 By: Grace Cook Wethersfield High School is putting on a production of Our Town, a play by Thornton Wilder on November 10-13 in the WHS auditorium. Our Town takes place in 1910’s Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire and explores George Gibbs, Emily Webb, and their relationship together. Their relationship, which grows from friendship to romance and ultimately ends up in marriage, is meant to teach the lesson that we live life without appreciating what it really has to offer. This play won’t be the exact same as the original though. Senior Aidan Cook, who plays Constable Warren, had this to say about the changes made: “I think the audience will appreciate the changes that we added to the play so that it's more like our town, like Wethersfield”. Cook wasn't able to share the specific changes that were made, but he did give us a hint about what the play will look like. “All of the props are imaginary”, he said ominously. The drama department is looking forward to drawing in large crowds. Liv Hammer, who is also a senior and plays Joe Crowl Jr. said, “This is a play about ordinary people and it shows an ordinary life so it can reach all audiences.” The students and teachers who are part of this production have been working tirelessly and they are excited to present the show. Tickets will be available to purchase soon. Our Town will be performed on November 10th to the 13th in the WHS auditorium. You can purchase your tickets here to enjoy the show!
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 By Gabriella Szwed and Vanessa Venditti
In sports teams, captain is a title given to a team member. The title is considered honorary, but in many cases, the team's captain holds significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork on and off the field. Leadership, positivity, and responsibility are just a few of the meanings behind wearing the armband; being selected to wear that armband is a whole meaning in itself. At WHS, each captain may have a different definition of why they wear this title proudly on their arm, but all passionately play their sport to win. When senior captain Bella Tomaino was asked what being captain means to her, she said, “Showing up on time every day, being someone to look up to but also putting all the setbacks in my own life aside for the good of the group.” WHS senior football captain Evan Christian talks about his ideas going forward with the football team and how he has contributed to the sport to make the varsity sport a comforting and safe environment for all of the athletes on the team. "Demolish, destroy, and demoralize" are the three words Evan says the team goes by. Being at least ten minutes early to practice every day is crucial to being captain. Additionally, Evan attends captains' meetings at least once a week after their hard-working practices. "My three captains and I talk with our coaches on how we can improve together. I then go and try to spread this energy around to my teammates," Christian said. Athletic Director Mr. Maltese has watched many athletes playing a varsity sport establish a name for themselves. He speaks of captains he has witnessed grow and what many continue to do for the athletic program here at WHS. "Usually, [captains are] seniors or upperclassmen that I can go to and use to help communicate things, help spread word within the program, as well as using them as contributors for things to run smoothly." Captain holds an honorary title at Wethersfield High School, meaning that these varsity student-athletes go above and beyond to ensure that their teams can be successful. At the end of each season, these captains will have made an extraordinary impact on all their teammates, changing them for the better.  by Maria Charry and Michael Glushko
The Wellness Center just opened and it’s here for students that need to recoup and recover during the school day. Whether you need to fidget or you just want someone to talk to, the WHS Wellness Center is for you. The Wellness Center is run by school counselor Mrs. Conoscenti and social worker Mrs. Kremer. “We wanted to create a space where students can come, work on something that’s going to actively calm them down, and get them ready to go back to class.” One of the great things that the Wellness Center provides is just a place to talk. Everybody needs someone to talk to at some point and many might not feel comfortable doing that in class, if your school counselor is unavailable, you have the option of talking to Ms. Conoscenti and Ms. Kremer or your fellow students. “We just wanted to make sure that kids weren’t being missed, so they weren’t hiding in the bathrooms, and that they weren’t going home unnecessarily. That they had a space where they could regroup and return to class,” explained Ms. Kremer. The Wellness Center provides students a community in which they can be open and comfortable around others. These fifteen minute breaks let you take a breather from school and it is a great alternative to going in the bathroom or just straight up leaving school. Also the Wellness Center provides you with great strategies to help your mental health, like coloring, journaling, socializing with others that might be feeling the same way, guided breathing, and making bracelets. Another great resource that is provided is the Wellness Group, which is hosted every Wednesday. You can sign up for these thirty minute sessions by either stopping by or scanning the QR code posted on the walls around the school right next to the posters which they have put up. The first Wellness Group is currently set up and running, but there will be other opportunities to join throughout this year. Groups are 6-8 weeks long and meet during rotating periods so that you don’t miss the same class twice. “We had 44 students come in on Monday and 55 students come in on Tuesday.” Answered Ms. Conoscenti to my question about how many students are accessing the Wellness Center. If that number turns you off, don’t worry because the Wellness Center has two side rooms which you could find more privacy, but if you’re someone with social anxiety, then definitely try practicing socializing with others while you stay there, it could definitely be place where you learn to control that anxiety and then take those practices to busier places. I definitely do recommend that you check out the Wellness Center at least once. It’s one of the most comfortable rooms in the school and is a great place to just sit down, maybe do one of the puzzles that they have or play around with their fidgets.  by Sean O’Leary and Dylan Romagnoli
