 By: Isaac Rios
It’s that time of the year where the last three months bring not just winter, but special holidays that most people in the school can’t wait for, mostly due to the food, days off, and/or gifts. Especially with Thanksgiving coming up since Halloween passed, everyone can’t wait to eat, sleep, and hope to not get trampled in a Walmart. Do most people think the holiday is just “a cookout with a parade,” or is it more than that? Here at WHS, the teachers have something to say about this holiday. “Over Thanksgiving I usually get together with my family,” said social studies teacher Mrs. Zaleski, “We eat delicious dinner but sometimes we play football outside, we have a family football game, and we always end with other games; like around the table.” “It’s a day of thanks giving, we give thanks to people and everybody around us. [It’s about] family and friends who wish the world to be a better place.” said physical educator Mr. Scoppetto. Every teacher here at WHS believes the same message, that this is the time when we would get together with people we know and love as a way to give thanks to everyone for the life we can live. What makes your Thanksgiving special from others? Do you agree with Mr. Scoppetto on what Thanksgiving is about? Leave your comment below!
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 by: Brianna Garcia
After interviewing different teachers, I found out that most teachers listen to completely different genres. They range from country to rock. Mr. Martin even said he listened to different genres depending on his mood. Most of these teachers also reflect on their past too when they’re talking about what music they listen to. When asked what her favorite genre of music is, Algebra and Pre-Calculus teacher Mrs. Kaplczyski said: “I really like country music, it’s kind of new, probably within the last ten years. When I was in high school, I really liked emo music, Fallout Boy and all those types of bands but once I went to college I really started getting more into country.” I couldn’t really believe it when Mrs. Kaplczyski said she used to listen to emo music. I was surprised that she listened to Fallout Boy and emo bands just like I do now. Country is also a great genre, and I can see why she likes it so much, with their hit singers like Sam Hunt and Blake Shelton, there’s a ton of great country voices out there. When I asked Mrs. Kaplczyski how she felt about rap music she said: “I really used to like Eminem when I was little, his old stuff, but I don’t really listen to anything else.” Mrs. Kaplczyski talks about liking Eminem when she was younger, but not any other rappers. I can see why, Eminem had some great hit songs in the past. Although she listened to Eminem, Mrs. Kaplczyski said she doesn’t listen to any modern rap music, which I can understand. I can’t really see most adults listening to modern rap anyways, since it’s so different from the older rap and it has many more swears. When I asked English teacher Mr. Martin what music he listens to, he said: “It really depends on what I’m doing. I’m super into the indie genre, I still listen to a ton of hip hop and rap, I still listen to old 90’s alternative and punk. It really just depends on my mood.” I think it’s really interesting that Mr. Martin has such a wide variety of genres he listens to, and I think that more people should open themselves up to different music genres. It’s also cool that Mr. Martin listens to hip hop and rap, I’m pretty sure that most other teachers don’t (or wouldn’t tell me if they do). It’s surprising how all the teachers have different music taste, it’s not like most students who usually just listen to modern pop or rap songs. It would be nice if the students had such a wide variation of music they liked too.  By Amirah Jahaf & Rachel Gopaul
The Wethersfield High School Drama Club is performing a version of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummers Night's Dream. This version is going to be different than others you have seen before, it’s made to relate to our lives today. There are funny characters to watch such as Bottom (Pyramus) played by senior Hailey Baranowski, and The Three Pups played by senior Abbey Riberio, junior Kendall Cholewa, and sophomore Mia Sommers. Another scene to check out is the battle between Helena (freshman Sarah Gurskis) and Hermia (senior Brianna Boucher). When asked why we should make it out to see this play, drama director Mr. Roets said, “First of all to support peers, and because it’s funny. I know that we have done some sad stuff for plays in the last couple of years. It is the most entertaining play for Shakespeare, the Woodstock music is cool, 1969-style, and you get to see Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Pfister be patriarchal jerks.” The show is playing from November 7-10 in the WHS Auditorium. Thursday, November 7 at 7:30, Friday November 8 during school, and Saturday, November 9 at 7:30. If you miss any of those, your last chance to see it will be Sunday, November 10, at 3:30. Tickets cost $12 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors. If you get hungry during intermission, DECA is selling candy in the cafeteria! This play would be fun and interesting to watch. It’s also fun to see “Youthful rebellion, young love, foolishness, and ego leads to four young lovers going for each other all around,” according to Roets. Don’t miss out on what everyone will be talking about in school. Come and support the WHS Drama Club!  By Jordan Hickey and Samuel Garcia
