All posts by The Hawk

Girls Hockey Achieving High Marks

January 30, 2015 The Hawk Leave a comment

The girls hockey team found great success in an unlikely spot recently, the HHS cafeteria. They quickly sold out of the colorful winter hats they were selling as a fund raiser at all three lunches (the hats are now back on the market after about a week’s hiatus). However, the team’s biggest triumphs so far this season have been on the ice.

Coming into this Saturday’s clash against Ursuline Academy, the Cohasset/Hanover co-op team has a nice record of 7 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie. In league play, the team is 6-2 with a dominating ratio of scoring 23 goals while only giving up 13. Offensively, Junior Sam Taylor and Sophomore Callie Hoadley have led the scoring charge. They each have 9 goals apiece. Hoadley leads the team with 18 points having chipped in 9 assists. Taylor is second with 14 points. On the Cohasset side, Senior Captain Valerie Farren has been putting up great numbers. She comes in with 6 goals and 6 assists for third on the team with 12 points. A trio of sophomores from Cohasset — Katie Talacci, Kaitlin McGovern, and Alex Martini — are the next three point leaders, each with 5 or 6 points.

In net, Cohasset Junior Shea Kearney has been one of the best goalies in the South Shore, singlehandedly keeping Cohasset/Hanover in some games. She has a save percentage of .954 (95.4%) and has saved 312 of 330 shots on the year. For perspective, the goalie for Winthrop/Lynn, which is 9-3 and one of the top 15 teams in the state, has faced considerably fewer 273 shots while playing in 11.6 of their 12 games. Kearney has played only 8.6 of C/H’s 12 games and has faced more attacks on the net. She has been steadily reinforced by Hanover bac up Emily Marciello The other HHS members listed on the varsity roster are Senior Forward Erin Smith, Sophomore Forward Kailey Murphy, Junior Defense Molly Cameron, Freshman Forward/Defense Sydney Davis, Freshman Defense Morgan Lundin, Freshman Forward Alyssa Wilcox, and Sophomore Defense Cassidy Bodie. Bodie and Cameron, as well as Jenna O’Brien of Cohasset, make up a big part of the team’s defense this year.

The team and the program have improved steadily from their inception just a few years ago. This year appears to be following that trend. Last year, Hanover bowed in the second round of the D2 south playoffs to a young and talented Milton team that could roll more lines than Hanover’s two. This year, while depth can still be an issue for C/H, the talented underclassmen have been providing key minutes. The team plays a more unorthodox schedule than a lot of Hanover teams. This year they have faced very talented teams such as Medway/Ashland, Archbishop Williams, and Notre Dame Academy as well as teams like Mansfield/Oliver Ames, Latin Academy (Boston), King Phillip, and Ursuline Academy. Despite being based out of the lackluster Zapustas Rink in Randolph, hardly a home rink, the team has found great success on the road as well as at home. The first two lines need to keep up their highly potent offense and the girls need to start finding offense from unexpected sources. If they can do that, and shore up the second-string back line, Cohasset/Hanover will not only be tourney bound, but true D2 South Contenders.

Entertainment

All the Light We Cannot See: A Book for The Book Thief Fans

January 27, 2015 The Hawk 1 Comment

Ever since I picked it up in the summer of my seventh grade year, The Book Thief has been my uncontested favorite book. I have since read it three or four times, each repetition resulting in a few more dog-eared pages and underlined phrases. For those of you who have never opened this excellent read (or even worse…just saw the movie), it follows a young girl named Liesel and her foster family who shelter a Jew in their basement during World War 2 through the narration of death himself. Morbid, I know.

