 by: Samuel Garcia and Jordan Hickey
There is always a controversy between favorite baseball teams such as the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees. You always hear it here and there, “the Yankees are better” or “the Red Sox are better.” Which team is actually better? We, Samuel Garcia and Jordan Hickey, seniors at Wethersfield High School, are here to find out. We set out to determine which team is more beloved at Wethersfield High School. We went to question some of the Wethersfield High School staff to actually determine who the better team is. The first person we interviewed was Mr. Moore, the principal at Wethersfield High School. According to Mr. Moore, “I have been a baseball fan ever since I was a little kid.”. Ever since Mr. Moore started watching baseball as a little kid, the New York Yankees have hit home for him because he lived near New York growing up. Mr. Moore said “It ain’t over till it’s over.” This is a quote said by Yogi Berra, a famous Yankees player. Moore claimed that he always has this quote in the back of his head because he never gives up. Another Wethersfield High School staff member we turned to was Mr. Miller, a math teacher. We asked Mr. Miller why he was specifically a fan of the Boston Red Sox, or if there is a certain reason why he likes the Red Sox. Mr. Miller said, “When I was a little kid, my father took me to Fenway Park” and that is what formed Mr. Miller into the Red Sox fan he is today. He told us he remembered sitting down and watching them play ball when he was little. This is why he is a fan because he has special memories with the Red Sox. Mr. Sand, another staff member at Wethersfield High School is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. This is because once again we have a lot of memories created from baseball. Mr. Sand said, “My son and I have gone to an Orioles game every year ever since he was 2 years old.” This creates a lot of emotional pull on the Orioles which explains why Mr. Sand is a huge fan of the Orioles. Overall, the staff at Wethersfield High School are all fans of different teams and the reason is because of the memories when we are young and get that emotional pull from our family traditions. Who is your favorite sports team? Comment below!
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 by: Mark Zocco and Megan Kelleher
At the end of students’ junior years, NHS is the talk of the academic world. Everyone goes around asking with anticipation if their peers received that incredible opportunity and letter inviting them to apply for the National Honor Society. Many stop and ask around, what are some of the requirements for the NHS? Look no further, because we sat down with a teacher who is also a council member for the NHS, reads over, and decides who gets accepted or rejected into the NHS. We sat down with Mr. Moger, and spoke with him about a few frequently asked questions about what the council members are looking for in a model NHS student. “I believe that NHS members are students who are the leaders of the school, whether that be in or out of school. They should be the role models in the classroom, on the sports field, in the library, and everywhere for that matter,” said Mr. Moger. He also said, “As school-wide leaders, the students need to take the initiative to help solve problems before having to get a teacher or administrator involved with certain school-oriented or personal issues.” Now to the question that comes across most kids minds when it comes to the admissions process, what kinds of grades do you need in order to be considered for the NHS? You need to have at least a 3.5 GPA to be considered for the NHS, which is a B+ overall average. This means that you need to start working hard early on in high school to get your GPA where it needs to be to be invited. Mr. Moger also went on to say that, “NHS members should be honest, hardworking, and perform to the best of their abilities. Granted we all have our bad days but as a general rule they should be putting forth their best effort academically as well as socially.'' After receiving a letter stating you meet these academic requirements, your next step is to complete an application packet along with a personal essay in order to be a full fledged member. First, to get this packet, you will have to go to Mrs. Neimic’s room and pick up the application along with any other handouts that she may have, she is located in room 110. Next, your personal essay should be about you and either your academic, social, or personal life experiences could be compared to the four pillars of the NHS. The four pillars are scholarship, leadership, community service, and character. Together, the essay and application will be the two deciding factors on you getting accepted into the Wethersfield High School chapter of the National Honor Society. Want more information about NHS? Talk to your school counselor or any of the NHS faculty advisors for more information.  by: Trevor Piecewicz and Max Karkos
We all know teaching is a full-time job, with many teachers spending hours after the bell rings grading tests and planning for the next day. However, some teachers go a step further, lacing up their sneakers, throwing on a pair of shorts, and taking to the athletic complexes to help students in a different way. There are many teachers here at WHS who are also coaches for our athletic teams. We wanted to know what that was like, and how the relationships between adults and students can broaden or weaken with this experience. We interviewed Business teacher Chris Palazzo, who was also a freshman football coach and is the JV golf coach. We asked him what he thought about working with his athletes on the field or in his case, the golf course, and in the classroom. “That’s one thing I've always enjoyed about coaching is building relationships on the field or the golf course and then allowing the relationship to continue to grow in the classroom.” Mr. Palazzo understands that his athletes are human and that these types of things happen. So when we asked him if an altercation an athlete gets into in a game can lead him to view the athlete differently in class, he said, “I don’t think so, because I understand that the students are people outside of the classroom.” Coach Palazzo implies that although his students can acted differently on the field, it isn’t going to impact the way that he is looked upon in the classroom. Varsity Girls Basketball coach Jeff Russell, is a brand new gym teacher at WHS. He previously worked at Silas Deane Middle School, so Coach Russell is very familiar with many of the faces and athletes at WHS. We wanted his thoughts on now being able to build chemistry with his athletes in school, rather than just on the basketball court. “It’s great because we are a team on and off the court. We build relationships that last throughout the entire offseason. When we are all in the same building, it’s easy for us to come together and build a family. We all have a goal and we all want to work to achieve it.” Having