Tag Archives: 2016-2017

Will David Ortiz Make it into the Hall Of Fame?

October 5, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

This year, we have watched the final season of the historic career of the greatest Red Sox player ever, David Ortiz. Yes, Ortiz is the greatest of all time and, to be honest, it’s not even close. Names like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice are all worthy of the discussion, but Ortiz is the clear winner. You can find unbelievable statistics for all of these players, but Ortiz can match them and then bring so much more. Over his career, he has belted 503 homers and 584 doubles for a .547 slugging percentage. He is the most clutch hitter in baseball history. There’s no debate that in the big stage Ortiz always pulls through and there’s no one who’s been more dominant at the DH position. Factor in what he’s meant to the city of Boston, and it’s undeniable: Ortiz has been incredible. Despite all of this, many people wonder if Big Papi will be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I wonder why it’s even a debate.

My problem with baseball is how Hall of Fame voters and and big-time baseball writers place so much value on irrelevant stats. To be in the Hall of Fame, you do need the career statistics to back it up. But what can be degraded or ignored is the value you provide to a franchise. Ortiz changed the game in that every time he comes to bat the entire defense shifts to the right side of the field. Yes, the shift was going on before Ortiz’s career but not to the magnitude in which it is now. It’s a common occurrence that teams shift their defense for players. His dominant play and legacy in the game should outweigh any holes in his statistical résumé.

The biggest issue that could hurt Ortiz’s chances of winning election to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot would be his link to steroids. The New York Times reported that Ortiz tested positive in 2003 for performance-enhancing drugs and his long-time trainer, Angel Presinal, is banned for working with any MLB franchise for dealing steroids. I think it’s fair to say he took steroids at some point, but I think it was a time and era that consisted of a lot of illegal drug use in baseball. Ortiz was accused on multiple occasions, but never found guilty. Most fans have moved on . . . and rightfully so. But Hall of Fame voters don’t treat players linked to steroids very well. Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield are just a small sample of players who are eligible for the Hall of Fame but have not gotten in because of drug use. The difference between these players and Ortiz is that Ortiz was never found guilty. There were accusations but no hard proof.

It will be very interesting to see how the voters look at Ortiz when he becomes eligible for election five years from now. How will his legacy hold up? Personally I believe Ortiz absolutely deserves to be in Cooperstown. I wonder if the Hall of Fame voters will agree with me.

Sports

Girls Soccer Eyes Tourney Spot Despite Tough Start

October 3, 2016 The Hawk 1 Comment

The Girls soccer team is about halfway through its season and, despite a tough start, shows signs of picking up momentum. With three freshmen starters and only four seniors, the young team has learned to work together to get the job done. Although their 3-5-3 record may not reflect the effort and teamwork the girls have put in, they always try to start positive.

One tough loss came to Notre Dame Academy, 7-3. NDA scored first early in the game, but Hanover’s senior captain Erin Petrocelli evened it up late in the first half. Any confidence the team had going into the second half was quickly deflated when NDA scored three goals in the first 10 minutes. Hanover continued to battle but NDA scored 3 more times, leaving the score 7-1 with 15 minutes left to play. It was tough to look at that scoreboard, but Coach Mike Fraser talked with some key players, and juniors Alyssa Frates and Marissa Shoulla fired back to end the game at 7-3.

“I think the NDA game was a serious wakeup call for the team,” said captain Kate Joy. “But we have some winnable games coming up so I look forward to working hard and seeing how things turn out.”

After the tough loss to NDA, the girls played Quincy on their home turf. It was a pretty even match but early in the second half Frates got tripped in the box and Petrocelli sored off the penalty kick. Frates later added a goal off a rebound from senior captain Julianna Stacy, and Hanover won 2-1 for their first win. Sophomore Amanda Armstrong had a very strong game at center-mid, winning 50/50 balls and getting the ball up the field. The team added another win that week against North Quincy.

“I love hanging out with them everyday between team dinner, bus rides and practices,” said freshman Dottie Tilden. “I don’t want this season to end.”

This year, things have changed a little for the 18 varsity players. To make tournament in the past, all the team had to do was beat Middleboro once. Since Middleboro is no longer in the same division, the girls must win nine games or beat Norwell to qualify for tournament. Last year, Norwell’s Varsity team won its division. Coach Fraser keeps the team’s spirits high by telling them to keep their eyes on the prize and if we work together and work hard, it will come.