So, I was thrilled to open All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr on Christmas morning. I had heard great things about this book and could not wait to start reading. All the Light We Cannot See is a novel about the Holocaust, but it doesn’t include a single concentration camp or starving prisoner, meaning that if you are worried about the graphic horrors usually found in books of this genre, fear not. This novel alternates between the stories (and viewpoints) of two children who are growing up in the 1940s at the height of the Second World War. The first is a girl named Marie-Laure, who lives with her father in Paris and went blind at a young age. Her father was the keeper of the keys at the Paris Museum of Natural History, so even without her sight Marie-Laure lived in a world of knowledge and discovery as she roamed the museum each day while her father went to work. When the Nazis take over Paris, however, Marie’s father knows that his blind child will not stand a chance, and they quickly escape to the seaside town of Saint Malo to live with her uncle Etienne, who suffers from severe PTSD, and his mother-like housekeeper, Madam Manec. Marie helps bring her Uncle back into the world, and must find her own place in resisting the war.

The flip side of the story is told by a young German boy named Werner Pfennig. Growing up in an orphanage with his younger sister Jutta to to care for, Werner never had many opportunities. Other children made fun of him for his bright white hair and oversized ears, but one day when Werner discovers an old transmitter radio locked in an old shed, his life changes completely. The boy quickly realizes he has a natural gift for mathematics and mechanics, and the radio is fixed in no time. Word gets around about the strange looking boy and his brilliant mind, and it is only a matter of time before the Nazi generals themselves are having Werner fix their broken equipment. One such general proves to be a guardian angel and paves the way for Werner’s admission at the Sculpfora, a German academy for soldiers and Nazi youth. In saving Werner from the future of mine working he otherwise would have been forced into, the general open his eyes to a new type of punishment. The boys at the academy are cruel, and the instructors have a heartless, “weed out the weak” policy that results in Werner’s best friend becoming permanently brain dead. He does learn from his physics professor however, and soon becomes a master of radio transmissions and trigonometry. As Werner grows and leaves the school behind, he becomes immersed in the war where it is up to his quick thinking to save lives or end them.

By the end of the book, Werner and Marie-Laure’s lives have come together in an amazing, complex way I would probably go crazy even trying to describe. I really enjoyed this book, the writing was so beautiful and unique, and I enjoyed the way the point of view switched off between the two characters. Similar to the Book Thief, the novel is told through the experiences of children, which puts this awful time in a whole new light. I would recommend this book for anyone who read the Book Thief and loved it as I did, or anyone who is interested in learning more about the civilian side of World War Two. Something tells me I will be reading this book again in the near future, because any read that can transport me to another place and time is an A+ in my book (pun fully intended).

Sports

DeflateGate: A Whole Lot of Hot Air

January 26, 2015 The Hawk 6 Comments

Instead of focusing on preparing for the Super Bowl matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots have spent the last week fighting off accusations of cheating. According to the NFL, 11 out of the 12 footballs used in the AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts were deflated by two pounds per square inch. In theory, deflating the balls would make them easier for quarterback Tom Brady to throw and his receivers to catch.

In two press conferences this past week, coach Bill Belichick has insisted he had “no explanation” for what happened before the game with the football. He said the team even conducted its own experiments to prove that weather or normal handling of the ball could account for their change in size. Brady said, “I would never break the rules.” I find it hard to believe what Brady is saying because he wouldn’t tell the press what was said behind closed doors to his teammates. But at the same time, this doesn’t make him guilty of cheating.

Personally, I don’t think the Patriots should be forced to pay large fines or be penalized more than a fourth round draft pick because it’s only ball pressure. It’s not the reason why the Pats beat the Colts. Some people have argued that Belichick deserves to be fired for this incident, especially with his history of SpyGate, where he was accused of illegally videotaping opponents’ practices. But it isn’t his job to make sure the balls are filled to regulation; this was out of his hands. The NFL continues to investigate and has not handed out a ruling yet.

Some people have complained that this incident will affect the winning legacy of Brady and Belichick, who have won three Super Bowls together. But, as they’ll show on the field next Sunday, this won’t put a dent in their legacies.

Entertainment

American Horror Story: Come one, come all! Watch the bodies fall!

January 26, 2015 The Hawk 1 Comment

*Warning: this review contains spoilers, you have been warned*

Once again, American Horror Story was able to bring all the creepiness and bloodshed that makes this show horrifyingly amazing. Be amazed by Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities, one of the last remaining freak shows located in Jupiter, Florida in 1950.

