“ H o w t h e B e a r s m a k e t h e i r m a r k ” VOLUME III, ISSUE 4APRIL 2009

The Norwalk High School

Paw Print

I N T H I S I S S U E :News.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1News Feature..........................................4April Fools..............................................6Arts and Entertainment...........................7Feature..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10S t a f f / E d i t o r i a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2Project Explore.....................................13Opin ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14D e b a t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7Club Connection...................................18Sports........................................19

NEWS FEATURE A & E SPORTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ashley Lampman ’09Arts & Entertainment Editor

Dan Conklin ’09Photography Editor

What’s On Your Mind? PrivacyThe once private content held on such websites like Facebook and Myspace are coming into the public light more and more, having some people ask what is happening to my privacy? There as been rumors circulating around Norwalk High that school administrators have been using Facebook as a tool to catch and punish students who are misbehaving in and out of school. These rumors come on the heel of a recent suspension of a student who was pictured and posted on Facebook while “inciting poor behavior” inside of Norwalk High School. The rumors are not entirely true however, although the school administration did hand out the suspension based on a Facebook photo, they were not the ones who discovered it. The photo was reportedly printed out and brought to the attention of our school offi cials. This incident has left students wondering what their personal privacy entitles them to and what is now fair game for the school administrators. “School and Facebook are hardly related

and what one does on their own time or how they carry themselves outside of school should not be monitored by administrators within or connected to the school,” said senior Ben Freshman 09’. However a source inside of the Norwalk Police Department has defended the monitoring of online activity; saying in can help prevent school violence and bullying. The question is who can actually view our Facebook accounts with unrestricted access, and the answer is “Facebook Moderators”. One can either be appointed to the position or apply for it on Facebook after having a large amount of valid fl agged photos. These “Moderators” have access to all the accounts in their region; can view any account and any photo, even ones that were deleted within the past two years. It is quite possible that several police offi cers and school administrators have received this post and it is clear they will use it to enforce the rules, even if some consider it a grave violation of privacy.

COLOR WARNEON BLACK AND WHITEVS

SUPERHEROES VS VILLIANSVSDisco Club Country Club

VSUnder the Sea Out of this World

Seniors and Sophomores Vs. Juniors and Freshmen

YELLOW VS BLUE

April 3- April 9

“When someone does you a big favor, don’t pay it back…Pay It Forward.” Many have heard of the movie, where a young boy changed the lives of millions, or the long Starbucks chain that took place in the state of Washington. But over the course of a month, Norwalk High had their own pay it forwards taking place. Kurt Simonsen’s Honors English III classes and Dan Seger’s Freshmen English classes created their own pay it

forwards. The two classes split into twenty groups. Each group created a service project that bettered someone or something within NHS. Various projects included a mural of students and faculty hands in second fl oor D-House, handing out lifesavers with sayings in the main lobby, recycling in the cafeteria, a Pay it Forward Facebook page and passing around a card between faculty members. Carolyn Knowles (’10) and her group gave back to the nurses. “We went to Wal-Mart and got hand sanitizer and tissues and made a little table of it available to other

students in the nurse’s offi ce,” said Knowles. The goal of the month long project was to show the students of NHS the school’s capability. “We wanted to improve upon the school’s atmosphere. We hoped to open people’s eyes up to the potential that this school has,” said Mr. Simonsen. The project was a success and many students and faculty were affected by the Pay It Forward. “I think not just our project, but everyone’s projects were successful. I heard other people and teachers talking about the projects,” said Knowles. The idea of Pay It Forward may seem simple, but it can make the biggest difference. Simonsen fi nished, “There’s no reason why people can’t be nice to each other,” said Mr. Simonsen.

They Do Not Pay It Back, They Just Pay It Forward

All week long bring in used books to the front lobby and do-nate them to shelters. schools, and

the needy.

Students made posters to make the school aware of recycling.

Photo Credit: C

helsea Jacoby

Photo Credit: D

aisy Villalobos

Mural that was created by students in Pay It Forward

NEWS THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 2 NEWS THE PAW PRINTPAGE 2

Attendance notes

Students are required to produce a note whenever an absence has occured. Bring the note to the attendance clerk, Mrs. Morgan, within 24 hours of your return to school or else it will result in an unexcused absence for the day, which will register as cut (AU in all classes. Be responsible and bring a note in for your absence.

Beauty and the BeastOpening Night for the spring musical, Beauty and the Beast, is May 1 at 8:00pm in the NHS auditorium. Tickets can be bought ahead of time to reserve seats.

Can and Bottle drive

The Norwalk High School band will hold a can and bottle drive at Andrew’s Field on April 11 from 9am- 1pm.

Earth Day FestivitiesEarth Day is April 22 and the Earth Club is planning to put on an “Earth Show” for NHS staff and students. A:ll students, teachers, and classes are invited to attend the show in the Priority School Room in fi rst fl oor D-House.

SAT’s

The May SAT’s will take place May 2nd.

Spring Break

The spring recess for students and faculty will begin April 13 until April 17. Have a fun and safe vacation.

N E W S B R I E F S

W H O ? W H A T ? W H E R E ? W H E N ? H O W ? . . .Texas lawmakers are trying to pass a bill to make teens under 18 unable to go tan-

ning.

There were more ba-bies born in the US in 2007 than an year in the United State’s history, with 40% out

of wedlock.

Supreme Court to settle strip search to thirteen year old teen in school six years

ago.

Giant lizards attack unsuspecting fi sher-man in Indonesia, Tuesday March 23.

People whose faces turn red when they drink may be at in-creased risk for a deadly throat cancer.

World News

Walking The RunwayJeff DeSimone ’09Club Connection Editor

With junior and senior prom approaching, Norwalk High School held a fashion show to show off some formal and spring fashions. The function was put together by the Class of 2009 Parents for Norwalk High and it was considered very successful. It took place on Friday, March twentieth at the American Legion across the street from NHS. “Everybody looked elegant and classy. We made sure that people would remember the class of 2009 fashion show,” said Kadeem Roberts, co-host for the evening. The night went along very smoothly on everything from a skit poking fun at The Dating Game, to over fi fty senior models showing off this Spring’s fi nest prom wear. “The fashion show altogether was a fun experience, but the Dating Game skit was the best part of the night. The crowd was into it and I got to bring home a lovely lady,” said Jeremy Dickens (’09), one of the models, but also the man who three female contestants fought for. The skit consisted of two competitions. The fi rst had Dickens

asking questions to three girls to try to fi nd the best fi t for him. The second had one female and three males fi ghting for her heart. All of the contestants took on alter egos to add a comical twist onto the skit. Anybody in attendance that night will tell you that it was extremely enjoyable and humorous. The tuxedo’s being sported were from Camillo’s Tuxedos, the girls dresses were from A Step Ahead, and the Spring Fashions were from Who.A.U. The female models also had their hair done. The event carried a very formal appearance but at the same time, the students added in little poses and jokes to have a good mixture of fun and elegance. As a whole the night went very well and could not have asked for a better outcome. The American Legion was at full capacity for the event, and a special thanks to all of the parents who helped put it together and Mr. Mecca for taking time out of his busy schedule to come out and support his school.

Students who participated in the fashion show.

H is not just another letter in the alphabet here at Norwalk High School. The school’s H-Policy states that a student loses credit in a class after their third unexcused absence, or eighth excused absence. Many disagree with this. “I think we need to look at [the H-policy] and make it fair for all levels, including students, teachers, and parents,” stated Kyle Seaburg. NHS Social Studies Department teacher. “It needs to be re-examined.”

Due to the new attendance system, many more students are H-ing classes than ever before. “First of all, this automated attendance is awful,” commented Peter Steiner (’09). “Even when you have an excused absence, if you’re late to hand in your note the attendance doesn’t accept it.” Jovani Jean-Charles (’10) agreed, “The computer system hurts students more than it helps them.” Students have even had problems with attendance due to school related activities. “Shortly after the Capt tests, interims came out saying I had one absence in journalism and two in comparative

religions,” explained Justin McGown (’11). “Teachers who didn’t know I was a sophomore marked me down as absent. It was fi xed, but it took a while.” When it comes to cutting class, students get two chances before losing credit. When it comes to study hall, one cut is equal to a Saturday detention. Although many students share the same opinion on our school policy, some teachers see nothing wrong with it. “I have no problem with it. In college, students have to decide whether or not they are going to be in class. What kids choose to do with their time is their responsibility,” concluded Clare Juden, NHS Social Studies Department teacher. Maybe by next year, the attendance system will be revised and the number of students H-ing will decrease.