The girls head into this week with two home games: Monday against Rockland and a Thursday night game against NDA.

Google Photo Album from #HHSTribe

Sports

Week 3: Rookie QBs Shine

October 3, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

Week 3 of the NFL season started off with a Thursday night game from the New England Patriots, who were again the underdog without their star QB, or even their second-stringer. But the Pats found a way to come out on top. Not only did the Patriots win but they defeated the Houston Texans 27-0, led by a big game from running back LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. (Week 4 didn’t go as well for the Pats, but we’re not going to talk about that today)

The week was not as action-packed with close games as earlier weeks had been. Only seven games were decided by one possession and none were decided by only one point. One nail-biter was the Miami Dolphins, who defeated the Cleveland Browns 30-24 in overtime after Browns kicker Cody Parkey missed a game-winning field goal to end regulation. In the bitter rivalry between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, the Redskins won 29-27. Dustin Hopkins kicked five field goals including the game winner with 1:51 left in the game. The Baltimore Ravens kept alive their hopes for an undefeated season by defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-17.

After week 3, five teams remained undefeated: the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. Three of these teams are being carried by rookie quarterbacks: Broncos’ Trevor Siemian, Patriots’ Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo, and Eagles’ Carson Wentz. The Vikings also picked up a new quarterback, Sam Bradford, after their QB Teddy Bridgewater was injured in Week 1.

There were a few other entertaining games from Week 3. The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the New York Jets 24-3 due to a terrific performance from the Chiefs defense, which forced a total of eight turnovers and two fumbles and scored two touchdowns. Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick also gave up six interceptions .

Standout players from Week 3 included Detroit Lions WR Marvin Jones, who caught for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the Atlanta Falcons, RB Devonta Freeman had 200 total yards and a touchdown and RB Tevin Coleman had 90 total yards and three touchdowns.

Entertainment

A Feast of Books in Bite-Sized Reviews

September 30, 2016 Sue McHugh 2 Comments

Since school let out in June, I’ve been reading a veritable feast of books. Fiction as varied as a box of chocolates, biographies as savory as a rack of spices, and nonfiction as filling as a four-course meal. My figurative pants were feeling snug from all of the great books I’d devoured, but I was eager for yet another helping. September forced me to go on a bit of a diet as demands on my time changed, but now that my family and I have settled into the school routine, I’ve been able to pull up once again to the buffet that is the world of books.

Like any foodie who posts pics of favorite meals to social media, I wanted to share some of the books that I’ve been sampling. Below are bite-sized reviews of a few titles that I think you’ll find satisfying and — at the risk of pushing the food puns too far — downright delicious. All of these can be borrowed from the HHS library.

FICTION

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez: Inspired by a true event, the 1937 explosion of an East Texas school that killed 300 people, this novel follows the experiences of a Mexican-American girl and an African-American boy whose growing love crosses racial barriers and risks another kind of eruption. Extremely well-written, riveting and heartbreaking.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie: Best known as the lead actor on TV’s House, Laurie’s novel about gun runners, secret agents and billionaires is funny and full of action. It actually reminded me of a lighter version of The Night Manager, the recent AMC series about international arms dealers starring Laurie and Tom Hiddleston.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: No, this is not a sequel, prequel or related in any way to the Fifty Shades of Grey series. This novel is about the killings, imprisonments and deportations of thousands committed during Josef Stalin’s “reign of terror.” When Stalin’s Soviet Union invaded the Baltic nation of Lithuania in 1939, he ordered attacks on doctors, lawyers, professors, political activists and pretty much anyone he thought could pose a threat to his rule. Lina’s family was among them, enduring hard labor, starvation and unimaginable abuse in Siberian prison camps.

NONFICTION

Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith: I picked up this nonfiction account, recommended by Mrs. McCusker, soon after Ali died in June. It sheds light on the evolution of both men, the preacher into a radical leader and the athlete into a racial and religious symbol. It humanized men I’d known more as icons than as people.

Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey and In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall: Both books focus on passionate women who devoted their lives to studying, and saving, endangered primates in Africa. Fossey spent years living with mountain gorillas; Goodall’s focus was on chimpanzees. Both furthered the world’s knowledge of the animals at a time when women often weren’t taken seriously in science, and their conservation work has had a lasting impact. Part memoir and part zoology lesson, the women and animals made this pair of books hard to put down.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman: Don’t be embarrassed if you’ve never heard of the Hmong. I’d mistakenly grouped them with the Vietnamese refugees who came here after the fall of Saigon. They’re a different culture, from an entirely different Southeast Asian country. But the lessons learned from this book — that doctors must be culturally sensitive, that medicine is not always stronger than spiritual beliefs — could apply to any interaction between different ethnic groups. The book follows a young girl with epilepsy and how stereotypes and misunderstandings nearly cost her life.

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel: In 2007-2008, the author followed an Army unit serving on the front lines of Iraq. Deployed as part of President George W. Bush’s “surge,” which he believed would end the war, these soldiers began their tour with vigor and ended it physically and emotionally ripped apart. The author’s heart-wrenching descriptions of battles, soldiers wounded or killed, and the families left behind will stick with you for a long time.

The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff: Even I will admit that this was a long book that took a while to get through. But if you’re interested in history or journalism, it’s fascinating. The book explores the role of the media in the Civil Rights Movement, and how the stories and images conveyed on racial issues impacted the nation. The book really highlighted the power of the media for and against change. We’ve read about and seen the famous pictures from the Freedom Marches and Little Rock Nine, but this book takes you behind the scenes with the journalists who often risked their lives to tell the story.

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester: When I was in graduate school to become a librarian, I had my first experience with the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s immense, it’s amazing, it’s intimidating. The years and effort it took to create a record of every word in the English language, including its origin and earliest printed use, must have been astounding. But that alone wouldn’t make it interesting to read about. The madman makes it interesting. An American locked for decades in a British hospital for the criminally insane — who also happened to be an incredible genius — played an unforgettable role in the project. Much of what we know about the English language today, we owe to him.

Featured image is from The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

Opinion

College Fair or Unfair?

September 30, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

Last week was my first experience with a college fair, an event held in the gymnasium where colleges from all over the country (but mostly from New England) set up tables explaining key details of their curriculum. Before going in, I had expected it to be something like an elementary school science fair: trifold presentations littered around seemingly at random. In this aspect, I was gladly wrong. The tables were set up with clear information as to the courses offered, tuition and other important information. The schools were also organized in alphabetical order, with the Army being right near the door and the Ws at the back of the gym. However this was the only thing about the fair that exceeded my expectations. For such a fairly important event, I had expected an hour dedicated to walking the floor and getting a good chance to speak with the representatives of the colleges. What really happened was a slapdash of running around and collecting pamphlets upon pamphlets upon pamphlets, all within the span of about 10 minutes.

By the start of the next period, my binder was bulging with an excess of stickers and brochures. The representatives seemed to realize that they only had so much time and never stopped to talk about what their school offered. The best experience I had at a single booth was where the representative gave me a list of schools that were better than his for my chosen major (none of which were at the fair).

But, there is still hope. From the sound of it, the seniors and juniors got significantly more time to explore, which makes sense since they will be applying to college before I will. Also, the fair had been going on for a little while and the representatives were probably tired of having to explain why their college is the best choice for everyone. So ultimately it didn’t live up to my expectations, but I can see why and I’m hopeful for next year.

Opinion

Forget the Presidential Debate, GIF vs JIF is the One We Care About

September 27, 2016 cacampora19 Leave a comment

By: Chris Acampora – Featuring Kristen Plahn for team ‘GIF’

bugs-bunny

This article is best viewed at www.hhsindian.com to see GIFs in their full glory. (But we still love you if you’re reading this in print)

Everyone has seen a GIF. Even if you think you haven’t, you have.

keyboard-cat dancing-banana

C’mon. You’ve have to admit you’ve seen these before.

The Internet has is very serious with GIFs. Even Google Docs recognizes the GIF. (Although I wouldn’t put one on your next essay for English class).

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It was created almost 30 years ago (seriously, it’s that old) by Steve Wilhite. Its purpose was to achieve “video” but load quickly on the slow Internet speeds of the past. It is accomplished using lossless compression, a technique where file size is shrunk, while still retaining good image quality.

