By Tim Sullivan

As Hanover High School prepared for the long-awaited holiday break, Student Council tried to bring some holiday cheer into the building with fun dress up days to give everyone a final push! Since Christmas was on a Tuesday this year, we had a full week before we were released for the break. Five whole days. This was the first year in a long time where Student Council had to come up with five different spirit days. This year, the themes were:

Monday: Holiday Accessory Day

Tuesday: Christmas in July (Hawaiian Theme)

Wednesday: Winter Wonderland (All White)

Thursday: Ugly Sweater Day

Friday: Christmas Pajama Day

Everyone seemed to get into the spirit, especially when it came to the chance to wear pajamas to school. Hope everyone had a wonderful break!

It’s that time of the year again! Time to buy gifts for just about everyone you know! This can seem like a pretty overwhelming task— especially if you’ve left it to the last minute—but don’t worry, there’s still time. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. (If you celebrate Hanukkah,  tuck this list away until next year)

1. Think obscure If your gift could be given to any person in the room and be fine, you probably bought a basic gift. The most thoughtful (and best) gifts are the ones that are oddly specific or obscure. Spend some time understanding the person’s interests and hobbies, and if they give you an idea, research it so you actually understand what it is. You’ll feel like you gave a better gift because of it. eBay, Amazon, and more specialized websites like Woot! are your friend here (just don’t get scammed)! With these kinds of gifts, it’s best you buy early since shipping from smaller sellers or companies can take longer than from bigger ones. Bonus points if your gift is discontinued, rare, or retro. If it comes in colors, make sure to get the recipient’s favorite (you should know what that is). Try to mix your interests and hobbies with theirs. If you’re good at buying clothes and they like movies, get a t-shirt, hat, or sweatshirt related to their favorite film. Use something you’re knowledgeable about to get them something they’ll like.

2. Quality over quantity The best gifts come in small packages. You might not have believed that as a kid, but believe it now! You might worry a small gift might look like you didn’t try, but if it’s a really good gift, the size won’t matter. Always go for the smaller, but nicer gift. On that note too, if you have to decide between giving one  expensive gift or multiple smaller gifts, always go for the more expensive one. The recipient will appreciate getting something really nice rather than just more things.

3. Buy holiday items the year BEFORE Gifts to yourself totally count as gifts. If you want to buy a holiday item, hold off until right after Christmas. They’ll most likely be discounted and save you some  money, which you can spend on another gift for yourself! Next year when you open these purchases, you’ll forget you even bought them— a surprise gift to yourself!

4. Plan ahead The holiday season is only a few weeks of the year, but the year is 52 weeks – make them count. If you see something in February, buy it. If you see something in August, still buy it. The point: buy things when you see them, or write down the idea. You can find some of the best deals during ordinary times of the year. Doing this will take the pressure off during December, and you’ll buy better gifts when you’re not panicking.

5. Wrapping is everything  A fancy wrapping job can make the best gift look better, so spend some time on this step. Is it a strange shape? Should you put it in a gift bag? Absolutely not! Bags should be avoided at all costs. Everything can be wrapped, and having gifts wrapped makes them much more fun to open! You can look up online how to wrap just about anything, and at the same time keep that obscure craft channel on YouTube alive — a win win! Gifts likes clothes can always be boxed, but most clothing stores don’t give free boxes anymore so keep whatever you get— they’re rare! Something oversized or really just impossible to wrap? Put a comically undersized bow on it. Problem solved!

6. Out of time? Ok, do you need a gift within the next week? The next day? If you have enough time, buy the gift online. Never pay for shipping unless you have to, though. Some stores let you chose slower shipping to get it free, but if you don’t have time for that just get in the car and go. Use the store’s website to find where the gift is in stock locally. If you’re really in dire need of a gift, don’t wander the mall, check out the gift ideas below. Still don’t see anything? Then gift cards are fine. Make sure it’s from a store you know the recipient will like (otherwise play it safe with cash). Remember to get something small, too, like their favorite candy or a small joke gift so there’s still something to open.