Wethersfield High School physical education teacher Richard Scoppetto is back again to announce the annual Powder Puff Games. Mr. Scopetto is in charge of this program. Powderpuff is a modified flag football game played by the students of the different graduating classes from 2020 to 2023. The four competing classes will compete in a tournament-style competition where they set out to determine who is the winner of the powderpuff games. Powderpuff is played by the girls in the school. These girls are coached by the boys of the same graduating class. Powderpuff will be held on November 21 at Wethersfield High School on Cottone Field. What is the purpose of powderpuff? We asked Mr. Scopetto this question. Mr. Scopetto said, “Powderpuff is an after school activity to give kids something else to compete in.” This is a great way to get everybody together and bond not only with friends, but with different students from your graduating class. This is a fun yet competitive game that determines who is the best graduating class in the school, because who wouldn’t want to be known as the best class at Wethersfield High School? Powderpuff is important to go to because it is another way to hang out with friends and meet new friends as well. Overall Powderpuff is a game for students to have fun and that's the real importance of the game. How do we make this happen? We would not have powderpuff if the teachers didn’t get together and send information to the students because this year we might have to cancel the game due to the lack of sign ups in this competition. In order to sign up, you must sign up with your designated teacher as seen below. Make sure you bring your $25 needed to sign up for your powderpuff shirts, and also make sure you are ahead on your class dues. Freshmen should see Mr. Miller, sophomores should see Mr. Chatfield, juniors should Ms. Cavanaugh, and seniors should see Mrs. Belanger. Hope to see you on Cottone!  By: Nathaniel Estifanos and Nick Ursini
While in the eyes of most the NBA is as wide open this season as it has ever been, some of the staff here at WHS had the same general idea for their NBA Finals winners, with both of the teams in Los Angeles accounting for all of the picks. Both English teacher Mr. Martin and principal Mr. Moore picked the L.A. Clippers to win the title, while Athletic Director Mr. Maltese picked the L.A. Lakers to win it all. Mr. Maltese even went as far as saying who he sees coming out of the Eastern Conference, saying “You would have to think Milwaukee Bucks. With [Brooklyn] hurt, with Lebron’s second year out of the East, I think Milwaukee has the easiest path.” Those interviews also had similar views on the NBA’s most valueable player, with Moore and Martin saying Kawhi Leonard will win the award. Mr. Maltese picked James Harden to win his second award. And the way our interviewees talked about who would win the NBA title and who would be selected for MVP made it seem that there was a very slim chance that any other team had much of a chance. For example, Mr. Martin said, “When you add Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with crazy energy guys like Pat Beverly, that sets up a dynamic for a city that has gone so long without the title. It could create a perfect storm for them.” Mr. Moore was also on the same page, simply saying, “One word. Kawhi. Last year, he put that team on his shoulders and brought them through the entire playoffs, and with help, can he do it again? I think he can.” As we can see, WHS clearly has their minds set on a select group of teams and individuals, so we’ll see how these picks play out for them in this upcoming NBA season. by: Bryce Cox
The Wethersfield High School marching band competed in the annual New England competition on Saturday, October 26. The competition took place at Naugatuck High School in Connecticut, and included many bands from across Connecticut and outside the state. For WHS, this was the last competition of the season, and was especially emotional as it was many of the seniors last band competition. The band performed their show, Terraform, which includes a variety of small sections of pieces. Their show incorporates two movements from Holst’s The Planets, originally written for orchestra, playing Mars second, and ending their show with Jupiter. The show opens with the theme from Steven Spielberg's movie E.T. and the third piece is a theme from a Star Trek episode. After a successful and emotional final competition, the WHS marching band camp in 6th in their division.  Xavier telling a joke in the latest episode of Blue Eagle News. By: Joe Porriello
There isn’t a more well-known student in the Wethersfield High School community than Xavier White. He has established himself as the joke king for our student-produced Blue Eagle News. He can be seen in practically every episode, telling his jokes to the audiences watching that day. For those that don’t know Xavier, he is very active in the school community. Although he is more recognizable from his joke-telling, he is a part of the school’s cross country and outdoor track teams. He is also very kind. If you pass him while walking through the hallway, he will be determined to either say hello or ask you how your day is going, no matter the time. Xavier’s interest in telling jokes originated from watching his favorite show called “Loud House.” He heard a joke from one of the characters, Luan, that made him laugh. He was then inspired to make other people laugh the same way he did, through a joke. One day, Xavier was telling a joke to one of his friends, the friend liked it, and convinced him to tell the joke to the producer of Blue Eagle News, Ms. Coco. She liked the joke, Xavier got to tell it for that episode, and the rest is history. When I asked Xavier why he continues to tell his jokes he said, ”I tell them to make people happy. I really like to make my friends and family smile.”  By: John F. Shamo
