 The weekend of March 13, the WHS Drama Department put on their annual spring musical with their performance of “Cinderella.” Across the three performances, students wowed with their acting, theatrics, singing, dancing, and hard work. This is just a small account of the experiences of the audience and the cast and crew.
Katie Lombardo, Junior While watching the musical, I had a smile on my face throughout the entirety of it. It was funny, yet heart-warming at the same time. It was truly a beautiful experience, would love to see it again. Christian Bonvisuto, Junior A wonderful Cinderella story from start to finish. Great acting by each and every one of the actors. Beautifully choreographed, amazing music, costumes, and dances. Had a great time going with my family. Gabriella Cicero, Junior It was great to see this Cinderella musical. You can clearly see the hours of hard work and dedication that went in through the songs, dances, and music from the actors to the musicians and backstage crew. Abigail Montes, Junior As one of the pit members of the musical, it was the best experience I have had as a musician. To go through multiple practices and repeating songs to get the cues just right, it helped me grow a lot and learn more about the music world. Adriana Cruz, Senior WHS drama club has put on yet another amazing production. This year’s performance of Cinderella had beautiful singing, phenomenal costumes, and incredible actors/actresses. This musical was enjoyed by all ages and was a great way to spend the weekend! Erika Mayzenberg, Junior I went to the understudy show and I was extremely impressed with how the cast did. They really brought out the characters they were playing and even without a lot of practice for their parts, they were able to put on a funny, exciting, and absolutely spectacular show. Holden Escabi, Junior Watching Cinderella, it was clear just how much hard work and talent went into the show! The whole production had great energy and was a reminder of the amazing things that the WHS community is capable of achieving. Gabriella Szwed, Junior I was able to make the understudy portion of the play on Tuesday and all of the characters were so talented. I thought that it was very impressive how they were able to put on a full play before the final show with all of their lines memorized and dances learned. Megan Lipka, Junior The WHS Drama production of Cinderella was amazing! The acting and singing were amazing and the dance numbers were really cool too. The Prince is Giving a Ball and Ten Minutes ago were two very cool numbers in the show. Also, the pit and the backstage crew were pretty cool too! Sarah Wrona, Junior I enjoyed the show, especially seeing my friends on stage and hearing everyone sing. My favorite parts were watching the dress transformations and watching the remote control mouse hit a prop and then go back off stage. Vanessa Venditti, Junior I thought the musical itself was really good, I liked how they took the stage to our seats and I thought the slide behind them changing settings was cool and easier. Found myself laughing at some of the lines which were good. Only thing is, I was looking forward to seeing if Mr. Pfister is a good actor... wanted more from him. Kareena Khadar, Senior The school play was a wonderful production of the classic tale Cinderella. The cast was energetic and full of spirit. It was a great way to spend time with friends this weekend and I was especially blown away by Mia Sommer's and Olivia Krout's Voices Karima Hasan, Junior This show was super fun and I got so much closer with my friends and we became a little family. It was a lot of work and super hectic but it helped build a lot of skills from balancing school, work, and rehearsal. Charlotte Daigle, Junior Being in this show is such an important experience because we become such a tight group because we are with each other all the time. We are bonding over the inside jokes and hanging out just singing songs from the show. The people in the show became my closest friends, it made me feel like a family and I will miss it so much, I can't wait for next year. Angel Sotelo Sanchez, Senior This was the first play I attended and I really liked it great voices for singing. Samantha Coty, Junior This was my 5th production overall with WHS (I've been in two plays, this was my second musical, and a cabaret), and it was an amazing experience. Being Madame (although I felt was slightly typecasted, thanks Roets) was such a fun experience, because I got to be funny but at the same time let out some anger. I think the entire cast did an amazing job, and I couldn't be more grateful for the time that my castmates, crewmates and staff have spent putting on this production. I think we did an amazing job, and I'm so proud of all of us. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us!
