Tag Archives: 2015-2016

Entertainment

Book Review: Teen Searches for Missing Mom in Quirky Mystery

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When 15-year-old Bee’s mother goes missing, she’s not content with her father’s answer that it’s “complicated” and not her fault. So when she gets her hands on a thick envelope of documents including emails, journal entries, receipts, and an FBI file, Bee is determined to find out what really happened. What she discovers is shocking, heartbreaking, snarky, sweet, silly and relatable all at once.

In a novel told through these found documents, with occasional interjections by Bee, we discover the answer to the title question Where’d You Go, Bernadette? We learn about a quirky family that lives in a house that must be weed-whacked on the inside, one that plans a trip to Antarctica because Bee gets straight As, one whose dinner reservations are made by a virtual assistant based in India (thus leading to the FBI file). We also learn about a creative woman who can’t recover from crushed dreams, her genius husband who throws himself into work to escape reality, and their uniquely gifted daughter who loves her family despite its eccentricities and flaws.

Written by Maria Semple, the book is a quick read. It’s hard not to be drawn into the lives of Bee, Bernadette, Elgie and the rest of the quirky cast of characters.

Sports

Fall Sports: Success Measured Not Just in Trophies

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HHS fall sports teams have shown grit and determination, overcoming injuries and tough opponents, to have memorable seasons. Below is a recap of each team:

 

Senior Flynn Posts Strong Finish at XC States

Senior Steph Flynn finished 38th out of 178 runners in the All-State Championship held Nov. 21 at Franklin Park. She completed the 5K course in 19:34.07, averaging 6:17.9 per mile. Flynn was the team’s sole qualifier for states after running well at the Eastern Mass. Cross Country Championships held Nov. 14 in Wrentham.

 

At Wrentham, the Hanover girls team finished 7th out of 23 teams in Division 5 and the boys finished 18th out of 28 teams. Flynn placed seventh in a field of 165 runners with a 5K time of 19:51.8. Freshmen Jordana Laprise, Erin Flynn and Alyssa Nee and senior Joy Replogle finished in the top 55. Nick Courtney finished 47th out of 188 runners with a 5K time of 18:16.1, just missing the chance to qualify for All-states. Juniors Will DeBoer and Nate Collins also had strong performances.

On Halloween, the team competed in the Patriot League Championship Meet at Silver Lake Regional High School. The girls finished 5th overall and the boys finished 9th.

Cheerleaders Celebrate Successful Season

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When the Cheerleading squad competed in the MSAA Fall State Competition on Nov. 22, it was the first time the team had made it to the states in almost a decade. While they may not have taken home any prizes from states, just getting to that level was an accomplishment — and a great end to a strong season.

To qualify for states, the team finished third out of 14 teams in the regional competition held Nov. 15 at Whitman-Hanson High School. This came after strong showings at the Braintree High School Fall Cheerleading Invitational on Halloween and a third place finish at the Patriot League Championship on Nov. 8.

Field Hockey Defeated in State Semis

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Field hockey overcame a string of tough competitors in its march toward a state title, but could not get past powerhouse Watertown. The Indians lost 5-0 in the state semifinals played under the lights in Canton on Nov. 17. Watertown, which ended the season 17-0 to earn top seed and the eventual D2 North title, entered the game with a 158-game winning streak. Despite strong play by the Indians, led by senior captains Chachi Smigliani, Sam Taylor, Erika Nelson and Brielle Prouty, Watertown’s offense proved too much.

The tough loss ends a remarkable fall for the field hockey team. Their undefeated season earned them the Patriot League Fisher Division title, not to mention Coach Judy Schneider’s 500th! In the first round of the playoffs Nov. 5, the 2nd-seeded Indians rolled over 15th-seeded Bourne 5-0. Then the team fought hard for a 2-1 double overtime win against 10th-seeded Dover-Sherbon on Nov. 8, with the winning goal scored by Senior Sam Taylor. A 1-0 win over 6th-seeded Holliston at home on Nov. 11 clinched the team a spot in the division finals.

