News

Math Team Crunches Numbers, and Its Competition

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In only its second year of competition, the HHS Math Team has finished in second place in its division. Coached by our venerable physics teacher Doc (Dr. DeFranzo), the team competes against West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Bridgewater-Raynham, Rockland, Abington, and Whitman-Hanson. There are six other divisions in the league which contains high school from all across southeastern Massachusetts. The HHS team is captained by seniors Megan Scribner and David Raab.

Math Team Group Picture
Math team isn’t just number crunching, it can be fun too!

Starting in September and continuing throughout the competition season, the team meets once a week on Tuesday nights in Doc’s room. Practices go roughly an hour and a half and include all different categories of math from Algebra 1 and Geometry to the more complicated trig identities of PreCalculus. As such, there is a place on the team for students from all grades at HHS and in fact this year saw a good number of freshman competing. While it’s over for this year, you can always start practicing rounds for next year as most of the general topics remained unchanged from year to year.

That being said, the Team is always looking for new members and everybody should join because Math Team math, as anyone on the team can tell you, is very different from the math you do in class. “Week to week you’re learning some new trick for a certain type of equation and sometimes you learn a new concept all together,” said Scribner, echoing many of her teammates sentiments. While only 10 students can compete in any one meet, there is always room for alternates and Doc decides on who competes based on scores in practice rounds held during meetings.

Lauren and Ally
Lauren Bilton and Ally Knight representin’ Math Team

Math Team competitions are an event that you really have to participate in to truly appreciate. There are five, 10-minute rounds that are taken by individuals and then everyone reassembles in order to participate in a closing team round that is worth twice as much as the individuals. Teachers from the competing teams tabulate scores and the winner is solely determined by which school scores the most points.

Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for: team statistics. The Team cumulatively scored 283 points across the four meets. November’s meet was by far the highest scoring one with a total of 97 points scored. The lowest scoring matchup was the January meet with only 42 points scored. The December and February meets had 94 and 52 points, respectively. Megan Scribner was the top scoring senior with 23 total points, Linnea Martin was the top scoring junior with 24 total points, and Tom Clinton was the top scoring sophomore with 21 total points.

Students who competed in at least one meet include seniors Scribner, Raab and Eric Smith; juniors Ally Knight, Max Bruchowski, Linnea Martin, Annika Rowland, Mike Gosselin and Mike Meads; sophomores Tom Clinton and Lauren Bilton; and freshmen Spencer Kubicki, Alex Linn and Becca Prentice.

You can follow Math Team on Twitter now! @mathletes_hhs

Entertainment

Binge On Something Healthy!: Shows To Watch

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You know what’s so dope?  Avoiding problems in my life and watching TV shows whose characters have more interesting lives than I do. So dope, trust me. In recent years, TV has become more than just schlock to numb your brain. Many would argue it has become the new form of artistic media replacing movies for quality, creativity, and tone. There’s no denying that shows have become even more of a fixture in people’s lives in the past years. With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and On Demand, there are so many options at one’s disposal that it can be daunting. Don’t worry, I got you. I’ve spent many wasted hours watching TV and I feel immense shame for it. But at least I can guide you guys to some good shows right? . . . I’m so lonely.

Let’s start with the basics: any show that you’ve heard about but you still need to watch. People talk about them for a reason.

Breaking Bad: Imagine if Mr. Decie decided that he couldn’t support his family being a teacher anymore. Now imagine he also has an illness where the meds cost an immense amount of money. Then picture me as a burnout who loves shouting profanities. Now imagine we join up and make a meth empire with his chemistry expertise and my street smarts. Would you watch that? If so, you will like Breaking Bad.

Parks and Recreation:  This show is so awkwardly funny and I can’t stop watching. Amy Poehler is spot-on as the mostly insane park manager. Even though I’m only three episodes in, I can tell it’s good.

The Office: Hey, did you know this show was funny? If no, please remove yourself from my presence forever. Steve Carrell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and the rest of the cast are perfect for the show’s slow, awkward tempo. (The producer is the same as Parks and Rec so it has a similar feel.)