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 by: Taylor Moran
WHS junior Erika Mayzenberg, vice principal Mrs. Tara Yusko, and delegates from the Wethersfield High School chapter of Amnesty International have teamed up to raise funds for medical supplies to send to Ukraine. Donations are being collected every day during lunch, beginning Wednesday, March 9th, at a designated table in the cafeteria. Individuals who donate will be given a blue and yellow pin, representing the Ukrainian flag. When asked how wearing pins can benefit the effort to support Ukrainians and Ukrainian students at WHS, Mrs. Yusko said, “I think it’s important to acknowledge the emotional toll, and sometimes physical toll, this is going to take on people, and just having a visual to say, ‘We know and we understand.’” WHS junior Erika Mayzenberg has special connections to the cause. “I was born in Ukraine, and I immigrated to America in 2010.” Erika went on to say that she has been keeping up with updates about the war and she is passionate about contributing to the effort of helping her home. Mayzenberg said, “I don’t have any political power, I don’t have anything, but the most we can do is just help organizations that are willing to help the cause to help Ukrainians.” Erika and her mother have researched and been helping the local organization Maidan United, which is where Wethersfield’s donations will be sent. Maidan United, which is based out of Hartford, Connecticut. Since being founded in 2014, their mission has been to support Ukrainian citizens impacted by Russian attacks. Today, the organization is using cash donations to contribute to the purchase of medical supplies, including but not limited to knee braces, antiviral drugs, first aid kits, and medical scissors. On top of donating cash gathered at WHS, Maidan United has an Amazon Wishlist accessible through their trending Facebook page. While donations are immensely appreciated, leaders of the effort understand that not everyone can afford to donate. “Just supporting the work, right, and helping us spread the word, especially if you can’t donate, would be wonderful,” says Mrs. Yusko. Wethersfield Athletics has also published information about volunteering at the Ukrainian National Home of Hartford to help move items. If interested, call (860)-256-5702. Moving forward, make sure to stop by the designated lunch table in our cafeteria to donate to Maidan United, and wear your Ukrainian flag pin with pride. See Maidan United’s Facebook page for more information. https://www.facebook.com/maidanunited/  Senior Jake Ericksson and other members of the WHS Indoor Track team. By: Josh Gstell and Brandon Rodriguez
Wethersfield High School offers several winter sports/activities including hockey, basketball, wrestling, boys swim and dive, and gymnastics. However, there is one often left out of this mix, being indoor track. When someone mentions winter sports here at Wethersfield High School, indoor track is one of the most overlooked. Indoor track is a very underrated winter sport, considering there are no tryouts, and if you register, you are automatically on the team. Speaking on this, it relieves a lot of stress in the process of trying a new sport. High school sports are a great way to try new things, and make new friends, especially as an incoming freshman. We spoke to Jake Errickson, senior Captain of the indoor track team for this past 2021/22 winter season. Jake has run indoor track all four years of high school and has shown to be a role model for the younger kids on the team, making him an easy choice for captain by both coach Jeffrey Weber and Jeffrey Sanborn. Jake’s older brother Jimmy Errickson was a senior captain Jake’s freshman year and convinced Jake to join the team. “He [Jimmy] said the team atmosphere was great, and I would make a lot of friends by joining [the indoor track team]”, said Jake. In the end, Jimmy proved to be correct! Shown right is just a few friends Jake has made from indoor track. However, meeting new people is just one positive aspect of indoor track. If you are wondering if the team is any good, this past season they saw great success. Jake stated, “this year was successful for me, I was part of the varsity team for the 4x800m and the 4x400m races. We ended up making the states time for the 4x800m and then came in 13th place at the states.” The team overall had 12 runners who qualified for state championships, and one runner, Holden Speed, who qualified for state opens, and for the New England championship. Physical activity is very important when it comes to high schoolers. Staying active in the winter is definitely a challenge for some due to the weather, but indoor track is a great way to stay active during the winter months. If you or someone you know is looking to join a winter sport in which little to no prior experience or knowledge is needed, indoor track is a great choice! Just because others have overlooked the sport, it certainly doesn’t not mean that you should too! Wethersfield High School’s National Art Honors Society is gearing up for a grandiose art exhibit.3/14/2022  Scholastic Art Award Winner and member Greta Dalton-kay shares a snippet of her work. By Sarah Gurskis and Tea Tola