A 1-0 win against Cohasset in the D2 South Finals on Nov. 14., landed the team in the state semifinals. Senior Maura Kelly had the winning goal as time was running out in double overtime.

Football Ends Strong Season with Tough Loss

The Indians’ efforts to reach the state title game at Gillette Stadium ended Nov. 13 with a 21-0 loss over Holliston in the D4 South Final. Top-seeded Holliston scored midway through the first quarter and took an 18-0 lead into halftime. It was a tough loss for Hanover, but doesn’t diminish the success they had all season.

After an 8-1 season and their first Patriot League Championship since 2008, the team was seeded third in tournament play. The Indians knocked off sixth-seeded Westwood in the first round, setting up a matchup with second-seeded Foxboro  in the D4 South Semifinals on Nov. 6.

The game, which Athletic Director Scott Hutchinson tweeted was “one for the ages,” was a nail-biting 21-20 victory secured in the final minute. When Foxboro scored a touchdown with 58.4 seconds left, the Indians blocked the game-tying extra point kick to hold onto the win. Senior Brad Rogers scored two touchdowns in the first half, and senior Dimitry LaForest scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown.

The Indians will finish their season with the traditional Thanksgiving Day game against Norwell at home.

Boys Soccer Falls in Quarterfinals

DSC_0048Led by senior captains Jonny Ferrarini and Greg Chiarelli, the team finished the season with a 9-5-4 record and the 10th seed in postseason play. The squad beat 7th-seeded Holliston 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 6 to make it to the D2 South Sectional quarterfinals before being eliminated in a tough 2-0 loss to Norwell on Nov. 8. With a lot of young talent on the team, the Indians can look ahead to a promising season next year.

Girls Soccer Has Tough First-Round Loss

The team lost in the first round of tournament play, ending a season riddled with injuries but full of determination and teamwork. Named 14th seed with a 7-7-2 record, the squad lost their Nov. 5 playoff game to 3rd-seeded Cardinal Spellman 3-1. Led by senior captains Great Barry (goalie), Emma Devine (center back), and Kaleigh Polatta (center back),  the team played an exciting 80 minutes, but couldn’t capitalize on  enough scoring opportunities.  Hopefully, the team coached by Mike Fraser, will come back healthy and strong for next year.

Volleyball Loses in First Round

The team’s tourney run ended Nov. 5 with a nail-biter of a loss against Sandwich. The 12th-seeded Indians played their hearts out as they lost 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 26-24, 25-12) to 5th-seeded Sandwich, who had the home court advvball2antage and a boisterous crowd in their favor. Seniors Caroline O’Rourke, Kylie Chetwynde and co-captain Emily Hennessy were the team’s top servers throughout the season. The senior talent was rounded out by the setting of co-captain Melanie Armstrong and Alyssa Delahunt, the hitting of Annika Rowland and the defensive play of Emma Hardy. While those experienced players definitely will be missed when they graduate, the remaining Varsity starters, including juniors Meaghan Raab and Hayley McCusker and sophomore Taylor Scott, offer high hopes for next season.

Golfers Have Strong Showing at States

After earning a second consecutive Patriot League Championship and then finishing second at Regionals, the golf team competed in the State Championship at Crumpin-Fox Club.  Luke Smigliani had the best score of the team, which was also represented by Drew Gratty, John Carroll, Charlie Banks, Colin Cleaves and Christian Abbate. Congratulations to the team for a tremendous season!!



 


 


 


 


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

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Former NBA Star Tells How Drugs (Almost) Ruined His Life

		

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Former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren spoke to a gym packed with HHS students on Nov. 18 about how his addiction to drugs almost cost him everything he loved.


Earlier in the week, we watched a video in PE about Herren’s story. He talked about starting to use drugs at 18 and how it almost ruined his family and basketball career. Before the video I thought, “Just another ‘drugs are bad’ speech, we’ve already had DARE.” I was stunned when, in the video, Herren admitted saying the same thing in high school, never paying attention during this kind of speech. The video also emphasized that, despite having all he had ever wanted — a career with his favorite basketball team, a wife and kids — he couldn’t be happy because of his dependence on drugs.


