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Student voice of the Westhill community“The test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.”

WestwordThe Volume 39, Number 6 / April 2012

EAST STAmford

Indoor percussion places eighth in worldp. 3/viewpointTeacher tenure questioned p. 8

limelightStudent showcase at annual talent showp. 32/David Buitrago: In memorium p. 12

p. 21An insider’s guide to Stamford

WestwordThe

Editor-in-ChiefLainey Sidell

Associate EditorMallory Hart

Managing EditorsKatie Beauleau, Anjali Khetan,

Victoria SandoloCreative Designer

Ariel ShaulsonPhoto ManagerGerald MorganOmbudsman

Josh FriedmanNews Editors

Bradley Darling, Joely Mass, Tara Sarkar

Viewpoint EditorsDana Gordon, Sophie Handler,

Naomi SabbahFeature Editors

Jamie Eimbinder, Zoë DePretaLas Noticias Editors

Heide Hernandez, Michelle Menacho

Supplement EditorsSamantha McNichols,

Daniela RumlovaLimelight EditorsNicole Frederick, Lauren SchechterExpress Editors

Jessica Freedman, Danilo Machado

Special Report Editors Ryan Daly, Mackenzie Eisen

Scatterbrain EditorsRachel Katz, Connor Matheny

Sports EditorsPeter Dawson, Ethan Peikes,

Grace SullivanPhoto Editors

Naina Batra, Alex Cooney, Calvin MacDonald, Laura Rey

Head IllustratorStephanie Wilson

IllustratorsKatelyn Conte, Sydney Olshan

Verification ManagersAndrew Krowitz, Luis Kumandari,

Natasha Hoherchak, Nick MorelliCopy Editors

Jeff Anderson, Ashley Berland, Matt Frederick, Gabby Frieser,

Lauren PollackLas Noticias Copy EditorMaría del Pilar Menacho Distribution Managers

Jack Grafstein, Drew Lang, Steven Lee

Head PollsterDixita Viswanath

PollstersColin Morgan, Christiana

Provenzano, Aman Samra, Becca Shaulson, Brianna Skorvanek,

Marissa Skorvanek, Nicole Skor-vanek, Zoey Villalba

ReportersJulie Arditti, Julia Busto,

Stephanie Carde, Nicole Dupuis, Kristina Goodrich, Ankita

Mukherjee, Carly Pierre, Sahou-da Smith, Kianna Thompson,

Julia ZimmermanSports Reporters

Jack Barkin, Brandon Curto, Cameron Curto, Will Herrmman,

Nicole Pellicano, Jonathan Pollack, Andrew WallenHead

PhotographersMelanie Alswanger, Jessica

Berstein, Emma Hart, Sara Hol-lenberg, Rachel Klein, Elisabeth

Maneta, Shaina Shaulson, Mickey Sottile, Lauren Wilson

Sports PhotographersMike Bodall, Ricky Villagomez

Business ManagerAyesha Hafeez

Fundraising ManagerAaron Katz

Technical ManagerRoss Alter

Professional ConsultantDave RudenCo-Advisers

Mr. von Wahlde, Mr. Wooley

2011-2012 Staff

Westhill High School125 Roxbury RoadStamford, CT 06902

(203) 977-4894westwordwhs@gmail.com

www.thewestwordonline.comFront cover photos by Gerald Morgan, Lainey Sidell, Katie Beauleau, Laura Rey, Ricky Villagomez, & Kassi Montenegro

/ Photo Manager, Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Photo Editor, Photographer, & ContributorBack cover photos by Gerald Morgan, Katie Beauleau, & Eva Weinberg / Photo Manager, Managing Editor, & Contributor

2 April 2012

Editorial PolicyThe Westword will be guided in the publication of material by a con-cern for truth, human decency, and human benefit. It is published dur-ing the school year by the late night staff, along with the Journalism and Communications classes. Letters to the Editor, advertising requests, comments, criticism, or suggestions are always welcome. The views ex-pressed in Viewpoint and on the Op-Ed page may not necessarily repre-sent the opinions of The Westword.

Editorial Board consists of Katie Beauleau, Bradley Darling, Peter Dawson, Mackenzie Eisen, Josh Friedman, Mallory Hart, Heidi Hernandez, Claire Howlett, Anjali Khetan, Sam Lagasse, Skyler Ross, Daniela Rumlova, Naomi Sabbah, Victoria Sandolo, Lainey Sidell, Mr. von Wahlde, and Mr. Wooley. The editorial can be found on page 12.

News Two students to represent state in national math competition

Las Noticias En memoria de David Buitrago

Special Report The facts and fig-ures behind school violence

Feature How to budget your spend-ing

Viewpoint Spring fever plagues students

Sports Interviews with new lacrosse and baseball coaches

Scatterbrain Decoding texting lingo

Limelight New releases in pop culture

Supplement Destination: Stamford

Express Artist of the month: Alex Marzullo

16

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34374045

106

WHAT THE...?

What’s inside

Online Editor-in-ChiefSkyler Ross

Online Managing EditorSam Lagasse

Online EditorsJason Gallant, Will Hart,

Claire Howlett

March Issue CorrectionsThe Westword apologizes for the

following errors:Supplement (21): The photo was taken by Lainey Sidell.Limelight (35): Senior Charlie Ain-binder was not listed as a lead in The Laramie Project.

The Westword is pleased to see that the student body is so adament about maintaining campus

security. We wish you luck, too, security!

Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

Editorial In memory of David Buitrago12

News 3

Elizabeth HendricksonStaff Writer

At the end of a nearly unde-feated season, the Indoor Percus-sion Ensemble placed eighth out of 64 in World Championships in Dayton, Ohio from April 18 to April 20 during spring break. Indoor Percussion competed in the Scholastic A Class, which is all high schools. About 150 other groups performed in other classes. “World championships is basi-cally an event where all the best indoor groups from around the world come together and compete for the title of best in the world,” senior Sam Enright said.

In order to qualify for World Championships, which takes place every year in the arena at the Uni-versity of Dayton, ensembles must earn a certain score in a local com-petition that is recognized by the Winter Guard International (WGI)

during the winter season.“The season was fantastic. I

was worried in the beginning due to our lack of veterans, but we turned out to be much better than I ever expected,” junior Konrad Dziemian, who has been part of the program since his freshman year, said. “I have learned to not worry next year when we lose our seniors, and I am looking forward to the accomplishments awaiting us next year. I will really miss the seniors.”

The members, instructors, and parents of the ensemble who went on the trip all arrived at Westhill at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. “We left on the bus at 11:59 p.m. and slept pretty much the whole way there except for the few stops that we made for food,” senior Blair Cassell said. The bus arrived in Dayton at 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. The group of 26 stayed at a hotel. After having left at 8

a.m. on Saturday, the bus finally arrived back at school at around 11:30 p.m. after a 15-hour journey home to Stamford.

The Indoor Percussion En-semble performed a song entitled “Conflict from Beyond” that was composed especially for the Westhill ensemble and is about five minutes long. The Percus-sion music was written by Mike Schmitt, Brian Crawford, and Dave Dumont, and the Pit music was written by Mike Wyatt. Stu-dents donned ragged clothing and makeup, giving a dark, zombie-like feel to the performance.

For performances, each en-semble has eight minutes to lay out its matt along the gym floor, set up props and pit instruments, which are bells, drum set, keyboards, and sound board, get its opening set, perform, and then get everything off the floor. If the ensemble does not complete everything in eight

minutes, its score is penalized.The shows are not only judged

for the music. They are judged for percussion effect, which is overall effect and ensemble effectiveness, and performance analysis, which is composition and excellence. Each category is worth 200 points. Once the score is added up, it is then put into the percentage out of 100.

The ensemble’s first show in Dayton was Preliminaries on Thursday afternoon, which is the first round of the World Champi-onships. The ensemble’s score of 91.125 out of 100 from the show in Dayton put it in second place for its round, allowing it to advance to semi-finals that night against the other ensembles that had also re-ceived qualifying scores.

The ensemble’s score of 90.500 at semifinals put it in fourth place, enabling it to advance to finals on Friday evening, where

it placed eighth out of the twelve that made it to finals, with a score of 91.225.

The arena at the University of Dayton seats approximately 13,435 people. “Performing at the arena is absolutely invigorating. It’s such an amazing feeling with all the energy and adrenaline flow-ing through your body. It’s really an experience like no other,” Cas-sell said.

Last year, Indoor Percussion did not make it to the finals at the World Championships. “It’s really been a special experience for me,” Enright said. “By the end of every season, everyone in the ensemble will agree that we became more than just an indoor group; we be-came a family and that’s a really amazing feeling. I’m pretty proud of my four years with the program and it’s definitely something I’d recommend to incoming students to get involved in.”

Indoor Percussion places eighth at worlds

BEATING THE ODDS Indoor Percussion had a very successful performance at the World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, and earned eighth place in the Scholastic A Class, which inlcuded 64 schools from around the country.

Mac Ira / Contributor

4 NewsApril 2012

Sam LagasseOnline Managing Editor

Students enrolled in Westhill’s Agriscience program competed recently in Career Development Events at Trumbull High School on April 12. According to the website of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), the organization which hosts the competitions, “Ca-reer Development Events (CDEs) help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, and perform effectively in a competitive job market. There are 24 CDEs, covering job skills in everything from communications

to mechanics. Some events allow students to compete as individuals, while others allow them to compete in teams.”

Juniors Jessica Burbank, Ki-ara Kalloway, Erika Randazzo, and Caitlin Santasiero and senior Ashley Norcutt were among those students who participated in the individual competition as represen-tatives of the Stamford Regional FFA. The students competed in the Creed Speaking and Public Speak-ing events. The Public Speaking CDE is divided into two subcate-gories, Prepared and Extemporane-ous. The Prepared Public Speaking event comprises the writing and de-

livery of a six-to-eight minute long speech in which speakers discuss current agricultural topics.

Prior to being delivered, the manuscripts of the speeches are assessed and scored by a panel of judges, whose expertise is in a vari-ety of agricultural fields. The judges then assign each speaker a separate score based on the quality of their delivery. Points are detracted from a speaker’s score if they go over the alloted time or if they do not utilize the entire eight minutes. At the con-clusion of their delivery, speakers are questioned by the judges about the content of their speeches.

In the Extemporaneous Speak-

ing CDE, speakers are not allowed to prepare a written manuscript of their speech and, rather, must speak without prior preparation for thirty minutes on one of three assigned agricultural topics.

Sophomore Erika Randazza placed second in the Creed Speak-ing CDE while, in the Prepared Public Speaking competition, se-nior and Stamford Regional FFA president Ashley Northcutt and ju-nior Caitlin Santasiero were award second and fourth place, respec-tively. Jessica Burbank won the Extemporaneous Speaking event and will advance to the State Con-vention competition, which will

take place on May 19. Junior Kiara Kalloway placed fourth in the same event.

Agriscience teacher Ms. Jef-fries spoke highly of the Stamford Regional FFA’s success in the com-petition. “I am very proud of all of my students, they did a great job representing the Stamford Regional FFA, and I can’t wait to come back to competition next year.”

Northcutt shared a similar ex-citement and said, “I’m proud of my chapter; it’s fun and it’s nice to see that other members have an in-terest in FFA. It was nice to share that bond with others,” Northcutt said.

Agriscience students compete

Nicole FrederickLimelight Editor

Starting on April 2, the ban on lean finely textured beef (LFTB) became official in Stamford Public Schools (SPS). This includes the removal of all meat products that include traces of LFTB due to re-cent nationwide and local concern. LFTB is a lean beef product derived from beef fat trimmings added to regular ground beef to keep the costs low. This product is present in over 70 percent of ground beef products sold in grocery stores and restaurants in the U.S. Among the carriers of LFTB is the Nation-al School Lunch Program, which provides the meat sold to SPS. In March, a news article pub-lished in the New York Times re-ferring to LFTB as “pink slime” gained recognition of blogger Bettina Elias Siegel. She then launched an online petition to have it banned from school lunch programs, which reached people around the country through the

blogosphere. Prior to integrating LFTB into ground beef, the “excess meat” was either discarded or turned into pet food. Many people object to this scrap meat being used in ground beef, arguing that it takes away from the quality of the prod-uct. “‘Pink slime’ is not a real meat, and should not be fed [to stu-dents]. Humans should not be eat-ing the same food as animals. This is a good thing that they are remov-ing LFTB from [Westhill’s] food,” sophomore Jacob Lewis said. Recent studies conducted on LFTB have shown that levels of ammonium hydroxide are present in the treating process. Ammonium hydroxide releases flammable va-pors, and is harmful to both people and the environment. While ammonium hydrox-ide is potentially dangerous, the amount used to treat LFTB is not toxic. It is regulated and classified by the U.S. Agriculture Depart-ment (USDA) as generally being recognized as safe.

Since the public’s denuncia-tion of LFTB, many media sources including ABC News have covered the issue. “People should have the right to know what they are eating. The ‘pink slime’ issue is a big deal, and it would not be fair if people were unaware that they were eat-ing [LFTB],” junior Arlind Halitaj said. “Just like being able to choose what you eat, everyone should get the chance to know what the kind of meat they are buying.” Other major food producers including one of the biggest fast food chains in the world, McDon-alds, have discontinued the use of LFTB. A main distributor of LFTB, Beef Products Inc. has suffered immensely from the withdrawl of this product. The company had to suspend production at three of their plants, and is struggling to keep the company alive, according to latimes.com. The reason LFTB is used is because it allows the meat indus-try to maximize production. Com-

panies can do so by making use of as much meat as possible. Given the availability versus cost ratio, a larger quantity of meat produced when using LFTB can ensure a more affordable price for the prod-ucts. The withdrawl of this product in both the SPS and many local grocery stores is based more on public concern rather than actual health issues. “There’s no proof that it has any negative health ef-fects, but it’s still unsettling,” SPS interim Superintendent Winifred Hamilton said according to the Stamford Advocate. For the remainder of this school year, Chartwells, our school district’s food provider, will alter the district’s menus by substitut-ing chicken or turkey for LFTB. “[LFTB] should not be allowed in the cafeteria lunch meat because of the health concerns. Anything harmful to students should not be available at lunch,” sophomore Mateusz Gorzelski said. For next year, students should

expect LFTB-free groud beef pro-vided by the USDA as an alterna-tive to its controversial alternative. “[LFTB’s] bleached, proccessed meat that’s not labeled. It hasn’t been tested yet so no one knows if it’s safe. Realistically, remov-ing [LFTB] from the Stamford Public Schools [is] in the first step towards healthy eating,” health teacher Mr. D’Angelo said. This complies with the high standard for meals that is required by our food service contract. Other conditions of the contract include products being free of trans fats, hormones and antibiotics, as well as having to be baked instead of deep fried. These regulations help ensure the standards for lunches served in SPS. “We should do anything and everything to help make the Westhill community a healthier environment. Removing LFTB and replacing it with a healthier and more pure meat will be good for everyone,” administrator Ms. Bjork said.

A red ban on ‘pink slime’AGRI-SCIENCE SPEAKS Left, the Agriscience students who attended the public speaking competition pose for a photo at Trumbull High School. Right, Caitlin Santa-siero placed fourth in a Prepared Public Speaking event.

Hunter Farrell / Contributor

5NewsApril 2012

Peter DawsonSports Editor

For many juniors and seniors, driving themselves is their main mode of transportation to get to and from school. Throughout the course of the year, students with licenses and cars have found parking spaces in all lots around the school, until security recently began putting violation notices on the cars that were illegally parked.

On April 12, security guards stickered what they estimate to be around 135 cars around the school of both students and teach-ers alike. Seniors in the senior lot were stickered if they did not have their parking tag on their car, or if the car in the spot did not

match the list of what car is sup-posed to be in each spot. Juniors were stickered in the overflow lot if they were parked in or before spot 163.

“I didn’t even know a permit was necessary to park in the ju-nior lot. I thought it was uncalled for,” junior Brian Pollack said.

Students cited a lack of warn-ing as their main complaint. “I think it’s ridiculous how they gave no warning prior to the sticker. They decided to enforce the rule fourth quarter and it’s just tedious

to get the sticker off my car,” ju-nior Jesse Koretz said.

“Spots are numbered into the 180s, but are only assigned up to and including 163,” security guard

Mr. Zaremski said. He added that juniors are allowed to park in the circle at the bottom of the over-flow lot and are allowed to parallel park along the side of the overflow lot as long as they are not within 30 feet of the stop sign.

All students who drive to school are supposed to get a park-ing pass in the main office enti-

tling them to a parking space, and providing them with a parking tag. “Even if [students] have a parking permit number and tag, but they are not in their spot they will get a ticket,” Mr. Zaremski said.

Also, many students had been parking in the back of the build-ing and in spaces around the Agri-Science Building which is meant for staff parking and is prohibited for all students, whether they have a tag or not. Students who park in these spaces take away places for teachers to park and create park-ing issues.

Security guards plan to con-tinue to sticker cars every few weeks to ensure the parking situ-ation does not get out of control, and to enforce proper parking rules.

Lack of permit warrants ticket

Joely Mass / News EditorPARKING NOT PERMITTED On April 12, dozens of parking violation stickers were issued in parking lots around the school to cars without permits.

bRIEfs

Anjali Khetan & Tara sarkar / Managing Editor & News Editor

Stamford Symphony comes

to WesthillOn April 25, fourth and fifth

graders from Stamford’s pub-lic elementary schools attended a performance by the Stamford Symphony and musicians, singers, and dancers from Stamford public high schools including Westhill. The program, entitled “The Ameri-can Experience,” was held in the main auditorium and performed twice. The schools were split into two waves, and both performances lasted roughly 90 minutes.

They featured pieces from different musical genres includ-ing ragtime, musical theater, and classical. The encore even featured a typewriter as a percussion instru-ment. The director of the Stamford Symphony, Eckhart Preu, engaged the students with questions about the various instruments in the or-chestra and the composers whose pieces were performed.

ACEP organizes Day of PurpleOn April 13, the Alliance for

Cancer Education and Prevention (ACEP) club organized a Day of Purple in order to spread aware-ness of cancer. Purple is the uni-versal color for all cancers, and this club organizes this day, along with Day of Pink for breast cancer, every year.

Leading up to this day, the ACEP club had various fundraisers including a bake sale, candy sales, ribbon sales, and bracelet sales. The money that each individual made went to their own personal fundraising for Relay for Life in May.

In order to continue its pur-pose of speading cancer aware-ness, ACEP is selling honorary ribbons in the media center for $1. Buyers can write a message on the ribbon, which is then hung up on a wall in the media center.