This past year, the Wethersfield Eagles Baseball team made a run for themselves in the playoffs. The Eagles made it to the quarterfinals where they would be topped by Notre Dame 7-5. This team consisted of extremely young players, with some upperclassmen leadership. The talent on this young Eagles team is evident and the run that the Eagles made in playoffs was extremely impressive. The Eagles went 16-6 over the course of the 2021-2022 season. This was a great feat for this group of young men, as the young underclassmen were able to step up and fit into the roles necessary to make their run this past season. We sat down with Eagles Baseball senior infielder Nick Farrelly and asked some questions based on his outlook for the upcoming season. Nick Farrelly was a key player for the Eagles by holding down the infield with his sleek defensive plays along with being a reliable contact hitter who could be counted on to get the ball in play. When asked how he plans to lead the team, Farrelly said, “I go about it like I would with any team, just trying to do my part. Some captains try to take control of the team, and think they are above everyone else. That is not me. I am simply just a player on the team, who happens to be the one who is most vocal, who gets the team going, and leads them on and off the field.” This shows his selfless traits in which he uses to build relationships with his teammates to gain success. Farrelly continued to talk about building relationships by saying, “As long as my relationships with the players are solid, and we all trust each other, that's all I could ask for. I have played with these guys my entire life. We grew up playing together, I have played summer and falls with them, built friendships with many of them”. As the senior captain plans to develop these relationships and rely on his trust with his teammates. Farrelly expects his teammates to be working in the offseason and said, “The main thing is trying to do all of this with as much of the team as possible. If we start to grind and work together, the more comfortable we become. It just gets us ready for the season”. Eagles Baseball are determined to build on their recent success this season and work to bring home the state championship. They believe in the captains and the underclassmen look to guys like Nick Farrelly for leadership in their long season. The Eagles look forward to their season this spring and want to continue their recent success.  by Lana Saccuzzo
The Literary Magazine art club gets together every Friday, where more than 30 students from all grade levels show up to showcase and talk about their creations. Why is this club so important to the school and its students? I talked to Yazmin Pereyra who has been a part of the club since freshman year in Wethersfield High School and she talks about her experience. Pereyra said, “This is my fourth year in the club. I originally heard about it from my sister's friend and I've been attending it since. The bonds and connections I have with people I've met there are very strong and special to me.” Not only is this a club solely for the purpose of showing your creations to your peers, but making new friends and connecting with people who have the same interests as you. May I add, I am also a member of Litmag and I have made very close bonds with so many people in the club. It's a very fun and bustling atmosphere with lots of socialization and very positive people. We have a new president this year as well as a vice president, secretary and officers. Yazmin is also an officer, or art consultant this year, and she says that being promoted to such a position is new but very fun and it's a good way to interact with people that might be shy to show their work. Every year, Litmag hosts a slam at either Barnes and Noble or the Wethersfield Public Library to showcase the best works members of the club decide to present. It brings our peers and group together because we're all doing something together. “It's a lot more than presenting to just your group and people you know, because you're showing your work to a bunch of unfamiliar faces. It's really helpful to have your friends there as a support system though, it eases the stress.” Presenting is always optional but recommended for being in the club. Mrs. George, the head of the club, always pushes the members to do their best and step out of their comfort zone to try something new. Of course, no one HAS to present but having members show their work helps other people get more comfortable and involved. We also have an art booklet that is made after every school year to show everyone's progress and pieces. Litmag is a great club and if you're interested in literature and arts/photography, you should definitely check it out!  By Daniel Nerenxa and Ethan Guay Wethersfield Football has been on a rollercoaster ever since COVID-19 hit back in 2020, disrupting their highly anticipated season. The Eagles are coming off of a season that consisted of missing the playoffs after finishing 6-4 behind then-freshman Quarterback Camden Righi and junior Wide Receiver Ethan Lemos. Coming into the new season, hopes are high for both Lemos and the Eagles, who currently sit at 4-1 on the season. Now WR1 on the Eagles' depth chart, Lemos posted 24 receptions for 340 yards last season with a total of 5 touchdowns. He comes into this season hoping to improve on his previous seasons' stats, as he says, “I hope that I will do good, that we will make the playoffs, and that we will go far in the playoffs.” Lemos currently has 15 receptions for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns through a total of 5 games. He is already on pace to crush his previous season's stats with 5 games remaining in the season. Another breakout star for the Eagles is senior offensive lineman Evin Adhin, who is coming off a season-ending leg surgery last year. Through the first half of the season, Adhin hasn’t allowed a single sack and records 4 pancakes on the season as of October 6, 2022  Lemos and Adhin at WHS Homecoming Both Lemos and Adhin have unfortunately missed out on their sophomore years due to the circumstances of COVID-19. When asked about how COVID had impacted their high school careers, both Adhin and Lemos shared strong feelings on the topic. Adhin tells us, “Losing my sophomore year has affected my development as a football player and understanding of the sport”. Lemos shared similar thoughts, telling us, it affected his career because he lost a full year.
We were able to get interviews with both core seniors before their 14-7 win over the Enfield Eagles in Friday night’s homecoming game. Off to a phenomenal start, we were able to ask the senior offensive lineman what his goals were for the team this season. Adhin tells us, “My hopes are to stay healthy, have fun, and have a successful season”. Following that, we were wondering what these athletes were planning for after their final season comes to an end. Is football in college an option? Well, we got the answers from the seniors themselves, as Lemos tells us that he is leaning more towards baseball after high school rather than football, his final decision however hasn’t been made yet. Adhin tells us, “Right now, I'm talking to a few different colleges.” He continues to go on to say, “Football is definitely something that I would like to continue in college” It is clear the Eagles are aiming for a State Championship run this year, and they have the talent to do so. Led by third-year head coach Matthew Mckinnon and an amazing senior class, the Wethersfield Eagles go into their bye week soaring with confidence. As the Eagles have two weeks to prepare for their away contest against the 1-4 Hall Titans, hopes are high for the Eagles to win out. The road ahead for the Eagles won’t be an easy one but if they continue to play at an elite level, their hopes of a State Title become more and more achievable.  Mrs. McKenna's class in their Flannel Day attire. by David Nerenxa and Karlee Ellegard No one knows school spirit like the staff and students at WHS! This week, we had our annual fall spirit week where everyone dressed up in a specific theme for that day. The themes for each day were; Monday: Flannel Day, Tuesday: Neon Wars, Wednesday: Pink Out, Thursday: Anything but a Backpack, and lastly Friday: WHS Colors, which ended this great week with a pep rally! We interviewed Kelly Vallera, a senior at WHS, to see what she thought about spirit week, and she had a lot to say! “I loved spirit week, there was so much school spirit!” she said, “The themes for this spirit week were so much fun, however, I only participated in flannel day, pink day, and eagle colors day.” The reason for this being that she didn’t have the right attire.  Senior Dylan Romagnoli participated in the games that they had at lunch, saying “I liked it because you got prizes and they were fun.”