The cast performances were as strong as ever. Jessica Lange is again some kind of insane but dazzling whirlwind as Elsa. Elsa runs the freak show, calling herself “the mother of her babies.” She rescues the freaks from destitution and institutions, but her main focus is to receive fame and praise from her own singing performance. My only complaint is that her accent wasn’t the best, and it was hard to understand her at some points. Kathy Bates brought her southern charm and was an awesome fit for the show. She played the bearded lady, Ethel. In a way, she was the voice of reason for the freak show, kind and loyal. I got so upset when she was killed, especially because it was over a slight misunderstanding.

Evan Peters was by far the most impressive, with his character Jimmy Darling, Ethel’s son, who went through a roller coaster of emotions this season. From wanting freaks to have equality among normal people, to meeting his long-gone father to dealing with the death of his mother and the betrayal of the possible love of his life, Maggie (Emma Roberts). But in the end he gets together with the twins, Bette and Dot (Sarah Paulson), so in a way it works out for him.

My favorite actor of this season was definitely Finn Wittrock, who plays the psycho selfish brat Dandy. He gets the award for having the most temper tantrums and killing the most people. Lastly, I wish Neil Patrick Harris was in more episodes than the final few. I loved his character of a psychotic man who murdered his wife while also having a disturbing obsession with his ventriloquist’s dummy.

Aside from the acting, the stories told were creepy but amazing. There is a reason the show airs at 10 p.m. It instantly grabbed me when Twisty the clown appeared. I will never understand the people who don’t find clowns terrifying because I would never want Twisty a mile close to me. Followed by a ghost with two faces who claimed a freak by the end of Halloween night. I wasn’t a huge fan of the con-artists who killed a couple of freaks to sell the bodies to a freak museum. But during the finale, when the freaks took matters into their own hands and Dandy went on a freak murdering rampage, I was on the edge of my seat.

I will admit it wasn’t my favorite season – that will always be the first season, Murder House – but this comes to a close second. I highly recommend spending a weekend binge watching the season. Though it may turn you off at first because you’re unaccustomed to its unabashed weirdness, Freak Show still brings the thrills and drama every good story needs.

Sports

Swim Teams Having a Great Season

January 23, 2015 The Hawk 1 Comment

The winter swim season has been successful for both boys and girls teams up to this point. The boys have earned 6 wins and 3 losses, while the girls are 4-6. The key contributors for boys have been Nick Jones, Aidan Wright, Will Deboer, Shawn Doolin, and Eddie Geswell. On the girls side, Jodie O’Connor, Jillian Locke, Mackenzie Shoff, Ashlee Leslie, and Molly McCarthy have turned in solid performances. The boys standout wins were versus Hingham, Middleboro, Quincy, and Silver Lake (Senior Night). Girls had a big sweep of Quincy and North Quincy.

In terms of the postseason, Nick Jones and Aidan Wright made states in multiple events. Jodie O’Connor is the only girl to make states, and has qualified for multiple events.

According to Senior Joe Ferrarini, the key to their success has been teamwork. “Though we had some major star swimmers on our team, if we did not have 2nd’s, 3rd’s, and 4th’s every meet, we would have not have won many of the meets that we did,” he said.

The swim season goes by quickly, but it isn’t over yet. This year’s seniors have been instrumental in leading the team to its winning ways. Senior boys Geswell, Doolin, Adam Hayes, Ferrarini, Joey Pensoneault, and Thomas O’Connor lead a deep team. For the girls, Shoff, Locke, Amanda Schell, and Elisa Sandonato do the same for their resilient team. They’ll make the teams end their seasons on a competitive and a winning note.

Sports

What League should HHS Sports Compete In? Part 1

January 23, 2015 The Hawk Leave a comment

Hanover High School doesn’t win all that many championships. I don’t like to acknowledge it, but it’s the truth. Things are certainly on an upswing and teams are performing well. Nearly three years ago it was the decision of then Athletic Director Fran Coyle to move Hanover athletics to the South Shore League. Fast forward three years and that decision doesn’t look like it was all that necessary. Hanover hardly dominates the Patriot League, but it definitely competes well. Is Hanover in the right place?

