people today are accepting of others who are different, but there are some, however,
who still hold prejudices held on by those of the past and passed
down to their offspring. This is why there is still racial stereotypes, KKK members, and general racism. This is why ignorance
still exists today.
Many people think that the U.S. Constitution was founded on Christian principles and is based off the Ten Commandments. This is not the case, in fact, many of the founding fathers
rejected Christian philosophy. Even George Washington, our first
president, rejected Christian philosophy.
I'm not saying that the founding fathers were atheists,
they were anything but. The problem lies in the fact that many
people, including many politicians (talking to you Sarah Palin) believe this lie. Then by spreading this lie, lead people to think that
being an Atheist is Un-American. And that is not the case at all.
How do I know this, though? Who am I to judge the beliefs of
others?
It's because I am a part of that group.
It's because I am an Atheist.
I didn't become an Atheist because I am a rebellious teenager, I did it for personal reasons. This doesn't make me a terrorist, rebel, or any sort of threat to society. I actually love this
country. Yes I have problems with it, but I still love it. And if
that's wrong, than call me a terrorist, but that doesn't change
who I am.
The 2014/2015 year has started, and with it, a
new class of students are experiencing the
woes of senioritis. Senioritis: noun. Deriving
from the English words ―Senior‖, ―Careless‖,
and the phrase ―So done‖. The exact definition
has been highly debated, but as someone experiencing it, I plan on using Google to help me.
Merriam-Webster defines senioritis as ―an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors
as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower
grades.‖ Maple Hill seniors seem to be lacking
the excitement that is so easily visible with today‘s freshman. Incoming freshman Kassidy
Berger is the epitome of this excitement as
seen when interviewed about the high school
experience saying, ―A lot more work, but at
the same time there are more rewards and
freedom ‗I‘m a big kid now‘‖. In contrast, during a recent interview, star senior, Anthony
Belardo, had this to say about his final year in
high school, ―Look at my face right now...Do I
look like I‘m excited for any of my classes?‖ Each year, senioritis manages to take
hold in the graduating class. However, this
year, senioritis has been apparent even before
a month of school is completed. In another
senior interview, Max Jenkins had this to say,
―Is this the same question you asked everyone
else? ‗Yes‘ Ok. Look at Anthony‘s face right
now, does it look like I‘m excited for any of my
classes?‖ His senioritis game is so strong that
he cannot manage his own facial expressions,
falling back on those of Anthony to convey his
feelings. If
you‘re a
senior, it‘s
too late,
you are infected. For
all those
coming
through the
grades now,
this is your
future.
Page 29
Why do we have some sports, but not others?
by Skylar VanAlstyne
Sports are a huge part of Maple Hill, probably one of the
center points of the school. But why are there some
sports, and not others? There was no one better to ask
than the ones who are at the heart of the sports teams:
the students! Four random students were selected to answer different questions. It resulted in some questions having split decisions while others having an
overwhelming decision.
Why don‘t we have football? All answered
with the same reason: we are too small of a
school to support a team and there would
be too many injuries.
Should we have football as a sport? This
was a mixed answer, half saying no because
we are too small of a school to support it
and the other half saying yes because it
gives homecoming meaning and other
schools in our area, such as Chatham, have it.
Why don‘t we have boy‘s volleyball anymore? Some answered with basketball wanted more gyms time, there
weren‘t enough players, there was a survey that got it cancelled or they just had no idea.
Do you think it‘s fair to not have boy‘s volleyball? Overwhelmingly answered as NO! Everyone agreed that boys
volleyball should still be a sport.
Should cheerleading be a sport instead of a club? Most said
yes because its physically active and it should be another option for the girls who want to do it. The only
reason a no was thrown in was because it was seen as
more of a club rather than a sport.
Are there not enough winter sports? All answered
with a yes. There seems to be a desire for more winter sports so a variety of people can stay fit and participate during the winter.