American Horror Story: The only show in recent history that can make me uncomfy from just its intro. Each season is its own story with only the actors returning and nothing else. So far they’ve given us a dandy murder house, a demon/alien/psycho asylum, witches be b*tches, and a circus freak show. The upcoming season is in a hotel and features Lady Gaga. How wonderful.

The lesser knowns: Shows that might have gone under your radar, but should be on your radar.

Peaky Blinders:  First point . . . The main characters have razorblade hats, SECOND POINT . . . they have sick hair cuts. THIRD FU%^ING POINT . . .  It’s a really complex gangster show taking place in early 1920s Birmingham, England, focusing on the Peaky Blinders gang’s rise to the top of the criminal underworld through murder, treachery, and quick thinking. The main character is a cold heartless leader, while both brothers are maniacs, doing whatever– and I do mean whatever — it takes to help their brother.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia:  The main characters of this show have become more and more scumbaggish with each season and it’s amazing. It follows four friends and Danny Devito running a bar and just . . .just  barely functioning in society. They bumble through the most awful situations with no tact or class. It’s brilliant, plz watch plz.

The Sopranos: Another gangster show or more specifically, the Italian mob. This show follows Tony Soprano, an overweight, incredibly damaged, and ruthless crime boss and his life, family, and “job” (waste disposal). It’s set in New Jersey so you really get the depressed feel that plagues Tony, and anyone who lives in New Jersey for that matter. It’s an interesting tale of a man with plenty of exterior power, control, influence. But in truth, he’s falling apart episode by episode… and so is his life. THE FEEL GOOD SHOW OF THE CENTURY.

That’s my list of things I’ve spent hours of my life on. Instead of forwarding myself in education, I watch TV. I do this for you people. Hope you’re happy.

Sports

Hockey falls to Norwell; Ends Another Successful Season

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The Boys Hockey team’s bid to return to the Garden to play in the state championship game ended Sunday, when Norwell beat Hanover 5-1 in the South Sectional Final at Gallo Arena. Norwell moves on to the Emass Championship March 11 against Watertown.  The winner of that game heads to the title game.

hockyfinalThe score was deceiving as Norwell isn’t four goals better than Hanover, but at times Sunday they certainly looked it. The Clippers came into the game having beaten Hanover 4-2 very early in the year. They just lost their best player, Senior Captain and SSL League MVP Dave Talanian, to a broken leg in their semi-final against Cohasset. But their youth didn’t hurt them as they consistently kept Hanover at bay offensively while putting on good pressure down the other end. Norwell scored first but Hanover was able to strike back. Tom Martin got the puck on the wing in his own zone and threw a beauty of a two-line pass to lead Ernie Meads into the Norwell zone where he went top corner with it. The elation was short lived as Norwell scored 45 seconds later. They put a shot on Clapp and there was a huge scrum in front of the net, bodies went down and everyone was taking pokes on net. Alex Ferguson came away with the puck and put it away.

Hanover had its chances though. They would get 5:30 of power play time in the span of about 5 minutes and 45 seconds and failed to capitalize. A Norwell defenseman got a 4 Minute Major for Boarding after he launched Landon Hasenfuss into the boards with a cheap hit from behind. As someone who is certainly not a hockey expert but knows the game, there is no question in my mind he should have been tossed. Hassenfuss was pretty shaken up on the play but would return to the game. After four minutes of the power play without anything to show for it, Norwell would do Hanover another favor and pick up another penalty. The Indians were again unable to capitalize and Norwell would score before the end of the period. The 3rd period was all Norwell but Hanover fought until the end.

Reaching the South Sectional Final is an impressive feat, but this year’s team had already tasted more and was striving for the state title. It’s funny how things worked for them this year. Last year’s team had more talent but they struggled in the regular season, including a patch of five straight losses. But they turned it on in the postseason and earned a deserved spot in the state championship against Shrewsbury. Comparatively, the cupboard wasn’t bare this year but it seemed there was a drop off in talent after losing several excellent seniors and two sophomores who were very good. But this Indians squad dominated in the regular season, they had very few losses, won their league and beat top 25 Duxbury. They just didn’t have the horses to reach the Garden. While they could have beaten Norwell on Sunday, Norwell looked like the better team.

Fans in the stands wore all black in support of the boys hockey team.
Fans in the stands wore all black in support of the boys hockey team. Photo courtesy of Andrea Murphy.