To celebrate Youth Art Month, Wethersfield’s National Art Honors Society (NAHS) has its members (ranging from grades 9-12) creating and displaying their art for the annual art exhibit. From pencil-and-paper to digitally-created iPad creations, unique art mediums will be put on view for the school to view and appreciate. The creative-driven members have been working hard on their pieces, and are excited to show what they have made. The event will be located in the WHS art exhibit right outside of room 20, and the art will be hung between the dates of March 21-24. Vice President Andrea Moyano shares her ideal piece in the show: oil pastel. She is looking forward to seeing this medium skillfully used on a canvas due to her lack of knowledge of the medium. “It’s going to be a variety [of art pieces],” event planner and advisor Andrea Haas said. “It’s going to be a variety [eclectic] vision of the different, individual members.” Members of NAHS are eager to express themselves through their artwork, saying that there is more to their art rather than just a still display. Senior member Martina Carbone says, “Art is a language for some. It’s their outlet to how they communicate their views on the world.” Fellow member Alex Jara says, “Art shows what I’m thinking and it reflects on my personality.” Collectively, members agree that their artwork is meant to embrace the views of those who depend on their artwork, and to be heard is something to be celebrated. The artwork displayed will mainly be by the junior and senior class, with underclassman art sprinkled throughout the exhibit on March 21-24 outside of room 20 If you are interested in joining the National Art Honors Society, a fee of ten dollars is required and will promptly be donated to all NAHS future activities. See Mrs. Haas in room 20 for more details.  by: Lexie Rodrigues, Arianna Shink, and Evan Munger
Come see Wethersfield’s Drama Club production, a spinoff of the classic play Cinderella, on March 11, 12, and 13, 2022 in Wethersfield High School’s auditorium. On March 11 and 12, the play will go on at 7:30, however on the 13th the show will begin at 3:00. Tickets can be easily purchased online at https://www.showtix4u.com or can be purchased at the door with a slight increase in price. The picture above shows how the play is advertised, you will see these posters posted around the high school or even around the town of Wethersfield. Director/teacher- Mr. Roets explained how this version of Cinderella is not your typical Disney fairytale. There are four different versions of Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, this play is the latest one to be released. He went into more detail about how this version is different, for example he states that only one of the step sisters are evil instead of both. In the play, you will see the actors sing and dance. A question we asked Mr. Roets was “What are you most excited about?” and his response was, “It depends on any given day, something else is different in a great moment, like lately it is the song ’A Lovely Night,’ which is about step sisters, step mothers, and Cinderella.” There are many different reasons why you should come see this play. Our actors will be performing dances which, according to Mr. Roets, “it is funny to watch men dance”. There are going to be amazing special effects but we do not have any specific details for the reason that it is supposed to be a surprise for the audience. Therefore, if you would like to see some cool effects please come and be a part of the audience! Our drama club is going to try to make this play very believable and give their audience real emotion. There are going to be three real kissing scenes throughout the play which Wethersfield High School has never done before, that will be exciting to see. Over this weekend if you are in the mood to watch something, come down to Wethersfield High School and watch this beautiful play. You can purchase tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s shows at www.showtix4u.com  By: Nick Farrelly On Saturday, February 25, the Nighthawks girls ice hockey co-op team won their first-ever CCC title. This co-op girls hockey team consists of a number of towns, which includes Berlin, Newington, Avon, Southington, Coventry, RHAM, Lewis Mills, Plainville, Watertown, and of course Wethersfield. After an excellent regular season, posting a record of 14-4-2, the Nighthawks kept rolling and defeated rival Hall/Conard in the CCC championship at Trinity College. Congrats to the girls on this amazing achievement. Wethersfield High School’s own Nicole Partridge was named the MVP of the tournament. I sat down with her to discuss her thoughts on the season, the tournament, as well as being named MVP. Partridge said about her MVP, “It felt awesome, I was not expecting it at all. It’s an honor. But it wasn’t just me, everyone on the team contributed in the tournament and played great, and we as a team deserved that win, but the job is not finished.” A junior here at Wethersfield High School, Nicole is a captain for Nighthawks, and led the team in points throughout the season, along with fellow WHS student Bella Bonfiglio. Nicole continued her dominant season in the first two rounds of the state tournament, scoring two goals in each of the first two games. In the first game of states against Suffield, the Nighthawks went down early, losing 2-0 after the end of the first period. “It was a really nerve racking game. I think the nerves of being in such a big game got to us in the beginning, but I had faith in our team. We had a few little locker room speeches. These speeches brought us together, and gave us a good game plan for the next two periods.” The locker room speeches paid off. The Nighthawks stormed back in the last two periods. RHAM’s Nina Holm scored the first goal for the Nighthawks, and Partridge added on two more, which was enough to propel them to victory.  