Should bowling be a sport at the high
school? Surprisingly, all answered with a
no. The reason behind it was all thought
that boy‘s volleyball shouldn‘t have been
replaced by bowling and that it isn‘t
enough activity like boys‘ volleyball was.
Should we have indoor track? Again, another mixed result. Half said no because
we wouldn‘t have enough people and
outdoor track is good enough, but the
other half said yes because it gives more people a
sport to play in the winter.
A lot of concerns have been drawn about equal sports
opportunities and this backed up majority of the answers given. We all know majority of the sports are
boy‘s and girls, however, the school only has girl‘s volleyball, but no boy‘s. This leaves one more girl‘s sport
than boy's. Maybe with a new athletic director, more
of the students will be heard and there will be some
changes with what sports we have at the high school.
Back to School Dance Photos
Page 30
36
Page
Sports
Fall Sports Interviews
by Kerry Golden and Lauryn Krupa
Fall is most athletes favorite season of the year!
There are a variety of sports and activities going on to keep everyone occupied. Recently,
we sat down with some of the athletes of the
schools soccer, tennis, volleyball and cross
country teams to see their perspective of their
upcoming fall sport seasons.
How Is your season going?
What are your
goals for the team?
What has been the
most important
Boys Soccer:
Tommy MIller
1.Its been going
good so far! I have
only given up two
goals and we are 40.
2. We want to win
the league. Try to
go undefeated so that we can just be the top
and get a good seed.
3. Pretty much you have to work well as a team
in order to perform well so the better teamwork you have the better you play!
Girls Tennis: Shelby Gipp
1. Pretty good! I am doing better than I
expected to do!
2. For the team is to make it pretty far in
sectionals.
3. I have learned that the more work you
put in the better you become, so practice
makes perfect.
Girls Volleyball: Davina Wright
1. We are doing good. We haven‘t lost anything yet. We go to Greenville today which is
our hardest competition and I am worried but
at the same time confident and I hope that we
continue to stay undefeated and get our year
up on the champions banner.
2. I hope that we focus, talk to each other,
dont get nervous, dont give up when we get
into games and we are
losing just basically not
giving up.
3. You have to learn
to work with other
people. Everyone has
different personalities,
everyone learns differently so I have learned
to deal with different
people in different situations with different
personalities.
Girls Soccer:
Sabrina Sepowski
1. So far we are doing
well. We haven‘t lost a game yet, jinx knock on
wood, but we still have to play three other
teams whom we have heard are going to be
good competition. I‘m nervous but I love our
team and how close we are and our passion on
and off the field so I am confident that we will
do well.
2. To help my team by doing all I can to go the
furthest possible and achieve greatness.
3. That when you are on a team that is as close
as we are you really realize the importance of
teamwork and how you can‘t be successful individually in soccer. It is truly a team effort.
See Interviews continued on p. 32
Page 37
31
Page
Sports
Interviews continued from p. 31
Boys Cross Country: Gabe Dingman
We‘re doing pretty well, not as good as year‘s in the past but we‘re in a building year.
To come back and win Patroons and go to sectionals and do well.
How to not die while running because I used to die while running.
Girls Cross Country: Hannah Gonzales
It‘s pretty good.
To win the Patroon Conference or place and get sectionals patches.
Just to work hard.
Thank You and Good Luck with your Fall Sports Season!
We apologize to our readers...
Due to Copyright laws, the article that was supposed to be here could not be printed.
Page 32
Sports
Girls Volleyball Update
by Dominic Sinacore
Girls volleyball, do you like it? Love it? Or even hate it? Either way, you
should go see the girls volleyball team for multiple reasons. The first reason
would be that you can support your fellow classmates while they entertain.
The next reason would be to socialize with your friends. There are quite a
few of our fellow students who go to the game so it‘s almost like a big hang
out. Last but definitely not last would be the great invention of Otto Bayer
(if you don‘t know who he is– Google it). So far, this season the team only
has one recorded loss, which was to Greenville. That may have been due
to the veteran Coach Bacon with his 14 seasons of volleyball experience,
but it definitely helps that we have such an athletic girls‘ volleyball team.