We’ve heard it for years, students don’t enjoy wearing their ID’s. However, there are SO many good reasons to wear them, and the whole system has been really well thought out! 1. Safety The #1 reason why the ID’s are important because they provide safety. They show staff and others that you are a student at WHS. This is to ensure that you are not an intruder and to ensure that everyone at WHS feels safe. If you aren’t wearing your ID, then sometimes you might not be recognized as a WHS student. Now this is not always the case, but sometimes it is, which is why it is better if you just have your ID around your neck. 2. Identity Of course, the IDs are important because they show who you are and your name. This makes it so that we could get to know each other better. It also makes it easier to get to know people’s names if you are afraid to ask them yourself. You could just carefully look at their IDs and see their names on them. The WHS ID’s are also helpful with knowing what grades the students are in by the color of it. The yellow ID’s are the freshmen, the red ID’s are the sophomores, the green ID’s are juniors, and the dark blue ID’s are seniors. 3. Security The most important reason why the WHS ID’s are important because they are like passes that give you access to the building. You would need them if you are going to the bathroom, the media center, or to the office. This would also help students in the future, since some jobs and careers require that you have your IDs on at all times. Especially if there are some areas that require your ID to access. This is a life lesson for students at WHS, so to be sure that we get to understand how the IDs work. So now you see why IDs are important, so keep wearing them!  by: Connor Pace and Dan Jimenez
Student Athletes are known to have the most workload in school. However, when we think of student athletes, often the underestimated and overlooked team is our amazing Marching Band. They are there every home football game, compete in many prestigious competitions, and the dedication and skill that goes to each of the pieces they play is astonishing. For this reason, we decided to talk to a WHS player Vinny Mullizzo to find out what it is like to be in the Wethersfield Marching Band. To be in the marching band means starts with being in their summer camp every hot summer day from 8:30am to 5:00pm, and once school starts you have to go to rehearsal from 5:30-8:00pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday plus performing at games. Then on Saturdays, they have band competitions which can run from 10:30am all the way until 11:00pm. “From the whole school in general we don't get that much recognition because what we do is more outside of school, so the people do not really see what we are doing and there is not really a lot of marketing for it, like ‘Hey, come to the competition,’” said Vinny Milluzzo, a trumpet player and section leader in the marching band. Next time you see someone in the Marching Band, give them a congratulations for all the hard work they put in and cheer for them in their competitions and performances.  by: Cole Nocida and Andrea Martinez
The Career Advisory Board? Are they the ones that organize our advisory? No, the CAB is the organization that puts together all the exciting things that happen around the school that you may not even know about. They are the ones that bring lunch and learns, like our most recent with a physical therapist. They have programs that allows students to dip their toes into the real world of career and career readiness. They are here for the benefit for us! They meet once every month and their next meeting will be November 25 in the Media Center. Chairperson of the Wethersfield Board of Education Bobbie Granato plans on talking about some specific goals in their next meeting with the members of the committee, which includes business leaders and members of the town and school communities.  By: Taylor Mcgeachy, Jess Driscoll, and Mary Leconche
This year, the WMRP hockey team received tough news, the team is splitting into pieces. This team is a co-op between the towns of Wethersfield, Middletown, Rocky Hill and Plainville. This year, our “one for all” team is being torn apart. Curious about how this will affect the player,s we asked them what they will be lacking from the co-op split. Spencer Bartone, who has been involved with the team for years says, “Our team won't only be losing great hockey players, but we will be losing a part of our family. It's like losing my brothers that I've played with since I joined the team. I wake up seeing these guys first thing in the morning and it's gonna be tough to not have them on the ice or in the locker room any more.” For much of the team, it isn't only about losing players from three other towns, but losing a chunk of their family and strong players for 3-4 years. Many sports teams have the same teammates throughout their high school years and they get into a routine of playing together. Will the last year of the WMPR team playing together push them to win the championship? Many of the teams players agree that the future split will have a positive impact and make them eager to work together to win the title of their last ever championship together. Trevor Piecewicz, captain of the team, says, “We are still one team, one family. We only have one thing on mind this year and that’s winning a state championship. When it comes to the team splitting up, we’ll think about that when the time comes.” Both junior Spencer Bartone and caption Trevor Piecewicz have their focus on getting to Yale and winning the state championship. With their last yearwith the three other towns, the drive to win is more intense than ever. We got the chance to interview our Athletics Director Micheal Maltese asking how it came about to end the