The Hockey team still provided four of the best student experiences at HHS: tournament games at Gallo. The rink itself is great, the overwhelming student support and enthusiasm is what makes it great. It’s an incredible atmosphere.

Their season is over and the team may be dissatisfied right now, but when they look back at this year they should be proud. A Patriot League Championship is an impressive feat. Landon Hasenfuss won League MVP and he, along with Tom Martin and Noah Clapp, were named league all stars. Trevor Doucette had a great season as the first line center and wore the Matheny jersey well. Along with Martin and Hasenfuss, Alex Wisnes, Ernie Meads and Connor Morris were all very potent forwards for the team. Seniors Alex O’Dowd and Joe Maguire as well as Junior Dan McDougall (who made his return to puck after 2 years of being a sharpshooter in the basketball program) led the team’s grinder line and put in the hard work. The fourth line of Ryan Mahoney, Zach Taylor, and Ryan Phillips really came along as the season went on. All of them were underclassmen and will be back to contribute.

On the back end, Tyler Powers, who was the third line center on last year’s Garden run, moved back to the top D pairing. He brought great quickness, toughness, and puck-moving ability back with him. He was paired with Shane Fallon who made big hits and launched rockets from the blue and back all year long. The second D pair was a little smaller and quicker. Mike McGlame, arguably the team’s top defenseman, was great all around with strong offensive and defensive skill sets. His partner, Freshman Paul McCabe, was small but quick and never afraid the throw the body around at bigger opponents. Drew Cratty and Christian Sarruda made up the last D pairing. Sarruda was the big and tough defender with the hard shot, and Cratty was the smaller with puck-moving skills and agility on the ice. Behind them was a stud pairing of goalies. Noah Clapp was back between the pipes and was phenomenal all year, hence his All Star selection. But behind him was Drew Zwart, who saw less ice time but was stellar when in there. He had a .949 save percentage on the year. Senior Forwards Chase Coogan, Mike Martino and Junior Scotty O’Brien made up the team’s fifth line. Junior Reese Fallon and Freshman Jason Galotti were on varsity as extra defensemen. While they didn’t see that much ice time, all five of them were integral to the team’s success.

It might not have ended how or where they wanted, but the Indians should be proud of their season and the Seniors should be proud of their careers. Like I’ve said so many times already, and I mean it every time, despite losing a great senior class, there is a lot of talent coming back and the future for boys hockey is bright.

News

Anchor TV: New Show Highlights Hanover Schools

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The Hanover school district is using a new method of reaching out to students, parents, and the wider community. That method is Hanover Community Television’s  new show Anchor TV.  Each school has its own segment in the show to highlight what is going on. New episodes are released roughly once a month, with the latest released on March 3rd. Episodes are broadcast on Channel 22 (Comcast) or Channel 37 (Verizon FiOS) Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm or Friday and Saturday at 12:30 pm. Archives can also be found online at www.vimeo.com/hanoverctv.

The segment of the show about the high school is always featured first and prominently. Students from Mr. Patch’s advanced digital media class are the main producers. The latest episode interviews students on how they would describe the best principal HHS has ever had: Mr. Paquette. Seniors are also asked about their college plans;  I certainly know the stress of that whole process firsthand. Finally, Tyler Powers and Tom Martin were interviewed about their experience being on the hockey team all four year of high school and being captains this year. As we all know, the hockey team has had an amazing season and has made it farther in the tournament than any other sport here at HHS.

Later in the show, STEM Director Mr. Plummer is featured in the “Professor Plummer” segment where he dons a lab coat and invades Chem Lab 217 to do his evil bidding. Students from Center-Sylvester school explain who he is and the reasons behind his “evil” activities.

Anchor TV is just one of many ways that HPS district administration has sought to expand communication with the public. A team of digital media teachers from all of the schools and district central office staff meets once a week at HHS in order to plan their episodes and go over how their current episodes are received by the community. I personally think it is an amazing right now and it will only become better as it continues on the rest of this school year. They really make an effort to feature all of the notable events going on across the district and there is good chance that if you watch it, you may eventually find yourself in it! Everyone likes seeing themselves on TV, even if it just Channel 22.