The team seems to be on track to have an outstanding record this season.
As many of us know, Coach Bacon can be a pretty funny guy as well as a little rusty in the memory aspect,
which leads him to call the players ―Jimmy‖ when he forgets their name. The girls play on Friday of fall
sports weekend so make sure you come out and support your fellow classmates while watching a great
game. Good luck ladies!
Cross Country Update
by Amanda Kern
As the school year started, so did the sports seasons. One of the teams that was at it for two weeks before the
start of school was cross country. After the weeks of practice, the cross country teams came out on September 4
to win their first meet over Catskill. That Saturday, September 6, the cross country teams headed to the Guilderland Invitational. The Girls‘ and Boys‘ teams placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Both teams have had several
meets along with some invitationals since the start of their season and have plenty left.
When asked what they look forward to during the season, Garrett Renslow and Nick Bullinger both responded
with pasta dinners. Additionally, Bullinger looks forward to the long bus rides, doughnuts, and team bonding. Bullinger‘s goal for this year is to beat Bernie Daoust or to at least come in the top three.
Besides doing fun team activities like pasta dinners, there are some other reasons why our teammates compete.
After a long day of school, running relieves a lot of stress for some runners. Junior Hannah Gonzales said that she
runs cross country to get in shape and loves how the team is like a family. There are a ton of other reasons to
run, but overall running cross country is a lot of fun!
The team is doing well so far. According to some of the runners, Taconic Hills and Greenville seem to be competitors as they have some great runners. The cross country teams run hard and do their best against each competitor.
Meets and Invitationals to Watch Out For:
October 7- Home meet versus Hudson
The season seems to have just
started, but it isn‘t over yet. There October 11- Burnt Hills Invitational at the Saratoga State Park
October 17- Greenwich Invitational at the Saratoga State Park
is still plenty of races left with
October 21- Patroon Conference Championship at the Schodack
plenty of time for improvement.
Island State Park
Good Luck Wildcats!
Page 33
Sports
Action Shots Taken by New Athletic Director, Mr. Austin
Meet the new Athletic Director
by Grace Goodall
Mr. Austin is the newest of the three ‗Austins‘ that work at the High
School! This year is Mr. Austin‘s ninth year in the District and he‘s now
taking on the title as Athletic Director. The first eight years of his career, he spent at Maple Hill Middle School coaching and worked as a PE
Teacher. When asked about his favorite part of the new job, Mr. Austin
replied,―Probably my most favorite part is that I get to see everybody. All
of the teams, and all of the athletes, opposed to when I was coaching,
only seeing the athletes on my team.‖
Mr. Austin grew up going to Maple Hill and graduated in 2002. After
See Athletic Director, continued on p. 35
Page 34
Sports
A Year of Firsts for the Lady Wildcats of Tennis
I also sat down with the head coach of the lady wildcats,
Mr.Ashby, and I also asked him a few questions about his
first year coaching. Here are his responses:
Recently, I took the time and sat down with Junior,
Stefanie Wood and asked her a few questions about her What do you think of your first year as the coach?
Its been a good year so far, the girls are easy to work with
first year playing tennis:
and they makes things fun and interesting.
What do you think about this year so far?
What are your goals for this year?
―It‘s going good so far I enjoy playing and I think as a
―Some goals we have are compete for the patroon conferteam we‘re doing pretty good.‖
ence title, the section 2 title and to improve our record
from last year.‖
Are you enjoying the season so far? If yes why?
―Yes I‘m enjoying it because of my teammates they‘re
Was there any funny points of your season so far?
awesome to be around and to practice with.‖
―Yes, when Alex Stuto forgot one of her socks and she had
to play with one sock. Another funny part was when Alex
Are you a single player or do you play doubles?