Right now, all the towns in close proximity to Hanover play in either the Patriot League or the South Shore League. Hanover is a member of the Patriot League Fisher Division (Small School). The Patriot League also has a large school division, the Keenan division. The Keenan division is made up of Duxbury, Quincy, Whitman-Hanson, Plymouth North, Silver Lake (Kingston, Plympton, and Halifax), and Hingham (Hingham Hockey plays an independent Schedule). The Fisher Division is Hanover, Scituate, Pembroke, Middleboro (Middleboro hockey plays in the South Shore League in a Co-Op with Hull), Plymouth South, and North Quincy.

Although it differs by sport, Hanover typically plays each team in the Fisher division twice, in a home-and-home series, and each team from the Keenan division once. Hanover is the smallest school in the league and, in some cases, is the only D3 South team in the league. Rockland left the Patriot League in 2009 but before that they were in a similar boat to Hanover. Also, in my freshman year, the case used to be that Quincy High was in the Fisher division and North Quincy was in the Keenan.

This year both the Plymouths left the fledgling Atlantic Coast league to join the Patriot League. The ACL has Marshfield, Falmouth, Nauset, Dennis-Yarmouth, and Sandwich. As noted in the Boston Globe, Marshfield may have to leave the ACL simply for convenience and expense reasons. Their only realistic option would be to join the Patriot League where they would be a real dominant program in almost every sport.

The South Shore League is made up of smaller schools, and for the first time this year split into two divisions. The Small School division contains Cohasset, Hull, Mashpee, Monomoy (Chatham and Harwich), and Carver. The Large division is East Bridgewater, Abington, Norwell, Randolph, and Rockland. Randolph just joined this year after being an independent and a former Patriot League member. The SSL has its strengths and weaknesses. The small division is relatively weak except for Cohasset. However, the large has enough good programs that in every sport a couple of teams would challenge, if not be superior, to Hanover. The reality is that Hanover teams would find themselves with a lot more success in the South Shore, albeit against lesser competition. It would give Hanover more games with schools in the same MIAA division and schools a division lower. Some may say that’s a positive, others may not. The case may be that Hanover is better off playing bigger and better schools in the regular season, because it challenges them more and in the post-season they are better prepared than most teams. Others may say that facing those schools may make Hanover battle-tested, but that it doesn’t really lead to all that much improvement and it’s better to face schools of similar caliber that they could and would see again in the post-season. Hanover would be among the top three in enrollment, if not the top school, in the league. One thing in favor of the South Shore League, it has been finding an equal amount if not more success in the post season when compared to the Patriot League.

Hanover may be stuck playing some bigger schools, but it’s hard to argue that the Indians don’t compete. There may not be a lot of league titles, but there are also very few teams that have miserable seasons.

Hanover is not Dedham. Dedham High School participates in the Herget Division of the powerful Bay State Conference and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. In 2009, the Marauders, who are the smallest school in the league, declined an offer to join the Tri-Valley League which has schools of a similar population. The Bay State Conference pledged to work to make the conference more equitable, including the possibility of adding more small schools to the league, but has not yet done so. For comparison, Hanover has a population (2010 Census) of 13,879 and an enrollment of 782. The biggest school in the league is Quincy High School with an enrollment of 1,519. Dedham has an enrollment of 765. The biggest school in its league is Framingham with an enrollment of 2,040 and only one other school under 1,000 students (Milton). Dedham usually finds postseason success as a lower seed and are a tough draw, just ask the Field Hockey team. For reference, the Highest enrollment in the South Shore League is Randolph at 779 and after that there are none above 700 students.

Hanover just doesn’t have the depth that other towns have. It’s a town that loses a lot of high level athletes to private schools. Hanover also loses a lot of athletes that don’t find stardom or even play at some of those private schools, where at HHS they would be solid contributors. It’s a disadvantage that we have to live with. I think for now, Hanover has to be content with where they are. The South Shore League doesn’t really make sense logistically. Hanover doesn’t compete with a lot of those towns in youth leagues and it would ruin some traditional rivalries. It’s up to future grades to get their best athletes out on Gerrish Field or in Amaral Gym rather than up at BC High or Xaverian. Then, Hanover will find plenty of success, bigger schools or not.

