Volume 2, Issue 3 Wilbraham, MA 01095December 15 , 2009

I N S I D E

AEnter New Titans

FEATURES

Glabicky Wins 65th Bunion Derby

PAGE 2

THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Holiday Travel: It’s not the Destination, It’s the

Journey, PAGE 4

ARTS

Slayer Still Knocking ‘em Dead

PAGE 5

SPORTS

Football Team Rallies in 2nd Half of Season

PAGE 7

Relay For Life Returns to Campus

TLASRE-ESTABLISHED 2008

WILBRAHAM AND MONSON ACADEMYTHE GLOBAL SCHOOL ®

COMMUNITY

Powderpuff Bowl: Seniors Rule!

PAGE 6

By JESSICA WYSZYNSKI ‘10Staff Writer As many as 27 new stu-dents may be arriving on campus in January as part of a mid-year enrollment program adopted by administration in an attempt to stay as close to full enrollment as pos-sible throughout the school year. These mid-year students are

application pool that is generated from August until December. For many years, WMA’s philosophy has been to give the most enthu-siastic students the opportunity to apply during the “off season.” Because we have a number of openings available due to vari-ous reasons, we are able to have a second admissions process. After our student body re-turns from our long winter break in December, there will be new faces on campus for us to welcome. As of now, there are about sixty appli-cants for the roughly 25-28 board-

ing slots available. The applicants hail from ten different countries, including the United States, Por-tugal, Russia, Bulgaria, China, Angola, Austria, Germany, France, and Kuwait. At press time, the Admis-

60 applicants had been accepted by the school and had chosen to enroll at mid-year. Due to the high number of applicants, the mid-year students represent a very select,

Because WMA is a “Global School,” it is thrilling to await the arrival of these new students. It is our job as current students to meet these new arrivals with welcoming arms and make them feel comfort-able here. On top of the countries already represented on campus, we will be adding four countries which are not: Kuwait, Portugal, Bulgaria, and France, topping our list of countries represented at twenty-seven. This is the highest

number of countries represented at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in the school’s history. Our duty as current stu-dents is simply making these new students feel like they belong here, a feeling which comes quickly for most of us. Not only are they start-ing a new school in the middle of the year, they are far from home and may be attending an English

. The easier we make it for the stu-dents to settle in, the smoother the process will be for everyone. We all remember what it felt like to be the new student in a school where everyone already knew each other. That feeling can be very intimidating. Just as we welcomed in our new students in September, we will welcome these new members to our community in January. They will become our roommates, our classmates, our teammates, and above all, our friends.

By JESSICA DUNCAN ‘11Staff Writer Celebrate. Remember. Fight back. Relay for Life is a life-changing event that inspires people to celebrate the lives of people who have survived cancer, remember those who lost their battle and raise money to support new and innova-tive cancer research in the future. Every year there are hundreds of relays celebrated across the United

cure for cancer. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Gordy Klatt of Tacoma Washing-ton decided to raise support for his patients who were battling cancer and increase funds for his local

To do this, Dr. Klatt spent twenty-four grueling hours circling a track. In the end, he ran and walked 83 miles. Through his efforts, Klatt was able to raise $27,000. Present day Relays For Life follow similar traditions in which partici-pants take turns walking around a track for eighteen to twenty-

four hours. While the walking is shared between different people, the objective of the relay is the same: raise money to fund cancer research, make those whose lives have been touched by cancer easier and support those who have fought

As May draws near, stu-dents and adults alike look to pre-pare for Wilbraham’s annual Relay

months left until the event, many people have already started orga-nizing entertainment in hopes of an improved Relay this year. Eighteen

all eager to top last year’s event. In 2009, Kayla Peloquin and Stephanie Robbins cochaired

-braham community. Overall, the event was a success. The Relay For Life committee was able to attract 55 teams and raise over $90,000 when they expected to raise $25,000. In addition to surpassing their monetary goal, Wilbraham’s

Relay attracted 68 survivors – more than any other Relay in all of New England and a number that earned our Relay second place for Rookie of the Year award. This year, new rules and regulations will be enacted to make the day more enjoyable. One new policy introduces a bracelet system to ensure that only people who have registered for the event will be allowed on campus. Check-in stations for chaperones will be set

will be on duty. This year, Greg Thomp-son - the American Cancer So-ciety Representative - Stephanie Robbins, and Jacqueline (Jackie) Smith, one of the new chairs, aim to reach new goals and set new records. They hope to bring in 70 teams instead of the previous 55 and raise over $100,000. Jackie stated that she “hopes to keep up the number of survivors and par-ticipants” who attend Relay. Jackie Smith spearheaded Continued on p. 3

Features2

On Your Mark, Get Set, Derby!

A StaffCaitlin Charette ‘10 Minsang Kim ‘10

Co-Editors in Chief

Eric Diogun ‘11Production Editor

STAFF WRITERS

Timothy HarringtonFaculty Advisor

Christopher AyersFaculty Writer

TLAS

Jessica Wyszynski ‘10Rachael Roy ‘10

Victoria Mordasky ‘10 William Bourgeois ‘10

Priyanka George ‘11Timothy Manghan ‘11

Matthew Pajak ‘11Carey Shetterley ‘11Jacqueline Smith ‘11

Naruhiko Sugiura ‘11Jeannette Viens ‘11Jessica Duncan ‘11

Evan Filkins ‘11Timothy O’Reilly ‘11

Nicholas Sarno ‘11Jeremy Gilfor ‘11

Austin Little ‘12

New Moon, Same

Vampires

Make Your Voice

Heard!

Write a letter to the editor and you could be published in our

next issue!