the ability to build chemistry and just get to know your athletes better off the field is a huge asset when it comes to success and winning games. We asked varsity girls soccer coach Tony Leone, a paraprofessional at the high school, on how it has affected their season so far. “Sometimes it’s a little bit of a challenge because we take how we are on the field into the school and that’s not always the right way to portray ourselves in front of other students.” The student athletes here at WHS love their coaches. They build special relationships in sports that carries into the school. It can sometimes distract from the fact that they are in a different setting. Coach Leone said, “I think they see me as coach and not a school person, which can be tough.” However, in Coach Leone;s case this isn’t a bad thing. Coach Leone doesn’t work directly with any of his athletes. He likes the fact that he can be in the same building and always have an eye over what his athletes are doing in school. Coach Leone loves being there for his team, he said, “They see me as coach, so I think there is a comfort level that they may have more with me than anybody else.” These teachers are a perfect embodiment of what it is to be an Eagle. The relationships they build are special and it’s what makes them love their jobs.  By: Ava Minichino and Carsyn Viner
School lunch has been a controversial topic for seemingly forever. The lunch period itself is an important part of the day to wind down from the rigor of school to eat and chill with your friends. Students in schools either receive quality lunches, or the equivalent of prison food. The latter isn’t the case for Wethersfield High School. Many students enjoy the lunch provided by the school, and opt for it instead of a home-packed meal. “Considering the lines that we have in each lunch, I do believe that a lot of students do choose to buy lunch and I see a lot of kids enjoying it, and not a lot gets thrown out. It seems like there’s a lot of kids in the sandwich line and the burrito line everyday.” says Megan Kelleher, a senior at Wethersfield High. Things like the burritos and sandwiches are things kids typically get for lunch. Both lines are similar to restaurants like Subway, where your meal is fully customizable, there’s even a panini press to grill your sandwich or wrap. Kids will go as far as waiting 15 minutes for this delicious food; which is half of our lunch period. Students also think the cafeteria food is healthy. “I would say that most of our options in our cafeteria are more health-based rather than junk food, there’s still many appealing things to teenagers. I do believe that most of it is geared toward health,” says Megan Kelleher. In our cafeteria, we serve exceptional breakfast and lunch that fuels up the students. From yogurts to salads, the food being served prepares kids for the day ahead of them; whether it be class, sports, or other extracurricular activities. While we do serve chips at our school, they are reduced fat and are still delicious regardless of their nutritional facts. The students also weighed in on their favorite meal at school. Senior Mark Zocco said, “My favorite food here in the cafeteria would have to be the chicken tenders with either the curly fries or tater tots.” Megan Kelleher said, “One of my favorite foods here is definitely the burrito, there are so many different choices, it's always good.¨ If you’re considering buying a school lunch, those are a few options to keep in mind while you scan the wide variety of meals in our cafe. Thanks to the delightful cafeteria staff, these tasty meals are prepared for us everyday. Without them, there would be no sandwiches, no burritos, no hot lunches to keep us moving. What is your favorite food from the cafe? Let us know in the comments!  By: Paige Melillo and Abby Malizia
We interviewed some of the group leaders of our international trips at WHS to find out what it really like to travel and be a leader of one of. Ever wanted to go on one of these trips? Are these trips for you? Here at WHS, there are multiple amounts of trips with some of your favorite teachers. Our school works with Education First Tours or EF Tours to help plan and make these trips a once in a lifetime experience. Some teachers that have led these trips are John Sand, Drew Nicholas, John Martin, Shannon Belanger, and Patricia McGrath, just toname a few. Over the past 15 years, WHS teachers have taken students to Costa Rica, Greece, Belize, Ireland, Spain, England, France, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, plus many more to come. Mr. Nick is an English teacher at WHS and has been working with EF tours for over ten years and has gone on 12 trips. He has been to France, Spain, Italy, London, Costa Rica, Ireland, and Greece. I interviewed Mr. Nick last week to find out more about these trips and what's it like to be a leader. When asked about what types of students he looks for, Nicholas said, “Students who have an intellectual curiosity, someone who wants to broaden their horizons opens their world view and wants to go and learn, different from book learning in school, experiential learning not something you would necessarily see in a museum.” Being a leader of these trips for so long, Mr. Nick has definitely gotten the hang of it. “It’s a lot to do, but you have months to do it.” Shannon Belanger is a Math teacher at WHS and has been involved in the EF tours as a chaperone for one trip to Australia/New Zealand and has taken trips with them as a student as well. She has now been on both ends, the stressful chaperoning and the fun as a student. I got together with Mrs. Belanger last week to discuss the trip altogether, fun parts, stressful parts, and the experience. During the interview, I asked Belanger what makes her want to go back on more trips, and she said, “Sharing my experience with not just the culture but the memories. There is so much more to it than just going and seeing and doing things.” Belanger enjoys the bonds she is able to make with fellow students when it comes to plane rides, bus rides, and just free time around the resorts. Though there is stress that comes along with the beautiful trips. These teachers volunteer their time to let us students enjoy the trip while keeping it as safe as possible. When asked the main fear fellow chaperones have experienced, Belanger said, “I think the hardest part is the unknown.” Mrs. Belanger is planning an upcoming trip to Germany and Switzerland for all grades in Summer 2021. With all the feedback given from chaperones themselves, what would make you not want to experience these trips? The bonds you create, the things you get to experience, they are all once in a lifetime. From warm sunshine to brisk cultural experience, there are so many trips available that could fit your preference. What’s stopping you?  By: Kaitlyn Fischer and Ryan Koplin
