Senior Prom was last Friday (May 8th) at the Venezia in Boston. However, the festivities of prom began long before the busses arrived at the venue. Starting at 5:30, there was a red carpet event at the High School where everyone could walk in and get their pictures taken by none other than Mr. Ryerson. It was a perfect opportunity for people to see the seniors all dressed and ready to have a great time.  By the time the busses arrived at 6 pm, everyone was ready to leave their parents and siblings behind and embark on a night of fun as a senior class.

The first three busses quickly made it to the Venezia but the last bus broke down while leaving the high school and a replacement had to be dispatched at the last minute. When the last bus finally arrived at the venue, many of the occupants were greeted by uproarious applause as it meant that the dance could finally begin. Before I could even put my fork down after dinner was served, the DJs started to get people out onto the dance floor. Within about 10 minutes, the tables were deserted and everyone was getting it down on the dance floor. It might sound cliche, but the senior class really came together and everyone really got into dancing, my date and I certainly included.

An important part of every prom is the announcement of the prom court, which is decided by the chaperones in attendance. Guys included Patrick Turpin, Jon Crespi, and Devin Depauw. The girls were Dominque Notarangelo, Hannah Joy, and Olivia Deltufo. The prom king was Andrew Martin and the queen was Amy Leonard.

A special thanks should go out to the senior class officers: Mike Vigneaux (President), Molly Minnehan (Vice President), Nick Ricciarelli (Treasurer), and Andrew Nelson (Secretary) for spending most of the year planning the festivities. The event also would not have been possible without the class advisors Mr. Hegarty and Mr. Rodday as well.

Senior Prom is one of those many rites of passage that marks the end of high school and the beginning of life beyond the walls of HHS. It’s sort of bittersweet for me to realize that this will be my last school dance at HHS. On a positive note, everyone I talked to, whether they went with a traditional date or a group of friends, had an amazing time.

If you have any pictures that I can include in this gallery, please email them to me at draab15@hanoverstudents.org or Mrs. McHugh at smchugh@hanoverschools.org

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thanks to all the students, teachers and staff who supported News Club and the Lit Mag by entering our contest. It was a close race. The winner of the $20 gift card to Dunkin Donuts was Karen Bernier with 16 correct answers.

Talent shows get a bad rap. People always envision lame singing acts or bad comedy performances. I think those people should shut their pie holes because I’m about to drop factual bombs over Baghdad about how sick the HHS Talent Show was this year. Now sadly due to me loving naps far too much, I missed the first couple of acts 😦 So I’ll ask other people how those went.

When I arrived, Junior Sophia Ruggiano was just beginning her rendition of “Pawn Shop Blues” by Lana Del Ray. Soph, I knew you did the theater thing, but I thought this performance was fantastic, truthfully. Up next was Chloe Minnehan Singing “Chandelier” by Sia. She even had a chandelier present while singing, such dedication to the source material. Of course it was good and I actually listened this time because it wasn’t the radio version.

Then came Max Meallo and Andy Nelson on the tambo, Amy  Leonard on electric keyboard, Gina Carbone on piano, Eric Smith on Bass, Dante Nicotera being the jazziest sax man this side of the union line, and Molly Minnehan banging drums. This steam train of musical talent jammed out to “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel and boy, was it a doozy. From Gina’s fingers igniting from laying waste to the ivory keys, or all the girls in the audience crowding around Dante when he played that sax riff, it was a lot of fun to watch.

After that, von Trapp household chief Zack McArthur sang “Cry Me A River” and tears were shed from every man, woman and child in the seats. ‘Diablo Rojo’ Taylor Grady, with the guitar accompaniment of the better, handsomer, musically gifted Eric — Eric Smith ––  sang “Medicine” by Daughter. T,  gotta say girl, this was incredible. If anyone sees Taylor in the halls, corner her and force her to sing, it’s fine.

The ladies from Vox then sang “Watcha Say” by Soulja Boy or something. Who cares? It was cool because their voices went up and down and it sounded neat. There were lots of singing acts, which is to be expected since we at HHS rock so many faces off on a daily basis. But the other singing acts I saw were Lindsey Glover with “Dope” by Lady Gaga and Lauren Murray with “This Time”
from the show Glee. Ladies, excellent job, you’re going to Hollywood for the second round.