An H Equals Bad News For StudentBruna Petrillo ’09Opinion Editor

� is benefi t helps raise money for the se-nior class Post Graduation Party (PGP). If you are a parent who would like to help check out the fact fi nder for more

information.

NEWSTHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 3

On March third, a group of seniors at Nor-walk High were chosen at random to take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP test is a standardized, na-tion-wide assessment to fi nd out how well our school is doing. Admin-istrators tend to call it, “The Nation’s Report Card”, due to the test’s ability to gauge how smart our country’s stu-dents are. Fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders are chosen to take the test to see how much they have learned. Students are tested in the fi elds of math, reading, science, writ-ing, and other content domains. What makes this test different than other stan-dardized tests is that it does not count to-wards college or school and your name is kept anonymous. There are four sections included in the NAEP test. The fi rst two assess your skills in math, reading, science, etc. A student

will answer multiple choice as well as short answer questions, even in the math portion. Sections three and four are survey-type questions. There are no wrong an-swers and all one has to do is answer honestly to questions such as, “How of-ten do you write papers in English class?” Answers range from “Once a week” to “Never or almost never.”

One of the test-takers, Matt Surace (`09), had this to say about the test: “I thought it was pretty easy. There were some lower level questions on it. I’m more used to SAT level questions by now.” In essence, the NAEP test is an accu-rate measurement of how well our teach-ers are doing their jobs.

NAEP Testing at NHSBrian Jacoby ’09Staff Writer

Time Synced With SatilliteDiana Newman ’09Staff Writer

There comes a time when a student sits in their Norwalk High School classroom and their eyes wander to the spot where the classroom clock should be. What they fi nd is that the clock is mysteriously missing. Usually, clocks are taken out of the classroom when they stop working and have to be fi xed. Only a select few people know that the clocks have to be synched by satellite for them to actually work.Mr. Karagus, A-House housemaster, explained that he does not synch the clocks as some thought but maintenance is in charge is synching these clocks. “What I do, do with the clocks is synch them where they go with our schedule. But as for the synching with the satellite, I have nothing to do with that, that’s all maintenance,” said Karagus. Head custodian, Angelus, is in charge of synching our clocks, but how exactly does he do it? “I usually bring them up to the third fl oor because it synchs better the higher up you are. I just have to wait un-til quarter to 9 a.m., 12 p.m., or 3 p.m. It’s weird but that’s how it works,” stated An-gelis. Basically, our school is capable of syn-ching our clocks by satellite, but we can’t solve other problems that seem a lot less complicated than that. Sometimes things in Norwalk High School can not be explained, and how weird is that?

There were some lower level ques-tions on it. I’m more used to SAT

level questions by now.”- Matt Surace (’09)

“Oh god, this class is gonna be a joke and were not gonna do any work,” said Kelcie O’Brien (’09).

When a substitute teacher walks in the room, a sigh of relief comes over students. What they do not realize is that if the work provided does not get done, the teacher is behind on class work. Students believe that a substitute is a day off from their class and some of the time they are right.

One would think to become a substitute teacher would mean you must have certain qualifi cations. To be a substitute only needs a college degree, which does not necessarily need to be in education.

The next step is to go to the Board of Education and fi ll out an application. Next they must be screened, fi nger-printed and background checked. Once they have been cleared they go on the substitute list and they check all available jobs on an automatic phone.

“I never had an issue with a sub but it’s concerning when you walk in a fi nd your desk strewn with random papers and books piled high with debris from the day and on top of it all a harmonica. It’s a little upsetting,” said Ms. Bomann.

Although it seems entertaining and funny it can be frustrating for a teacher. This substitute might have been better for a younger group of students, preferably elementary school.

“Majority of sub’s are former, retired, or wannabee teachers. There have been some weird ones. You don’t anticipate someone pulling out a harmonica or curling up in a chair and falling asleep; that happened to me once” said Ms. Morris

Inadaquate SubsSamantha Redfield ’09Design Team

Ross Gains Pride Through His Loss

Imagine if you had to give a piggy-back ride to a 125 pound person. You have to run, stand, and walk up stairs with this person on your back. Now imagine the relief when you fi nally take that weight off your back. It is very rare to come across a story like Norwalk High’s junior, John Ross. A feat which seemed impossible to many was conquered through undying ambition and the thirst to fi t in.

AM: What was your starting off weight?JR:: I weighed 350 pounds at 14 years old.AM: Did you just eat a lot, or was there another reason you think you were out of shape?JR: It was a combination of things, I always ate junk food and never ate healthy, plus I never exercised or anything. I also have a slow metabolism so I was always really fat.AM: When did you realize enough was enough, I need to lose weight?JR: The beginning of my sophomore year, I had a lot factoring into it, all that weight just put a lot of stress on my body, my back would hurt a lot, I also had shin splints. I wanted to lose it to run faster and be more athletic for football. My entire life I was always given a hard time

from other kids for being fat and I got sick and tired of that. I wanted to show people I could do it and let them see I was a somebody; I was tired of being a loser.AM: What did you eat?JR: My diet was for breakfast I would eat Special-K cereal with non-fat milk, for lunch I would have a sandwich, and for dinner I would eat a salad along with fruits like bananas, strawberries or grapes etc. I would occasionally

drink protein shakes. I cut out all junk food and things with a lot of salt, sugar, fat. The only thing I drank was water.AM: What kind of exercises did you do how often did you do it?JR: I would go after school to the weight room and lift weights, and then I would go to the gym at planet fi tness and do an hour of cardio, 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the bike. I would do that about 5-6 times a week.AM: What is your weight now?JR: 225 pounds

AM: How do you feel after losing all that weight?JR: Physically, my body feels a lot better, I don’t get winded by simply walking up stairs anymore, and I have tremendous amount of more energy throughout the day. Emotionally, through this experience gained more self-esteem and more self-confi dence.

As Norwalk High School experiences its third annual color war, the student government would like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped out. So much eff ort went into every aspect of this event, from planning the day, to helping make posters. To every student in the school who helped, thank you so much. Furthermore, it is so great to see all the school spirit this school has. As each grade supports their teams, we are bound to see outfi ts that could just be out of this world. To every student with school spirit, keep up the good work! And to those of you who are lacking, don’t be afraid to show your bear pride!!� anks again to everyone.

Student Government

Empty spot in wall where clock should be in spanish teacher Mrs. Forte’s room.

PhotoC

redit:SaraLeD

uc

Alex Morsanutto ’09Staff Writer

Harmonica a substitute teacher left behind.

Photo Credit: Sam

antha Redfi eld

NEWS FEATURE THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 4 THE PAW PRINT

S PA N I S H TR

IPC H I N A T R I P

L AT I N T R I P

Photo Credits: Kaitlin Latham, Rachel Hamilton, Molly Young

NEWS FEATURETHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 5L AT I N T R I P

ITAL I A N T R I P

FR E N C H T R I P

Photo Credits: Leanna Dunsmore, Chelsea Jacoby, Sara LeDuc, Diana Newman, and Eloise Libre

APRIL FOOLS THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 6

A superhero could be coexisting amongst the student body at Norwalk High School. A recent happening has given students rea-son to believe this could be true. Recently, Steve Alcutt (’09) had his backpack stolen from his locker while in gym class. “I came back down to the lock-er room after class and it was gone,” said Alcutt. Security was notifi ed and a search party was assembled to fi nd the perpetra-tor. After hours of searching, security called off the search, assuming the back-pack was lost. “We must have searched this whole building,” said Scotty Nails, secu-rity guard at NHS. “Sometimes things just don’t turn up.” Later that day, something unusual happened. As Alcutt opened his locker to take home his remaining belongings, his backpack was hanging on the hook. Along with it was a post-it note reading, “You’re welcome.- The Dark Man”. Security did not like the fact that someone broke into the locker to put the backpack back.

“We don’t know who this Dark Man is, but we know that he is a criminal,” said Mr. Beavers, head of security. “We plan to track him down because he probably took the backpack in the fi rst place.” Alcutt did not agree with these accu-sations. “The Dark Man is a hero,” argued Alcutt. “He is the hero that this school has needed for a long time. Maybe now people will be inspired to do good things for oth-ers.” A hero or some sort of vigilante? It cannot be determined which label the Dark Man fi ts, but as long as he keeps returning lost items, he will be a knight in shining armor for NHS students.

Brian jacoby ’09Staff Writer

A New Hero? Or Vigilante?

