FY11 budget minimizes cuts to classroom

Teddy Wenneker

Lacrosse practice: Sophomore Shawn Seamans cradles the ball. Spring sports began last week. See related sports stories on pages 13, 15 and 16.

Proposal discusses lifting restrictions on Facebook

BY MARENA COLE

Even with budget cuts, class sizes will not in-crease next year if the

School Committee passes in-terim superintendent V. James Marini’s Proposed Budget for Fiscal 2011.

Marini presented the pro-posed $168,235,667 budget at a School Committee meeting Thursday, March 4. The FY11 budget proposes a 2.1 percent increase over the FY10 budget of $164,708,394.

In the creation of the budget, Marini said that much of the em-phasis was to limit the impact on the classroom itself.

“The school system really should be focused on classroom teaching,” Marini said. “The most important thing that happens in a school happens between students and a teacher in a classroom.

“If we believe that, then we’ll budget for it, we’ll plan for it, we’ll fi ght for it—we’ll make it happen.”

The proposed budget outlines general goals for the high schools in FY11.

“The high schools have de-veloped a number of effi ciency and cost-cutting measures in non-teaching areas,” the proposal says.

“The budget supports the high schools in their ongoing work to close the achievement gap,” it says.

To achieve these goals, the proposal outlines three major areas of focus.

First, the budget proposal emphasizes an effort to minimize class sizes and maximize pro-gram offerings.

“This budget has been con-structed such that there will be no reduction in the teaching staff, allowing academic programs

to remain intact,” the proposal says.

In his budget message, Marini said the FY11 budget contains enough cost-saving measures to maintain class sizes at the FY10 levels.

Second, the budget outlines steps to reorganize administra-tion at the high schools.

The proposed changes are◆ eliminating the positions

of assistant principal, which would result in a reduction of 3.0 FTEs.

◆ addition of vice principal positions, which is an addition of 2.0 FTEs.

◆ eliminating library depart-ment chair positions.

◆ reducing secretarial time by eliminating the position of execu-tive secretary and reducing 1.55 FTE secretarial positions. Also proposed is the addition of a 0.2 FTE Grade 2 secretary to each main offi ce staff.

According to the proposal, the expected outcome of the changes will be that there will be a negative impact on department supports.

However, “restructuring of administrative tasks at the high schools will result in cost effi cien-cies without affecting classroom instructional time,” it says.

Additionally, the budget pro-poses the elimination of the po-sition of on campus coordinator, which currently accounts for a total of 1.0 FTE, 0.5 FTE at each high school, it says.

In a third point, the budget emphasizes support for current initiatives in the high schools.

“This budget supports the high schools’ ongoing professional development efforts to encourage teacher collaboration and to close the achievement gap,” it says.◆ SEE EDITORIAL ON PAGE 3.

BY MALINI GANDHI

Minga is in conten-tion to win $25,000 in funding, said senior

Rebecca Kantar, the director of Minga’s Public Service An-nouncement campaign.

Minga is Newton’s youth-run, non-profit organization that seeks to educate students about the global sex trade.

According to Kantar, Minga’s PSA campaign was launched this year with the goal to reach youth through television, with hopes to partner with celebrities from

programs such as Glee and Gos-sip Girl to broadcast messages on networks such as CNN, and programs such as Good Morning America.

With the hopes of beginning to fi lm the PSAs in May, Minga entered Pepsi’s Refresh Every-thing contest, which is giving 10 organizations $25,000 each, Kantar said.

If Minga wins the $25,000 it is running for, the money will cover the cost of producing one of the PSAs, she said.

According to Kantar, the top 10

organizations with the most votes online will receive the $25,000.

“Without funding, the project is pushed back,” she said. “This is our chance to be in the spot-light.

“Out of over 1,903 other groups in the competition, we are one of the only student groups, and definitely the only non-profit, youth-run organization. We are extremely excited.”

Those interested in supporting Minga can go to www.refreshev-erything.com/minga to vote. Vot-ing ends next Wednesday.

Newtonite◆ Friday, March 26, 2010 • Volume 89, Issue 4 Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460

Non-profi t org.US postage paidNewton, Mass.Permit no. 55337

Minga in contest to win funds

BY REBECCA HARRIS

Restrictions on Facebook access from Newton North computers may

be lifted if the Student Faculty Administration board passes a proposal sponsored by librarian Kevin McGrath and seniors Jona-than Bressler and Ezra Cohen.

The SFA discussed the propsal at a meeting Wednesday, March 17. As written, the proposal says

that Facebook would be removed from the web fi lter, and therefore be unblocked.

However, principal Jennifer Price said that doing so may not be possible because both Newton high schools currently use the same fi lter.

“The decision would have to be made at both high schools,” she said. “This is not a decision I can make unilaterally.”

The proposal says that stu-dents should be allowed to use Facebook because they use it for schoolwork.

“Students constantly rely on Facebook for communication when coordinating group proj-ects,” the proposal says.

“If one has essential infor-mation on their account for an in-school project, they will not be able to access it, and it will

impede their work.”Also, the proposal says that it

is inconsistent to ban Facebook, because other sites that serve some of the same functions are permitted.

The proposal says that allow-ing Facebook would not affect the learning environment.

“Students often do not use the computers for work with web-sites such as Sporcle, so Face-

book would not cause students to procrastinate any more than they already do,” the proposal says.

The SFA also discussed ways to introduce students to the new building next fall.

Riley housemaster Mark Aron-son said that the SFA should be especially sensitive to the needs of the Class of ‘11, because the shift to the new building will impact it the most.

See exchanges on pages 7-9

Around Around the worldthe world

The Newtonite, founded in 1922, is the newspaper of Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460.

The Newtonite staff does all the reporting, production work and photography to produce 16 issues a year for a circulation of 2,500.

To place an ad in the Newtonite or contact us by phone, please call 617-559-6274. Yearly subscriptions cost $20. Readers can also reach us at thenewtonite@gmail.com.

To fi nd the Newtonite online go to www.thenewtonite.com.

Newtonite

Editors in chief — Marena Cole, Eli DavidowManaging editor — Teddy Wen-nekerNews editor — Hilary BrumbergSports editors — Jay Feinstein, Jacob SchwartzArts editors — Kate Lewis, Perrin SteinFeatures editors — Jacob Brunell, Fatema ZaidiOn campus editor — Meredith AbramsNews analysis editor — Steven MichaelPhotography editors — Gaby Perez-Dietz, Ivan McGovernProduction managers — Katrina Barry, Ben HillsAdvertising manager — Emily GulottaBusiness manager — Dan SalvucciCirculation managers — Alison Berkowitz, Caleb Gannon

Adviser — Kate ShaughnessyProduction advisers — Sue Brooks, Tom DonnellanNews staff — Malini Gandhi, Ilana Greenstein, Rebecca Harris, Kayla ShoreFeatures staff — Emmett Greenberg, Gavi KaplanSports staff — Evan Clements, Nicole Curhan, Jeremy GurvitsArts staff — Audrey Derobert, Becky KalishNews analysis staff — Kellynette GomezArt staff — Anna Kaertner, Maddie MacWilliams, D’Jaidah WynnPhotography staff — Karen Brier, Ryne Duffy, Anna Gargas, Gabe Dreyer, Jaryd Justice-Moote, Edan Laniado, Isabel Meigs, Matt VictorCirculation staff — Spencer Alton, Stoddard Meigs, Omar Pinkhasov, Michela Salvucci, Stephanie VitoneProduction staff — Peter Taber-Si-monian

Creating the budget for a school year is full of tough decisions.

This year, as with every year, cuts had to be made to assure that the school system could operate within the bud-get of $168,235,667.

Interim superintendent V. James Marini has made it clear that the priority in mak-ing the budget this year was to minimize the effect cuts would have on the classroom, emphasizing that classroom sizes will not increase from FY10 levels.

The whole goal of public education is to teach students, and so we agree that it’s cru-cial to take steps to make sure that students get the highest quality education possible.

Keeping class sizes small and maximizing course offer-ings are important objectives to have, and it’s great to know that those creating the budget are working to minimize cuts in those areas.

Maximizing the programs available gives students many more opportunities to find their passions and talent as they go through high school.

However, over the past few years the Russian language program, the fashion design course, and last year, the Elec-trical program, had to be cut due to budgeting.

And so, the fact that the classroom is not a place for cutting is great for everyone.

However, budget cuts can negatively affect other areas of the school besides the classroom.

Currently, the budget pro-posal proposes a reduction in secretarial time and the elimination of the position of

executive secretary.Reducing secretarial time

puts a lot of stress on the secretaries as they already perform vital jobs in running the school.

Although they are not part of the classroom itself, sec-retaries are essential in the handling of the day-to-day operations of the houses, in-dividual departments and the main offi ce.

Additionally, the budget proposes to cut the on campus position.

Over the years, hundreds of presenters have spoken to students here, with top-ics ranging from genocide to study skills to traditional Chinese art.

On campus presentations have provided students with valuable opportunities to learn about things they might not have encountered in the classroom.

Proposed staffing reduc-tions to the library can also be detrimental, as hundreds of students come in and out of the library each day.

And next year, the library will be a Learning Commons, with a new approach to using technology in the library.

Librarians handle much in the operation of a location with so much student activity and so many learning oppor-tunities.

It’s important to see that even though these cuts may not affect the classroom di-rectly, and they may not di-rectly influence class sizes or course offerings, they still affect the education of many students in the school.

Good to see cutsout of classroom,but they still hurt

Ivan McGovern

Infl atable jousting: Sophomores Anthony Sposato and Justin Keefe face off in the lower gym during the sophomore carnival Friday, March 5.

Missing support for girls’ team

Tips to stay healthy outdoors

Janice Keefe took on any task

editorial

LettersReaders are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Letters should be put in the Newtonite box in Beals House or emailed to thenewtonite@gmail.com. The Newtonite reserves the right to edit all letters, which must have the writer’s name, class and homeroom. The Newtonite serves as a forum for student opinion.

BY ELI DAVIDOW

Mrs. Janice C. (Norton) Keefe, a secretary from 1981-1996, died Sunday, March 7 in Gardner. She was 71.

According to semi-retired English teach-er and former Adams house-master Peter C a p o d i l u p o, Mrs. Keefe was a “very warm and embracing person.”

“No prob-lem a student had was too big for Janice,” he said. “She would always do her best to try to help.”

Mrs. Keefe, who worked here for 16 years, was a person who brought this school to a human and personal level, Capodilupo said.

“She cared so deeply about the school. Janice was one of the people who made Newton North a special place, an academic in-

stitution that was also very deep and caring.”

Although Capodilupo said that he did not directly work with Mrs. Keefe, she still made an impres-sion on him because of her unde-niable pride for this school.

“She was a warrior,” he said. “She took on any task with a passion.”

Mrs. Keefe grew up in Waltham, and she graduated from Waltham High in 1956. She was the mother of fi ve children.

In 1981, Mrs. Keefe began working here part time, splitting her time between working in the Summer School offi ce and driver’s education offi ce.

Mrs. Keefe started working full time in 1983 in the Adams house offi ce. When the house sys-tem changed, she worked in the combination Riley/Adams house. For the last three years at Newton North, she worked in Riley.