co-op program. “The CIAC, the governing board of high school athletics in CT, has strict regulations in place for co-op teams in all sports. There are cut-off numbers set that determines whether or not a co-op can continue. Our roster is expected to grow this year (in which the CIAC gave us a 1-year co-op extension) which we anticipate will put us over the threshold as we look into the future. The BOE, along with central office administration and WHS administration, felt that announcing the end to our co-op at this point in time will give our three partner schools over 14 months to look for another co-op situation.” Asking how he personally felt he responded by saying “I represent WHS, which is a CIAC member school. As we must comply with their regulations and by-laws I understand that they have rules in place which govern co-op teams.” With nothing much anyone can do with the co-op, the WMRP will be something that not only Wethersfield with remember, but all the competing teams will remember as well when they hopefully see them at Yale this postseason. By: Paige Melillo and Abby Malizia
The past week, the Wethersfield High School office staff welcomed a new assistant principal, Tyler Webb. Abby and I had the pleasure to meet with him and give the students a sneak peek of our newest addition. As most of Webb’s family live close, he feels like he essentially knows the town, as he said “I still feel like I’m back home.” In his first few days at WHS, he had already been surprised by some former connections he had with some of the staff. ELL teacher Mark Mirizzi went to the same high school as Mr. Webb and Mr. Rioux, our chorus teacher, was Webb’s elementary music teacher back in 1986. This is Webb’s 20th year in education. Before becoming an assistant principal, he was a history teacher for thirteen years. As a child, he had an amazing 4th grade teacher Mr. G that inspired him to become a teacher, plus some good college professors that helped him towards the education field. However, his love will always be for students, education, and for the history classroom. He said the following in regard to his love for all three, “Yeah, sometimes I invade history classes, more of an observer than an active participant.” Mr. Webb wants to make more of a connection with the students beyond the classroom, plus helping teachers with problems they have. As he begins here at WHS, he is excited to become more familiar with the staff and students of WHS and utilize experiences gained over the years from coaching, teaching, and being an assistant principal. As we welcome a new member of our staff here, make sure to say hi and get to know Mr. Webb!  by: Tommy Feratovic and Arup Das
Have you ever had to wait in the sandwich line at lunch? We all have but the food makes up for the wait and if you haven’t had one of the sandwiches I recommend them. The kitchen at WHS uses all fresh meats, dairy, and bread. There are so many options to choose from and different combinations you could put on your sandwiches. The breads that are available for you are from Rockland Bakery. They have rolls, wraps, and pretzel buns. The buns that Wethersfield High School receive are always fresh. The best part about our bread is that the cafeteria staff can even put the bread on the grill. Rockland Bakery is 4.8 out of 5 star rated bakery on Google, so you know we are getting quality Wethersfield High School sandwich bar offers a variety of meats that include roast beef, buffalo chicken, turkey, salami, diced chicken, breaded chicken, and tuna. The meats that are served in the sandwich lines are from Boar’s Head. You can use any combinations of meats you want and can use as much as you want. The meats come in every week and are fresh throughout the week. The dairy and vegetables that are served in the sandwich bar are from Sardilli. Sardilli is a produce and dairy company that is farm-grown and provides us with onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, banana peppers, black olives, and jalapenos. The dairy products they offer are only for our sandwich bar which is american cheese, pepper jack cheese, provolone cheese, and swiss cheese. The process of making a sandwich at Wethersfield High School is very simple. Unless you’re very lucky, you'll have to wait in line for about 3-6 minutes, but once you get through, the process is easy. The friendly cafeteria staff will take you through the whole process: bread, condiments, cheese, meats, and veggies...you’ll even get to choose to have it grilled! If you haven't tried the sandwiches at WHS, I highly recommend trying one, you won't regret it! By: Joesill Torres and Alexia Lopez What do you wear to Wethersfield High School when every single classroom has a different temperature? Now that fall is here, temperatures are declining and students are beginning to wear more layers to stay warm. Lots of students never know what to wear because it might be freezing in their first period class, feel like a sauna in their third and be the perfect temperature in their fifth. In this article, we will be helping those in need of fashion advice according to the temperature.  What Girls Can Wear: # 1 A Sweater/ Cardigan: These can add that extra thin layer to stay warm. If you ever get too hot you can also just take it off and put it in your backpack because of how thin it is. Can wear with most outfits due to its versatility.  #2: A Jean Jacket- Although jean jackets have become very #basic, it is still a great extra layer to wear with almost any outfit.  For Everyone: A Hoodie- Hoodies keep you warm and are very easy to wear and can just be pulled over any outfit. What Boys Can Wear: Honestly, we can’t help you guys because you all wear shorts in -15 degree weather and sweatshirts when it’s 84 degrees. We could suggest clothing items but you guys probably wouldn’t listen and just pull up to school in pajamas. 🤣   Check out this #TBT of our writers! by: Max Karkos and Trevor Piecewicz