One of those games he played was, “What would you do for a Klondike Bar?” He answered a question and won a Klondike bar for answering. Another one he completed was where you have a fruit roll up race with a friend. We also interviewed LMC specialist Mrs. Harding and she said, “Spirit week was so amazing! Honestly, I was super surprised that students along with staff participated. Usually, no one ever does, so to see WHS actually have school spirit is just wonderful!” She also stated, “I loved pink day, it was definitely my favorite. I just wish I could’ve participated in more days. Overall, it was such a blast and I’m also glad we ended this week with a pep rally.” As you can tell, students and staff had such a great time participating in spirit week. Everyone, including us, loved spirit week and if you’re reading this and are contemplating whether or not you should participate in an upcoming spirit week, DEFINITELY DO!  By Dennis Gega and Colin Shanley
Cross country is one of the lesser-known sports offered by WHS, it consists of long-distance running, which isn’t an activity the student body is fond of. Remember the mile you so dread running in PE? Well, the average cross-country race is three miles long. So, how can one prepare himself for such physical feats? Today we’ll interview Ryan Gagne and Jeffrey Sanborn to find out. Ryan Gagne is the top runner in Wethersfield. He has been on the varsity lineup since his freshman year and has been the #1 runner since his junior year. He has gone all the way to compete in the New England championship and he is in the top 5 in the state of Connecticut for cross country. He works hard for what he has accomplished and lives a busy life. Gagne starts his day getting ready for school and heads to his first class. He takes his academics very seriously and does well in all of his classes with mostly A’s. He then heads off to practice, where on a typical practice day, he will run 6-10 miles depending on the workout Coach Sanborn gives him and the rest of the team. Like many runners of his caliber, Ryan takes recovery very seriously. He makes sure he stretches and rolls out his muscles for at least 30 minutes a day to ensure minimal soreness and maintains a healthy diet with his pre-prepared meals and homemade dinners made by his mom. He makes sure he gets the proper nutrients with every meal by eating fruits and vegetables and eating things with high levels of carbs and protein. He also makes sure he gets enough sleep every day, with around 6-8 hours of sleep each night and takes a nap in his time between school and practice. With all of this in his life, he lives with a lot of weight on his shoulders. He has many goals that he has for himself that he needs to complete, along with the balance of school and his other extracurricular activities. He said, “There are times where I am really stressed out.” When asked how he overcomes this pressure, he states, “I just run. I feel fine after I run.” Running is a big part of his life and will be in his future. It is his way of exercising, clearing his head, and life. This season, Ryan hopes to go back to the New England Championship for the 2nd year in a row and make a name for himself to colleges across the region. Jeffrey Sanborn coaches cross country, indoor, and outdoor track at WHS. He’s a very experienced coach, having coached for more than 20 years, he also competed in cross country and track in high school and college. His day begins at 4:30: he wakes up, has breakfast, and heads to Healthtrax, where he works as a manager. At noon, he heads home to have breakfast and rests until 2:30, which is when practice begins. One of the most important factors in a cross country’s team success is the workout program. When asked about how he plans workouts for the team Sanborn replied by explaining how he has to plan for many skill levels as “The team is all over the place”. Some are brand new to running while others are more experienced and require more mileage. Normal practices end at 5, while races end at 6:30. Sanborn then heads home and has some time to relax, cook himself some food, and sleep. Back in his high school years, he remembers having a hectic schedule with not much time off. As his dedication to academics and sports filled up the majority of his schedule Sanborn says, “Sundays were my only day off.” So why would you want your day to look like this? Sanborn calls cross country a “lifelong sport” that brings about many benefits, both mental and physical. Another quality of the cross country team is its low-stress environment. “It doesn’t matter if you come first or last,” he said, and that self-improvement is always going to be the goal.  by: Kevin Peling and Kian Huynh
Since the pandemic, streaming services have been on the rise. Hit streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and many more services have put cable tv on the back burner. Companies make more shows and make more money, thus being able to make better and more quality shows giving viewers more choices. Since there is a plethora of shows and entertainment these days, it raises the question: What are people watching? Due to COVID, there has been a significant increase in steaming sales at a record-breaking pace. Since 2019, there has been a 30% increase in sales for just Netflix. Other streaming platforms like Disney+ have grown to be making $19.2 billion in just 2 years. In an interview with senior Colin Shanley, he talked about a show called “Vikings” on Prime Video. It is about Vikings traveling around the world, conquering the land. Colin likes this show because, “It's a very interesting show with lots of action and little to no filler episodes.” He also said, “There is always something going on in the show.” He likes to watch shows with his family on the weekends. We also spoke with Owen Carey, a junior at Wethersfield High School. In our interview, we talked about his favorite show called “Rick and Morty.” He said he enjoyed the “explicit” and “hilarious” jokes. Owen uses Hulu exclusively saying, “Ads shouldn’t be on TV or streaming services” I took his word for it as he watched Hulu for 12 hours in one sitting with not a single ad in sight. In another interview, we interviewed Ms. Cerderia, a student teacher for Mr. Martin’s journalism class, we talked about what shows she watched recently, some of these consist of “Riverdale,” “Bridgerton,” and the most recent season of “Stranger Things.” She says she watches “Only two hours, in my bed with my laptop.” As a college student who is focusing on studies, this isn’t too surprising. Senior Kyle Smith is also an avid TV watcher. His favorite show is “The Office.” During the interview, he said that he enjoys watching the comedy because, “I enjoy the cast and the plot line of the show.”He also said “I watch TV when I’m doing homework or washing dishes.” He spends roughly 20 hours a week watching TV in his room. Overall, these students expressed how they enjoyed using streaming services. Is streaming services the way to go now? Write down in the comments if you prefer cable TV or streaming services and what you’re watching. Captains and managers are looking forward to another chance at becoming state champ  By Olivia Krout and Cora Tinker Last year during the athletic season of Fall 2021, the WHS field hockey team made it to the state finals before losing to Guilford. This year, the team hopes to recreate their success, but take it one step further and become state champions. “I think we definitely have the potential to make it there again,” said senior Gabriella Tomaino, one of three varsity captains. Cheryl Gleason was a team member playing for the freshman and JV teams until her senior season this year when she made the switch to varsity manager. “It was great to see my friends take their team and WHS that far last fall. It was a disappointing loss, but I was proud of them anyway.” Olivia Pellegrino was a manager of the team during their close state win last year. “It was so exhilarating, so exciting even though I wasn’t the one playing, it was so amazing watching the girls compete so hard and them getting so excited.”  Gleason and Pellegrino don't play or practice with the team, but they have a unique insight into players' stats and potential. Responsible for marking down fouls, corners, and goals, they attend every game and track all progress. “We lost a lot of our starters and there was a lot of talent in our graduating class last year, but I believe that with our work ethic we can get there again,” Gleason said when asked about the team’s future prospects.