If you play doubles who is your partner? Do you Stuto had a nice ‗fan club‘ from Chatham.‖
enjoy your partner?
―I play doubles and my partner is Kenzie Seymour but
yes, I love my doubles partner, she‘s the best!‖
by Cody Seeberger
I asked Stefanie if she would play again next year and
she replied with ―yes I will be playing again next year
because I love my teammates along with my coach.‖
Stay tuned for an update of the Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer Teams in the October issue!
Athletic Director continued from p. 34
he graduated, he then went to SUNY Cortland, and graduated from there in 2006. He continued at Russell Sage for a
Master‘s Degree in Community Health Education.
When he was younger, he enjoyed school sports. Basketball and baseball were his favorites. Ever since he found out
that he could go to college to be a Physical Education teacher, he knew what he was going to do in his future. In
school, Mr. Austin‘s favorite subject other than PE was Social Studies. He enjoyed learning about history and United
States history as well.
When Mr. Austin is not in his office, he tries to stay as active as possible. He enjoys spending time with his family and
he plays in a softball and flag football league with his friends. He also watches Notre Dame football anytime it‘s on as
well as the New York Rangers hockey team. Mr. Austin also gets involved with community service every chance he
gets. In the past, he has volunteered at a roast beef dinner with his basketball team to raise money for the Peter‘s
Dairy farm that lost almost everything in a tragic fire. In addition, his softball team participated in the ALS awareness
walk last year and earlier this year, Mr. Austin himself did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. So next time you see Mr.
Austin, the new Athletic Director, roaming the halls introduce yourself and get to know him.
Page 35
Who’s Who: Meet The Pawprint Editorial Staff
Alysa Kelly, A&E Section Editor:
1. I‘ve written for the school‘s newspaper since I
was a freshman and thought it would be nice to
step it up a notch and help out even more by becoming an editor of my section of choice. I was
really interested in the Arts and Entertainment
section because this section of the paper has always been one of my favorites and I knew I
would enjoy editing articles that mean something
to me.
2. I‘m most looking forward to getting the students in our school the chance to show off their
own talent that may normally go under the radar.
I‘d love to get more artwork as the year progresses, student‘s poetry, and really anything that
is unique to my fellows peers that can be put in
the newspaper.
3. Happiness is the most important part of my
life. I do what I love and don‘t stop being myself
in the process. I really enjoy playing sports, especially volleyball, and being with my friends and
family whenever I have the chance. I have a sick
obsession with buying clothes, but what can I say,
a girl has got to look nice. I also love to bake cupcakes in my spare time, especially ones with Oreos! My animals are an important part of my life, as
well, and have influenced me to live a cruelty-free
life as much as possible. I‘ve always had a passion
for traveling the world and hope that one day I‘ll
get to see the wonders of Europe, Australia, and
anywhere else my life takes me. As many of my
friends know, I‘m absolutely in love with Ansel
Elgort, hence my book/movie comparison on The
Fault In Our Stars. I also enjoy listening to music
and can‘t even begin to tell you how much I love
the song ―Demons‖ by Imagine Dragons. My interests are pretty much all over the place, but
there‘s no other way I‘d rather be.
4. If I had the chance to be a wild animal I‘d
probably be a cheetah because they are such
beautiful creatures and have the freedom to run
wherever they want to go. It has to be so exhilarating to be able to move that fast, plus their fur
pattern is just gorgeous!
Page 36
Skylar VanAlstyne, News Section Editor:
1. I have always enjoyed writing and I am a very curious person. If I have a question, I need to know the
answer! So joining the newspaper seemed like a good
idea. I had a lot of interest in being a part of the
News section and the Sports section because I love
to keep up with the world‘s news and I also love
sports. I‘m glad I can write for both, but also be an
editor of the News section.
2. I know there are a lot of questions that my friends
and I have always wondered about the school and
now, being a part of the newspaper staff, I can get to
the bottom of these questions. I am also looking forward to spreading the word about news that really
could affect the student body.
