Monthly Archives: June 2013

My Track Experience

This past spring was my first track season, and it was some of the most fun I have ever had. When I first tried out, I wasn’t sure I would like this sport as much as cross country, but I was very wrong. I found that I liked the fact that we had so many different events to watch and practice like throwing, relay, sprints, and longer distance runs. The Dodd track team consists of shot put, discus, 100m sprints, 4 by 100 relay, 4 by 400 relay, 200m sprint, 400m run, 800m run, and 1600m run. I made the team for the two longer distance runs, the 800m and the 1600m (mile). After a week of training and lots of running, it was time for the first meet.

The first meet we were away at Moran Middle School and everyone was nervous. We all did a warm up lap around the track then continued to stretch and prepare for the first events. It started with the 4 by 100, and everyone who wasn’t in this event went to the bleachers. People everywhere seemed to be super enthusiastic as the runners made their way around the track. After the 4 by 100 it was time for the mile. I was anxious as we lined up on the starting line and the coach went over the rules. “Start here, end here, no shoving, a second gunshot will go off if we need to restart… everyone ready?” and then the gunshot sounded. The sidelines were filled with cheering spectators as we ran multiple times around the track. I was surprised how much I was enjoying the run as I was getting onto the last lap. I picked up my pace and ran straight through the finish line, nearly beating my record. I had a much better time at the meet than I had expected, and when it came time to do the 800m, I was ready and very excited. As soon as the meet ended, I started to look forward to the next one. If you would like to know more about track, check out this website, The History of Track, and see if it’s something you might want to do!

~Gabrielle Messeder

Are Schools Really as Safe as They Say?

There has been more than 30 school shootings since Columbine in 1999, but only about 15 throughout the rest of the world since the Columbine shooting. With school shootings becoming more common in the US, what are schools doing to be safer for students and staff? Some schools have just begun to practice lockdown drills in case of emergency and locking school doors during the day.  Before December, many schools left their doors unlocked during the day, free for people to come and go. Some schools in Ohio are required to give a floor plan to police, and 58 schools have failed to do so. A bill is trying to be passed in Congress called the School Safety Enhancement Act of 2013. The bill is trying to ensure that schools can get the money they need for school safety.

In the wake of the Newtown school shooting, many schools all over the country are reconsidering their safety plan. But why did it take the lives of children for schools to realize they weren’t safe? Even this past week in Connecticut a five year old was able to get out of his kindergarten class and walk all the way home. In the same school, a young girl was missing for about 45 minutes before found in her sisters classroom. Schools claim to be taking more safety measures, but if a school cannot even keep track of all it’s student, what would happen if everyone were to be evacuated? Here in Cheshire, we have been practicing lockdown drills in schools for years, long before Newtown. Even though many schools don’t have many safety measures, it is better late than never to keep students and staff safe in school.

~Carolynn Pechmann

“Netbooks, iPads, cell phones, iPods, e-readers and even PDAs are increasingly becoming the tools of choice for today’s educators, and it is easy to see why”(Wylie). Today, many students are using electronic devices in the classroom for multiple purposes. Some schools now have the new bring your own device policy or BYOD. Students use their devices to work on projects during class, write essays, look up research using the Internet, and many more ways. These devices allow the classroom to work more efficiently and to work much faster than doing only book work. Thanks to IPads, IPods, IPhones, Nooks, Kindles and lots of other devices homework is a lot faster for today’s 21 century students. Although the use of these devices greatly benefits students, there can be some negative effects as well. One complaint of the BYOD system is that students take advantage over the wonderful opportunity given to them. For example some students text instead of working, others take photos of students during class, and some students work on other class homework during a separate class. No matter the temptations and distractions these devices bring upon students, electronic devices couldn’t be more helpful in the classrooms.

Electronic devices are extremely beneficial thanks to educational apps in the classroom. I believe that many apps make classroom work a breeze for students and it helps the teachers as well. Teachers can put up an assignment during class and students can start the assignment right away on their devices. Also, the use of electronic devices greatly benefits the community as well. This is because as a country we can and are saving ALOT more paper thanks to sharing documents and posting assignments on websites for the students to check at any time. Yes, students are often tempted to do other work and get off task when given time to work on their devices, but I believe students can be trusted. Students today may be more lazy compared to years in the past, but there still is motivation in the classroom especially if teachers promote it even more. I still wonder if there are more ways to make the classroom even easier and faster and even more efficient. For example, I wonder if years from now we will be using other devices in the classroom than the phones, e-readers, iPods and others that we use today. Thanks to these devices the country can stay efficient in the classroom and we can dream and have hope about the future with even more electronical advancements that are yet to come.

~Camryn Formica

Who Would’ve Thought?