Gleason isn’t the only one who’s noticed the absence of the Class of ‘22 on the field. “I have played field hockey for 7 years and this is the first year that I've played without the girls in the grade above me. But even though I don't have them to look up to on the field anymore, I am trying to be that person that some of the younger girls on the team can look up to,” said Maddie Gove, a team captain and senior, who was a part of last year’s varsity team. Despite the noticeable loss, this year's field hockey team has a record of 5 wins, 1 loss, and 1 overtime tie with a potential place in the 2022 State Finals. Although they have a long fight ahead of them, they have WHS’s unwavering support and we are all rooting for them.  by Sean O’Leary and Dylan Romagnoli
This past year, the Wethersfield Eagles Baseball team made a run for themselves in the playoffs. The Eagles made it to the quarterfinals where they would be topped by Notre Dame 7-5. This team consisted of extremely young players, with some upperclassmen leadership. The talent on this young Eagles team is evident and the run that the Eagles made in playoffs was extremely impressive. The Eagles went 16-6 over the course of the 2021-2022 season. This was a great feat for this group of young men, as the young underclassmen were able to step up and fit into the roles necessary to make their run this past season. We sat down with Eagles Baseball senior infielder Nick Farrelly and asked some questions based on his outlook for the upcoming season. Nick Farrelly was a key player for the Eagles by holding down the infield with his sleek defensive plays along with being a reliable contact hitter who could be counted on to get the ball in play. When asked how he plans to lead the team, Farrelly said, “I go about it like I would with any team, just trying to do my part. Some captains try to take control of the team, and think they are above everyone else. That is not me. I am simply just a player on the team, who happens to be the one who is most vocal, who gets the team going, and leads them on and off the field.” This shows his selfless traits in which he uses to build relationships with his teammates to gain success. Farrelly continued to talk about building relationships by saying, “As long as my relationships with the players are solid, and we all trust each other, that's all I could ask for. I have played with these guys my entire life. We grew up playing together, I have played summer and falls with them, built friendships with many of them." As the senior captain plans to develop these relationships and rely on his trust with his teammates. Farrelly expects his teammates to be working in the offseason and said, “The main thing is trying to do all of this with as much of the team as possible. If we start to grind and work together, the more comfortable we become. It just gets us ready for the season." Eagles Baseball are determined to build on their recent success this season and work to bring home the state championship. They believe in the captains and the underclassmen look to guys like Nick Farrelly for leadership in their long season. The Eagles look forward to their season this spring and want to continue their recent success. Going around and getting people's favorite teams and why by Owen Carey
With the start of the NHL 2022-2023 season, I went around Wethersfield High School and asked students and teachers what their favorite NHL team is and why, here is what they had to say. I asked Jack Millen, a senior on the WHS hockey team what his favorite hockey team is and why and here's what he said: ”The Tampa Bay Lightning because they won back to back.” I also came across Anthony Ruck also on the WHS hockey team and he said, ''The [Washington] Capitals because I have to stay loyal to Ovechkin”. Ruck wants to stay loyal to Ovechkin because he is called “The Great 8” because he's second all time with the most goals behind “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky and he's going to pass him in the next few years, and so Anthony Ruck stays loyal because he knows one day Ovechkin will be the best. Meanwhile, after Ruck I asked Sean O'leary on the WHS hockey team the same question and he said, “The Bruins because they're a good all around team.” He also loves how they always go to hospitals during the winter. He also said, “Patrice Bergeron is the best player but he said they're not going to win the cup this year.” In the cafeteria, I saw Athletic Director Mr. Maltese and asked him what his favorite team is. He put a very nice local spin to his answer when he said, ''The Wethersfield Eagles because of all great things on and off the ice for the town. Also how they give good promotion for students to come and watch and how they always do charity games”. Later in the day I ran into Matt Snieder and Owen Thulen both on the WHS hockey team and Matt said” the Bruins because I watched them all the time growing up”. And OWen said” Penguins- because Fleury is my favorite goalie of all time and he was on that team so I like Pittsburgh and my dad and I grew up watching them”. With Teacher Appreciation Week, WHS journalism students wanted to take the time to write about some of the teachers that have made an immense impact on them across their years. I hope you enjoy reading their words just as much as I did. --Mr. Martin  First and foremost, every teacher in Wethersfield High School is great in their own way. There are a couple of teachers that stood out to me the most during my four years in this school and they are Mr. Galivian, Mr. Sikora, Mr. Martin, and Mrs. Fitzgerald. Mr. Gallivan, I want to thank you for putting up with my annoying behavior when you had me during my sophomore year. You are one of the most determined teachers I know that has the ability to put up with kids who slack and try their best to be annoying. Sadly, our time together was cut short due to covid but every day I spent in your class trying to be funny and not doing my work. I'm glad you pushed me to pass English class and I would go back in a heartbeat to have you as one of my teachers again. Mr. Martin, I’ve known you for a little while now and I’m taking your class right now as we speak but you have impacted the way I want to strive for the better. You’re one of the four teachers that is always putting up with my attitude and you have the best comebacks and sarcasm of all time. But I really want to say thank you for taking the time to not get frustrated at every assignment I turn in late or when I don’t try. Instead of getting frustrated, you channel your somewhat frustration into helping me turn in my assignments, helping boost my motivation to get your classwork and other teacher’s work done, and lastly helping me have great motivation to graduate. You are a blessing to the staff and students of WHS and I will never forget the things you have taught me when I am done with High School. Mr. Sikora Never in my four years of high school have I failed your class but you did inspire me for lots of things. We both know I’m a lazy kid and hate doing assignments but during your classes and assignments, I feel like I can have fun and be more like myself when I am in your classroom. I like how you aren’t judgy. I discovered my passion for construction when I took your construction class last year. Thanks to you I will be able to do what I