Being captain of a high school sports team is something every athlete strives to be. It is an important role and a hard one to accept. We set out to interview captains of sports teams here at WHS for an inside look at their experience. “Being captain means to me that I was recognized as not only a strong athlete but also a strong leader, and it means that a lot of the girls look up to me as a positive figure and leader of the team and I just really appreciate this position my senior year.” said Megan Kelleher, senior captain of the girls volleyball team. Being a captain of a team with a lot of players could be seen as stressful. Here at WHS there are about ninety players in the football program. “No [it’s not stressful] because in all honesty, I’ve always been the type of guy to be a leader, so me just having the nametag kind of hasn't really changed much, but it’s just simply having the nametag of being captain, said senior captain of the football team, Jacob Rivera when asked about the added pressure with being one of just three captains of a ninety player program. If your school’s hockey team is like the team here at WHS, then your team has four towns playing on just one team. For those who don’t know, the WHS hockey team is called WMRP, standing for Wethersfield, Middletown, Rocky Hill, and Plainville. And if you’re captain Trevor Piecewicz, then being the captain of people who you don’t see in school everyday could be hard, especially when he was named captain as a junior. That’s not what Piecewicz thinks. “I’ve been a leader since freshman year, it’s kind of the same, just with a “C” on my jersey.” Being a captain is something everyone should strive to be. As you can see by these interviews, it's a very rewarding title. You take on leadership as well as being the person many younger players look up to. You learn how to deal with and overcome certain situations that many other people would not be exposed to.  By Stephanie Breglio
WHS business courses are crucial in preparing students for the future and building basic life skills that may not be taught in other core classes or electives. New WHS students or even any student may wonder what the benefits of business courses are, or if they should be enrolled in one. The answer-- according to WHS students and teachers, is yes. Senior Rachel Gopaul is one of these students who says “yes.” Rachel stated that taking Career Prep and Personal Finance was, “Eye opening in terms of looking for college stuff, getting used to gpa and looking into future careers.” WHS offers many options for business courses amongst the 3 teachers; Mrs. Griswold, Mrs. Ricardi, and Mr. Palazzo. The courses include Intro to Business, Career Prep, Personal Finance, Marketing I, Marketing II, and even more. Basic and fundamental skills needed for the future that are taught in these classes, especially Career Prep and Personal Finance, may be surprising to some. They include resume writing, financial goal setting, learning how to save money, filing tax returns, learning how to use the program Excel, and even learning how to fill out a check and the parts of the check. “I absolutely encourage students to take multiple business courses throughout high school because no matter what field they end up in, there will be things that they learn in the business courses that will apply, whether it’s soft skills or the math that we us,” said WHS Business Teacher Mr. Palazzo. Mr. Palazzo mentioned that one of his graduate students came to him years later talking about what they learned through Excel and they said, “I was one of the first people who when I got the job was able to teach others how to use it.” People who don’t take many business courses/business courses at all may not realize how much they really help students. I encourage all students to take business courses if they have the choice. It may help you in the future even if you are unaware of that right now.  By Shandaly Benjamin
There are so many responsibilities that come with becoming a senior in high school. There’s not only having college stuff to worry about, but also having to set an example for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Us incoming seniors are very overwhelmed with the responsibilities given to us. On top of having to apply for college, we have to keep up with our classes. Our WHS counselors and teachers have been a big help towards us seniors and our college decisions. They have been by our side, taking us one by one and going over the college application process. They have shared all the deadlines, requirements, opportunities for financial aid, and more. In addition, they are always willing to fit us into their schedule to help us even when their super busy. “My counselor Mrs. Conoscenti, helped out so much. She wants to hold my hand through all of this and I’m actually thankful because I got really overwhelmed in the beginning of all this.” Said WHS senior Shaniya Menns. “I cried actually. I had a mental breakdown, it was like really bad because I got overwhelmed about where I should go, tuition, [and] financial aid.” Not only have our counselors offered to walk us through the college application process, our teachers have been a big help too! They willingly take the first couple of classes to explain the Common App, Naviance, and FAFSA. Our counselors and teachers work together to introduce more ways in which the application process can go smoother. “Mrs. McKenna helped me out a lot, she helped us sign into Common App. She helped us get started with that. She also had my counselor Mrs. Conoscenti come in and speak to everybody else about both the Common App and Naviance.” said Shaniya Menns Being a senior also makes you at the top of the school. Us seniors have to set an example for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. We try to keep the school spirit alive and show other students that it’s okay to ask for help when it’s being offered at school. I asked Shaniya how it felt being at the top of the school pyramid, she said, “I don’t look down on people below or younger than me, but I do try to give them advice if they ask me for it.” Wethersfield High School teaches us that we shouldn’t look down on anyone, especially if they’re new to the school. They teach us responsibility, courage, respect, support, and unity. Shaniya Menns offered the following advice to seniors, “It will be overwhelming, it’ll be so overwhelming, you don’t even understand. But if you have a good guidance counselor and your mom or dad have been to college and they can help you through, ask them. It’s a lot to take in by yourself.” School Counselor Mrs. Jennifer Lindsay also offered advice, “Senior year it’s really more of an individual look. We schedule senior interviews with students to get an idea of what their plans are, what they’ve decided to do. We offer help sessions with students on creating a common app account, completing a common app. We help students edit their essays, we write letters of recommendation, work with students about narrowing down their list about colleges they want to apply to. It depends on the need of the students. Sometimes students are very independent, they feel like they want to do this on their own, they got this, and some other students are more nervous and so they spend a little more time in my office and whatever works for them works for me.” She also explained how each counselors goal is to make sure each and every student has a plan. A plan after high school in which the counselors are willing to help us prepare for. No matter if the student is going to community college, 4 year college, marines, etc. The counselors at WHS want to help us plan our next step and make our transition into young adults easy. We couldn’t thank our teachers, counselors, and others, enough for the amount of support they have given us seniors during such an important time of year. The beginning of your senior will be overwhelming. You will cry, you will lose sleep, and worse of all, you will stress. But without a doubt, Wethersfield High School will prepare you for the real world.  By: Logan Lichatz
