 By: Kayla Cruz and Aliza Yousufzai
Spring has arrived and that means spring sports are now in full swing and all the athletes are getting ready to win their future meets. Although spring track started in the beginning of March, they are still training to win. We got the chance to sit and chat with the captain of the track team Amayia Giscombe to see what is going on in the track world and what it’s like to have such an important role in the team. Giscombe mostly does throwing: shot, disc, and javelin. We also learned about what roles she has on the team besides doing the activities that they do on track. She has the privilege of being the main part of the team and help the other team members. We were interested in seeing how it is different being a captain versus being a team member. “Some of the duties are to show people how they should throw, such as form and just be very uplifting ‘oh you can do this you got this.’” These little pointers help the team work together better and motivates them to move forward and win at the next meet. Some people join and don't know how to do certain things so teaching them how to do it is part of her job. Making sure the team comes together is very important and helps them win the meets. “Being a captain I am more aware of the forms of everyone else if I see that someone is struggling I make sure to help them. I'm not always the best, like yesterday some of the freshman threw better than me but it’s okay I’m proud of them that means I’m doing my job.” Overall, the track team is of to a very good start this season. Make sure to support the Wethersfield track at their next home meet on April 30, 2019 versus Rocky Hill at 3:45.
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 By: Ariana Tessier and Calista Margiotta
Being two seniors here at WHS, there are many classes that we have had to take. However, there are many classes that seniors have taken that they enjoy going to and enjoy taking. Students LOVING a class...yeah, weird right? Eight seniors who shared with us their favorite classes and why they enjoy these classes so much. This will also give the upcoming seniors and other students here at WHS to hear about classes that they may be interested in taking in the future. WHS senior Lauren Christie’s favorite class is Current Issues. She said, “I get to learn about things that are beneficial in real life.” This class benefits Lauren and she always is looking forward to going to spend time in that class. With other students we polled naming the same class, it’s safe to say this is a popular class amongst seniors. Dante Burgos had a lot to say about Speech, saying “I feel as though it’s a great class especially for students who have problems speaking in front of large groups. It is also a great class before you go off to college because it is a good tool to have to be comfortable talking in other groups.” Paige Contenta´s favorite class is Journalism which is a class we both take and enjoy. Matt Iallonardo talked about his Calculus class and said, “This is my favorite class because I enjoy the teacher.” Dino Alihodzic is taking AP Psychology this year and although it is an advanced class and very hard, he said, “This is my favorite class because I love Ms. Niemiec and the class is always fun.” To conclude the portion of this article with interviews, we end with Grace Amoruso who’s favorite class is the challenging Uconn ECE Composition and Rhetoric. One of the benefits of going to Wethersfield High School is being able to take college level classes and using those credits in college. Entering senior year can give you a great opportunity to take the classes that you have been interested in throughout your other high school years, but haven’t had the chance to take. What's your favorite class? Did it make this list? Comment below!  By: Taylor Pitchell & Erin Nargi Over spring break, WHS students embarked on international trips including trips to Ireland, Italy, France and Spain. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for these students and it is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Mrs. McGrath and several Wethersfield High School students traveled to Italy during this past spring break. They had an 8 hour flight over the Atlantic and spent all of spring break in the beautiful 70 degree weather. They visited cities like Florence, Assisi, and Roma where they visited old historic sites, museums and other locations that allowed them to soak in the Italian culture and history. Students also had the opportunity to test their knowledge on the Italian language while eating unlimited amounts of pasta. Some students have been learning Italian since freshman year so this was the perfect time to put their Italian to the test. Students enjoyed their time and said the trip was 100% worth it. WHS is considering planning the trip again in the near future. The other group, led by Mr. Roets and Mr. Nicholas, traveled to Spain over spring break. Lindsey Clark, a senior at Wethersfield High School said her favorite part of the trip was “walking along the beach in Barcelona, and later on being able to just sit on the beach and talk with all my friends from WHS but also having that time to be able to create a friendship with students from Washington state that traveled with us.” In Barcelona, there tried many different foods, including flammekueche which is similar to pizza. “It is a really thin piece of dough that has a creamy sauce on top, with additional toppings such as ham,” says Lindsey Clark. It was a favorite of many of the students on the trip. Clark described the trip by saying “Everyone had a smile on their face!” I think