In person, his message was even stronger! He started by saying that after his basketball career, he found a new passion. That passion was helping school children with talks like these. During one presentation, Herren recalled, a girl alone in the back of the bleachers raised her hand to ask a question. Everyone around her was laughing, urging him not to call on her. She eventually said that she didn’t want to ask her question since she thought nobody cared at school anyway. Herren said that girl later emailed him, revealing she has family problems due to alcohol, and that to escape from it, she cut herself. She told him that after his speech, she went to a table where all the people who bullied her sat and showed them the scars on her arms, telling them their teasing had caused those scars. Standing up for herself improved her life, Herren added; people began saying hello to her in the hallways for the first time in a long time. Herren said he was proud to hear that even one person’s life was impacted by his speech, and that even helping one person is worth it.


His talk would go on to cover many important topics like how drugs and alcohol can ruin families, relationships, and friendships. The talk took a surprising turn when someone brought up marijuana being legalized. Herren said he thought it was an awful law, exposing many people to drugs and making drugs seem acceptable.


Students seemed to take the presentation very seriously. Freshman Abby Bulman said, “I thought that speech was not only inspiring, but shows what good a person can imbue society with.”


The thing that I took with me when I left the gym after the presentation was how Herren called the people who on Friday nights can look in the mirror and be okay with themselves, and the people who feel “cool ” without having to drink,”heroes.” I left thinking how that statement is actually right–people who are comfortable in their own skin are heroes.


I think this was one of the more successful speeches about the the importance of staying away from drugs that students get the chance to hear. As Herren said, it’s more important to talk about the first days of doing drugs than the last days. When you think about it, it makes sense. It’s easy to say you’ll never be like that person in the grip of addiction, while trying not to be that person resisting the temptation at the beginning is much harder.

	

	
	




	
	

				

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BREAKING NEWS: No More PARCC, Sort Of

		

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By: Chris Acampora and Kristen Plahn


It’s been decided by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (try saying that five times fast…) that there will be… drumroll please… NO PARCC.


But while 8 out of 11 commissioners on the BESE voted for the discontinuance of the PARCC test, it’s not completely gone. In deciding whether to stick with MCAS or fully adopt PARCC, the state chose something in the middle: MCAS 2.0. Massachusetts will still be involved in developing PARCC, and PARCC and MCAS 2.0 will share some questions. Some questions on MCAS 2.0 will be specific to our state’s content and standards.


While PARCC was being piloted in the last couple of years, teachers, students and parents across the state raised many complaints about the test — and not just that it was hard. The test had serious flaws, such as printing errors, and a general lack of information about the rules. Many teachers were against it as  “a waste of class time,” inspiring faculty members to wear stickers reading, “MORE LEARNING, LESS TESTING” around HHS last spring. The fact that the test had problems with the scoring system didn’t help the students either, making their testing unfair, and leaving the teachers baffled. Last year’s PARCC test was also in its early stages. Right after HHS students took the English PARCC, it was shortened from three sessions.


The fact that the test was timed was also controversial. Teachers argued that students were not used to timed tests (during MCAS, using extra time was encouraged), and that taking a timed test is a skill that needs to be learned. What is most shocking is that many test-takers found that the PARCC was more tiring than MCAS, even though it was shorter (perhaps because it was timed, students felt stressed out and rushed). Another complaint from teachers was that PARCC was administered in April, too early in the school year, before all of the material on the test could possibly be covered in class.


Hanover students are still slated to take the PARCC this spring. The Freshmen class of 2019 will be the first to use the new MCAS 2.0, scheduled to take the test next year.  It’ll be curious to see what students and teachers think of the new test.


 

	

	
	




	
	

				

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Patriots Perfection Continues

		

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The New England Patriots faced some real adversity for the first time all season in defeating the New York Giants Sunday afternoon. The Giants played the 9-0 Patriots very well, as it seems they always do. Eli Manning and Coach Tom Coughlin are the only quarterback and head coach duo to stump the Pats more than once, handing the Patriots both of their Super Bowl losses in 2007 and 2012.