On Saturday, November 2nd, one of the greatest high school traditions, Homecoming, is back. It’s a night tailor-made for classmates to gather outside of the classrooms to bond and even meet new friends. Some people go with dates, others go with their friends. Either way, Homecoming is an exciting and fun night for all. We asked Ms. Rajan, the mastermind behind planning Homecoming, why one should attend the dance. She said, “Homecoming is just a chill time to hangout with your friends and dance to the music.” There is no reason anyone should be sitting at home by themselves this Saturday. For just $10 you can come spend the night dressed up surrounded by your best friends and favorite teachers. One of the fun parts of the night is announcing Homecoming King and Queen. Voted for by the students themselves, two students from each grade will be named as Homecoming King and Queen. Ms. Rajan expressed her excitement by saying, “It’s exciting when people get to vote for the king and queen. I thinks it’s one of the things that makes Homecoming an exciting event.” Every dance needs good music. One of the biggest reasons kids have so much fun at the dance is because of the DJ. Part of Ms. Rajan’s vision of an amazing Homecoming includes a good DJ who plays great music. Ms. Rajan said, “We got a lot of positive feedback about the DJ from last year, so we brought him back again.” Not often do you get to blast your favorite songs and dance in a crowd full of your best friends and classmates. DJ Butta Snipez will have you grooving all night long. The students here at WHS can’t wait until Saturday night. We asked some of the students how they are feeling about the dance. Senior and cheerleader Christine Vittner, said, “I can’t wait for Homecoming, by the end of the night everybody is friends. It’s such a fun time that nobody should miss out on. It’s one of my favorite nights of the year, and you only get four chances to go, so don’t miss out.” Varsity baseball and soccer player,Matt Bagdasarian, said, “It’s a great time. I mean, I’ve had a great time every year. I look forward to it because it’s one of the only times where everybody from every grade can hang out, plus some of our favorite teachers come. I would encourage everybody to go.” Homecoming is a special event that only happens once a year. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this great spectacle. See you Saturday!  By:Christopher Light Throughout high school in any history-related class, you’ll learn about the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001. It’s so important now for all high school students to learn about 9/11 because the graduating class of 2020 would be the first generation born after the 9/11 attacks. So it almost feels like a responsibility to carry on the information given to us by our teachers who had to experience this horrible act of terrorism. Around 2,996 (19 of the 2,996 people were hijackers) lives were lost that day and over 6,000 people were injured. The country stopped where it was nobody knew what to think. So many people lost family members and friends. All they could do was hope that the people they loved survived, hope was all anyone had. I interviewed Mr. Sand, the Current Issues teacher at Wethersfield High School. He expressed his feelings and reasons for why he went so in depth when teaching about 9/11. Mr. Sand said, “When you go down there [the 9/11 memorial in NYC] and you see what happened and you learn about it and you make a personal connection, it really puts your own life in perspective and I think it’s really important. This is true especially for seniors who are going out into the big wide world next year to get a sense that there is so much more out there than their lives in a small central Connecticut suburban town.” The United States will never recover fully from the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11 but to be educated and to never forget the people that were lost that day is how the people of the United States became stronger. For sometime after the attacks, everybody was still in shock but everyone came together and supported each other people and all people wanted to do was help those who lost someone that day in any way they could. The fact is my generation and more specifically the senior class of students is the first of many new people to be born after 9/11 that’s why it’s even more important for us to learn about the events that occurred on that tragic day.  By: Logan Lichatz
We all stress out for the one day where our score on a three hour scantron test can determine the next part of our life. SATs have become a huge selling point for you to get into college: if a college sees good test scores on your resume the chances are good that your going to get in. But how do you prepare for the biggest test of your high school career? These five steps can help! 1. Practice SAT problems. Make Khan Academy your best friend and use this site all the time to help you get used to the type of questions asked on the SAT. Also, use the SAT time in your classes to get used to the timed portion of the test. 2. SAT preparatory classes (through the Wethersfield Adult Education Program). There's nothing better than getting professional help from a trained SAT teacher. Although it may cost a little money, it's worth it, they teach you how to approach each question and give you good strategies. The SAT classes are also not that time consuming sometimes they’re only once or twice a week. 3. Prepare yourself the night of and morning before your SAT. Use the night before to do some last minute studying and have a good dinner. After having a nice dinner get to bed early enough to between 8-10 hours of good sleep. Wake up an hour before the SAT doors open and make sure to have a good breakfast. 