“[Day of Purple] is a good way to bring awareness because it is a good way to gain attention for the cause in a physical or outward manner. I saw a lot of purple this year so it worked out well in get-ting people involved and spreading awareness,” president of fundrais-ing junior Fatima Jumaralli said.

Security guards plan to continue to sticker cars every few weeks to ensure the parking situa-tion does not get out of control, and to enforce proper parking rules.

6 NewsApril 2012

briefs

Joely Mass & bradley Darling / News Editors

Art History study group replaces

AP courseIn the 2012-2013 school year,

students will be given the oppor-tunity to participate in an inde-pendent Art History study group. Because of the cancellation of AP Art History due to low enrollment, previously taught by Ms. Konrad, the study group will serve as a re-placement for students who were interested in the AP course. Stu-dents who participate in the study group will be allowed to take the AP Art History exam in May of 2013.

“Rising juniors can hopefully take the AP course senior year, but some seniors want the exposure to art history before college,” Ms. Konrad said.

Alternatively, seniors interest-ed in art history may choose to take the AP Art History course as an in-dependent study. Students in the study group will be provided with pacing guides, study guides, self-assessments, and textbooks. Addi-tionally, field trips to museums and galleries will be arranged.

Math team members excelZoë DePretaFeature Editor

The math team attended the Connecticut State Math Competi-tion on April 3, where two mem-bers, sophomores Luis Kumandari and Jonathan Xu, qualified for the Connecticut State Math Team. Ku-mandari placed first at the com-petition and was the first student from Westhill to ever recieve a perfect score of 18. They will both be representing the state of Con-necticut at a national competition to be held at Pennsylvania State University on June 2, along with 43 other students from the state.

The math team meets every Monday to practice for about an hour. There is a competition once a month, in addition to the annual state competition, so the team com-peted at seven different times. The math team in comprised of seniors Jeremy Simon, Allison Macari, Zachary Kaplove, Rahul Gupta, Michael Esses, and Dixita Viswa-nath, juniors Christopher Kober, and Jesse Koretz, and sophomores Luis Kumanduri, Jonathan Xu, and Karl Jiang. Though there are 11 members of the team, only six

people can be on the “A” Team at once. Of those six, Kumandari and Xu were the only two to qualify for the state team. Though Kumandari and Xu are two stand out competi-tors, the team as a whole was only one place away from making it to the New England competition.

Kumandari and Xu were also the first two students from Westhill to qualify past the first round of the American Mathematics Competi-tion (AMC), which is a math test that students are allowed 75 min-utes to complete comprised of 25 questions.

Not only are Kumandari and Xu the only students from Westhill to ever make it past the first round of AMC tests, but they are both sophomores and therefore have two more years to compete and improve.

“There are three teams of fifteen people each from across the state, and they come from all grades, mostly seniors and juniors, but there are a few underclassmen as well. I do feel some pride in making the team, but I just want to focus on doing the best I can for the competition and contributing to the team,” Kumandari said.

Mr. von Wahlde named Teacher of the YearDanilo Machado

Express Editor

The National Math and Sci-ence Initiative (NMSI) recently honored Mr. von Wahlde as one of the winners of the All-American Teacher of the Year Competition. These awards are given to outstand-ing Advanced Placement teachers

in the subjects of English, Math, and Science from eight participat-ing states. The winners are honored in Washington, D.C. and receive a cash prize. Mr. von Wahlde is the first English teacher to receive this award from Westhill. In 2010, the honor went to AP Chemistry teach-er, Ms. Dodita.

Mr. von Wahlde had been an

AP Language and Composition teacher before Project Opening Doors (POD) became involved with the school. In 2008, Westhill became became one of the first co-hort schools for POD in association with NMSI. The grant has provided everything from new technology, to books, to extra tutoring, and Sat-urday sessions in order to help stu-dents succeed on AP tests.

Both the POD goals and the College Board goals are based on seeing “an increase in AP enroll-ment with the idea that high school students have college level skills prior to entering college,” Mr. von Wahlde said. His teaching philoso-phy, one of “meeting students in their own world,” remained con-sistent before and after the grant. It is this philosophy, one that has its basis in traditional rhetoric and lit-erature but that embraces new me-dia, that runs Mr. von Wahlde’s AP Language classes.

The proof that not only Mr. von Wahlde’s methods have pro-duced results but that the POD has produced results is in the numbers. Westhill offers “eight full classes of AP Language and Composition, one of the largest, if not the larg-est, number in the state,” Mr. von Wahlde said, adding that Westhill

had the “largest number of quali-fying scores in English last year.” These results are not produced sim-ply by teaching to the test, but by teaching skills that span beyond the context of the class.

By creating a “rich classroom culture,” Mr. von Wahlde aims to solidify students in their own place in academia and the world around them. “I want to make as many con-nections as possible,” he said. Mr. von Wahlde plans to continue work-ing, teaching AP Language, con-ducting workshops, and presenting at Saturday sessions. He also contin-ues to train more and more students and teachers throughout the North-east. His hope is that POD continues at Westhill, because were are just starting to see the “benefits of the infrastructure it has provided.”

“[This award] reinforces my belief that teachers who want to be change-agents can be,” Mr. von Wahlde said. “It reinforces my be-lief that contemporary art and cul-ture are increasingly relevant in lan-guage instruction. I want to use it to bring light to the fact that language and media are married and that the best teachers are able to create the context or have the students create the context that shows the connec-tion between them.”

TerrifiC TeACHiNG NMSI honored English teacher Mr. von Wahlde as Teacher of the Year due to his unique and successful teaching styles.

Lainey sidell / Editor-in-Chief

THeir LiMiT DOes NOT eXisT Sophomores Luis Kumandari (left) and Jonathan Xu will be representing the state of Connecti-cut at a national competition at Pennsylvania State University on June 2.

Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

From March 23 to April 13, the Key Club held a book drive, collecting “slightly used” books to donate to Project Hope, a local pro-gram funded by Domus that aims to “help young people and their families reach their full potential,” according to its website.

The book drive was the Key Club’s second community service effort. Vice President sophomore Jenna Polidoro and sophomore Ni-cole Dupuis led the effort to collect the books. According to Key Club president sophomore Jason Gal-lant, the drive was a success. “Both students and generous donors from the English department donated lots of books to Domus. We got over seven boxes full of books,” Gallant said.

“Many kids today are losing the opportunity to read, so it’s fan-tastic that Key Club is donating re-sources to these kids,” sophomore Emily Williams said.

Key Club runs book drive

Tessa GrebeyStaff Writer

On the weekend of April 6 through April 8, 11 Asian Culture Club students and two chaperones left Stamford to attend the annual three-day event of Anime Boston in Boston, Massachusetts. At the convention, attendees dressed up as anime characters, played vid-eo games, and took part in game shows. A charity blood drive and auction were also held.

The members of the Asian Culture Club left on Friday morn-ing and arrived in Boston via a train and bus ride. Most of the planning for the trip was done by the board members of Asian Cul-ture Club—including senior pres-ident Alexa Velasco, junior event coordinator Aurora Owens, soph-omore historian Grant Felenstein, and sophomore fund raiser Jordan Pielert.

“This year we had some is-sues with scheduling and reserv-ing our badges—which are basi-cally our tickets,” Owens said. The planning was admittedly stressful, with the date being over Easter weekend and the costs of transportation, hotels, badges, and overall spending money making the trip somewhat overwhelming at first. “But everything worked out in the end.” With every

Asian Culture Club member pay-ing around $220, the price was a more than usual; however, the club members ended up staying in a nicer hotel than expected, the Weston at Copley Place. Accord-ing to Owens, it was connected by a high-end mall to the Hynes Convention Center, where Anime Boston was held.

According to those who at-tended the convention both this year and in previous years, it was significantly more crowded than before. It is estimated that some-where around 22,000 people at-tended Anime Boston. Many club members also commented that the lines to register for Anime Boston, as well as lines for differ-ent panels and events, stretched for blocks and required a waiting time which was often up to a few hours.

It was also noted that there were many more cosplayers at the event. Cosplayers are fans who dress as their favorite characters from shows and comics. “There were a lot of characters from the show ‘Adventure Time.’ They gathered together and got a lot of attention,” Pielert said.

As a whole, the members of the Asian Culture Club said they enjoyed the experience at the convention. Through it all, many underclassmen hope to return to

Boston next year for the event. “I can’t wait for next year,” sopho-more Grant Felenstein said.

When asked the highlight of the trip, Pielert said it was prob-ably a dance which is known to the attendees of Anime Boston as “The Rave,” which took place in a large open room. It was filled with hundreds of people dancing close together to the music of a

DJ, in the flashes of strobe lights. The dance, many said, was the best opportunity during the trip for the Asian Culture Club mem-bers to be free and have fun.

“The most interesting thing I did was being able to see all the people dress up in different costumes from movies and TV shows,” freshman Saxon Thaler said.

7briefs

NewsApril 2012

The High Ridge Road Gar-den Catering recently underwent a name change after receiving new ownership. The eatery, now called “Reddi Rooster,” will still serve all of its most popular foods, such as “cones,” which are bite-size deep fried breaded potatoes, chicken nuggets, and buffalo wings.

In addition, the company plans to open another Garden Ca-tering, not Reddi Rooster, location in Norwalk on Westport Avenue.

Some are against the change. “For many long-time consumers, it’s sad because Garden Catering was a signature hot spot for food in Stamford,” junior Julian Edwards said.

Others don’t care much, pro-viding the food didn’t change when the name did. “[The name] doesn’t matter to me, as long as the food is still good,” sophomore Mi-chelle Wagner said.

Garden Catering changes to Reddi

Rooster

Tara sarkar & bradley Darling / News Editors

Asian Culture Club attends Anime boston

ANiMe ADVeNTUres Above, sophomore Dante Sagnelli (left) faces his costume look-alike. Below, Asian Culture Club members pose in costume at a three-day conference called Anime Boston in Massachusetts.

Alexa Velasco / Staff Writer

On April 28, Habitat for Hu-manity hosted its fourth annual tag sale on the front field from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The club’s advisors, Ms. Miraballes and Ms. Esformes, along with Habitiat for Humanity members and Interact club mem-bers helped out during the sale.

From the end of March to the day of the tag sale, the club col-lected donations of items such as clothes, books, furniture, and toys. Plastic grocery bags were also col-lected for distribution at the tag sale.

All of the proceeds raised at the tag sale were donated to the Fairfield County Chapter for Habi-tat for Humanity. All the items that were not sold were donated to Goodwill, and leftover books were given to the Ferguson Library. In the past, the tag sale raised enough money to allow the club advisors to go shopping at the Home Depot to buy tools and equipment for the club.

“We were very excited for our annual tag sale which has been very successful in the past. Our goal was to beat our record sales of $1,500,” Ms. Miraballes said.

Habitat for Humanity hosts

tag sale

Viewpoint8

Sam LagasseOnline Managing Editor

Tenure has recently be-come the topic of debate among Connecticut citizens since Gov-ernor Dannel Malloy proposed a plan to reform tenure law in the state. Tenure is a form of job security for teachers in public schools which enstates that teachers are unable to be dismissed from their positions without due process after hav-ing been employed for a certain period of time. While many proponents of education reform have voiced their desires to do

away with the tenure system, such a measure is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the body of American educators.

In evaluating the impor-tance or rather, the necessity of tenure, we must consider its historical prominence as a safe-guard. Since the early 20th cen-tury, tenure has provided teach-ers with a means of enforcing their own protection. At the turn of the century, tenure pro-vided security to female educa-tors who might have otherwise faced dismissal as a result of their choice of dress. During the tumultuous era of post-

war McCarthyism, tenure also provided stability for teachers challenged by political and eco-nomic upheaval. Today, tenure serves as a buffer against local communities seeking to repair stumbling economic sectors by degrading the integrity of their educational systems—commu-nities seeking to remove senior educators in hopes of lessening their own tax burdens.

Too often, critics of the contemporary American educa-tion system confuse tenure with evaluation. “Tenure doesn’t mean that you can’t get rid of [teachers]. If poor educators aren’t being dismissed, then there’s an evaluation process that isn’t being done properly. Let’s examine that,” history teacher Mr. White said.

In the United States, many teacher evaluation models look only at isolated incidents of teacher performance rather than base their measurements on periodic trends. This im-precise system for evaluating teacher performance leads to the wrongful justification of re-duction in force (RIF) actions, or layoffs.

Getting rid of tenure would only allow for teachers to more easily be dismissed from their positions—oftentimes, for reasons which are unlaw-ful and unfair. Many teacher’s have views which place them in direct opposition with their colleagues and administrators. Teachers take stands on various issues, from those of LGBTQ rights to foreign affairs and nu-clear artillery. As soon as tenure

is removed and no longer able to provide teachers with protec-tion against these RIF actions, then teachers will no longer feel free to voice their opinions of the political systems and policies which impact the com-munities where they teach. Ten-ure has and should continue to inspire intellectual debate and innovation.

Furthermore, if not si-lenced by the elimination of tenure, teachers will attempt to find ways to beat whatever sys-tem replaces it. For instance, if teachers are dismissed on the basis of their students’ grades, then some teacher’s might choose to give every student a passing grade in order to save their jobs.

Critics who call the ten-ure system outdated and state that the passage of various laws has done away with the neces-sity for tenure are inconsiderate of the various loopholes which still still exist in regard to the dismissal of teachers. There have been several incidents in the past few years involving lawsuits of teachers who were unfairly dismissed after tenure laws were done away with.

The implication is that because of tenure, everyone is lazy. I don’t think that’s true. The problem is that we have a segment of the population that doesn’t value education. Ten-ure is a vital construct of school stability and is necessary for maintaining a diverse staff comprised of older, middle-aged, and young teachers.

In the cases of under

performing school districts, the blame for low test scores cannot always be assigned to incompetent teachers. More of-ten, low test scores are indica-tive of the presence of a popu-lation whose values are slowly decaying. Even the most capa-ble of teachers often struggle to teach students whose values do not include education, merit, or academic achievement.

In 2009, it was apparent that 49 of the 50 states had in place some form of tenure or fair dismissal law. Georgia was, at the time, the only state that did not. Since 2009, Georgia has consistently performed only to an average standard on national math and science examinations, with many states performing at much higher levels, according to the Statistical Research Cen-ter at AIP. Thus, it is obvious that tenure has not impaired the ability of states to reform their educational systems to greater degrees of achievement.

The elimination of ten-ure from public school sys-tems is the incorrect measure to be taken during this period of education reform. It would be phenomenal if our most serious educational problems could be attributed outstand-ingly to failing teachers. This is, unfortunately, not the case. Our nation’s achievement gap stems from various other is-sues, most of which are rooted deep in our nation’s history; the security of teachers should not and, hopefully, will never be sacrificed as we search blindly for solutions.

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

PRO

CON

Viewpoint 9

Claire HowlettOnline Editor

Teacher tenure is one of the most widely debated issues in education today, central to the dis-cussion on how to improve public schools. While it may have ef-fectively served its purpose in the past, our country’s current system of teacher tenure is both outdated and ineffective. The tenure sys-tem must undergo serious reform to benefit students, districts, and teachers alike.

The tenure system grants teachers permanent contracts that guarantee them lifelong employ-ment, meaning that unless just cause is proven for their dismissal, tenured teachers cannot be fired. In Connecticut, teachers obtain tenure by working for 40 school months, or roughly four years, provided that their contracts are renewed for the following academic year. The tenure system was first established as a means of protecting teachers from being dismissed unfairly. Before tenure, teachers were often fired for political or personal rea-sons; the establishment of tenure meant that teachers could no lon-ger be dismissed for factors other than their teaching ability

However necessary this legal protection was when the first ten-ure laws were established in the early 1900s, teachers no longer need tenure to prevent them from being fired unjustly. A number of federal laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, have since been established to prohibit em-ployment discrimination. With national laws regulating employer action and protecting workers’ rights, tenure doesn’t serve its sole intended purpose of guarding teachers against discriminatory practices.

One of the most cited nega-tive effects of tenure is that it al-lows for complacency among teachers. Though the process of obtaining tenure is extensive, ten-ured teachers must do very little to

retain their contracts. While most tenured teachers I know continue to dedicate tireless effort to their jobs, the security provided by ten-ure can sometimes inhibit educa-tors’ motivation to improve.

Many argue that annual class-room observations conducted by administrators prevent compla-cency in tenured teachers. An ‘un-satisfactory’ rating on this yearly evaluation typically results in dis-ciplinary action or, in many cases, eventual dismissal. A 2009 study conducted by the New Teacher Project, however, found that less than one percent of tenured teach-ers received an “unsatisfactory” rating when evaluated by their administrators. These findings indicate that administrators are extremely reluctant to give ten-ured teachers poor ratings, and by extension, pursue the termina-tion process for these teachers. Administrators’ reluctance to rate tenured teachers harshly seems to result from the difficulty of the dismissal process itself. The same New Teacher Project study found that 81 percent of school admin-istrators knew a poorly perform-ing teacher at their school, yet 86 percent of administrators said they were hesitant to begin the firing process for a incompetent teacher because of the monetary and time-based demands of the process.

The process for terminating a tenured teacher in Connecticut is extensive and strictly regulated, and includes pre-hearing, hear-ing, decision, and appeal time periods. The preliminary hearing processes can take as long as 184 days to complete. If the teacher chooses to appeal the termination decision to a Superior Court, the process can extend even farther. The process is not only extensive in terms of time; firing a tenured teacher can be extremely costly. In New York City, for example, the average cost of firing one ten-ured teacher is $250,000. With districts across the country hurting for funds, we simply can’t afford

to spend hundreds of thousands on removing ineffective teachers from school systems. The cost of firing teachers with tenure is a drain on already tight district budgets.

The tenure system is particu-larly harmful for new teachers. The system proliferates what is commonly known as the “last-hired, first-fired” policy, by which the newest teachers hold the great-est risk of being fired. The contract for Connecticut teacher tenure in-cludes this policy in the form of a provision stating that tenured teachers have the right to “bump untenured teachers in positions for which they are qualified if their positions are eliminated.” The ten-dency of districts to dismiss newer, younger teachers is so rampant and harmful that some have even ques-tioned its legality—in 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Los Angeles School Dis-trict over their seniority-based firing policy, claiming that it was discriminatory. In automatically equating years of experience with teaching quality, districts elimi-nate the positions of many excel-lent, untenured teachers, and often unconsciously limit the diversity of educators in the system.