Coming into Sunday’s game, the Patriots  were already banged up and missing some key factors. They only added to that list in their big win. Deion Lewis, Nate Solder and now Julian Edelman all are injured and won’t be playing for quite some time. Lewis and Solder are on the injured reserve, making them ineligible to return this season. Edelman suffered a broken foot in the second quarter of Sunday’s showdown and has a chance to return this season as he will underwent surgery on that broken foot Monday.


Even without these key offensive players, the Patriots’ offense was still very elite in Sunday’s game. Danny Amendola sparked the Pats with his unbelievable punt return for a near-touchdown before he was accidentally tackled by his teammate Duron Harmon. With just under two minutes left in the game, New York was ahead 25-24. Tom Brady and the Patriots needed to storm down the field and get into field goal range for kicker Stephen Gostkowski. The Patriots’ first three passes were incomplete and then they were faced with a 4th and ten on their own 20 yard line. Amendola got open and got the Patriots a game-saving first down. They then stormed down the field and set up Gostkowski for a 54-yard field goal. Before the kick I thought to myself, when was the last time Gostkowski had to kick a game winner or even a big time kick to impact a game? On November 30, 2014, the Patriots were in Green Bay taking on the Packers. Down 10 points in the 4th quarter, Gostkowski missed a 44-yard field goal that then gave the Packers the ball back with great field position. The Patriots ended up losing that game 26-21.


So as Gostkowski lines up for this field goal against the Giants Sunday, outside and weather being cold, there were many similarities to the last time he missed in Green Bay. I was unsure if he would hit such a pressure kick. The snap was great, the hold was good and the kick was up and in. Gostkowski sealed the victory for the Patriots and ended the conversation about whether he can make big time kicks.


The Denver Broncos are 7-2 and seem to be the Patriots’ only real competition in the AFC. With Peyton Manning having an injured foot, and showing it in his play, this should be the last year of his career. Manning isn’t making basic NFL throws that need to be made. The Patriots should have no trouble beating the Broncos, even if the game is in Denver.  If all goes to plan, the Patriots should be the number one seed in the playoffs and it’s certainly not easy to beat the Patriots in Foxboro.

	

	
	




	
	

				

			Opinion
		

			
Pray for Paris, Remember All Victims of Terror

		

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Last Friday night, horror struck in France’s capital city on a scale that shocked the world. Terrorists bearing AK-47s and wearing bombs on their chests attacked at least six sites around the city. When all was said and done, 128 people lay dead, including a young man visiting from his home of Martha’s Vineyard, and countless others were left injured and traumatized. The attacks were the work of ISIS, a terrorist group based in Syria. Eight fully armed ISIS militants were positioned at strategic locations in Paris that night, and seven of them were killed in the ensuing  violence. ISIS assumed full responsibility for the attacks in an attempt to create fear in the western nations.


Rather than fear, however, ISIS is being met with a desire for justice and revenge. The French President Francois Hollande described the bombings as an “act of war,” and are in fact the most violence Paris has seen since World War II. The American government offered their aid and condolences to the French, and Obama said, “This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on the people on France, but an attack on all humanity and the universal values we share.” Despite the tragic events that took place just a few days ago, the world has united in support for Parisians. Landmarks such as the Empire State building in New York City, Tower Bridge in London, and the angel de la Independencia in Mexico were lit up with red, white and blue lights in the pattern of the French flag on Friday night. The hashtag #pray4paris was created and circulated around the word on every social media imaginable in a matter of a few hours. In addition, many Muslims have taken to using the tag #notinmyname to emphasize that only a small percentage of followers of their religion are willing to kill for their beliefs. Rather than the terror they hoped to unleash, ISIS has been met with strength and resiliency from human goodness.


In the wake of events such as this terrorist attack, it is important to remember that bombings and shootings such as this one occur almost daily throughout the Middle East. Families lose their homes in a second, and mothers rarely live to see their children grow old. Thousands of refugees are fleeing the war-torn region looking for safety, some never finding it in their dangerous journeys across mountains and seas. It is easy to lose sight of the big picture: that the terror we are experiencing now has been increasing for years in the Middle East.

