Senior Maeghan McGuirk’s yearly performance based project, Afternoon with the Arts, was held on May 26, 2010 and was a huge success. Students from all

grades and with all different artistic backgrounds performed and did an excellent job! If students had an artistic side, the Maeghan displayed their works of art in the library. Although the auditorium was extremely hot, The Afternoon with the Arts performances during G and A periods was a nice way to end the hot afternoon. Some of the performances included a song by Anne Ransom, Zach Holme playing guitar and singing several songs, John Howard singing and playing guitar, and Mr. Rubin, Mr. Holcomb, Mr. Petrucci, Mr. Gerth, Ms. Lawrence, Mrs. Mirza, and Mr. Censabella with an interesting skit portraying several students in the school. Overall, the performances went very well and the project was a huge success.

As the summer approaches, you physically start feeling better. The weather gets warmer, pools and beaches open, schools close down, and you can hang out with friends more often. But how would you feel if you couldn't even get out of bed in the morning? That's how it is for people with Multiple Sclerosis. According t o t h e N a t i o n a l M . S . S o c i e t y (nationalmssociety.org), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that is shown by lesions on the brain and spinal cord, but the bigger problem is how it destroys myelin. Myelin is a fatty layer that insulates the nerves in your body, and when that's destroyed, it causes many other nerve related problems. Symptoms can include double vision, blurred vision, black spots in the eyes, slurred speech, the feeling of pins and needles, weakness, dizziness, and temporary paralysis/permanent paralysis. It also causes heat intolerance, or pseudo exacerbation, which means that the symptoms of MS gets worse in the heat, to a point where it's unbearable. MS is becoming more widely known as the disease grows and grows. Every hour, another person is diagnosed w i t h M S . A l t h o u g h d o c t o r s a n d researchers do not know yet what causes it, or if it's hereditary or not,

there are still ways to help. The MS walk of 2010 is coming up in August - September in many areas near us. The Challenge Walk MS this year will be heldin Cape Cod on September 11-12. It is a 50 kilometer, 2 day walk with a 75$ registration fee that starts in Brewster and ends in Guard Beach on day one, and then day two the walkers head to Dennis for the finale where they have a barbeque set up. There are cabins in Brewster for the walkers to stay in overnight that have 6-10 people a cabin, but if you want, you can get your own place. If you don't like to walk, then try the Bike MS. For more i n f o r m a t i o n g o t o www.nationalmssociety.org and click on "Get Involved." This is a great way to help out, and you could even receive community service hours.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

LUKE ALLISONBy: Azka Siddiqui

Seekonk High School's all-star football and hockey player, high honor-roll achieving student, and good friend, Luke Allison, has had an unforgettable moment in his life when h is dreams were about to be shattered. Fortunately, luck was on his s i d e , a n d h e w a s a b l e t o , unhesitatingly, think about the long future ahead of him again after he was close to being paralyzed.  It was in 2005 during hockey practice when the incident occurred. It was his first practice after several weeks. According to him, the practice went smoothly until the drills. "Then, it happened. I was skating full force into the boards playing for the puck," he says, remembering the painful moment. His skate caught on the edge on the ice which sent him headfirst into the boards.        The ambulance was immediately called. "I was absolutely terrified at this point, especially due to the loss of feeling in my feet and toes." After some X-Rays, the tests showed no damage had been done due to wearing h i s he lmet an d h i s fo r tu nate positioning on the ice.  He was awfully relieved at the moment. He was totally unharmed, which was very pleasant to hear for him, his family and his friends. "By some luck," he says happily, "I was able to walk out of the hospital that night." Now, Luke is pursuing his dreams and living his life, trying to avoid any incident that will bring him the same unpleasant memories that he encountered on that unforgettable day.

Afternoon with the ArtsBy: Alyssa Casey

Senior Maeghan McGuirk

The Multiple Sclerosis WalkBy: Jamie Calci