How much does it cost to get one of the most popular R&B artists in the country to perform at Norwalk High School’s Senior Prom? Surprisingly nothing. Teen idol Chris Brown, has recently been in a lot of trouble for his alleged assault towards his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. Since her and her family have felt that this event was not an accurate depiction of the man Chris Brown is, they insisted on dropping the charges, but not completely. He was given 1,000 hours of community service that must be completed within the next 365 days since the sentencing, which took place February 26, 2009. Brown thought instead of doing a regular type of service, he wanted to put on free performances. The free performances were okayed by the judge assigned to this case. Chris Brown released his list of performances and the Norwalk High School 2009 Senior Prom at the Stamford Marriot was number one on the list. Chris has only been to Norwalk once in his life to go visit the world’s largest dairy store, Stew Leonard’s, and fell in love so decided to make a second appearance in the town it resides. So make sure to get your prom tickets early on because it will be a night with an unforgettable performance.

Jeff DeSimone ’09Club Connection Editor

Runnin’ It At NHS Prom

Perhaps the most famous Norwalk High School alum, Calvin Murphy, has decided to come back to his roots as the Norwalk High School varsity basketball coach. In 1966 Calvin Murphy graduated from Norwalk High after he earned All-America honors twice and was an All-State selection three times during his high school basketball career. Murphy went on to play college ball at Niagara and then played in the NBA for thirteen seasons, all with the Rockets. In 1993 Murphy was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After Murphy’s playing days he became an analyst for televised basketball games and also was a color commentator for PlayStation NBA Live 2003. Now Murphy has decided he wants to come back to Connecticut to work in his former high school. When asked why Murphy made this decision he

responded, “High school was one of the best times of my life. That’s when I discovered my true love for basketball.” Murphy went on to sat, “I hope I can give students the same joy I feel when I am on the court.” As word has spread about Murphy’s homecoming, students could not be more excited. Spencer Jones, the only returning varsity captain, is honored to play for such a legend. “I got goose bumps when I heard. I kept pinching myself to see if I was dreaming. I am truly honored to play for such an accomplished player.” With Norwalk High’s new head basketball coach students from other schools are already preparing to transfer to NHS to learn from the NBA veteran. With all of the hype surrounding Murphy’s return the sky is the limit for next year’s basketball team. Unfortunately, Norwalk High will have to wait until next season for Murphy’s return but the school is already organizing a pep rally for when it happens.

Eric Scattamachia ’09Staff Writer

Calvin Murphy Makes His Way Back To The Court

When many faculty and students returned to the cafeteria of Norwalk High School this year, they noticed that their favorite menu items happened to be missing. Many were fans of the ice cream and curly

fries that once graced the plates of students and faculty, and many were disappointed to learn that their favorite foods would not be returning. However, lunch may become more enjoyable. With complaints about the cafeteria food, there is consideration that many of the foods that were taken off the menu will be returning such as the French fries and ice cream. The school is thinking about the best options for the students’ health at this point. “Last year we took many of the unhealthier options off the school menu to provide a more balanced school lunch for all the kids,” said NHS principal Leonard Mecca. “But many kids have been complaining of the

changes we have made.” Many healthier options were added to the cafeteria’s menu this year; however it added many disappointed faces to the fi rst day of lunch in the cafeteria. “The curly fries were defi nitely the best part of lunch last year,” said TJ Lepoutre (’09). NHS will be putting gin their request for the ice cream machine and various other foods to the school board to get them approved for the menu for next year. “We want to keep the students happy and healthy at the same time, so we are trying to get some of the more favored foods back,” said Mr. Mecca. Next year, students can hopefully look forward for their favorite foods returning back to the menu, and for lunch to be enjoyable again.

AShley Lampman ’09Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Old Cafeteria Food Is Coming Back

Students have been persuaded over the years to show their school spirit. NHS has Spirit Week once a year and our school colors are paraded around Norwalk High and at the pep rally. It is the one and only week students truly participate in school spirit. The Board of Education feels Norwalk High School needs to showcase their school colors everyday of the school year. Say hello to the new School Uniform policy. Recently the Board of Education felt as though students need to be more involved with school. A B.O.E member said, “The uniforms will feature the school colors. Girls will wear a green skirt that ends below the knees and a short or long sleeved white collared shirt according to the weather.” “I hate the fact that there’s going to be school uniforms,” stated Jacob Corsi (’10), “I think it’s so tacky. It’s stupid and no one is going to follow the dress code.” Boys will be required to wear white pants with a black belt with a green collared short sleeved shirt in the spring/summer and long sleeved shirt in the fall/winter. This dress code will go into effect for the 2009-2010 school year. There will be forms distributed among the students in late May for shirt, skirt, and pants sizes. The board of education wants to make sure that the school can purchase everyone’s uniform before the school year begins.

Diana Newman ’09Staff Writer

Hello Uniforms!

“The curly fries were defi nitely the best part of lunch last year.”

-TJ Lepoutre (’09)

A performance by Chris Brown.

PhotoC

redit:Google

Images

The legendary Calvin Murphy.

Photo Credit: G

oogle Images

Alcutt’s locker with the note from the Dark Man.

Photo Credit: D

an Conklin

Some of the food that is missed by students.

Photo Credit: G

oogle Images

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTTHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 7

Diana Newman: So, what exactly is a requiem?Anthony Granata: A requiem is a liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church. It is also called a “mass for the dead”. The text is normally in traditional Latin from the Bible. Over the years, requiems were written for famous people who died. Popes and Bishops often commissioned composers to write requiems for themselves if they knew death was near. However, as the years moved on, requiems were written merely for concerts, and not for the dead.

DN: What inspired you to compose a requiem?AG: My inspiration for composing this requiem was inspired by last year’s performance of Gabriel Faure’s requiem. The choir, band, and orchestra had performed it last year and it was then that I asked Mrs. Pettibone if it was possible if I could compose one and we could do it next year. DN: But of course you fi nished it. How

do you feel once you fi nally completed it?AG: I felt like I fi nally completed something truly outstanding. Literally, like most composers today are thought of for their most famous works, the works that truly defi ne who they are.

DN: How long did it take you to complete this?AG: The requiem has taken up 2 ½ years of my life.

Anthony Granata ’09Diana Newman ’09

Staff Writer Ashley Lampman: What is your project for Project Explore?Emma Crisci: I decided to write a short play analyzing human nature for Project Explore.

AL: How did you come up with this idea?

EC: I like to write, but I’m not good at dialogue. I fi gured a play would be a great way to tackle it fi gured a play would be a great way to tackle it while improving my understanding of life.

AL: What was the most challenging thing about your project?EC: Choosing a topic for my play was a mess of ideas. Finally choosing one to commit to scared me because I had to trust

my own creativity.

AL: What made you decide to do Project Explore?EC: I’ve always thought about writing for a living, so an independent study to really explore this is helping me decide.

AL: When and where will your Project Explore take place?EC: The dramatic reading of my play is on Thursday, May 28th in Norwalk High’s Orchestra Room.

AL: What was the most rewarding aspect of this experience?EC: When I fi nish writing the play I’ll be really proud. But I’m also glad I did Project Explore because it doesn’t allow the option of procrastination.

AL: Any advice for upcoming Project Explorers?EC: This opportunity is irreplaceable because you get to study literally whatever you want.

Emma Crisci ’09Ashley Lampman ’09Design Team

Submit cartoons, drawings , photos, or any type of art work to The Paw Print in room 116B

Bandanas once were something that symbolized gangs and violence. So serious that people would be scared to wear one outside of the house in case they ran across the wrong people. Now days, you can throw the youth in that group.

Not that they are gangstas or violent but the youth generation has adopted the headwear as a fashion statement. From rocking it on their cars, to hanging It from their pocket, bandanas are now being seen everywhere. First used by cowboys in the Midwest to prevent dust from getting in their faces, bandanas have transformed over time from being used by pioneers to professional

athletes. They have become another way for kids to express themselves through what they wear. Keep in mind, Norwalk High School prohibits the wear of bandanas in school. Specifi cally too limit the association that different color bandanas have with gangs. Do not let that stop you from wearing it out of school.

From Cowboys to Schoolboys: BandanasAlex Morsanutto ’09Staff Writer

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Artists with Initiative

The artists pose for a picture.

Photo Credit: google.com

Check out Emma’s project on May 28th in the orchestra room and Anthony’s on kdja at Norwalk

high!

TO THE NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL WINTER PERCUSSION AND JAZZ PERFORMERS ON TWO

GREAT SEASONS!