In essence, the problem with tenure is that the costs of firing a tenured teacher are so demanding that administrators refuse to take disciplinary action against edu-cators they know are performing poorly. It sets into motion a vicious cycle of problems—to avoid con-flict, ineffective teachers are kept in the classroom, and as a result, student performance often suffers. Of course, tenure is not an inher-ently bad institution. It is impor-tant that teachers have rights and job security in a profession where judgment of quality is very subjec-tive. Perhaps recent innovations in teacher evaluation systems will lead to positive development in teacher tenure. However, it is clear that our current system of teacher tenure is ineffective and in need of serious reform.

April 2012

“I do support tenure for teach-ers. We’ve al-ways had it, and it doesn’t seem like we should have to live in fear of losing your job.” —Ms. Hamara, English teacher

Photo poll conducted by Dana Gordon / Viewpoint Editor

“I guess [tenure is good], because there are some teachers here who we can’t just get rid of au-tomatically, like aides or specialists—we need them.” —Shellcy Youte, ’13

“[I support tenure] because I think that teach-ers need to have a fallback in case they disagree with administra-tors or anybody in a higher position.”—Charlie Ainbinder, ’12

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Marco SocciStaff Writer

Every year when the weather starts to get warmer and winter gives way to spring, it always seems that, in the classroom, hard work gives way to laziness. As the last quarter of the school year begins, it seems that the amount of work that students do decreases dramatically.

This phenomenon not only happens to chronically lazy students who tend not to do their work, but it also affects some of the more ada-mant workers. This abrupt change in working habits that occurs si-multaneously with the changing of seasons and warming of the weath-er seems to have several plausible causes.

One commonly agreed upon cause of the increased laziness is the putting off of work to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and increasing temperature. During the winter months, we are often forced inside because of the cold, and when the warmer weather starts

to come everyone gets the urge to go outside and enjoy the new warmth.

The warmth feels liberating after being locked indoors for the last four months. “People don’t do their work when it gets warmer be-cause they want to go outside and do things like play golf,” sopho-more Sam Faugno said.

It appears as if many students have this lazy mindset once the ice thaws out. “I think the change of season has a lot to do with it. It starts to get warm out and people want to be outside and hangout with their friends. Also, a lot of kids play spring sports which take up a solid chunk of the day,” junior Chris Soule said.

Another common theory when it comes to the increasing urge not to do homework is that the warmer weather makes students realize how close it is to the end of the school year, and they lose their fo-cus on excelling in academics.

“People get the feeling that its already summer so they don’t want

to do work,” junior Kevin Grimaldi said. It is in human nature to look forward to exciting events like the end of school and the start of sum-mer, which makes this theory very common among the student body.

“By the time the weather gets warm people start thinking about the end of school and don’t feel like doing work anymore,” junior Ryan Story said.

Another commonly thought about reason for the “Spring Fe-ver” symptoms is that many of the students who take AP classes are finished or just about to finish their curriculum and start preparing for the AP exam which takes place in early May, and leaves them with nothing to do from there on out. The end of the rigorous classes of-ten causes these students to begin to relax from a tough year.

Although the cause for the lack of work getting done during the transition of seasons can be de-bated, the fact is that there is prob-lem with keeping students concen-trated as winter turns to spring.

Matt HofmannStaff Writer

Starting in the 2012-2013 school year, Westhill will be tran-sitioning from a seven period schedule to a six block rotating schedule. The rotating schedule will be a seven day rotating sched-ule with six periods each day in-cluding one period that extends to 86 minutes. The other five periods will be increased by a couple of minutes each.

“[The] schedule change is im-portant because it opens the door to more opportunities for students in class enrollments. Next year

students will have the opportunity to take new classes such as art his-tory, astronomy, and piano,” assis-tant principal Mr. Ramos said. Mr Ramos was one of the administra-tors influential in creating and car-rying out the schedule.

Mr. Ramos believes the loss of study halls and early release is not such a big problem. “At least 60 percent of the student body this year have at least one study hall and that does not give them the proper amount of time in an in-structional setting.”

As for early release being eliminated, only about 45 students take advantage of the opportunity

so that number is not significant enough to work around it.

Now why is the school chang-ing the schedule when the cur-rent schedule is seen by many as perfectly fine? “It’s unnecessary,” junior Evan McCafferty said. “It does not make sense, even with the schedule change we will still have the same amount of class time. There is no point to change the format of the schedule because it won’t accomplish anything.”

All the new schedule will do is create confusion for all students and aggravation because of the change.

It may not be smart to teach

for 86 minutes. Teachers can eas-ily run out of material to teach and students may lose focus if teach-ers do attempt to teach for the en-tirety of the period. Students can barely last for the 48 minutes with the current schedule, and to try to teach to them for an additional 38 minutes is ridiculous.

Moreover, with the change in schedules students will still re-ceive the same amount of time in the classroom under an instruc-tional setting. With that being said, there is no point to change the schedule now. Students will not have the material fresh in their mind that they learned if they don’t

have that class every day. Further-more, opening the opportunity to a few more classes should not require changing the entire sched-ule’s format. The early release op-tion was terminated because not a significant proportion of students take advantage of it, however, the entire schedule layout is changing to give students the opportunity to take a few different classes.

All in all, don’t fix what’s not broken. “I don’t like the idea of the rotating schedule because you don’t have all your classes every day, so the material doesn’t stay as fresh in your mind,” junior Brian Pollack said.

Schedule should stay the same

Are you in favor of next year’s rotating schedule?Yes No Not sure66% 21.5% Poll by Zoey Villalba & Nicole Skorvanek

Out of students 200 students polled

10 ViewpointApril 2012

Springing out of school mode12.5%

Why do you think you get distracted from your school

work during the spring?

“I get distracted from my school work during the spring for a ton of reasons, but the main one is be-cause the weather is so beautiful outside, and it seems like a crime to be stuck inside all day.” —Emilio Polanco,’13

“During spring break, you’re not thinking about school, and then when you come back you’re still around your friends so you stay distracted.”

—Vanessa Castillo,’12

Photo poll conducted by Dana Gordon / Viewpoint Editor

[ ]

11AdvertisementApril 2012

Editorial12

Westhill lost a loved member of the Viking com-munity, David Buitrago, on April 16. A 17-year-old ju-nior, Buitrago was passion-ate, engaged, and dedicated to numerous school organi-zations, including buildOn, JROTC, and the football team. He wished to attend West Point University and serve our country in the armed forces.

Just a few months back, an article was written about Buitrago in the Stamford Advocate highlighting his scholastic accomplishments and his incredible rise to aca-demic success in high school. Buitrago’s is a unique story.

“David was a very in-spirational person,” team-mate and friend, junior Chris Soule said. “He made a 180-degree turn with his life, and I don’t know many people who could accomplish all that he [did] in a lifetime, let alone 17 years.”

Buitrago will be remem-bered for his compassion, generosity, humility, and sense of humor. “He was a great kid and he will be missed. There was never a

day when he was sad. [He] always brought the mood up. [He] tried hard and was suc-cessful at everything he did,” JROTC member and friend, sophomore Vladymir Vlad said.

As an athlete he will be remembered for his determi-nation. As a volunteer, he will be remembered for his empathy. As an active mem-ber of JROTC Raider Team, he will be remembered for his poise and discipline, and he was one who exemplified “Westhill and Proud.”

“I think of him as the kid who pushed himself to do better and made peo-ple laugh,” Raider Team member and friend, senior Aakash Malhotra, said. “He was always smiling, and he was an all-around good kid. [He] showed leadership in and outside of school, one of the most dedicated people we ever had. I wish we had more kids like David that knew how to have a good time but he also knew when it would be time to be seri-ous. I really respect him a lot for it.”

Buitrago’s friends and

peers have said that they will always be thankful for his helpful and selfless nature, for his willingness to put others before himself, and for his loyalty and sincerity.

“David was the best teammate a captain could ask for, a caring friend who could make you smile even on your worst day,” football captain Seamus Ronan said.

Buitrigo was a wonderful friend to many with a bright and kind personality full of kindness and respect.

Above all else, Buitrago was a genuinely kind and caring person. His efforts both on and off the field offer inspiration and motivation for teammates and friends. We will always be thankful for the tremendous impact he had on our community.

“The people who inspire us will come and go but you can’t let their inspiration leave with them,” Soule said. “You have to embrace it and use it to fuel your ambition. And that is how everyone should remember David.”

Information about donat-ing to the Buitrago family is available in the main office.

In memory of David Buitrago,12/4/1994 - 4/16/2012

Photos contributed by Leo P. Gallagher & Sons Funeral Home

classmate, teammate, and friendEditorial13april 2012

Op-Ed14

Something on your mind? Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor can be submitted to westwordwhs@gmail.com or Lainey Sidell’s mailbox in Room 224.

In the summer of 2009, I was contacted by Caryl Stern, the CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF to discuss Stamford’s work for UNI-CEF. She told me that she was ask-ing all the high-school-aged UNI-CEF volunteers like myself to start clubs in their high schools. I said

I would be delighted to start one at Westhill, and as soon I asked a few of my friends if they would be interested in joining, the Westhill High School UNICEF Club was born.

UNICEF stands for the Unit-ed Nations Children’s Fund, and was formerly known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. The organiza-tion was created in 1946 and has helped to provide clean water, food, shelter, and medicine to chil-dren across the world. UNICEF

operates in 161 nations and dur-ing emergency situations, such as the flooding in Pakistan in 2010 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF project alone has raised over $164 million since it was started over 60 years ago. UNICEF is a reputable

charity, and with a four out of four star rating on charitynavigator.org, it is one of the most well-regarded charities in the world today.

Although the club operates under the radar at Westhill, the UNICEF Club has been very ac-tive over the past three years. From streamlining and professionalizing the Stamford Elementary Schools’ Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF event, to petitioning local restaurants to participate in UNICEF’s Tap Proj-ect, the club has raised a great deal of money for an important organi-

zation. The UNICEF Club also ran a very successful, week-long Val-entine’s Week candy sale, whose funds went to UNICEF to help with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011.

This year, we’ll be trying something completely new. In late May, the UNICEF Club’s members will be hosting a yard sale. All of the proceeds will go directly to UNICEF. We feel that combining the nostalgia of a yard sale with beautiful spring weather and an organization like UNICEF is the best way to raise awareness for the organization while directly funding its activities. A date, time, and location have yet to be deter-mined, but look for this informa-tion soon.

21,000 children die every day from preventable causes, accord-ing to UNICEF’s website. If you would like to donate to UNICEF, and help them reach their goal of lowering this number to zero, visit unicefusa.org to make a donation directly to the organization.

—Jon Berman, Founder and President

UNICEF fundraises for third year

Freshman founds fish clubFish Enthusiasts Club, or just

Fish Club as it’s become known to its members, is a 10-member club celebrating our love for aquacul-

ture. On Wednesdays and some-times Thursdays, we meet and clean the 16 fish tanks we have in our advisor’s, science teacher Ms. Treado, classroom. We have a variety of different species, from small goldfish, to 10-inch-long South American Oscars, and every type of fish in between.

One of our proudest achieve-ments was breeding guppies. Now we have adorable baby guppies. I

love Fish Club, and I’m honored to have started it, especially as a freshman. None of my friends un-derstand why I love it so much.

Well, I guess when you are as passionate about something as the people in Fish Club are about marine biology, and you have the perfect outlet to express it, it really comes together.

We love our animals, they are truly extraordinary creatures. I’m proud to call myself the president of this fantastic club.

—Laura Gerson, Founder and President

We have a variety of different species, from small goldfish, to 10-inch-long South American Oscars, and every type of fish in between.

Jon Berman / Contributed PhotoTRICk-OR-dONaTE The UNICEF club plans on holding a yard-sale to raise money for the organization. The club has previously raised money through activities such as Trick-or-Treat.

We feel that combining the nostalgia of a yard sale with beautiful spring weather and an organization like UNICEF is the best way to raise awareness for the organization while directly funding its activities.

anjali khetan / Managing EditorFISH aRE FRIENdS, NOT FOOd The Fish Enthusiasts Club meetings focus on cultivating multiple fish tanks, which are kept in Room 306.

Dana GordonViewpoint Editor

Senior Bill Rene is different from many others. Instead of tak-ing the traditional route of going to college after graduating, he has decided to prepare to become an electrician. With his cousin to guide him, Rene was able to pick the right path to continue his edu-cation and jumpstart his career. The Westword got the details on his future and what he plans to do after finishing trade school.

The Westword: How did you de-cide to become an electrician?Bill Rene: One of my cousins is an electrician, and sometimes I help him with his work. I got the feel for the job and I really liked it.TW: How did you choose which trade school to go to?BR: Well I chose the school based

on location, because I knew I wanted to move to Montreal after graduating high school. I found that school, and it had everything I wanted.TW: Are you the first in your family to go to trade school?BR: No, my cousin went to a lo-

cal trade school and prepared in various other ways. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He was my inspiration and helped me decide which school I wanted to go to, and ultimately helped me make a

lot of other decisions.TW: What made you choose trade school over any other post high school program?BR: I knew that going straight to trade school was the best op-tion for me. My grades were just okay, so trade school was the

right option to finish off my edu-cation. I was deciding between trade school and community col-lege, but I decided to go straight to a trade. I always wanted to be an electrician anyways, so it all

worked out perfectly.TW: What advice do you have for others that are considering trade school?BR: I think others should just do what is best for them, so if they want to pursue something, they should. TW: What are the benefits of trade school for you?BR: For me specifically, I will probably get a job right out of trade school. Others are almost guaranteed a job right after grad-uation as well.TW: How many years are you planning on going to trade school for?BR: The requirement is two

years, so that is probably how long I will attend the school for. However, depending upon your field, you may have to go for more years.TW: Did you always plan on

going to trade school or was it recent decision? BR: I decided junior year, since that is when you have to really think about your future. TW: How do you plan on using your electrician skills after you graduate from trade school?BR: I’ll probably join a company right out of college to gain some experience. After that, I want to start my own company.TW: What do you like about being an electrician?BR: I like getting the job done, and I like helping people with their electricity problems.TW: What did your parents and family think of your decision to go to trade school?BR: They said, “Do what you gotta do,” and they were happy that I finally made a decision about what to do with the rest of my life.

15Feature

Elizabeth HendricksonStaff Writer

Senior Jamie Felderman de-cided to learn how to cook when he was just eleven years old. This decision didn’t remain just a hob-by for long, but instead flourished into a career path as he plans to study culinary arts at Johnson and Wales University in the fall. The Westword spoke with him about his plans for cooking and his fu-ture.

The Westword: How did you be-come interested in cooking?Jamie Felderman: When I was young, I just had a love for food, but in sixth grade, my dad and I started cooking Sunday dinner to-gether. That’s when I learned my way around the kitchen.TW: Are any of your family members cooks as well?JF: My dad actually learned to cook when he was in college. He went to hotel school so he had to learn about the culinary arts. So I really learned from him.TW: Are there any chefs that you are inspired by?JF: I would say Jamie Oliver or Mario Bitali because both of them

use an Italian cooking style and I do too.TW: Who do you usually cook for?JF: Really anyone who’s at my house to be honest; family, friends, whenever we have guests over.TW: What are some things that you cook?JF: Peanut chicken stir fry, chick-en parmigiana, and breakfast bur-ritos are a few of the things that I cook.TW: What are your favorite things to cook?JF: Anything pasta related be-cause you can just throw pretty much anything in with pasta and it’ll taste delicious.TW: What is your least favorite thing to cook and why?JF: I hate baking. It’s such a sci-ence and it takes so long as op-posed to just being able to throw stuff together and make it work.TW: What was the most difficult thing you’ve ever cooked and why?JF: I made Valentine’s Day din-ner. I made steak, sweet potatoes and oven roasted asparagus. That took about three hours.TW: When did you decide that you were going to culinary

school?JF: Probably around sophomore year when I realized that I was re-ally good at cooking and I could make a career out of it.TW: What are your plans for the future, in terms of a cooking ca-reer?JF: I want to eventually open up my own restaurants and make my own cook books.TW: Do you have any advice that you could give to anyone who also is an aspiring chef?JF: Just because it doesn’t work out the first time, it doesn’t mean that you did something wrong. Always keep trying and you’re bound to eventually get it right.TW: Do you have any advice that you could give to those who don’t know how to cook but would like to maybe give it a shot?JF: Just try simple things at first. Pasta is easy because you just boil it in water. Start with things that have just three steps, not full out dinners, and then you can go from there.

Pursuing a different pathFelderman’s cooking hobby becomes a career choice

COOKING UP SUCCESS Senior Jamie Felderman showcases his talent by making meals for friends and family. He plans on sharing his creations with others in years to come.

Jamie Felderman / Contributed PhotoOne of Felderman’s original recipes can be found at thewest-wordonline.com

“I knew that going straight to trade school was the best option for me. My grades were just okay, so trade school was the right option to finish off my education. I always wanted to be an electri-cian anyways, so it all worked out perfectly.”

—Bill Rene, ’12

Rene chooses trade school, prepares for future job

16 Featureapril 2012

Building a budgetSaving money

Stephanie CardeReporter

As many Americans have been suf-fering from this negative economy, money has been a recent issue for many students as well. Cutting down is harder than it may seem because most things cost money. Even if something only costs $5, those $5 turn into $20 a week when you pitch in gas and other expenses. There are many other ways to have fun and enjoy every day pleasures in life without spending much money.

Instead of going to the movie theater and spending over $10 for a ticket, arrange a movie night at a friend’s house. Money can be saved on parking and on snacks. To find that ultimate movie experience, go to the State Cinema, which is located on Hope Street. The theater is smaller than the Bow-Tie Cinema complexes down-town, but ticket prices are much cheaper. In addition, on Tuesdays, all movie tickets are only $3. To stick to the downtown area, watch a movie at matinee hours (anytime before 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and before 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) as costs are only a fraction of the price of an evening showing.

It isn’t necessary to pay for a gym membership when the same great workout can be achieved within the comfort of your home. Gyms are crowded, expensive, and they can make some self conscious. Save

some money and invest in exercise pro-grams like P90X ($85 on amazon.com) or Intensity ($145 on amazon.com). The amount paid for these programs totals to a fraction of a year’s membership at a lo-cal gym. If these programs are still too ex-pensive on a tight budget, there are various other workout DVDs that cost as little as $5.

Instead of a night out on the town, stay in. Organize a black light party at a friend’s house. All that’s needed is a room, UV lights, snacks, music, and friends. Money can be saved on parking, dinner tips, and any other activities. Wear white and enjoy your black light party.

Recently, the vintage look has jumped into the fashion scene. Many students aim to create this perfect look, but in doing so end up over paying for it. To go for the real vintage look, you should go to actual vin-tage shops. Thrift stores and second-hand shops have similar clothes to those found in other stores for less.