love after high school without making a million decisions about what I want to do with my life. You showed me that even working hard and getting stuff done can be fun as long as you’re determined and passionate about what you want to do. Whoever has you next in the incoming years of high school will have fun with you. Stay cool. Lastly, I want to say thank you to Mrs. Fitzgerald for always keeping me well organized. Whenever I would say I can’t do something because it’s late or it’s too late to pass the class you gave me the motivation to try and push myself past my limits so I could pass my classes. I like how you checked in on me every day whether it was for school or how I just was mentally and physically. You have been a lot of help in my path to success in passing class and school and for that, I will forever be grateful and thankful. -Carlos Vazquez During my time at Wethersfield High, I have had at least one conversation with every teacher. I've built very close relationships with a bunch of these teachers too. So picking one and writing an article about them is impossible for me. I can't pick just one teacher. All of these teachers have shaped me. If you had told me at any time in my life before my sophomore year of high school, that I will be going to college as a physical education major to become a physical education teacher I would not believe you. Before high school, I hated school. I never did my work, I never knew what was going on, I never listened but most importantly I never cared. I had zero motivation for school or my life in general. I had no structure, no direction, no help. At Least that's what it felt like. During the beginning of my freshman year, I was failing the majority of my classes and was struggling both inside and outside of school. I wasn't the person I wanted to be and I didn't have the motivation or structure to be better/be that person. I can't pick favorites, I love and appreciate each one of the teachers, students, and staff members that go to this amazing school. Being that I want to be a teacher myself I have pulled pieces and philosophies from everyone I have talked to build my own. I am beyond thankful for everyone in our great community, the lessons I've learned from them, the memories I've shared with them, and most importantly the growth that I've gained from them. I really can't put into words how grateful I am but I attribute any and all of the success to the people around me. As I said, I'm beyond thankful to everyone here and I can't pick favorites. But one teacher I really want to say thanks to is Mrs. Blanzaco. Without Mrs. Blanzaco I never would have gained the motivation to succeed or find what makes me happy. Without her, I would still be failing and I have no idea where I would be. I just know it wouldn't be a very good place. For those who do not know Mrs. Blanzaco is a tutoring teacher at Wethersfield High. She goes above and beyond to help people. Not students… people. She builds genuine relationships with everyone she meets. You can tell she is not working here to get paid, she's here because she truly just wants to help people, and that is exactly what she does. Mrs. Blanzaco got me on the right path. There is no value in what I've gained from her. But thank you Mrs. Blanzaco. For turning a stubborn, immature, mess Into what I want to be, something greater than myself. -Aidan Budaj One of the most hard-working thoughtful teachers I have met here at WHS is Mr.Miller. I have just met Mr.Miller this year for Pre-Calc. He doesn't teach in any really crazy way, or he doesn't just crack jokes with students the whole class. He teaches the lessons, and makes some jokes here and there- but for the most part, it's pretty cut and dry. The reason I want to write this appreciative letter for Mr.Miller is because of his heart. And what I mean by this is I think Mr.Miller has a really big heart. My class for Pre-calc is wild, and it would probably be an understatement. My class can be really rude sometimes, sometimes we don't pay attention (myself included), a lot of the people just don't really care. Now a lot of teachers can probably claim this as well because as students we can be all of those things. But what really moves me about Mr.Miller is the fact that he continues to show up every single day with the same positive attitude and the same goal/drive to help us learn math. And yes, obviously, he has gotten mad at us a few times when we have pushed his limits- as any teacher should. But also the fact that on every single test, when those same students don't care about a single thing that Mr.Miller is teaching every other day with the same energy, he will always help them the best he can. This caught me by surprise the first couple times he did it. I would say to myself, "why is he helping these kids, they don't give him the time of day during regular classes." Now I wouldn't given it a second thought if he would just play it off and say something like "Well that's what we were learning about last class when you weren't paying attention." And I think that would have been completely fine because those kids didn't deserve it in my opinion. Why would Mr.Miller help them? Why? That's when I thought to myself, he does it because that's what teachers do. -Anduei Xhelaj The most inspiring person I’ve met while here at WHS has definitely been Mrs. Duggins. She has only been teaching me for a year but I have known her since my freshman year. She has taught me life lessons about our history because she wants us to learn about how we began and how many things have changed.Mrs.Duggins is one of those people that you see way more than a teacher, she is a mother figure and inspires me to want to do more in life. She isn't just there to tell her students about WWI or WWII or The Civil Rights Movement, but she also connects herself with each of her students to make sure they’re okay in school and outside of school. She is bright and strong and cares so much about her students like they are her own children, and she wants everyone to graduate and do big things in the future. Mrs. Duggins loves her history class even though it might be challenging at times. Even though we as students might be challenging to deal with, seeing Mrs. Duggins' energy and her bright smile always brightens everyone's day. My grades have always been great in her class because she makes it interesting and fun, even though it is in the morning. I saw Mrs. Duggins yesterday and she had a talk with me because I was in a messy situation with an old friend. And she told me that I'm not a bad student and to hear that I might get in trouble made her upset with me. So we had a sit-down talk and she made me realize that the situation was really not important and I shouldn’t be interested in it. She is a very strong black woman and mother and I aspire to have the same mindset as her. She is a great teacher and an awesome person. Thank you, Mrs.Duggins. -Shannon Menns To continue reading our Teacher Appreciation Week posts, click the "read more" button!  The weekend of March 13, the WHS Drama Department put on their annual spring musical with their performance of “Cinderella.” Across the three performances, students wowed with their acting, theatrics, singing, dancing, and hard work. This is just a small account of the experiences of the audience and the cast and crew.