Caitlin Charetteccharette@wma.us

By EVAN FILKINS ‘11Staff Writer New Moon, the second novel in Stephanie Meyers’ popular Twilight Saga, follows the love story of Bella Swan, your average American teenager (until she starts hanging around with vampires), and Edward Cullen, her half-dead boyfriend. In New Moon, Mey-ers delves into the character Jacob Black who lives on the Native American Reservation of La Push and is the son of Bella’s dad’s

-

up in the legends of the Quileute Tribe as she is with her second family of vampires. Meyers’ dialogue rings true. The reader believes that the main characters are truly in love (if somewhat obsessively). The story is a roller coaster ride of plot twists that pop out like giant furry were-wolves throughout the novel. New Moon hit theatres Friday November 19th,to the riotous shrieking of millions of Twihard fan girls (and this reviewer). It

record by pulling in $72.7 million on Friday alone, putting the movie on track to become the biggest blockbuster in history. For fans of the books, it’s nice to see everything you imagined played out on screen – the director put the locations together perfectly. However, the casting doesn’t meet the same standard. There is zero chemistry between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stew-art). Kristen Stewart looks the part, but could have been replaced

in a movie store – the quality of acting would have been the same. Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black) does an excellent job. Audiences were drooling over the werewolf (I had to remind my mom that it’s creepy when middle-aged women stare at seventeen-year-old boys). Can you blame them when the “hunky vampire” looks like a cocaine addict with hair from the 1980s? Fans looking for a perfect repre-sentation of the books will invari-ably leave the theatre disappointed. People who go in expecting a good movie with some vampire action

in love with the series they’ve never read (and Taylor Lautner’s biceps).

By JACQUELINE SMITH ‘11Staff writer In a year in which rain dampened many days, Wilbraham and Monson Academy was fortu-nate to have a beautiful sunny day to celebrate one of the age-old tradi-tions of the school: the Annual Bun-ion Derby. The Bunion Derby was started in 1944 during the Second World War by then-Ath-letic Director Phil Shaw (the new track was dedicated this fall to the late Mr. Shaw). The race was conceived as a challenge to determine which team was in bet-ter shape, the boy’s varsity soccer team or the varsity football team (there were no girls at the Acad-emy in those dark, dreary days). The tradition has since been transformed into an all-school event in which students, faculty, family of faculty, and staff dress up and race each other for the title of “Winner of the Bunion Derby,” and bragging rights, as they race around “The Triangle,” a triangle that is 1.8 miles long and encircles the school. This year, on Novem-ber 17th, 83 people participated in the race.

Chris Glabicky (‘11) was the winner of the 65th running of the Bunion Derby in a time of only nine minutes and forty-nine seconds. Adam Ginsberg (‘12)

Glabicky with a time of nine min-

Glabicky will now go down in Titan lore and will be celebrated as a great champion as long as there is a Wilbraham & Monson Academy. There are currently three trophies in Rich Hall where stu-dents can see the Bunion Derby’s winners’ names. Former Headmaster Mat-tern started a tradition of having a mayor present at the Bunion Derby. Headmaster Mattern dressed up as a chauffeur and drove his con-vertible around the triangle with a “mayor” riding shotgun. This year’s mayors were supposed to be Stephanie Robbins and Brian Carr but due to illness,

Micky Rollings took Steff Rob-bins’s place. Though the original derby was designed to determine which team was in better shape, it has evolved into a more festive occa-

sion, and this year, the race saw a wide variety of costumes. Highlights of the event were middle school stu-dent Brian Popovich dressed as a fat ballerina, Bethany Lyons and Evan Filkins in a wheel-barrow dressed as

dead grave diggers, and English teacher Mr. Stuart Whitcomb dressed up as Darth Vader. The event was unfortunate-ly halted between the years 1971-1972 because, between this time, Wilbraham and Monson Academy started admitting girls, but now all Titans are encouraged to partici-pate. It is evident that this event is a cherished school tradition to bring everyone together to chal-lenge oneself, to challenge another dorm, to challenge another team, and of course to have fun. This year, the event concluded with hot drinks and treats outside the gym to commemorate the festive occasion.

Features 3

Ask Atlas: Ho-Ho-Holiday StyleBy CAREY SHETTERLEY ‘11 and VICTORIA MORDASKY ‘10Staff Writers

The November and Decem-ber holidays are time for friends and family to come together, share old stories, and create new memo-ries. It is customary to eat, and eat, and eat some more. Overeating is inevitable given your grandma’s amazing pumpkin pie and your mom’s delicious mashed potatoes. The point is everyone consumes unhealthy amounts of food over the holidays, which leads to weight gain. Besides its impact on sports performance, being overweight can lead to low self-esteem. Here are some pointers for the holidays:*Eat smaller portions: use the smallest silverware pieces you can

eating as much. *Convince your family to use vegetable oil instead of butter: vegetable oil contains less fat and is easier to cook with. * Have fun with mini workouts: make exercise fun. Work out with a friend or do something like DDR or yoga. * Eliminate stress: stress in your

life can lead to overeating, par-ticularly comfort foods (what you consume when you are sad, upset, stressed, etc.).