Coffee is one of the most sought after beverages. Many need coffee to stay awake and manage through a whole day of school. By investing in a coffee maker, money can be saved on your daily Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts runs.

Saving money is not as hard as many think it is. There are many things that can be done to cut back on spending and to use money more wisely.

Mallory HartAssociate Editor

Money can make money. When saved and invested wisely, well-earned cash can grow. Many students work to receive pay-checks or cash that should be looked at as more than just cash in your back pocket. It’s simple to loose track of the amount of money spent as a teen, as constant runs to favorite food stops and other small purchas-es add up. Keeping track of these purchases and, more importantly, figuring out the most efficient and optimal way to spend and save money can help students get the most from what they earn.

There are many ways students can save their money through bank accounts. The simplest are in terms of savings accounts and checking accounts. “A savings account is something you try not to touch, so that’s what you’re putting away for a long time,” Academy of Finance teacher Mr. DeSantos said. “So for instance if you were looking for a long-term goal, like buying a car, you would use your savings account for that. A checking account is used for daily purchas-es, things you’re doing to buy, bills, and money that’s going to go in and out more rapidly.” It is often advised that at least 20 percent of earnings should be set aside and put into savings.

The Orange Savings Account with ING Direct is an example of a high interest sav-

ings account with no minimums, which is favorable for students who may not start out with substantial funds. It is important to note that at most banks, minors cannot open a checking or savings account directly. Though the accounts can be under the name of a student under 18, a parent or guardian must be a joint account holder.

If managing an account seems too diffi-cult or time consuming of a task, think again. Many banks, such as Bank of America, offer a more eco-friendly way to handle finances through the “Go Paperless” campaign to use online statements. This is ideal for students who want to keep a constant check on their finances and to regulate the amount they spend by seeing how much is left in a check-ing account until that next paycheck.

Other savings options include a cer-tificate of deposit (CD), which is offered at banks and credit unions. These are time deposits that have a fixed term, which dates how when the money may be withdrawn, and fixed rates. The maturity dates are usual-ly monthly, six months, and up to five years. “The longer you keep it in the better interest rate they’ll give you,” Mr. DeSantos said. “If you’re a freshman in high school and you’re going to college, you may want to open up a three or four year CD, put in some money you’re not going to touch, and then it’ll ma-ture exactly at the time you’re going to use it on college expenses… The biggest thing in savings is the earlier you start, the better.”

spending it wisely

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

and

Teaching in a new landJulia Zimmerman &

Alexa VelascoReporter & Staff Writer

Every once in a while a stu-dent is presented with an oppor-tunity to get a new perspective on learning from a teacher. This is prominently shown when students get the opportunity of having a teacher who is native to another country. Each teacher that is native to another country has methods and perspectives that differ from the common American outlook on education, making these teachers a vital asset to the learning commu-nity of Westhill.

Each international teacher has his or her own reasons for coming to the U.S. Ms. Saleh is a long-term substitute and a math tutor who is originally from Egypt. For Ms. Saleh, the move to America was for her children. “I wanted my children to experience different cultures,” Ms. Saleh said. Howev-er, many other teachers came here

for different reasons. These could include a better job opportunity, to follow family and friends, or even just for a culture change.

However, becoming a teacher in the U.S. isn’t always easy, espe-cially coming from a native country that doesn’t have English as its pri-mary language. For some teachers, an original language barrier was a struggle on their road to becoming a teacher. Ms. Popescu, a Latin and French teacher, started working at Westhill six years ago after living in Romania for almost her whole life. “I have always wanted to be a teacher, so I followed my dream. However, it was not easy for me to come from a country in which I used to speak Romanian, French, or Italian, and get transferred to a reality that was speaking English,” Ms. Popescu said.

Of course, there are some dif-ferences between the requirements of becoming a teacher in another country and requirements in the U.S., along with the education

systems in general. In the U.S., specifically Connecticut, it is nec-essary to take certain courses and pass two exams called the Praxis I and Praxis II to become certi-fied to teach. While teachers could have been certified in their native countries, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are able to teach in the U.S. automatically. This is because the education systems are structured differently. “There are differences and similarities be-tween the educational systems of Romania and the U.S. with regards to the structure of their educational content, the status of teachers and students, their pedagogical feed-back, and the conditions imposed by the governments of each coun-try,” Ms. Popescu said.

Although international teach-ers have had to overcome various barriers on the way to actually being able to teach in the United States, it proves to be worth it when they get to engage students by taking part in a job they love.

17Featureapril 2012

Column by Andrew Krowitz & Seamus RonanThe Hungry Vikings Melt Mobile

Price: 4 out of 5Service: 4 out of 5Food: 5 out of 5

As every high school food connoisseur knows, half days are meant for lunch with friends af-ter the bell rings. After honing this craft at Reddi Rooster, for-merly known as Garden Catering, and Sorrento’s Pizzeria in middle school, at Westhill we have dedi-cated those glorious Wednesdays to our stomachs. This past half day in April was no different from the rest of them. We were Hungry, and we are Vikings.

Our spidey senses had tingled, and we heard that Bobby Flay had recently visited downtown Stam-ford to help open a new grilled cheese truck. We were awestruck as the truck, known as Melt Mo-bile, combined gourmet comfort food with a food truck, two recent trends in the food business. We de-cided it was time to see why Flay had taken such an interest in this specific food truck in downtown Stamford.

Naturally, we thought Melt Mobile would be mobile, so we were looking forward to a high speed chase around Stamford try-ing to find our target. Sadly, after further research, we learned that the food truck is stationary and

located in Veterans’ Park, across from City Hall just off of Atlantic Street. Hidden behind the Stam-ford Town Center and the busi-ness district, we wondered if there could possibly be a better location for the truck.

It was difficult to see, and its location does not offer acces-sible parking. Anyone looking to eat must park on the street, or at a nearby parking garage, as avail-able spots downtown are hard to come by. Make sure to bring two quarters for the parking meters too. That being said, the Vikings were able to navigate the waters and get to Melt Mobile.

Since we had visited during lunch hours, there was a decent line gathered in front of the truck. This was probably for the better, as we needed a lot of time to choose from the menu. The truck offers a variety, with twelve gourmet sand-wiches and the ability to create your own sandwich from toppings such as apple wood smoked ba-con, vine ripe tomatoes, caramel-ized onions, and wild mushrooms. Along with every good cheese sandwich, there is a zesty tomato soup, and many side dishes, such

as hand cut Belgian fries, a distinct cousin of French fries, and fried mac and cheese bites, all for under $4.

However, we were here for the sandwiches, and their creativ-ity and deliciousness could not be matched. As we mentioned, they have twelve different options, in-cluding the Manchengo Melt, the Philly Melt, the Svelt Melt, the Goodfella, and the Darmama Melt. All of these wonderful melts are $8 and are definitely worth the price.

The Hungry Vikings went

with the Meatball Three Cheese Squeeze, which has homemade meatballs, basil marinara, parme-san and romano blend, ricotta, and mozzarella on a grilled ciabatta. The meatballs were incredibly moist and flavorful and had been pressed down to fit into the sand-wich. The Tuscan bread, the per-fect partner for the meat and sauce, had been grilled beautifully. These weren’t your average meatballs

either; they were the kind mama used to make.

We also chose the Pork-U-Pine, which features Vermont cheddar, BBQ pulled pork, and car-amelized onions on buttery grilled country white bread. This divine melt was country and seemed right off the farm. The BBQ pork was perfectly complemented by the cheddar cheese and grilled bread.

Within minutes we had our sandwiches and we sat down in Veterans’ Park to enjoy our highly deserved melts. The sandwiches

were large and filling, delicious and scrumptious.

We honestly cannot say enough about the sandwiches or the Melt Mobile as a whole. They have every possible meal you can think of, from the basics of the Original Melt, which was their house blend of tillamook ched-dar, gruyere, and monterey jack on country white bread. They also offer three different dessert melts,

the NY Cheesecake Melt, which has slices of homemade cheese-cake pressed in between two slices of pound cake, the Strawberry Su-preme Melt, and the Fluffernutter. We are not even sure what’s in it but the name alone suggest peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.

Overall, we can understand why Bobby Flay chose the Melt Mobile to be featured on his new reality show, Food Project. This gourmet grilled cheese truck has it all like great pricing, as every-thing is $9 or less. The food is fan-tastic and meets the needs of even those with the most delicate palate. It features the taste of a high end restaurant with the personality and the quickness of the food truck that it is.

As an added bonus, the Melt Mobile food truck will donate two percent of its proceeds to The Umbrella Club, a local charitable organization devoted to helping children in need. Open from ll a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, you need to get yourself to Veter-ans’ Park off of Atlantic Street and grab yourself a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, just as doctor ordered.

The food is fantastic and meets the needs of even those with the most delicate palate. It features the taste of a high end restaurant, but the personality and the quickness of the food truck it is.

18 Featureapril 2012

Seeing the sights in Spain

Lessons learnedJordan Sprogis

Staff Writer

School can sometimes be a boring schedule to stick with: five days a week of the same seven pe-riods. Classes seem to blur togeth-er, making it hard to focus. How-ever, some teachers try to spice things up a bit by coming up with creative lesson plans and activities for their students. This way, stu-dents have an opportunity to show and explore their creative side in a school-based project.

Ms. Tobin’s popular project for her eleventh grade English class based on The Scarlet Letter is an example of such an assignment. Students pick a word that is seen as negative to others, but positive to themselves. This is relevant to the experience of the novel’s main character, Hester Prynne.

“I can guarantee that students years from now will remember their letter because they put a lot of thought into it,” Ms. Tobin said. After picking their word, students create a visual representation of

the first letter of the word and must wear it, mimicking what Hester Prynne was forced to do with an “A” for “adultery” in the novel.

“It allowed me not only to ex-press myself through schoolwork as a unique individual, but also gave me a better insight to what the character in the novel faced. It’s a unique project,” senior Cam-eron Riordan, who completed the project last year, said.

Ms. Miraballes is another teacher known for her creative projects. In her United States his-tory classes, to introduce the era of the Roaring ’20s she came up with a project to have students create silent films, like the ones made in the 1920s. Some requirements in-clude costumes, music, and props appropriate for the 1920s theme. After all of the presentations, the class has their own award show where the students then vote on best leading actors and actresses, best drama, best comedy, and best musical.

“I tried to give kids as many opportunities for hands-on learn-

ing, so role playing in this era shows them the concept and the silent movies incorporate all as-pects,” Ms. Miraballes said.

However, fun projects aren’t the only thing to keep a class in-terested. Sometimes, all a class needs is an interesting teacher who makes lessons more fun.

“I think movement and vol-ume is important in teaching. Re-ally knowing your material and what kind of students you have in your class is really important. It’s personality too. You have to be upbeat,” history teacher Ms. Tintle said.

Some teachers are known for their personalities and outgoing at-titudes as a result of such projects. Having a teacher who is knowl-edgeable and fun with the lessons they teach can help keep the class remain awake and interested.

“Outgoing teachers make a class you would normally dread going to more enjoyable. When a teacher is more outgoing, it makes you feel like a part of the class,” senior Matt Carlson said.

Teachers use creative methods to educate students

Ms. Tobin / Contributed Photo“L” FOR LAZY Junior Devin Oulighan created a dunce cap with a large “L” on it to represent himself in a project about The Scarlet Letter for Ms. Tobin’s English class.

Friday, 4/13: After getting to Ma-drid, the students had churros and chocolate at a cafe near their ho-tel. They then went on a walking tour of the city, which ended at the Reina Sofia National Museum.

Saturday, 4/14: They took a bus to Segovia where they saw Roman aqueducts and went to a cathedral. They then went to El Escorial, the palace where the king of Spain used to live.

Sunday, 4/15: They toured El Pala-cio Real de Madrid, which is the offi-cial residence of the royal family. They then went to the most well-known bull ring in the world, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, to watch a bull fight.

Monday, 4/16: The students on the trip went to Salamanca, which is a province in the western part of Spain, and did a walking tour of the town. After that, some vis-ited San Gines.

Tuesday, 4/17: They toured the Spanish Royal Tapestry Factory, and then had the afternoon for free time and shopping. For dinner and a show, they went to a flamenco dancing performance.

Ms. Costa Weller / Contributed Photo

Eliza Engel / Contributor

Wednesday, 4/18: They went to Toledo to see the town. They toured a sword workshop where they got to see how swords are created. They also visited a ca-thedral and a synagogue.

Thursday, 4/19: They visited the Prado Museum, which boasts one of the best Spanish art collections in the world. They celebrated their last night with a tapas dinner and lots of dancing.

Friday, 4/20: Unfortu-nately for the students, it was time to leave. They said their final goodbyes to Spain and got on the plane to return home.

Over April break, students took a school trip to Spain in order to experience the culture and to see the many landmarks and attrac-tions that the country has to offer. Below is an outline of the many experiences they shared on the trip.

. . ..

. . . .

Special RepoRt: 19

Extreme violence at school

Billy SilkContributor

Thirteen years ago this month, two students at Columbine High School in Colorado shocked the nation and the world. In less than one hour, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and in-jured 21 before taking their own lives. America had never before witnessed a high school shooting of such magnitude. Their actions led to police and school adminis-trators at high schools and univer-sities around the country adopting new security policies to help keep students safe in what has tradition-ally been known as a safe haven: schools.

In 2005, the scale of Colum-bine was nearly matched when 16-year-old Jeffrey Weise committed the Red Lake Massacre. He shot and killed his grandfather, a mem-ber of the Red Lake Police Depart-ment, and his grandfather’s girl-friend, before proceeding to Red

Lake High School. Once inside, he shot and killed five students, one teacher, one unarmed security guard, and eventually took his own life. The death toll could have been much higher had it not been for the courageous actions of sophomore Jeffrey May. After Weise had shot his victims, he attempted to reload his pistol and May saw his oppor-tunity. He tackled the 6 foot tall, 250 lb Weise to the ground and stabbed him with a pencil. Weise retaliated by shooting him in the jaw and chest, but not before the classroom was safely evacuated. May was injured but lived, and his selfless actions serve as a re-minder of the good that can come in even the worst of times.

Within just the past two months, America has seen two more shootings similar to the hor-rific events of Columbine High School. The first, at Chardon High School in Ohio on February 27 left three dead and three injured. The second took place at Oikos

University in Oakland California on April 2 and left seven dead and three injured. Both have left policymakers and law enforce-ment personnel wondering what motivates people to commit such horrific acts.

Just before 8:00 a.m. on Feb-

ruary 27, students in the cafeteria of Chardon High School heard a loud pop that was described as a “firecracker,” and saw student T.J. Lane standing on a table ran-domly shooting his classmates. He was chased out of the cafete-ria by a brave teacher, but not be-fore leaving deadly consequences in his wake. He killed three of his classmates and injured three more. Student Nate Mueller later described the incident to abcnews.

com as “terror,” saying “You see glances of your friends laying all over the place. There’s blood, there’s people screaming, every-body’s just running in different directions and you’re just trying to get out. That’s all you can do, get out of the school and not look

back even though your friends are back there.” The community has spent much of the past two months grieving and trying to move on, but the scar inflicted by the actions of one 17 year old will never vanish.

Just over one month later, 43-year-old One L. Goh entered the campus of Oikos University, a Ko-rean Christian University in Oak-land, California, with a drive to murder. He pulled out his gun and

started shooting, screaming “Get in line... I’m going to kill you all!” He killed seven and injured three more, making the Oikos Universi-ty shooting the third deadliest uni-versity shooting in United States history, behind the Virginia Tech Massacre and the University of Texas clocktower shooting.

In the light of the recent shootings and those that have af-flicted America in the past, schools around the country have taken precautions over the past several years to ensure their students’ safety. At Westhill, lockdown drills and safety procedures made known to faculty members form integral parts of its safety policy.

While some students may feel slightly inconvenienced by rules that are designed to keep them safe, many say they feel safe walking around Westhill. “I heard a lot of bad stories coming into Westhill, so was a little nervous at first. But I have never felt un-safe here,” freshman Jeff Kurzman

In the light of the recent shootings and those that have afflicted America in the past, schools around the country have taken precautions over the past several years to ensure their stu-dents’ safety.

I think it could happen at all high schools. There are always bullies and kids who feel isolated. I think that the

level of bullying is proportional to the level of violence. There is a certain amount of

bullying in Westhill.

Westhill is safe because there are a lot of people watching everywhere and

word gets around quick.

Maybe. I’ve seen kids get bullied here but I dont know anyone who would go to the point of actually bringing a gun to school but you

never know.

Two school shootings have recently occured: one at Chardon High School on February 27 and one at Oikos University on April 2. These recent occurences of violence at educational institutions, coinciding with the thirteenth anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, have brought about questions

of safety in our public schools.

Could this happen at Westhill?“

”

“”

”

”

“

“—Shabaz Khan, ’13

—Kim Ngyuen, ’14

—Mr. Wright, Head of Security

—Nassar Louis, ’15Photo poll conducted by Mackenzie Eisen / Special Report Editor

I have been here for 27 years. We’ve come across two guns in that time, both from outside students. Our community is more proactive than reactive. If the students were to see something, they

would say something.

Chardon High School (2012)

Red Lake Senior High School (2005)

Columbine High School (1999)

Oikos University (2012)

Virginia Tech University (2007)

20 SPECIAL REPORT: ExTREmE SChOOL VIOLEnCE APRIL 2012

Boys experience almost twice as many violent incidents as girls

The earliest case of school violence

occurred in

1974

The overall percentage of stu-dents who report being threat-ened or injured with a weapon at school has remained relatively stable since 1993

77%Of high schools have reported gun violence since 1998

The annual rate of serious violent crime in

2007 was less than half of the rate in 1994

Only 35% of violent crimes on campuses have been reported

to authorities

School violence statistics:

Map of major U.S. school shootings in the past 15 years

Facts according to schoolshooting.org, secretservice.gov, and youthviolence.edschool

The rate of homicides in the U.S. has declined

substantially since the early

1990s

Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School Feel Safe at School

Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not Feel Safe at School Do Not

Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion Have No Opinion

56% 28% 16%Poll conducted by Aman Samra, Brianna Skorvanek, and Becca Shaulson

Out of 200 students

Do you feel safe at Westhill?

2007-2008 2010-20112009-20102008-2009

Documented cases of weapons incidents at Westhill within the

past four years:

Total number of incidents

Incidents considered serious

Information courtesy of sdeportal.ct.gov

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SupplementDestination: Stamford

22 SupplementApril 2012

Stamford Museum & Nature Center39 Scofieldtown RoadThis art, history, and agricultural science center offers many opportunities to get in touch with na-ture. Whether visiting animals on the 10-acre farm, viewing the museum exhibits that display 19th and 20th century art and culture, or walk along on one of its nature trails, the Nature Center is an excit-ing place to explore. The center is also home to other facilities, such as the four-story observatory for observing stars and planets, a playground, and seasonal activities.