	

	
	




	
	

				

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Bruins Can’t Continue with Coach

		

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As the month of November is upon us, it signifies that winter’s beginning is here . . . and so is the start of the 2015-2016 NHL season. Just a few weeks into the season, the Boston Bruins sit at 7-6-1. If the playoffs were to start today, which is a very hypothetical situation, the Bruins would be the 7th seed for the Eastern Conference.


Many familiar faces still are the heart and soul of the Bruins roster but there are also many new names that officials are high on and you should get to know. Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask are all veteran players who should be a big part of the Bruins success this season. Torey Krug, David Pastrnak and Jimmy Hayes are young and talented and, the Bruins hope, NHL ready. The Bruins made some great decisions in the off-season like trading Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings as the 28- year-old forward was set to make $13 million this season and become a free agent at season’s end. The Bruins also got rid of their brutally awful General Manager Peter Chiarelli.


As a new GM comes into office in any sport, he gets to also pick his head coach. The Bruins named Don Sweeney their new GM on May 20, but Sweeney was already part of the Bruins front office. He was an assistant to Cam Neely, who serves as president of Hockey Operations,  and also an assistant General Manager alongside Peter Chiarelli since 2008. Since Don was already in the organization, it’s not surprising that he kept head coach Claude Julien around. But it was not a smart decision either.


Wherever Julien has been the head coach, he runs the same system. He loves to dump the puck into the corner and play physical, hard-nosed, tough hockey. This kind of play is becoming less and less common within the NHL. Fewer fights occur and more skilled players are dominating play.


The biggest mistake Julien and Chiarelli ever made was trading winger Tyler Seguin from Boston in June 2013. The reason behind trading Seguin was that Julien didn’t like the fact that Seguin wouldn’t get back on defense fast enough after an offensive possession. But just two years later, only one of the four players received in the trade is still on the Bruins roster. Meanwhile, Seguin currently has the third most goals in the NHL as well as the most assists and points in the whole league. At the age of 23, he has the potential to be the best player in the NHL this year.


Which brings me back to the point of why is Claude Julien still the head coach of this hockey team? The Bruins’ young winger David Pastrnak has a similar skill set of Seguin. Last year, Julien expressed displeasure at the way Pastrnak plays defense at times. Pasternak’s playing minutes were much lower than someone with that much potential would normally receive. It  scares me to think that Julien will express the same displeasure to Sweeney and the Bruins will trade away another future superstar. The Bruins have the ability to make the playoffs this year and be a scary playoff team, just not with Claude Julien as their head coach.

	

	
	




	
	

				

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Lions Club Speech Contest Asks About Impact of Social Media

		

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Social media is everywhere, coming at us through our computers, tablets and ever-present phones. News, and rumors, spread to countless people at the touch of a button, in the blink of an eye. Everything these days has a hashtag. How has all this social media impacted our society? Has it changed it for the better, or for the worse?


That was the topic of the Lions Club Speech Contest, held yesterday at HHS. Participants had to write a short essay and then deliver a speech on the topic in front of three judges.


Freshman Cornelius “Haraden” Bottomley was the winner, with junior Aria Duff “coming in a close second,” according to Dr. Walsh, director of Humanities for HHS. Other participants included freshmen Abby Bulman, Abby Cummings, Julia Leskow, Ben Lee and Olivia Reddish; sophomores Sierra Little-Gill, Erica Perry, Alex Linn and Heather Nash; and seniors Andrea Bilton and Macy Hohenleitner.


For Andrea Bilton, social media has had a profound impact on not just how we express ourselves, but on how we value ourselves. “We have grown to associate positive feelings with every ‘like,’ ‘favorite’ and ‘follower’ that pops up on our phones,” she said in her speech. “We go through life with underlying motives – to accumulate Facebook friends, Instagram followers, and get the most ‘likes’ we possibly can.”


The topic was a challenge to Ben Lee, who felt he couldn’t really judge the impact of social media because he’s never experienced life without it.


“In order for me, or anyone my age, to compare life with and without social media, we would have had to live ‘on both sides of the fence’ and I haven’t,” he wrote in his speech.”There really isn’t a minute in the day where I don’t have my phone or when I am not on it. … I’m sure (social media) has had an effect but I couldn’t tell you what it is.”