“It's tough to comeback this year, it's tough to even play any soccer after that game.” After a heartbreaking loss to Daniel Hand in the semifinals last November, the Wethersfield High School boys soccer team has come back stronger than ever. Starting 7-1 in the first 8 games of the season; this team has had one of the most dominant starts this school has seen in years. Playing with a chip on their shoulder would be an understatement after the hopes of a championship appearance slipped out of their hands last year. Having only seven seniors this year compared to 17 last year has been one of the many challenges to overcome. Max Karkos, senior captain, had this to say about it, “Regaining the chemistry with the younger and up and coming players is very important in order to be the team we want to be.” With all their hard work, it seems as if the chemistry was quickly regained between older players and the young bucks. One of their biggest tests this season came when they played Plainville, the Class M State Champions, on September 17. The game went down to the wire, but the Eagles came out with the win in 2-1 Double OT thriller. “Coach makes sure we stay calm and collective and helps us adjust how we play in order to minimize mistakes down the stretch,” Karkos said about how his coach helps the team stay focused throughout tight games. When asked about coming into this season as a captain, Karkos said, “I feel like I have a responsibility to carry on where the seniors last year left off, and hopefully lead us to a state championship.” It shows throughout the whole team that they have one goal in mind, which is to make a statement in the regular season and shock the world in the playoffs. Catch Karkos and the Wethersfield Eagles in action this Friday October 11, against South Windsor and Berlin on Tuesday, October 15, looking for their eighth and ninth win of the season. #therevengetour By: Christopher Light
Everyone has their group of friends, everyone has their high school years planned out but then there is me and the few other transfer students who’ve got a lot more to figure out, even the teachers know that school isn’t where every student wants to be this. Mr. Martin, an English teacher at WHS said, “Not only are they navigating the after-high school planning process and the process of taking my class but their also navigating the process of being a new student with a new schedule, new faces, new social constructs, new set of rules”. As a transfer student, you have to adjust to everything, WHS works much different than my previous school and other transfers could have the same situation. For example WHS is much bigger and the schedules work completely different, where WHS has the A/B days, my old school had 2 hour days with 3 classes and regular days with 5 classes. The hardest thing for me to adjust to was how the teachers gave work. At WHS, many teachers use Google Classroom to give assignments to their students. This was really difficult to adjust to at first because throughout my years at school I never used Google Classroom or even had a laptop/chromebook given to me by a school and many other students that transfer could deal with the same problem. There are things that transfer students may love about WHS, like the options you have for classes. At my previous school, your biggest choice between classes was if you wanted to take the normal level class or the AP version, it was very boring and straightforward. But here at WHS I have so many choices, my favorite class being journalism instead the same old English class I took every year prior. The other thing that any student that transfers to WHS can look forward to is the teachers. The upperclassmen teachers that I have this year are far better than any teachers that I have had in my prior years of high school for one reason. They try and connect with the students they realize school isn’t fun, it’s boring at best, so they connect and joke with students to make the classes more enjoyable and they are able to build a better connection and which makes the class a better experience to be in especially as a transfer student to have a teacher trying to get to know who you are. The worst part by far about transferring schools for anyone at any point in their life is the high chance you don’t know anyone, which in my case is true. I have zero friends in the school so far no one to talk to no one to hangout with at best I pass by people in the hall and they say hi. I think Mr. Martin said it the best because he too had experience as a new kid. “You have the academic pressures, social pressures, the pressures that come with age in general and when you throw on the fact that your trying to build a brand new social circle on top of that, that can be really daunting.” But overall, WHS is a great school, it’s much more of a stress free environment compared to my old school where you felt like every assignment was a competition and the school is filled with students so eventually I will find some people I can relate to even as the new kid and on behalf of all new kids out there have someone say hi in class to try and get to know is really nice and it gives us a bit of confidence to talk to more people.  By: Sammy Ritter and Jade Iaco