The GIF, though, has been plagued by a raging debate. Is it pronounced ‘gif’ or ‘jif’? The debate over the pronunciation of GIF has ruined lives, marriages and friendships, so it needs to stop. That is why today we have decided to try to put an end to it.

Team Soft G: Chris

slow-jif

Wilhite, while accepting a lifetime achievement award in 2013, told The New York Times how annoyed he was over the pronunciation debate. “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both definitions. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,” pronounced ‘jif.”

The guy has a lifetime achievement award. You should respect his creation! A lot of things don’t sound like they are written: pneumonia, aisle, tsunami, xylophone, eight . . . to name a few.

‘Gif’ people are such hypocrites. The most common image file, the .JPEG, stands for Joint Photographic Expert Group. Since the “ph” in photographic is pronounced like an “F,” then people who say ‘gif’ should say ‘jfeg,’ right? But they don’t.

Team Hard G: Kristen

slow-gif

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Look closely at the first word: graphics. How is graphics pronounced? With a hard ‘G’. If you need more proof than that, just look at almost all of the one-syllable words that start with the letter ‘G’, like guy, gum, gun, gain, grain, game, gift . . . I could go on. In one poll by The Los Angeles Times, more than 60 percent of people pronounced the word with a hard ‘G’ sound! To understand how GIF came to be pronounced as ‘JIF,’ you can look back to Wilhite saying that the only reason he wanted to pronounce it as ‘JIF’ was because of the peanut butter company! If the company Jif was never created, then GIF would be only pronounced with a hard ‘G’.

Conclusion

The final answer to this debate is up to YOU, the Reader. Will you pick team ‘GIF’ or ‘JIF?’ Use the arguments here, and the further reading listed below, to make your decision. The only way to come to a world-wide decision and finally settle the issue is to get people passionate about your side. What is written here doesn’t matter if YOU, the Reader, don’t pick side. So go ahead. Make a choice. . . Tell us your answer in the comments.

Sources & Further Reading

Sports

NFL’s Week 2 is Full of Surprises

September 23, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

Week 2 of the NFL season did not have as many close games as we saw in Week 1, but it surely was a great week of football.

There was only one game decided by one point, and that was the Tennessee Titans win over the Detroit Lions 16-15. Detroit led for the majority of the game but Titans QB Marcus Mariota clinched the game by throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Johnson with one minute left.

Eleven games were won by just one possession. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns, 25-20. Cleveland led 20-2 after the first quarter but was unable to score another point for the rest of the game. The New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills 37-31 in a surprising offensive showdown. The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-24 after QB Jimmy Garoppolo was injured and third string QB Jimmy Brissett went in.

There were two major upsets this week. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 17-14, while star Vikings RB Adrian Peterson suffered an injury that will keep him out 3-4 months. And in the first game that the Rams played in Los Angeles since moving to St. Louis 20 years ago, LA defeated the Seattle Seahawks in a very low scoring game of 9-3.

Some major performers this week included Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton, who threw for 353 yards and 4 touchdowns, Jets RB Matt Forte, who ran for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Vikings WR Stefon Diggs, who caught for 182 yards and a touchdown. If you had any of these people on your fantasy team last week, you were all good.

So far the NFL season has been very interesting and let’s hope it stays that way.

Sports

Cross Country Teams Hitting their Stride

September 23, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

The Hanover boys and girls Cross Country teams have started their fall seasons in full stride. Both teams have worked under the training of Coach Brown and Coach McLean through rain, sun, and ninety-degree weather, but have kept their pace up long enough and fast enough to pose as serious competitors in the Patriot League.

As a captain of the Hanover girls Cross Country team, I can fully attest to the hard work of my teammates. So far, the girls have won two meets out of three, including a victory on their 2.5 mile home course Sept. 20. Hanover beat Plymouth South 26-31 (the lowest score wins in cross country). Their other win, a one-point victory, came against Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. In that 5K meet, senior Niamh Kenney led the way for Hanover with a 22:03 time, and sophomore Alyssa Nee followed close behind with 22:13. Their only loss came in a fierce race against Plymouth North High School on September 7, where they fell short by 12 points.