Dear Atlas,Every year I have the same prob-lem during winter break and every year I regret it. I have an addiction to eggnog, especially the holiday blend. I have been warned that you may get a holiday high if you drink too much eggnog…aka drunk on the nog. I know the consequences but it is so rich and creamy, I can-not resist it. The nog also drives me to the Christmas pudding…..lots of it. Help me. Signed The Eggnogger

Dear Nogger, You are not the only person in the world with this problem. Many ex-perience this tragic addiction every winter. The best advice I can give you is to tell your parents not to purchase eggnog this year because you are right, too much nog equals too many calories. And as Timmy Turner’s dad would say: “Mine!” Signed, Atlas

Dear Atlas,My uncle, he thinks he’s a real chef and he insists on cooking pork every year on Christmas Eve. He overcooks it and it tastes like a rubber band…not good. His plans have not changed and he is prepar-ing another “feast.” I am not the only one in the family who feels this way. We usually go to McDon-ald’s after visiting his house every Christmas Eve. My international friend, who is Muslim, will be staying at my house over the break. I am embarrassed about what my friend may think about my uncle’s cooking. How do I tell him that he should not cook pork this year? Signed, Big Mac

Dear Big, Sounds like you’ve got a dilemma. If I were you, I would tell your uncle the truth -- not that his cook-ing is awful, but that you have a Muslim friend. That way he won’t cook pork and maybe you’ll get turkey. Tell him you want to try something else (like turkey). Sug-gest going to Cracker Barrel – it’s

good (and they have turkey). Signed, Atlas

Dear Atlas, Let me tell you what happens every year after Christmas dinner: my family is sitting cozily around

my presents, but when I turn to the right I see an assortment of sugar, chocolate chip, M&M, and oatmeal raisin cookies on my plate. I eat so many cookies on a daily basis over the holiday, I don’t need more on Christmas. Signed,Cookie Monster

Dear Monster, Here is what you have to do: buy a pit bull and train him to gnaw on grandpa’s ankle when he ap-proaches with sweets. This will save you the aggravation of having to say “no, thank you” over and over again. Or you could just pro-gram those exact words into your Ipod and hit the button every time someone approaches with a plate of cookies. Sound good? Signed, Atlas

By WILLIAM BOURGEOIS ‘10Staff Writer

The fall Varsity Sports Ban-

season of Titans sports. Whether it was Junior Britt Barry receiv-ing a standing ovation for being named an All American, the Cross Country team reminiscing about their successful season, or Coach Cook honoring his seniors for the last time, this varsity banquet was noteworthy. The banquet began with the Varsity Water Polo team being recognized for their many accom-plishments this season. Senior and

took home the coach’s award for her determination and leadership. Captains Carey Shetterly and Steve Marcus received co-MVP honors for their performances this season. Steve thanked Coach Gray, for his 25 years of coaching. Ms. Viens and the volley-ball team followed. Receiving the coach’s award this year was Laura Dederichs for her quiet leadership. Haleigh Murphy, October athlete of the month, was recognized as this year’s MVP of the Titans Vol-leyball team. Cross Country Coach Mo-

ran provided the audience with a brief recap of the team’s breakout season (which consisted of a 6-4 dual meet record and an impressive

-land Championships). After com-

-ery race this season, captain Chris Glabicky earned MVP honors. The team’s other captain and #2 run-ner, Adam Ginsberg, received the coach’s award.

honored next with coaches Cole and Denhartog thanking each other and their players. Although the team may not have won many matches, the coaches expressed their gratitude for the team’s com-mitment and improvement. Captain Emma Camilleri was awarded MVP honors for her unwavering leadership of the team. Brooke Mele received the coach’s award. Varsity Football was recog-nized next. Captain Pete Pascarelli gave a short speech thanking his teammates and coaches Vartebedi-an, Harrington, Harrison, and Brown. Coach V summarized the season and expressed his pleasure with the team’s work ethic. Trevor Treibt was named MVP and Pete Pascarelli received the Doug Foley award.

Mr. Nicholson and his

the season with an impressive record of 7-4-5. Senior Meg Cole, captain, four-year starter, and the leader of the Titan’s defense received the MVP award. “It’s been a great honor earning MVP not once, but twice,” said Meg a few days after the ban-quet. “It’s unfortunate the season had to end when it did without the New England Championship.” Captain Sara Vincunas earned the coach’s award for her hard work and dedication throughout the sea-son.

-nized was the Boy’s Varsity Soc-cer team. Speeches were given by Coach Cook and captain Trevor Moran. Both stressed the value of the team over the individual. This philosophy was evidently impor-tant to the team both on and off the pitch as all of them were dressed in matching shirts and ties. Kanta Sugai won the twelfth man award. Dave Lawrence, half of the “best defensive tandem [Mr. Cook] has coached in [his] twenty-nine years,” received the coach’s award. Captains Trevor Moran and Casey Marini received co-MVP awards.

Fall Athletes Celebrated the entertainment committee last year, bringing the band, Punching Logic, from England in 2009 and convincing them to return for this year’s Relay. Jackie, clearly ex-cited, said “the band booked their tickets yesterday.” Jackie shared her reasons for co-chairing the event. “My friend’s sister died of cancer when she was in the sixth grade and I was in seventh. I really like the idea of the cause: walking non-stop because cancer doesn’t stop. Seeing people with smiles on

a disease that] almost everyone has been affected negatively by is worth all the hard work.” The committee hopes to make the 2010 Relay as success-ful as possible. Last year there was a lack of information given out to participants and a lack of chaper-ones at the Relay For Life, espe-cially when it started to pour. The event is scheduled for May 15, 2010. The committee vows to make information more readily available and be better pre-pared for bad weather. To join the Relay For Life committee, go to

out more information.

Relay

The Global Perspective

Home for the Holiday?