Marketing is one of the most popular career choices. In Wethersfield High School, the perfect club for that is DECA, which stands for the Distributive Education Clubs of America. This club is an organization for students who are interested in marketing, management and other business careers. Members can develop career and leadership skills while building self esteem and learning better team skills. Most of the Wethersfield High School DECA students love being in it because it is an amazing opportunity for them to get a head start in the business world. “DECA was previously an upperclassmen club, however, this year it is open to underclassmen, who are taking a business class." says DECA Coordinator for WHS Mrs. Ricardi You do need to be a current member of a marketing or business class to join. DECA holds fundraisers for the club so they can go to the different events for a lower cost. They get together after school on Mondays for meetings and they plan for competitions, fundraisers, field trips and events such as the annual WHS food drive. They get to learn how to make each of their marketing ideas even better and they get to see how everyone has a different idea and a different sense of style with their projects. DECA events are aligned with the National Curriculum Standards in the careers of marketing , business management, finance, and hospitality. They competitive events are composed of a written component for example an exam or report and an interactive component with an industry professional judging. There are many different marketing categories that the high schools can choose from. Some include Career Development Project, Community Giving Project, Sales Project, Integrated Marketing Plans, and Entrepreneurial Plans. This is a positive club with a lot of benefits. One of the benefits includes the trips. The DECA club has been to many places for the competitions such as Utah, California, Florida, and Tennessee. “My favorite place that we went to was Salt Lake City because I would never had gone there on my own, so it was a great experience.” said Mrs. Ricardi. DECA competitors come up with the themes and and how the projects will be organized for competitions. Mrs. Ricardi is only there to help them with any questions that they may have and give guidance. Some of the competitions require them to come up with an invention and make a three minute video presentation. The main DECA challenge is called Entrepreneur of Tomorrow Challenge, this asks you to create entrepreneurial proposal of a new product idea that goes with a specific market. The competitions involve people from all different schools from different cities and states. They all come together in one state or city to compete for a prize. If you have any questions about anything to do with DECA or even just the marketing classes then go see Mrs. Ricardi in room 217. She will give you all of the information that you need to join the club that will prepare you for your future in marketing.  by: Cole Nocida and Andrea Martinez As WHS students, we all know and love BlueEagle News, our twice-weekly news broadcast. We took the time to interview some of the director and the cast of the program. They wanted to share their experience in BlueEagle News and how it became known in Wethersfield High School. “I think It’s valuable for a student to get information in a way that they can absorb it., What better way to do it then have students present that information to students? We have had a successful program at my other school and here it is just becoming better.” said Susan Coco director and faculty advisor for the show. BlueEagle News wants to inform students and their community about everything going on in the district and more importantly, the school. With the help of these students, that information gets across to everyone and can be heard throughout. “BlueEagle News is a community show to inform people about what is going on in the town and more specifically the school. It presents information to our community,” said Kadin Joyce, one of the crew members. Having something students can connect to when they are new is a good opportunity to meet new people and make friends. A handful of students have made strides through this program both socially and academically. “As a Freshman, I came in the first day as a new transfer student so I had no clue what the school was about. The first day of school I saw an episode of BlueEagle News and wanted to be apart of it.” said Mia Sommers, who often hosts the show. The Blue Eagle News team works hard to be at the scene and on top of the game. They are very passionate about what they do to contribute to the school. They spend time after school to film and make sure that all teachers have an opportunity to get their information out there while going as quick as possible. “It really depends, we try and be as efficient as possible. Sometimes it goes a lot quicker than other times. We could have a problem with whatever. It could range from around ten minutes to thirty,” said Christian Cimino BlueEagle News consists of students who are passionate, hardworking, and intelligent. They will do whatever it takes to make sure their voices are heard throughout the school and community. New members are welcomed and can make new friends when joining. They meet up Tuesdays and Thursdays. This program is developing into something extraordinary and will only get better as the years go on. The students are what blend this program together, and without their skills, it wouldn’t be the same.  by: Emma Fahmnestock
Many high school students undergo tons of stress, just ask Freshman student Abigail Albright. She states that lots of homework and studying is thrown on you, “Sometimes it would get overwhelming,” She also explains that “If you mess up, your grade is ruined.” Abigail Albright isn’t the only one who's been feeling huge amounts of stress. Another student has stated that friends stress them out because “I sometimes have to pick between them and it makes me feel bad.” To help out these students, and hopefully many others, school counselors Mrs. Coffey and Mr. Deguire have given us some advice. “Don’t save your homework until the last minute and utilize study hall,” said Mrs. Coffey. Additionally, If you “do the hardest first,“ you will be able to focus better on the stuff you don’t know, and use your leftover energy on the stuff you are already good at. “A ten to fifteen-minute clarification could save you an hour at home.” Mrs. Coffey admits that she tends to procrastinate as well and that you need to do little bits at a time, practice rewriting your notes, and study. You don’t want to “study to get it done, you want to study to understand it.” She also said slipping up isn’t always a bad thing, “You learn the most when you face adversity.” Mr. DeGuire reveals that you shouldn’t be afraid to fail, If you are prepared, you won’t even have to worry about that. Mr. DeGuire also says to, “Find things you are passionate about and these are the friends you will gravitate towards.” It's important to devote time to each of your friends. Adding on to this, Mrs. Coffey communicated that “A good friend will understand that you have other friends.” In the end, stress is always going to be a part of many students' everyday lives, but if students can find ways to reduce and cope with that stress, their lives will result in much more joy and fewer issues. So next time you’re facing a lot of stress, take a deep breath and know you're going to be okay. How do you deal with stress in school? Comment below!  By: Caitlin Nardella and Abbey Keane