Stamford Historical Society Museum1508 High Ridge RoadAs an education and research institution, the Stamford His-torical Society aims to collect, preserve, and exhibit materials relating to Stamford and its sur-rounding areas. The museum offers a handful of informative exhibits, such as “Stamford’s Lit-tle Italy”,,“Stamford’s Civil War,” “Lost Streets of Stamford,” and numerous other exhibits. The museum frequently updates their exhibits, which means that there is always a chance to learn more about the city you live in.

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Mead Farm 107 June RoadThis horse riding establishment’s history dates back to the 1920s and offers many types of horse riding lessons, from beginner to advanced. Although the general service con-sists of season-long riding lessons, the farm also provides more short-term services, such as mini-lessons, group activities, day-long lessons, and horse shows, making it a great place to learn about equestrianism.

Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens151 Brookdale RoadThe Bartlett Arboretum is a 91-acre area that of-fers access to parkland, gardens, landscapes, and hiking trails that display the regional plants, animals, and ecology of Stamford and the near-by surrounding areas. It is a wonderful place to visit to see the natural beauty of the Northeast. The Arboretum also hosts occasional concerts, plant sales, design showcases, and art exhib-its, so visit its website, bartlettarboretum.org to learn about other activities offered.

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Giovanni’s Market105 Old Long Ridge RoadThis family grocery store has been offering fresh produce to North Stamford since the early 19th century. Its commit-ment to offering the freshest groceries from the most local sources makes the trip to Gio-vanni’s well worth it. It is not a commercial chain, so the pric-es here are a bit higher than they would be in a store like Stop & Shop. However, Gio-vanni’s wide selection that in-cludes even the most obscure items is sure to take care of all your grocery needs.

$ $ $

Lakeside Diner1050 Long Ridge RoadLakeside Diner, known for its famous donuts and delicious breakfast burri-tos, offers a variety of gourmet food for breakfast or lunch. When dining here, you are literally on the side of a lake, with tables overlooking the scenic Holts Ice Pond. Lakeside is ideal for a scrumptious breakfast, where the chocolate chip pancakes are especially outstanding. This tiny place is usually full, so come early to avoid the crowds.

NORTH STAMFORD

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

Supplement 23April 2012

Fairway Market699 Canal StreetFairway, Stamford’s newest supermarket, offers food and an atmo-sphere unlike most grocery stores. This supermarket carries a wide variety of food, with a huge selection of brands and imported spe-cialty items. Its food court is another great place to visit, as it of-fers freshly cooked meals at inexpensive prices, with eating space available both inside and outside. With so many selections and free samples, Fairway is sure to satisfy any food lover.

EAST STAMFORD

Maria Fiora’s Dance Studio5 Hillandale AvenueMake sure to bring only your best moves when entering this dance studio, because the ballroom, belly, hip hop, jazz, latin, and swing class-es offered here are sure to give a proper workout. This studio offers one to two month classes at rea-sonable prices.

Agabhumi the Best of Bali22 Magee AvenueThis unique jewelry and ac-cessories shop imports all of its items from Bali, Indone-sia. Many of its items have a tribal, boho-chic vibe, which makes this a great place to find a unique gift. Agabhumi offers everything from colorful purses and clothing to shoes and scarves, giving customers a wide selection of products to buy from.

Fairview East Side BeachFairview AvenueAlthough this may look like a private beach due to its hidden location and small size, the Fairview East Side Beach, which is located right next to the Woodway Beach Club, is ideal for those seeking a more secluded area to tan and swim during the summertime. This beach is divided into two parts; the right side for fishing and the left side for swimming. Although it might be smaller than most Stamford beaches, the quiet and clean atmosphere definitely makes up for the smaller space.

State Cinema990 Hope StreetThis old-school movie theater is a great place for inexpensive movie tickets. Unlike most commercialized big box theaters, the State Cin-ema has only two screens, like the Avon Theatre. It is also much less expensive than most commercialized theaters, though it still shows many popular movies, and offers an additional historical flair.

$MJuliska Store & J Cafe465 Canal StreetAlthough Juliska is well-known for its arti-san European tableware, its in-store J Cafe is a great place to visit for a tasty treat. The store epitomizes splendid European living, and their delicious European-style cappuc-cinos and pastries complete the experience. Whether you are only browsing and admiring the hand-blown glassware and porcelain, or even planning on buying some of their pieces, the Juliska store is a great way to temporarily transport yourself to Europe.

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Scalzi Skate ParkBridge StreetWhether you are an avid skater or just a begin-ner, the Scalzi Skate Park is a great place to go skateboarding. The ramps and rails in this 10,000 square foot park are a great way to hone your skills. The best part about this activity is that it’s a different, free way to spend time with your friends.

Rico’s Pizza170 Selleck StreetIf you’ve got an addiction to Colony’s Pizza, Rico’s can be a great alternative to try. Unlike Colony Bar & Grille, Rico’s offers quick and inexpensive home delivery. This pizza parlor also offers the perfect crispy thin crust and delicious cheese and sauce to top it off, so visit Rico’s and see what all the hype is about.

Fun 4 Kids Arcade370 West Main StreetAlthough you may have previ-ously visited this place during a friend’s birthday party in elemen-tary school, now is an even bet-ter time to visit the Fun 4 Kids Arcade. The huge area devoted to classic arcade games and la-ser tag are great ways to spend time with friends and relive the fun days of youth.

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Mianus River ParkThis 220-acre park is a haven for fishermen, bikers, hikers, dog-walkers, and joggers alike. Spend a day here to get some fresh air and exer-cise at the same time. Mianus River Park offers a great na-ture experience and is far re-moved from the typical urban or suburban Stamford land-scape. This park also offers hiking trails for those looking to explore beyond the river.

Starbucks288 West AvenueThis Starbucks location is unlike all others in Stamford, as it is the only one with a drive-thru window. So the next time you are in a rush to get your coffee fix, make sure to stop by this convenient location to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee with-out leaving the comfort of a car. If you plan on staying a little longer, take advantage of the free wi-fi.

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Ricky Villagomez / Photographer

Rizzuto’s Italian Kitchen540 Riverside AvenueThis Italian restaurant offers a fun and lively atmosphere with an open pantry kitchen and an antipasto bar with counter seating. The fresh in-gredients and house made foods make this a great restaurant for any occasion. With lots of large tables and classic Italian food, it’s the per-fect place to go for a family dinner.

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Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Supplement 27April 2012

SOUTH STAMFORD

Pat’s Hubba Hubba820 Cove RoadThis ’50s-style restaurant is great for classic fast-food dining. It is an inexpensive choice for burgers, fries, quesadillas, chili, hotdogs, ice cream, milkshakes, wedges, and more. However, be warned; do not come here if you are on a diet, and do not come here if you do not like meat.

Sunny Daes Ice Cream633 Shippan AvenueWith a bubble gum pink-colored exterior and a life-sized cow stat-ue welcoming customers, this ice cream parlor is one of the best places to visit on a hot summer day. With a wide selection of ice cream and gelato flavors and even more toppings, you can cus-tomize almost any kind of ice cream treat you could imagine.

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Cove Island ParkCove RoadThis park has a lot more to offer than most people might think. Be-sides a beach and a playground, Cove also has a great area for barbecues, flying kites on a windy day, riding bikes, or grabbing something to eat at the beach-side food stand. It also has a one mile walking/running trail, which winds around the scenic park. The many amenities of this park, including a pier for fishing and strolling, make this park a great place for an outdoor party.

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Cafe Silvium371 Shippan AveThis restaurant has brought delicious old-world south-ern Italian cooking to Stam-ford. The warm and inviting environment makes this a great restaurant for a night out with friends, a romantic date, or a family dinner.

F~ Royal Guards Fish & Chips323 Shippan AvenueFor authentic British fish and chips, this is the place to visit. The signature dish consists of freshly fried battered fillet and fries on the side, but many other options, such as haddock and shrimp, are also available. This is a great alterna-tive to a fast-food chain.

SoundWatersCove RoadSoundWaters is a program that offers opportunities to learn about the Long Island Sound. Their Coastal Education Center is located in the Holly House in Cove Park, where the public can ex-plore aquariums and witness the vari-ety of fish the Sound is home to.

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Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

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DOWNTOWN STAMFORD

Schakolad Chocolate Factory 172 Bedford Street This chocolate haven is located in the area surrounding the Ferguson library. The ideal place for a gift, it boasts an assortment of truffles and other candied goodies, including chocolate-covered strawberries.

Tawa Indian Cuisine211 Summer StreetTucked in the strip of eateries across from the Majestic theater, this restaurant goes beyond In-dian basics like tikka masala and naan, and serves foods that “[in-fuse] Indian recipes with Western touches.” Here’s a tip: the entrees may be too big for one person to finish alone, so split one with a friend to save money.

Agora Spa at the Stamford Marriott243 Tresser BoulevardAgora Spa is housed in the Stamford Marriott Hotel. It boasts myriad treatments including everything from skincare facials to massages. The hand and foot treatments are more expensive than a normal nail salon, but many of their treatments are reasonable. Try the $85 Teen Facial —a 45-minute experience that includes exfoliation and extractions. Makeup applications and spa parties are also offered at this spa.

Sundance Cafe105 Broad StreetSundance Cafe is an overlooked alcove of downtown Stamford. With an inviting atmosphere and incredible coffee, Sundance is the perfect Starbucks alterna-tive. It is also great for lunch, where its signature sandwiches, fresh hummus, and salad bar stand out. On most weekends, the Sundance Cafe has live mu-sic to accompany its equally ap-petizing food options.

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Avon Theatre 272 Bedford StreetThe Avon is one of the small-er theaters in Stamford, con-taining two theaters like the State Cinema. It displays in-dependent, foreign, and doc-umentary films. Its vintage atmosphere and concession stand make it perfect to take a date for a cozy night out. Once a month, the Avon fea-tures the return of cult clas-sics. The Avon also hosts many guest speakers and special events. Nonmem-bers can buy tickets for $11, and students and seniors can get them for only $8, Monday through Thursday.

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Volta Gelateria Creperia 30 Spring Street Volta Gelateria Creperia is a hidden gem of down-town Stamford, perfect for a snack after a visit to the Avon Theater. Volta serves many French-Italian delec-tables, but the gelato alone makes the trip worth it. Try the crepes; both sweet and savory are delicious options with many toppings offered. The indoor and outdoor din-ing options also add to the charm of this eatery, mak-ing it a great place to bring friends.

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Zaza Italian Gastrobar 122 Broad Street This restaurant serves all the staples of Italian food with a modern and sleek twist. A television projec-tion on the far wall of the restaurant keeps the at-mosphere light and chatty. On summer nights, the glass walls of the restaurant are opened up, mak-ing this restaurant a great place to go for a relax-ing, sociable meal.

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Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Laura Rey / Photo Editor Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Laura Rey / Photo Editor

Pulkit Sinha / Contributed Photo

29AdvertisementApril 2012

30 Las NoticiasEn memoria de David Buitrago

Durante las últimas vacaciones de abril, la es-cuela Westhill perdió un importante miembro de la comunidad de los Vi-kingos. David Buitrago, quien tenía 17 años, estaba muy involucrado en nume-rosas organizaciones de la escuela las cuales incluían

Build on, JROTC y el equi-po de fútbol americano. Él deseaba asistir a West Point en el otoño del 2013.

Hace sólo unos cuan-tos meses, se publicó un artículo acerca de él en el periódico Stamford Advo-cate resaltando sus logros académicos y su habilidad

de superarse después de un comienzo de muchos tropiezos a una excelencia académica.

El pasado septiembre, la escuela Westhill decidió honrar la fecha del 11 de septiembre colocando ré-plicas de las Torres Ge-melas en la entrada del

edificio Finch. Mientras al equipo del JROTC se le instruyó a que dejaran las banderas al lado de las réplicas, David prefirió quedarse de pie al lado de los edificios y mantener su bandera muy en alto, dem-ostrando la integridad que él poseía en todos los as-

pectos de su vida.La perseverancia de

David y el orgullo por la comunidad de Westhill y nuestra nación es una que deberíamos imitar en nue-stros esfuerzos y nosotros lo mantendremos en nues-tras oraciones y corazones por siempre.

Se extrañará la presencia de un estudiante que estuvo involucrado en la comunidad escolar

Naomi Sabbah & María del Pilar Menacho / Editora de Viewpoint y Editora de Lenguaje

Leo P. Gallagher & Sons Funeral Home / Foto contribuida

José CarrilloEscritor

Una gran multitud de hispan-os se reunió para formar parte de la elección presidencial del 2008. Fueron 10.2 milliones de hispanos los que se hicieron presentes para participar en las elecciones de los Estados Unidos de aquel año. En el 2012, se espera que la cifra au-

mente los 12 milliones de votantes hispanos. Si ésto sucede se romp-erá un nuevo récord en el sistema político de los Estados Unidos.

Para que este sueño se haga realidad, grupos pro inmigrantes formaron una coalición y están animando a los hispanos para que soliciten su ciudadanía americana lo más pronto posible y así estarán listos como ciudadanos para la vot-ación de noviembre. La directora

de los programas de la Asociación Nacional de Funcionarios Latinos Electos (NALEO), Lizette Escobe-do, quiere que su grupo pueda ex-tenderles una mano a más de 4 mil-liones de residentes permanentes latinos que califican para solicitar la ciudadanía americana. Una gran cantidad de personas se ha unido a este sueño que muchos quieren que se vuelva realidad. La Oficina

de Ciudadania y Servicios de In-migración (USCIS) dice que los hispanos que soliciten la ciudada-nía este abril podrán participar en la elección pues el trámite demora alrededor de cinco meses.

La Sociedad National para Nuevos Americanos (National Partnership for New Americans, con sus siglas en inglés NPNA) inició un curso que ofrece aseso-ria para la nacionalización de mu-

chos residentes permanentes, es decir, residentes legales. Lo que nosotros, los latinos necesitamos hacer es que todo latino que sea residente permanente legal solic-ite la ciudadania. Sería provecho-so que todo ésto se tramite antes de que termine el mes de abril. La meta es tener una buena porción de votos que sean latinos para que tengamos poder para nosotros y nuestras futuras generaciones.

Todas las organizaciones of-recen información sobre todo el proceso de la ciudadanía. “El pun-to central del Movimiento Hispano es hacer lo que su nombre indica: crear un movimiento de latinos que estén conectados y motivados y que voten sobre los asuntos más importantes para ellos, su familia y su comunidad”, estas son las pa-labras de una persona que cree en un sueño para todos, el señor José Calderón, director interino de la Federación Hispana.

Es un camino largo pero al-guien tiene que caminarlo y no importa qué pase, siempre estare-mos listos y unidos para todo.

31Las NoticiasaBRiL 2012

Abogado habla sobre la oportunidad de una carreraYonatan Carrillo

Escritor

El club, los Embajadores La-tinos, con la ayuda de Ms. Sup-ple y de Ms. Sanso organizó una semana informativa con la par-ticipación de invitados quienes hablaron con los estudiantes so-bre sus profesiones durante la primera semana de abril. Durante esa semana cuatro personas difer-entes hablaron con más de 100 estudiantes. Alex J. Martinez, soldados del ejército de Estados Unidos, Charles Guevara un téc-nico de información, y Vanessa Vargas una consultora de Segal Rogerscasey, fueron los invitados quienes hablaron sobre sus profe-siones en la Semana de Oradores Hispanos.

Alex J. Martínez es un aboga-do criminalista y civil que se es-pecializa en casos de familia y de inmigración. El Sr. Martínez pro-viene de familia peruana. Todos emigraron a los Estados Unidos cuando el Sr. Martínez sólo tenía cinco años de edad. La situación migratoria de sus padres dió a luz a la carrera que el Sr. Martínez un día llevaría a cabo por medio de la

cual ayudaría a las personas que como él, no tenían la posibilidad de conseguir su tarjeta verde. Después de conversar y conocer un poco más de la historia y ex-periencias del Sr. Martínez, cual-quier estudiante inmigrante fácil-mente se identifica con él.

El Sr. Martínez se graduó de la Universidad de Connecticut, donde recibió una Licenciatura en Artes y otra Licenciatura en Ciencias Políticas. Además, el Sr. Martínez también asistió a la Uni-versidad de Granada en España, Facultad de Derecho Dickinson en Carlisle, Pennsylvania y Suf-folk University Law School en Boston, Massachusetts.

Por casi 15 años, el fiscal Martínez ha sido el abogado prin-cipal de la oficina legal Alex J. Martínez LCC. La empresa que siempre se ha ubicado en Stam-ford, CT actualmente está local-izada en el 1150 de Summer St.. La carrera del Sr. Martínez se extiende por más de veinte años y cubre las áreas de Derecho Pro-cesal Civil, Inmigración, Familia, Defensa Penal, Derecho Comer-cial y de Inmuebles.”La mayoría de los casos que el Sr. Martínez

ha defendido incluye entre otros a estudiantes, sus padres o famil-iares cercanos y amigos”, dijo Brandon Ventura ’13.

El Sr. Martínez con la ayuda de su esposa, la Sra. Mia Fatta-Martínez, Directora de la firma de abogados, ha expandido su práctica en los dos últimos años al duplicar su espacio comercial y al emplear un socio, el abogado Ingemar Heredia. El fiscal Here-dia es originariamente de Ecuador y con experiencias similares a las del Secretario de Justicia Alex J. Martínez. Él ha proporcionado sus servicios sobre una base pro-bono a diferentes causas sociales. Causas que van desde proyectos habitacionales o de ampliación hasta Seminarios de Inmigración. El fiscal Martínez también prestó asistencia jurídica al Programa de Jornaleros, que es un programa apoyado por la oficina de Servi-cios Legales de Connecticut. El Sr. Martínez es también el Presi-dente de la Comunidad Peruana con base en Connecticut, una or-ganización de la cual ha sido mi-embro desde 1994.

Desde el comienzo de su car-rera, el fiscal Martínez ha ganado

innumerables premios y recono-cimientos por su fructífera trayec-toria y el impresionante trabajo con la comunidad hispana. Es-tos reconocimientos incluyen el premio de estudiantes Quién es Quién del American Law en 1992 y el Premio al Servicio Comu-nitario que recibió de la Escuela

Westhill en el año 2002. Fue justamente en esa oca-

sión en la que él recibió el men-cionado premio en la que después de su interesante presentación se generó una animada charla con una serie de preguntas de parte de los ansiosos estudiantes que se identificaron con su realidad.