Entertainment

Beautiful GIRLS

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If any on you have ever viewed a television show on HBO, you know that they often feature naked women.  A lot of naked women.  HBO’s GIRLS is no different.  However, one aspect is.  The women on this show look like women that you see every day.  None of them conform to what the entertainment industry deems as beautiful.  Let me make it clear that when I say “entertainment industry beautiful” I do not believe that this is a legitimate definition of beauty, but I’ll get into that later.  Recently, on this show the star (and head writer and director and also she’s only 28), Lena Dunham, engaged in explicit acts with the actor Patrick Wilson.  Wilson absolutely fits the description “entertainment beautiful.”  He is tall, muscular and has a jawline that could cut granite.  After the episode aired, and audiences had seen an eyeful of these characters, there were some shocking reviews.  Real journalists, with actual journalism degrees, tore this episode apart because they found Dunham’s writing wildly unrealistic.  They claimed that a guy like that could never go for a girl who looks like that.

This statement is ludicrous for a number of reasons.  The first one being the absurd idea that a woman’s only worth is determined by the way she looks.  Are the attributes of this character immediately discarded simply because she is not a size two with bright skin, and shiny hair?  The fact that people find the idea of a handsome man having sex with a woman who is less hot than him unrealistic is simply horrifying.  There are many, many examples of female “10s” hooking up with male “5s” in television and movies.  If you need proof, look at every raunchy, high school-themed comedy that has come out in the past 20 years.  Every time one of these movies comes out, there are no comments on the sexual eligibility of these male characters.  So why are female characters subjected to this kind of judgement?  The negative reviews of this demonstrate the fact that, in our culture, it is absolutely normal to view a man as more than a body, but ridiculous to look at a woman for the whole woman that she is.

The second problem I have with these reviews is this: who the hell has the right to say that Lena Dunham is not beautiful?  Who has the right to determine the beauty of another?  Despite what we are led to believe by the Internet, there is no one standard for beauty.  Someone cannot be too fat or too skinny to be beautiful.  Someone can not be too pale or too dark, too tall or too short.  I don’t mean to preach, but I despise the fact that we are continually encouraged to view our bodies as inadequate.  If you still believe that a guy like Patrick Wilson will not get with a girl like Lena Dunham, then I suggest you read this tweet from Wilson’s wife.

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This issue is very important to me because I believe that it provides a single example of a major issue in our country.  We are bombarded with images and statements that enforce negative opinions of ourselves.  We are set up to feel inadequate and inferior, when in reality the only thing to be ashamed of is claiming that a guy like that could never get with a girl like her.  I am not going to tell you that real beauty is on the inside because I am sure that wonderful message is being spread by mothers everywhere, but I am going to tell you that no one has the right to judge your beauty.  That privilege is yours, and yours alone.

 

 

Opinion

Student Athletes Should Get Free Pass from Gym Class

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For as long as anyone can remember, physical education has been a welcome part of the high school curriculum nationwide. Ever since the mid-1800s, schools have placed a strong importance on physical fitness and its contribution to the well-being of students. Especially in today’s society, when childhood obesity looms terrifyingly close and the mass marketing of fast food and video games are promoting sugar and lethargy to teenagers everywhere, exercise and physical education are considered vital factors of a school’s curriculum. But what gym class doesn’t take into consideration is the fact that a large fraction of high school students have turned to playing after school sports as a daily form of exercise and physical activity. High school athletes, in practices and games, are given the opportunity to build healthy exercise habits and spend hours being active, making an additional 50 minutes in gym class two to three times a week excessive and unnecessary. In other words, student athletes shouldn’t have to take gym. If student athletes were not required to take a physical education class, there would be numerous benefits in regards to the convenience and health of the athletes, while also providing opportunities for non-athletes. In such a sports-loving society, physical education should be something that is provided as an alternative to those who are not involved or interested in sports, not required for those who are.