With the team under a new coach, Tony Leone, the Girls Varsity Soccer team has adapted well. Along with many athletes moving up for last year’s JV team and losing the seniors of last year, the team has needed to bond quickly in order to get what needs to be done on the field. This year’s varsity team has four captains including Grace Connelly, Mya Pellegrino, Gabi Villagra, and Sierra Judson leading the this year’s team. Mya Pellegrino speaking about her other captains, ̈I think us four captains are definitely really good leaders and we really hype up the team and give positive vibes .” The team started their season off with a losing streak but were quickly able to turn that around winning the next three straight games. Many of the girls have stepped up to a high level in order to make this team as good as it can be. When asked about any future game that will be hard or bring any worries, Judson added they had, “We have big week coming with Southington, then Newington, and RHAM. Those are all big games that we need to give our best fight to and play our hardest because they mean the most ̈. When asked about how the relationship on the team affects the game play on the field, Sierra Judson says, ̈We need to stay positive at all times and encourage one another no matter what.” The bond of the girls had played a huge part in any team play especially on the soccer field. Wish the best of luck to the Wethersfield Eagles in this coming season with a big home game on October 4 at 3:45 against Southington!  By Katie Bridges
Wethersfield High School was proud to host our seventh Red Cross Blood Drive on September 25. Students, staff, and parents met in the gym to donate a pint and save three lives. Technology teacher and head of Blue Eagle News Ms.Coco helped to organize our fall blood drive, and this has been her 25th year running blood drives for schools and students. Ms. Coco said, “I was looking to get involved in some activities at the high school and I joined on.” We are excited to have Ms.Coco running upcoming blood drives at Wethersfield High School Along with Ms.Coco, we have student coordinators. They, along with more student volunteers, help sign in students and monitor them as they process through the drive. They are an essential part of the drive along with the Red Cross workers. Their goal for the drive was to have 40 donors sign up to donate blood. To become a donor for the any blood drive, you can sign up by seeing one of the volunteers or coordinators during the lunch waves. Donors must be over 17 by the time of donating and must be in good health. Due to recent rash of illness going around many students were not able to donate, even having a cough, cold, or showing allergy symptoms was enough to turn donors away. The fall is always a tricky time to hold drives at the high school. There aren’t as many students over 17, and it is the flu and allergy season. Even with that, this fall’s blood drive was able to save 75 lives through 25 pints donated by students or staff. Senior Alexis Almada said,“We usually exceed the number of sign ups for our blood drives.” They hope to have even more students participate in upcoming drives this year. Keep tuned to Blue Eagle News and announcements for the next blood drive and sign up to donate. by: Jake Whitaker and Johnny Orsini
Sport managing is something that is becoming more and more prominent in today's WHS Sports world. More students are being involved with their school sports without playing a sport or supporting from the stands. Students are managing team sports at all levels of sports and we have an inside look at what being a high school sports manager entails at Wethersfield High School. Our football team has 6 managers; 4 are seniors and 2 are freshman. Our first two seniors, Serena Console and Isaac Santos, have been managing football for 3 years and have worked up the ladder to have bigger roles on the team. Serena is now calling formations during games for the football team, when we asked her about her new high stakes role she said, “It’s definitely stressful when Coach [McKinnon] is on edge with a lot of things, but it works out." Isaac Santos says one of the hardest things about managing is how time consuming it is. He is the Class of 2020 president, a football manager, and a student representative at the board of education. He kept it brief, “It’s a lot of time consuming work. I'll be honest, I barely sleep”. Isaac has been dedicated to this program and to being an active member of our school community. He left us with one statement for anyone who is thinking about being a manager, “Do it with reason. Not for the title.” Alexa Indomenico and Caitlin Nardella are both seniors but are fairly new to the managing scene at our high school. Caitlin last year started managing for the football team but she said, “I couldn’t manage school and managing at the same time, because of the time interfering with my practices. I quit sadly because I didn’t think it was the fit for me that year.” This year, she came back and recruited her friend Alexa to manage with her. Alexa and Caitlin assist with setting up bags and drills for the players and coaches, but also film practices and games. With 4 senior managers leaving after this season, 2 freshmen have big shoes to fill next year. Samantha Waterhouse and Lindsay Rhodes are learning from great upperclassmen and are going to take over the reigns next year. Samantha said “ I would definitely do it because you get closer with a lot of people.” Lindsay added on by saying, “You also can learn the game better than you did before”. These managers also help the upperclassmen managers by recording and setting up drills for practice. While the football managers are on the sidelines helping the team in there respective ways, varsity quarterback Matt Silver is a manager for the high school girls basketball team. His role as a manager is very different for the girls basketball team. He explained that his role is more active on the court. Matt said “ I'm in all essences a practice player. I go up against the girls and give them practice looks, I imitate the best player on the other team for that week.I just do everything I can on the court to make them better.” Matt uses his athleticism to help out the team during practice but during games he claims to be a “hype man” for the team and even makes handshakes with players on the team. Managing for different sports requires different skills and asks different tasks of people but they all have a few things in common, managers help out the team and are a key part of highschool sports team success. Managing is a great way to get involved in sports and in your school. Want to become a manager? Go talk to our athletics coaches or our Athletic Director Mr. Maltese for more information on this great opportunity! By Christine Vittner