Katie Lombardo, Junior While watching the musical, I had a smile on my face throughout the entirety of it. It was funny, yet heart-warming at the same time. It was truly a beautiful experience, would love to see it again. Christian Bonvisuto, Junior A wonderful Cinderella story from start to finish. Great acting by each and every one of the actors. Beautifully choreographed, amazing music, costumes, and dances. Had a great time going with my family. Gabriella Cicero, Junior It was great to see this Cinderella musical. You can clearly see the hours of hard work and dedication that went in through the songs, dances, and music from the actors to the musicians and backstage crew. Abigail Montes, Junior As one of the pit members of the musical, it was the best experience I have had as a musician. To go through multiple practices and repeating songs to get the cues just right, it helped me grow a lot and learn more about the music world. Adriana Cruz, Senior WHS drama club has put on yet another amazing production. This year’s performance of Cinderella had beautiful singing, phenomenal costumes, and incredible actors/actresses. This musical was enjoyed by all ages and was a great way to spend the weekend! Erika Mayzenberg, Junior I went to the understudy show and I was extremely impressed with how the cast did. They really brought out the characters they were playing and even without a lot of practice for their parts, they were able to put on a funny, exciting, and absolutely spectacular show. Holden Escabi, Junior Watching Cinderella, it was clear just how much hard work and talent went into the show! The whole production had great energy and was a reminder of the amazing things that the WHS community is capable of achieving. Gabriella Szwed, Junior I was able to make the understudy portion of the play on Tuesday and all of the characters were so talented. I thought that it was very impressive how they were able to put on a full play before the final show with all of their lines memorized and dances learned. Megan Lipka, Junior The WHS Drama production of Cinderella was amazing! The acting and singing were amazing and the dance numbers were really cool too. The Prince is Giving a Ball and Ten Minutes ago were two very cool numbers in the show. Also, the pit and the backstage crew were pretty cool too! Sarah Wrona, Junior I enjoyed the show, especially seeing my friends on stage and hearing everyone sing. My favorite parts were watching the dress transformations and watching the remote control mouse hit a prop and then go back off stage. Vanessa Venditti, Junior I thought the musical itself was really good, I liked how they took the stage to our seats and I thought the slide behind them changing settings was cool and easier. Found myself laughing at some of the lines which were good. Only thing is, I was looking forward to seeing if Mr. Pfister is a good actor... wanted more from him. Kareena Khadar, Senior The school play was a wonderful production of the classic tale Cinderella. The cast was energetic and full of spirit. It was a great way to spend time with friends this weekend and I was especially blown away by Mia Sommer's and Olivia Krout's Voices Karima Hasan, Junior This show was super fun and I got so much closer with my friends and we became a little family. It was a lot of work and super hectic but it helped build a lot of skills from balancing school, work, and rehearsal. Charlotte Daigle, Junior Being in this show is such an important experience because we become such a tight group because we are with each other all the time. We are bonding over the inside jokes and hanging out just singing songs from the show. The people in the show became my closest friends, it made me feel like a family and I will miss it so much, I can't wait for next year. Angel Sotelo Sanchez, Senior This was the first play I attended and I really liked it great voices for singing. Samantha Coty, Junior This was my 5th production overall with WHS (I've been in two plays, this was my second musical, and a cabaret), and it was an amazing experience. Being Madame (although I felt was slightly typecasted, thanks Roets) was such a fun experience, because I got to be funny but at the same time let out some anger. I think the entire cast did an amazing job, and I couldn't be more grateful for the time that my castmates, crewmates and staff have spent putting on this production. I think we did an amazing job, and I'm so proud of all of us. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us!  by: Taylor Moran
WHS junior Erika Mayzenberg, vice principal Mrs. Tara Yusko, and delegates from the Wethersfield High School chapter of Amnesty International have teamed up to raise funds for medical supplies to send to Ukraine. Donations are being collected every day during lunch, beginning Wednesday, March 9th, at a designated table in the cafeteria. Individuals who donate will be given a blue and yellow pin, representing the Ukrainian flag. When asked how wearing pins can benefit the effort to support Ukrainians and Ukrainian students at WHS, Mrs. Yusko said, “I think it’s important to acknowledge the emotional toll, and sometimes physical toll, this is going to take on people, and just having a visual to say, ‘We know and we understand.’” WHS junior Erika Mayzenberg has special connections to the cause. “I was born in Ukraine, and I immigrated to America in 2010.” Erika went on to say that she has been keeping up with updates about the war and she is passionate about contributing to the effort of helping her home. Mayzenberg said, “I don’t have any political power, I don’t have anything, but the most we can do is just help organizations that are willing to help the cause to help Ukrainians.” Erika and her mother have researched and been helping the local organization Maidan United, which is where Wethersfield’s donations will be sent. Maidan United, which is based out of Hartford, Connecticut. Since being founded in 2014, their mission has been to support Ukrainian citizens impacted by Russian attacks. Today, the organization is using cash donations to contribute to the purchase of medical supplies, including but not limited to knee braces, antiviral drugs, first aid kits, and medical scissors. On top of donating cash gathered at WHS, Maidan United has an Amazon Wishlist accessible through their trending Facebook page. While donations are immensely appreciated, leaders of the effort understand that not everyone can afford to donate. “Just supporting the work, right, and helping us spread the word, especially if you can’t donate, would be wonderful,” says Mrs. Yusko. Wethersfield Athletics has also published information about volunteering at the Ukrainian National Home of Hartford to help move items. If interested, call (860)-256-5702. Moving forward, make sure to stop by the designated lunch table in our cafeteria to donate to Maidan United, and wear your Ukrainian flag pin with pride. See Maidan United’s Facebook page for more information. https://www.facebook.com/maidanunited/  Senior Jake Ericksson and other members of the WHS Indoor Track team. By: Josh Gstell and Brandon Rodriguez