When you consider the hours throughout the week that athletes are spending with professional coaches in an active environment, gym class is not necessary to an athlete’s school day. Students who play sports are already getting up to two or more hours a day of physical exercise when practicing or performing in games. Students who don’t have this type of active schedule may need the 50 minute gym period every other day in order to get their weekly dose of physical activity. Athletes do not. This additional physical activity period creates another obstacle for student athletes: the possibility of overexertion. All students, even athletes, are expected to try their hardest to be active in gym class. But by the end of the day, those 50 minutes of exertion in gym class may have taken a very heavy toll on student athletes. They will not be able to perform to their highest standards for the duration of games and important practices that take place after school. Gym class serves the purpose of keeping students active throughout the school day, but when athletes are already exerting themselves on the field at practice, another 50 minutes in gym is irrelevant and overwhelming.

For high school athletes, feeling overwhelmed is something that is a clear effect of their busy sports schedules. Coaches expect them to be present at practices every day, and additionally participating in every game for as long as the game occurs. Sometimes, games can even run until after the sun has set. With such a tightly packed schedule, and spending so much essential energy during practice or a game, athletes rarely have time to get all of their homework done and study to their best ability.  But if athletes were not required to take gym, they would have more flexibility in their schedule to allow for more time for studying. Those gym periods could be utilized in a more beneficial way to athletes, giving them time to catch up on work that they might not have time to do between practices. Exemption from gym would definitely benefit athletes both mentally, by reducing stress levels from slipping behind on homework, and scholarly, giving them a chance to boost their grades by studying more.

Benefits of athletes opting out of gym class aren’t just limited to the athletes themselves- a fraction of students being absent from physical education gives the non-athletes a chance to participate to their fullest extent. With the number of students in gym class cut down, it eliminates the overly-competitive aspect of having athletes in gym who can keep regular phys ed students from getting involved. Students can feel comfortable enough to really try their best in activities, not just hide in the background while the athletes demonstrate their sports talents. And in addition to this, gym teachers would be able to spend closer time with these non-athletes, teaching them ways to stay active and get in shape that they may not learn otherwise. Exempting athletes from gym class isn’t only the right choice for the athletes- it is the right choice for the student population as a whole.

Overall, the clear benefits of athletes opting out of gym class make the decision to allow it such a thing an easy one. If athletes did not have to take physical education, they would be more energetic and prepared for practices and games, they would have allotted time for studying and making up time lost on the playing field, and non-athletes would be able to participate without pressure in gym class.  Without physical education, athletes may not get specialized lessons from a gym teacher, but they can get good information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle from coaches, or even parents, instead. If student athletes weren’t required to take physical education, they would become overall better athletes and students. With such advantages blossoming from exempting athletes from gym, all school administrators should be asking themselves why they haven’t allowed it yet.

Sports

Strong Seasons, Bright Futures for Hoops, Girls Hockey, Wrestling

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Boys Basketball

The Boys basketball team ended their most successful season in recent memory at the hands of Old Rochester last weekend. In their first tournament game, Hanover blew out Bishop Stang, 71-47. Hanover was hot from 3 and played great defense. Jack Buckley led the way with 28 points and 15 rebounds in front of a large Hanover crowd that stormed the court after the win. The win came as many local media from the South Coast and Boston had already started hyping up a Stang-Old Rochester rematch.

Hanover headed to Old Rochester Saturday with much confidence against the 17-3,  number one seed. Unfortunately, it was Old Rochester’s game from start to finish. Their whole starting five plus a big man off the bench were incredible offensively all game and their great defense took Hanover out of the game. Hanover made a couple of runs but Old Rochester was able to consistently pull away again.

While it was very upsetting that their season, and their careers for some of the HHS players, were over, they took some happiness away from the game due to Jack Buckley reaching 1,000 points. Hanover force-fed him the ball in the end and Old Rochester made it hard on him, but Buckley hit some tough shots to reach the milestone. It was a great season, the first 10+win season, the first league championship, and the first tournament game win for all of the players and coaches involved at Hanover. Jack Buckley and Jack Phelan were named league all stars. Buckley was Hanover’s leader all year, averaging 25.4 ppg, 14.6 rpg, and 2 bpg and being named league MVP. Phelan was a stat sheet stuffer, averaging 8.7 ppg, 7.1 apg, and 2.2 spg. John Carroll (12.2 ppg) and Evan Elkhill (11) provided much of the supplemental scoring for Buckley.