Congratulations

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 8

For fi ve long months the Norwalk High School Winter Guard took a trip under the sea. They worked hard on perfecting their perfor-mance, and entertaining peers, parents, instruc-tors and most importantly, judges. Sixteen Norwalk High School students and one Nathan Hale Middle School student devot-ed every Monday, Thursday and Saturday for the past fi ve months to learn their show Ocea-nia. They performed their show almost every Saturday and competed against other very tal-ented color guards. “I feel that this year’s show is a lot more ma-ture then previous years, and it is a beautiful show!” Says Devin Powers (’10) “We have more supporters from other schools and our own because our show shows people that we can present ourselves on a higher level.” The Norwalk high school winter guard per-forms in two circuits, WGI and MAC. WGI is

a national circuit which means they perform against people from all across the United

States.They work all season and prepare for their lo-cal championships held by the MAC circuit. Their scores have improved greatly since last season and they are hoping to keep succeed-ing and that this may be their comeback year.

Once Upon A Time, In The NHS Auditorium...

Forks, spoons, plates, and teapots come to life this spring as Norwalk High School’s mu-sic department presents Beauty and the Beast. “We wanted to do something we’ve never done before, and that had a happy ending,” explained Jeffrey Smith, NHS music department chair, producer and orchestra director. Beauty and the Beast is one of the more expensive musicals that NHS has invested in; $12,600 is being dropped to put on the show. Miscellaneous items, such as wardrobe and set, are excluded from the cost. The show is funded by the Father’s Club and through fundraising. All of the money made from the show goes toward senior scholarships and funds for the school; none to the music department. Nonetheless, students and staff have been working since the end of January to make this a great show. There are 110 students involved in the production; fi fty cast, forty or-chestra members, eight sound and light technicians, ten backstage, twenty makeup, and two costumers. “We try our best to make it look easy, but it’s really a lot of planning and a lot of work,” said NHS music department teacher, director and music director Susan Pettibo-ne. According to Smith, this is a ‘crowd pleaser’ and ‘a great show full of surprises.’ “There might be trap doors, smoke, mirrors,” continued Pettibone. “And the cos-

tumes are going to be amazing!” So ‘be our guest’ and come watch the musical May 1st through 3rd, 8th through 9th, and 15th through 16th.

Bruna Petrillo ’09Opinion Editor

Guard Makes A ComebackVictoria Giannitti ’10Staff Writer

The future of Stephenie Meyer’s Twi-light is unclear. Whether one may have realized it or not, there was allegedly supposed to be a fi fth book to the se-ries called Midnight Sun. Meyers had started it but now, due to an internet leak, she is uncertain whether to fi nish it or not.Quizzically, an acquaintance of Mey-ers, who had a copy of the fi rst chapter draft of Midnight Sun, put that copy onto the internet for people to see. “The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the internet was given to trusted individuals,” explained Ste-phenie Meyers, “I have no comment as I believe there was no malicious in-tent with the initial distribution.”How long the fi fth book will be on

hold is uncertain. It seems as though the wait will have Twilight fans antici-pating this book more than any other.“I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun and so it is on hold indefi nitely,” stated Meyers.Midnight Sun’s publishing may be stalled but fans still know what is to come. Meyers plans on retelling the fi rst highly and positively reviewed novel in this series. The only major dif-ference for this book is that it will be from Edward, the main heroic character’s point of view instead of Bella’s.

Diana Newman ’09Staff Writer

Midnight Sun Sets

PhotoC

redit:SaraLeD

uc

The cast practicing after school on March 30, 2009.Photo

Credit:Lisa

Powers

“Six Word Stories” are pre� y self explanatory. In six short words, people in Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith’s edited book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs, wrote autobiographies. Some are funny, some serious, some profound, some shallow, and others

make sense only to he or she who wrote it. Below, Norwalk High School students share their own Six Word Stories. For more, check out sixwordstories.net or pick up the book at local bookstore.

“Study hall student of the month.”

-Jake Passero (’10)

“I’m Rushi Shah, hear me roar.”-Rushi Shah (’09)

Six W

ord Stories

“Fun, outgoing, joyful, long-last-ing, dramatic, adventurous.” –Emily Zaccone (’11)

“I spilled hot chocolate in the hallway.”

-Brendan Giolitto (’09)

“I got into all 8 schools.”-Marshall Weiss (’09)

“How I fell for Jenny Bakes.”-Greg Berger (’10)

“I am a very hard worker.”

-Asia Gilbert (’09)

“I like to shop and eat.”-Adriana Johnson (’09)

“Fun, love, exciting, typical, extended,

dramatic.” –Aline Araujo (’11)“Funny, interactive, active,

loving, understanding, cre-ative.” –Victor Saez Jr. (’11)

“Funny, outgoing, classy, intelligent,

stylish, sassy.” –Alexandra Oviedo

(’10)

“Funny, unique, spontaneous, random, weird, silly.” –Celeste

Giron (’10)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTTHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 9

When I fi rst heard that Watchmen was being made into a movie, my fi rst thought was “Seriously, Hollywood, it’s come to this?” Well, that’s not true. My fi rst thought was “Hurm, I wonder if Dr. Manhattan will still be naked…”. Turns out, he was. Stepping aside from full frontal male nudity, Watchmen is considered a seminal comic for several reasons, and is often regarded as one of the most important comics ever made. This is the story that took heroes and brought them down to our level. The book tackled mature themes such as rape, murder, political and societal drama, and invokes philosophical thoughts on the value of life, human nature, and the strength of morals. So, as you can imagine, a movie on this book is kind of a big deal. Luckily, the transition from page to picture was a smooth one. The actors chosen to portray the characters are born for their roles. The super-detective Rorschach is deftly and carefully portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley, whom perfects the character’s demeanor. Jeffery Dean Morgan also steals every scene he is in as The Comedian; a cynical, bastardized version of Captain America who beats women and thinks mankind is a joke. The movie includes an impressive amount of the story told from the comic, with minor changes made to adjust the already troubled pacing. This is where the movie falls short for me. The scenes included are much too long, and the ones left out were incredibly important. Several characters suffer from poor development thanks this loss in adaptation. The only ‘bad’ part is the soundtrack, and it’s more of a mixed bag. I try not to weigh soundtrack too heavily, as some songs worked well. However some songs just seem out of place and can ruin potentially powerful scenes. Overall, the fi lm is a success. The scenes are beautifully shot, and the cast embod-ies the characters in an almost scary way. The main themes all remain the focal point of the fi lm, and hopefully it is conveyed to the viewer just as powerfully as the book did.

Every Good Friday, Norwalk’s St. Je-rome’s Church puts on a performance of “14 Steps” featuring songs from the musi-cal Jesus Christ Superstar. It is directed by Joan McFarland. This year, Norwalk High School’s very own senior Jeff Desimone (’09) will be playing the main part of Jesus Christ.

Molly Young: So Jeff, What part are you in St. Jerome’s 14 Steps?Jeff DeSimone: I play the part of Jesus Christ

MY: How long have you done 14 Steps?JD: For four years.

MY: What is the story of “14 Steps?”JD: The story of the breaking down of the 14 stages of the crucifi xion of Jesus Christ.

MY: Are you enjoying being in this pro-duction?

JD: Yes I am. I have never really sung be-fore. It is a new challenge and it is pretty fun.

MY: What have you learned from this ex-perience?JD: I have learned that I can be serious for more than fi ve minutes at a time.

MY: How does it feel to be such a crucial role?JD: It is an honor, but scary to have such an important role. I have never acted before and I do not want to disappoint anyone.

MY: Are you nervous?JD: I am nervous that people may think I am a bad singer.

MY: What is the hardest part?JD: The hardest part is singing the really high notes, and hitting these high notes. I am also afraid of not being aware if I am actually hitting the high notes.

MY: Have you had any previous acting ex-perience?

JD: I have had no previous acting experi-ence. Yet, I am used to being in front of a lot of people. I am doing a good job at pretending to be dead.

MY: Do you want to continue acting/sing-ing after this performance?JD: I have never really thought of it. May-be acting.

MY: What is the commit-ment?JD: We have rehearsed for the past fi ve Sundays for two hours, and for the next two Sundays we will be rehears-ing for six hours.

MY: How have you prepared for this role?JD: The assistant director has been helping me by sending me songs and I rehearse with Joan to learn the songs and the lines.

MY: When will is take place?JD: On April 10, at 7 at St. Jeromes.

MY: What are you looking forward to most?JD: What I’m looking forward to most is showing off my chiseled body.

MY: Any last words?JD: COME SEE IT! I hope I can sing!