Oh, the Places You’ll GoBy AUSTIN LITTLE ‘12 Staff Writer Wilbraham and Monson has another exciting batch of trips over the spring and summer vacations. The spring trips will venture to Spain, India, Amsterdam, and Eng-land. The summer trips will jour-ney to South Korea and France. The chaperones for the trip to Spain are Mr. Ayers and Mr. Lautenschleger.The deadline to sign up for this trip is December 4th. This trip will include tours of Madrid, Avila, Salamanca, and To-ledo. Students who go on the trip will also receive Flamenco dance lessons in Madrid. Mr. Lautenschleger is ec-static about the trip to Spain. When asked to explain how the Spain trip was different than the others, he said, “With chaperones ‘Mad Man’ Magister and ‘Crazy Legged’ Lau-tenschleger, who wouldn’t want to take the nine-day trip through Spain and across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco offered this year through the Academy?” The odyssey to India will

and Mr. Swanson. This trip will begin in New Delhi, and will travel

north through Dharmsala, home of the Dalai Lama. Students on this trip will visit beautiful, ancient Hindu temples and witness the wonder of the Taj Mahal. Ms. Palmer and Ms. Kelly will chaperone the excursion to Amsterdam. The deadline to register for this trip is also Decem-ber 4th. Students on this trip will attend an entrepreneurship sympo-sium with Dutch students, econom-ics professors, and Dutch CEOs. Students will also visit Anne Frank’s house and The Hague, the center of Dutch government. Evan Filkins ’11 was a member of the group that traveled to Amsterdam last spring. Evan really enjoyed the bike tour and the various museums, but his favorite part of the trip was the free time he was allotted to explore the lively city. Evan says that this year’s scheduled itinerary is pretty much the same as last year’s, though this

than it was last year because “we were the guinea pigs.” Evan would like to tell students considering this trip, “You won’t forget it! Every-

-nitely a trip to remember!”

The voyage to the French-speaking nations of France and Monaco will be chaperoned by WMA’s french gurus Mrs. Bacon and Ms. Messerli. The deadline for this trip is in January shortly after we return from Christmas break. In Paris, students will go to the Lou-vre, climb the Eiffel Tower, visit the Catacombs, and ride the TGV, which is Europe’s fastest train. Rachael Roy ’10 went on WMA’s last trip to France two years ago. Rachael said that her favorite part of the trip was visiting the catacombs located under the streets Paris, where Matt McCa-rthy, class of 2009, jumped out and scared some members of the group. Rachael also experienced the Eiffel Tower, which of course is also on the agenda for this year’s trip. When asked what advice she would give to students going on this trip, Rachael responded, “Bring power adaptors for plugs!” She also recommends not using your hair straightener and cell-phone charger so much that you avoid blowing the fuse on the en-

or anything,” she adds. Recently added is a visit to

March break. This trip is open to juniors and seniors, and it requires a two-page essay explaining why you would like to go on the trip, and why you would be a good rep-resentative of WMA. The trip to England will be chaperoned by Mr. Cook. Essays must be submitted to Mr. Swanson by December 18th. A friend of the school, Mr. Lev Hubbard, is pro-viding this travel opportunity. The itinerary includes time at Plymouth College, several museums, and a full day and night in London. Students on this adventure will experience a full week of school at Plymouth College, which was selected because it has an ex-change program with WMA. Mr. Dziura is chaperoning the trip to South Korea next sum-mer. The trip is open to ten stu-dents who will travel to Seoul, the bustling capital, Coex, home to one of the largest underground malls in the world, and the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Students will interact with many WMA families who live in South Korea. The deadline for the trip is February.

By CAITLIN CHARETTECo-editor in Chief It’s the most wonder-ful time of the year. Trees, lights, garland, nutcrackers, and Hanukah candles have magically appeared throughout campus. (Those main-tenance elves have been working overtime to bring a festive look to WMA.) With frosty Wilbraham mornings, Titans have broken out scarves, mittens, winter caps and jackets, and, much to Mr. Easler’s chagrin, boots. Some students have experienced

and there is surely more to come. Santa Claus himself has reportedly

Rich Hall wishing season’s greet-ings to passersby. These bizarre oc-currences can mean only one thing, winter break is upon us at last! The campus has an un-mistakable air of excitement as students and teachers alike look forward with anticipation to the desperately needed respite. Titans

entertaining visions of parties, presents, and more home-cooked food than anyone should eat. Stu-dents anxiously contemplate how they will survive without hours

of nightly homework, study hall, Friday night detention, and their beloved school blazers. Somehow they will manage. Yet a dark cloud hovers over some students. Although home for many of us is a short car ride away, for international stu-dents, home is hundreds or thou-sands of miles, and maybe several oceans and a few mountain ranges, away. For international students the enjoyable vacations is the distant light at the end of the tunnel. Campus is closed during vacations, which is thrilling, but it also means that boarding students

else to stay. Is that a problem? Typically holidays are synonymous with family. We exchange gifts, have parties, or simply enjoy being in each other’s company. Family time, we all love it and dread it, but for international students, there’s an added twist. In order to spend time with their families over the holiday they must undergo an od-

John F. Kennedy airport in New York to Germany takes about nine hours. To South Korea, it is about fourteen hours, and to Taiwan

or Australia, it takes upwards of twenty hours. That only accounts for the time the plane spends in the air and doesn’t include await-ing transportation to and from the airport, time spent in layover, or waiting for luggage. One can spend up to two days journeying home. But let’s not ne-glect everyone’s favorite traveling companion: jet lag. Due to differ-ences in global time zones students venturing home should expect to lose several hours in the process. Students going home to Serbia, Montenegro, Switzerland and Germany will lose six hours. Those going to Kazakhstan will lose ten. Those returning to China, Singa-

-teen hours. Japanese students will

between WMA and their homes. “When I get out of the plane I will be exhausted from the

ahead of me because of the six hour time difference” states Laura Dederichs ’11. On top of the hours spent in airports and on planes, it could take traveling Titans up to a week for their bodies to catch up on rest and establish normal pat-terns of eating and sleeping. As in all cases, money is also

an important factor to consider. Many international students only go home in the summer because airfare is outrageous. Round trip

from $100 to $500, but interna-

expensive. Even with advanced

destinations such as Serbia, China, and Germany cost $900. Flights to South Korea and Australia are around or upwards of $2000. With these prices (in addition to yearly tuition costs), it’s no wonder that many students remain in the United States over the holidays. International students who stay in the states over break have a couple of options. Some have generous domestic friends who invite them to spend the holidays. Others either stay with a family member who lives here, or travels with friends to stay in New York or Boston. Either way they are un-able to enjoy the company of their families over the holidays. As we prepare for the winter festivities, let us not forget to wish Happy Holidays to our all our fellow Titans who have long travels ahead of them, or who will be unable to be with their families.