Girls Basketball

Coach Fish and the girls team had a very successful season of their own. They were able to win a Patriot League championship for the second consecutive year after a rough start. It was in the second half of the season that Hanover started to play good ball despite missing a key player to injury and some talented seniors having graduated. In their  first tournament matchup, they knocked off a good Ursuline team in a gane that came down to the wire. Steph Flynn got hurt late in the first half for Hanover and things looked grim, but she heroically came back to lead them to victory.

Up next came the long trip that almost every team in D3 South dreads, down to Martha’s Vineyard. Leaving school early to play at 4:30, Hanover played a great game and nearly put down the Vineyard. It came down the final minute and the Island girls hit a big 3 with 32 seconds left that would clinch the victory. It was a tough loss but Hanover is a young team and the future is incredibly bright. They are favorites to three-peat for League champs and with Archies weakening, one of the favorites in D3 South. They grabbed three All Star spots for Juniors Flynn  (who also won league MVP) and Kayla McMahon as well as Sophomore Meg Raab.

Girls Hockey

The Cohasset/Hanover co-op took a step back from last year’s very successful season but were still very competitive. They made the tournament in their last game of the year by tying Quincy/North Quincy. The lost in the first round of the tournament to a very good Medway/Ashland team out in Marlboro. Like Girls Basketball, they are a young team with a lot of potential. They lose top seniors Valerie Farren of Cohasset and Erin Smith of Hanover, but return five of their top six forwards and their top defensemen. They will also bring back outstanding goalie Shea Kearney in between the pipes. Kearney, along with Senior Forward Valerie Farren, Sophomore Forward Cassidy Bodie, and Sophomore Forward Callie Hoadley, were named SEMGHL All Stars.

Wrestling

Seniors Mike McLeod and Dillon Russell had their careers end this weekend10888966_1624542964440125_437401434010518366_n at Massachusetts All-Sates. They wrestled valiantly all year and it was their first time getting this far in the post season. They were a big reason why Hanover had their winningest season ever this year. However the team is still wrestling because Colin Boutin managed to move on to New Englands. Returning this year from Xaverian, Boutin had high expectations on him but he has surpassed all of them. He has been dominant all year and was the first Indian to place at All-States since the early 2000s.

Entertainment

Staff Opinions on 50 Shades of Grey

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For this edition, the newspaper staff is going to try out a new type of article for you guys: a group movie review of none other than Fifty Shades of Grey. Everybody had their own opinion on this fine cinematic creation and after much debate at our meeting, we all had to share our views with you guys. Comment below if you agree (or even disagree) with our expert opinions.

DRaab: Hearing about this movie was enough for me to vow to never actually see this movie in any way, shape, or media format. The movies I enjoy the most and the ones I like to see have at least some basis in reality. The mark of good fiction is that it is realistic enough that you can really imagine it happening. From what I have heard, Fifty Shades miserably fails that test. It portrays an abusive “fantasy” relationship between Anastasia and Christian that I cannot possibly condone. Words that come to my mind to describe the movie are: morally outrageous, repugnant, and vile filth.

Lauren Bilton: On February 15th, a few of my friends and I went to view this “must-see” movie of 2015. I would not go nearly as far as DRaab to call it “vile filth,” but it surely is a risqué movie. I may be a sucker for rom-coms and movies about love, but I promise you this isn’t any love story. Don’ get me wrong, I didn’t hate the movie; I actually ended up liking it more than I had expected to. Before seeing the movie, I had read the first 50 pages of the novel, unaware of the storyline. Let me tell you: pages 1-50 of the book are completely clean. So here I am sitting in the theater anticipating the movie, thinking “how bad could this be?!” But about 20 minutes into the movie, I realized why people were making such a big deal about it. How are they even allowed to make a movie based solely off of sexual relations and abuse?? The “R” rating is no joke. In Fifty Shades of Grey, Anastasia Steele is a journalism student whose life changes the minute she meets Christian Grey. I will choose to end my review there.