Wethersfield High School offers several winter sports/activities including hockey, basketball, wrestling, boys swim and dive, and gymnastics. However, there is one often left out of this mix, being indoor track. When someone mentions winter sports here at Wethersfield High School, indoor track is one of the most overlooked. Indoor track is a very underrated winter sport, considering there are no tryouts, and if you register, you are automatically on the team. Speaking on this, it relieves a lot of stress in the process of trying a new sport. High school sports are a great way to try new things, and make new friends, especially as an incoming freshman. We spoke to Jake Errickson, senior Captain of the indoor track team for this past 2021/22 winter season. Jake has run indoor track all four years of high school and has shown to be a role model for the younger kids on the team, making him an easy choice for captain by both coach Jeffrey Weber and Jeffrey Sanborn. Jake’s older brother Jimmy Errickson was a senior captain Jake’s freshman year and convinced Jake to join the team. “He [Jimmy] said the team atmosphere was great, and I would make a lot of friends by joining [the indoor track team]”, said Jake. In the end, Jimmy proved to be correct! Shown right is just a few friends Jake has made from indoor track. However, meeting new people is just one positive aspect of indoor track. If you are wondering if the team is any good, this past season they saw great success. Jake stated, “this year was successful for me, I was part of the varsity team for the 4x800m and the 4x400m races. We ended up making the states time for the 4x800m and then came in 13th place at the states.” The team overall had 12 runners who qualified for state championships, and one runner, Holden Speed, who qualified for state opens, and for the New England championship. Physical activity is very important when it comes to high schoolers. Staying active in the winter is definitely a challenge for some due to the weather, but indoor track is a great way to stay active during the winter months. If you or someone you know is looking to join a winter sport in which little to no prior experience or knowledge is needed, indoor track is a great choice! Just because others have overlooked the sport, it certainly doesn’t not mean that you should too! Wethersfield High School’s National Art Honors Society is gearing up for a grandiose art exhibit.3/14/2022  Scholastic Art Award Winner and member Greta Dalton-kay shares a snippet of her work. By Sarah Gurskis and Tea Tola
To celebrate Youth Art Month, Wethersfield’s National Art Honors Society (NAHS) has its members (ranging from grades 9-12) creating and displaying their art for the annual art exhibit. From pencil-and-paper to digitally-created iPad creations, unique art mediums will be put on view for the school to view and appreciate. The creative-driven members have been working hard on their pieces, and are excited to show what they have made. The event will be located in the WHS art exhibit right outside of room 20, and the art will be hung between the dates of March 21-24. Vice President Andrea Moyano shares her ideal piece in the show: oil pastel. She is looking forward to seeing this medium skillfully used on a canvas due to her lack of knowledge of the medium. “It’s going to be a variety [of art pieces],” event planner and advisor Andrea Haas said. “It’s going to be a variety [eclectic] vision of the different, individual members.” Members of NAHS are eager to express themselves through their artwork, saying that there is more to their art rather than just a still display. Senior member Martina Carbone says, “Art is a language for some. It’s their outlet to how they communicate their views on the world.” Fellow member Alex Jara says, “Art shows what I’m thinking and it reflects on my personality.” Collectively, members agree that their artwork is meant to embrace the views of those who depend on their artwork, and to be heard is something to be celebrated. The artwork displayed will mainly be by the junior and senior class, with underclassman art sprinkled throughout the exhibit on March 21-24 outside of room 20 If you are interested in joining the National Art Honors Society, a fee of ten dollars is required and will promptly be donated to all NAHS future activities. See Mrs. Haas in room 20 for more details.  by: Lexie Rodrigues, Arianna Shink, and Evan Munger
Come see Wethersfield’s Drama Club production, a spinoff of the classic play Cinderella, on March 11, 12, and 13, 2022 in Wethersfield High School’s auditorium. On March 11 and 12, the play will go on at 7:30, however on the 13th the show will begin at 3:00. Tickets can be easily purchased online at https://www.showtix4u.com or can be purchased at the door with a slight increase in price. The picture above shows how the play is advertised, you will see these posters posted around the high school or even around the town of Wethersfield. Director/teacher- Mr. Roets explained how this version of Cinderella is not your typical Disney fairytale. There are four different versions of Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, this play is the latest one to be released. He went into more detail about how this version is different, for example he states that only one of the step sisters are evil instead of both. In the play, you will see the actors sing and dance. A question we asked Mr. Roets was “What are you most excited about?” and his response was, “It depends on any given day, something else is different in a great moment, like lately it is