3. I have a few hobbies. I love playing sports and
that‘s most of my life. I play volleyball, for the school
and on a travel team during the winter and spring. I
also love throwing shot put and discus in track, and in
addition, I throw javelin for fun because it isn‘t allowed as a sport in New York State. Another huge
part of my life includes animals. I have a cute, 5
month old Australian Shepherd puppy at home,
named Aurora, and she takes up majority of my life. I
also have 3 cats, some fish, and there will soon be
some more additions. I also enjoy going to the Humane Society and spending time with the animals.
Lastly, I really enjoy spending lots of time with all my
friends and family because they are my biggest supporters and I love them all.
4. If I were a wild animal, I would most likely be either a fox or a coyote. I love both animals and both
are so beautiful. Foxes are very clever and sly, so easily outsmarting their prey. They are also mischievous
and mysterious, which really interests me because I
love to keep everyone guessing. Lastly, foxes are
beautiful, they have pretty, fluffy tails, their fur coat is
a canvas of reds, browns and whites—plus they have
those big, brown eyes. I would also want to be a coyote because I have always been in love with coyotes.
They are also so smart and skillful at hunting and they
are also the reason why we have domesticated dogs
now. They are family based and have deep bonds for
each other. Lastly, they have such pretty coloring,
blue or brown eyes and they are so interesting with
how they howl at the moon.
Who’s Who: Meet The Pawprint Editorial Staff
1. What made you interested in joining the Editorial Staff? What drew you to this specific section/role?
2. What are you most looking forward to with The Pawprint this year?
3. What would you like The Pawprint readers to know about you?
4. If you were a wild animal, what would you be and why?
Kerry Golden, Sports Section Editor:
David Maurer, Opinion Section Editor:
1. Like Audra, I have been writing for the paper since I was a
freshman and I decided that I wanted to do more than just
write articles. I want to help the newspaper become more
interesting and fun to read. I am the sports section editor
because I am a three sport athlete and I enjoy a variety of
sports which in turn, drew my interest to this section.
1. I have opinions, like everyone else. I, unlike most people
want to voice my opinion. The Pawprint was and is a way
that I can voice my opinion about various topics. Since I was
so into the opinion section, I was approached by Miss
Flood, who proceeded to ask if I wanted to be the opinion
section editor. I thought about it for a few seconds and
decided to take her up on the offer.
2. I am most looking forward to seeing the variety of articles
published by the Maple Hill students. I am also looking forward to working with the editorial staff this year because I
know each one of them are hard working, dedicated students.
2. My plan with The Pawprint is to voice share my concerns
about the world in hopes that others will see the issues that
I, and many others, see with society and the world in general.
3. Like I said, I love sports! I play soccer in the fall for the
school, I run on the track and field team in the spring and I
play travel soccer all year round for the Bethlehem Soccer
Club! In my free time, I like to spend time with my friends
and Greg and watch movies. I am extremely busy so when I
get time off, I just like to lay around and relax. Something
that you probably did not know about me is that I have a
brother in the United States Marine Corps. Most people
know my Mom and Dad, but never realize that I have a half
brother too! He is stationed in California right now and I
only get to see him every six months and he is practically my
hero and one of my best friends.
4. If I were a wild animal, I would without a doubt be a koala! Koala‘s are so calm and they sleep for about 23 of the 24
hours of the day! I am so busy and tired all the time that I
wish I could just sleep all day long like a koala! In addition,
they live among eucalyptus trees, which would keep my sinuses clear all year ‗round! Plus if I were a koala, I would
want to live in the San Diego Zoo because they all seem so
happy there!
Peter Aitken, FYI Section Editor:
3. I like video games, specifically Minecraft and classic games.
I don‘t watch TV; I spend most of my time online doing
whatever the Internet has to offer (which is everything). I‘m
the kind of person who is very anti-social in mixed company, but if I get to know you, I am a very friendly person. I
also like trains (kind of a guilty pleasure of sorts). And finally
my favorite movies include, but are not limited to: all Star
Wars movies, most Star Trek movies, The Fugitive (the Harrison Ford movie), The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies, and
basically any sci-fi-fantasy that isn‘t low budget.