Best Gift Ideas 2018

• A Bluetooth speaker
• A wireless charger
• An ornament related to something they like
• Their favorite candy
• A gift card to one of their favorite stores
• A shirt with something they like (band, sport, place)
• Something with their name on it (bonus points if their name isn’t common!)
• Something related to an inside joke
• An outing or activity you can do together

Buying the best gift doesn’t mean spending the most money! Now that you have these tips, everyone will want you in Secret Santa exchanges. You’ll encourage people to get more thoughtful gifts, and hopefully make the return lines in January a little shorter!

Staff writers Juli Cocomazzi and Tim Sullivan asked some of their classmates to describe in a few words what they were thankful for this year. They got some pretty interesting responses! Read below.

Hope Thurston is thankful for everything! She’s getting a car really soon and is thankful that she won’t be paying for it. She has a really good relationship with her mom and her hair is really thick and healthy, she loves it.

Paige McKee is thankful for her good health and her friendships.

Alex Brennan is thankful for his friends and family, along with his house.

Peyton Curvels is thankful for her family and her good health.

Davis Dunphy is thankful for backwards, upside down visors, and that we won the Cold War.

Meghan Collett is thankful for just about everything in her life.

Jenna Healy is super thankful! She’s thankful for her friends and family, her health, and Thanksgiving dinner.

Jules Dunderdale is thankful for her supportive family and for the troops! Join her brand new Students for Soldiers club if you feel the same way; she would be extra thankful for your support!

Braden Glynn is thankful for his family and friends.

Rori Jenkins is wicked thankful for her dog and her cat.

Lauren Cockey is thankful for all the wonderful teachers at Hanover High School.

Channing Miller is thankful for the Thanksgiving break and all the food that comes with Thanksgiving!

Lexi Rynning is thankful for her friends and family, and especially her dog.

Bella Craft is thankful for her amazing mom and her dog, Fifi.

Erin Halpin is thankful for her friends and family.  

Ben Lee is thankful for his bestie, Aria Sweeney.  

Mikayla Chabot is thankful for her dog, her friends and her family.

Caleigh McCloskey is thankful for her two beautiful dogs and wonderful teachers.

Kayla Mullane is super thankful for Student Council and her friends and family.

Sophie Picard is thankful for the great responses to the tasty baking treats she sells at HHS.

Anthony Pierotti is thankful for Hilliard’s Chocolate.

Olivia Reddish is thankful for RunKeeper, the exercise app, and for her gym power walks with her besties.

Alex Stacy is thankful for “Thank U, Next.”

Emily Tuzik is thankful for her awesome volleyball team.

Dom Cerone is thankful for Mrs. Martin. “She’s my favorite teacher because she always says hi to me in the halls.”

Ellie Hardman is thankful for the opportunities she’s been given her whole life.

By Tim Sullivan

Hanover High School offers many different extracurricular clubs to allow students to become more involved in the school community. I sat down with two long-time members of the Robotics club: juniors Adam Giordani and Nick Colaw (pictured above) to find out what this club is all about and what it means to them.

The Robotics club aims to create a “fun atmosphere that allows you to work on your problem-solving and team-building skills along with your friends,” Adam said. The club gets together twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday, after school in adviser Mrs. Borgeson’s room (116).

The whole year builds up to one big tournament in the spring called BotBall. Held at UMass Lowell, it’s a competition between schools and their robots. The majority of time spent at their meetings is used to build their course and program their robot for this competition. Last spring Hanover had its best performance at BotBall and the club is hoping to improve even more this year.

BotBall requires a lot of fundraising throughout the school year, Nick and Adam explained. Last month, the club had a very successful car wash outside of HHS. Mrs. Borgeson also applies for grants to help cover the costs of competing, which average around $4,000 when you consider entry fees, new robots and building materials. Keep a lookout for their next fundraiser: personalized holiday ornaments which will go on sale in the next month.

“Robotics gives me a chance to work with robots and that is something I believe is very prevalent in today’s society,” Nick said. “Some valuable life skills can be learned in this club with the age of technology that we are living in.”