Eric Carey: Honestly, such a steamy flick. I was sweating throughout the whole movie. It was just so mmmmm perfect. Don’t even get me started on the guy who played Christian Grey. O-M-G, can you say hunk? Hunk. There, I said it for you. I often see myself as Anastasia trapped in a rugged, tall, good looking body. On the inside, I’m a beautiful 21-year-old who is attracted to a masochistic weirdo into BDSM. Seriously, the book, the movie, and anything relating to this hot garbage of a franchise should be eradicated. I didn’t watch the movie, but I’ve read some hilarious quotes from the book and I don’t know how anyone can read such schlock without dying laughing.  I got to the word “inner goddess” and it was goodnight, Irene for me, I was done. Yeah this sucks so…. yeah.

Callie MacDonald: An open letter to Anastasia Steele:

Dear Anastasia Steele,

First of all, you have a beautiful name.  I am sorry that people will refrain from naming their children Anastasia for the next five years, out of fear that people will think they are naming their sweet angels after a Fifty Shades character.  Second of all, you need to stop shaking so much.  You look like you are going to pass out the entire movie.  I mean, yeah, I would be intimidated too in the majority of those scenes, but in one scene you were working in a hardware store and looked as though you might pass out.  Pull yourself together!  Third, I do not know why you bite your lip so much, it seems like a rather unnatural habit.  Lastly, you seem like an intelligent girl, you could have a good journalism career in the future, so I advise you to get out of this abusive relationship, no matter how hot Jamie Dornan is.

With love,

Callie.

Andrea Bilton
Sitting in the theater awaiting the start of Fifty Shades of Grey, I expected what anybody was bound to expect when viewing such a controversial movie. I expected a lot of heavy nudity, a slight violence factor, and graphic sexuality that pushed the brink of what is usually permitted on the big screen. But after the movie came to an end and the final credits rolled across the screen, my expectations were vastly underwhelmed. The movie was surprisingly tame, considering all of the harsh criticism surrounding it for being overtly sexual and inappropriate. I had never read the book, however I’ve heard from many about how graphic and almost disturbing the unconventional sex scenes are. However, when brought to life in the cinema, the sex scenes were brief and subtle, showing no more nudity than would be suitable for an adult romantic comedy. And the violence, although jarring in such a romantic and sexual context, was definitely not as heavily involved as I anticipated. In fact, the movie threaded the concepts of BDSM in as merely supplements to the romantic storyline- the movie was not focused primarily on these elements as many people assume. The directors of Fifty Shades of Grey definitely made the right choice of focusing the movie on the storyline and romance between the two characters of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, rather than jolting the audience with graphic sexual encounters as the book supposedly does. I entered the movie expecting to laugh at the overkill of violence and sexuality, but I left very shocked by the lack of explicit nature and touched by the love story portrayed onscreen. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t be deterred by all of the hype and controversy. I promise you the movie is much tamer than it seems.

News

Snowpocalypse: This Winter in Review

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This past January, all wishes and prayers for more snow were finally granted when the first flakes fell on our little town of Hanover, Massachusetts . . . And fell again, and again, and again. And now, well into March, we are still feeling the ice-cold wrath of the all-consuming “Snowpocalypse” that has devoured the state. Within the past two months, we have seen entire neighborhoods swallowed by snow, parking lots turned to ice skating rinks, and monstrous icicles threatening to impale passersby. Every week has brought with it a new blizzard, heaping heavy coats of snow atop already towering snowbanks. And as the snow piled up higher and higher, so did the snow days.

At first, HHS students thanked the snow gods for bestowing upon them the first blizzard of the year, otherwise known as “Snowstorm Juno.” As a student population, we were all thankful for one, two, even three days off thanks to such a snowy blessing!

“It seemed like every Sunday we would get that call canceling school on Monday. After a while it’s like Sundays weren’t even Sundays anymore, and Mondays were just an extension of the weekend,” said junior Michael Gosselin.

However, as the days tallied up and dragged on week after week, that phone call from the administration canceling classes was no longer widely welcomed, but dreaded by some. Social media sites were flooded by complaints on the eve of a snow day, those of students remarking on the idea of being trapped in school until July.

“It’s kind of ridiculous,” said Gabby Manupelli, a sophomore. ” At this point we won’t even have a summer vacation.” And a large faction of the student population holds similar opinions, condemning the addition of any future snow days to hinder their release come June. Already, Hanover High is scheduled to remain open until near the very end of June, which can seem like eternities away when we are still buried in snow.

