Daily Archives: October 25, 2011

Taking Away The Simple Hello

Think about it, how often do you say hello to someone in person or over the phone. It seems these days that there is little to no variety of communication throughout both the average teen and adult, daily life . Now the “New Thing” for the past couple of years is texting, which I must say is addicting! Which is why so many of us do it. Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to text but there is a limit. I know some people that right after school they have to text like there life depends on it. If you have something so important to say why don’t you just say it over a phone call or in person.

Now this is a question for you. How often do you text? Is it daily? Every hour? Or every minute? Now studies have shown that more and more teens text every day and in higher quantities.

Some peoples grades  dropped to C’s then dropped to D’s because the distraction of texting. Another distraction of texting is texting while driving. Now a days this is a serious situation. On the news you here more and more about texting and driving accidents. Why risk your life on a text? Can’t it wait?

~Andrew Fiocco

The Day The World Changed

Just 10 years and 1 month ago, most of America could never have guessed what a horrible day it would be. We all woke up that morning, we went to work and/or school, and then the world stood still. About 3,000 people died that day, and even more people lost a loved one. There were four planes that day. Two hit the World Trade Centers, one hit the Pentagon, and one went down in Pennsylvania. Flight 93, the plane that went down in Pennsylvania, is the plane that nobody knows where it was supposed to land. The men and woman on the plane were heroes, because when they realized that their plane was one of the planes, that was to be taken over by the terrorists, so they crashed the plane.

Now all these years later, we have a country that has lost most of its trust and faith that people are good. This statement is proven by the fact that we have extreme airport security. Also the people in this country have become very racist. Although I understand the reasons why we have such security, when it comes to the race part, I am some-what ashamed of this country. I think that this country is entirely to rude to people that are from the middle-east.

~Rebekah Whelan

Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In School?

Cell phones are what just about everyone uses these days to communicate with their friends, family, and even people they don’t really know.  Every kid always has their cell phone in their pocket or not farther away then a couple of feet.  Every week, new kinds of cell phones come out .  But the big question is; “should cell phones be allowed in school?”

The point of school is to learn new things that will help us succeed throughout our entire life.  School is really not the place to be texting someone right across the room or down the hall.  It distracts us and keeps us from learning.  Without learning we would be nowhere in life. If kids, and even adults, used cell phones during school hours or during a class we would get nowhere in school.  Every moment we would hear vibrating or some sort of annoying beeping sound. That would then distract the entire class.

Although cell phones are good in case of emergencies or if you need to get in contact with someone quickly, they do not belong in school. Especially if your in the middle of a class.   It’s okay to keep one in your locker turned off, and then after you get out of school or after last class you take it out, but otherwise they are just a distraction and then going to school is pointless.

I believe that cell phones should not be allowed during classes, and I think it should stay that way.  Although I would love to have my phone during class, you have to think about the long run.  Learning is important and we need to have it in order to succeed.

~Ally Braun

Possible Iran Assassination on U.S. Soil

Iran has been blamed for an assassination attempt of the Saudi Arabian ambassador. President Barack Obama said on Thursday October 13th “officials at the highest levels” of the Iranian government must be held accountable for a brazen and bizarre plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. on American soil.” Iran denied having been involved in the assassination attempt but the evidence is pointing to them. Even Barack Obama believes that Iran was involved in the assassination. U.S. officials claimed that it was a clumsy but serious offense against both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.The assassination was committed by Iran’s foreign action unit Quds Force. Countries that believe action should be taken against Iran for their involvement include Britain, Germany, and some other European Nations.

My personal opinion is Iran would be dumb to try this and even dumber to get caught. I think this because they seem like they would be able to do this and it would take longer for them to get caught. I also think that they would know not to commit an attempted assassination on U.S. soil. I think that Iran was framed for the assassination because they seem like they would be smarter than that. This is what I think happened with the Iran assassination attempt.

~Andrew Goggin

Running Rampage

Work the hill! This is what I hear from the Dodd Cross Country coach Ms. Heffernan during meets. Cross Country is one of the three sports I participate in. I also play baseball and basketball. I was on the cross country team last year and I am on it this year too. Last year as a seventh grader, I thought I fit in nicely with the eighth graders. I was the third fastest on the team. We came in fifth place in the state meet and earned a trophy. This year, we expect to exceed last year’s results. We are currently 3-1, coming off a two point loss to Moran. Earlier in the year, we were supposed to participate in the Pantherfest in East Hampton, but it got cancelled due to rain. Other invitationals we’ve participated in include the McGee Invitational and the Dodd Invitational. We’ve dominated every team except for Moran. The three teams we’ve beaten are Kennedy, DePaolo, and Dag. We’ve beaten each of them by a large margin. Next week, we have a meet against Wilson, which is our last meet as a complete team. Then, on November 5th, the top seven runners qualify to go to the State Championship Meet at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT. I am looking forward to that meet and I hope to do very well there. I’m shooting for a top ten finish this year. Last year, there was a total of 305 runners in the meet. I want to kill it!