If any of this sounds appealing, Robotics may be the new extra-curricular for you! Robotics always welcomes new members and no previous experience is required. Nick and Adam look forward to anyone who reads this article and feels inspired to join them!

Photo from Hanover Mariner 

By Lexi Rynning

Yesterday, I crashed four times and killed an innocent pedestrian walking in a crosswalk, all because I was distracted. It was only a simulation in which those dangerous events happened, but it could have been very real. And it was all because of distracted driving. I took part in Distractology, a program sponsored by Arbella Insurance to educate drivers about safety behind the wheel and brought to HHS by the Guidance Department. The simulation was very eye-opening to say the least. About 3,100 people are killed and 424,000 people injured from distracted driving accidents each year.

Before taking Distractology, I wasn’t aware of the number of possible hazards. Even without distractions — such as changing music, checking your phone, eating, or any number of other things we often do while driving — there are a lot of hidden hazards. I was confidently taking a left turn in the simulator, with no phone or music playing, and a car rammed into my side. A huge truck was in the way, so I took the turn without being aware of the oncoming traffic that had the right of way.

In another scenario in the simulator, I was on a highway with a speed limit of 55 mph, and I was changing my music. Most people don’t think of this as dangerous as they barely take their eyes off the road. But when I looked at my phone for just a second, I slowed down dramatically to about 45 mph and was no longer steering in a straight line. Then, a pickup truck changed lanes when I was looking at my phone. I looked up and saw him do it, but I didn’t have enough time to slow down. I slammed on my brake, but I didn’t have enough of a reaction time. I crashed into the back of the truck, and my windshield shattered. Something as seemingly harmless as skipping a song can drastically change your life.

This is a very real threat in our society today and, while people are aware of the risks, many have never experienced the consequences so they think it can’t happen to them. But I can promise you it does. Anything can happen while you are the road. People don’t always follow the rules of the road, blowing through stop signs or going when they don’t have the right of way. If you aren’t 100 percent focused on the road, you won’t have enough time to react. Before going into this, I had no idea how dangerous distractions really could be. I highly recommend taking this course to gain the experience of a car crash without actually getting into one. This was a very eye-opening experiment for me, and I can promise I will try my best to never get distracted while  driving.

There are some perks you get for taking this course, which travels to schools around the state. I got a $15 gas card. You might also qualify for a discount on your insurance. I also have a shot of winning a $500 scholarship. If you do it for no other reason than to get the gas card, you will still learn something very important about distracted driving. I am very glad Hanover High School offered this program and I will be way more cautious when I am on the road.  

By Matthew O’Hara

Mr. Brown teaches World History and Global Studies to Juniors and Seniors at Hanover High School. While teaching, Mr. Brown uses his charisma to combine learning and fun so as to captivate his students and make them excited to learn. This also makes his class one of the most enjoyable to be in, as his easy-going and fun personality can relieve the stress of difficult assignments. This has made him one of the most well liked and renown teachers at HHS.

After graduating from Rockland High School in 1991, Mr. Brown attended Norwich University. Mr. Brown knew he had a passion for teaching, so he majored in Elementary Education because of  his own fond memories of his kindergarten experiences. After college, he enlisted in the United States Army, an experience that would change his life and career path for years to come. Life in the army was different from life at home for Mr. Brown. Instead of helping his dad paint houses, he went into combat, and was forced to overcome his fear of heights many times when he was required to deploy mid-air from planes. While military life was difficult, Mr. Brown enjoyed the opportunity to serve as a mentor to new recruits. It was this experience that later convinced him to choose to teach high school  instead of elementary school. After returning home from the military, Mr. Brown became a wrestling coach for Rockland High School, and later taught fitness classes at Park and Rec. He became a teacher at Hanover High School in 2002.