Opinion

College Preparation: How Soon is Too Soon?

January 22, 2015 The Hawk 4 Comments

As a current junior, I am confident I can speak for the rest of my classmates when I say that college is one of the many things constantly running through our minds. Teachers, parents, and guidance counselors have been pushing college preparation guides at us basically since we walked through the doors on the first day of school . . . stressing that it can never be too soon to start getting ready to make what could be seen as the most important decision in our lives. But when it comes to choosing your future career and college, can such a decision really be narrowed down at barely 17 years old?

I know that a few months ago, I could barely set my mind on what I wanted for lunch each day, nevermind nail down a concrete future. And with that said, seeing college brochures pile up in my mailbox and e-mails pouring in from hordes of schools I’d never even heard of truly made me want to just pull the covers over my head and hide from the idea of college instead of embracing it. Posters advertising various career programs line the hallways at school, and college informational guides are splayed out everywhere you can imagine. It’s hard enough to focus on high school these days, with the immense amount of work and important assignments introduced to us each day, let alone let your mind wander to the distant future where colleges and careers are concerned. Yet according to many of the adults in our lives, we should be putting thought into the college process as often as we can.

Flashback to September and October — back to the days of the college mini fairs. For three consecutive Tuesdays, representatives from many colleges across the New England area set up smartly decorated tables throughout the cafeteria, fanning out informational booklets and laying out pens for hopeful students to give out their personal information. And then hundreds of juniors and seniors were herded into the cafeteria and, for the next 20 minutes, were expected to mill about and find their potential academic calling. Immediately, the indecisive student in me became overwhelmed by the chaos of the crowded cafeteria, and I scurried around collecting a brochure from each and every school available, worried that the one school I miss could be the one destined for me. And three mini fairs later, I now had an entire milk crate filled with informational booklets and brochures from more colleges than I could name offhand. But they were still just that — a crate full of brochures. I still could not single out among them the one college I was dying to attend. And in the months following, guidance counselors set to work, scheduling assemblies and appointments to help each of us juniors pinpoint the career path right for us. My parents also took on a fair share of the work, sitting me down and showing me documentaries about student loans and scheduling college visits over school vacations. And I can’t forget about the teachers — they all somehow manage to incorporate the word “college” into the curriculum even when it seems to have no relevance to the matter at hand.

The first few months of junior year seem to be more geared toward college prep than anything else. As soon as you step into eleventh grade, you are rocketed into a world of college lectures and online statistics, and the pressure is on for you to find your educational calling. There’s no doubt that this introduction to the college search is stressful. Adults and peers are constantly asking the question, “have you figured out where you want to go to school yet?” And until now, I would always answer tentatively. “Not really, I’m still looking!” Because the truth was, I hadn’t figured it out. Figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life and which college is going to take you there is a hard decision. Probably the hardest one I’ve had to make yet. But the real question is, are the efforts put forth by guidance counselors and parents helpful in this decision? Do their informational strategies help ease this stress-inducing process?

After months of college fairs, relentless emails, and parental pressure, I can finally say that I’ve begun to narrow down my college decision, finally beginning to see the career destined for me. And why? Because for the past few months I’ve been surrounded by nothing but ideas: ideas about college, ideas about careers, ideas about my future. Ideas that really helped me brainstorm and figure out my decision without even thinking about it, really. Months ago, back in September, I was annoyed by all of the college information being thrown at me by the guidance department. But now I realize that because I was introduced to that information, and especially because I was introduced to that information so soon, I was able to narrow down my decision quicker than I ever would have if not informed. The truth is, for these past few months my brain has been quietly working, quietly sorting through all of the information gathered from college letters and brochures and preparing me for this big decision without me even realizing. And though I’m not sure exactly where I’m going and what I’m going to do when I get there, I’m definitely a few steps closer.