Friends and family gathered

to celebrate Mrs. Keefe’s life at The Joyce Funeral Home of Waltham for a wake Wednesday, March 10. Following the wake, a funeral mass took place at Our Lady Comforter of the Affected Church of Waltham. Mrs. Keefe’s burial was held in private.

Donations may be made in Mrs. Keefe’s name to the Hey-wood Hospital Oncology Depart-ment, 242 Green Street, Gardner, MA 01440.

Newtonian

Janice Keefe

in memoriam

opinion Friday, March 26, 20102 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

BY SAMANTHA ALPERT

If there is one thing I love most about Newton North, it is the school spirit. I have not seen a more spirited school, and it makes me so proud to be a part of it all.

Many people are shocked by the power of our 6th Man sec-tion at many sporting events. The most popular are the post-season games, and most of all basketball games.

Oops! I mean boys’ basketball games and post-season. My ques-tion is, why is this true?

I always thought the main reason why so many people go is to support their classmates and show their Tiger Pride.

There is a huge number of people in the stands at the boys’ games who don’t know the fi rst thing about basketball, and many of them don’t even care. They come to be social and cheer.

If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure the only thing missing from the girls’ games are the dunks, but I promise—they aren’t bor-ing!

This year, the girls’ basketball team was the best it has been in a very long time. People can’t even come to games that don’t even confl ict with the boys’?

The fact is, the girls’ team had

one more loss than the boys’. The girls’ Sectional semi-final game was the day after the boys had lost.

The opposing coach had told the students at his school to get their seats early because he saw how we supported our boys on the road.

I’m not going to completely blame the 6th Man for the loss, but I’ll just say the game would have been much different if there were at least some people there to support us.

They had about 150 people in their student section. We had two.

That may have hurt more than the actual loss.

guest column

It’s time to get outside and experience the warmer weather and longer days. Make sure your family stays healthy this spring and summer with these great outdoor health tips.

Remember to Slip! Slap! Slop! to prevent the sun from damaging your skin and potentially causing cancer in the future.

◆ Slip on a t-shirt: A t-shirt over a bathing suit is a great way to help block some of the sun’s rays

◆ Slap on a hat & sunglasses: A brimmed hat and sunglasses help protect the face and eyes.

◆ Slop on sunscreen: Apply

SPF 15 or higher sunscreen be-fore going outside and reapply at least every two hours, even if it is cloudy.

For more information, contact your School Nurse or visit http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/skin

Use a bug repellent that pro-tects against ticks and mosqui-toes to prevent diseases like West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease.

Different products work against different bugs. Products with DEET or permethrin are rec-

ommended for protection against both ticks and mosquitoes.

DEET products may be ap-plied to skin or clothing.

For more information about ticks, mosquitoes, and the dis-eases they cause, visit the Mas-sachusetts Department of Public Health website at www.mass.gov/dph.

Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or scooter, using in-line skates or other manually pro-pelled wheeled vehicles.

For more information, visit www.mass.gov/dph/injury or contact your school nurse.—ROZANNE MILNER, RN

letter

newsFriday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

Whatmakes amentor?BY MEREDITH ABRAMS

Jean Rhodes is a leading ex-pert on mentoring and a profes-sor of psychology at the Univer-sity of Massachusetts, according to principal Jennifer Price.

Rhodes was the keynote speaker at the Huntington Lec-ture Thursday, March 11 in the fi lm lecture hall.

Price opened the presentation by explaining how the annual lectures began.

“When I entered this institu-tion, we had a conversation, in this very room, about how to connect the community and the school,” she said.

“A parent suggested an intel-lectual discussion, and we named it for a past principal,” she said. “So far it’s been quite a fun ad-venture—I’ve learned about grav-ity, jazz and had lots of wonderful experiences.”

Rhodes spoke about “the risks and rewards of mentoring today’s youth.” For her dissertation, she studied the effects mentors had on students in Chicago.

“At the time, Chicago was the epicenter of the crack epidemic,” Rhodes said. “I asked teachers to fi nd students who were outstand-ing, who were going to college, and they could just rattle off a couple names.

“I was trying to think about what they had in common, and I found a theme—they all have someone looking out for them, someone who cared about them,” she said.

Rhodes said she ended up with some very important questions.

“I wondered, ‘Is having a men-tor a cause of resilience, or is it a factor?’ And, ‘Why do some people fi nd mentors, but others don’t?’”

Next, Rhodes spoke about former Red Sox outfi elder Man-ny Ramirez and his mentor, Makako.

“I talked to Makako, and I learned about all the other men-tors Manny had,” she said. “I found out that he was irresist-ible to mentors, so coaches just loved him.

“Mentors have the triad of protective factors, and they look for kids who thrive.”

Then Rhodes spoke about the role mentors can play in children’s lives.

“I developed a theory about how mentoring works,” she said.

“A successful relationship is conditioned by many things, but three stood out to me, Good mentors must help social and emotional development, enhance cognitive development and pro-vide a role model.

“Social and emotional de-velopment works like therapy,” Rhodes said. “The mentoring reverberates back to the closest relationships in the lives of the person being mentored.

“Enhancing cognitive develop-ment means there is a zone of proximal development,” Rhodes said. “Good mentors can stretch you to your limits and pull you to your best. Role modeling—es-pecially in boys—is absolutely essential.

“Children tend to feel like everyone is watching them all the time, so they are constantly performing. Sometimes mentors can insert themselves into that imaginary audience and raise the standard.”

Teddy Wenneker

Registration day: English teacher Melissa Dilworth and junior Sam Majewski discuss English course offerings.

Debate team prepares for competitionsBY MALINI GANDHI

Novice talent has allowed the Debate Team to perform very well and build e x p e r i e n c e , according to s e n i o r E z r a C o h e n , c o -captain with senior Caeden Byrnie.

The t eam will compete in States Sun-day, a competition where Cohen is “hoping for a strong perfor-mance.”

North’s doubles team will ar-gue whether affi rmative action is justifi ed, while the singles team will debate jury nullifi cation.

The team is diligently prepar-ing for the competition through research and running rounds, according to Cohen.

Saturday, Feb. 27, the team debated in Shrewsbury, a com-petition that went well for North, according to Cohen.

“Though facing more expe-rienced teams, our novices per-formed very well,” he said.

One major difference between this year’s team compared to last year’s is the many talented underclassmen that have stepped up and contributed, Cohen said.

“I walked into captainship this year with most of the team made up of juniors and seniors,” Cohen said.

“I realized it was critical to

find a new mass of people to recruit. Now we have a bunch of freshmen and new talent, and we are looking forward to building experience and improving as a team.”Science team competes in Science OlympiadBY KAYLA SHORE

After three consecutive years of winning the Science Olympiad and reaching Nationals, the Sci-ence Team hoped to make it a fourth this year, said senior Jen Liu, team president. However, the team was second to Acton-Boxborough this year.

The Olympiad, held at Fram-ingham State Saturday, March 20, included 40 teams from around the state. The 24 events covered many topics, including biology, chemistry and forensics.

The team placed in the top 10 of every event except for three, a highlight for Liu. “We can’t help but be a little disappointed, but I’m proud of how we came together,” she said.

In preparation for the Olym-piad, the team competed in West Suburban Science League competitions. They have been “using them as a training ground” for l a rger com-petitions, said science teacher Barbara Gib-

son, an adviser with science teacher Peter Hamel.

The team’s next event will be the Envirothon in May, which fo-cuses on earth science. The team placed second in last year’s com-petition, and it hopes to do well again this year, Gibson said.

In the Science Bowl Saturday, Feb. 27, the A team placed in the eighth to 16th range and the B team placed in the fi fth to eighth range. Ligerbots participate in regional competitionsBY HILARY BRUMBERG

In their regional event, the Ligerbots hope to make it to at least the finals, senior Daniel Smith said.

S t a r t i n g yesterday and c o n t i n u i n g through Satur-day, the Liger-bots will com-pete against 62 other teams in the Boston Re-gional event.

The robots will compete in Breakaway, which is simi-lar to soccer. The playing fi eld has many obstacles that teams must overcome and bonus points are awarded at the end when a team’s robot can climb a tower and completely suspend itself off of the ground. The purpose is to score as many points as possible in 2 and a half minutes.

“The competition is in Boston, which is really close to where people live in Newton,” Smith said. “It would be really great if a

lot of people could come see it. “There’s actually an award,

the Spirit Award, for having a large cheering squad.”

The Ligerbots played Break-away in the Worchester Polytech-nical Institute Regional competi-tion Thursday, March 11 through Saturday, March 13, their fi rst event of the season.

They placed eighth in the qualifiers, enabling them to pick two teams to join them in the best-of-three quarterfi nals, according to technology and engineering teacher Scott Rosen-hahn, a coach.

Due to communication failure between the robot and the tower, the Ligerbots and their alliance teams lost the fi rst match 6-2, Rosenhahn said.

In the second round, they originally won 4-3. However, a malfunctioning censor did not register the ball being returned to play quickly enough, thus deducting four points from the fi nal score.

“I think we did great,” Rosen-hahn said. “If it wasn’t for some mechanical, software and electri-cal failures, we would’ve gone further.

“Once we got into the game and we were able to troubleshoot our robot, we were able to start scoring goals and we emerged as one of the best offensive teams.”

The Ligerbots also won the Imagery Award, which was given to the team that “best promoted their team and their name and their logo as a brand,” according to Rosenhahn.

Seniors to compete for National Merit fundsBY STEVEN MICHAEL

Six seniors were named as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

This school’s finalists are seniors Naomi Genuth, Nathan Harris, Nikolai Klebanov, Na-thaniel Roth, Alexander Talishin-sky and Michael Weinfeld.

Students are chosen for the National Merit Scholarship Pro-gram based on their scores on the PSAT during the fall of junior year.

Of the estimated 1.5 million students who take the PSAT each year, 50,000 receive letters of recommendation for their scores. The top 16,000 scorers are chosen as semifi nalists. Of those students, 15,000 advance to become fi nalists.

Finalists will compete for $36 million in scholarships nation-

Club teams prepare for upcoming events

wide, assistant principal Deborah Holman said. Of the 15,000 fi nal-ists, about 8,000 will win National Merit Scholarships.

“It is prestigious because so few receive the award in the country and the school,” Hol-man said.

Holman said the principal holds a reception for the semifi -nalists and their families. Semi-fi nalists receive a packet and go through an application process to become a fi nalist.

“For the fi nalists, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation sends letters to the families of the students and a certifi cate of merit is given to each student in homeroom,” she said.

“At Newton North, there is recognition for numerous extra-curriculars and achievements,” Holman said. “And yet our main purpose is scholarship—and

these students have achieved at the highest level.”Student advances to States for recitationBY HILARY BRUMBERG

After winning this school’s po-etry recitation contest and plac-ing in the top three at Regionals, senior Max Gerekht advanced to the State Poetry Out Loud competition.

In the Regional competition in Framingham Sunday, March 7, Gerekht recited “If” by Rudyard Kipling and “O Captain! My Cap-tain!” by Walt Whitman.

Of the nine students who competed, Gerekht placed in the top three, who then advanced to States.

Gerekht said he thinks the judges scored him favorably because “I can use my voice very well and make people feel my voice,” he said.

Sunday, March 14 in the Hun-

tington Theatre, Gerekht com-peted in the Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State competition. There, he placed in the top 20

of 14,000 stu-dents. However, only one com-petitor from the entire state of Massachusetts advanced to Nationals.