ReviewsIce Cold Piraguas For Sale

In the fi rst few minutes of watching, view-ers get a true feeling of the culture in New York City’s Washington Heights, in the play In the Heights. In the Heights follows a group of neighbors living in a Dominican-American neighborhood in Washington Heights over three days and teaches the importance of family. In the Heights has music differ-ent from many other Broadway shows; it includes salsa and hip-hop, which truly catches the attention of the audience. The set puts the audience right in the middle of the Washington Heights Neigh-borhood with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. With a talented cast, the audience can truly connect with the characters and make the experience even more enjoyable. The cast includes our

very own Norwalk High alum Robin de Jesus, who does a wonderful playing the role of Sonny. This award winning show is a great experience and is a must see show on Broadway. If you are looking for a truly unique show, it is worth the trip to the city.

Ashley Lampman ’09Arts & Entertainment Editor

Ironically, one of the best novels ever to grace the English language was fi rst published in Spanish. Carlos Ruiz Zafón has created a masterful work in his fi rst novel to be translated from Spanish, The Shadow of the Wind. The Shadow of the Wind is hard to defi ne in terms of genre. No matter what you like to read, you will enjoy this book. The plot is a gripping tale about a young boy in Barcelona right after World War II who is taken by his father, the proprietor of a rare book shop to every bibliophile’s dream: The “Cemetery of Forgotten Books.” The fi rst time a person comes to

this resting place of lost and obscure books they are allowed to take one book to be theirs. Our hero fi nds a book entitled The Shadow of the Wind by a mysterious au-thor. The boy learns that the books are rare because somebody is acquiring them, ei-ther with huge sums of money or through theft, and burning them. When this shadowy fi gure confronts the boy, his quest to fi nd out more about the author is given a new sense of urgency. Another captivating feature is the fact that Barcelona features as prominently as a character in this book as New York City does in many American novels. Simply put, anyone who can put up with a somewhat challenging book absolutely must read The Shadow of the Wind.

Max Whitaker ’09Staff Writer

Manhattan In Hollywood?

Everything’s Alright With This Jesus Christ SuperstarMolly Young ’09Staff Writer

Actors from the Musical, In The Heights

PhotoC

redit:Ashley

Lampm

an

La Sombra Del Viento Justin McGown ’11Staff Writer

Photo Credit: Ashley Lampman

She’s Come UndoneDaisy Villalobos ’10Staff Writer

After reading Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone, I was stunned. Right from the be-ginning I was hooked. The book follows the story of a little girl who grows to a full grown woman with complicated emotional traumas. Wally Lamb manages to take sev-eral tragic events and rebounds them one at a time off the main character, Dolores. Dolores, although entangled in a web of uncertainty, doubt, and heartache, manages

to convey such realism, it is unbelievable. Many times I couldn't believe that this book, written so deeply, methodically, and provides such insight to the mind of a fe-male, was written by a man. Although the book was over 200 pages, it felt pleasantly short and easy to read. Wally Lamb pulls the reader in by creating a sort of need to fi nd out what happens to Dolores. This book is highly recommended for those who bore of shallow, incomplete books, and want something with depth and per-ception.

EDITORIAL THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 12

Staff BoxThe Paw PrintNorwalk High School

23 Calvin Murphy DriveNorwalk, CT 06851

(203) 838-4481ext. 1808

The Paw Print would like to thank all Journalism students for their work in the

creation of this newspaper. The following writers are those whose work

appears in this issue.

Executive Editor:Sara LeDuc

Design Team:Business Editor, News Editor:

Chelsea JacobyArts & Entertainment Editor- Ashley

LampmanFeature Editors- Noah CooperOpinion Editor- Bruna Petrillo

Sports Editor- Matthew CranstonClub Connection Editor- Jeff DeSimone

Samantha Redfi eldDaisy Villalobos

Photography Editor:Daniel Conklin

Staff Writers:

Peer Editors:

Advisor:Mr. Karl

Marc CoppolaJaleesa Davis

Victoria GiannittiJustin McGown

Brian JacobyAlex Morsanutto

Diana NewmanSamantha Redfi eldEric Scatamacchia

Max WhitakerJennifer Wilkins

Please let us know what you think. Students are welcome to submit writing either in

person to room 116B or email to

nhspawprint@gmail.com.

Policies:Our newspaper reserves the

right to edit all submissions for space and

clarity. All entries must in-clude name, year in school,

and phone number for verifi-cation.

Kenzie BessEmily BonebrakeGabriella CappoKristen Cordero

Ellen FosterMarissa Shields

Emma LottMolly YoungMegan WrinnMolly YoungEmma Lott

Molly Young

EDITORIAL

Doodles Of Defacement Show Lack Of Morals

With thousands of dollars spent on renovations for Norwalk High School , one would think students would appreciate the halls and classrooms in which they spend approximately six hours a day, but some do not, and it shows. Although staff and students are not completely happy with all of the renovations, that still does not give anyone in the building the right to deface it. The main spot of graffi ti is in the Science wing where there are holes in the wall from swinging doors and writing scaling the walls. Whether the drawings have personal meanings, gang affi liations, or someone just got bored, all have no place in NHS. The walls are not a blank canvas for students to draw on, except in some instances. Those cases include seniors in higher level art classes leaving their talent behind. They showcase their work somewhere in the halls of the school and it is a pity when other students somehow see other’s artwork and make changes. There is a large painting in third fl oor E-house and one in E-house stairwell and both are vandalized. How can one justify ruining others work? How can one think they are not doing anything wrong? In the school there are over twelve bathrooms, but some are never open. Some wonder why the door s are locked and the reason is based on the students

who decide to write in the bathrooms. Student Gov-ernment worked to get all of the bathrooms open, but all of their efforts were shot down after the bathrooms were closed again after being vandalized. With a new school being built around us I person-ally thought it was going to build a whole new moral within the hallways, but I could not have been more wrong. With the lack of morals among some comes lack of respect for the school as a whole and the custo-dian staff. Although the students who leave their unneces-sary marks on the walls and doors of the school may think it is no big deal, they are wrong. That “no big deal” makes more work for the custodians and if they do not clean it up, the overall appeal of the school di-minishes as well as its reputation and not to mention much needed funds. This is being written to have the school become aware of these student’s actions and how they have no place in this building, but the people who should be reading this to learn from their actions, will not. The students who created these messes are more than likely to disregard the school newspaper almost as much as they disregard the school. So for all of the students who like to leave their own type of artwork on the interiors of the school, keep your pens, pencils, and markers in your bags or pocket until you need to use them in class, the hall-ways are not the place for you to display your personal creativity.

Chelsea jacoby ’09Business & News Editor

We’ve Got Spirt, Yes We Do...Wait, Do We?

We, as Norwalk High School students, do not live the high school lives portrayed on Saved by the Bell or Boy Meets World. We do not have one hundred per-cent attendance at edge of your seat football games or spend endless time at our lockers chatting with friends. While much of those shows’ depiction of a high school experience is far from typical, it does ex-emplify something our school lacks yet should pos-sess: spirit. Right now NHS faces a lack of spirit crisis. Some may beg to differ, but the fact remains that only a handful of students show their spirit on a regular ba-sis and that cannot compensate for the rest of stu-dents.

The classes of NHS all function separately from each other and even “boo” each other at pep rallies. It sometimes seems like our school loses spirit as it suc-cumbs to the disunity caused by cliques and bigoted attitudes. While some think school spirit is “stupid” or “dumb,” it would do a lot of good for our school com-munity. NHS is the victim of frequent media attacks and has a less than stellar reputation. Perhaps a little spirit could cause more sports wins, better attendance at band and music shows, and a four years closer resembling what we so often see depicted on televi-sion. As Color War is underway, it is a great time to show your school spirit. Take this time to dress up, be crazy, make memories with your friends, and show the pride you have in your school.

Sara leduc ’09Executive Editor

Letters to the EditorDear Editor,

Facebook is a social networking website that many high school students use. Should we be held accountable for pictures other people post of us? As a recent victim of a school employ-ee scanning Facebook photos for the sole purpose of incriminating students, I would like to say that we are held accountable. Whether it is fair or not, students can be suspended for what pictures are found. As advice to all, check your privacy settings on you profi le. Having Big Brother watch

you while you document your life is not something you want. Also, remember that camera may not always be your best friend. Some things are best remembered and not docu-

mented. What you considered funny can be misinterpreted quite easily. Remember that in this new age of information your ac-cidents can follow you, so avoid possible incriminating documentation.