Naina Bakra / Editora fotográfa El Voto latiNo El gobierno se enfoca en promover el voto latino y también la cuidadanía hispana. Se trata de que la voz de otra raza sea oída.

Christian Calle / Foto contribuidaFaMiliaRiZaNDo a EStUDiaNtES CoN PRoFESioNES Los Embajadores Latinos, organizó una semana informativa en la que participaron invitados, incluyendo Alex J. Martínez, quienes hablaron con los estudiantes de Westhill sobre sus profesiones.

inspiraciones para el futuro

En el 2012, se espera que la cifra aumente los 12 milliones de votantes hispanos. Si ésto sucede se romperá un nuevo récord en el sistema político de los Estados Unidos.

Campaña promueve el voto hispano

Julia ZimmermanReporter

The students of Westhill are filled with tons of hidden talents, but only once in a while do those talents get to shine. On April 12, 27 groups of students prepared to perform in Westhill’s fifth annual talent show. This year, as every year, English teacher Ms. Tobin planned and produced the show. On the night of the show Mr. Pereira and Ms. Waring-Bernardo assisted with running the door and ticket sales, selling concessions, and helping backstage. Senior Jes-se Latorraca was responsible for the tech set up before the show. The 2011-2012 Westhill Tal-ent Show was dedicated to junior Celia Sprouse, who suffered an injury earlier in the year. Sprouse had also been a performer in the talent show for the past two years. The Class of 2013 set up a dona-tion jar in the lobby of the Finch building on the night of the show

for people to donate money to help pay for Sprouse’s medical bills. The rest of the proceeds from the talent show went to the Class of 2013, who sponsored the event. There was a wide array of tal-ents presented at this year’s show from students of all different ages. Many of the performers were sing-ers. Classic pop song music was popular at the show. Freshman Laura Gerson sang “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. “It made me feel really confident. All my friends thought it was so cool,” Gerson said. While many of the acts this year involved singing, some of the other acts included talents such as dancing, acting, rapping, and even reciting original poetry. “I hon-estly feel this was the best Talent Show we’ve ever had. Most talent-ed group of kids by far, and such a fantastic audience,” Ms. Tobin said. There were four awards that the performers were able to win, along with honorable mentions for

each category of awards. Secret judges were scattered throughout the audience on the night of the performance and decided the win-ners of these awards. The award for Best Individual Performance went to senior Carly Pierre, who recited an original poem entitled “Slave.” The honorable mentions for this category went to junior Olivia Santagata, who sang “Lis-

ten” from the musical Dreamgirls and junior Demetri Barkas who performed magic tricks. “Getting feedback was really helpful, and it helped me build confidence,” said sophmore performer Ariel Fleysh-man. The award for Best Group Per-formance went to sophomore Joye Spears and junior Jeimmy Gum-

bus who sang “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. The honorable mention for this category went to junior Tyler Berkich, senior Mad-die Staiano, and senior Jackie Nel-son who sang a mash up of “Man Who Can’t be Moved” and “For the First Time” by The Script, along with Chelsea Reyes and Emmanuel Collazo, who danced to the instrumental version of “Asi

se Baila el Tango,” instrumental. The award for Most Exciting Up and Comer went to freshmen Milcah Sajous and Diana Pierre, who sang “Lions and Tigers and Bears” by Jasmine Sullivan. The honorable mention went to the band Mind Swamp who performed both an original song called “Mind is Running” and the song “The

Blitzkreig Bop” by the Ramones, along with Brianna Dovril who sang “Weak” by SWV. The final award was for the Best Comeback and was awarded to those who performed in previ-ous years and outshone his or her earlier performances. This award was given to junior Max Grabler, who rapped an original song, “Stay Wavvy Anthem.” The hon-orable mentions went to senior Megan Gray, who sang “Just a Kiss” by Lady Antebellum, along with sophomore Claudia Coprio, who sang an original song entitled “Every Moment Counts.” “I en-joy performing, so this was a good chance to do that with my friends. It was a lot of fun,” said sopho-more Claudia Coprio.

32 LimeLight

For videos of the show, check out:

TALENT SHOW Students gathered on April 12 to show off their talents in the annual Westhill Talent Show. The event featured 27 groups of students and was produced by English teacher Ms. Tobin. Four performances won awards, and eight received honorable mentions. Pictured above are sophomore Laura Vasquez and her partner Jason Llanos dancing to “Llorar Lloviendo” by Toby Love and “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz.

Students get the chance to shine in talent showIn the spotlight

www.thewestwordonline.com

“I honestly feel this was the best Talent Show we’ve ever had. Most talented group of kids by far, and such a fantastic audience.”

—Ms. Tobin

Katelyn Conte / IllustratorLaura Rey / Photo Editor

There is nothing like walking up and down a city’s main street on a spring day. Through the shops and restaurants, one may walk right past the art gallery. This month, I will be featuring the galleries of nearby towns, all free and worth making part of a spring trip. In between the dining and shopping options downtown Stam-ford features several art galleries worth more than the air condition-ing they provide. One of these is the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gal-lery of Contemporary Art on Bed-ford Street, the subject of my last column. This gallery is constantly featuring contemporary and lo-cal artists, in a space that is both intriguing and inviting. They are currently featuring work priced reasonably enough to make new collectors as a part of their exhibit “Be(come) A Collector.” Nearby is the Stamford Art As-

sociation on Franklin Street, which recently featured student work, but which features local artists year round. Currently, the work of Judy Bassin Perkin and Maria C. Friscia is on display. Locatedonthesecondfloorofthe Greenwich library is the Flinn Gallery, which displays a variety of art. The current exhibit is called “Piano Pieces” and features artists Penny Putnam and Shauna Hol-liman, who create sculptures and paintings using the parts of pianos. Nearby, the Greenwich Arts Coun-cil has the work of Charlie Hewitt, who constructs whimsical abstract sculptures and prints. The show is open from April 13 until May 12. Similarly, Gallerie SoNo in South Norwalk displays art by contempo-rary artists. While many do not distinguish between places that display art, galleries differ from the traditional

museums most think of. Galleries are mainly independently run by art dealers, who feature work by local or contemporary artists. One may not see artists from art history books, but instead work by artists who may live a couple of towns over or whose work is as recent as the last year. Another major differ-ence is that the work displayed in galleries is for sale, whereas most museums house permanent collec-tions which are not. Galleries, most of them free of charge, may be more accessible and less overwhelming than a ma-jor museums. Most of these gal-leries are small enough so that one can see all of the work in a rela-tively short amount of time. Even if you are going in for a half hour to observe the work, you are still being exposed to art, and that, de-spite these galleries being free, is priceless.

Dana GordonViewpoint Editor

This year, Westhill will be hosting its very first studentproduced and directed musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show, which is a full-length Broadway musi-cal that ran from April 2005 to January 2008, was nominated for six Tony awards and will now be directed and performed by the Northstar Playmakers on June 8 and June 9.

The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, often referred to as Spelling Bee, follows the story of six quirky youths competing in a middle school regional spelling bee. As the spelling bee advances throughout the show, it reveals the personal lives of its young contestants. Each of the charac-ters’ lives are explored and each character grows up right in front of the audience’s eyes, with many great laughs along the way.

“The idea for this specificshow came about when talking one day in pre-calc about ideas for the main musical [Miiko Valkonen, Emily Freedman, and Skyler Ross last year],” senior and Musical Director Billy Silk

said. “Someone mentioned Spell-ing Bee and the idea of students running it. We never imagined at the time that it would actually come to fruition, but we made contact with the right people and made a formal presentation to the Northstar Parent Board at the end of the summer,” Silk added.

The Student Direction Team, in addition to Silk, consists of seniors Charlie Ainbinder as the assistant director, Juliana Costan-zo as the stage manager, Emily Freedman and Sara Hartless as the choreographers, Skyler Ross as the director, Ariel Shaulson as the Northstar Playmakers Presi-dent, and junior Zoë DePreta as the assistant musical director.

Something that sets Spell-ing Bee apart from other shows is the fact that there are four guest spellers who are randomly chosen from the audience. Silk mentions that while the Student Production Team is proceeding with the au-dience participation option, they may also make a list of popular schoolfigurestocommittobeingone of the four spellers on one of the nights. Students would pay $1 to vote for their favorite candi-date as both a fundraiser and way to generate interest.

“The audience participation with the guest spellers will proba-bly be a big draw, since it’s going to be really funny to see people’s friends and teachers up on stage, spelling, and, in some cases, be-ing forced to dance and sing with the cast,” Freedman said.

With a few weeks left until opening night, the team is pre-

pared to put on a memorable show. “While doing a full show in just nine weeks with a one week va-cation and AP testing taking away much of three of those weeks, we are confident in the leader-ship we have on board with us and know it’s going to be a great show,” Freedman said. “Everyone seemed to really like The Drowsy

Chaperone, so we think that peo-ple are going to come out and see Spelling Bee and love it, too.”

33LimeLightApriL 2012

Ellen Gordon / Contributed PhotoGALLERY HOPPING Local galleries, which feature the most lo-cal and contemporary work, serve as accessible places to view art. One local art gallery, the Stamford Art Association located on Franklin Street, is shown above.

State of the Art Column by Danilo Machado

Laura Rey / Photo EditorCAN YOU USE IT IN A SENTENCE Students rehearse after school for the spring musical, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee. Seniors Kera Lalli and Miiko Valkonen (on the right) are among the cast of 12.

Students direct ‘Spelling Bee’

www.thewestwordonline.com

To see videos of the rehearsal

process, visit

Briefs by Mackenzie Eisen / Special Report Editor

34 LimeLight

Jack White leaves his mark wherever he goes.

Whether he is acting as front-man of the alternative duo The White Stripes,

playing with rock group The Raconteurs, drumming alongside Alison Mosshart in The

Dead Weather, or collaborating with artists like Insane Clown Posse and Dangermouse, White’s

unique voice and adroit skill have enabled him to leave his mark across the music world. It only seems fitting for

him to release an album where he can shine even brighter as a solo artist. This album is taking form in Blunderbuss, White’s first release since the dissolution of The White Stripes in early 2011. The heavily anticipated album is shaping up to be ev-ery White fan’s dream: full of guitar-heavy rock and clever melodies, all with the electric quality that makes White’s style so iconic.

JACK WHITEBLUNDERBUSS

For fans of: The White Stripes, The Black Keys

FORTUNE

Chris Brown is back with his fifth studio album, a promising follow-up to 2011’s F.A.M.E. On Fortune,

the 23-year-old artist stays true to his R&B roots while venturing out into other genres, including rap and dubstep, working with artists such as Will.I.Am, Wiz Khalifa, and David Guetta. The first single released from the album, “Turn Up the Music,”

has received mostly positive critical reviews and has been heralded as a dance

music anthem. Expect music similar to the rest of his discography, with a

few surprises along the way.

For fans of: Usher, Black Eyed

Peas

THE LUCKY ONE

Warning: This movie is a chick flick. High School Musical star Zac Efron is all grown up, and out to prove it in this new romantic drama, The Lucky One, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, the author of other romance classics such as The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Dear John. This new movie adaptation of his book, The Lucky One, is shaping up to be similar to all of these previous classics. A soldier, played by Zac Efron, finds a photograph of a woman with whom he is infatuated, although he has never met her. He swears that the photograph is what kept him alive during his tour in Iraq. He returns home and vows to track down the woman, named Beth, played by Taylor Schilling, and the two begin a ro-mance. If you’re a fan of sappy romances and people express-

ing their feelings, this is the movie for you. For fans of: The Notebook, Dear John

In the wake of the movie Bridesmaids, the world has been wondering if women have finally earned the title of “funny.” Network

television has jumped on this bandwagon. The new sitcom Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 is ABC’s attempt to test this question for

itself. The premise of the show is simple: opposites attract in new roommates Chloe, played by Kristen Ritter, and June, played by

Dreama Walker. Although one is a manipulative con artist and the other is a sweet small town girl, hijinx ensue. While initially the

girls don’t get along, they soon form an unlikely friendship.

For fans of: 2 Broke Girls, New Girl

fansshare.com, pariscine.com, usmagazine.com, rollingstone.com, pyromag.com / Contributed Photos

ApriL 2012

ZAC EFRON, TAYLOR SCHILLING

DON’T TRUST THE B IN APARTMENT 23CHANNEL 7 (ABC)

American Idol’s country superstar’s new-est album, Blown Away, is

one of the most highly antici-pated albums this year. With 14

singles from her past three albums reaching the top spot on the Billboard charts, Underwood has become one of

country music’s biggest stars. Her unique ability to bridge traditional country music with

modern pop has helped boost her and her con-temporaries, like Taylor Swift, into the spotlight. Her

latest single, “Good Girl,” peaked at number 18 on the overall charts and has received mainly positive reviews.

Expect a lot of up-tempo rhythm for danceable country/pop. For those who already enjoy her music, this album

should please greatly.

For fans of: Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler

CARRIE UNDERWOODBLOWN AWAY

CHRIS BROWN

what to look forin pop culture

Obtaining a five star rating on an album is difficult, as the album has to have more than just a few good songs. In addition, the lyrics cannot be repetitive. Not many bands can accomplish this, but the Shins stepped up on its fourth album, Port of Morrow to be the first to receive a rating of five. The Shins front man, James Mercer, de-cided he was going to change the lineup for the band’s new album, one that would re-quire finding brand new members. Although questionable, this change proved to work well for The Shins, as all new members nailed their parts on Port of Morrow. The guitar playing of Jessica Dobson and Mer-cer perfectly accompanied Mercer’s great vocals. On songs like “Bait and Switch,” it played with a very rhythmic style and con-stant strumming of chords. Also, a wider variety of instruments added depth to the album, such as the violin on the cover track, “Port of Morrow,” and the horn section on “Fall of ’82.”

Coupled with the solid instrumentals are the great vocals of Mercer. The genius behind the album has an edge to his indie-rock voice, but also has the mainstream quality and the pipes that can appeal to even those who are not fans of the indie genre. The lyrics on this album are something else; they are very deep and discuss a wide va-riety of topics. On the album opener, “The Rifle’s Spiral,” Mercer sings of someone who is conceited. “You sublimate yourself, drowning us of rich,” he sings building up to the climax. The track “Simple Song,” is the first single off the album and is a love song with good keyboard and guitar. The track, “It’s Only Life” is one of the high points of the album. It is an upbeat song, with perfectly blended instrumentals, brought together by the lyrics of Mercer, singing about the un-fairness of life. The title track, “Port of Morrow,” is a creepy yet effective way to end the album. With high pitched violins in the background enhancing Mercer’s voice, the song is about the sorrows of life. “Ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death is life,” he sang in the song in a piercing falsetto voice. Creating this album could not have been an easy task, but it is near impossible to find any flaws. Port of Morrow has all the elements of a great album, with a wide vari-ety of songs, all of them adding something new to the album.

Of Monsters and Men is a new band that recently broke onto the rock music scene with its single, “Little Talks.” This Icelandic band won a Battle of the Bands contest in 2010 spurring its career. The six-piece group features everything necessary for mainstream success, including catchy harmonizing vocals. On their first album, My Head is an Animal, Of Monsters and Men incorporate these elements to make a solid first impression. One of the keys to the album is the first single, “Little Talks.” This is possibly the strongest point of the album, and was a smart song to release as a single. It is by far the catchiest song on the album. It is about a couple who do not feel the same about each other as they used to. The harmonizing on this song goes perfectly with the brass section during the chorus and climax of the song. Songs of this caliber truly made the album. The album opener, “Dirty Paws,” is another song that featured good harmo-

nies. This song is very reminiscent of the band Arcade Fire, which also uses similar harmonizes and instrumentals. It features good keyboard and lyrics, comparing the mind to an animal. “The forest that once was green was colored black by those kill-ing machines.” These are very somber lyr-ics reflecting on all the damage the human population is doing to the environment. “Six Weeks,” is one of the only tracks on the album to feature electric guitar in-stead of acoustic. It is an upbeat song about someone getting injured in battle, but com-ing back to rescue a loved one. There are a few major flaws on the al-bum that need to be fixed if the band wants to get to the level of Arcade Fire. The al-bum does drag on a little bit around halfway through. The instrumentals are very similar on the last half of the album, and few memo-rable songs stick out. Also, it needs to be much more creative with its lyrics. The lyrical comparisons to animals were cool on some songs, but as listeners realize they will go on the whole album it may start to lose its touch. There are several references to lions and wolves on the album, which was very strange. Although Of Monsters and Men has work to do, it has a good start in My Head is an Animal.

35LimeLightApriL 2012

Column by Andrew WallenTune In Port of Morrow / The Shins

Best Tracks1. The Rifle’s Spiral 2. September3. Fall of ’82

My Head is an Animal / Of Monsters and MenBest Tracks1. Little Talks2. Dirty Paws3. Six Weeks

5 boats out of 5cdn.stereogum.com / Contributed Photo

strangewaysradio.com / Contributed PhotoKatelyn Conte / Illustrator

3.5 monsters out of 5

Mr. Johnson hosts radio showWill Hart

Online Editor

The Westword recently sat down with chemistry teacher Mr. Johnson to discuss his career in the radio industry. Spending al-most 40 years behind a micro-phone, he currently hosts the Second Saturday Magazine on WPKN, a noncommercial ra-dio station. His show covers all things in the world of books and fine arts.

The Westword: How long have you been producing talk radio?Mr. Johnson: I have been doing radio since 1976, for almost 40 years. Back in the 1990s I pro-duced a music radio show just be-fore I became a Chemistry teach-

er. After being away from it for a few years, I decided to come back and produce a show about books.TW: What topics does your ra-dio show feature?MJ: Currently, I host a weekend talk show about the arts where I interview writers, live musicians, and independent film directors. On the show, [I] enjoy finding lo-cal writers while discussing many educational topics. I am often contacted by publishers to read and review new books. I tend to stay away from political and con-troversial topics though.TW: What experiences have you gone through during your time in radio?MJ: Well, I have now read a lot of books, which I truly enjoy. But more importantly, I have had the

opportunity to talk with many in-teresting people. I really like to find out what makes people sit down and want to write. I truly find it fascinating that people can sit down and write stories about

their lives and own experiences. TW: How many listeners do you reach at a given time?MJ: The listening audience is about four million in the sur-

rounding area. I get many listen-ers who love reading and fine arts. Our station is noncommercial, lis-tener supported, and is all volun-teer-based, which makes it a great community.