“The compe-tition was real-ly, really tight—there were no bad kids at all,” Gerekht said.

Being at the statewide competi-tion was “interesting,” he said. “It was a new experience. I’ve never done anything like that.”

Gerekht said he would like to thank English teachers Adam Carpenter and Tim Finnegan for “helping me prepare for my competitions.”

in brief

Newtonian

Jen Liu

Newtonian

Ezra Cohen

Newtonian

Daniel Smith

Newtonian

Max Gerekht

‘Here, life is beautiful’: ‘Cabaret’ cast shines

Seven students perform in annual All-State Festival BY JAY FEINSTEIN

Music students performed in the Massachusetts Music Educator’s Association All-State Festival at Boston Symphony Hall, Saturday, March 20.

“This is an opportunity for our students to perform with some of the best students in the commonwealth,” said fi ne and performing arts department head Todd Young, the All-State assistant conference chair. “It’s a real honor for all of our students participating in it.”

Young’s responsibilities at the festival include managing the audio-visual needs of the conference, which provides pro-fessional development for music educators.

Almost 1,000 music educa-tors attend this conference each

Jacob Schwartz

Come to the cabaret: Sophomore Emily Paley, a lead dancer, coerces Cliff, played by junior Skylar Fox, into a night out.

Jacob Schwartz

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome: The Emcee, played by senior Ryan Vona, leads the Kit Kat Klub dancers in an explosive opening number.

Jacob Schwartz

Song and dance: Junior Kelly McIntyre as Sally Bowles performs a fl irtatious number at the Kit Kat Klub.

BY KATE LEWIS

“Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome,” crooned a fl amboyant Emcee, played by senior Ryan Vona, welcoming audiences to the Kit Kat Klub, and to the musi-cal “Cabaret.”

Performed Thursday, March 11 through Sunday, March 14 in Lasker Auditorium to nearly sold-out audiences, “Cabaret” was an amazing show highlighted by song, dance and incredible technical work.

The show was set in a tawdry nightclub, the Kit Kat Klub, in Berlin at the dawn of Nazi rule, and centered on a romance between American writer Cliff Bradshaw and Sally Bowles, an English cabaret singer.

Cliff, played by junior Skylar Fox, comes to Berlin in search of inspiration for his next novel. Instead, he fi nds himself living with charismatic Sally, portrayed by junior Kelly McIntyre.

Fox and McIntyre had won-derful chemistry, despite highly contrasting characters. Together, they played out confl icts between an idealistic young woman and a more practical young man.

Complications arise when Sally reveals that she is pregnant. Desperate for money, Cliff resorts to running mysterious errands for a friend, Ernst Ludwig, who may be hiding dark motives.

Another plot of the show in-volves Cliff and Sally’s landlady, Fraulein Schneider, an old spin-ster who is romanced by her wid-ower neighbor, Herr Schultz.

Senior Joella Tepper portrayed Schneider as a kind, modest woman resigned to the hardships

around her.When Schultz, played by ju-

nior Edan Laniado, asks Sch-neider to marry him, she accepts. However, when Nazi-sympathiz-ing friends discourage Schneider from a relationship with the Jewish Schultz, she struggles between her love for Schultz and her loyalty to Germany.

Schultz tries to convince Sch-neider that even if the rest of the world rejects them, they will al-ways have each other. In the song “Married,” Schultz tenderly sang about the happiness marriage can bring to two lonely people.

Laniado created a sensitive, caring character who earnestly

loved Schneider and would do anything for her.

Full-cast numbers helped to progress the story and provide commentary on the action. For example, in “Money,” Cliff ’s distressing situation was accentu-ated by the eerie chorus, led by the Emcee: “Money makes the world go round.”

Green lighting and tight cho-reography helped to heighten the ominous nature of the song, as Cliff wandered nervously on a business trip for the mysterious Ernst Ludwig, played by junior Sam Melnick.

“Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” sung at Schultz and Schneider’s

engagement party, started out as a beautiful tune sung by Mel-nick and senior Caeden Brynie. However, the song had a deeper meaning, as it was revealed to be a Nazi hymn.

When the entire cast joined in singing “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” it became clear to the audience, as well as to Cliff and Sally, that the political climate in Germany was on the verge of a dramatic turn.

Other songs helped the audi-ence to understand the charac-ters’ inner thoughts. In “Maybe This Time,” sung by Sally, she expressed her apprehension at being in love for the fi rst time with Cliff and her hope that “maybe this time, I’ll win.”

McIntyre’s deep, gentle voice showed that Sally was a character jaded by failed relationships, but who still had love in her heart.

Likewise, Fraulein Schneider expressed her diffi cult confl ict in “What Would You Do?” Her voice full of anguish and grief, Sch-neider explained her reasons for not marrying Schultz, resigned again to a lonely life.

All of the musical numbers were backed by an 11-piece orchestra, which consisted pri-marily of student musicians. The orchestra provided a perfect accompaniment to the musical numbers, their instruments add-ing to the mood of the song.

The elaborate set, designed by senior Chris Annas-Lee, con-sisted of many levels, doors and staircases, as well as a huge hang-ing frame, which could be illumi-nated to create strong emphasis on a musical number.

Annas-Lee created a set that played off the idea of seeing the show through the lens of the Kit

Kat Klub. Minimal sets for spe-cifi c locations, cabaret tables set in the front row of the auditorium and ensemble members lingering around the stage really made the audience feel as though they were at the club.

Designed by junior Kevin Zabrecky, dramatic lighting also helped to tell the story.

For example, in “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” red lights and footlights, which created omi-nous shadows, gave actors a darker look and revealed the true nature of their characters.

Tight, stark spotlights were used in Kit Kat numbers to cre-ate a realistic nightclub feel, and a hazer’s ominous fog added to the seedy air in the club.

Costumes were phenomenal, many of them handmade by ju-nior Anna Gargas, the costume designer. Each cast member was carefully outfi tted in clothes that refl ected his or her character.

In the engagement party scene, girls wore elegant dresses in light colors. Sally stood out in a deep purple dress that matched her vibrant personality, and Ernst Ludwig wore a black suit to mirror his dark, mysterious personality. Fraulein Schneider wore a modest party dress, which refl ected her reserved yet cheer-ful nature.

For scenes at the Kit Kat Klub, the cabaret dancers wore outfi ts in black, white and red. Boys wore dark shirts and dress pants. These dark outfi ts held true to the show’s menacing feel.

Altogether, “Cabaret” was an exceptional example of musical theater, in which “life is beautiful, and the girls are beautiful and even the orchestra is beautiful.”◆ AUDREY DEROBERT CONTRIBUTED.

year.Four students took part in the

festival last year. Seven students participated in this year’s All-State Festival.

According to the concert coor-dinator Colleen MacDonald, the most important part of the festival is how it brings the “most talented music students from across the whole state together to celebrate their talent,” she said.

“Symphony Hall is the perfect venue to perform in, too,” Mac-Donald said.

All-State Festival is made up of four ensembles: an orchestra, a symphonic band, a jazz ensemble and a chorus.

The orchestra, conducted by Jung-Ho Pak, performed “Romeo and Juliet” by Prokofi ev.

Senior Paul Batchelor, a bass-

ist, junior John McGaffey, a violist, and sophomore Laura Cooke, a cellist, took part in this 117-person ensemble.

Senior Camilla Shearman and junior Carissa Lin, both clarinet players, and sophomore Rosie Sokolov, a fl autist, participated in the symphonic band with 123 other students.

The band played “Fantasy Variation” by James Barnes, “His Honor” by Henry Fillmore, “Sky Splitter” by Vincent Joppido and “Hot Land Sketches” by Mark Camphouse.

All of these pieces were con-ducted by Anthony Jmaiello, a music professor at George Mason University.

Band members had to memo-rize “His Honor” because it is usually a marching band tune,

according to Shearman.Shearman said, “it’s a little in-

timidating” to play with so many good musicians, but exciting to perform at Symphony Hall.

Senior Hayley Travers is one of 250 singers participating in the All-State chorus, and she was able to sing a solo at the concert.

“Performing a solo at Sympho-ny Hall was one of my dreams, so that was really the highlight of the weekend,” she said.

The chorus opened with “Pe-tite Accipetis” a piece by Hayden. It was followed by “Where Your Barefoot Walks” by David M. Childs. Then the chorus sang “Ritmo” by Dan Davison.

Fourth, the song was “The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre. Next was “My Good Lord’s Done

Been Here,” which was composed by the concert’s conductor Dr. Andre Thomas, and Travers had a solo in this piece. The chorus concluded with “Shine the Light,” by Raymond Wise.

In order to participate in the All-State Festival, students had to audition for the senior districts.

Those who achieved qualify-ing scores on their senior district auditions were able to audition for the All-State Festival Satur-day, Jan. 23.

Music was handed out dur-ing February vacation, so stu-dents could begin practicing the pieces.

Group rehearsals occurred all day Thursday, March 18 through Saturday, March 20 at the Seaport Hotel. Students performed that afternoon in Symphony Hall.

review

arts Friday, March 26, 20104 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

March 23 and Friday, March 26. These two combined rehearsals included over 100 students.

“It is a nice collaboration that we have done for the past few years,” said Adam Grossman, who directs the Newton North orchestra.

The concert will be held in honor of Ray Smith, who taught music in Newton for 35 years and conducted the Family Sing-ers before Travers took the job. After his death, Travers decided to have a concert in Smith’s memory.

The tickets, which cost $5, will go to supporting the Ray Smith Scholarship. This scholarship was created by students, faculty and parents after Smith retired 24 years ago. This scholarship is used to provide fi nancial as-sistance to music students for college. Every year, one member of the Family Singers is awarded this scholarship.

“It’s in memory of the wonder-ful concerts and teaching style of Smith,” Travers said.

artsFriday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 5

Improv troupe readies for comedic shows

Groups to perform ‘Requiem’

Gaby Perez-Dietz

Improving at improv: Junior Derek Butterton and sophomore Graham Techler practice scene games in preparation for ‘Spontaneous Generation’ Wednesday, April 7 to Friday, April 10.

10 acts to take stage in pollution-free EnviroJamBY BECKY KALISH

Students and a faculty band will perform tonight in Enviro-Jam, a fundraising event to ben-efi t the environment through the Green Decade Coalition.

EnviroJam will include 10 acts, most of which are student groups.

Some of the performing bands include The Downtown Col-lective, NNHS Faculty Band, Bandanasaurus and Common Illusion.

Newton North’s sketch com-edy troupe, Nitrous Oxide, and a cappella group, Forté, will also be performing.

In between acts, juniors Linda Bard and David Gore, the student emcees, will give environmental

facts about “how to green up the environment,” according to biol-ogy teacher Zach Snow. Snow

is a leading or-ganizer of the event, along with English teacher Ste-phen Chinosi.

According to Snow, Envi-roJam is car-bon neutral , which means there will be no carbon dioxide

generated at the event. “This is usually accomplished

by purchasing carbon offsets such as tree planting that absorb carbon dioxide from the environ-

ment,” Snow said.This will be accomplished by

having someone pedal a bike to power the lights and sound sys-tem in the little theatre.

“It’s an interesting education-al component for the audience to experience, and it’s also a good promotion for the environment,” Snow said.

Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at all lunches or at the door.

Proceeds from the event will go to the installation of solar pan-els in the Newton Public Schools, such as those at South.

In addition to ticket sales, money will be raised through the sale of refreshments and recycled handbags made by Greengineer-

ing students, available at inter-mission.

EnviroJam has been a great success since it began three years ago, Snow said. Tickets often sell out, and the event has raised $3,000 in total for the Green De-cade Coalition.

Before EnviroJam, “an en-vironment-based event called Acoustic Night existed, but after that faded I wanted to bring something else back,” Snow said.

“I wanted to rebrand the event as a fundraiser for the environ-ment,” Snow said.

“I announced the idea to a couple of my students and they agreed to help,” he said, refer-ring to Rachel Gore and Annabel

Raby, both ‘09.Among those helping out are

Bard and senior Carissa Chan, the main student organizers for this year’s EnviroJam. Their re-sponsibilities include coordinat-ing ticket sales and publicizing the event.

“I got involved with EnviroJam because I’ve performed in it over the past few years,” Bard said.

“The people who did it last year were graduating, and I thought it was a real cool idea, so I volunteered to help with it this year.”

Bard thinks EnviroJam is a great event because she’s “doing something good for the environ-ment and playing music at the same time.”

who would be the world’s worst person for the job.

Both games are inspired from the audience, he said.

“Freeze” is another game in which the audience can par-ticipate. In this game, two actors begin a scene. When someone in the theatre, either an audience member or cast member, yells “Freeze!” the scene stops, and the person who froze the scene

must take the place of an actor and begin a new scene.

In “But Not Really,” an actor is sent out of the theatre, while the other actors ask the audience for an activity. Then, they change objects and locations associated with the activity while the actor is still outside.

“Say the activity is brushing your teeth,” said Techler. “But instead of a toothbrush, you have

a chainsaw, and instead of a sink you have Oprah Winfrey.”

Without using their words, the other actors must express these silly changes, often leading to hilarious results. “It’s a crowd-pleaser, and the audience always gets really into it,” Techler said.

A very special part of “Spon Gen” is the musical fi nale. An adult audience member is in-terviewed onstage, and the cast

BY KATE LEWIS

“Spontaneous Generation,” Theatre Ink’s annual improv show, promises to be an excit-ing comedic performance, said sophomore Graham Techler.

Techler, a director with junior Mercer Gary, describes “Sponta-neous Generation,” also known as “Spon Gen,” as a “gratuitous explosion of energy and fun that will shock your systems and razzle your nervebones to the point of no return.”

The show will be performed-Wednesday, April 7 to Satur-day, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the little theatre. Each night’s perfor-mance will be completely unique, said Techler.

Through a variety of improv games and the participation of the audience, the cast of “Spon Gen” is able to create a totally dif-ferent program for each night.

“‘Spon Gen’ is an incredibly audience-heavy show,” Techler said. “When you’re here, you’re not just watching, you’re part of the experience. All of our sugges-tions during the show come from the audience.”

Among the diverse games in the cast’s repetoire are “But Not Really.” “Freeze”“Spinoffs,” and “World’s Worst.”

“Spinoffs” is a scene game in which a godlike character guides the actors, occasionally freezing the action and changing it on a whim. “World’s Worst” involves one-liners in which the audience suggests a profession, then the actors must portray someone

creates a short, comedic musical about the audience member’s life based on the interview.

The cast of 13 includes the directors, as well as seniors Chris Annas-Lee, Jen Diamond, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Ingrid Rudie, Seth Simons and Ryan Vona, juniors Derek Butterton and Skylar Fox, sophomore Nicole Bunis, and freshmen Sam Raby and Nick Rodriguez. Senior Nathan Har-ris will accompany the troupe on the piano.

Mike Manship, who has ad-vised Newton North’s Improv Club and “Spon Gen” for eight years, said he is always im-pressed with the talent here.

“Working at Newton North is more like working at a college than a high school. The talent level is very high every year, and more importantly, the level of dedication and interest in theatre and the arts in general,” he said.

In rehearsal, Manship works with the cast and emphasizes the importance of teamwork.

“The most important thing for improvisers to learn at the start is that they don’t need to try to be funny,” he said. “Funniness will come naturally when you have the kind of comic talent that ex-ists at North. Things like sharing the stage and really listening to one another may not.”

Manship said that it is always a joy to work with students who are committed to a great show.

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at lunch and online at www.theatreink.net.

Newtonian

Zach Snow

Jacob Schwartz

For “Requiem”: Junior Peter Wu rehearses with the orchestra in preparation for this Sunday’s concert.

BY PERRIN STEIN

Together, the orchestra, Con-cert Choir and Family Singers will perform Mozart’s “Requiem” Sunday.

For the past few years, this piece has been performed be-cause it is “a masterpiece of the classical period,” said Richard Travers, the director the Family Singers.

“‘Requiem’ is a relatively fa-mous piece and is under an hour, so it’s well suited for a high school performance such as this. A good high school choir can do a great job on ‘Requiem,’” he said.

Travers was going to conduct “Requiem,” but due to an injury to his shoulder, he will be unable to do so.

The piece is a Mass for the De-ceased, and it is used frequently at funerals. “Requiem” was writ-ten at the end of Mozart’s life, but he died before he was able to complete the piece.

“It features many beautiful melodies that the choir and solo-ists sing,” said Travers. There-

fore, the piece gives a number of students in Family Singers a chance to perform solos.

One such soloist is senior Na-than Harris, who will be singing the movement “Benedictus.”

“‘Requiem’ is one of the monu-mental pieces in the classical repertoire,” Harris said.

According to Harris, the move-ment he will be singing “sounds very pastoral, and it is peaceful, fl owing. Overall, it’s an optimistic movement,” he said.

“Requiem” as a whole “has some very intricate parts, and some sections that “are beauti-fully simple,” he said.

The movements are “very cohesive, and they fi t together nicely,” which makes it a good choice for a performance like this, he said.

To prepare for this event, both the Family Singers, Concert Choir and orchestra had many rehears-als devoted to “Requiem.”

Together, as a fi nal preparation for the performance, they prac-ticed the piece Tuesday evening

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Conservator preserves art through science

North alumnus shows art from high school to present

Filmmakers to shoot Adam Underground at NorthBY ELLEN SARKISIAN

This school will be a shooting location for a short fi lm over April vacation.

The fi lm, called Adam Under-ground, will be made by profes-sionals and students, said Nick Weiss-Richmond ’03, a writer and director of the fi lm.

It takes place over the course

of one day and follows the story of a secret cheating organization in a high school, which must be dismantled before the school newspaper publishes an exposé on it.

He spoke about the fi lm and explained how students can get involved in a presentation Wednesday, March 17. Rachel

Cole ’03, co-writer and co-di-rector; Nikhil Melnechuk, the producer; and Lily Wahrman, the associate producer, also spoke.

There is a program in which students can “apply to be in-volved in fi lm production every step of the way,” Wahrman said.

There are 10-15 spots available for apprenticeships, Melnechuk

said. Students can also apply to be

extras, Weiss-Richmond said.The apprenticeship program

is a partnership with the Newton Schools Foundation. “It’s a way of getting as many students involved as possible,” Melnechuk said.

Applications for apprentice-ship were due yesterday. Audi-

tions were yesterday afternoon. There will be a kickoff event

for the project Thursday, April 1 at the New Art Center in New-tonville from 7-10 p.m. with live music and free food provided by Blue Ribbon Barbecue.

Students who are interested can email info@workbenchproductions.com.

BY MEREDITH ABRAMS

Ingrid Neuman, a sculpture conservator at the Rhode Island School of Design, uses science to study art, she said.

Neuman gave a presentation on the “merging and melding of science and art,” Friday, March 19 during E-block in the film lecture hall.

“These two often thought as ‘opposite’ subjects are in fact in-tegrated in the professional world

of art conservation as an exciting and potential career path,” Neu-man said.

She spoke about “scientific instrumentation that can be used in the museum conservation fi eld to determine the provenance of some museum objects.”

One example Neuman gave was the use of isotopic analysis to determine which quarry the mar-ble in a sculpture came from.

“By using this technique, we

can determine how the sculpture was made and if the fragments ‘belong’ together or if there are fragments from different sculp-tures which have been ‘married’ together,” she said.

Another was the use of X-ray fl uorescence to learn more about the specifi c pigments in Japanese paintings.

“This information will help us understand more about which minerals the artist used to paint

the paintings and also to perhaps authenticate the painting as well,” she said.

Neuman also told students that saliva can be used to clean marble.

“It is the pH of the saliva, the elevated temperature of 98.6 degrees and the enzymes in the saliva which make it a unique and effective cleaning agent,” she said.

While she was talking, Neu-

man also presented a slideshow.Prior to the presentation, Neu-

man ran a workshop for chemis-try and art students.

In the workshop, all the stu-dents were able to “experiment cleaning paintings, preparing Japanese paper hinges with wheat starch paste for prints and cleaning silver with a mild abrasive called calcium carbon-ate in a slurry of distilled water,” Neuman said.

BY KATE LEWIS

Visiting artist Clara Lieu ’94, an art professor at Rhode Island School of Design and Wellesley College, spoke to Art Major classes Monday, March 4.

Lieu, who was an art student herself during her time at Newton North, presented a slideshow depicting her works from high school to the present.

She said that although she was not necessarily proud of all the works she showed, the slideshow “shows successes, as well as fl aws, accidents and mistakes.”

“From a standpoint, these are the most interesting pieces,” she

said. In addition to showing her

work, Lieu explained how she went from a high school student interested in art to a professional artist.

“High school was a tough time,” she said. “At times, I felt very isolated. Art really helped to expel those demons.”

She was later accepted early decision to RISD, where the in-tensive art curriculum allowed her to explore all areas of art, like sculpture and charcoal drawing, she said.

At RISD, Lieu became inter-ested in direct observation and

portraiture, and often “begged” her friends to model for her, she said.

After graduation, Lieu said she found herself unsure of what she wanted to do. She acquired a few jobs working at schools and also did commissions on the side. Soon, Lieu returned to RISD to get her Master’s degree

in sculpture.Lieu said she also struggled

to fi nd a subject for her Master’s thesis, and she spent months try-ing to fi nd inspiration.

“In high school, my art was just like, ‘hey, I’m weird,’ but it wasn’t engaging enough,” she said. “I had to find something more.”

She fi nally decided on an idea: she would pour her frustrations about looking for something and not knowing where to fi nd it into her thesis project.

“I wanted to capture that desperation I felt, and I did that by doing many works based

on digging, a gesture everyone understands,” Lieu said. “Soon, I was getting ideas so quickly I couldn’t make art fast enough to keep up.”

Lieu created many pieces sur-rounding the theme of digging, ranging from sculpting to paint-ing to drawing.

“As a high school student, I stuck primarily with painting, but in later years I was exposed to many mediums,” she said. “I’m happier working one medium into the next.”

For more information, visit Lieu’s website at www.claralieu.com.

Getting a job is a great way not only to earn some money, but to try out a new situation, take on responsibility and learn professional skills.

Volunteering and community service provide similar experiences.

Future employers, colleges and other programs consider previous job or volunteer experience a plus

when looking at candidates.

To see our Job Listings Page, go to www.connection.naviance.com/nnhs and click on the

“job listings” link under the “pages” category.