In July 2019, English teacher Mr. Martin and three other chaperones took 29 kids to Australia and New Zealand for 14 days. These kids ranged from the sophomore to the senior class. Many said it was the trip of a lifetime. Asking him to pick his favorite part was so hard, they did so many crazy things. Mr. Martin said,¨I think it was more of an overall. We had some incredible individual experiences, we did surfing at Bondi beach, we saw the set of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, and we went down a mountainside in an inflatable OGO ball.¨ From all of the pictures they brought back, they looked like they had a blast. Many said they would love to go back because of how beautiful it was. Traveling through Australia and New Zealand, they met so many different people in all the different parts they visited. However, the flight home was not easy with there being long layovers and 36 hours to travel back across the globe. For many people was the worst part of the whole trip but others said it wasn’t as bad. After seeing Australia and New Zealand, they said it was totally worth it. If you are a WHS student interested in world travel please look for the posters around the school or talk to one of the teachers running the trips. This upcoming April, Mr. Martin and Mr. Sand, among other teachers, will be taking students to Costa Rica and there are other upcoming trips to Western and Central Europe!  by: Nick Ursini If you thought that Science Club would be boring projects and research, you’d be so wrong! In Science Club, all that is seen are students working together to create mesmerizing chemical reactions and solving the elemental makeup of everyday items such as pennies. The students in Science Club proudly express their love for all forms of science whether it be earth science, chemistry, or biology. Aaron Ky said, “The Science Club was meant for people who love all types of science to come together and that is exactly what it has become.” The students in Science Club have access to all kinds of resources in order to experiment with almost anything. On this particular day, the students were finding what your average penny is actually made up of. During this experiment, the students worked together as a team by getting each other the resources and tools they needed and helped each other by sharing ideas and suggesting different ways to solve the problem. The club seems independent and completely driven by the members and students. The students come up with their own problems and solve them together. Not to say that the teacher is not willing to help the students if they run into a problem during their experiments. The students come up with most of the experiments completely on their own and discuss with each other how the experiment will be executed. Unlike other clubs where some students will join and never show up because they lose interest, the students in Science Club all have a type of love for any type of science. From the experiments and the way they speak with each other while doing experiments, it is quite clear that the students are very good problem solvers and work together very well because they are in a club with other people who share the same passion for science. Want to know more about Science Club? Go visit Mr. Horan to find our more information! By: Hannah Sullivan and Reece Skelly The Crossfire Prayer Group is a school club run by International Studies teacher Jeffrey Moger that meets weekly on Tuesday mornings at 7:10 AM. The club started roughly twenty years ago when two students approached him looking for a place to pray in school. While some may believe that a club centered around religion has no place in a public school environment, Mr. Moger firmly believes that students benefit from having a safe place to pray and pass their burdens off to a higher power. This is a tight knit yet inviting group of students who discuss the problems they are facing and then relate it back to the original text. This is a place where students can feel comfortable talking about their problems and not worrying about it going around. Moger explains, “It is a private group, though anyone can come.” They pray together for strength and guidance. While the club has thus far only had Christian members, Mr. Moger would like to make it clear that the group is open to students of all religions. While previous announcements have incorrectly labeled this as a Christian-only group, it has in fact been open to all religions from the start. In fact, Moger believes that his students could greatly benefit from interacting with people of other religions and learning about other beliefs. Anyone who would like to stop in and pray with the group is always welcome. While he acknowledges that it would certainly be a change to incorporate other religions, perhaps even a little uncomfortable for some, he says that “Awkwardness is okay, It’s okay to be uncomfortable in some situations. It’s okay and we can get over [our different views] and I think everyone will benefit from that.”. For more information on the club, feel free to reach out to Mr. Moger in room 116 or stop by and check out a meeting any Tuesday morning at 7:10.  By: Isaac Rios You’ve just finished another week of school and you want to kill some time and talk with someone about a new movie you’re excited for, but there is no one around. If only there was a club where you can discuss about your favorite movie. Luckily, here at Wethersfield High School, the Movie Club does that and more, and is perfect for people who are as passionate about everything to do with movies! Every Friday from 2:15-3:15 in Room 23 and run by passionate moviegoers Audrey Mainville and Kristina Hoda, the Movie Club is all about movies from all genres and from any director. “Because they [Audrey and Kristina] really love movies and they love talking about it, and they know that there are other people out there that feel the same way, they started this club.” said Movie Club advisor Ms.. Coco. If you’re worried about wanting to talk about your favorite film but being overshadowed by a discussion of a more topical movie, well it’s best not to worry because as Ms Coco said, “Our topics go all over the spectrum, all different genres“ So if you have a movie you want to talk about, just share away! “It depends on what the girls want to do for the week, but they usually always have some activity going on.” So whether it’s discussions, trivia, eating popcorn, or wanting to learn something new about the medium, as long as it’s film related you can expect it and more! So after school this Friday, come on down to Room 23 and sign up to a club that’s perfect for everyone.  by: Taylor McGeachy, Mary LeConche, and Jessica Driscoll