Outside of school, Mr. Brown is a devoted father who cares for his family and enjoys attending his three kids’ school- and sports-related events.  He has a passion for exercise and fitness, renting out a building in Rockland to teach exercise classes and to train athletes. He serves as an instructor, as well as a student, at a Brazilian jiu jitsu gym in Weymouth. Mr. Brown enjoys learning under his jiu jitsu teacher Dedeco, as it gives him insight on how it feels for an athlete to practice under the mentorship of a coach. He then applies this knowledge in his own coaching. He also adheres to a 10:00 pm bedtime, so that he can get enough sleep every single night.

Mr. Brown has coached a variety of teams during his long and successful career at Hanover High School, including Lacrosse and Wrestling in his early years, and Track and Field and Cross Country today. As a coach, Mr. Brown most enjoys seeing his athletes improve each year, and has made it his mission to help every single one of his athletes achieve their personal best. During his tenure as a wrestling coach, Mr. Brown coached 10 wrestling state champions, 20 sectional champions, and one New England champion. Mr. Brown takes pride in the fact that two of his athletes have recently achieved the honor of League MVP, one for Cross Country and the other for Track and Field. Mr. Brown finds these many achievements astounding, and he is proud of his student-athletes’ hard work and dedication.

It’s evident that Mr. Brown is a hardworking and passionate teacher and coach who will do anything in his power to see his students and athletes succeed and achieve their best.

By Juli Cocomazzi

One of the most exciting parts of life is discovering what your passion is. Whether it be photography, painting, politics or working out, it all comes down to what makes you the happiest. Fortunately for Sophie Picard, a junior at HHS, she was not only able to discover one of her passions, but make a profit from it. Her passion? Baking.

The Baker’s Background

Sophie is a jack of all trades, finding expertise and talent in a wide range of hobbies. Her forte is undoubtedly in the arts, as she’s been an active member of the school music department since the fifth grade and has played the flute, bassoon and saxophone. She is gifted in drawing and is an avid reader/writer. Her talent even extends into the martial arts as she also practices karate. Sophie is a brilliant mind and a progressive thinker. You’ll never meet a more open-minded and accepting individual. Sophie’s love for baking started as a child when her grandmother taught her a couple of her recipes. Sophie says she instantly loved it and knew she wanted to keep going with it on her own. 

Selling The Goods

Every time Sophie baked, she would share her goods with friends and family. It’s no surprise they were always a hit. Her close friends were actually the ones who gave her the idea to sell her treats after they tasted their potential. With an encouraging amount of confidence and support, Sophie was able kick-start her baking business last week. The first product  on the chopping block was her show-stopping cheesecake brownie. For $2 a piece, she sold nearly all of them on the first day.

To make those first sales, Sophie relied mainly on word of mouth. Throughout that first day, she met people between classes and during lunch to collect their money and deliver their treats. Some satisfied customers approached her in class, sought her out during a lunch/ break period, or texted her in advance to meet in between periods. People were determined to get their hands on one of her delicious brownies.

“I didn’t expect it to go so well as it did, I thought I would only sell a couple and that was fine,” Sophie said. “It was harder to meet with people who wanted brownies during the school day than I thought it’d be. It’d probably be better to mostly sell them before or after school next time.”

With the positive feedback she received, she says she’s excited to try it again. From this first day of sales, she was able to see what went well and what could be improved upon in the future. For starters, she is going to make some more time in her schedule to prioritize her baked good endeavors and brainstorm ideas to make the selling process more efficient. She has an array of recipes she’s excited to try out. Some stellar treats she’s made in the past include snickerdoodle cupcakes, s’mores cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, banana bread and blueberry scones. With innovation and perseverance, she plans to perfect her craft and develop her business plan to meet its highest potential.

To reach a wider audience, she has begun posting announcements on her Instagram story, informing her followers of the available product and the pricing. Those who respond to her post are able to reserve the amount they desire. Otherwise, Sophie runs a first-come, first-served type of business. You can follow her at sophs_sweets17 to keep posted on her baked good drop dates.

When opportunity knocks, you answer, and that’s exactly what Sophie did. With her innate problem-solving, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills, she was able to reap the benefits of doing what she loves. She is a positive and inspiring role model for her peers and future high schoolers, and perhaps an inspiration for you to shine a new light on your own passions.