I have been running since I was 8 years old. When I was 9, I ran my first mile. I ran it in 7:49. At the time I thought it was amazing, but now I hear about all these phenoms and I’m thinking, Wow! I stink. That mile was really when me and running clicked. I come from a family of runners and they pushed me to give it a try. I’ve just been running ever since. I always had a rivalry with one kid in elementary school whenever the mile run came round the corner. In 4th grade, I got a 7:11 and i wasn’t too happy. My friend got a 6:49 and the Norton School record. I was so mad. But then, I got it back. In 6th grade, we ran the mile run for the fitness test. I was so happy after that run. I got a 6:18! I was pumped. I came in 1st for my grade, beating my friend by four seconds with a sprint at the end. Then I went into middle school and ran cross country and track in seventh grade. In cross country, I did way better than expected. I got no respect in the beginning but then I earned it. My best finish in a meet as a seventh grader was second place. I usually came in sixth or seventh though. In the state meet, i came in 59th out of 305 seventh and eighth grade runners. I ran a 6:10 mile pace over 2.3 miles. I came in third for Dodd. That race is still the highlight of my running career. Then in the spring, during track, I didn’t get off to a good start. I didn’t win an event until the fourth meet. I ran the mile, the 800 meter, and the 4×400 meter relay. My fastest mile during track was 5:24 and my fastest 800 was 2:30. The 800 is my favorite event. We were unable to go to the Track State Championships because of failure to register in time. I was crushed. I was hoping to improve my times. At the moment, it is undecided whether I am doing track in the spring, but if I do, I’m hoping to break some records!

~Dylan D’Addio

There is no “I” In Team!

 

The Boston Bruins. Not the most talented team in the NHL. But they do work as a team.  The Bruins win their games by passing the puck and setting one another up to score goals. If you ask me that is pretty good teamwork. Teamwork is exactly how they won the Stanley Cup last season. But last season is in the past. Can they win the Cup again by using the same work ethic?  Or, do they need someone to rise above the rest and carry the team on his shoulders in order for the Bruins to win the Cup again this year? In my opinion they can use the same method as they did last year. I mean you do not have to change the way you play if you just won The Cup playing that way.

The Bruins do have players that can step up and carry the team. But sometimes when one person does that they start to hog the puck. They do not pass or set other players up to score anymore. They just try to do everything on their own. The other players start to slack off a little. Plus it is not right not to be a team player. Take the Capitals for example, they have the best player in the NHL but they don’t always succeed because  one player is the one that does everything. Plus when was the last time the Capitals won a Stanley Cup when they did not work as a team? Never. When was the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup when they worked as a team. Just last season.

~Steven Friedler

Piglet Sized Pets

What I’m wondering, as many of you might be, is do pigs make good pets, and do humans make good owners for these pets? And no not the farm pigs, but the new trendy potbellied pig. Now before anyone thinks of adopting this cute intelligent little creature, one has to wonder why animal shelters are overflowing with the very animals people are rushing to buy. After all why would such an intelligent, clean, curious, quiet, and playful pet be abandoned? Could one reason for this be that the owner is the one with the problem? For example, a pot bellied pig can get bored and become destructive, but is that not the owners fault? So let’s see what it takes to own one of these little guys.

The first thing you should know about these little cuties is that they can be aggressive. Pot bellied pigs can become very territorial and without knowing who is the  boss they will strive to become “top pig”. So if you plan on getting one of these little rascals make sure you set yourself as “top pig” from the start. Also good to know is that pigs are on a 24/7 quest for food, no matter what. They will easily learn how to open your cabinets and fridge in their search. An easy solution to this is a childproof lock, or something similar, to keep out these persistent pigs. Another thing to know about these rascals is that they are instinctual diggers. So, make sure there is a nice spot of soft dirt where your pig can root (dig with their snout).

Now let’s move back into the positive of these little guys. After all, they can be great pets if you are ready for those couple of cons. One great thing about pot bellied pigs is they are easily trainable. So with the help of a little bribery, you will have a trained pet in no time. This also comes in handy with any bad behaviors as they can easily be trained away. Another reason potbellied pigs are a popular pet is because of how affectionate they are. Potbellied pigs enjoy companionship and closeness, so don’t be afraid to show your love to the little guy.

Lastly, a few warnings to anyone considering a potbellied pig as a pet. Make sure your pig is from a reputable breeder and also make sure to meet its parents and siblings before taking your pig home.  It could be prevent a lot of future problems. Further, if you have a dog, getting a pig may not be a good idea. To dogs pigs are prey, and if they are left alone together, assume the worst can and will happen. Also another tip about pigs is that they can’t stand heat. If you’ve ever heard that pigs can’t sweat, well, it’s true. So if you live somewhere very warm make sure your pig doesn’t just have shade, but also has a place to get wet and cool off, like a swimming pool.

One final tip about your little guy, give him or her lots of love, and enjoy!

~Brooke Claflin