In the second round of states, the Nighthawks came in as the underdogs against Simsbury. However, they were not underdogs for very long. Two more goals from Nicole Partridge as well as WHS’s own Sophia Nower silenced the Trojans, as the Nighthawks won 3-1. “We really just added onto what we did in the last two periods against Suffield. We just played our game, and stuck to what we knew, and that ultimately won us the game,” stated Partridge. Sadly, the Nighthawk’s great run came to a close this Saturday in Shelton at the hands of #2 seeded Darien. It was a hard fought game all around, but the Nighthawks fell 5-1, as Bella Bonfiglio scored the lone goal for the co-op team. Despite the tough way these girls went out, congratulations to them on a historic and amazing season and run in the state tournament. They can only build on what they accomplished this year and will be back even stronger next winter. From left to right: Bella Bonfiglio, Sophia Nower, Nicole Partridge of Wethersfield High School named All-Conference.  By: Elena Rivas
The WHS Feminism Club was started by juniors Veronica McKenna and Mia Gugliotti and senior Ava Heimgartner, with the intention of talking about feminist issues and taking action in their community to make a difference, and providing those opportunities to young women. Last year, the Feminist Club held a charity drive for a shelter called My Sisters’ Place and they collected donations of over 1,000 pads, tampons, and diapers. This year, the Feminist Club has been putting feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms here at WHS for menstruators to use. The bathrooms at our school don’t have a pad and tampon dispenser, so the Feminist Club has been collecting donations of pads and tampons to have in the bathrooms. Having these items in bathrooms have been a big success and have been very helpful for many. Mrs. McKenna said, “I've had lots of students and teachers say that it's been very helpful having it there and comforting knowing it's there just in case there's an emergency.” Principal O’Connor is working with the town of Wethersfield now to get the pad and tampon dispenser installed into the bathrooms so that people who menstate can have access to these items. There's a group of Connecticut state legislators who want to create menstrual equity in Connecticut and part of that work would be to provide period products to public schools, state colleges and universities, jails, prisons and shelters. Mrs McKenna said, “Who knows if it would go through or not, but the fact that people are talking about it, and I think that what we did here brought awareness in our community that this is something that's needed. I think most women can relate but it's not something that people talk about and there's nothing to be ashamed of.” She continued to say, “I think that if we talk about it more and make it more of a common conversation it takes away that sort of stigma.” If you want to get involved with the Feminism Club, see Mrs. McKenna for any additional information in room 336 and feminine hygiene products can be donated in room 336. The legislation meeting March 9th- https://ctmirror.org/2022/02/18/we-can-end-period-poverty/ To learn more about My Sisters’ Place visit- https://sistersplacect.org/  By: Nicole Partridge
Wethersfield Youth Recreational Basketball, a program that has existed for decades is a great way for 7-8th graders to get out and play a sport. Not only does it benefit the kids, but it also allows high school students to give back by coaching the kids. For the 2021-22 season, many teams competed to try and bring home the first place championship shirt. The winning team, coached by Nick Farrelly along with assistant coaches: Ben Caulfield, Dylan Romagnoli, and Evin Adhin, had a season going against all odds, they lost to the team they played in the championship 4 times previously. A team coached by 100% high schoolers, faced adult coaches that have been coaching for years now. They were also the underdogs, they weren’t supposed to have the tremendous season they did have. Farrelly said, “This might be the last game you’ll ever play for basketball, at least organized, leave it all out on the floor.” While they were coaching, they learned just as much from their athletes. Farrelly said, “They taught me that I really enjoy coaching and that I really want to coach in the future.” While he is possibly looking up to the age group he coaches, he will never forget the kids who taught him that it's okay to coach loosely and that sometimes