TW: Do you have any advice for students that may be inter-ested in pursuing similar career paths? MJ: My main advice to all aspir-

ing radio personalities is that you should pursue this career path be-cause you love doing it, not be-cause you think you’re going to make a ton of money. Passion is what this industry is all about. I started working in commercial ra-dio when I was 16, as an intern at WICC in Bridgeport. When I went to college I began to realize the practical side of what I wanted to do as a career. I ended up pursu-ing chemical engineering, leaving radio as my main hobby. TW: How can students listen to your show?MJ: My show is live the second Saturday of every month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on 98.5 WPKN. Our show is also archived on WPKN.org where you can listen to our latest few episodes.

“I have had the opportunity to talk with many interesting people. I really like to find out find out what makes people sit down and want to write. I truly find it fascinating that people can sit down and write stories about their own experiences”

—Mr. Johnson

EXPRESS

SUBMIT ART AND POETRYto expresswhs@gmail.com

Artists, clockwise from upper right: David Martinez (’12), Luis Barreto (’12), Eva Weinberg (’12) David Martinez (’12). All work on opposite page by Alex Marzullo.

Senior Alex Marzullo uses a va-riety of media to explore different subject matters and art styles. He has embraced the use of technology in his work, utalizing the Promethean board to test out and execute ideas. The Westword recently spoke to Marzullo about his process, future projects, and inspiration.

The Westword: What’s the first step in your artistic process? Alex Marzullo: My first step is prob-ably getting pestered by my art teach-er. From then, the thinking kicks in, the gears start turning, and I just start drawing. I really don’t know what it’s going to be until it’s done. That’s what makes the most rewarding part seeing your thoughts fufilled on paper. TW: What artists or art movements inspire you?AM: I’m really into street art and the work of M.C. Escher and Leonardo da Vinci. TW: What sort of media do you en-joy using? AM: I like working with watercolors and acrylic paint. Recently, I’ve been working a lot on the Promethean board. I usually make a quick sketch, photo-graph it, upload it and then work on it

from there. On the Promethean board, I can then play wth the backround and with possible colors. It’s grown on me, to say the least. TW: How has this technology helped you in the creation of your art? AM: It has definitely sped up my pro-cess, and has helped me finish work. TW: What is the most frustrating part of the artistic process? AM: I would say the beginning, the thinking up of a concept, the taking of the first step. TW: What have you gotten out of taking art classes at Westhill?AM: I has helped me see other people’s artistic style and how everyone’s work is different. TW: What is your ideal work environment? AM: I would say working with my peers around me, who can give me feedback as I work.TW: What’s is the subject of your Studio Art concentration? AM: For my concentration, I am de-picting how I portray the lyrics of songs in my mind. TW: Are there any future projects you want to take on? AM: I really want to do something with smoke, something eerie and creepy.

artist of the month

ALEX MARZULLO

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Hot water freezes faster than cold water. The Gmail logo was designed the night before it was launched.

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Westhill has the highest percentage of students in Stamford Public Schools (SPS) who are taking AP classes. Thanks to POD and our teachers, we have higher AP scores than the Stamford High students who took the AP Exam. At Stamford High, 198 stu-dents sat for 409 exams and went on to receive 299 qualifying scores. At Westhill, 391 students sat for 856 tests, and received 522 qualifying scores.

Stamford High has four floors to climb, and who wants to walk up all those steps with a heavy backpack? Westhill is structured in a way that there are no more than three floors in a building. There are also ramps located in the front and the 300s building to make getting to higher ground a lot eas-ier. “Our stairs are more convenient because there are not as many, and the passing period is only five minutes so it’s easier for us to get to class on time,” senior Tyra Orr said.

Westhill is part of a program called Project Opening Doors, or POD, which is a grant intended to increase the number of students enrolled in AP classes. Westhill entered the grant in 2008 and is the only school in the district that is funded by it. POD provides monetary incentives for stu-dents and teachers alike, along with support systems throughout the year to help im-prove AP scores.

The Westhill Vikings and Stamford High Black Knights have rivaled each other for as long as Westhill has existed. Athletics are a way that schools can compete and show pride. Within the past five years, Westhill has earned 13 state championship titles, while Stamford High has only earned two. Westhill has won the state cham-pion title for baseball, golf twice, girls’ soccer, softball, boys’ tennis twice, girls’ tennis twice, track and field, three times, and wrestling, while Stamford High lacks well-roundedness with both titles from field hockey.

More qualifying AP scores

Fewer floors to climb

POD

10 Reasons why Westhill is better than Stamford High

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The Rainbow Ball is the first sexual-orientation-friendly prom in the state of Con-necticut. The event was hosted by Westhill’s Gay Straight Alliance club. “The Rainbow Ball is a dance where everyone is welcomed. Students have the chance to be together no matter their sexual desire or orientations. [They believe] they are the same, equal, and without hatred for one another,” senior Kervins Lubin said.

Westhill boasts one of the only Agriscience programs in the area and gives students an edu-cation in agriculture, farming, and several other sects of science that would otherwise not be pos-sible. Students from out of district even came to Westhill in order to be a part of the program. “It gives me opportunities and workforce experi-ences that I won’t get anywhere else at Westhill,” senior Tom Addison said. The Agriscience pro-gram gives students an outlook into potential fu-ture careers that they wouldn’t otherwise get to see. The program is truly an exceptional asset.

Rainbow Ball

Agriscience Program

JROTC

Challenge Team

On Halloween, it is impossible to walk through the halls without bumping into nin-jas, seeing superheroes fly up the stairs, or running away from raging gorillas. The body suits, tiaras, and homemade accessories make this day exceptionally fun for students, but at Stamford High, dressing up on Halloween is not permitted. There, you can only wear its school colors, and students have been punished in the past for going beyond that. Here at Westhill, we are given more freedom to celebrate and have a lot more fun with the holiday. “Halloween is the best day ever at Westhill because we get to dress up,” senior Mark Edwin said.

Halloween

The Challenge Team travels to Manhattan to compete against other Fairfield Coun-ty teams at MSG Varsity’s studios. At competitions the team answers a variety of ques-tions regarding school subjects and pop culture. “Being part of the Challenge Team is great because you get the chance to really test your knowledge of the world as well as have fun with a close group of teammates,” senior member Patrick Hamon said.

The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is a program that authorizes the loan of federal military equipment to high schools around the country. Active duty military personnel are assigned to teach classes, which focus on character building, eth-ics, citizenship, communications, leadership, and life skills. This program is available as a course at Westhill, and is not offered at Stamford High. “JROTC helps students develop real world leadership skills and better prepares them for life after high school in whatever career field they may choose,” Sargent Major Finick said.

The poolStamford High may have a larger stadium, but

Westhill has its own pool. We can practice here at school without having to go elsewhere. “I love it because it is such a convenient place to have prac-tice for the team and have home meets every once in a while,” freshman Emily Weinstein, a member of the girls’ swim and dive team, said.

Photos by Connor Matheny / Scatterbrain Editor

Katelyn Conte / Illustrator

Briefs 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 by Danielle Davis / Staff Writer

Scatterbrainapril 201240

The first speeding ticket ever was given to a man going six MPH. Only about two percent of the Earth’s water is fresh water.

MayMayMay.

May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexico’s freedom. Observe the holiday by eat-ing Mexican cuisine, waving Mexican flags, and dancing along to Mexican music.

May 7 through May 11 is Teacher Appre-ciation Week. Be sure to acknowledge all of the effort your teachers put into their jobs and thank them on your way out the door.

To donext month:

May 13 is Mother’s Day, so do some-thing nice for your mom. Make her breakfast, get her flowers, or do some chores around the house that she would normally do, all to show her that you appreciate her.

May 18 is junior prom. Get your hair and nails done, and your tuxes and cameras ready to take preprom pictures with all of your friends. have a blast with your prom date.

May 28 is Memorial Day. Take time to remember those who fought and died for our country and keep them in your mind thought the day off from school.

.On May 24 the Spring Concert will take place. The concert will include the Chamber singers, concert choir, gospel choir, concert band, and jazz band. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free.

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May 7 through May 18 is AP test-ing. If you are taking an AP test, be sure to get a lot of sleep and study to be prepared to take AP tests.

On May 20 a solar eclipse will take place. It will be the first of its sort to occur since 1994. It will also be the first of the twenty first century to be seen from the continental United States

Anjali KhetanManaging Editor

Growing up in the Stamford Public School system we all learn the language that dominates most of our communication: English. Or do we?

With the advent of technology, there has emerged a new language: Cybertalk. An amalgamation of letters, different cases, numbers and symbols has infiltrated our teenage vocabulary. Our genera-tion has even witnessed the evo-lution of tone in the typed word. Every unique facet of what we text carries with it a certain intonation that has been determined by the broad range of people who are part of the texting community.

The most prevalent tone indi-cator would have to be the use of punctuation, specifically periods. A tiny, lone period at the end of a text bears with it a seriously rude implication. “K” and “K.” are a world apart in terms of their defi-nitions. “K” is merely a reply to

let the reader know that his or her message was received, whereas “K.” is a blunt response to signal that the sender is upset or angry. “K.” is often interpreted as rude.

Furthermore, two to four con-secutive periods not only serve as a transition, but they also have an-other meaning. This meaning can be translated to “I am trying to imply something here but I don’t want to come out and say it.” For example, “Hey, so all of my cook-ies are gone…” at first glance seems like a tragic statement about missing food, but technology-sav-vy teens know that this person is implying that the receiver was the person responsible for stealing the cookies.

Another key distinction in texts is the number of times a let-ter is used in a row. An example of this is the difference between “Hey” and “Heyyy”. The former is transparent and simply is what it is. However, the latter can have various meanings. The sender may be trying to present his or herself

as cute, flirtatious, or even friend-ly. The extended “Heyyy” bears a positive connotation, yet often appears as immature. “Heyyy” should be used with caution.

Along the same lines, there is a

great difference between “lol” and “lololololololol”. These acronyms both stand for laugh out loud, but they are very distinct. The first is significantly less emphatic, and only the latter actually implies that the receiver laughed out loud.

There are also several words that convey an irritated, rude tone when used in messages. Only writing “Hi” as a greet-ing, “nm” standing for noth-ing much, “bye” as a salutation, “yup” for yes, and similar words

demonstrates apathy and that the sender is either disinterested or upset. When an entire text only consists of only one of these words it is clear that the sender does not have much to say. The lack of ef-

fort in trying to engage the other person in conversation shows that the sender is very bored with the other person.

The most emphatic and polar message are: emoticons. Be weary of the difference between a “:)” and a “;)”. The first is an incred-ibly friendly emoticon that can tell the receiver that the sender is hap-py, and means well no matter the content. However, a winking face is a very blatantly sexual or devi-ous emoticon. Receivers may in-

terpret much more than what was intended to be sent with the use of a winking emoticon. For example, the difference between “Want to hang out :)” and “Want to hang out ;)” can be the difference between being friends with someone and losing them as a friend because he or she thought you were hitting on them. So again, please be careful.

The emoticon poly-chin also has a unique meaning in our tech-nological world, akin to that of the repeated last letter. Double and triple chins on emoticons, can convey a false sense of despera-tion.”:)))” and “:((((“ are good to use if the sender is feeling whimsi-cal or joking.

It is the subtleties of our text and instant messages that convey meaning beyond the words them-selves. Tone manifests itself in the smallest of punctuations, and af-fects the meaning of the entire mes-sage. With these key differences it is important to be weary of what is being typed, because each character bears more than what it may seem.

What your texts really meanThere’s a lot more than you think behind a few encripted letters

With the advent of technology, there has emerged a new language: Cybertalk. An amalgamation of letters, different cases, numbers and symbols has infiltrated our teenage vocabulary. Our gen-eration has even witnessed the evolution of tone in the typed word.

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What’s uppp?Katelyn Conte / Illustrator

I really want to hang out with you because I think you’re cute.

Tools:two slim CD cases, tacks, ribbon, tape, scissors, photographs

Page of Fun Scatterbrain

april 2012

Do it yourself,

Step 1:Cut two pieces of ribbon, each about five inches long.

Step 2:Tape together the two pieces of ribbon parallel to each other, attaching the CD cases.

Step 3:Cut two more 5-inch pieces of ribbon and tape them to the CD cases so they hang off the upper edge.

Step 4:Now, slide the photos into the front cover of the cases.

Step 5:Using the tacks, hang the pictures to a wall using the extra ribbon on top.

Hanging picture frame

Tools:duct tape (any color or pattern), scissors, ruler

Duct tape walletStep 1: Cut a 10-inch strip of duct tape. Place another piece of tape, sticky side down, halfway down the first piece.

Step 3:Fold the sheet in half horizontally and tape the edges of the short sides together.

Step 4:Fold the duct tape sheet in half the other way to com-plete your wallet.

Step 5:You can upgrade your wallet by adding pockets by mak-ing a smaller version of the sheet made in step one and taping it inside your wallet.

Step 2:Repeat until you have an eight-inch sheet of duct tape. Then, fold the sticky edge over, and trim the other three edges to make them straight.

Step-by-step

Elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump. Oak trees don’t have acorns until they’re about 50-years-old.

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Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

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SportS42

Spring sports undergo regulation changes

BASEBALL

Not only did the baseball team start its season with new uniforms, but also new bats due to a change in CIAC high school baseball reg-ulations.

In previous years, metal bats in high school baseball had to be BESR, or Ball Exit Speed Ratio certified, but starting in 2012, only Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitu-tion (BBCOR) bats will be eli-gible. BBCOR bats do not hit the ball as hard as the BESR bats can, thus making field play safer. The bats are created to simulate wood bats, rather composite metal ones.

NCAA baseball switched to BBCOR last year to make games more competitive defensively rather than a home run derby, and

also provide more safety because the ball comes off the bat slow-er. The change in bats will also change how the team plays defen-sively because pitchers can chal-lenge batters and they must be prepared to field bunts and throw out runners who steal more often.

“The new BBCOR bats haven’t affected our team too much, except for the fact that they do not have as much power as the metal bats we [have] used in the previous years,” said senior Nick D’Alessandro. “They sound like wood bats and seem to have the same pop as well.”

While the BBCOR bats will effect how high school baseball is played, it has not negatively af-fected the team, which is currently 5-4.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Accoring to senior captain Jessi Gerowitz, the recent FCIAC and CIAC regulation changes have made the beginning of the season even tougher for the Vi-kings, record 0-7. The FCIAC and CIAC believe that player safety needed to be improved.

The major change being en-forced in the sport this year is stick checking through the 8-inch sphere around an opponent’s head. Since players are no longer able to check as close to an opponent, it makes a lot more types of stick checking illegal, such as stricter calls for checking from behind an opponent as well as across her body. The conferences also gave

a lot more shooting space to the shooter. If a defender sees that a player is going to shoot, she can-not put her body in front of the shot because it puts the defender in a dangerous position. The other change implemented is a whistle for dangerous shots that could possibly hit a defender.

“As a team, we are very new and untrained, so we are not as adept to the [new] rules. We be-come frustrated hearing the whis-tle blow so often and are picking up a lot more yellow cards. As a team, we then lose motivation and do not play as well. Rules are not consistent between referees either, which makes playing the game more difficult,” Gerowitz said.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

The FCIAC and CIAC have faced regulation changes this sea-son for boys’ lacrosse in order to increase game speed. In the past, teams had 20 seconds to cross the midfield line and then 10 seconds to get into the attacking box, which is the goal area in lacrosse. With the recent changes, teams now have 30 seconds all together to get from their side of the field to the opponents’ attacking box, with no time constraint on just getting over the midfield line. Another change that is now enforced has to do with possession in the attacking box. In the past, once an attacker stepped out of the attacking box, he had

to get back in the attacking box within 10 seconds. Now, there is no time limit, but the referees may call a stall warning which forces the attacker back in the attacking box, where they must keep the ball until the team loses possession or scores. “The [new] rules are very beneficial to our team and to the sport of lacrosse as a whole,” se-nior captain Matt Biancuzzo said. “It benefits the offense in a huge way and also makes the game a little bit more exciting to play and watch as a fan. The changes have already changed our offense in that we are a little bit less frantic. I can imagine that a defender probably has an easier time clearing the ball up field, too.”

Mike Bodall / Sports PhotographerSWINGING FOR THE FENCES Senior Andrew Oakes watches his hit against Wilton on April 7. The game resulted in a 9-8 win for Westhill.

CHECKING ACROSS THE BODY The FCIAC and CIAC have created stricter regulations regard-ing stick checking for girls’ lacrosse, particularly with checking across the player’s body, through the 8-inch sphere around her head, and from behind her body.

Gerald Morgan / Photo ManagerGROUND BATTLE Seniors Austin Wentworth and Ricky Villagomez battle for possession of a ground ball in practice on April 25. The boys’ lacrosse team is 3-5 so far this season.

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Briefs by Drew Lang & Alexa Zopounidis / Distribution Manager & Staff Writer

43SportS April 2012

Dalton AbelStaff Writer

Starting this year, Westhill has introduced rugby as a club sport. While rugby may not be recognized as an FCIAC sport, almost half of the schools near-by in the FCIAC have their own rugby team. Fourteen years ago, the only school currently in the FCIAC that had a rugby team was Greenwich, where pres-ent Westhill club rugby coach Mr. Petrone played during high school. He even coached the rug-by team at his former high school up until last year.

“The kids knew that I had coached, and a few students ap-proached me interested in form-ing a club. They spread the word to their friends and then we had meetings, put up flyers, and col-lected email addresses to gauge interest,” Mr. Petrone said.

Many students became in-terested as they saw these flyers. “Rugby attracted me because it was something new and unique that would be a good experience to try out,” junior Ryan D’Amico

said. “My sister plays at her col-lege, and when I saw her play I realized that I really wanted to try it myself. I knew Mr. Petrone knew the game so I always asked him about it.”

According to Mr. Petrone, twenty to twenty-five students show up to any given practice. Although many students are in-terested, the rugby team is still just getting itself organized at the school, so it has yet to work any-thing out with the athletic depart-ment to get field priority. Every day the team waits until lacrosse finishes practice at around 6 p.m. to finally get turf field time. The struggles with getting field time coincide with their difficulties of scheduling games. The team had to cancel their first scheduled game, which was supposed to be on April 4 against Greenwich, be-cause the team couldn’t get bus transportation.

As a first year team no fund-ing has been set aside to pur-chase all the proper equipment and jerseys needed for practices and games. Since pads were not yet available to the team, Mr.

Petrone purchased practice dum-mies to prevent injury from the constant physical play that goes on throughout practice.

“The aspect of rugby that I enjoy the most is the pace of the game mixed with the contact. I was looking for something that would prep me for football,” ju-nior Mike Vigliotti said.