Sincerely,Daniel Faugno-FusciClass of 2010Dear Editor,

Stop spreading rumors. These days people spread them. It really upsets people, they will believe anything. It has a big impact on our school environment. Rumors go on all the time and people get upset over them. It is childish and ignorant behavior. One time someone spread a rumor that the Paw

Print was going to charge two dollars for the Paw Print. At fi rst I believed it but Mr. Karl and he said no way. If you’re going to say something make sure its the truth.Sincerely,Danny Barrand Class of 2011

Sincerely,Danny Barrand Class of 2011

Dear Editor,

I am concerned with the lack of freedom students have at Norwalk High. In lower Fairfi eld County numerous schools have open campus. Why doesn’t Norwalk High have open campus? Also, we have nice courtyards and yet we aren’t allowed to use them. The students here are repressed; for example, a group of students were given detention, and one was suspended because

of a harmless picture on Facebook. Studies have been done on the correlation between the amount that students learn and the comfort of their environment. When will this problem be fi xed?Sincerely, Evan LesterClass of 2010

SUB-FEATURETHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 13

PROJECT EXPLORE

COM ING

IN

2 0 1 0

2 0 1

OM I

Name: Anthony Granata

Name: Emma Crisci

Project: Emma decided to explore artful dialogue and human nature by writ-

ing a play.

Kath

erine Cifuentes

Megan W

rinn

Eliz

abeth Jenkins

Elle

n Foster

K

risten Cordero

Keni

ze

Bess

Sally Chalkw

in

Eloise Libre

Siena DrydenBren

na Beluk

Robyn Mola

Sara

Adams

Michael Welch

Emma Lott

Courtney Thomas

Stefa

ni Gospidinova

“Project Explore is an independent study course. It affords seniors a unique opportunity to choose

an area of study that interest them. The objective of Project Explore is to demonstrate an application

of knowledge and skills in the arts, English, health, math physical education, science, social studies, technology or world languages, by producing an

interdisplinary project of qualtity.”

--the “Project Explore Directions and Objective”

Names: Shannon Donahue and Liz

McLean

Project: A short musical about preparing for coll-

lege.

Name: Molly Young

Project: Molly is creating an oral history of Norwalk by interviewing those who live and work in Norwalk.

Names: Ashley Lampman and Sara

LeDuc

Project: A book and short movie about best friends.

Name: Noah Cooper

Project: Noah is pro-ducing and directing a

fi lm. He is also giving a presentation on how to

produce and make fi lms.Charity Theatre

M u s i c

Band

Theatre

Film

Language

Art

Writing Explorin

gDance

Writing

Renovation

Memorial

Teaching

History

Project: Anthony com-posed a 9- movement Requiem that will be performed in June.

OPINIONTHE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 14

OPINIONTHE PAW PRINT

OPINIONAPRIL 2009PAGE 16

Being a man of shoe diversity, it is without a doubt that “shoes” like Ugg boots push me over the deep end. Girls, as well as guys, wear these sad excuses for footwear and believe they have accomplished something. I am sorry to break it to you, but those oversized, overpriced boots just make you look like a cartoon character.

Ugg boots were founded in 1979 by an intrepid Australian surfer with a bag of sheepskin boots. Why a surfer had a bag of boots is beyond me, but he should have saved every teenage girl some money and lost them at sea.

The boots do come in a wide variety of colors, including aqua green and tomato red. The sad thing is, everyone insists on getting every possible shade of brown, black, or grey. These are probably the most boring colors on earth and I demand an explanation for why

no one buys colorful Uggs, if they are going to buy them at all.

Not only are these boots a crime against fashion, but the products are made from Grade-A sheepskin; noting that sheep’s wool and sheepskin are two different things). Granted all shoes are made from some kind of animal material, but at least they are subtle about it. The fur is pretty much a dead giveaway that an animal was killed to make this shoe.

I am begging you girls, please go out and buy some shoes that say, “Hey, I am not okay with the killing of sheep and I want to be different.”

A Crime Against FashionBrian jacoby ’09Sports Editor

Back To RealityVictoria Giannitti ’10Staff Writer

Five more minutes please! Waking up at 6:30 am and see-ing frost on my window does not exactly inspire me to wake up. I spent my winter vacation in Florida and I became accustomed to the warm weather and the relaxing feeling of being away from home. But once we got back, I was thrown right back to the normal everyday routine. Then

over February vacation I slept late and relaxed all week long and once again was not prepared for that fi rst Monday back from break. The hardest thing for me is getting my body acclimated. During our previ-ous breaks I had gotten used to not having much of any schedule much like most high school students. So it is ex-ceptionally hard to wake up and get ready on a set sched-ule. Coming back to school the Monday after vacation is always the hardest thing to do. Spending time with friends

and family in a stress free environment, makes it hard to make the transition back to the hectic stressful days we are used to. Waking up early and going back to school is not al-ways something to look forward to, but you have to make the best of it. In the end it is inevitable; we all have to come back to reality.

Many had the chance to travel over February break. A lucky group of 35 students and teachers got the amazing chance to travel to the beautiful land of Italy for ten days.

The fi rst stop was the incredibly romantic Venice, Italy. Venice brought its uniqueness within Carnivale, a festivity that lasts days. People walk around St. Mark’s Square in gorgeous costumes and masks. Also, nothing is more romantic when one is in Venice on Valentines Day and they experience the relaxing Grand Canal.

The next stop Florence, is popular for its leather and gold and we had an opportunity to buy and look at both. One of the most memorable moments in Florence was getting a real taste of Italy when cooking ourselves a delicious three course dinner in a local culinary school.

Then we journeyed on to Pompeii and Sorrento, Italy. Seeing the legendary volcano that destroyed Pompeii over

2,000 years ago was amazing. But nothing was cooler than walking through the ruins of Pompeii, or as shocking as seeing some of the bodies of the people who lived there preserved from so long ago.

Lastly, Rome Italy was our fi nal Italian destination. The minute we entered Italy’s capital, it felt like we were blasted back 2,000 years. The coliseum was a fantastic piece of history we had the chance to venture through, and the Vatican showcased the outstanding Michelangelo painting in the Sistine Chapel.

All in all, Italy was truly a once in a lifetime experience that anybody would want to experience. From its fabulous sights, delicious foods, beautiful jewelry, and Gelatos, Italy is my new number one vacation spot.

When your stomach growls, you have to answer.Here at Norwalk High, we are denied the opportunity to

grab a snack between classes, leaving that rumbling in our tummies until lunch time.

It is a proven fact that breakfast is “brain food,” meaning it can help a student concentrate. For those like me, who rush out of the house in the morning we snatch some quick on-the-go snack to munch on when we get to class. If we have nothing at home to grab, we rely on the school vending machines.

We rush into our fi rst period class starving. By the time the period ends, that growling in our stomach is unbearable. We hurry out of the class, pick up our pace and head to the

nearest vending machine only to be greeted by a very sweet message from the machine reading: “out of service”. We stare at the array of snacks just waiting to be eaten and, disappointed, take one last glace at the strawberry pop-tarts and slowly walk away.

For the rest of the day we stare at the clock, counting down the minutes until lunch time. Unfortunately, if we have third lunch we might as well kiss our luck goodbye, because even during the lunch period, the vending machines are off.

By the time they are turned on at the end of the day, they are pointless. Most of us are already on our way home, or satisfi ed from lunch.

There is no reason the vending machines should not operate during school hours. They are there for just one reason: to feed us.

“Temporarily Out Of Service” Bruna Petrillo ’09Opinion Editor

Check out the photos on pages 4 and 5

Reminiscing On School Italy TripDiana Newman ’09Staff Writer

Favorites Not My FavoriteMarc coppola ’09Staff Writer

“Spending time with friends and family in a stress free enviroment, makes it hard to make the transition

back to the hectic stressful days we are used to.”Photo C

redit: Samantha R

edfi eld

Student angry that the vending machine is off

Participating in class could be the difference between getting a D+ and a C-. Some students, however are being robbed of this opportunity due to some teacher’s favoritism toward other students. For many teachers, class participation counts toward your quarter grade. When students participate in class discussions, answer questions, or even just point out small errors a teacher might make on the board, teachers take notice. Some teachers have what I like to call their “go to” students. These are the kids that sit in the fi rst or second row of the class and can weigh in on anything, whenever they want.How are the other students supposed to earn a few extra points for the day? When students that do not participate actively try to get a word in, they get shunned by some teachers almost immediately, regardless of whether or not they had their hand up. The most common responses from teachers are “He/She had her hand up fi rst,” or “I didn’t see your hand.” Or nothing at all. Sometimes teachers will not even acknowledge the fact that you are trying to participate.