4

Arts

Music and Movie Reviews

Slayer

World Painted Blood

(Sony Music)

Diablo Swing Orchestra

Sing-along Songs for the Damned and Delirious (Sensory Rec.)

By MAGISTER AYERSMusic Thirty years is a lifetime in heavy metal since bands from the ’80s have long since retired. Only the hardiest groups survive the inevitable line-up changes, mar-riages, divorces, and other grown-up life challenges, and Slayer is one of the most famous. Formed in

the genre of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Their 1986 ground-breaking opus, Reign in Blood, is widely consid-ered a metal masterpiece and has

of like-minded musicians. Slayer’s eleventh studio album, World Painted Blood: proves that

current and viable force in today’s extreme music. The vicious title track and “Unit 731” keep pace with the group’s speed-laced back catalog and spotlight Jeff Han-neman and Kerry King’s renowned dive-bombing guitar solos. The ef-fortless tempo changes in “Snuff”

and “Beauty Through Order” show why Dave Lombardo is regarded as one of metal’s best drummers. “Hate Worldwide” and “Beauty Through Order” recall the early, prickling tones of Reign in Blood. “Human Strain” features a chilling one-note guitar bridge that punctu-ates the bridge and middle verse, and bassist/singer Tom Araya’s melodic vocals hearken back to the highlights from Slayer’s 1990 opus Seasons in the Abyss. “Americon” is a mid-paced, accessible number that fuses forbidding guitar tones with metronomic beats and evenly growled vocals.

-chopathy Red,” was leaked onto the Internet last year and has been a high-water mark for the album ever since. “Playing with Dolls” is an ominous piece with a stuttering guitar chug and Araya’s breathless vocal delivery. The 2010 tour in support of World Painted Blood features thrash giants Megadeth and Testament and will surely see Slayer painting the world in their signature shade of hate.

All I Want For Christmas is...matching WMA pajamas -- and then take a picture on your I-Phone as they gather around the Christ-mas tree and send it to Ms. Carey for the next issue of Academy World. Your family will love you even more than they do now. You could give a gift of Titan socks to all of your younger cousins for sock puppets! You could buy sixty copies of Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club and give them to all of your acquain-tances who need a good global book to read for the holidays. For those who suffer every year from the post-holiday blues, you could give them a copy of Frank McCourt’s memoir of a poverty stricken childhood in Limerick, Ireland, Angela’s Ashes. Nothing like a little perspective to wash down with your eggnog. You could buy a WMA Teddy Bear, name it Wendle, and confess your deepest, darkest se-

By PRIYANKA GEORGE ‘11Music and Movies I was told that “Sing-along Songs for the Damned and Deliri-ous” was a more demented version of Tim Burton. I did not believe it was possible, but after listening

wrong. The group has a unique history. In Sweden in 1501, “The Devil’s Orchestra” was a great sensation and was accused of be-ing Satan’s spawn by the Church, because it attracted more people to concerts than High Mass. Before their last concert, the band gave envelopes to trusted friends to be given to their descendants, so that their work would live on in the fu-ture. After the group’s last concert, they were arrested and hung. In Stockholm in 2003, all six descen-dants met again and formed Diablo Swing Orchestra, releasing their debut “The Butcher’s Ballroom” in 2007. Diablo Swing Orchestra com-bines eclectic genres of music including metal, opera, swing jazz

and spaghetti western in order to create an entirely new sound. The “demented” part of their music lies primarily in their bizarre lyr-ics. They use this musical mix to its full advantage in their second album, “Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious.” Tracks to take note of are “A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma,” “A Rancid Romance” and “Lucy Fears the Morning Star.” “A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma” is the album’s over-the-top opener. The track is essentially a sampler of what Diablo Swing Orchestra is all about. “A Rancid Romance” shows off Annlouice Loegdlund’s high-pitched opera vocals. “Lucy Fears the Morning Star” is Tim Burton-esque, with its creepy and foreboding tone. Diablo Swing Orchestra’s “Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious” is an experience that listeners will not get from any other band and will leave you wait-ing in anticipation for the their next album release.

5

By EVAN FILKINS ‘11Staff Writer One of the hardest parts of Christmas is the gift giving. It can

present for the people who matter – not to mention the gifts you have to get for the people who don’t (mat-ter, that is). The holidays are such a stressful season. Why not let Wilbraham and Monson Academy make it a little easier for you? What if I told you

gifts that are both practical and provide hours of entertainment? A place where all your Christmas gift giving dreams could come true? Well, I can tell you of such a place: the Campus Store. This store, this vender of school paraphernalia, can be the solution to all your problems! Think of the possibilities! There is a world of wonder

sealed behind double doors at the end of the Dean’s Hall in Rich. The school store is a veritable Christmas diamond mine waiting to be exploited. I believe it would be impossible for me to relate to you every possible use of gifts purchased from the Campus store – but I’m still going to try. You could build a fort out of AP Bio textbooks (a very expen-sive fort at that).