We all know freshman year can be very stressful at first with a bunch of new people and more classes, but the class of 2023 were not too anxious about it. Have things changed with incoming freshmen this year? We asked the freshmen how they've adapted to their new environment. Expecting different answers, freshman Brooke Judson said, ¨I've adapted very easily, I get a hang of things quickly¨. As it seems all the freshmen we interviewed had the same answer to that question, high school was easy to adapt too. Another question we asked the freshmen was “̈Does highschool scare you?” Many answers were the same and unexpected. Two freshmen boys, named Will and Nick, “No not really”. Looking back at your freshman year, walking through the halls with kids almost four years older than you can be a little intimidating, but these freshmen didn't seem to mind. We asked how the upperclassmen have been treating the newbies. “They've all treated me really well, I've had no problems so far.” says freshman Madison McGeachy. One of the main description of highschool we heard from every single freshmen interviewed is “freedom.” High school gives freshmen more freedom than the middle school and all I can say is we agree with them. When asking Lucas a question about liking middle school or high school better he states, “[High School is] very confusing to start, this school has a lot more freedom than every other school”. Along with him, Will says “It's fun because you can be with older kids and it is more free”. The overall highschool experiencé for freshmen is looking like its going smoothly this year. More freedom and fun, we are glad Wethersfield High School is a good learning place for new students and we hope it continues every year.  By: Mike Malizia and Mike Irace
The Night's Watch Club is an after school club formed by WHS students with the help of beloved teacher, Mr. Kieras. “The Nights Watch, comes from The Game of Thrones.” said chemistry teacher Mr. Kieras. “Again another show that the kids were interested in.” “Basically [the club] about movie theories, talking about different aspects, and making predictions. We watch a lot of shows, discuss them, try to break them down.” This is not just any basic movie club, the Night’s Watch delves deep into films and shows, discussing and dissecting them. Originally started by “kind of like fanboys” who were very much into Star Wars, The Night’s Watch eventually developed into a group that watched a wide variety of films and shows. “We morphed a little bit now, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also all kinds of interesting shows and series that are on Netflix and Amazon Prime.” The Night’s Watch club meets on Thursdays in room 537 from around 2:15 to 3:00. “It is designed for students to get together and talk about their favorite shows with like minded individuals.” If you enjoy watching and discussing films and TV shows, then The Night’s Watch club is perfect for you.  by: Nathaniel Estifanos
Wethersfield took care of business on Tuesday, September 24, beating Rocky Hill 7-1. Wethersfield jumped out of the gate on fire, coming out with a 2-0 lead with just about 15 minutes left in the half, with both scored by junior Madison Righi. The Eagles somehow outperformed themselves in the second half, starting out with a goal from Grace Conneely, assisted by Mya Pellegrino. Gracie Leahy was next up in the bunch, scoring a goal to make it 5-0, followed up by a goal from Annie Klementon. Rocky Hill finally answered back, with a goal by Corrin Stabile to make it 6-1. Wethersfield was able to get back on track in this dominating win after losing their previous two games. “The girls stayed upbeat, even though we hadn’t gotten the results,” said coach Antonio Leone. “It’s kind of hard not to get fired up when you play an across town rival in Rocky Hill. They came out and it was by far our best game to date.” Coach Leone was also happy about the improvements the team made between the first three games. “One of the areas that we didn’t do well enough in the first two games was that we weren’t putting our chances away, we weren’t scoring goals. To get 6 against Rocky Hill, I’d have to believe that’s great for the girl’s confidence.” by: Dan Jimenez and Connor Pace
There is a great problem with WHS students participation in Spirit Week to show their school pride for the upcoming football game this Friday night vs Daniel Hand. Everyday has a different way for students to show their school spirit. On Monday was wear your favorite sports team day. On Tuesday, groups of students wore the same outfits. Then on Wednesday, students wore their respective class color day. And on Thursday, students participated in Hawaiian day. Finally, on Friday was wear your school apparel. Even with all these fun days for students to dress up on, barely any students actually participate in this week. “ I don’t think the students participate, but this is spirit week, just because we do something, doesn’t mean it’s spirit,“ said Mr. Scopetto, a high school PE teacher and one of our student council organizers. . Could this mean students don’t participate in spirit week anymore because they don’t think the event is fun? “While some of the days are great, like school apparel day and twin day, I think the days should be more abstract in a way that employs creativity. Wearing a blue shirt for [wear your class color] day is not creative at all because I would wear a blue shirt any day of the week.” said Wethersfield High School student Jake Whitaker. The students would like to participate more in Spirit Week, if it were more like a competition and allow for them to be more creative. However, Student Council has stated that they’ve tried to do many different fun activities to motivate the students to participate more, but none of them seem to work. Do you have any ideas on how to improve Spirit Week participation? Comment down below!  by: Kevin Rascius
We seniors are in the final week of our high school career, but there is still quite a bit on the itinerary in the next 7 days. Senior prom is tomorrow, June 8th, finals week is all of next week, then there are 2 grad rehearsals, graduation and safe grad. Here is everything you need to know to successfully navigate through your last week of high school. Senior Prom is June 8 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Connecticut, it goes from 6:30 - 11:30. As usual, there will be pictures at the green beforehand. Remember to bring your ticket! The Yearbook Banquet is on Monday, June 10 at the WHS cafeteria. You will be able to pick up your pre-purchased yearbooks there. Didn’t order one? Students can purchase one for $110 at the event. Finals week goes from Monday-Friday of next week, but for seniors, the schedule is slightly different. On Monday of next week, seniors will be taking their period 6 and 8 finals in their period 6 and 8 classes. Periods 2 and 4 will be normal classes on Monday and seniors will be taking those finals on Wednesday of next week. Tuesday will be periods 1 and 3 finals and periods 5 and 7 will be on Thursday. The first graduation rehearsal will take place on Thursday of next week at 12:30 PM in the gymnasium, and it is MANDATORY for students. The second rehearsal will take place on Friday June 14th at 12:00 PM at the Wethersfield Cove. This rehearsal is mandatory as well. Graduation will be on Friday June 14th at 6:00 PM at the Cove. DMV parking lots will be available for parking for graduation. Proper attire is required, think a shirt and tie with pants or a dress or blouse. Safe grad will take place the night of Friday June 14th at the Wethersfield community center. It will start at 10:00pm, and go until 5:00am. With all of these activities, the end of the senior’s time at WHS is sure to be memorable. |
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