The third annual “Bocce Day,” organized by the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (MASC) and the Special Olympics, was held Nov. 15. The event once again proved to be a success in bringing together student leaders and special education students for a fun-filled and active afternoon.

As one of the newer events established by MASC, Bocce Day is designed to allow students from throughout Massachusetts to meet and compete against each other in a few fun and simple rounds of bocce. The game is like a combination of bowling and curling; players roll handheld balls down a dirt or gravel lane and try to get theirs to stop closest to the target, a smaller ball. In the process, you also try to knock opponents’ balls away from the target. High schools put together teams combined of special education and non-special education students.

This year, MASC was able to set up two regional tournaments: one held the 15th at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and another to take place at Grafton High School on November 22. Hanover High sent two teams to Whitman-Hanson, where they spent the day dancing, meeting new friends, and playing some bocce. The first team, Hanover Pride #1, included Eric Iverson, Macy Hohenlightner, Callie Hoadley, Lauren Bilton and Emily Teidke. Hanover Pride #2 was led to victory by Jack Skordinski, Andrea Bilton, Emma Devine, Chrissy Greco and Emma Hardy. Both teams had an amazing time, and despite showing up to the event without much previous knowledge of bocce, were able to beat numerous other schools as the tournament went on.

Team member Emma Devine said it best when discussing her Bocce Day experience; “I loved how such a simple game could bring so many people together to support this awesome cause. Watching the kids’ faces light up and hearing the gratitude from the parents was immensely fulfilling”.

The event began with an opening ceremony, during which each school’s teams were announced and positive energy was spread through welcoming speeches and group energizers. During one of the most memorable moments of the day, a Special Olympic athlete carried the “torch,” a glowing flame crafted out of red and orange construction paper, down the stairs of the auditorium. This touch truly gave the event a genuine Olympian feel, and got the teams ready for the upcoming rounds of bocce.

Throughout the tournament, students cheered on their teammates from the bleachers, holding glittering signs and chanting the names of their classmates. As the teams played, a DJ shuffled through a variety of songs to get everybody pumped up, ranging from Frozen sing-a-longs to the latest pop hits. People danced and sang during the entire day, and nearly everybody was sporting a huge smile by the end of the event. It was overall a very fun and energetic environment, and by the time the last round of bocce was called to an end, nobody wanted the good times to stop.

Bocce Day finally concluded with a warm closing ceremony, during which each team was called up to receive medals. Photos were snapped, hugs were given, and finally the event was called to an official close. Bocce Day truly was a success for all involved, and left a greatly positive impact on anyone who participated. The Special Olympics athletes and their families could not have expressed more gratitude for those who took part, and judging by the endless smiles and laughter spread throughout the afternoon, the day proved to be an amazing and uplifting experience for all– even those who had no idea how to even play bocce in the first place!

WGBH has a TV Show called High School Quiz Show where students from across the entire state of Massachusetts compete in an academic trivia contest. About 120 high schools sent teams this year to the qualifying round held November 17 and dubbed by WGBH as “Super Sunday.”  This year was the first year that HHS has sent a team to this contest. Questions can be asked really on any topic, ranging from history to math and even including spelling. Each school that participates assembles a team of four students. Hanover’s team this year comprised of: David Raab (senior), Tom O’Connor (senior), Max Bruchowski (junior), and Nick O’Hara (freshman). The team coaches were Mrs. Nixon and Mrs. Boyle.

Super Sunday occurs at the WGBH main studios and headquarters in Boston. There, high school teams complete a 100-question oral quiz by themselves (meaning no direct competition with other schools). The quiz starts off with 70 questions which can be just about anything. The last 30 questions are from categories given only when the questions are asked. There is no easy way to prepare  because the questions asked can be on literally any topic. That being said, it is recommended that teams have a wide range of general knowledge and trivia. I hate to say it, but paying attention in class is what makes the difference.

If a public school team scores in the top 14 of total scores, then they advance to a head-to-head competition amongst the other schools that made it.  At this point, Hanover does not know if they have made it to the taped competition. When we find out, this article will be updated. That competition occurs in February and will be aired on WGBH this spring.Overall, the team thought it was a good learning experience. Our weakest category would have to be the spelling questions. I do not think we got a single one of those right. Even if Hanover does not make it this year, the experience will be there to be able to make it next year. I certainly believe this a good tradition to start here at HHS, not the least because I was a part of it.

In AP English Language with Ms. Fay this year, a new book was introduced as part of the summer reading curriculum. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, by Nick Flynn, is a beyond touching and eye-opening memoir of his family’s struggle and his father’s hardship due to homelessness and alcoholism. Students of the class were assigned to look into the causes of homelessness, and what someone who is struggling may suffer from. We looked into all the types of people who suffer from homelessness: teenagers, children, the elderly and veterans. The causes varied also, ranging from abusive homes to mental illness. Stemming from the research in this project, Ally Knight and I thought, what more can we do to help? Thus, the clothes drive was born.

Our clothing drive will run through Nov. 24. We are accepting any and all types of clothing! We would especially like to collect teen and adolescent clothing, but any kind and for any age or gender is still greatly appreciated and useful.

As part of our AP assignment, we looked at many types of homeless shelters and organizations that collected items for those in need. Ultimately, we chose St. Francis’ House and Mass Coalition of Boston to donate the items that we collect. It took up some time to think about publicizing and how we would go about this process, but Ms. Fay  was supportive as were other staff members of the school. Mass Coalition sent us information about a teen program they launched, so we decided to make that our focus. How convenient since we are in a high school, with teens always growing in and out of clothes and forever changing styles?