For more info, contact Molly Gadenz, Work Study Coordinator, at molly_gadenz@newton.k12.ma.us.

Clara Lieu ’94

“High school was a tough time. At times, I felt very

isolated. Art really helped to expel those demons.”

on campus Friday, March 26, 20106 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

featuresFriday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 7

Chinese Exchange well worthlast four months of senior yearBY EMILY DENN

In a rather hasty decision I made my junior year, I decided to not live on the same continent as my 2010 classmates for the last four months of senior year.

I am attending the Beijing Jing-shan School in Beijing, China.

Although I have a few regrets about sacrificing the last four months of my senior year to ex-perience a new culture, I know it is completely worth it.

Everything about China is so different from my daily American life, I hardly know where to start describing it.

Some days it can be quite over-whelming. People spit wherever they please and traffi c laws don’t really exist.

I’ve gotten into the habits of watching where I step and cross-ing the street in large groups of locals.

Sometimes people will point and whisper in my direction while I ride the subway and the bus home because I appear so physi-cally different from the other 1.3

Anna Kaertner

courtesy Mike Herscott

In Yangshuo: Senior Mike Herscott stands with a guide on the top of Moon Mountain.

Group visits schoolin Beijing, China

courtesy Emily Denn

In Chengdu: Senior Emily Denn stands in a Buddhist temple.

billion people in this country. Sometimes I would give any-

thing for a western toilet or sip of cold water at school, but I’ve al-most become content in knowing those things will not happen.

Regardless of the less appeal-ing aspects of my life, it seems as if I am always smiling in this country.

Whether it’s because I am pleasantly surprised upon fi nd-ing bean paste in the middle of my doughnut, because of the lovely weather I experienced while in the southern China, or because I fi nd myself sitting next to Buddhist monks in vegetarian restaurants (drastically different from the belligerently pro-animal

rights hipsters I fi nd myself sit-ting next to in American vegetar-ian restaurants), I know there are so many lovely things to come across in this country.

Until I am able to have a breath of fresh American air again, I think I’ll try to get used to the air in Beijing.

Every day I come across some-thing that I’m not used to, but I know that this exchange was started so people like me can have the opportunities to experi-ence those things.

It’s been a month and a half and I still can’t believe that I’m in China. Maybe I’ll begin to believe it over the next two and a half months.

Around the worldAround the world

BY MIKE HERSCOTT

So far my experience in Bei-jing, China, has been incredible. I have loved every aspect of the exchange program from my host family welcoming me as if I were their own child to traveling around the many beautiful attrac-tions China has to offer.

Our group consisting of seven students and two teachers set out towards Chengdu in Sichuan province almost immediately fol-lowing our arrival to Beijing.

We visited many monasteries, predominantly Buddhist or Dao-ist, and we saw the world famous giant sitting Buddha in Loshan City. Of course, we could not visit Sichuan province without seeing the renowned Giant Pandas.

From Chengdu, we proceeded to Guilin to lose ourselves in the incredible mountains that look as if they were spears shot up from the earth. The scenery and agricultural areas in and around Guilin added to my unforgettable experience.

After our vacation, we all returned to our host families for Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, on Satur-day, Feb. 13. I was lucky to be in Nanjing with my family, a very big city with a lot of history.

I made dumplings with my family and prepared for the festivities that would come at night.

After an incredible and ex-travagant dinner accompanied by a plethora of toasts and cheery faces, we received red envelopes fi lled with money, then watched a famous TV program that airs on New Year’s Eve showing all of China’s stars.

At the stroke of midnight, we lit off our endless supply of fi reworks. Afterwards, the aunts, uncles and myself played Mah-jong until we were all half asleep at 3:30 in the morning.

Then we returned to Beijing to start school. I assumed that school wouldn’t be too different from Newton North, but I soon

found out that that it is extraordi-narily different. We wake up early and make sure to not be late. Once we rush into the classroom, we have our morning announce-ments from the teacher. Shortly thereafter, we are rushed out the door for morning exercises.

I expected a few jumping jacks, not military training. We stand in an absolutely perfect grid staring straight forward, all standing in the same position.

We learn how to march in perfect unity and how to make all our actions synchronized.

I also fi nd it comical and ex-tremely different how some of the younger students sporting red ascots are enrolled in Com-munist youth.

These kids are signed up to train so they can be the future members of China’s Communist party when they are adults.

After a very busy day in Chi-

nese class, we go home. They have massive amounts of home-work, and most attend classes on the weekend. They work three times as hard as most Americans and complain much less.

Living in China has opened my eyes to the way people live in another part of the world and has rewarded my peers and I with experiences and knowledge that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

senior Emily Denn

“Every day I come across something that I’m not used to, but I know that this exchange was started so people like me can have opportunities to experience these things. ”

Frid8 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Students in Spain experience new culture, make new friends, improve language skillsBY SARAH BOLDEN

I left for Spain with very few expectations. I was told, vaguely, what would hap-

pen—what we would see there, what we may do there, but beyond that, I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen.

Upon arriving, I was immedi-ately in awe. While visually, Spain looked fairly similar to the United States, differences quickly began popping up, and the new culture proved to be signifi cantly differ-ent.

In Burgos, the city we stayed in, we went to school essentially every day. We went to classes with our hosts some periods, and oth-ers, we stayed in the library doing homework.

Classes in Spain were stricter than here at North. The teachers expected the students to listen—if they didn’t, the teachers would continue talking over them. It was the student’s responsibility to pay attention. The curriculum was also much tougher than ours, in many cases, though this easily could have been because of the language barrier.

Language courses were struc-tured similarly to what we have here. They were more interactive than the other classes, and they

proved to be effective—most Span-iards spoke English better than we spoke Spanish.

After school, typically, we would have lunch with our host families at home, then there would be a three or four hour siesta before we would head out, usually a group of

Americans and their hosts. From there, we would shop,

head to the center of the city or go to a café. Some days, just the Americans went out as a group to go sightseeing.

We took a day trip to Salaman-ca, where we saw the cathedral

and university. We were able to witness lots

of Spanish culture fi rsthand, too. We were in Burgos for a Spanish holiday, Carnivale—a major event through all of Spain, as well as many other countries in Europe. For them, it essentially was a

cross between Mardi GrasHalloween.

We all wore costumes and wout as a group to the centetown. There was a parade tand tons of people. The enobjective that night was to hagood time. It was a major hofor the Spanish, and we wereto experience it with them, wprovided us interesting cultinsight.

We spent fi ve days away our host families altogether—tnights in Barcelona and two indrid. In both cities, we exploreour own, as well as in groups

The weather wasn’t ideal, bugot to see sun a few different tiBoth cities were gorgeous. Twas a lot to see, though we dget to see as much as we’d hogiven the time restrictions.

I feel like participating inSpanish Exchange was one obest decisions I’ve made. Awith making a whole new groufriends, I’ve gotten to experienwhole new culture for three wand work on my Spanish skil

Upon returning, it is clearthe trip was an educational exence as much as a social andtural one. The three weeks I sin Spain were easily three obest weeks of my life.

courtesy Michael Kenslea

In Barcelona: Junior Emma Leader and seniors Kendra McCabe, Melissa Forster and Michael Kenslea stand in front of a cathedral.

Group tours Italy, looks forward to hosting Italian students in fall

courtesy Maria B

In Florence: Senior Tamar Al-Shwauva, sophomore RoEstwick and junior Maria Brandi pose in front of the Duomo

BY ROBYN ESTWICK

My experience in Italy was great. I got to see things that most people

don’t always get the chance to enjoy.

The exchange really gave me an opportunity to get to know the city that we were in and be able to navi-gate it like it was home. We took the bus alone and walked around the city by ourselves.

We were always able to find our way to our meeting place from anywhere.

We stayed in Florence and Tus-cany. We visited Venice and Rome. We also went to Pisa, Lucca and Siena.

In Pisa we saw the Leaning Tower, and in Siena we visited the famous square where horse races take place.

In Vienna we experienced a gondola ride, and since there weren’t any cars, we took a boat bus and climbed many bridges. We went to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps in the Vatican City. We also climbed the church and saw all of Rome from a very high balcony.

We learned about significant people from Italy, such as Michel-angelo. We visited various muse-ums and churches and learned about the architecture of the buildings.

The families were hospitable and went out of their way to make us happy. My family and I were very close and I loved them so much.

I feel like I could go to Italy on vacation and call up my family. I am very excited to host my student

in the fall. They took us to their school and

we made friends with people who weren’t a part of the program. The school was small and there were only two bathrooms with no toilet paper. The classes stayed together all day—very different from North. At the school, the students were welcoming and curious to learn about America.

We met other students who went on this exchange when they went to North and now study in Italy. They told us that their trip was such an amazing experience and made it easier to be in Italy. They were still connected with their families and called them a lot.

We did a lot of walking, so my feet always hurt. I wish I could have more of the food. The ingre-dients were always fresh and there were many vegetables.

I got more out of this trip than I would have on a family vaca-tion. I think that it is amazing that Newton North offers this program because it’s a great opportunity and everyone should have the op-tion to do it.

It is also great that we have the scholarship program to make sure anyone can go even if they can’t pay. I was really lucky to be selected and I am happy that I was. There isn’t anything that I regret about this trip.

Around the worldAround the world

arch 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 9

Close Up class visits Washington, D.C.

Ben Hills

Capitol Hill: Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown shakes hands with sophomore Gabe Dreyer.

Students make adjustmentsto French traditions and culture

BY STEVEN MICHAEL

For over a quarter century, this school has sent a del-egation of students from

the Close Up elective to Washing-ton, D.C., to learn about how the nation’s government operates.

For the entire school year in Close Up, we had read articles and taken tests to understand how the U.S. government works.

During class, we learned about a variety of issues confronting America, including the poor state of the economy, nuclear prolifera-tion and the ongoing confl icts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

At the Close Up conference in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Feb. 28 to Friday, March 5, we gained the opportunity to see the government in session fi rsthand.

Our group of 50 sophomores stayed at the Sheraton Crystal City in suburban Washington, along with students from across the country and the territories of Guam and Micronesia.

Pairs of students from North roomed with pairs of students from another school in order to meet new people.

In a series of seminars, we learned from Close Up program instructors about how to be more active citizens.

Students can be politically ac-tive by writing to a Congressman, writing an editorial for a student newspaper, staying informed about current events or volunteering for a political campaign.

At the beginning of the week, the majority of students were at the inactive side of the spectrum.

By the end of the seminars, students moved farther towards the politically active side of the spectrum.

The conference took full ad-vantage of our backdrop as we made the complete Washington

grand tour. We visited the Washington,

Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt presidential memorials, as well as the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Korea, Vietnam and World War II war memorials.

Contrary to traditional class-room teaching, where the subject matter may feel distant and the signifi cance can be hard to grasp, on-site learning makes the content seem more relevant.

For example, at the World War II Memorial, we discussed the sacrifi ces endured by American civilians.

Our trip to Washington cul-minated with Capitol Hill Day, in which we roamed the Capitol, home of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

We met with recently elect-ed Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and Rep. Barney Frank, who represents this school’s con-gressional district.

The politicians answered ques-tions we prepared, ranging from health care reform and the Cape Wind alternative energy project on Nantucket Sound.