4. Relax. Although this will be one of the most stressful times, you need to take a mental moment to relax. Don't stress yourself out too much. Stay relaxed and comfortable throughout the test and remember that you can take the test multiple times and “superscore” (combining your best English and Math scores). 5. Assemble everything you need for the SAT. Make sure you have a calculator and two #2 pencils. Also it would be ideal for you to bring a little snack or two, there's nothing worse than getting hungry throughout the test and not being able to go get something to eat. Doing these steps won't guarantee that you'll have the best score but you will most definitely feel more prepared to take the test if you do. Happy Testing!  By:Jacob Rivera and Kaitlyn Fischer
Transitioning from a student teacher to a full time teacher is stressful yet very rewarding. We set out to interview our new Spanish teacher Ms. Martins to see how her transition is going at WHS. “This community has all been very supportive, so I’m very grateful for that. Now as a [full-time] teacher, I get that support and level of respect.” When asked if she was being treated differently now that she is an official teacher, her response was gratifying. She felt as if she fit in and was being treated well by the Wethersfield High School community is amazing to hear. “I’m very grateful to have done my student teaching here. I think it really helped out knowing the community and knowing my students. It was really helpful with the transition, knowing how the school works, knowing how my department works, being familiar with many students and having good connections with them made it definitely an easy adjustment.” Transitioning from a student teacher to teacher, she seemed very comfortable and honest with her answer. From what we were told, it was clear that being a student teacher made this whole process very tranquil. The reason of which Ms. Martins fits into the Wethersfield High School community so well has many answers. Being able to have a connection with her students and learn the environment and culture at WHS while she was a student teacher helped prepare her for the full thing. Ms. Martins is a great addition to the WHS staff and you can go see her in room 303!  By: Maddy Burbank
The Yearbook Club is where students join to help design their yearbook. Students should join because it is a great way to get involved with your class and design your yearbook the way you want it. “Students should be the ones to choose how their yearbook is made, not a staff member.” said senior and class president, Isaac Santos. The Yearbook Club is technically a senior club since it is going to be the seniors yearbook, but it is open to all grades. They will not refuse to have someone in their club just because they are not a senior. What they expect from students who plan to join is to give ideas, and no idea is a bad idea. “It is important to have a yearbook because it's a memory that you go back on and remember the times that you had with friends,” Santos said. The club seems like a great thing that helps you interact with other students and design pages in the yearbook that will be kept forever. Imagine being able to look back at your book and think, “Wow, I did that.” It would be great right? If I were you, I would consider joining. It's such a great thing that our school put together. They are always open to accepting new people into the club. The meetings are held every Wednesday after school in the LMC. They discuss everything from the cover of the yearbook to even the superlatives. If you are interested in joining, you can speak to and/or contact Mrs. Griffin. She is located in the LMC. (Library Media Center) If you have any questions you can contact either Isaac at santosisaac@wethersfield.me or Mrs. Griffin at ggriffin@wethersfield.me. By Stephanie Breglio
As many know, September 11, 2001 was a turning point for national security procedures in airports, government buildings, along with other locations of importance all around the world. There were 2,753 deaths, 343 including firefighter,s at the World Trade Center site that day. When students visited the actual site of these terrorist attacks they were stopped in their tracks by the sadness that still lingers in the air. On October 23, 2019 students of Mr. Sand’s Current Issues classes visited the 9/11 Memorial/Museum in New York, along with the Tower Ladder 1 Firehouse. The field trip was an all-day expedition, where students were on the bus at 6:30 am and got home around 5:00 at night. In Current Issues, Mr. Sand aims multiple lessons, assignments, and classwork around the tragedy of 9/11. By teaching about the events about this day in history, students are able to gain more of a perspective about it and the feelings of the victims are heroes. Although the lessons give students more of an insight, they are not quite enough. The field trip is what ties everything together. Mr. Sand believes that the action of actually visiting the museum is … “important for young people, especially those who don’t remember that day, to gain a first hand experience to help them truly understand the events of 9/11.” Since the students attending the trip were the first generation to barely experience the actual day of 9/11, it was important to visit the museum to learn more about the occurrences of this day. Mr. Sand teaches about the victims and heroes that were killed and the actual events leading up to the attack, however he makes a point to highlight the good that came out of