The boys team has raced superbly against difficult competition, but is still looking for its first win. At the Whitman-Hanson meet, sophomore Nick Courtney led his team with a time of 18:06 and finished fourth in the race. All of the boys have demonstrated commendable effort and seen incredible results.

Last Saturday, the girls and boys raced 2.5 miles up steep hills and across big green fields at the Big Wave XC Invitational meet held at Apponequet Regional High School. All of the runners did exceptionally well, particularly considering how early it still is in the season.

For any Hanover High School students interested, there is still time to join the Cross Country team. Speed and running backgrounds are completely unnecessary; the goal is progress and joining the fight together as a team. Hanover Cross Country has potential this season for serious victory, and each and every runner on the team is an incredible asset for making that success a reality. I have no doubt that the hard work of Hanover’s Cross Country runners will be evident in all of their accomplishments this season.

Entertainment

In Towers Falling, a Novel Approach to Understanding 9/11

September 21, 2016 Sue McHugh Leave a comment

The commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have passed, but as we held a moment of silence for those who died that day, I wondered how much do students really know about what happened. To adults my age, it’s not history; it’s something we lived through and will never forget. And being in the Boston area, where two of the planes originated, many of us have connections to someone who was directly impacted by that day. But if you’re a freshman, you likely weren’t even alive; if you’re a senior, you may have still been in diapers. In both cases, you may have little understanding of the events beyond what’s been covered in history class.

That’s where media comes in, the countless documentaries, news specials, fictionalized reenactments and books hoping to shed some light on the story. Since I personally still have a hard time looking at pictures or video of the planes slamming into the World Trade Center, I naturally head toward books to help me not just understand, but to remember and, even after all this time, to grieve.

Unfortunately, for years, I couldn’t find any good books about what happened (and this is a librarian talking!). There were children’s books, inspired by a fireboat that helped rescue survivors in New York or a general push toward kindness and tolerance. There were adult books, dense tomes trying to follow the paper trail toward the attackers and their financial backers. There were books that recorded survivors’ testimonials, chronicled the hero dogs that helped dig through wreckage for body parts, or recounted the devastating effects on soldiers who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq during the seemingly endless War on Terror. There is a great novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer, about a boy trying to make sense of his father’s death in the attacks, but at 368 pages, it scares some students away.

Then I found Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Set in the boroughs of New York City ten years later, the book follows 10-year-old Deja in her struggle to understand why her father went “crazy” after Sept. 11, why he can’t hold a job and the family must live in a cramped homeless shelter. In school, her classes memorialize the attacks, but don’t really understand the ramifications, the effects still rippling through people’s lives. With the help of her friend Ben, whose father served in the military, and Sabeen, who has been bullied for being Muslim, Deja uncovers her family’s long-held secret. She finally understands why her father is the way he is.

Although this book is geared for middle schoolers (grades 4-7 if you read the reviews), I bought two copies for the HHS Library. Sure, the main characters are younger, but I think many of us can relate to their confusion over something that adults feel was life-changing but is mere ancient history to them. When I read about Pearl Harbor or Vietnam, I feel the same sense of detachment that young people may feel about 9/11. This novel can help students explore and process their feelings about the attacks, and the memorial services that come every September. It’s done without being overly graphic or unnecessarily somber, and I would recommend that every HHS student devote the few hours it would take to read this short novel.

News

Which Club at HHS is the Best Fit for You?

September 21, 2016 The Hawk Leave a comment

This article has been updated to reflect changes for the 2017-2018 school year.

Coming back this fall as a senior, there are a lot of things I am proud to have been a part of during my time at high school. For all the freshmen this year and even the returning upperclassmen, my biggest advice would be to take part in sports teams, clubs, and school events when you have the opportunity. Not only will you have something to write on your college applications, but you will make some of the best friends you will ever have and have a lot of fun.

Here are the clubs we offer:

Art Club: Advised by Mr. Crawford (room 108), the art club hangs out after school and finds creative ways to express themselves through art. Whether you like to doodle, sketch, draw, paint or look through the viewfinder of a camera, Art Club may be for you.

Aviation Club: This club was started by a few students who had an interest in planes and flight. Students work with Mr. Matt Plummer (main office) to use flight simulators and work on aviation-related projects.

Be Better Club: Advised by our Guidance Department, this new club brings students together to bring out the best in themselves and each other. The focus is on doing good within the school and community. Stop by Guidance for more information.