it’s safe to say everyone else who went on the trip could say the same thing. Keep your eye out for posters for upcoming trips to create your own once in a lifetime experience. By: Maddie Bradbury and Lauren Christie Wethersfield High School recently held an appellate court , and I had the opportunity to attend. Going into the court case, I had a lot of questions and didn’t know what to expect because I have never been to anything like this before. It was very serious; we had to go through a metal detector, and there were several police officers in the auditorium making sure everyone was attentive and appropriate. We sat quietly and engaged in our seats, while listening to the case unfold. Holding the court case at the high school was a great opportunity to learn first hand about the judicial system. While listening to the lawyers present their sides, I was able to learn how to set up good arguments, which could be very useful for me in my later life. It fascinated me how much knowledge the judges had about not only the case at hand, but they also referenced dozens of cases from the past. One of the cases involved a milk delivery man who slipped and fell while delivering the milk to the school. He slipped on the icy pathway that he claims should have been cleared off, and is trying to sue the town for his injuries. He lost the initial court case because the town had immunity, but due to his contractual obligation to be at the school, he appealed the case and was given the opportunity to present it at the appellate court. My biggest question was how would I feel if this was one of the teachers at the school who fell and got hurt? I was curious if teachers would face a similar result in court, so I asked one of the men who helped organize the court, and he said “Unfortunately, the teachers are not obligated to be at school, so they would not be able to sue the school either. The only people allowed would be students, because by law they have to come to school.” It was these questions that helped extend what we saw at the appellate court that made it so interesting, it was a chance for the “real world” judiciary system to come to a high school and give us all some authentic learning experiences. Thank you to the State of Connecticut and to Wethersfield High for bringing this experience.  By: Justin Biraci
On Sunday, 14 April 2019, the Game of Thrones Season 8 episode was released nearly after a year and a half wait. Everyone has been awaiting the new season as it left a major question mark in the last episode of Season 7. The episode took the same format as the first ever episode of Game of Thrones. The similarities were clear and bold between the two episodes. For the most part everyone enjoyed the episode. Luke Johnson, a student at WHS, said “The episode modeled the first episode completely, you could tell off the bat when the kid was climbing the tree like Bran used to.” This was one of the many scenes that showed direct correlation to the first episode of the show eight years ago. There were also a lot of plot developing that took place in the episode. The episode almost served as a a set up for the rest of the season. Johnson also said, “The episode may have been a little slow, but there were a lot of conflicts that were ignited in the episode”. The show is most likely going to have an upsetting end with many dying, so in the next few episodes many characters are going to die. There are also many possibilities as to who is gonna end up on the iron throne. Johnson stated, “As long as anyone but Bran ends up on the throne, then I’ll be happy”. People are avoiding social media to avoid spoilers. Some have been waiting almost 1.5 years and they finally got their relief. It was the most watched television episode, with 17.4 million views. This show has the entire school buzzing and talking about the possibilities of the show. Some are still wondering about what the first episode entirely means. Or, in what episode will the Great War happen?  By Christian Galain & Austin Harnish
The Wethersfield boys volleyball team are tied with rival Newington at the top of Class M as they are set to square off on Wednesday May 1st. Newington were the class M state champs of 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017. “Seniors Riley Grenier, Kevin Rascius, and Josh Malizia are our captains.” said junior outside hitter Rei Koni, “As leaders, I know they can take us far, they are confident in us and themselves, and I know I don’t have any worries with them on our team.” We then talked to the head coach Deborah O’Brien, Ms. O’Brien has been coaching girls volleyball since 1990. She was the assistant coach for 4 years and then became the head coach. She has been coaching the boys since 2007; after being the assistant for 2 years she then became the head coach. “Our season has gotten off to an excellent start. We are currently 9-0. The athletes worked hard during the off season and continue to work hard at each practice and match. They all have strong skills and are playing well as a team, their positive attitudes are also an asset,” said Coach O’Brien. “This team is gelling very well. Team chemistry makes a big difference. This team is one of the most motivated, hard working, skilled teams we have had in a few years. Many of the players have a lot of varsity experience.” One last question that we had asked was how are the captains showing leadership on the court, “We have 3 captains this year. All 3 of them are working hard on their own skills and work hard to motivate their teammates during practices and games. They lead by example. They are able to keep the team focused and positive during practices and games.” Make sure to come out and support the volleyball team for their next game, on Wednesday May 1st, and the rest of the season. Games usually begin around 5:00pm, to see the whole schedule click on the link.  by: Kevin Rascius
