Tag Archives: 2016-2017

Sports

Patriots Win But Take A Big Hit

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The New England Patriots came out in their home opener rolling against the Miami Dolphins. The absence of quarterback Tom Brady seemed to be the least of the Patriots problems as, for the second straight week, the offense operated as a strong unit. Jimmy Garoppolo had played beyond my expectations in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, one of the best defenses in the National Football League. Week 2 against Miami shouldn’t have been any different, since the game was at home and against a lesser opponent. Garoppolo and the Patriots’ offense steamrolled the Dolphins, and the defense was the dominant force it should be all season. Even with a second-half Miami comeback, the Patriots were still able to beat the Dolphins 31-24.     

The win came at a huge expense, though, as Garoppolo was hit in the second quarter and injured on the play. He sustained an AC joint separation in this throwing shoulder and did not return to the game. The timetable for his return is still in question as the extent of the injury still hasn’t been announced. Some reports say Garoppolo could be out four weeks and other reports say he could playing in Week 4 in the final game before Brady returns from suspension. Moral of the story is that this isn’t good for the Patriots. They have it tough enough playing the Houston Texans on a short week Thursday night. Jacoby Brissett will start that game for the Patriots, and for a rookie quarterback who is not ready to play in the NFL at this stage in his career, it’s a tough situation to be thrown into.

Garoppolo has truly impressed me during the small sample of playing we’ve seen from him. He seems to operate well in New England’s offense and consistently made great decisions while having the ball in his hand. I don’t want Garoppolo traded after Brady’s suspension is over unless a bad team wants to make an overwhelming deal. Based on what we’ve seen, Garopollo has the makings of a future starting quarterback, and something very radical would have to be offered in the Patriots’ favor in order for me to accept his trade. 

The pressure for long term falls onto Brady’s shoulders now. I don’t think anyone is here to push Brady out the door, but people now know if he’s not getting the job done, there’s someone already on their team who can. For the short term, pressure falls on Bill Belichick. Can he manage to beat a true up-and-coming team in the Houston Texans with a third-string quarterback? Belichick is known widely as the best coach in the league and Thursday night will be a huge challenge for him and the Patriots.

Opinion

Homework: Should It Stay or Should It Go?

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It’s a dreaded part of the school curriculum. It’s long, arduous, repetitive, and you just want it to be over with. No, I’m not talking about standardized testing (I’m saving that for another day), I’m talking about homework. If you’ve watched the news recently, you’ve probably seen stories about Cherry Park Elementary in Oregon. The principal has joined a handful of others across the country in banning homework. While this isn’t the most relevant school to acknowledge, it is the most recent. It also shows that the number of schools dumping homework is increasing, although most of these schools are elementary schools. There has also been research done that shows that there are many benefits of having a regular homework schedule aside from reinforcing learning. To try to sort through the issue, I have interviewed parents, teachers, and students on how they view homework and read the latest research. 

Go:

In 2007, a group of researchers conducted the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This study involved interviewing students from 59 countries worldwide about their academic experience. The study showed that US students are right in the middle of the 59 countries studied. But the most interesting result was that some of the highest scoring countries on the TIMSS’ math exam – Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan – were shown having ‘heavy workloads’ below the international mean. This trend was common with most countries studied; there was no correlation between high scores and extreme homework. Excessive homework was commonly seen in countries with lower income and higher inequality. There have also been links found between excessive homework and sleep deprivation and a negative attitude toward academic achievement. Policies that completely eliminate homework have also been cited as problematic, and are almost universally disparaged. However the main takeaway from all of this research is that homework has no conclusive effect on grades and learning.

Stay:

While homework has no conclusive benefits on grades, there is evidence that it is beneficial in other ways. One of the most influential effects it has is that it teaches work and time management skills to younger children. It also lets children learn which way they study best and how to become independent. Homework itself is split into two smaller subcategories, instructional and noninstructional. Instructional homework is standard rinse and repeat, practice-practice-practice work that primarily reinforces what students are learning in the classroom. The other type of homework, noninstructional,  is assigned for interaction between students and parents, or students and their classmates. This type of homework has been tested far less, but has been shown to very effectively allow students to socialize with others in order to complete a task, thus building teamwork and other character-building traits.

The Verdict:

All in all, this is a very tough question to answer just yet. There hasn’t been conclusive research done recently enough to make a call and what research has been done has been focused on younger grades where students are beginning to develop and need the extra practice. High school is a much different story about much different people who are very much different in their own ways. The best answer anyone can give right now is that homework should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Students who aren’t being challenged don’t need more homework, they need time (and motivation) to challenge themselves. Students who are being challenged don’t need the extra stress of daily assignments. But the average U.S. student should be able to handle the current level of homework assigned in this country. Until grades start dropping like flies and the main culprit is Undesirable #1, there’s nothing we can do but accept that homework will be homework.