“The clothes line” drive is something we hope to repeat in another holiday season and in future years, and we are hoping for a great outcome! We thank everyone for their help and encourage you to donate anything you can until the 24. Anything is appreciated!

One of the big changes in the halls of HHS is the new community service requirement for graduation. On the face of it, it seems simple enough: you have to complete 10 hours of community service every year in order to be able to graduate. Ten hours are required every year so underclassmen do not try to procrastinate on the requirement until they are upperclassmen. This means the freshman this year will be required to complete 40 hours of service in order to graduate. According to Mr. Paquette, 40 hours through your four years is the average requirement of neighboring high schools with similar requirements on the South Shore.

HHS is in the middle of a transition period to a true “twenty-first century” curriculum and one of the hallmarks of that is a school-community connection. Back when the new building was being designed, a closer connection to the community at large was one of the key visions the administration wanted to implement. Mr. Paquette said that the Town of Hanover has given so many resources over the years, and this is our small way of paying it forward.

The requirement is written very broadly and basically covers any service done without pay to any worthy community organization. Coaching and refereeing HYAA sports, staffing community events and helping out with Eagle projects are just some examples of things that count toward the requirement. Mr. Paquette really emphasizes the flexibility and that there is something out there for everyone. If you ever get stuck for ideas, there is a community service bulletin board near the Music wing and Athletic hallway that is frequently updated as well.

Also, the community service requirement was envisioned as way of unify the entire school community toward a single goal. All students, from seniors down to freshman, have to complete 10 hours each year. The hope is that by giving the freshman that sort of responsibility, it helps them in the difficult transition from middle school to high school. As any student can tell you, once you’ve come to the high school, you simply cannot envision life any other way.

Mr. Paquette simply summed up the administration’s rationale for the requirement by saying, “It’s a wonderful thing. It’s an opportunity to give back.”

Many students have generally accepted the requirement as just another fact of life. Being a high school student means you just have to do certain things, with community service being one of those things in Hanover.

“It’s definitely a good thing,” said junior Alex Zwart.

“It’s good because people should do it [for the good of the community],” said Lauren Murray, a  senior.

Other students do not share such an optimistic view, though. Senior Talha Kidwai said, “Since I’m a senior I only have to do 10 hours. I feel bad for the other grades [who would have to do more].”

Certainly there is a time commitment involved in the requirement that has to balanced out with other things. Most everyone has a busy schedule with extra curriculars, homework and, for some, jobs.

“I think [the requirement] would be a good idea if students had more free time,” said freshman Emily Crowley. “Teachers give us so much work that many students barely have time for anything but homework.”

Ultimately, mandatory community service is the way of the future here at HHS. If you haven’t started yet, I would highly encourage you to get going since May will be here before you know it. You can download the form you have to turn in by following this link: http://www.hanoverschools.org/highschool/pdf/forms/Community%20Service%20Verification%20Form.pdf

Since the Sandy Hook School shooting of December 2012, the American public has dealt with 34 similar incidents in towns of different locations and affluence around the country. A total of 323 students have died in school shootings in the past 15 years. Just a single death is cause for concern, but hundreds of students being killed is a sign we need to take action.

This school year, Hanover High School adopted the ALICE protocol, which goes beyond traditional lockdowns where students hide and wait for rescue from police. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate, and presents several options for responding to an armed attacker. Students and teachers have been trained in how to communicate where the threat is and whether to evacuate, barricade their classroom doors or attempt to counter the attacker. (For more details on HHS’s plan of action, see the article published in our archives:  New Security Plan Focuses on Armed Threat)

On Nov. 10, HHS students and staff participated in a drill which involved practicing the options. I found the trial run to be helpful and informative, and was curious to find out what my classmates thought of the practice and the ALICE program as a whole.

Many of my peers found it hard to believe that we live in a world where school shootings are something to expect and plan for. “It was eye-opening that these are the procedures we have to practice now, said Caroline O’Rourke, a junior.

“It was definitely necessary because (incidents) are happening more often but it was also nerve wracking,” said senior Maranda Grant.

I frequently heard how students found ALICE to be an improvement over our past practice of stay-put/lockdown drills. “It’s surprising that its taken this long to figure out that huddling in a corner is not the best way to hide from an intruder,” said junior Megan Ditullio. No one likes to feel at a loss for control, especially in a life-threatening situation. Vanessa Hanifan agreed, “I’m happy they changed to ALICE instead of just a stay-put drill.”

The drill was pretty scary if you thought about it in the context of a real life situation, but it nevertheless made the majority of my classmates feel safer. Junior Melanie Armstrong said, “I thought ALICE training was both helpful and smart. Now if something bad happens the whole school will know what to do.”

Jake McInerney, a freshman, agreed. “I never really thought about the stuff we were told about. I feel better now that I have.”

“When we watched the video, we learned what we had to do but not if we could do it,” added Erica Perry, also a freshman. “Not I feel more prepared.”

The drill also apparently did its job to make students feel like they were personally being taken care of. Annika Rowland, a junior, found the training “made me realize how real a situation like that could be but it made me feel better prepared and more confident that our safety is the school’s number one priority.”

Andrea Murphy, a senior, agreed. “Everyone was taking it seriously, going through scenarios. It made me feel safer, like we’d all come together.”

I also found that the practice made me feel that I had more power and was reassured about what would happen in the event of a gunman in the school. The day can best be summed up by junior Christian Morris, who said “Although many people had a comical look on ALICE training, it gave an educational and safe look at what could happen in the future and precautions needed to help keep students safe.”