-rative WMA mug with commemo-rative WMA pencils and turn it into a game -- pick up pencils: dump

(the game never ends!). You could give someone a

-ally smaller pencil cases, each stuffed with smaller and smaller pencils -- sort of like a Titan ver-sion of the Russian babushkas. You could give your Mom and Dad and all your siblings

crets to “him.” You could buy transpar-ent plastic rulers and give them as “laser swords” to your little brother for reenacting the battle-scene be-tween Darth Vader and Luke Sky-walker (Zhooom! Zhoom! Luke, I am your father!). You could buy an entire wardrobe of WMA clothes and wear them -- who needs to look like J Crew just threw up on you when you’ve got the Campus Store (it would have the added advantage of really freaking out those public school friends of yours). You could buy the WMA stuffed animal moose as a stock-ing-stuffer and introduce her to Wendle (teddy bears get lonesome, too, you know). As you can see, the pos-sibilities are endless. So pull out those ID cards and get shopping. Remember, you can get anything you want at the Campus Store.

Community6

Academy Players Pay a Little VisitBy JESSICA DUNCAN ‘11Staff Writer

In the little village of Guel-len somewhere in central Europe (the Alps, perhaps?), the townsfolk await the arrival of Claire Zacha-nassian. The mayor runs around the

town, get-ting the place ready for the visitor. The choir is primed and ready, and the school mis-tress is

prepared to provide a tour of the village. Guellen is a poor town. So poor, in fact, that the villagers are begging Claire Zachanassian, a millionairess, for help. Claire steps down from the train onto the station platform and is greeted by the entire town. She agrees to donate one million pounds ster-

ling: [symbol]500,000 to the town itself, and [sound]500,000 to be shared among each family. There is only one condition. Guellen must murder Alfred Ill, the most popular man in town, in order to receive the money. The Academy Players performed the tragicomedy The Visit by German writer, Friedrich Duerrenmatt over the weekend of Nov. 13-14. The play incorpo-rated strong acting with surprising plot twists. The character Alfred Ill future mayor of Guellen and shop owner, was played by Evan Filkins. He was paired with Acad-emy Player’s veteran actress Katie Sloan, who played the generous millionairess, Ms. Zachanassian. Issa Best made his debut appearance in a WMA production as the comical Mayor of Guellen. Rachael Roy, Will Dziura, Amanda Pierce, Eric Ostrum, Rachael Ostrum, Nicholas Jalbert, Kat Corbett, Jason Duke, Will Awad, Caroline Manghan, Victoria Mor-dasky, Jordan Hill, Minsang Kim and Mr. Dziura performed in the play as well. While the rest of the stu-dents practiced for sports or pre-pared for a dance recital, the cast of

The Visit prepared for their show. Through the trimester, the Acade-my Players worked hard to memo-rize lines on top of their homework

scenes and perfect the play. In the end, the actors’ hard work paid off and a great show was produced. Friedrich Duerrenmatt wastes little time getting to the point of the play. In the beginning of The Visit, Alfred Ill is informed

the entire town reassures Alfred that they will not accept the money. In one hilarious scene, the school mis-tress, played by Rachael Roy, calls the press to in-form them of Ms. Zachanas-sian’s inten-tions. The uptight school mistress, feeling under-the-weather, drinks a little too much schnapps and lets her hair down, literally. Ms. Roy plays both sides of the school mistress

with gusto. The audience also respond-ed to the closing scene, which in-volved the entire cast. In this scene, the Mayor of Guellen, played by Issa Best, accepts Claire Zachanas-sian’s proposal and announces to the press that Guellen will ac-cept the money. The entire village chants while Alfred is sentenced to death. Mr. Best capture the mood as the mayor -- with strong hints of Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil. Both Friday and Saturday

night perfor-mances were to full houses in Founders The-atre. Parents and students alike were ex-cited to see the drama of Claire Zachanassian and Alfred Ill unfold before them. Students and teachers alike

expect the winter musical, Kiss Me Kate, to hold the same caliber of acting talent (plus musical talent) when it is performed in February.

By JACQUELINE SMITH ‘11 Staff Writer On November 16th the all-mighty seniors defeated the junior

class in the 2nd Powderpuff Bowl held at Wilbraham and Monson Academy. A Powderpuff is a foot-ball game played between senior and junior girls. The sidelines

cheerleaders to complete the feel-ing of the reversal of gender roles. Though it was only the

second occurrence in the last three years, the sidelines were packed with fans while the two grades battled. There were 23 girl partici-pants this year, along with 5 coach-

es. The players included seniors Sara Colburn, Gina Santaniello, Lauren Marszalek, Jess Wyszynski, Haleigh Murphy, Micky Rollings, Caitlin Charette, and Emma Camil-leri. The junior participants were Rachael Kantor, Brittany McFar-lane, Casey Burg, Jess Duncan, Chloe Snyder, Jeannette Viens,

Laura Dederichs, Carey Shetterley, Libby Hodson, and Jackie Smith. The dominant senior coaches were football players Pete Pascarelli and Brian Fracasso. Junior coaches

included football players Derrick Barnagian and Kyle Sweeting, with help from the football team’s stats manager Matt Pajak. Though the

run by Laura Dederichs, senior Caitlin Charette tied it up when she made a catch in the end zone to tie it up. Jess Wyszynski ensured the

seniors’ win with a one-yard run to end the game. Next year we hope to have even more participants as the class of 2011 takes on the new-comers in the class of 2012.

PowderPuff Bowl: Seniors Reign Supreme

Sports

Football Titans Hold the Line in Colonial LeagueBy MATTHEW PAJAK ‘11Staff Writer

The 2009 Varsity Football

starters, entered the season with more than a few question marks. There were gaping holes in the offensive and defensive lines, and who knew how the new additions to the team would perform.