Ever see someone bang a metal drum? The answer’s yes, Mr. Schu. But ever see three people do it at the same time while being sick nasty at it? No? You missed out then. This is exactly what happened when Swaggy Min, Better Eric, and Joshua “can man” Khun made their triumphant return to the stage to once again make us feel alive. It’s been four years since these prophets first congregated to form the holy trinity of bang drumming . . .  it was well worth the wait.

Can’t forget about young misses absolutely scorching the dance floor with their intricate and forbidden dance moves. Erika Nelson, Molly McMahon, and Lauren Galotti formed the dance group and well . . .  words can’t describe this act, people. You witnessed the birth of an art form if you were there, if not I’m sorry.

Wrapping everything up we had Lindsey Glover and Skye Howard giving a sasstacular rendition of “Senorita by JT .” So sassy, girls, rwarr.

In summary, if someone calls  talent shows “lame,” suplex them through the nearsest wall and tell them about HHS’ incredible talent.

When members of the HHS Music Department boarded buses April 16 for Williamsburg, Va.,  they faced a 14.5 hour drive. But the time flew by in their excitement for what was to come in the next couple of days: competing in the WorldStrides Heritage Williamsburg Music Festival.

Friday morning, students in Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Concert Chorus, and Vox toured the Colonial Williamsburg area. Think of it as sort of like Plimouth Plantation but more than 100 years more modern and also in the South. It’s right in the heart of Williamsburg and most of it is open to the public. The area is a perfect juxtaposition of the late 1700s with the 2010s. Virginia’s decision to join the rebellion against Great Britain in the Revolutionary War is billed down there as the reason the War was successful. In a sense, the area pays homage to the way of life of that time period.

The choral groups performed Friday afternoon at the Kimball Theatre,  located in the heart of the Colonial Williamsburg area. You could tell the choruses really improved since the MICCA competition and they both had awesome performances in Williamsburg. Both groups (and the bands as well) performed the exact same set of songs they performed for the MICCA Competition.

After the choruses performed, it was back to the hotel in order for everyone to prepare for a night party cruise of the Norfolk, Va., harbor. Norfolk is the home base of the US Navy Atlantic Fleet. It ended up turning into a small dance on a sailboat. There was even a DJ playing music as we sailed around the harbor taking in the sights of the impressive navy fleet.

The bands performed Saturday morning at Heritage High School in Newport News, Va., (only about half an hour away from Williamsburg). Concert Band performed first thing in the morning and had the unique opportunity to warm up onstage. Jazz Ensemble performed next and, suffice to it say, it was a jaw-dropping awesome performance. It truly was a tour de force for a group well accustomed to excellence and it was real treat for the audience to experience.

Saturday afternoon was spent in Busch Gardens. Everyone was able to find something in the park to enjoy, whether it was the roller coaster or even just the nice weather and scenery of a park that has been consistently named America’s Most Beautiful. The awards ceremony for the festival occurred in the park that night. The 10 other schools that participated in that festival were there and the electrifying spirit in the hall was something that had to be experienced in order to be understood. Cheers were being constantly yelled and the level of spirit each school had was palpable in the air.

Hanover did very well in the awards ceremony. On the choral side, Vox and Concert Chorus came in Silver – 2nd place. On the band side, Concert Band also came in Silver – 2nd place and Jazz Ensemble came in Gold – 1st place. Additionally, Jazz Ensemble received the Overall Instrumental Award for having the highest score of any instrumental group (both concert and jazz bands) and also received the Adjudicator’s Award for being the highest scoring jazz band. Dante Nicotera received an individual maestro award, due in no small part to his amazing solo Baritone Sax and Clarinet in Jazz Ensemble’s Spain. He was one of six musicians in the festival who were recognized with this special honor.

The Hanover group also got the Spirit of Williamsburg Award, given to the school that best embodies the spirit of musicianship, cooperation, and positive interaction with festival staff and other students. To recieve this award on top of their musical achievements really ended the trip on a high note. Ask anyone who went on the trip, myself included, and they will all rave about the experience.

All of this being said, the Band and Choruses are hard at work preparing for their Spring Concerts. The Choral Spring Concert is Thursday May 14 and the Band Spring Concert is Thursday May 21. I encourage you all to come and hear the new repertoire both groups have for then!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.