Meeting our representatives in Washington, we discovered just how accessible they actually are. The Capitol and the surrounding office building are open to the public at large.

Although it may seem diffi cult to secure an appointment with a representative or senator, they are often willing to meet with students.

Because politicians are elected to serve the people they represent, meeting with constituents is a re-sponsibility that congressmen do not take lightly.

After traveling to Washington, we returned with a greater un-derstanding of how our nation’s democracy works.

courtesy Alex Feinberg

At the Louvre: Sophomore Abby Dalzell and senior Eliana Eskinazi pose in the famed French museum.

At fi rst, this made me anxious, but it soon became routine for me to go to bed every night at midnight or later.

I usually woke up slightly be-fore my hosts and waited for them

so we could eat our breakfast or brunch together. Eating meals as a family is an invaluable part of the Parisian culture, as well as staying at the table until every-one has fi nished. I found this out when, one time, I got up after fi n-ishing breakfast

to brush my teeth while others were still eating, and was called back to the table. Sitting together made the meal more pleasurable.

My exchange student, Samuel,

Around the world

BY EMMETT GREENBERG

Of course, I saw plenty of interesting sights in Paris, some more tour-

ist-friendly than others. The city is an endless piece of

art too big to digest in one trip and packed with history, from the masterpieces of Claude Monet at the Musée d’Orsay, to the golden palace of Versailles just outside of Paris. What I will remember most about this experience, however, are the struggles and successes that I experienced while living with my host family.

The experience of coming into a strange family with foreign habits is what separates the French Ex-change from any common vacation at a hotel in Paris.

I was very excited to get to know my exchange student and his fam-ily when I fi rst arrived, but soon I had to face several challenges.

My fi rst major adjustment was adapting to the later and more lenient Parisian schedules, espe-cially during the vacation weeks.

Dinner was served late, usually not before 8:30. I was not prepared for this at fi rst, so I became impa-tient.

Instead, I learned, Parisians eat a traditional afternoon snack called le goûter. So I learned to sat-isfy myself with this snack rather than wait until dinner.

During the vacation weeks, my family and I went to bed and woke up far later than I’m used to.

gave me some helpful advice on “being cool, French style.” He taught me some teen expressions that he and his friends use and helped me pick out stylish clothing from a department store.

I bonded well with Samuel. We joked with each other and talked about movies and music.

We also shared the cultural simi-larities and differences between Paris and Newton.

I got along well with his parents and his younger brother and shared my experiences with them.

My host family understood my hardship and helped me get through it. I was lucky to stay with such a great family, and I am looking forward to hosting Samuel when he comes here in April.

Adapting to a new family was a challenge, but it was very reward-ing in the end. This experience is what makes the French Exchange a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Newtonian

Emmett Greenberg

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BY GEORGINA TEASEDALE

Shawn Reddy ’05 designed a dress for Robin Roberts to wear for the Oscars.

Robin Rob-erts, a Good Morning Amer-ica anchor, had a competition to choose her dress for the Oscars.

Several re-cent graduates from the Par-sons School of Design were given the opportu-nity to participate in the com-petition.

Five designers brought sketch-es of possible dresses to Roberts. Roberts and her stylist chose their favorite dress by each designer. At the end of the day, Roberts chose three of the designers to create their dress for her.

The three dresses were then modeled on Good Morning Amer-ica February 26, where almost 40,000 viewers voted online for their favorite dress. More than 50 percent of the votes went to Reddy’s dress.

Reddy said that after he was invited into the contest to make the dress, he had two days to cre-ate sketches.

He made sketches of nine dresses and brought three color options.

When meeting with Roberts and her stylist, Reddy said, “We decided to choose a dress that was a bit out of her comfort zone, something a bit more modern and forward.”

ABC gave the designers mon-ey and five days to create the dress.

Reddy said that he went to a couture designer with whom he had apprenticed to get advice and help.

On the morning that the dress-es aired, Reddy said, “We had less than a minute to present our dress to the viewers, which was quite a rush.”

Reddy said that creating this dress, like every custom order, was a collaboration. He worked closely with Roberts to design

the dress. “Roberts was a delight to work

with because she had such a pres-ence. Aside from making Robin look elegant and stunning, she had to look approachable.

“She had to wear something that caught the eye of the other people, but didn’t compete with the dresses of the nominees she was interviewing.

“I wanted to achieve some-thing that was dramatic and refi ned. I think one of the reasons the dress was suc-cessful was because it was very much her personal-ity.

“When she got dressed, it injected her with confi -dence.”

Reddy said that dur-ing his time at North, his interest in designing cloth-ing grew.

“Newton North’s nurturing environment made it comfort-able to pursue an interest that may not be common for oth-ers.

“With the support and direc-tion of Rita Scheinker, Sandra Truant and Shannon Slattery, I was able to develop my eye and technical skills. Some creativity can’t be taught, but it can always be supported, and that is what I received from the staff at New-ton North.”

Diana Robbins, Career and Technical Education Depart-ment head, said Reddy realized between his junior and senior years that he wanted to do de-sign. After junior year, Reddy attended a summer program at the Rhode Island School of Design, which Robbins said made him sure of this.

Robbins said that during his senior year, Reddy made a col-lection of clothes. He designed them and then constructed them during his Clothing and Design class. He put a fashion show on at his house, which was open to the community.

Reddy then used these designs as part of his portfolio when applying to the Parsons School of Design, where he graduated from last year.

Friday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 11

Talk of the Talk of the Tiger

Word Search:Spring Sports Edition

For answers, go to www.thenewtonite.com

Teachers’ PicksFavorite Artists

Favorite Movie

Favorite Show

Favorite Artists

Favorite Movie

Favorite Show

◆◆◆◆◆

Stevie WonderMaxwellAl GreenSly & the Family StoneJill Scott

◆◆◆◆◆

Foo Fighters Pearl Jam U2 Incubus Coldplay

The Hurt Locker◆

The Sopranos◆ Lost◆

Braveheart◆

Ms. Blais Mr. Wallace

fi le photo

Shawn Reddy

Dismissal Dilemma

courtesy Shawn Reddy

Robin Roberts

Spotlight: Shawn Reddy ’05

Maddie MacWilliams

Phil GoldbergGoldbergBussy AdamAdamCamilla JacksonJacksonJoe SicilianoSicilianoJohn GautschiGautschiGeorge George the TigerRichard BartonBartonReggie Smith GymReggie Smith GymLauren BaugherBaugher

Tom GiustiGiustiKim HamiltonHamiltonJim BlackburnBlackburnTennisTennisLacrosseLacrosseTrackTrackBaseballBaseballVolleyballVolleyballSoftballSoftball

on campus Friday, March 26, 201012 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Women tell their original stories with HERvoices

Jacob Schwartz

The Children’s Room: Tricia describes how her mother passed away, while members display photographs of loved ones they lost.

Presentation talks about losing loved onesBY MEREDITH ABRAMS

Based in Arlington, The Chil-dren’s Room is an organization that supports children and teens that have lost a family member, said Johanneke de Vries, who directs the performance troupe run by The Children’s Room.

The teenagers in the per-formance troupe “share about their own grief,” de Vries said to open up the F-block presenta-tion Tuesday, March 2 in the fi lm lecture hall.

To begin, each performer brought out a picture of the person he or she had lost and described what happened.

Eli lost his father on a Satur-day night, he said. “I got a call from Mt. Auburn Hospital saying my dad had collapsed,” he said.

Maggie said her eight-year-old sister died while on a church retreat. “There was something wrong with her brain,” she said.

Tricia’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, she said.

“She went to the hospital one night, and I didn’t know it was the last time I’d see her,” she said.

Shannon said her father passed away one summer morn-ing when she was seven. “I went to wake up my dad, but I heard him moaning...he was having a stroke,” she said.

Jesse was seven when his mother died of cancer. “One day

after school, my dad picked me up instead of my babysitter, and after dinner, he told me my mom wouldn’t make it through the night,” he said.

Then the group performed several short skits, demonstrat-ing the correct way to talk to a friend who has lost a loved one.

Each performer then described a memory of the person he or she had lost.

“When I was really little, I loved watching Saturday morn-ing cartoons,” Jesse said. “We had just gotten a dog, and one day it threw up all over our nice chair. “I tried to punish it, but my mom was just cracking up,” he said.

Shannon remembered how she used to watch Nickelodeon with her mother. “She was my best friend and my coach and my sister, but even more, she was my mom,” she said.

Maggie spoke about the times her sister would babysit her while her parents were out late.

“One day, we thought it would be funny to lock the door so our parents couldn’t get back in,” she said “They didn’t think it was so funny.”

Eli’s father used to make him eggs and bacon every Saturday morning, he said. “Last week I fi nally perfected an egg on my own, so now every time I make eggs, I think of him.”

BY HILARY BRUMBERG

Audience members read the personal testimonies of Fram-ingham women collected by HERvoices in a multimedia pre-sentation Thursday, March 4, ac-cording to HERvoices nonprofi t director Emma Reinhardt.

In addition to the reading of stories, the presentation included pictures of women and sound

bytes of women telling their nar-ratives.

“Whether you’re in Framing-ham, Massachusetts or North-east Kenya far away from here, everyone has interesting stories to tell,” Reinhard said. “Hearing someone’s story really changes my perception of them.”

The goal of the presentation was to give people “a better sense

of how we’re all connected,” said senior Rebecca Oran, who orga-nized the event with on campus coordinator Jeanne White.

Having the audience members participate as readers gave the presentation a “sense of em-powerment and correctiveness,” Oran said.

The testimonies told stories ranging from womens’ experi-

ences growing up in El Salvador to dealing with segregation.

Ginger Etsy, whose story was read by freshman Sage Vallabh, told of her grandparents’ actions during World War I while their two sons were away fi ghting.

“My grandparents dedicated a section of their house to military men encamped nearby,” Etsy said. “Admission was that any boy

coming in had to write a letter to his mother.”

Senior Alexa Portney pre-sented the memoir of Marisa D’Eramo, who became a U.S. citizen when she was pregnant with her first daughter. “My mother always said how impor-tant it was to be a citizen, so I made sure I became a citizen,” D’Eramo said.

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sportsFriday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 13

Teddy Wenneker

Intensity: Junior T.J. Ryan prepares to take a shot during practice Monday, March 22.

Leadership, experience help boys’ lacrosseBY JAY FEINSTEIN

Boys’ lacrosse hopes to achieve a successful season, according to coach Bussy Adam.

Good leadership will be espe-cially important, he said.

“We have a pretty good bal-ance of players this year,” he said. “We have a decent group of seniors who have the experience and leadership we need, and our underclassmen are passionate about the game.”

The team is “a good compli-menting group of young players,” according to Adam.

“All of our players this year are very talented,” he said.

Last year, the Tigers fi nished 9-10 and did not qualify for the State Tournament because they needed to win 50 percent of their games, according to Adam.

“This year, we want to make it into the postseason,” he said.

The team needs to work on de-veloping its defense and scoring threats, according to Adam.

Tomorrow, the Tigers will play in the Reading Jamboree. It is a series of four 25-minute “mini-games,” according to Adam.

The Tigers will play at Lincoln-Sudbury Tuesday, March 30.

“They are a talented team, and we’ll have a battle with them,” Adam said. “We need to keep the ball out of their hands.”