Debate Team: This club strengthens students’ skills in public speaking and developing arguments. Students travel to different schools to take part in debates, where they are scored on several aspects including preparation and delivery. The topic is set by the league and researched in advance, but students have to be ready for whatever argument their opponents throw at them. See the main office if you’re interested.

Dirty Work: Started two years ago, this club meets after school weekly to use their green thumbs to help better our gardens and communities. The plot they’ve tended, located near the school courtyard, has grown wildflowers as well as tomatoes, zucchini and other vegetables. Advised by Mrs. Emerson (room 215) and Mrs. Curtis (room 208), Dirty Work members have high hopes and big plans for expanding their garden and community impact.

Diversity Club: If you couldn’t tell by the name, this club is for absolutely anyone. This club allows you to express and embrace your diversity with other students in the school, always being respectful of everyone and their differences. Advised by Ms. Wade (room 120), the club provides a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Drama Club: The drama club puts on a few big performances each year, directed by Ms. Snavely. This fall, students are working on the musical Oklahoma, which will debut in November. If you’re not comfortable being in the spotlight, you can always help behind the scenes as a member of the crew.

Fashion Club: Founded by Class of 2015 grads Haley Martin and Bruna Dacosta, the Fashion Club allows for students to express themselves through fashion, while keeping up on trends and starting new fads within the school. This club, advised by Mrs. Gallagher (Guidance), put on a breathtaking fashion show just a couple years ago, and all who attended and participated were truly struck by all of the hard work the fashion club had put in.

Friendship Connection: Advised by Mrs. Gately (room 308), this club is absolutely life-changing, and allows you to make incredible friendships with special needs students. This club participates in Special Olympics and Unified sports, where special needs students and their peers compete side by side.

Green Team: This club is advised by Ms. Egan (Guidance) and comes together after school each Wednesday to collect all of the recycled materials from the bins all over the school. If you are looking for community service hours or would like to make a difference on our planet, join this club and be an advocate for reducing, reusing, and recycling.

LitMag: The literary magazine allows you to express yourself through short stories, poetry, essays, artwork and photography. Advised by Ms. Fay (room 208), the magazine is accepting submissions for the first issue.

Math Team: Math team travels to different schools to participate in meets. The math team director is Dr. DeFranzo (room 219), who helps students practice for the meets which are based around all different math topics including geometry, algebra, trigonometry and calculus. If you have a knack for math, want to sharpen your skills, or you just like eating pizza with a cool group of people, join this team.

News Club/The Indian: If you’re reading this, you know that the News Club publishes all of its articles on its very own website, www.hhsindian.com. The Indian covers a wide range of topics, from entertainment to sports to politics. Anyone is allowed to submit articles, and there are deadlines every week for writers to follow. Meetings are held in the library every Tuesday. Advised by Mrs. McHugh (library), club members have also taken field trips to learn more about journalism.

Red Cross Club: A few times a year, there is a blood drive that takes place here at our school and allows all who are eligible to give blood. This club organizes and staffs the blood drives and raises money for the Red Cross efforts in the community. It is advised by Mrs. Curley (room 110) and Mrs. Davis (Nurse’s office).

Robotics Club: This club, advised by Ms. Borgeson (room 116), focuses on learning about robots and technology. This club gets to play with our school’s very own robot, Nao, and participate at competitions.

SADD: SADD stands for “Students Against Destructive Decisions” and is a club that works with Mrs. Rapalje (Guidance) to stray from drugs, alcohol, and destructive decisions as a whole. One event the club has done in the past has been a Day of Silence, in which members vow not to speak the entire day to bring awareness to bullying faced by LGBTQ students.

Student Council: Student Council is for anyone and everyone. This club, directed by Mr. Hegarty and Mr. Centorino (room 308), is full of endless opportunities, whether you’re looking to do community service, organize school events, or just be a part of something in general. Elections for class officer and representative positions are held each spring, and students who do not get elected are recommended to attend meetings as honorary representatives.

Yearbook: Although yearbooks are mainly purchased by seniors, the staff includes all of the grades and recaps the entire school year with pictures and captions. Mrs. Coates (room 220) leads the club throughout the year to work on the keepsake that graduates will look back on for years to come.