Works Cited

  1. LeTendre, Gerald K. “Homework Could Have an Effect on Kids’ Health. Should Schools Ban It?” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
  2. Pawlowski, A. “How a “no-homework” Policy Is Working for These Schools.”TODAY.com. TODAY, 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
  3. “What Research Says about the Value of Homework: Research Review.” What Research Says about the Value of Homework: Research Review. Center for Public Education, 5 Feb. 2007. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.
News

Students Like Later Mornings, But Not Later Dismissal

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We all know and love it: the controversy of the later start time. Though widely opposed by the student body, the start time was pushed back 30 minutes in the morning this fall, moving dismissal back 24 minutes in the afternoon. The controversy has transferred over as the start time has graduated from theory to practice, and opinions continue to pour in from both camps.

Mr. Paquette, HHS principal, had nothing but good things to say about the change. One point he made was on morning traffic. “We have seen our traffic problem in the morning almost disappear because people can trickle in throughout the morning thanks to the flexibility as well as the organization of student parking,” he said.  Mr. Paquette also noted a drastic decrease in tardiness as well as a more relaxed feeling in the mornings. Upon being asked about the widely negative reception by the student body, he attributed it to simply being a side effect of change, and one which will diminish as the students adjust.

As for student opinions, the sentiment is generally the same.

“I feel more rested in the morning but crash midday,” said senior Hannah Lee, encapsulating one of the the most common reactions across the board. Alissa Tofuri, another senior, was also able to capture the students’ general feelings. “Getting out at 2:40 sucks,” she said, “I’m always rushing to go from one place to another because we get out so much later.”

Others find the later mornings to have almost no effect on their routines. “I still get up at the same time, so all I really notice is that we get out later,” said a sophomore who chose to remain anonymous.

Students with afterschool jobs find the 2:40 conclusion of the day to be hurtful. “I’m losing so many hours at work,” said exasperated senior Hanna Cameron, “It’s making me so mad.”

Others have a hard time seeing the benefit. Nick Jones, a junior here at HHS, said “I’m not a huge fan to be honest. I just end up feeling more tired at school and they had to change a lot of things they wouldn’t have had to if they hadn’t changed the time.”

“I don’t see how 30 minutes in the morning benefits us,” said a confused sophomore. “It feels like the day drags on longer and it doesn’t seem to benefit anyone. In the morning it’s just adding 30 minutes for me to get coffee or eat breakfast. I hope they change it back, I liked school so much better last year.”

Flustered sophomore Anna McCarthy struggles to see the benefit of the extra 30 minutes to sleep. “I’m just as tired! Can you see the creased concealer hiding the bags under my eyes?”

Those who enjoy the later time in full are few and far between. One sophomore said, “I get to wake up 45 minutes later and I love it, I don’t really notice the afternoons.” Senior Molly McCarthy said, “Everybody hates it but I’m excited. I don’t really feel pressure in the afternoons unless I have to work.”

All in all, however, every student agrees on one thing: The HHS School day is incredibly long. Statistics in last year’s presentation describing the benefits of the start time revealed HHS’ school day as one of the longest in the state and the longest on the South Shore.

“Somehow towns all around us go to school after us and get out before us,” said one exasperated sophomore, “I want to know Hanover’s reasoning for being 7 hours.”  

State law dictates that students must be in school for a minimum of 180 days, with a minimum of 990 instructional hours for high school students (http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=6682). The Hanover High school day sits at six hours and 45 minutes, which when multiplied by 180 days reaches 1,161 hours of instructional time. Though this does not account for the time lost in half days, those initial calculations place Hanover High at 171 hours over the statewide minimum. With 18 half days in the calendar, the instructional time drops to 1,125 hours, approximating two hours lost on each half day. Still, this sits 135 hours above state minimum.

All in all, the feelings on the start time are mixed, but students are more worried about another problem… why so long?

Sports

‘Tis the Season: Week 1

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Football is back! I don’t know if you’re as excited as me, but I spent all Sunday on the couch watching football and eating anything and everything that  I could.

The first official game started off on Thursday night. The matchup was the Denver Broncos vs the Carolina Panthers, a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Denver defense held off the Carolina Panthers just enough to help their rookie quarterback, Trevor Siemian, win the game. Panthers kicker Graham Gano didn’t help when he missed a 50-yard field goal.

In addition to the Broncos-Panthers game, there were three other games in the first week that were decided by only one point! The Cincinnati Bengals beat the New York Jets 23-22 due to a big game from Bengals receiver AJ Green, who received for 180 yards and a touchdown. The New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20-19 and the Oakland Raiders tok down the New Orleans Saints in a high scoring nail-biter 35-34.

A total of 11 games in Week 1 were decided by only one possession! There was the shocker in Indianapolis, where the Detroit Lions upset the Colts after a big game from Detroit running backs Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah. The Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 21-point deficit against the San Diego Chargers to win in overtime thanks to their second string running back Spencer Ware. Ware rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown and received for 129 yards.

There were four quarterbacks who made their first NFL start last week. Jimmy Garoppolo of the New England Patriots threw for 264 yards and a touchdown in defeating the Arizona Cardinals. In the Broncos win over Carolina, Siemian threw  for 178 yards and a touchdown. Carson Wentz led the Philadelphia Eagles over the Cleveland Browns in one of the few blowout games of the week while throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys’ Dak Prescott lost his first game in a very close game against the Giants, but threw for 227 yards.

Week 1 was certainly very exciting with many close games and outstanding individual performances. Lets hope Week 2 can be even better.