Tuesday, April 6, the Tigers will visit Framingham. This is go-ing to be the fi rst Bay State Con-ference game of the season. Last year, the Tigers beat Framingham both times they played.

“We need to stay aggressive and keep Framingham on de-fense,” Adam said. “It would be good if we win face-offs and get possession of the ball.”

The Tigers will visit Norwood Thursday, April 8. “Norwood has a fairly new program,” Adam said. “Last year, our game against Norwood was one of the worst games of the season. This year, we want to control the game.”

Senior Rocco Donohue, a captain with seniors Scott Giusti and Mike Vaglica said that the team expects “to have a success-ful season.”

“Hopefully, we’ll make it to the playoffs. We had our ups and downs last year, but if we work hard this year, we’ll be a good team,” he said.

The Tigers were to have played yesterday at North Andover.

Boys’ volleyball tries to develop strong offense BY JACOB SCHWARTZ

Boys’ volleyball coach Richard Barton’s goal for the season is “to have a talented group of athletes, experienced and inexperienced, get to the top,” he said.

“In order to do this, we keep our pedal to the metal in all our practices,” Barton said. “We expect strong athletes to have athletic dignity, and also to ac-complish the team goal and their individual goals.”

According to Barton, the team is working on controlling passes, and “running the offense in a sys-tem” in preparation for the start of the season.

“We want to be able to pass the ball in a way that we can run our plays,” Barton said. “It’s easier said than done.”

Without this plan, Barton said, the offensive part of the game would be chaos.

“If you get out of the system,

everyone is scattering around, hoping for the best.”

According to senior Chris Keefe, a returning middle hitter, “Since we have a lot of new guys on varsity, we’re teaching them how rotations work and teaching them real six-on-six volleyball.”

Barton is confi dent the team will play well at Wellesley in its fi rst game of the season Mon-day.

The Tigers already have one

advantage over Wellesley: experi-ence. This is Wellesley’s fi rst year with a varsity team.

“Wellesley is a brand new team,” Barton said. “Even though Wellesley will be good later, they won’t be as solid right off the bat.”

The Tigers will visit Norwood Wednesday, March 31. Norwood is a solid team, said Barton, but the Tigers have beat Norwood the last few times they have played.

In their fi rst home game, the Tigers face Framingham Monday, April 5.

“Framingham will be a dan-gerous team this year,” Barton said. “That will be our fi rst real test of the season.”

The following Wednesday, April 7, the team will play Brain-tree at home.

“Braintree has always been one of the most dangerous teams in the conference,” said Barton.

Boys’ tennis focuses on motivation, communicationBY JAY FEINSTEIN

Goals for boys’ tennis “don’t change drastically from year to year,” according to coach Phil Goldberg.

Right now, the team is working on getting “very fi t and ready for the season,” he said. To do that, the team “will be working a lot on conditioning.”

As the Tigers go through the process of conditioning, they will be “trying to find the starting

lineup of three singles players and two doubles teams,” accord-ing to Goldberg.

The Tigers will also have to work on being “motivated to work hard” while “having good team unity,” he said.

Another goal this season is for players to have “good communi-cation,” according to Goldberg.

The Tigers also need to be-come “better individually and as doubles teams,” he said.

In addition, it is important for players to be “having a lot of fun.”

“I think our team will be com-parable to last year’s team,” Goldberg said. The Tigers were the third best team in the Bay State Conference last year.

They won their fi rst two match-es last year in the State Tourna-ment as a team before losing to a good Framingham team in the South Sectional Quarterfi nals.

Senior Dan Stein, a captain, hopes that the team makes it to the State Tournament this year.

Strong seniors graduated last year, so the team isn’t as experi-enced, according to Stein.

Monday, April 5, the Tigers will visit St. John’s Prep School. “St. John’s Prep is a private school that always has good tal-ent, and we will be in for a tough match,” Goldberg said.

Visiting Framingham, the Ti-

gers will play the Flyers Wednes-day, April 7.

“Framingham was the team that knocked us out of the tour-nament last year, and I expect a battle in this match,” Goldberg said.

Friday, April 9, the Tigers will visit Norwood.

“Norwood was weak last year, and I am hoping for a win without a lot of anxiety,” Gold-berg said.

Chemistry, teamwork important to girls’ tennis, captain saysBY JACOB SCHWARTZ

In preparation for the start of its season, girls’ tennis has been conditioning and working on hitting.

According to junior Emily Kelly, a captain with senior Lexi Abbott, the team has also been working specifi cally on volley-ing.

The team has also been work-ing on “getting lobs over our op-ponents,” she said.

“Whenever our opponent comes to the net, we get scared, so we need to work on calming down and then either hitting it low or getting it over their heads,” Kelly said.

The team’s goals are “to have a lot of communication and to work together,” said Abbott. “We have a great group of girls and hopefully we will go pretty far.

“Players get along very well. There are connections between a lot of people on the team, and everyone loves to play tennis. That all does sound corny, but it really helps the team.”

The Tigers play Framingham at home in the season opener Wednesday, April 7. According to Abbott, Framingham is not an easy win.

“Framingham has a strong team,” she said. “They used to be a bit up and down, but for

the past two years they’ve been good,” she said.

“When we play them, it’s not the easy ‘hit-it-over-the-net-and-get-a-point’ match,” said Abbott. “It is defi nitely a challenge, but the challenging matches are bet-ter experiences, and I think we have more fun.”

Kelly also said Framingham is one of the Tigers’ tougher op-ponents.

“We have a pretty solid team,” she said. “Framingham is a pretty solid team too, so we just have to go out together, as a team, and support each other.

“That’s what we’re going to do in order to win.”

Teddy Wenneker

At Warren: Junior Carissa Lin hits a backhand.

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Looking for ways to show your Tiger Pride?

Get involved with the Tiger Athletic Booster Club (TABC)! The purpose of the TABC is to:

• help promote good sportsmanship throughout the Newton North community and BUILD OUR FAN BASE BACK UP, especially as we prepare for the opening of the new Newton North in September 2010;

• encourage student athletes to participate in the athletic program;• encourage the involvement of parents to enhance and enrich the athletic program at NNHS; • assist the athletic department in providing a safe environment for student/athletes;• help provide fi nancial support for athletic programs.

The TABC would like to congratulate senior Sam Shames, who is the New England wrestling champion and is now competing in the Nationals.

We are currently seeking volunteers and committee members to work on various initiatives, including team liaisons, concessions (food as well as merchandise), website and events. We are also planning activities for the 2010-2011year to coincide with the opening of the new Newton North High School.

Tom DeStefanoPresidentNewtonPoliceFFL@aol.com

Eileen InghamV.P., FundraisingEileen@ingham.net

Carolyn SidorV.P., Communicationscarolyn.sidor@colliers.com

Sharon FaganSecretaryfagan_family@verizon.net

Donald TroyTreasurer dtroy@dgccpa.com

sportsFriday, March 26, 2010 Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 15

Teddy Wenneker

Take down: Senior Sam Shames prepares for the Nationals.

Senior to wrestleat national levelBY JAY FEINSTEIN

After senior Sam Shames at 112 fi nished fi rst in his weight class in the New Englands, Fri-day, March 5, he qualified for the Nationals in Virginia. He will compete today.

“I’m not sure how I’ll do, but I hope I do well,” said Shames.

Shames fi nished his fi nal sea-son at Newton North with 50 wins and 1 loss. Throughout his four years at Newton North, Shames won 150 matches.

“His performance has been outstanding,” said coach John Staulo.

Shames said, “I’ve achieved all my goals for this season. It was a great way to end my fi nal season of wrestling at Newton North.”

In the fi rst round of the New Englands, he beat sophomore Tyler Kean of Glastonbury, Con-necticut, 7-2.

Then, Shames wrestled junior Shaidai Lariviere of Cumberland, Rhode Island in the quarterfi nals. Lariviere won against Shames last year in the same competition,

Shames took the win this year.In the New England semifi -

nals, Shames beat senior Ross Spencer of East Lyme, Connecti-cut after pinning him with one second left.

Then, in the fi nal round, he wrestled sophomore Brad Myers of Lowell, who was his opponent two weeks prior in a close over-time match at the Division I State Finals.

“I knew that if I did my best, I could win, and I did. All of my opponents I wrestled were tough, but I was able to win in the end,” Shames said. “I give a lot of credit to sophomore Zach Ferguson and senior Ed Campana for being my warm up partners.”

Staulo said it was one of the most exciting matches he’d ever seen.

Shames was in a neutral state between winning and losing “but in the third period things looked black,” he said. Time was running out. Finally, Shames pulled off a two-point reversal, defeating Myers, Staulo said.

Dance team wins awards in Worcester competitionBY HILARY BRUMBERG

Nine students from this school representing the Joanne Lan-gione Dance Studio performed at the Hall of Fame Regional Dance Challenge at the DCU Center in Worcester Friday, Feb. 26 through Sunday, Feb. 28, accord-ing to junior Michelle Cucchi.

Each student performed in up to seven solo, duo and group dances.

Senior Marisa Cohen won high gold in her solo, “A River Flows in You,” and senior Sandra Tanaseijevic won gold for her presentation of “Fool of Me.”

“I’m really proud of my fellow dancers,” Cucchi said.

Cucchi and sophomore Jon Paul Roby’s production of “Hold on Me” won them a fi rst place high gold award.

For her solo, Cucchi won fi rst

place platinum, the highest award offered at the challenge, and a judges’ choice showmanship award.

Cucchi was invited by the judges to be a Hall of Fame All Star, one of the two dancers from the Joanne Langione Dance Stu-dio in the senior age group.

She was awarded a $250 schol-arship to the Pacifi c Coast Dance Fest summer program.

With the title, Cucchi also has the option to go to Hall of Fame Nationals.

If she chooses to attend, she would be able to take master classes from various choreog-raphers and also perform in the opening number of the National challenge.

“At the time, I didn’t think I would win the award,” Cucchi said. “It was my fi rst time having

a solo.The other students from this

school who performed at the regional competition were sopho-mores Maddie Cetlin, Diana Seldin and Kayla Wong, and freshmen Ellie Wenneker and Jill Zwetchkenbaum.

According to Cucchi, senior Sydney Massing-Shaffer, “an-other great soloist,” couldn’t compete due to an injury.

Pilot teamdefeatsCampusin tourneyBY ELI DAVIDOW

To complete the team’s fi rst undefeated season, the Pilot basketball team won the Greater Boston Basketball League Cham-pionship.

The team, 13-0, defeated Cam-pus Academy of Stoneham 64-55 in the fi nals at U. Mass. Lowell Friday, March 19.

According to coach Pete Ca-vanagh, the eight-member squad defeated “a very well-coached” Campus Academy team.

“It was pretty close throughout the game, but we pulled away at the end,” he said.

“We made the stops aginst Campus when we needed to make stops.”

Twenty-eight teams from a number of alternative schools and programs in the area partici-pated in the tournament.

“Some schools have serious academic issues and others focus on behavioral problems,” Cava-nagh said.

At the tournament, junior Gor-don Trammell was named most valuable player; senior Chris Baia, the captain, and sophomore Barry Santana were all-stars; and senior Mike DiRoma won an award recognizing sports-manship.

The team’s championship was especially meaningful to Baia, who has played on the team for three years, Cavanagh said.