 



	

	
	




	
	

			
	

				

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Can Hanover Football find postseason success?

		

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When Hanover beat Middleboro 48-14 last Friday, the Indians earned the Patriot League Championship. This was a huge accomplishment for the team since it was their first league title since 2008. It was an important victory since it was against the team that defeated them last year on their own turf for the league title. I would imagine that it feels great as a player to turn the tables and be champions.


Although they have won the league, they are not quite finished yet. Hanover is the number 3 seed in Division 3 and will hope to continue their success into the postseason. The football team has not had the best of times in the playoffs. They have not won a state championship in many years. The Indians haven’t even won a playoff in game in some time, so they should be anxious and ready to go out and win their first post-season game this Friday.


On Friday night at 7:00pm, Hanover takes on 6th-seeded Westwood on our home turf. It is the first home playoff game that the Indians have had in awhile, so a large crowd should be there in support. Let’s hope it’s a first step in the direction of the state title game at Gillette Stadium.

	

	
	




	
	

			
	

				

			Opinion
		

			
Will the Trump Get Stumped?

		

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By: Chris Acampora and Kristen Plahn 


Trump was a Democrat? 


According to CNN, in 2004 Donald Trump told them that, “In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat.” What is most shocking is his response to whether Hillary Clinton would do a good job in making a deal with Iran over their nuclear weapons program. “Hillary’s always surrounded herself with very good people. I think Hillary would do a good job,” he told CNN back then. It’s surprising to hear this especially when headlines like this come up: “Clinton, Trump trade insults as rhetoric heats up between front-runners.”


Trump’s Addiction to Twitter!


Donald Trump has recently been sending at least 40 tweets a day! Trump is definitely “high energy!” Jeb Bush, who Trump has considered, “low energy,” tweets less than 10 times a day.


Here are a few of Donald Trump’s recent memorable quotes!


October 26: Remember that Carson, Bush and Rubio are VERY weak on illegal immigration. They will do NOTHING to stop it. Our country will be overrun!


October 25: Ben Carson has never created a job in his life (well, maybe a nurse). I have created tens of thousands of jobs, it’s what I do.


 


October 24: @JebBush had a tiny 300 person crowd at Senator Tim Scott’s forum. I had thousands, and they had real passion!


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If Donald Trump cares so much about the people of America, then why does he want to eliminate vaccinations that keep thousands of people from getting sick? He says, “It happened to somebody that worked for me recently. I mean, they had this beautiful child, not a problem in the world, and all of the sudden they go in and they get this monster shot . . . they pump this into this little body and then all of the sudden the child is different a month later.” In reality, vaccinations, or, the ‘monster shot,’ save millions of people. Despite assurances from the CDC and research in scientific journals debunking any link between autism and vaccines, a movement opposed to existing vaccine protocols has taken root in the U.S., and Trump supports it.


But despite not wanting vaccinations in America, Trump still has been able to provide jobs to people who need them. Does that give you enough courage to vote for him though? We need a president who we can count on as a good and strong leader, not one who speaks of change for the better and the outcome is worse than before. Can we count on him?


Informal Poll: To Trump or Not to Trump


We asked some people around HHS if Donald Trump would make a good president if he won. Though our sample was small, the majority said that he would not be a good POTUS. Of the 12 students we surveyed, 10  said no, with one answering yes and one conceding “possibly.”


Of the 12, 10 said that they wouldn’t want Trump to win, one said yes to Trump, and one said possibly because, he “wanted to see how fast America will go downhill.”


A question for you is, who do you agree with? The yes group? The no group? Or, if you dare, the possibly group?


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Trump also has some good things going for him. He says what others candidates are afraid to say and speaks his mind. He also has lots of business experience that could boost the American economy. But what most voters need to realize is that the next president will affect Americans for the next 4-8 years! So maybe he’s fun to laugh at now, but American politics is no comedy! In the long run, a Trump presidency would likely turn our laughter to tears.


Have something you want to say, let your voice be heard in the comments below