4. I would be either a Mantis Shrimp of a Barn Owl. We as
Humans have 3 color receptive cones: red, blue and green.
Mantis Shrimp have 16 cones. This means that they can see
many more colors than humans. They are also one of the
sea‘s deadliest predators. On the other hand, I love and the
Barn Owl is one of my favorites. Owls are considered wise,
which is something I aspire to be. Owls can fly without any
external power. Owls are considered enigmatic, a word
that can describe me very well. They also can see at night
and turn their heads almost 360 degrees, making them effective nocturnal hunters. Both animals are amazing predators. I love both so much I couldn‘t choose between the
two.
interest me, and hopefully my articles will interest the
readers.
1. Over the past few years, I have acquired an interest in writing articles about current events. The FYI section is the most 3. I enjoy running, boating and spending time up at the
important section of the paper in my opinion, and that‘s why I family lake house (in Vermont). Furthermore, I enjoy
spending time with my friends.
became editor of that section.
2. I look forward to reading a lot of articles about upcoming
and past events that are going on in our community and
world. I also look forward to writing articles about things that
4. I would be a sloth because I‘d like to know how it
feels to lay around for a day or two and do nothing.
Page 37
Who’s Who: Meet The Pawprint Editorial Staff
1. What made you interested in joining the Editorial Staff? What drew you to this specific
section/role?
2. What are you most looking forward to with The Pawprint this year?
3. What would you like The Pawprint readers to know about you?
4. If you were a wild animal, what would you be and why?
Audra Colliton, Co-Editor-in-Chief: Kassidy Berger, Co-Editor-in-Chief:
1. I joined because I‘ve been in the club since freshman year and hope to help format the newspaper.
2. Honestly, every year is different! I always like writing about music, but I am also excited for articles
about Prom and other school events.
3. I am who I am. I
own a ton of albums,
tapes, etc because I
love music. Especially
from 60s, 70s, 80s,
and 90s. But you
probably already
knew that because of
my shirts and articles
in the newspaper. I
am a dedicated student. I am also cocaptain of Science
Olympiad, which is
super competitive,
full of great competitions worth seeing and participating in (like boomilever, the flyers, and mechanisms along with other
building competitions that are cool to watch and
build, if you‘re into that) and a ton of fun. If you‘re
not into building things, there are other competitions,
like Rocks and Minerals, where you have to identify
the rocks and minerals. Lastly, I am not going to
change for anyone. Ever.
4. A wild animal? I guess I would be some type of
bird. There is so much freedom in flying that we cannot have as humans. It must be so liberating.
1. I was introduced to the Newspaper Club by
Ms. Flood. I knew I was already interested, but I
didn‘t really know what the club was about. So
far it has been tons of fun.
2. I‘m looking forward to reading each publication, especially with
students‘ creative
work. I think it‘s really cool for someone to be proud of
their work and wanting to show it.
3. I like to read and
write (obviously). My
favorite books include Eleanor and
Park, Harry Potter series, The Fault in Our
Stars, The Perks of
Being A Wallflower,
and the Pretty Little
Liars series. I really
like acting onstage. I
was in Bye Bye Birdie last year as an eighth grader
and made a lot of new friends. I‘m on the cross
country team, which I do to make myself a better
runner. I like comedy movies the most, especially
ones with Melissa McCarthy. My favorite song is
―We‘ve Got Tonight‖ by Bob Seger. Two good
albums/EP‘s are TRXYE and Louder by Troye Sivan
and Lea Michele., respectively. One day I would
like to participate in the Peace Corps, going to
Africa for a year or so.
4. The wildest animal I know is my cat, but I‘d
rather be a zebra because, why not?
SEE PAGES 36 & 37 FOR MORE BIOS!