Those questions were underscored after the opening scrimmage

half between the starters on both

scoring two touchdowns (one on an 85-yard kick return) against one touchdown for the Titans on a 16-play drive. The second half featured mostly JV players and the Titans looked to be the better team. But how good would the Titans be? The 2009 Titans managed to match the 2008 team’s 3-5 record. Both seasons had their high points – but ultimately players from this year’s team were disappointed given what could have been. For example, the

head with at the start of the season

losses, all but one were decided in the closing minutes of the game.

Titans opened at home with peren-nial powerhouse Canterbury. That game went down to the wire with the Titans losing 21-12. Canterbury

lost their next two games as well -- to Cheshire and a squeaker at Gunnery in the pouring rain that negated the Titans air attack. How-ever, after an 0-3 start, the Titans won three of the next four games (against Westminster 7-6, Tabor 23-20, and St. Thomas More 35-31), and had a chance at avoiding

game at Berkshire (played again in miserable conditions).

Head Coach Vartabedian was im-pressed with how the team played in each of its three wins: “The team came from behind in each of their three victories, displaying great toughness and perseverance.” Those comments also ring true regarding the team’s performance in every game. These Titans never quit.

Coming into the year, Coach Vartabedian did not know what to expect after graduating key players Eddie Jewel, Ezra Bynum, and Nick Dalton. The only returning starters were two-way play-ers Rickey Moore ’10 (WR/CB) and Peter Pascarelli ’10 (G/LB). One-way starters in 2008, Jefferson Lee ’10 (LB), Kodi Robitaille ’10 (G), and Derrick Barnagian ’11 (C) were going to have to play both ways.However, the Titans wild card was in their new players:

Abu, Brian Fracasso, Trevor Treibt, and Travis Treibt.

In addition, the Titans welcomed a great group of underclassmen who would be counted on throughout the season beginning with juniors QB Kyle Sweeting and RB Mike Foley.The Titans also had a wealth of younger talent including: sopho-mores Elijah Barrows (CB/QB), Jared Osumah (WR/CB), and Jameil Ali (DE/T), junior Scott Watson (TE/LB) and freshman KJ Baptiste (DE/T).The biggest question mark was the offensive line. How-ever you looked at the linemen available, the Titans did not have one real tackle, let alone two. The Titans had to make several adjustments – Fracasso moved from his natural guard position (he weighed in at just over 200 pounds) to left tackle. Robitaille, who started several games at guard in 2008, moved to right tackle. That left Bar-nagian at center and Pascarelli at left guard – but a gaping hole at right guard. Jefferson Lee, a JV fullback the previous two seasons agreed to move to guard and the Titan line was complete – though still outsized in every game of the season. Returning senior and Co-Captain Rickey Moore stood out on both offense and defense. He picked off opposing quarterbacks four times and ran one back for a touchdown. Of-fensively, he generated nearly 600

yards receiving, with a long of 47 yards, and scored three touchdowns. At running back, he broke a long run (55 yards) against The Gunner. Co-captain and three-year Titan Peter Pascarelli recorded 39 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery at middle linebacker. Pascarelli also anchored the offensive line at guard. Another senior, Jefferson Lee recorded 46 tackles. Abu and Fracasso also very productive defensively each with over 20 tackles on the year despite missing games due to injuries. However, the Treibt twins led the Titans on both sides of the ball. Trevor and Travis com-bined for over 80 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, and 4 fumble recoveries, with Trevor taking a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown in the opener versus Canterbury. Offensively, they combined for over 400 yards on the ground with 5 scores and 250 yards receiving

Berkshire, Travis returned a kick 80 yards through thick mud for the Titans only kick return touchdown of the season. Through the air, quarterback Kyle Sweeting passed for over 1,000 yards and 6 scores on the year

percent of his attempts. Newcomer Michael Foley ’11 rushed for over 100 yards, caught 5 passes for 20 yards, and recorded 18 tackles from the safety position on de-fense.

Overall, the Titans played well as a team and overcame a slew of injuries. All four post-grad-uates missed time due to injury.

games of the year with a knee in-

Abu missed two games due to a

out the season with his shoulder

two games as well, due to a con-cussion. And the younger players

year starting at cornerback, Bar-rows recorded 21 tackles and 1 interception. Osumah hauled in over 150 yards receiving with a

as a varsity wide receiver. And Ali

Watson ’11 enjoyed success at tight end, contributing over 100 yards

on the offensive side of the ball. As kicker and punter, he was a major contributor to WMA special teams, which game in and game out played strong consistently. Watson averaged 35 yards per

kicker, Watson converted 10 PATs

even had one drop-kick try at the posts versus Tabor.Coach Vartabedian said the team “will miss this year’s seniors” next season. But the Titans look to move onward and upward in 2010. Coach Vartabedian is hopeful that next year’s squad can build on the foundation erected this year. “We look forward to next year with a solid group of young players re-turning with some valuable varsity experience. We also hope to build

on the great success of the JV team

this fall as these young players step up to varsity.”