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by several cities in Massachusetts. This event first began a year after the success of the first modern day marathon in the 1896 Summer Olympics and is now the world’s oldest annual marathon ranking as one of the world’s best known road races. However, during the Boston Marathon this year on April 15th, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs detonated killing three people and injuring many, triggering a massive manhunt for the bombers. Three days after the tragic explosions set off, photographs and surveillance videos were released by the FBI of two suspects soon identified as the notorious brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. On the morning of April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts, Tamerlan became involved in a shootout with police where he was shot and captured. According to those police officers involved in the shootout, his brother, Dzhokhar, ran him over with an SUV and dragged him with the vehicle for twenty feet leading to an even greater manhunt for the one single suspect. I assume this was so his brother would not be captured and questioned and would just be dead. That’s just me though. Anyways, during this manhunt on the evening of April 19, Dzhokhar was discovered wounded in a boat in the backyard of a very unlucky resident in Watertown, Massachusetts less than a quarter mile from where he abandoned the SUV.

In my opinion, and most likely every other American citizens’ opinion, the Boston Marathon Bombing was a very horrific tragedy. Another thing I take out of this whole travesty is, why were there not more precautions? After 9/11, safety was a huge issue but somehow, it dwindled to the point where it was almost forgotten which seemed to be the case at the marathon. These two men casually walked the streets with seemingly meaningless backpacks that were, in reality, carrying bombs that they would aimlessly place in random places. I believe if there was security placed evenly around the marathon’s route that the suspicious bags would have been noticed and taken care of before any catastrophes could occur. Nevertheless, I believe a smidge of goodness came out of this; although there were way more negatives about the Boston Bombing, proven above, than positives, the fact that these explosions allowed kind hearted people to come to the rescue of wounded runners or observers is a somewhat pleasant side to this disaster. Every little thing that happened, good and bad, allowed America to come together as a nation in remembrance of the lives lost and to show remorse towards the wounded victims. All in all, the Boston Bombing was a terroristic event very despised by not only me but by mostly all American.  My last question is based towards the two bombers, even though I know they will never answer it but, how could you look at a little boy and think ‘I’m going to kill you’ and not have a bit of guilt or remorse?

~Daniielle Dietrich

Do “Fluffy Cows” really exist?

Web surfers have always been in love with cute little kittens, but now ever since a web post appeared, their fingers have been searching for pictures of “Fluffy Cows”. Are they real?  Yes they are!  They have been a well-kept secret from the city folk.  Fluffy Cows are bred to compete in cattle shows.  Lautner Farm in Iowa breeds these cows. Lautner Farms recently updated their website which led to someone spotting those adorable cows.  The site then went viral!

These cows are not born this way.  It takes a lot of work to make the cows cute and cuddly looking.  The cows have to be broken and trained.  These cows are tame and let humans pamper them.  The cow’s fur is blown dry.  This makes it stand up like a teddy bear’s fur.  This takes about 2 hours to blow out the whole cow.  This is usually done by 4-H programs.

I think this is really cool!  I wish I had my own cow.  Cow shows seem like a great hobby and would be fun to do with my family.  I cannot believe how these cows have been kept a secret for so long from us in the city.

~Drew Spalding

Training to be a Terrorist?

On April 15th 2013 on Boylston Street in Boston Massachusetts two bombs went off.  These bombs were set off by Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, they were both known around as very nice people and were never thought to hurt anyone.  They placed two bombs and they ended up killing three people and injuring over 250.  In the chase for the suspects one of the brothers that participated in the Boston bombing was killed in a shootout with police in Watertown Massachusetts.  His younger brother (Dzhokhar) ran over him with the car that they were using to drive away in.  He managed to escape and he was hiding in a boat when he was spotted and then taken into police custody.  While being questioned he said that it was all his older brother Tamerlan’s fault and he had nothing to do with it.  Video footage shows both of them working out, and some people claim that they were training for this event.  In order to see this video footage click here.

I believe that they were training to become terrorists because the video footage showed both of them working out two days before the bombing and it said that Dzhokhar rarely came to the gym.  Also in the video it says that Tamerlan normally has a beard and this time he shaved it as a possible way to try to blend in with the rest of the crowd.  This is why I believe that they were training for this event.  Do you think they were training for an event like the Boston Marathon bombings?  Does this change your mind about whether or not they were training for the bombings?  What are your thoughts on the video footage?

~Connor Dubois

Next Generation of Gaming has Arrived

The next generation of gaming has started, with the Wii U, and now the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. But the PS4 looks to be the best console coming out. It has an improved controller, with a new touchpad, enhanced vibrations, a new shape and a new light bar. This means one great controller. Also, it has a 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ Graphics Core Next engine main processor, and 8 gigabytes of memory. Basically, it means its fast, and the graphic will be REALLY good. It also has some of the great new games coming out including Destiny and InFamous Second Sun.