this large event in history, which is showcased through meeting some of our heroes-the firefighters. The day of the field trip started with visiting the Tower Ladder 1 Firehouse, where students were able to go inside the only firehouse in New York that did not lose any firefighters during the attack. Students also had the opportunity to see the firehouse in action when they got a call and had to leave. Some students even purchased shirts from the firehouse signed by the firefighters that day! After taking a quick lunch break at McDonald’s, students and chaperones migrated to the World Trade Center site to view the fountains/pools of water where the towers stood, which included all the names engraved into the sides of the people who died. The next stop was the museum itself, which is located right next to one of the original tower sites. The museum was a moving experience. It included the original phone calls and messages from family members and from people who died on that day. There were multiple exhibits, some including artifacts, and others including rooms with presentations on what really happened that day. A technologically advanced part of the museum was the iPads, which students were able to use to search any person that died that day and to find information on them. A student present at the trip, senior Leah Ayers said, “One benefit is that you get to see all of the artifacts and relics in person rather than on a screen. It gives it a more realistic feel, and you can relate to the experiences better when you see it up close.” The museum created a closer connection between the students and 9/11 through the exhibits. Students were able to relate more to the events that occurred, which was extraordinary because they weren’t even alive when it happened. After visiting the museum, students got back on the bus and took a moment to reflect on what they had seen before returning home around 5:00. Mr. Sand said, “I think the trip is just the right length. Students are able to process only so much on any one day so I’m very comfortable with the time we have there.” Students were appreciative that they got this wonderful opportunity to visit the firehouse and the museum. It was a real experience for all the students and chaperones that helped out. Students give a special thank you to WHS, Mr. Sand, the chaperones, and everyone who took steps to help organize the trip.  By Shandaly Benjamin Wethersfield High School has many activities for our senior class, but nothing like Senior Night for our varsity athletes. What better than being a part of a team you can call family without them being apart of your actual bloodline? WHS sports are very competitive but fun. The seniors at WHS take sports seriously and want to set an example for upcoming varsity players. Our seniors offer their assistance during sports and play their best out in the field. But what is Senior Night all about? Senior Night is inviting your family and friends to celebrate the simple fact that you made it this far from your first year of playing. It’ all about your final high school year of your sports career and enjoying the company of your teammates during that special nights game. Our seniors enjoy this night with their teammates and their family as they try their hardest to defeat the team they’re up against. Our senior athletes are very hardworking and push themselves to be true leaders at Wethersfield High School. The boys soccer team had their class of 2020 Senior Night on October 25 and the families couldn’t look any prouder of their athletic boys.  Our varsity athletes are very much appreciated, but nothing is better than looking to the bleachers and seeing you have a huge support system you can call friends. During the boys soccer Senior Night, WHS seniors: Brandon Bukowski, Conner Senk, Logan Lichatz, and other students, supported their varsity soccer buddies by holding their cut out heads.
Our WHS girls volleyball also had their Senior Night and our boys football team have their Senior Night soon you don’t want to miss it! Come out and support our eagles on their special night! Our Wethersfield High School varsity players are very appreciated by their teammates and our school. They continue to set an example for the schools upcoming varsity players. We couldn’t thank our coaches enough for their time and dedication they put into the teams. We hope to see the same enthusiasm from all students for our varsity players when more sports opportunities open this spring!  By Jake Whitaker and Johnny Orsini On Wednesday, October 16th the Wethersfield High School football team had a new practice schedule on the daily agenda. Instead of taking to Cottone Field for practice, the Eagles went to Highcrest, Webb, and Hamner elementary schools for their newest campaign, Tackle Literacy. Most classes in each school participated and each class had 1-3 players in each room. The players read aloud to the students, had students read to them, did classroom activities, and focused on expressing how important schooling is starting at a young age. The players really wanted to emphasize being role models for the kids. Senior Tyren Watt said “The football team wanted to be a part of the Tackle Literacy campaign to be good examples to the younger students to keep reading books for the rest of your lives.” To Tyren, it was more than just going and reading to the kids, he said, “The point was to show how important the reading was and how important it is throughout life.”  Senior Nathaniel Estifanos agrees that the campaign was more than just something to do during the bye week. “I think it was ‘let's go help out the kids and be good role models’ because that's our responsibility''. When asked if he would do it again, he kept it short,“for sure."
