The Fall of the Town Pool

The town pool is a “waste of money” says a Cheshire citizen quoted in the Cheshire Herald. Every year millions of dollars are spent on the Cheshire pool. Does it have perks? Of course it does, it’s a pool. But does it also have a lot of bad things about it? For example, this year we are spending 7 million dollars on a machine that will make it so the pool will not use as much energy. A lifeguard who represented the pool at a town meeting stated that 500 kids were taught how to swim in 2011. The real question is whether 500 kids learning how to swim is more important than millions of dollars that could be going to other essential needs of the town.

In my opinion the Cheshire public pool is a HUGE waste of money. I think that millions of dollars of Cheshire’s money should be going to more important things like education or healthy eating. Yes, I do believe that it is attractive to have a town pool, but I do not think it looks good to the town if the roof covering it is falling down every single winter! Did you know that 1.3 million dollars of the schools budget was cut so that there was more money to spend on the pool? I doubt it. There is no way that we have this much money to just throw at the pool and hope that it survives the year.   Even if does survive then you just hope you won’t have too much trouble putting the bubble up and down. I have been a citizen of Cheshire ever since I was born and I think that I have been to the pool all of 3 times. There are way too many problems to worry about when dealing with the pool. I think that it should be closed for good.

~Adler Demac

The Rise of the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots football team is an association that was founded in 1959  by Billy Sullivan and originally played in the AFL. In the 1970’s the Patriots were moved to the NFL and put in the AFC East. In 1985 the patriots made it to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Chicago Bears 41-10. Again, in the late 1990’s the Pat’s made it to the Super Bowl but were to lose yet again; this time to the Green Bay Packers. Finally in 2000 the Patriots decided to take a gamble on Bill Belichick, a young coach fresh out of the New York Jets Association. This was an automatic success and there was a bond between Tom Brady and the new coach that was unlike any other in the league. The patriots went on to win 3 Superbowls in 4 years. They also went 16-0 in the regular season of the ‘07-’08 season.

I believe that as of now the Patriots are the best team out there. They have one of the best QB’s in the league as well as the best tight end and a stellar receiving crew. They have also devoted most of the 2012 NFL draft to defense. They took their first round pick out of Alabama, Dant’a Hightower, as well as a d-end named Chandler Jones and other upgrades in the secondary. Although the Patriots lost the Super Bowl in 2012 to the New York Giants it shows that they still have it in them and are expected to make the Super Bowl this year. The Patriots dominated their first game against the Tennessee Titans, winning 30-13 and shaking off the pre-season rust. The Patriots are the the best team in the league, I have no doubt in my mind that they will have a great season this year.

~Adler Demac

Cinnamon Challenge. What’s the point?!

You have all heard about the new “trend” among teenagers. It’s called the Cinnamon Challenge. It goes something like this…. you invite your friend over,and soon become bored out of your minds’ from sitting on your couch watching reality TV all day. Suddenly, your friend jumps up from the couch. Your can almost see the light bulb glowing above her head. “Hey… We should take a video of ourselves attempting the Cinnamon Challenge, and post it on youtube! Everyone is doing it!”  Your thinking hmmmm…“Wait a minute, so you want me to eat a spoonfull of cinnamon so that it coats my mouth and throat, making me cough, choke and probably throw up? Um, no thanks!”

What seems like a silly game can have very serious consequences. Internet sites like Youtube are filled with videos of teens trying the challenge. This is sending the message to kids that The Cinnamon Challenge is fun and cool. But seriously, how is that fun??? If you don’t believe me, click here.

~Taryn Murasso

Important to Him Important to Me


Something very important to me is my dad’s old teddy bear. When I was six years old my dad gave me his teddy bear to keep as my own. He had it since he was a baby which makes it over 40 years old! His teddy bear’s name is Teddy. Teddyis an orangish brown bear with a faded red tie (so faded now thats it a light pink almost white). You can tell that he has been loved for many years, by the worn away fur, the stitched up holes and the loose eyes.  I will love the teddy bear as much as my dad does.

I will keep the teddy bear and give it to my child when the time comes, and hopefully my child will give it to theirs and so on.  This bear means a lot to me. It has helped me mentally when I was sick, and sad and sometimes when I was mad. He has been a friend when I thought I didn’t have any, he listens without judging, and he holds my deepest secrets. I will never forget the day my dad gave me his best friend. I can see what my dad saw in this bear and I will cherish the bear for a long time.Will he always be there? Will I take him to college?Will he be next to me when I’m married? Or will he be stored away in the attic for safe keeping until the time comes for him to become someone else’s best friend? Only time will tell. For now he’s got a job to do; be with me.

~ Zachary Warner

Boys Will Be Boys

Bullying is a big problem in our nation. While most people are against it, there are still those few who view it in some cases, as “just horseplay”.  There is one incident at Kopachuck Middle School, Washington state in which the bullying was recorded and you can clearly see the teacher participating. When questioned, his excuse was “I thought they were just horsing around” and “Boys will be boys.” The 13 year old boy involved was held down by chairs, dragged around the room, and had his own socks stuffed into his mouth. At one point, the teacher poked the student in the stomach. At another, he put his bottom in front of the young boys face and said “Oh and by the way, I’m feeling a bit gassy today.” The teacher was put on administrative leave for ten days followed with the teacher finishing the year as a substitute. The next school year, the same teacher is teaching full time again, but this time in another school. The child was not able to return to class again the next day and transferred schools and was in therapy for months after the incident.

This teacher is obviously a sick person to be tormenting a young student. I think that he should have been fired and never allowed to teach again, but thats my opinion. I also feel that he should have to pay a 10% part of the boys therapy fines considering it’s most likely his fault the child needs therapy. I think it also was a very bad decision to move the teacher to another school where they don’t know what he has done in his past. Also, now he can do this to another child. What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think it is ok for the teacher to keep his job and just be transferred?

– Alex Glenn

Being Kind to People

 

Everyday, people meet new people and become good friends. They could meet them in school, in the library, or even in the supermarket. However, did you ever wonder what that person will be like when they grow up? Will they be a movie star, or the President of the United States, or maybe even some kind of inventor? Nobody really knows. Thats why we should be nice to everyone; because its a nice thing to do, and if you ever might need help from them, they will help you.

In the past years, America has gotten so much ruder. From not saying thank you to your parents when they got you your new guitar, or even using your sleeve to wipe your face after eating.We can change this though. A survey on this website says that 75% of people think Americans have gotten ruder.  We can fix this though. If everyone starts acting nice to everyone else and says please and thank you, uses a napkin to wipe their mouth after eating, and acts nice to everyone, maybe we won’t be as rude. If you take one thing from this blog, I hope its that you should be nice to everyone, because they will be nice to you in return.

~ Gina Allegrini

The Death Of A Great

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died on Aug 25, 2012. He was 82 and is going to be buried at sea. Neil Armstrong, who commanded Apollo 11, the mission that landed men on the moon on July 20th 1969 did not like to be considered a hero. When he returned to earth with his crew, everyone wanted to see them; presidents, prime ministers and kings. They were awarded medals and even streets were named after them. They went on a tour and went to 25 countries which took them 35 days.

Neil Armstrong was such a big impact on the science world. He proved that humans were able to go to another planet and he was the first one to leave earth. In my opinion he accomplished one of the greatest things in history. If he hadn’t done what he did we might not know what is happening outside of earth. He helped the science community in so many ways. He will be remembered forever.

~James Eigner