Hanover’s seniors tell a different story, however, relishing in as many snow days as they can because, as graduates, they will not have to make up the dreaded days during the summer.

“Bring on more snow!” senior Bryan Connors said, surely speaking on behalf of a majority of the senior class.

But many people besides the seniors are also viewing the excessive amount of snowfall in a positive light; viewing the few extra classroom days during the summer as mere inconveniences, nothing to get too upset about. Many consider pushing the school year back a little as only a small price to pay for a few treasured days off in the dead of winter. I can speak for myself when I say that these few opening months of the new year is usually when teachers pile on the most work, and it’s been nice to get a day off every once and while to catch up. And this is something that the snow has certainly given us.

Whether you welcome each snow day with excitement or agony, it is a wide acknowledgement that this winter has definitely been one for the record books. With snow piles twice the size of most adults and temperatures reaching unimaginable levels of cold, there’s no better time to pour yourself a steaming cup of hot chocolate, bundle up in your warmest blanket, and take advantage of one of the greatest joys of living in New England. If this winter has proven anything, it’s that the snow stops for nobody. 2015 will forever be regarded as one of the snowiest years we’ve seen in our lifetimes,a true Snowpocalypse.

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Promposals: The Quest to Make a Question into an Event

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Easily the biggest question besides “will you marry me?” is “will you go to prom with me?” These problems right now, MATTER SO MUCH. If that girl or boy says no to prom, IT WILL HAUNT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

But seriously, it is a rather stressful event in our minds. The process of asking used to be rather simple and awkward. Now it’s complicated and awkward;  just wonderful. It’s more of a competition of who can be more creative and funny, which is fine by me. I like seeing people outside of their comfort zones holding their hearts in their hands waiting for that yes or no. It’s a brave act, or at least the promposal is.

We’ve already seen a couple of promposals at HHS with Foley being Foley and doing Foley stuff in order to ask Erin to the event, and Nick Kelsey getting all his bros and bras to help him ask out Chach. Abby Lyons asked Ryan Glynn by spelling out “prom” in chicken nuggets (the question mark was in ketchup). Glynn cried for hours in happiness, as he is known to do. Sarah Powers spraypainted a snowbank to ask Nick Ricciarelli.  Vandalism is great when it’s for a good cause, Sarah. All time sweetie pie Dan McDougall asked Kylie Chetwynde on multiple boxes of peppermint patties, her favorite candy. Dan was so happy that she said yes that he went home yet again to binge watch Grey’s Anatomy and eat copious amounts of Ben and Jerry’s. I wonder what the certain surge of elaborate promposals stems from. It’s probably due to phones, cameras and social media blah blah — everyone wants to see how nuts people get.

Promposals such as this one, found on www.themash.com, have some school administrators begging "STOP!"
Promposals such as this one have some school administrators begging “STOP!” From http://themash.com/blog/news/2014/05/06/promposal-baring-it-all-for-a-yes/

Unfortunately, “the man”  is cracking down on these displays of kindness and good-natured fun in some schools, promposals being disruptive and blah blah. It seems everything can be turned into a disruption or something unethical, even this. Not only would I have some choice words for the gents saying to stop promposals (I’d also have something special for his kneecaps), I have some words supporting this relatively new tradition. It’s a fun and harmless way to express a desire for an event that can be very awkward otherwise. Since promposals can be so ridiculous, it can be pretty hard for a girl to say no to such nerve and creativity (girls like that, I think, I don’t know, they’re weird). Promposals are not disruptive, they’re fun. Nowadays we need fun. We don’t exactly live in a fun world so when someone tries to criminalize an act like this, I get heated.

Luckily for us, our principal — no, our lord — Mr. Paquette is a true renaissance man and allows us  to proceed in our prom shenanigans. However Mr Paquette told me that he “does not like the prospect of someone being rejected, publicly.” He has a very valid point. While most people are confident they’ll get a yes,  it is a big gamble that could end in heartbreak, and no one wants that.

I think I have a pretty good idea of how I’m asking whatever unlucky lady I choose to take. But if you’re stuck and not as awkwardly charming or as shameless as me, check Pinterest or even Google; there are plenty of ideas there to use.