I was recently put in a situation where the class was having a class discussion where I knew just about everything about the issue being discussed. At fi rst I waited with my hand up to be called upon and give my two cents. However, I was being skipped over for some unknown reason. Finally, I said something because I knew I had my hand up before another student speaking and I was told that we were no longer discussing that topic. The “go to” student had yet again stolen the fl oor from me and I could not let the class know the facts about the issue. I was making an honest attempt to better my grade for the day and maybe give the class a little insight on the issue, but I was turned down yet again. There could be many reasons for why this strange and bias occurrence takes place. The “go to” students usually participate actively anyway so it might have become routine for the teachers to call on them, but it is still frustrating. I am not saying that all teachers suffer from this favoritism disease, but the ones that do really grind my gears. I thank the teachers that do allow students like me to participate when they can, as for the teachers that do not maybe you should start taking notice.

Brian mocks a students Uggs in the hall.

PhotoC

redit:DanielC

onklin

OPINIONTHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 15

When a student is asked the name of at least one person on the lunch staff, the majority could not give you an answer. Although students go to the cafeteria fi ve times a week and buy lunch, they have no idea who the people behind the counter are. It seems that students forget they are regular people just like us.

For instance, one staff member, Andrea, has a daugh-ter and loves to walk her dogs everyday after work. Ange-la, another staff member, has lived in Norwalk her whole life and is extremely athletic.

Such facts can be easily learned though small talk, but we are so caught up in our own lives that we forget to take

an interest in the people we see every day for four years. Students constantly complain about being misunderstood, but it seems that we have become offenders of our own accusations by lacking communications or interest in our superiors.

This year, more than any other, there has been a call

for unity in the school. Although it is a long and diffi cult process, the attempt has made a huge difference. Students need to show respect towards each other and especially the staff.

“While there are many students who have shown ex-treme amount of respect towards me, there is still a few that lack respect,” says Erin, a lunch staff member.

When one lacks the courtesy of saying a simple ‘thank you’ to anyone providing a service, it shows a lack of respect. If each student makes the effort of showing common courtesy, the school environment would change drastically. We spend almost as much at school as we do at home, so let us try and make NHS everyone’s second home.

Two years ago, a fi lm class, “His-tory in the Making” was started at Norwalk High School because of a generous grant including ten Apple notebooks were given to the school. The laptops are supposed to help stu-dents by utilizing Mac properties and the internet. However, of the either computers actually at the school, not one of them is internet accessible. Prior to fancy comput-ers, similar fi lm projects were run at NHS but with use of relatively primi-tive computers. Laptops seemed like a dream come true and the internet seemed like a fantasy.

Sadly, the internet still is. And while it is not a complete impossibility to work on fi lms without accessible internet, it is a great annoyance. Every time students need information from the internet, whether it is a picture, a song, or just facts, they have to go on another computer, not their laptops, and copy they what they want to a disc or a USB port. While this does not sound like a lot of work, after a while it is time consuming and wasteful in terms of CDs. Film would be a more productive class if there was internet on the computers. The central offi ce has been promising internet for these special laptops since they arrived at NHS and they have yet to come through on their word. It is frustrating to have to use a computer without internet. It is impractical and an annoy-ance. To have a fi lm program without internet on the computers is like having a PB&J without jelly. You simply can not succeed without this missing links.

Many students in our current society fuel up before school, not at a gas station, but at Dunkin’ Donuts. There are four legitimate Dunkin Donuts in Norwalk, two more smaller lo-cations in Wal-Mart and Stop & Shop, and another if you count the one three steps over the town line in Wilton. For me, it is essential to visit one of these locations every morning before school. I have spent countless time and money in these establishments every morning for the past two years. I have been late due to this coffee addiction time and time again. Due to all the tardies, I could have H’d some of my classes ten times over. The biggest competitor to Dunkin’ Donuts is Starbucks. Starbucks has two locations in Norwalk which students rarely visit. Starbucks has a very compli-cated menu and very high prices as well. That is why almost every morning, Dunkin’ Donuts is packed to the brim with students. Kadeem Roberts (’09) shares my opinion. “It’s the best coffee in the world,” said Roberts, “It is way better than Star-bucks.” He too has been tardy to class due to his coffee addiction. Another attractive thing about Dunkin’ Donuts is their very reasonable pric-ing. I can buy an extra large coffee, which will probably last me the entire school day, for $2.30. If I added a bagel or muffi n, it might be a dollar more. This is a very inexpensive way to get some sort of nourishment before school. Dunkin’ Donuts has a very suiting atmosphere for most people as well. When you walk into a Starbucks it is always very dim and they always have jazz music on. At Starbucks I almost do not feel good enough to drink their coffee. Dunkin’ Do-nuts also provides a much simpler menu than Starbucks does, which makes it that much more appeal-ing to many people. So as far as I am concerned, the Dunkin’ Donuts slogan is truthful, America really does run on Dunkin’.

Student Pays It Forward To The NHS Cafeteria Staff

NHS Runs On Dunkin’Marc Coppola ’09Staff Writer

Snow Overload - Please PlowChelsea Jacoby ’09News & Business Editor

On Monday March third, children put alarm clocks on snooze as the plows reared to go down the streets of Norwalk. With over ten inches of snow fall, the trucks and city work-ers had their jobs cut out for them, but in my opinion, they did not quite fulfi ll their duties. Instead of having a delay on Tuesday as expected, students were forced to drive in the leftover snow and ice on the roads to fi nd the Norwalk High School parking lot a mess. It is not just this storm, it happens with every storm. Necessary parking spots are taken by brown slush, pathways are not shoveled, and mounds of snow are left for students and fac-ulty to trek over. Students are greeted by multiple janitors, snow-blowing the sidewalks and shoveling the stairs of NHS. Is it fair that they should have the responsibility to clean up after the city’s inability to fully take care of our campus? Are there other options that can be looked into so that our parking lot does not look like a disas-ter after a storm? NHS depends on the janitors for their hard work to bring a sense of cleanliness throughout the school, so why should it be their task to shovel the snow which remains

outside of building? The city plows the park-ing lot but leaves the rest for the staff here to clean up and that is not fair. Tax payers are ensured that their money goes to good things in the community; couldn their money be used

to pay the city to clean up the entire campus? My father is a snowplower himself, and as he prepares for upcoming storms he asks workers to accompany him to shovel while he plows. Would that be impossible for the city to do? Bring multiple men to the job to make sure everything gets cleaned up. In my mind, that seems like the only reasonable thing that could be done and should have been done from the beginning. With warmer months taking place, this issue seems a little redundant as of now, but maybe it will ensure a cleaner campus next year after the storms, it might save the janitors from unnecessary duties.

Necessary parking spots are taken by brown slush, pathways are not shoveled, and mounds

of snow are left for students and faculty to trek over

Not So World-Wide WebGabriella Cappo ’09Peer Editor

“ If each student makes the effort of show-ing common courtesy, the school environ-ment would change drastically. We spend

almost as much at school as we do at home, so let us try and make NHS every-

one’s second home.”

Stefani Gospodinova ’10Guest Writer

No Ideas For StoriesJaleesa Davis ’10Staff Writer

Every issue of the PawPrint requires staff writers to submit a certain number of articles that may or may not be used for publication. Every issue, PawPrint advisor Robert Karl asks the class, “What story ideas are you doing?” Ev-ery time he asks, my answer is always the same, “I have no clue.” I must say that it is hard to come up with ideas for stories. Karl tells us to write about things that interest us, but then I have to ask myself the same question. What interests me? I am in-terested in music, texting, and comput-ers. But that does not mean that I want to write an article about them.

Writing articles is a hard concept, and my concern is creating something that the public will be interested in reading. I must write articles that grab the readers’ attention, but with Nor-walk High School’s wide range of di-versity, a commonplace is diffi cult to fi nd. In the end I choose topics that do not necessarily interest me, but get my work done on time. Unfortunately, ar-ticles are usually better written when the topic is of stronger interest to the author. Hopefully, I can soon fi nd a topic that interests me and write articles to show it.

PhotoC

redit:Samantha

Redfield

Marc Coppola grabbing some Dunkin’ before school.

Phot

o C

redi

t: D

anie

l Con

klin

One of the Macs used in History in the Making.

OPINION THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 16 THE PAW PRINT

ERIC J. PRESCOTT, CPAPartner

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Paw Print Patrons

The following families assisted in contributing to the creation of this newspaper. Every little bit helps and we appreciate all of your support. Thank you.