Many of you juniors out there might know exactly what you’re meant to do. Many of you might be figuring out one step at a time, like I am. And for those of you who have absolutely no clue where you’re going, don’t worry. You’re not alone. But whether you realize it or not, you’re much more prepared for the college decision than you know. All of the efforts of the guidance department have not been for nothing. Though it seems like college is all anyone is pushing at you right now, you will be thankful once you finally figure out what college is right for you. College is undoubtedly one of the biggest decisions of our lives. And though it may seem silly to start thinking about something so distant in the future, the truth is that it really never is too soon to start planning. Graduation is coming whether you’re ready or not. When you finally figure out where you want to apply, it will no doubt be because of the hard work of those around you.

Entertainment

Oscar Season 2015

January 22, 2015 The Hawk 1 Comment

Listed below are the Best Picture nominees for the upcoming 2015 Oscars, which will be awarded Feb. 22 on ABC. More so than in past years, I find these titles easy to root for. None of these pictures are blockbusters. Up until they were honored with this nomination, one would have to scour the Internet to find a theater that would show these movies. (Trust me, I know!) These movies also have many up-and-coming actors, providing new, exciting faces to look for in the future. Lastly, these films feature diverse and deeply unique storylines. Whether about a quirky hotel or a jazz musician on the verge of a nervous breakdown, each story brings something of its own to this year’s Oscars.

The Imitation Game

Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley star in The Imitation Game, an intense and interesting World War II movie. Here, Cumberbatch’s character, Alan Turingm is hired by the British government to decode Enigma, the Nazi’s unbreakable coding system. If decoded, the Allies could decipher all of the German attack plans. In other words, if Enigma was broken, Germany would fall. As the clock ticks over Turing and his team of geniuses, more and more soldiers are dying. Turing not only struggles under the weight of the Allied cause, but also to hide his homosexuality, which at the time was a severe crime in England.

Whiplash

JK Simmons and Miles Teller shock audiences with their heavy performances in Whiplash. Miles Teller plays an aspiring jazz drummer who is a first-year student at a prestigious music college. The immense pressure that Teller’s character places on himself to succeed is dwarfed by his teacher’s (Simmons) insane and violent method of pushing his students toward perfection.

American Sniper

Bradley Cooper stars in his third Oscar nominated role in the past three years. In what is said to be his best performance yet, Cooper plays Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in American history. The story covers Chris Kyle through his tours in Iraq where he both terminated and saved an incredible amount of lives and follows him back to the US. At home, the protagonist struggles to be a good husband and father while dealing with the aftermath of being in war.

Birdman

Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone star in Birdman, a movie about a former superhero actor. Michael Keaton plays Riggan Thompson, the actor who formerly played the iconic Birdman. Hoping to overcome his washed up, public perception, Thompson attempts to write and star in a play. To the dismay of those around him, these actions catch the public’s attention, but not in a positive way.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson’s newest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel has received more applause from both critics and fans than any of his other widely acclaimed films. In the film, the concierge of a popular European lodge is accused of the murder of a rich elderly lady, who in her will, left a valuable painting for the concierge. With a combination of humor and intellect, this unique movie stands apart from the other darker themed Oscar contenders.

Selma

For a long time, filmmakers had stayed away from making a movie about Martin Luther King Jr. This changed when Ava DuVernay began to create the film, Selma. Staring The Butler’s David Oyelowo as MLK, it follows Dr. King’s march from Selma to Montgomery. Overall, it highlights the quest for equal voting rights.

The Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking in a moving film about strength, love and the quest for knowledge. A relatively new name, Felicity Jones, stuns audiences with her performance as the strong, but real Jane Hawking. The movie is based off Jane’s book, Traveling to Infinity.

Boyhood

For the first time in movie history, a film crew follows a cast for 12 years to create the ultimate coming of age drama. The film includes veteran actors such as Ethan Hawke, as well as up and comers like Ellar Coltrane. Coltrane, in fact, was only 6 when the movie began. As we near award season, the actor is now 20 years old.

Opinion

Let’s Hash It Out: Should Marijuana Be Legal?