Many players agreed that it was awesome to go back but a little bitter sweet. Shortly after leaving the schools, Senior Kyle Edman said, “That was lowkey sad, we are about to graduate high school." Junior Zak Zurzola followed up with a similar feeling, “We should do that again, I’m reminiscing." The team is hoping to be able to get another opportunity to do this again this year and are hoping that even more schools will participate next time around.  by: Kieran Moller
Halloween marks the beginning of a very exciting time, the start of the holidays, though it is important to remember the proper ways to celebrate this spooky holiday. Yes, costumes are a way to express yourself and shed a good laugh. However, they are prohibited in the school, and for valid reasons. Mr. Moore and Mrs. Yusko are aware of the desire for students to show off their costumes to their friends, but the school is not the place. Students wearing costumes in the classroom serves as a distraction to fellow students and teachers. It would be near impossible for students to wear a costume and there not be a scene that can cause distractions. Secondly, it would not be fair to permit a handful of students to dress up and not everyone else. Our principals know that the classroom is a place to learn. If everyone dressed up, it would cause a commotion and end up as a wasted day. There is plenty of time outside of school to celebrate Halloween with friends, and not suffer any consequences from wardrobe choices. Sadly, we are all aware of the times we live in as high school students. With the rise of school related shootings, costumes in school are not appropriate. Many costumes involve props that could be insensitive to recent events. Despite not meaning any harm, it simply isn’t a good look. Overall, these rules are in place for the good of the students. Although it may be frustrating, it’s in your best interest to comply.  By: Maddy Burbank
GSA is a club that is open for all students here a WHS. It is an LGBTQ+ club where we talk about what we can do to help make LGBTQ+ people around the world more accepted and feel comfortable in their own skin. “All students at WHS are accepted no matter their pronouns” said Mrs. Harrison, one of the advisors of the club. I know about this club a lot because I am in it. We start off the first meeting by going around and saying which day works for us best to have our meetings. We make sure that we schedule meetings that are flexible for all students in the club. We also start off meetings by saying our name, grade, and preferred pronouns. So we make sure we can call someone by the pronouns that they identify as. Also in the club we go on trips such as True Colors. True colors is an organization usually held at UHART or UCONN. It's goal “ensure that the needs of sexual and gender minority youth are both recognized and completely met” a quote taken from the True Colors website. The event is for school GSA’s to go to. We go to see and interact with other schools GSA’s. If we plan ahead enough then we can go to pride parades. That also depends on where the parade is. If there is one nearby in hartford to close to us then we try to plan to go. During the meetings, we talk about what we can do around the school as well. Last year, we set up a booths during the Laramie Project showings. These booths had information on how LGBT+ people are treated today and some had information about what the Laramie Project was. We also had bracelets and ribbons that we gave to people if they gave a donation. Half of that donation money went us for buying things to put events like that together, and the rest of the money went to LGBTQ+ foundations. In GSA, the goal is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable in the environment. We don't allow anyone who is rude or against LGBTQ+. We make everyone feel safe and feel like they can come to anyone in the club if they need someone to talk to. If you are interested in joining then you can listen out for any information on Blue Eagle News or you can talk to Mrs. Lindsay or Mrs. Harrison in guidance, you can just ask someone in the front of guidance if they are available. They can give you all the information you need about the club and they can answer any other questions you have.  By Mark Zocco and Megan Kelleher
All students like to think of themselves as the top of their class. One way of demonstrating this is at the end of freshman year, all of the students ask around to see who will be taking AP Biology and who is not. AP Biology has a reputation for being a class that is too difficult to take and will make one pull all nighters which is just false information. Do not let the rumors you hear about AP Biology sway your decision whether or not to take the class. The gossip one hears around the school should not be used as a reliable source when making such a decision. You might be wondering what type of information and from who should you trust when you are in the midst of making your choice for next years science class. Look no further because we sat down with the current and most qualified AP Biology teacher for the high school Dr. Gorton. We then asked him a few frequently asked questions about the course. “One requirement that the incoming AP Biology students need to have is self motivation. They need to be willing to do the work on their own.” says Dr. Gorton. He also goes on to say that “taking this class does have its advantages. AP Biology will help them learn how to learn. It will teach them what ways for them individually are the best ways to study and learn new material.” He also said “The major difference from say an honors biology class versus the AP Biology class is the speed and rigor. It is much more rigorous and there is simply more content to cover. AP Biology requires a much higher level of thinking and problem solving then say an honors or level one class.” When presented with the question “what are some fun and exciting activities that students will be able to partake in?” His immediate response was “We don’t do fun”, but quickly rescinded and followed by “Rather than fun, the students will find the class and what they are doing to be quite enjoyable. They have the opportunity to build a family type relationship with their peers in the classroom. They have the opportunity to investigate scientific principles that they otherwise wouldn't normally have in their other classes.” The last question has to be the question students are most curious about due to the fact that it is not uncommon to have a bad grade in an AP class. Dr Gorton went on to say that “students need not be shy when not understanding the material. I encourage students to ask questions and seek extra help after school when struggling.” Dr Gorton concluded the interview by saying “this class is like a marathon, you can’t fall behind but you need to maintain a steady pace.” If at the end of your freshman year you do indeed decide to take AP Biology, you will need to stop by Dr. Gorton’s room and pick up a textbook and a test prep book. With these you will need to complete a summer assignment by taking notes on the first five chapters of the textbook because you will have a quiz on them the first week of school so be prepared! This also gives you an opportunity to go and introduce yourself to Dr. Gorton. Remember, first impressions are very important! Don’t think if you don’t have straight A’s and have a 4.0 GPA you won’t be successful in this class. If you are willing to put in the time and effort I think that you will fit right in in AP Biology. If you still have questions or concerns feel free to email Mark Zocco or Megan Kelleher at Zoccomark@wethersfield.me or Megankelleher@wethersfield.me. |
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