IBM is reaching out and making a difference at Wethersfield High School. Science teacher Mr. Kess runs an interesting independent study called, “Mastering the Mainframe.” This independent study provides seven WHS students with the incredible opportunity of learning how to use mainframe computers and setting them up for future success in the field of computer science. The independent study gives students the chance to learn about these computer systems and gives students real-world application of this knowledge. The students access IBM’s mainframe computers through laptops and are advised by Project Manager Christopher Zack from IBM. Mainframe computers are essential tools in the real world, they are used primarily by large companies for critical applications, transaction processing, storing important information, and so much more. As Mr. Kess said, “Mainframe computing is something that doesn't get alot of attention, but is a huge, huge part of the finance community.” 92 of the world's top 100 banks use mainframe computers, there are 30 billion business transactions handled by mainframes everyday, and they handle about 87% of all credit card transactions. “Mainframes are secure, they are fast, and the whole point is to crunch data. It’s incredible what mainframes do, they're in the background, we don't know realize what they do, but everybody touches them everyday when they make a credit card transaction or book an airline ticket.” (Christopher Zack) Mainframe computers are a key component of our everyday lives, yet very few people know about them. They handle our most important transactions and store the most vital information because they are fast, secure, reliable and dependable. Tests have shown that they can survive an earthquake with an 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, these are built to handle the extremes. This independent study is very different from any other class at Wethersfield High School, as it culminates in a competition sponsored by IBM that can result in obtaining “Digital Badges” that acts as credentials to recognize students achievement and contribution. These badges are a tangible item that proves to potential employers that you have the skills to work for them. Project Manager Christopher Zack from IBM said, “Ideally, students will get those badges. The goal here is to complete the course, and earn the badges. The badges are an incredible thing to take away from this. This contest identifies the people who have the potential to be mainframers, and get their names out there as candidates to be mainframers.” In the competition, hundreds of students compete, and are asked to complete a multitude of challenges and projects on a mainframe computer. Successful students in the competition can earn these digital badges, and win other prizes such as Amazon gift cards. With this independent study, IBM and WHS expose students to an amazing job opportunity in a rewarding and important field. These students are getting a free jump start on a potential career in the field of computer science, and IBM is getting a head start on training the next generation of mainframe programmers, and identifying possible future employees. The independent study has just begun this semester, and Mr. Kess and Mr. Zack hope to make it into a half-year elective by the beginning of next year. As it is an independent study, students try to meet with Mr. Kess once a week but do most of their work in their own home. In order to do well in this class, students must be responsible and self motivated. While the course may sound difficult and very ¨techy¨, both Mr. Kess and Mr. Zack encourage anyone with any interest in the field of computer science to participate. The class can shed some light on what “computer science” means, and presents an amazing and free opportunity for all Wethersfield Students. All in all this independent study and future WHS elective provides an incredible opportunity for students. If you are curious about computer science, enjoy a challenge and love the thrill of competition, this class is for you. By Bryce Cox Music theory is a semester long elective taught by Mr. Rioux, who also teachers choir. The class is open to all grade levels, freshman through senior. It is a relatively small class and allows for much individual time for explainations and other aspects of learning.
Music theory isn’t just for music students, and is open to students of all level of music knowledge. Music theory covers basics such as note names and reading ledger lines, as well as note lengths such as quarter notes and eigth notes. It also covers more complex aspects of music such as time signature and composition. The final project of the class is a composition project following the basic rules of composition. Using the intervals learned in the first two weeks as well as chords and their inversions. It is a fairly simple course and doesn’t take up a lot of time in regards to the amount of classwork and homework involved. The class involves use of the school’s new electronic music lab, utilizing the pianos and composition programs on the computers. I would recommend music theory for anyone interested in music, regardless of type. Learning the logic behind music, such a rhythms, tonality, key signature, and intervals provides a greater insight and understanding to everyday music. |
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