winning sprouts from focusing on having fun. Other coaches, Joe Bellas for one, learned life-long lessons from coaching as well. Bellas said, “I learned how to grow and improve as a leader by learning from my players and working to create a fun environment.” His team also had a pretty successful season. Aside from the coaches and players, fans had a great time at the game. Friends of the players had formed a student section of their own, cheering on their classmates. Junior, Ava Healy, supported the coaches at the championship game. Everyone knew this championship was a very important thing for the kids. Healy says, “I felt a lot of pressure for them [the kids], I knew this meant a lot to them.” The middle schoolers endured the stress, excitement, and more that they will go through in future years. When asked if she would consider coaching she agreed enthusiastically with, “Most definitely. Nick [Farrelly], Ben [Caulfield], Dylan [Romagnoli], and Evin [Adhin] really inspired me to want to start coaching.” This shows not only does it change the kid’s and coach's lives, but spectators as well. Recreational basketball is a great activity, no matter if you are in 7th grade looking to play or high school looking to give back, or even spectating! This is definitely something anyone should look into, you never know what you may learn.  NY Magazine by: Nickolas Nasse, Colby Quinn, TJ Mayfield
Just a few months short of the two-year mark of the CT mask mandate, CT schools are finally able to make a decision on whether to wear a mask or not. Wethersfield public schools announced that beginning February 28th, 2022 that they will be moving to a “Mask recommended setting” per superintendent Michael Emmet. This decision brought a split between two major sides that split the school, if not the nation. With cases staying at steadily under 3%, students and teachers of most Connecticut high schools are moving to make masks optional, removing the mandatory status for masks inside the school environment. Dozens of Connecticut schools such as Wethersfield, Enfield, Newington, and Glastonbury would be going mask optional, but other districts such as Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury, and New Haven look to continue to make masks mandatory in schools even after the ability to make it optional. With masks worn for almost 2 years within Wethersfield schools, both students and teachers both are relieved that masks are finally optional again. “Personally, if I don’t have to wear one [mask], then I’m not going to wear one,” said WHS senior Sean Dunn, who had chosen to not wear his mask in school. “Masks have been keeping us safe for almost two years,” WHS teacher Mrs. Mucinskas explains how masks are key to keeping people safe in schools but had decided to fluctuate her decision to wear a mask based on the positivity rate. Although, for other teachers and students, they may choose to stay masked because of preexisting conditions, family situations at home, or general comfort level. It’s simply important to respect others’ decisions and move on. Students and teachers of WHS were asked for their thoughts on masks and the overall whole COVID situation. Mixed results were found all over the school in the perspectives of both teachers and students still being split on masks, as well as for the parents of students. “I really wear it [a mask] because my mom wanted me to wear one,” said Junior Annabella Cartiera in response to why she wears her mask in school. Statistically though, since masks were made optional for schools around Connecticut, positivity rates have not spiked or fluctuated upwards in the mere two weeks CT schools have been mask optional, keeping positivity rates between 2-3%.  by: Ethan Malloy, Ethan Torres, and Jake Donahue
As the CCC Championship approaches, the Wethersfield Eagles hockey team is set to take on Northwest Catholic at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum in Mansfield, Connecticut on March 4. The Eagles have faced off against Northwest twice this year already, tying back in January 2-2, and losing 5-1 in February. However, the Eagles stay optimistic and believe that a new game means a fresh start. Senior Captain Colby Quinn said, “We had a great week of practice working hard, working on the things we needed too, and when we come out tonight they aren’t going to know what hit them.” Starting defensemen TJ Mayfield added, “This is a big game for us, we have to come in with confidence and play the game we play. We have to come out with more aggression and show we want it more.” Starting left wing Will Mccarter acknowledges that Northwest is a high-level team, and is not taking them lightly by any means. He stated,”Obviously they are a top 3 team in the state, it’s going to take everything we got to beat them, and we have to play every shift as hard as possible. As the boys take the road trip down to Mansfield, Captain Jay Socha had one final thing to say,”The boys are rolling, and they're not stopping anytime soon.” |
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Photos from shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0), verchmarco (CC BY 2.0), governortomwolf, Marianne Bevis, shixart1985, verchmarco, shixart1985