“It’s a nice send-off when you win a championship senior year,” Cavanagh said.

Boys’ basketball coach Paul Connolly even told Cavanagh that this was the “best Pilot team he’s ever seen,” Cavanagh said.

“I really appreciate hearing that from him,” he said. “He’s someone who knows the game very well.”

“This was a team that shared the ball and played well with each other,” Cavanagh said.

Cavanagh also wanted to high-light certain individuals for help-ing the Pilot basketball program, in its 15th season, to succeed.

“The housemasters have been great by being at the games and helping the opposing teams get in and out of the school.

“We’d also like to thank prin-cipal Jennifer Price, who actually granted us money to have nice uniforms to wear at our games. In addition, I’d like to thank the PHEW department for sharing the gym space. Otherwise, we couldn’t play.”

If there is one thing the Pilot basketball team provides its play-ers, it is community, Cavanagh said.

“The team gives kids the outlet to cooperate and work together in a different light,” he said. “It helps give kids a reason to come to school.”

Tranchita will evaluate the team’s strengths and weaknesses in or-der to fi gure out what areas the team needs to focus on, he said.

Throughout the season, “We’d like to be competitive in all meets, and we hope to be in the hunt for the league title,” Tranchita said.

The Tigers will compete at Milton in their fi rst meet of the season, Thursday, April 1.

During the winter season, Milton won the Bay State Con-ference Championship over the Tigers. “They will be one of our top opponents,” Tranchita said.

The team’s second meet will be Tuesday, April 6 at Brookline. “They have some very strong individuals, but they usually lack the depth to match up with us,” Tranchita said.

Girls’ track looks to improve technique

Teddy Wenneker

Up and over: Junior Amy Ren practices hurdles in the SOA.

Weymouth is the team’s big-gest rival, so it would be “nice to be beat them,” Jackson said.

To become a strong team over-all, the Tigers are working on fi t-ness, strength and quickness.

“We want to improve on the little things that end up making a big difference,” Jackson said.

There are some students who have never done track before, so “conditioning, getting to know the team members and introduc-ing some technical components of the fi eld events,” are important at this point in the season, said coach Joe Tranchita.

Because it is the beginning of the season, students are decid-ing what events they want to compete in.

After events are chosen,

BY PERRIN STEIN

After the fi rst two weeks of practice, the 80-person girls’ track team is “looking to be strong in all areas,” according to senior Camilla Jackson, a captain with senior Ariana Tabatabaie.

As a whole, the team has “a lot of returning members and people who spend the winter do-ing indoor track,” Jackson said. “This will help make the team strong overall.”

In past years, girls’ track has been the league champion and state champion. The team has done especially well in the State Relays, Jackson said.

“We would like to win these titles, but more importantly, we want to have a really strong team,” she said.

Forbes wins triple jump at Nike Nationals

Shira Bleicher

Champion: Freshman Carla Forbes trains in the SOA.

BY JAY FEINSTEIN

Freshman Carla Forbes placed fi rst at the Nike Nationals Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14 at the Reggie Lewis Sports and Athletic Center in Boston.

She jumped 40 ft. 2 in. to win the triple jump, just a half inch shy of the national freshman record.

In addition to her fi rst place win in the triple jump, Forbes placed 12th in the long jump and 15th in the sprint medley.

“The experience was nerve-racking, but overall, it was good,” Forbes said. “I was overwhelmed, but I had fun, and I had a really nice feeling once I was done.

“I didn’t particularly expect anything. Because I’m a fresh-man, this is the fi rst time that I’m doing indoor track, so I par-ticipated in it to have fun and see

how far I’d go,” she said.“I’d like to thank coach Joe

Tranchita for helping me pre-pare,” she said.

Assistant coach Peter Martin said, “It’s a surprise for a fresh-man to perform so well at the national level. She’s an outstand-ing athlete.”

According to athletic direc-tor Thomas Giusti, “Her brother had a good football and track career, so she knows all about Tiger Pride and Tiger Tradition. She’s part of a strong legacy that the Tigers have had for so many years.

“The girls’ track team has al-ways been at a high level. They’re the premier team in the Bay State Conference,” he said.

A month ago, Forbes placed fi rst in the Division I State Cham-pionships in the long jump.

Hitting key to Tigers’ success

Boys’ track hopes for another undefeated seasonBY JAY FEINSTEIN

Boys’ track doesn’t expect anything surprising this season, according to

coach Jim Blackburn.“We’ve been undefeated for

the past 12 years, so we expect to win all the meets this season as well,” he said.

The Tigers hold an undefeated streak for both the indoor and outdoor track teams.

Although goals for track in the

Teddy Wenneker

On offense: Senior Brittany Jaillet runs down the fi eld.

Teddy Wenneker

Batting practice: Junior Meghan Pursley throws soft toss for sophomore Katie Caruso in the SOA.

Girls’ lacrosse features strong defense

BY JACOB SCHWARTZ

Softball’s main goal this season is to make it to the State Tournament,

according to coach Lauren Baugher.

She said she also wants the team to win the Bay State Con-ference and to improve in gen-eral.

“ We m a d e it to the North Sectional Semi-finals last year, and that was good,” Baugher said. “Our hit-ting and fi elding were both good last year.”

However, Baugher said the team graduated some of its key players from last year’s squad.

“Because of that loss of play-ers, we’ll need to generate more offense,” Baugher said.

“We have had solid defense in the past, but we will still need to keep improving defensively.”

Senior Leanne Precopio, a captain with seniors Jess Fugaz-zotto and Lucia Joseph, said the team has been practicing its hit-ting and working on defensive situations.

“We’re also trying to see where

Softball sets goals to win Conference, make tournament

BY ELI DAVIDOW

With a higher concen-tration of talent than in past years, girls’

lacrosse looks to be a fearsome team this season, said coach Kim Hamilton.

“This year, we have a lot of talent,” she said. “Our skill level is much higher. Basic skills were something that we lacked last season, but fi nally we have all experienced players.

“Our transitions have been great. We could fi nally cut and move the ball down the fi eld.”

The Tigers feature a strong defense this season, with seniors Leanne Luke and Kim Gillies, Hamilton said.

Senior Brittany Jaillet, the Ti-gers’ leading scorer last season, is also returning on offense.

Hamilton also noted that the Tigers have a particularly solid crew of sophomores.

“A lot of the sophomores have played outside of the season, and their skills have certainly improved,” she said.

But if there is one attribute that can identify the Tigers, it must be their chemistry, accord-ing to Hamilton.

“This is probably the best chemistry that I have seen in the last couple years,” she said. “The team has really worked together

well.” The Tigers may need to worry

about their small roster, Hamilton said.

“We’re trying to get kids in shape, because there’s not going to be as many subs this year,” she said. “Even if we do have the skill, kids will have to play the whole duration of the game.”

The Tigers open the season here against Framingham Tues-day, April 6, which Hamilton expects to be one of the most challenging games of the season, Hamilton said.

“Traditionally, Framingham, Needham and Wellesley are the toughest teams in our league,” she said. “I’m expecting every game to be a huge challenge, but that game will be especially diffi cult.”

Then Thursday, April 8, the Ti-gers host a fairly strong Norwood squad, Hamilton said.

“Skill-wise, we’re pretty evenly matched,” she said. “They beat us last year, so it should be a hard game.”

Gillies, a captain with Jaillet and Luke, said that if all goes as planned for the Tigers, the team hopes “to make it to the State Tournament.”

“But also, we’d really like learn how to effectively play the game as a team,” she said.

winter and spring are the same, there are differences in the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

Compared to indoor track, outdoor track is different because it includes different fi eld events, such as the discus and the javelin. According to Blackburn, these fi eld events are strengths for the Tigers.

Outdoor track also has more hurdling events.

According to Blackburn, hur-

dling is a weakness for the Tigers this season.

Although the Tigers predict that they will do well, they still have to work hard, according to senior Mike Goldenberg, a captain with seniors Conor Ebbs, Jake Gleason and Hao-Kai Wu.

“We still need to improve the runners and throwers,” Golden-berg said.

Not every win is the same, ac-cording to Goldenberg.

“We want to be a solid team that always has a large margin of victory,” he said.

Right now, the team is just working on get-ting in shape, according to Goldenberg.

Thursday, April 1, the Tigers

BY JACOB SCHWARTZ

Baseball is working on improving its hitting for the beginning of the

season, according to coach Joe Siciliano.

“We need to work on selection and our approach to hitting,” said Siciliano. “It’s important that we don’t pull the ball all the time.”

“Hopefully we’l l square away on our hitting during our scrimmag-es and practic-es so that we’ll be all set by our fi rst game.”

The Tigers visit Weymouth in their first game of the

season Thursday, April 8. Wey-mouth has done very well in the past, according to Siciliano.

“They have such great ath-letes,” said Siciliano. “In the past, they’ve gone to tournaments and won them.”

Siciliano said that the Tigers’ pitching was adequate last year, but a lot of pressure was put on the pitchers because fielders made errors.

The most important thing about pitching is to get ahead of the count, Siciliano said.

Throwing the fi rst pitch for a strike and forcing batters to chase pitches can help pitchers get ahead of the count.

To prepare for the season, the team has scheduled six scrim-mages. However, Siciliano said the scrimmages have nothing to do with winning or losing, but are valuable opportunities to see players in action.

“What we try to do in a scrim-mage is we just try to evaluate,” said Siciliano.

“Generally speaking, we’re trying to see how the kids’ tal-ent does under pressure, and we learn about the mistakes.”

Siciliano said that in scrim-mages he might pitch the Tigers’ number one pitcher for two innings, but then he will put in some of the other pitchers he is still evaluating to see how they throw in a game situation.

Junior Jack McLaughlin is a returning pitcher and outfi elder.

“We’ve been working indoors for the most part,” he said. “We also had two long hard days out-side last week, and we made good use of the weather.”

McLaughlin said the team is expecting to qualify for the State Tournament.

everyone is going to play,” Preco-pio said.

The Tigers play Lexington today in a scrimmage.

Lexington defeated North 2-1 last year in the North Sectional Semifinals, which ended the Tigers’ season. The Minutemen went on to win their second straight State Championship.

“They’re good at everything,” said Baugher. “They execute re-ally well.”

The Tigers will play their fi rst offi cial game against Bel-mont Wednesday, April 7, on the road.

“They’ve also been good in the past, especially with their pitch-ing and hitting,” said Baugher.

The Tigers face Weymouth Thursday, April 8, on the road.

“Weymouth is usually decent,” said Baugher. “They get excited to play us and play us really tough. We beat them twice last year, but you never know what could happen this year.”

Precopio also said Weymouth wasn’t as strong last year as a team, but effort will be just as important in order to win.

“We’ll have to do all the things we’ve been doing in practice against Weymouth,” Precopio-said. “They compete with us until the last out.”

will visit Milton. “They’re not going to be chal-

lenging,” Goldenberg said. “It’s nice to start the season off

with a tune-up meet.”Tuesday, April 6, the Tigers

will visit Brookline. “We didn’t have much diffi-

culty with them during the indoor season, so we shouldn’t have much diffi culty with them now that we are in the outdoor track season,” Goldenberg said.

Newtonian

Lauren Baugher

Newtonian

Mike Goldenberg

Newtonian

Joe Siciliano

sports Friday, March 26, 201016 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North