Now, I think this will be the best new console coming out for all the reasons above. They have the new DualShock 4 controller, which seems to be the best one out there. The graphics will be fantastic, and the games just as good. But the thing is, the Xbox One will have these games too. But the bad thing about the Xbox is, you need to pay to play online, unlike previous PLaystation console, where online play is free. It definitely gets annoying paying every month to play online. So this leads me to my concluding question: Will the PS4 still be free to play online? If it is still free, it will be without a doubt the best new console. And if you need to pay… it will still be the best, but you will have to pay to play online just like the Xbox One.

~Dimitri Tracey

Too Much Money?

Everyone wants to have a great, fun time at their favorite amusement park. But who wants to pay a lot of money to get in? Not me! On Sunday, June 9th everything will change for the The Walt Disney Company. They have decided to raise their prices in both  Disneyland (Anaheim, CA.) and Disney World (Orlando, Fla.) The Burbank-based company states that a single-day ticket for ages 10 or older for both parks will cost from $87-$92, meaning it increased 6%. Thats crazy! In Disney World the adult pass increased $6 per person, meaning they have to pay now $95 for one adult for the day. Then there’s barely a discount for the children. Only the kids under age ten could have a 6% discount, meaning their total is $89. As you can see, the costs for an average family would be extremely high.

In my opinion, I personally think that the their prices should be lower. I think they are extremely high for a park filled with a ton of people. Yes, there are many rides but also huge lines. You could wait in a line for an hour just to go on one ride. By the end of the day it could be a waste of money by only going on a few rides. Furthermore, the families that have 5 people in it, like I do, that go to Disney World would spend a ton. For me, I have my dad, my mom, my 17 year old sister, my 15 year old brother, and me. That means for five people it will cost $475 for one day! That doesn’t even include parking and all the food. I think thats crazy for people to pay that much for rides. There should be discounts, but no there isn’t. Overall, I think if they keep raising their prices then people can’t afford it and they will lose customers.

~Kaitlyn D’Andrea

Getting Off On The Right Sock

The 2013 MLB Season is now about 1/3rd of the way over and there are a few big surprises so far. One very big surprise is the standings of the AL East. Sports Illustrated predicted the order of the standings in this division the exact opposite of what they are as of June 4th, 2013. SI predicted the order of the division being 1. Blue Jays 2. Rays 3. Orioles 4. Yankees. And 5. Red Sox. But to the surprise of many, it is the Red Sox in 1st and the Blue Jays in last. Not many people had seen this coming, even the most optimistic of Red Sox fans had guessed a 2nd to 3rd place finish would be in order, and that would be just okay following their disastrous 93 loss season last year. But the Red Sox have started the year fantastically and are on pace for a 98 win season. Many people have tried to pinpoint exactly what is making the Red Sox so successful this season. I think there are many reasons.

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most successful teams in baseball and there are many factors that are helping them with that. One of the biggest reasons is there very smart approach to free agency in the offseason. The Red Sox stayed away from the big-name signings that had gotten them in trouble in previous years (See, Carl Crawford), and went after more middle-of-the-pack free agents, such as Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster, and Koji Uehara. These players cost much less than some bigger names and have already shown the ability to shine in big markets and under pressure, unlike some past signings (See, Carl Crawford). These newcomers are by no means the only things helping the team though, as veterans that have been with the team for a few years are a huge factor also. David Ortiz is having a career revival, Dustin Pedroia is playing like an MVP, and Daniel Nava is having a career year. Clay Buchholz is pitching like a Cy Young winner, Jon Lester is finally back, and John Lackey is having a comeback year. The Red Sox are surprising everyone this year, but if you look closely, there’s no reason it should be that way.

~ Jake Wallinger

A New Deadly Virus has been Discovered

As of May 30th, this SARS-like virus has caused the deaths of 49 people. It first started in Saudi Arabia, but now has been spotted in other areas as well. It spread when individuals started visiting affected areas and later flying back to their native place, unaware that they were infected. It is related to SARS because it acts like a cold virus and attacks the respiratory system, but scientists have decided to name it Middle East Respiratory Symptom Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV. Symptoms include things such as a fever and a cough, but can take up to 9 to 12 days to show. This disease is more serious than the bird flu, and is spreading rapidly. The number of deaths has almost doubled in only one day.

Although this disease might never reach the U.S., it is still very alarming to me. It is killing people rapidly, and only taking less than 24 hours to kill them. I believe people should have stricter rules when allowing possible infected travellers to travel. They can’t take any chances when other countries might get infected as well. I think that this new disease is horrible, and that scientists should start finding a cure right away. At this rate, how many people do you think will be gone in a month? Too many, that’s for sure.

-Catie Schaffer