the song ’A Lovely Night,’ which is about step sisters, step mothers, and Cinderella.” There are many different reasons why you should come see this play. Our actors will be performing dances which, according to Mr. Roets, “it is funny to watch men dance”. There are going to be amazing special effects but we do not have any specific details for the reason that it is supposed to be a surprise for the audience. Therefore, if you would like to see some cool effects please come and be a part of the audience! Our drama club is going to try to make this play very believable and give their audience real emotion. There are going to be three real kissing scenes throughout the play which Wethersfield High School has never done before, that will be exciting to see. Over this weekend if you are in the mood to watch something, come down to Wethersfield High School and watch this beautiful play. You can purchase tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s shows at www.showtix4u.com  By: Nick Farrelly On Saturday, February 25, the Nighthawks girls ice hockey co-op team won their first-ever CCC title. This co-op girls hockey team consists of a number of towns, which includes Berlin, Newington, Avon, Southington, Coventry, RHAM, Lewis Mills, Plainville, Watertown, and of course Wethersfield. After an excellent regular season, posting a record of 14-4-2, the Nighthawks kept rolling and defeated rival Hall/Conard in the CCC championship at Trinity College. Congrats to the girls on this amazing achievement. Wethersfield High School’s own Nicole Partridge was named the MVP of the tournament. I sat down with her to discuss her thoughts on the season, the tournament, as well as being named MVP. Partridge said about her MVP, “It felt awesome, I was not expecting it at all. It’s an honor. But it wasn’t just me, everyone on the team contributed in the tournament and played great, and we as a team deserved that win, but the job is not finished.” A junior here at Wethersfield High School, Nicole is a captain for Nighthawks, and led the team in points throughout the season, along with fellow WHS student Bella Bonfiglio. Nicole continued her dominant season in the first two rounds of the state tournament, scoring two goals in each of the first two games. In the first game of states against Suffield, the Nighthawks went down early, losing 2-0 after the end of the first period. “It was a really nerve racking game. I think the nerves of being in such a big game got to us in the beginning, but I had faith in our team. We had a few little locker room speeches. These speeches brought us together, and gave us a good game plan for the next two periods.” The locker room speeches paid off. The Nighthawks stormed back in the last two periods. RHAM’s Nina Holm scored the first goal for the Nighthawks, and Partridge added on two more, which was enough to propel them to victory.  In the second round of states, the Nighthawks came in as the underdogs against Simsbury. However, they were not underdogs for very long. Two more goals from Nicole Partridge as well as WHS’s own Sophia Nower silenced the Trojans, as the Nighthawks won 3-1. “We really just added onto what we did in the last two periods against Suffield. We just played our game, and stuck to what we knew, and that ultimately won us the game,” stated Partridge. Sadly, the Nighthawk’s great run came to a close this Saturday in Shelton at the hands of #2 seeded Darien. It was a hard fought game all around, but the Nighthawks fell 5-1, as Bella Bonfiglio scored the lone goal for the co-op team. Despite the tough way these girls went out, congratulations to them on a historic and amazing season and run in the state tournament. They can only build on what they accomplished this year and will be back even stronger next winter. From left to right: Bella Bonfiglio, Sophia Nower, Nicole Partridge of Wethersfield High School named All-Conference.  By: Elena Rivas
The WHS Feminism Club was started by juniors Veronica McKenna and Mia Gugliotti and senior Ava Heimgartner, with the intention of talking about feminist issues and taking action in their community to make a difference, and providing those opportunities to young women. Last year, the Feminist Club held a charity drive for a shelter called My Sisters’ Place and they collected donations of over 1,000 pads, tampons, and diapers. This year, the Feminist Club has been putting feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms here at WHS for menstruators to use. The bathrooms at our school don’t have a pad and tampon dispenser, so the Feminist Club has been collecting donations of pads and tampons to have in the bathrooms. Having these items in bathrooms have been a big success and have been very helpful for many. Mrs. McKenna said, “I've had lots of students and teachers say that it's been very helpful having it there and comforting knowing it's there just in case there's an emergency.” Principal O’Connor is working with the town of Wethersfield now to get the pad and tampon dispenser installed into the bathrooms so that people who menstate can have access to these items. There's a group of Connecticut state legislators who want to create menstrual equity in Connecticut and part of that work would be to provide period products to public schools, state colleges and universities, jails, prisons and shelters. Mrs McKenna said, “Who knows if it would go through or not, but the fact that people are talking about it, and I think that what we did here brought awareness in our community that this is something that's needed. I think most women can relate but it's not something that people talk about and there's nothing to be ashamed of.” She continued to say, “I think that if we talk about it more and make it more of a common conversation it takes away that sort of stigma.” If you want to get involved with the Feminism Club, see Mrs. McKenna for any additional information in room 336 and feminine hygiene products can be donated in room 336. The legislation meeting March 9th- https://ctmirror.org/2022/02/18/we-can-end-period-poverty/ To learn more about My Sisters’ Place visit- https://sistersplacect.org/ |
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Photos from shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0), verchmarco (CC BY 2.0), governortomwolf, Marianne Bevis, shixart1985, verchmarco, shixart1985