7

Sports8

Girls Soccer: Sweet Season Ends On Sour Note

Boys Soccer: Undefeated Season Ends in Playoffs

By JEREMY GILFOR ‘11Staff Writer In his 12 years as Girls Soccer Coach, Mr. Nicholson has

Tournament 12 times, winning the WWNEPSSA Class S Cham-pionship four times, the Class M Championship twice, and making it into the New England Finals three times, and capturing the Champi-onship twice. In the process, he has built a top-tier program. So it makes sense he is not a fan of the phrase “rebuilding year.” Rebuilding for the future usually means a poor present. But that was the general consen-sus coming into this season - last year’s Class B runner-up squad

years’ team was one of the young-est in recent memory, boasting ten freshmen. The inexperience, coupled with the expectation of opponents keying in on pint-size All-Region Striker Brittany Barry, led most to expect an average year at best. Coach Nick found this in-sulting. To tell the seniors that their hard work this year was to make

next year’s team better, is like a slap in the face. To Coach Nichol-son, it was just another “reloading year” – get some new girls and go after it again. For the girls soccer team at WMA, to make anything less than a championship is a dis-appointment. And it was apparent in an interview with Coach Nich-olson that despite the fact that the team exceeded most outside expec-tations, deep down, every player felt the season ended way too soon. For most schools, the re-cord was respectable – 7-3-5, and a #7 seed in the New England Tour-nament. But by WMA standards, it was an “alright” year. Every year the team has three goals: win the League Championship, make the New England tournament, and win the New England Championship, and this year’s team accomplished one of those goals. The girls de-

game of the season, and played inspired soccer against Class A

the #1 seed in the Tourney. Against Pomfret, Coach Nicholson felt that “ours was the better team” -- but victory eluded the Titans.

And that seemed to be the problem for the girls – more than once during the interview Coach Nicholson mentioned that “we were that close. “WMA lost to Wil-

close’ – a lucky bounce here, a favorable call there, and the Titans might have been seeded higher. Alas, the Titans drew Worcester Academy who only 11 days earlier had spanked the Titans 3-0.. But the Titans were ready and led by senior captains Meg Cole, Sara Vincunas, Aimee Adamski, and Jenny In. Coach Nicholson gushed about how great of a group these seniors were. They “all gave something, whether it be inspira-tion or talent, leadership capability, a team concept, they all brought qualities to the team.” By the time the playoff game rolled around, everyone, not just the seniors, stepped it up, and improved chemistry, skill, and intensity, along with some shrewd formation changes by Coach Nich-olson. The Titans gave Worcester the game of their lives. Coach Nicholson noted how Worcester, the #2 seed, who just over a week earlier had carved up the Titans,

was surprised by how much they struggled. Their coach mentioned that they were a completely differ-ent team by they end. The Titans lost the game 3-1,but the score does not tell the whole story. The second Worcester goal was on a questionable penalty kick, and they scored the third late on a counter as WMA pushed forward to try to equalize. At the end of the day, and the season, Coach Nicholson was pleased with what his team

close.” A very young team, mak-ing the playoffs only to lose an ex-tremely close game to the eventual New England Champions, should be ecstatic. Not this group, and that is the way it should be. Coach Nich-olson commented on how even the young players were upset that they did not win, that they were denied the well-deserved opportunity to continue playing. To the team, the loss was unacceptable, and they were mad (and had every right to be about that dubious PK). Coach Nicholson said, “When we set the bar that high, and we fall short, it’s devastating.” He’s 100% right – just ask the Boys Team.

By JASON DUKE ‘11Staff Writer Wilbraham and Monson Academy’s boys Var-sity soccer team had an amazing

with an undefeated record of 10-0-4 with a 1-0 win over Avon on Senior Day. The team was led by a strong defensive core, allowing

an average of only half a goal a game. Wilbraham and Monson Academy led the Western New England Prep Soccer Association, which has forty nine teams, in terms of average goals per game . The team went into the playoffs as the # 2 seed, playing

round of the playoffs. The Brooks School, which has successful soc-cer teams year in and year out, and a “very storied soccer tradition” according to Mr. Cook, Wilbraham and Monson Academy’s coach, was expected to be a tough team to beat. The two teams played a good game, and were tied at the end of regulation. They were still tied after overtime, so the game went into penalty kicks. After six penalty kicks there was still no

clear winner, but on the seventh, Wilbraham and Monson Academy was defeated when the Brooks School made their shot and WMA did not. After the loss, Mr. Cook said that the loss “hurt” since the team had high expectations for itself in the playoffs. Though the season came to an unex-

Mr. Cook said that the unde-feated regular season was still “special”. Mr. Cook also said that this was one of the

he has ever coached, and one of the top two during the regular season, which is high praise from someone who has been coaching for twenty nine years. This year’s team was led by ten starting seniors. According to Mr. Cook, these seniors’ chem-istry, along with their dedication,

was one of the keys to Wilbraham and Monson Academy’s success in 2009. These senior players ac-counted for the presence of college coaches at eleven of the team’s games this season, as many colleg-es were interested in the members

of such a suc-cessful team. Many of the seniors have plans to play soccer in college. Captain Casey Marini, Wilbra-ham and Mon-son Academy’s starting goalie, earned the honors of All-League, All-State, and All-New Eng-land with seven shutouts this season and a school record 18 career shutouts, and applied early

to Connecticut College. Captain Trevor Moran, the starting center

honorable mention and tallied 3 goals and 5 assists, has committed to play at the University of Rhode Island. Drew Pehoviak, the starting

left back, has committed to Colby Sawyer. Connor Devivo, a starting striker, earned All-League and led the team in scoring with 15 goals and 8 assists, has an offer from the University of Massachusetts. Mar-co Ilao, who earned All-League and all state, plans on going to St. Lawrence. Other key seniors include Alexander Portno, who scored 15 goals and had 7 assists, Joao Alves, who had 3 goals and 1 assist, Brian Sorensen, who scored 2 goals, Dave Lawrence, who earned All-League honorable mention, Sanjin An, Matt Natario, Ming Follahan and Ben Russell. Mr. Cook said he is proud of all of his seniors and their achievements, and that he will miss them. Hopefully, the players will be just as successful at the col-legiate level as they were during their high school years. Though the team is losing many of its key players, the future is still bright. Mr. Cook said that there is a “good nucleus” returning next season, and that the team has a lot of “potential.” Hopefully, the team will be just as successful next season with the returning players that they have and any recruits that they might get.