An encouraging sign for the popularity of this small sport is the elimination of the National Championship on the high school level. Officials are trying to con-fine the championship to state levels just like every other high school varsity sport. An advan-tage to rugby being a club sport at Westhill is that an open door policy exists.

“We’re not expecting a com-mitment. That’s the beauty of a club sport; you can come out to practice whenever, so people who haven’t heard about the team un-til now don’t have to miss out,” Mr. Petrone said. “There are no eligibility issues, so kids who are playing a spring sport can still come run around and see how they like it.”

Rugby introduced as intramural sport

IN-VICTORIOUS Junior Ryan D’Amico barrels down the field in practice on April 24 while trying to avoid being brought down by two defenders.

Victoria Sandolo & Lauren Schechter

Managing Editor & Limelight Editor

Athletic Director (AD) Mike King worked at Westhill for only one year before becoming the girls’ varsity basketball coach in 1998. Since then, he has led the team not only as a coach, but also as a men-tor to dozens of girls over the years. When this year’s team heard that he might not be the AD be able to coach next year they decided to do something about it. “First we draft-ed a letter from the team and had everyone sign it, then we started an online petition which we later sent to the Board of Education,” senior captain Allie Schechter said.

On March 27, over 30 Westhill students and parents attended a meeting of the Board Of Educa-tion on March 27 at which the situ-ation concerning the AD was to be discussed. Attendees included par-

ents, girls’ basketball players, and other Westhill students who were all there to show their support for Mr. King.

“I walked into the meeting expecting an organized discussion on the Athletic Director position. Instead, all we heard was a lot of contradicting statements and ar-guments between members of the

Board of Education. It was obvi-ous no one was really sure what was actually happening. After the meeting, all we knew was that the

job positions had been posted, and King was going to continue being our Athletic Director. His position of coach remained a mystery,” se-nior Nikita Sturrock said.

Mr. King did not wish to com-

ment on the situation. Ultimately, at the end of the meeting, during which some parents and students addressed the Board of Education, it was unclear as to what would be the fate of Mr. King’s position of AD and girls’ basketball coach.

About a week later, the news came via the Stamford Advocate that the Athletic Directors for both Stamford High and Westhill were to be announced the following day, on April 4. When Ms. Figluzzi made her decision to re-hire Mr. King on Wednesday morning, all rumors were quickly put to rest. The declaration was that Mr. King would continue to serve as the AD for the next three years, until his contract is up and the position will be re-opened for discussion.

“As I have said many times previous, he is an extraordinary Athletic Director and he has made incredible strides here as an Atheletic Director. His high levels

of integrity and honesty are great models for our students,” Ms. Fi-gluzzi said.

However, with this new deci-sion, students, athletes, and parents alike are still very concerned with the prospect that Mr. King may not be able to coach for Westhill. “I don’t understand why it is such a big deal for the athletic director to also coach a sports team,” ju-nior and varsity basketball player Megan D’Alessandro said. “Espe-cially since he has been doing both successfully and without any diffi-culty for years. When he first told us we were all pretty shocked and we weren’t comprehending that his job was really at risk of being taken away. We all want him to stay as our coach since we have grown accustom to his coaching style, but we know that even if he isn’t allowed to coach that he will still be there for us whenever we need help.”

King reinstated as Athletic Director

“When he first told [the girls’ basketball team about the possibility of not being able to coach] we were all pretty shocked and we weren’t com-prehending that his job was really at risk of being taken away. We all want him to stay as our coach since we have grown accustom to his coaching style, but we know that even if he isn’t allowed to coach that he will still be there for us whenever we need help.”

—Megan D’Alessandro, ’13

Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

44 SportSApril 2012

Even though the boys’ tennis team gradu-ated a State Champion last year, John Petrini, the team is still positive in its 2012 season. “This is undoubtedly the best group of guys I’ve played with during my four years on the team. Our roster has more depth this year than it ever had before,” senior captain Matt Frederick said. The team has high hopes for its future. “We want to win at least 11 of our matches this year, including matches against FCIAC powerhouses Staples, New Ca-naan, and Fairfield Warde,” Frederick said. The boys’ tennis team has started its season with a perfect record of 7-0.

Boys’ Tennis

Briefs by Rachel Benz, Katelyn Conte, & Katie Van Name /Staff Writer, Illustrator, & Staff Writer

The track and field team started its season on March 19 and will continue throughout the spring months. “I have very high expectations for the team.We have a lot of well-rounded quality runners, jump-ers, and throwers,” coach Mr. Page said.

Some of our more competitive athletes are se-niors Sam Lagasse and Jeff Volpintesta. We also have several good pole vaulters this season, including juniors Evan McCafferty, Billy Thibault, and Kyle Miller,” Coach Page added. The players have high expectations for the team as well. “I expect that we’ll have a good amount of individuals who will qualify for FCIACs and States, and that as a team we’ll be able to do well and stand out despite our small size,” junior captain Nicole Ambrosecchio said. The boys’ and girls’ have a combined record of 2-8.

Track & Field

Spring sports in full swing

GolfAlthough the golf team has yet to win a match with a record of 0-5, the team still has many competitions approaching. “This season our goals are to im-prove as a team, and win some matches. However, the most important thing is building a team bond and having fun out on the course,” junior Marco Socci said. The team is led by senior captain Josie Spelling.

After winning the title of State Champions two years ago, the girls’ softball team is looking for an-other state title after its disappointing loss to Conard in the Class LL Championship last year. This season is showing just as much potential as the previous ones, as the team is 8-1. Despite its loss to Masuk in its first game, the team has been undefeated since. “Our goal as a team is to focus on one game at a time, aiming to improve each day. We will maintain our team bond and learn from the mistakes we make along the way,” senior captain Allie Souza said. Thus far, the season has been highlighted by Allison Macari’s perfect game against Fairfield Ludlowe on April 24.

Softball

A mid-season update

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Girls’ TennisThe girls’ tennis team has started its season

with a 5-2 record with wins over Norwalk, Dan-bury, Trinity Catholic, and Trumbull. “Hopefully the rest of the season will go just as well,” senior captain Rachna Mehta said.

“The team looks a lot better than last year. We’ve gained some great freshmen that have added to the depth of the team as a whole,” se-nior captain Caroline Ike said. “With these new additions and returning players it looks like we are going to have a strong season,” Ike added.

The captains also have other goals set for their team. “Some of our team goals include showing team spirit, cheering each other on, staying consistent in a match, and never giving up,” Ike said.

From left to right sophomore Pershant Toteja, junior Daniel Sanchez, and senior Gyeyeon Kang.

TEARING UP THE GREEN Senior Collin Fritz practices his golf swing at the Gaynor Brennan golf course.

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

Gerald Morgan / Photo Manager

SportS 45 April 2012

Jonathan PollackSports Reporter

New varsity baseball assis-tant coaches, Steve Rivera (2009) and Chris Spadero are in the midst of their first season as coaches. While they assist in teaching the game and helping the team, they are still learning some things as well.

The Westword: How do you feel about the new job?Steve Rivera: I think the new job is looking good. The team looks ready for the season and I am ex-cited to help the team.Chris Spadero: The new job is great, Coach Mulvaney is a great coach and knows a lot about the game so working with him makes it easier.TW: What are you expectations for yourselves as coaches?SR: My expectations are to help the kids become better ball play-ers and help the team win in any way that I can.

CS: I just want to learn as much as I can as a coach while still be-ing able to help the kids and the team.TW: What are your expecta-tions for the team this year?SR: I expect the team to do well during the regular season and make a run in FCIACs and States, and hopefully win them.CS: I just expect the team to win and play well. If they want it enough they can win a lot of games.TW: What do you bring to the team as a coach?SR: I bring my personal experi-ence of playing for Westhill, as well as my general knowledge for the game.CS: Although I’m still learning as a coach, I bring my knowledge of the game and my willingness to help out in different areas around the team.TW: How will your experiences as a player will help you as a coach?SR: I feel that having gone through

FCIACs and States and having played on the Westhill team will allow me to better understand what I need to do as a coach to help the team.CS: I think that my experiences of not necessarily trying my hardest as a player will help me prevent some of our players from making the same mistakes as I did so they won’t waste their potential.TW: What areas do you think the team is the strongest in? What areas do you think the team needs to work the most in?SR: I think we have a good, solid defense that should be able to hold other teams to a small amount of runs. I feel that our offense could use a bit of work so that we can be more productive and score more runs.CS: I feel that our pitching and defense is pretty good and that those areas probably won’t be a concern throughout the season. I think that we might struggle on offense and we definitely need to work on that.

New baseball assistants bring success to team

Mike Bodall / PhotographerGREAT EXPECTATIONS New baseball assistant coach Chris Spadero observes the game from the first base line. Spadero and Steve Rivera, another new assistant coach, both played

Lainey SidellEditor-in-Chief

Former Westhill student Alex Behzad (2009) has returned to coach the junior varsity girls’ lacrosse team beginning this sea-son. Behzad has played lacrosse for 16 seasons, and he has high expectations for the team this season.

The Westword: Have you ever had any post coaching experi-ence? How do you hope to grow as an instructor?Alex Behzad: I have been coach-ing summer lacrosse and clinics since I was in seventh grade. Since girls’ lacrosse is played differently from boys’ I would like to gain a different perspective of the game which would help me fully under-stand and master the sport of la-crosse, whether it is boys or girls. It would help me become a better player and a better coach.TW: For how long have you played lacrosse and do you still play?AB: I have played lacrosse for almost about 16 years. I started

in Greenwich [while] I attended The Whitby School. Currently, I am still in school at Sacred Heart University. I played all year at the D1 level, but currently I do not play because coaching and play-ing would conflict with one an-other. [However,] I still play over the summer and in yearly tourna-ments. TW: How does it feel coming back to Westhill not as a stu-dent or athlete, but as a part of the faculty? AB: It’s a strange feeling being back at Westhill as a coach and not as a student. But it is a great experience spreading lacrosse to younger players. TW: What are your expectations for your team? AB: My expectations for the girls’ year is to be successful and I hope that they gain experience for the game and learn to love it. TW: Why did you choose to coach girls instead of boys? AB: I chose to coach girls instead of boys because it was the first op-portunity I had to coach, and I felt as if it would be a personal chal-lenge that I would like to take on.

TW: Is the strategy of girls la-crosse difficult to transition to because of the changes in the regulations? AB: I would say that the biggest difficulty would be the difference between girls’ lacrosse and boys’ lacrosse, but the new regulations arent that much of a big change in the game. TW: Do you plan to pursue la-crosse to another level of coach-ing in the future? AB: I love coaching, and if I were able to get the opportunity to coach at a higher level I would gladly accept it, but I am still young so there is still time to see where lacrosse takes me. TW: Being that our girls’ var-sity lacrosse team is new, do you plan to establish Westhill as a stronger, more respected program? AB: As we play in the FCIAC, which is one of the most com-petitive conferences, I would like to establish our girls team to be one of the contenders in it. Even though we are young, once we reach the perfect level of play the sky is the limit.

BLAST FROM THE PAST Coach Alex Behzad plays goalie for Westhill back in 2008.

’09 alumni returnBehzad transitions from boys’ to girls’ lacrosse coach

Alex Behzad / Contributed Photo

April 201246 SportSBi

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Spelling leads on the greenJesse Koretz

Staff Writer

Despite being the only female senior on the Westhill golf team, Josie Spelling is a devoted captain and a key member of the team.

The Westword: When did you move to America? At what age did you begin to play golf?Josie Spelling: I moved to Amer-ica from England when I was 10- years-old and I began to play golf when I was about 12. TW: Who influenced you to start playing golf?JS: My dad is a huge fan so he really encouraged me to play. My camp instructor when I was younger also made me enjoy the sport a lot.TW: What are your favorite and least favorite parts about the game of golf?JS: My favorite parts are succeed-ing, getting good scores in com-petition, and playing against other people. My least favorite part is that it is not a consistent sport, meaning that you never know

how you are going to play on any given day.TW: In your opinion, what are the most and least advanced parts of your golf game?JS: The best part of my game has to be my driving. My worst part is probably my short games due to the frequent changes in condi-tions.TW: On the Westhill golf team you always play against boys. Are you ever intimidated by this?JS: No, not really. I usually try to play the same way whether I am playing against a guy or girl, how-ever sometimes playing against guys gets me more motivated to beat them because of the gender factor.TW: Do you watch professional golf, and if so who is your favor-ite female golfer?JS: I have seen the Ladies Profes-sional Golf Association play be-fore, but I do not watch frequent-ly. My favorite female golfer is Natalie Gulbis.TW: Last year you were the only girl on the golf team and

this year you are one of three. What is it like being one of the only girls?JS: Since I am friends with the guys on the golf team, I push my-self harder and it makes me play better.TW: How often do you play golf during the offseason?JS: I usually play golf during the spring and summer with my dad casually on the weekends.TW: Do you plan to play golf on another level, such as college, in-tramural, or any other league?JS: I was going to play in college, but I decided that it was in my best interest not to. TW: What has been the high-light of your career so far?JS: I do not have one specific mo-ment but I enjoy competing over the summer and I really enjoy meeting new people.

TEEING OFF Senior golf captain and key contributor Josie Spelling gazes at her drive during practice. Despite Spelling’s efforts, the team is 0-5 this season.

Tim Longo & Katelyn ConteStaff Writer & Illustrator

Senior shortstop and third-baseman Billy Druehl is one of the captains of the baseball team. He is currently leading the team to a strong 5-4 start overall, and a 4-4 record in the FCIAC. The Westword: When did you start playing baseball?Billy Druehl: I don’t even re-member when I started playing. I’ve been playing baseball my whole life.TW: What are your expecta-tions for the season?BD: I have very high expectations for myself and the team this sea-son. We have a lot of potential and I think we’ll have a great year.TW: Who helped you to get where you are now?BD: My parents were my biggest influence. They have been guid-ing me from a very young age all the way until now both on and off of the field.TW: Do you want to continue

playing baseball after high school?BD: These are going to be my last spring and summer seasons play-ing baseball.TW: What is your best memory from past years on the team?BD: My best memory was being called up to start the semi-final FCIAC game at Harbor Yard as a sophomore.TW: What are you looking for-ward to this season?BD: This season I look forward to having an enjoyable and success-ful year with the team.TW: How has the team pro-gressed from last season?BD: The team has definitely gained a lot of experience and we are glad to have our field back so we can actually practice and im-prove our skills.TW: Do you have any pre-game rituals that you perform?BD: Before a game I like to think situations out in my head and have time alone so I can make sure to get mentally prepared.TW: When you play baseball,

what positions in the field do you play?BD: In the field, I play shortstop and third base.TW: What leadership skills do you think are important to lead the team to a successful season?BD: I think that making sure the team keeps a positive attitude no matter how well or how badly we are doing is most important. We are a team and in order to be suc-cessful, we need to work as a unit. There should be no selfish inten-tions on the field. A team that works together wins together.TW: Which professional base-ball team is your favorite?My favorite team is definetly the New York Yankees, and my fa-vorite player is Derek Jeter.TW: What are you going to miss most about Westhill baseball?BD: I’m simply going to miss all aspects of the game. I’ll miss stepping in the batter’s box for an at-bat, I’ll miss the rush after making a great play, and I’ll miss all the memories and experiences I had with the team.

GOING FOR THE CATCH Senior Billy Druehl fields a ball in a game against Harding High School which resulted in a 17-0 win for Westhill.

Druehl bats away opponents

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To view a video montage on both

athletes, visit www.thewest-

wordonline.com

Mike Bodall / Photographer

Katie Beauleau / Managing Editor

47SportS April 2012

Column by Matthew KatzOut of Bounds

Recently, a horrific case of violence has erupted in the Na-tional Football League (NFL). This case has enflamed the New Orleans Saints organization. Al-legations have been made that defensive coordinator, Gregg Wil-liams, paid monetary incentives to his defensive line for hard hits during games. In addition, even greater alleged bonuses were paid to players for injuring and knocking players out of the game. This “bounty” program created by Gregg Williams’ is disgusting and horrible.

The judgment of Williams should be heavily scrutinized. Not only did he go against the rules of the league, which is try-ing to crack down on head to head hits and injuries in their game, but he is a grown man who acted so childish as to purposefully try to injure other people.

The NFL has recently been

enforcing rules to stop injuries, especially concussions, in foot-ball. To see an adult purposely neglecting and disrespecting the rules of his profession is terrible. The disrespect of Williams to-wards his colleagues, profession, peers, and the athletes of the na-tional football league can never be

forgotten. His indefinite suspen-sion is well deserved and I hope to never see him back coaching at any level of football again.

Once again, this story brings up the greed of professional ath-letes. The millions of dollars

earned in salaries and endorse-ments weren’t enough for the defensive players on the Saints’ roster. Their drive for money pushed them to except Williams’ strategies and during every game intend to injure the stars of the op-position. The selfishness of ath-letes and the economics of profes-

sional sports are sickening. I commend NFL commis-

sioner Roger Goodell for his pun-ishments and suspensions of this league. I think the way he set the standard for the future of the NFL is terrific. By hitting the Saints

organizations with fines, loss of draft picks, and suspension of coaches is a fabulous way to set precedence of the expectations of the players, coaches and organi-zations of professional football. It is great to see Goodell show his support and back the initiatives he instilled to help stop violence and injuries in football.

However, with all of that said, I feel for Sean Payton, the currently suspended head coach of the Saints and the Saints orga-nization. The actions of one man shouldn’t handicap a whole orga-nization for years to come. The Saints organization and Payton have created a tremendous team within the past few seasons and it is terrible to see all of that hard work and energy to work because of the audacity of one man not to follow the rules. It pains me to see how Williams’ lack of morals and ethics will now cripple this

organization for the next couple seasons. The Saints have done so much good for their fans and community after the disasters of Hurricane Katrina. It is unfortu-nate and tragic to see that reputa-tion disappear because of the ac-tions of one man.

All in all, Williams’ actions concerning the “bounty program” are horrific and inexcusable. The intent to injure others and the ig-norance to not follow rules and support the commissioner of his league is terrible.

In order for professional sports to be played at the level of honor and integrity that sports are meant to be played, finances must take a back seat to the game itself. I hope the Saint’s organization will be able to bounce back from this to once again become a strong team both in football and restore a positive reputation, which the team deserves.

Allegations have been made that defensive coor-dinator, Gregg Williams paid monetary incen-tives to his defensive line for hard hits durring the game.

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Stamford, Connecticut

Josie Spelling Billy Druehl

Regulation changes affect athletes p. 42 /Athletes of the Month p. 46

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