January 22, 2015 The Hawk 5 Comments

Marijuana is always a tricky subject to tackle. More often than not, there will be smoked-out hippies defending it and middle class suburbanites attacking it. As some states have voted to legalize it, and others have softened laws about its use, I was looking for some unbiased information on whether or not marijuana is “healthy” for use.

Now that raises the question: what is healthy? Health is defined as “the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living organism” (thank you, Wikipedia). So I will be judging the herbage on whether or not it meets that criteria.

Right off the bat, it is smoke going into your lungs so it’s a carcinogen. That means it can cause cancer. Scientists are still arguing over whether inhaling marijuana smoke is more or less dangerous than sucking in cigarette smoke, but either way, it can’t be healthy for you. Frequent use of the drug can also irritate or damage your lungs and increase your heart rate by 20-100 percent shortly after smoking. So that most likely isn’t beneficial to your health.

By using marijuana, you gain a sense of euphoria and an out-of-body experience. This is likely why it is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S., according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Chronic use of the drug during your teen years can result in loss of memory, lowered IQ, inability to concentrate, increased depression and loss of motivation . . . so, definitely not healthy. I did say, however, “chronic use.” Proponents of marijuana cite studies that have suggested these side effects are lessened in recreational or light use of the drug. Of course, then you get into the sticky situation of determining what should be considered “chronic” and what is “recreational.” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, chronic use is defined as smoking marijuana 27 days out of 30.

But then I discovered thanks to DrugWarFacts.org that there has never been a recorded overdose-related death caused by the mean green. I assumed that thanks to lung damage, cancer or loss of IQ, someone would have died from years and years of use of it. This isn’t the case. Many states including New Hampshire, New York, California and Massachusetts have legalized medicinal marijuana. Medicinal marijuana is utilized to help people in extreme pain and suffering such as cancer patients. It eases their pain, and since it probably isn’t going to kill them (there’s a reason you’ve never heard of medicinal crack), they smoke it. In Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, the drug has been completely legalized, and their mortality, murder and injury rates have not gone up (if anything, the food service business has gotten a boost).

Marijuana walks the fine line between being classified as a drug for good reason (remember all those side effects) and being able to truly help people in pain. It is fairly non-addictive. I believe that it’s not the drug that hurts people, it’s the people who hurt the drug’s reputation. People are dumb, let’s face it, and they are most certainly dumb enough to think they’re okay to use a mind-altering drug every day or drive while under the influence. No surprise. But there are some times when using the drug can be relatively safe or even medically beneficial. Alcohol is legal and that hurts and kills a lot more people than marijuana.

News

Robotics Club Gears Up for Competition Season

January 22, 2015 The Hawk 1 Comment

The HHS Robotics Club is going to be competing in the Botball New England regional competition at UMass Lowell on March 28. This year will mark our second year of participating in this particular competition. The goal of the competition is to use a standard robot kit in order to complete challenges that change every year. The hard part is that team members are not allowed to remotely control the robot in any way; the program has to be entirely autonomous. Speaking from personal experience, that task is just about as hard as it sounds. But it’s ultimately rewarding in the end.

Last year was a learning experience for Hanover’s nascent robotics team. We were only able to successfully complete a few of the many challenges that the competition required. Even without taking home a first place trophy, we were able to learn enough about how the competition worked to be able to be competitive this year.

Robot from Last Year used at the Botball Conference Friday and Sunday.

This year, the robot has to complete a series of tasks that involve moving objects around a court made of PVC piping. It’s roughly the size of four classroom desks. The robot pushes around several colored pom poms and also has to move ping pong balls into a basket that is about a foot and a half off of the ground. As I’m sure you can imagine, the robot becomes very complex very quickly. Yet, there is no feeling like the feeling you get when it all finally works.

Now since competition season is upon us, Robotics Club is looking for new members to join. You don’t need to have any prior experience with robotics at all and we will show you everything that you need to know. Talk to Mrs. Borgeson in Room 116 or just show up to our meetings every week after school on Tuesdays. We’ll be meeting more often now that the competition season has begun.

Hope to see you there!