Costa• McCarthy• Castagnetti• Giolitto• Roberson• Shields• Mones• Callahan• Johnson•

Delbene• Zezima• Dimeglio• Andino• Remson-• WatsonCadden•

S p e c i a l Thanks to the Fathers Club

for their generous donation and sup-port to NHS and The Paw Print.

As the weather gets warmer and acceptance letters come in the mail, seniors usually ‘check out’ of school way before graduation, something referred to students and teachers as “Senioritis.” By the time third quarter rolls around, seniors have lost interest in high school and the work as-signed. As work ethics diminish and effort decreases fewer assignments get turned in, tardies are handed out left and right, while the amount of cars leaving the parking lot during school hours increase. Despite the efforts of the security guards and cameras strategically placed around the school, there are still loop holes that students, especially seniors take note of. Seniors also blame the nice weather for their lazi-ness or absence from class. Senioritis has been passed down from generation to generation in high school. The underclassmen notice how the seniors leave school, cut class, their lack of assign-ments fi nished. Once they are seniors, they take on the role the current seniors play so well. Teachers observe their students falling under the charm of senioritis, but in my opinion, deep down they know there is nothing they can do. We have our futures

set for us, at least for the next couple years, and we have learned everything we need to get to this point. In a way, the teachers should realize that they have succeeded in teaching us the fundamentals to get us through our high school years and beyond. So as the warmer months roll around and the seniors pack up and leave take note underclassmen: do not judge us, because next year, around this time, you will follow in our footsteps as we did from past seniors. If anything, learn from us, and do not fi ght senioritis, get your work done ahead of time and then just accept the fact of “checking out.” because the se-nior class of 2009 and teachers know very well that is what we did.

Diagnostic In: Senioritis SpreadsChelsea Jacoby ’09News & Business Editor

Need For Bulletin Board At NHSJustin McGown ’11Staff Writer

You have lost your cutting edge cell phone and you have no idea where it might be, if it stays lost your parents will kill you. You have decided to offer a re-ward, but how to spread the news? You could try word of mouth, but a school-wide game of telephone is like-ly to yield few results. The next logical choice would be to put up fl yers, but the process for this is unwieldy. You need to get your information approved by a teacher, if the fl yer is going up on a wall, or a housemaster’s approval if it is going on a bulletin board. After doing all that, nobody reads the bulletin boards and shredded fl yers cover the fl oor. The solution? I propose the installation of a large bulletin board for student use, preferably in front of

the main offi ce. That location likely means low van-dalism. To ensure proper usage of the board a new club could be formed. A “Monitoring Club” could meet several times a week and scan for abuse. These students would have great responsibility delegated to them; therefore this extracurricular would require a teacher’s approval. The board could also be a means of expression. I think it would be an excellent opportunity for students to post their own original works, from doodles to po-etry. An alternative option would be for NHS to get an offi cial online forum, it would be an excellent way for students to communicate. If everything we said and did was done in our real names, I believe that we would behave maturely. As insurance a Monitoring Club would moderate this as well.

Family Matters... In ChinaMolly Young ’09Peer Editor

While living with the Cao family in Zibo, China, I realized just how precious and important family is in the culture of this country.

I fi rst came to this realization when I asked the daughter of my family, Yan Yu, what her father’s hobbies include, Yan Yu simply replied, “family.”

China is constantly stereotyped as being all “hustle and bustle,” but when one truly sees inside a Chinese family, this stereotype is only part of the culture. Yes, the Chinese work harder than anyone I have ever seen, but their work ethic never stops them from spending time with family.

Family comes before everything. Everyday, the family eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. They come home from school and work so they can spend time with one another and share the events of their day.

In America, we are so consumed with everything but what really matters; those who love you no matter what: your family.

My last night in Zibo is a perfect example of the focus of family in China. I knew in the morning I was go-ing to be cooking dumplings with my Chinese family for dinner, but what I did not realize was just how much of the family would be sharing this dinner with me. In total, over fi fteen family members, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a grandmother came over on a Thursday night simply because they wished to meet their new member of the family and watch this new family member completely screw up making dumplings. (They tasted great in the end)

My trip to China taught me many things, but by far the most signifi cant was I learned to appreciate my family as they are the most important in life.

Photo Credit: B

runa Petrillo

Chelsea does nothing in class while other students are working.

DEBATETHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 17

Thirty-three years old, 553 home runs, and in a great position to break baseball’s home run record…until now. Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has been con-victed of using performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003.

More importantly, he lied on national television about using steroids during an interview with Katie Couric in December 2007. “I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball fi eld,” stated Alex during the in-terview.

After the word got out about A-Rod using steroids, he at least

had the guts to admit to it. Not m u c h l a t e r

though, he thought of another way to hide his controversy by telling the press that his cousin, Yuri Sucart, obtained and ad-ministered drugs to him from 2001-2003.

Now, the only one that knows the true answer is A-Rod himself. What we do know for a fact is that Alex Rodriguez did test positive for steroids. This is defi -nitely worse than the Michael Phelps con-troversy, because it shows how far some players will go to play their best every day out on the fi eld.

For a time being, A-Rod was at the top of his game, hitting his 500th home run and making outstanding defensive plays; and then for him to be convicted of illegally enhancing his game is something

that no one will forget. The asterisk next to A-

Rod’s name will make him

a phony, and will still show the fact that Hank Aaron is still the Home Run King of All Time.

To lie and then be caught is defi nitely an embarrassing situation for anyone, es-pecially when you are a famous sports fi gure earning the highest pay roll in the game. A role model gone badly, the path to hit history stopped by a roadblock. Yes Alex Rodriguez may still break the

home run record, but will he be able to live with the guilt, or worse, the bad pub-licity.

Phelphs VS A-Rod: Who Will Take The Win For WorseMatthew Cranston ’11Sports Editor

In the past few months, two of the biggest sports stars in the world have been featured in the news for unfortunate reasons.

Michael Phelps was seen in a photo smoking a “bong” pipe at a party while Alex Rodriguez admitted to using per-f o r m a n c e enhancing drugs for t h r e e s e a - sons.

O n e q u e s t i o n that has been brought up in the aftermath of these incidents is: which one is worse? I believe the answer to this question is Michael Phelps.

One reason why I tend to scrutinize Phelps more than Rodriguez is that Phelps has already been in trouble with the law before being caught with marijuana.

In 2004, Michaels Phelps pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to 18 months of probation. In return for his plea, Phelps was not given the additional charges of driving under the infl uence, underage drinking, and failing to stop at a stop sign.

With multiple run-ins with the law Phelps has shown that he has not learned from his mistakes and has an irresponsible mindset.

In addition to Phelps’ recklessness, he has displayed immaturity and careless-ness through his actions. Phelps had noth-

ing to gain and everything to lose by using marijuana. He is not only the most famous athlete in his sport but also the sole reason why swimming is relevant in the United

States. Essential-

ly, by doing marijuana Phelps shows that his swim-

ming career and legacy come in second behind partying.

Also, Phelps was a rep-resentative of the United States to the

entire world in the Olympic Games. His actions have not only given himself a bad

name but the country as well. Rodriguez, on the other hand, could

argue that he was almost forced into doing steroids since the majority of other baseball players were doing so. Although I am not condoning Rodriguez’s cheating I can sym-pathize for him because he acted for the love of his sport and intense desire to be the best. I believe we can all understand Rodriguez’s explanation for doing steroids since we all strive to be the best at what we do.

To me, that is the icing on the cake. Rodriguez was just trying to keep up in the baseball “Steroid Era”. Phelps, who dis-honored and disgraced his sport as well as his country, is far worse than Alex Rodri-guez.

TV: Chewing Gum For The Mind, Or Soup For The SoulTelevision is largely considered to be the best invention ever created, but this technological development has taken over our lives.

Often called “the tube”, the TV causes millions of viewers to turn into lethargic beings, staring at a sedentary screen for hours. Although TV can have interesting, informative pro-grams, the ratio of valuable informational programs, to sheer entertainment is imbalanced. Hundreds of pointless shows fi ll the airwaves, and the TV causes people to miss out on true experiences.

Frank Lloyd Wright states “Television is chewing gum for the mind.” To clarify, chew-ing gum is entertaining for the mouth, but does not actually provide nutritious substance, much like television.

The lack of genuinely benefi cial programs on air now is astound-ing. Thousands of futile shows are shown daily, sending pointless mes-sages to the public.

Reality shows and game shows are b e c o m i n g quite popular as people fl ock to their TV sets to watch another person humiliate them- selves.

Dramas and sitcoms are pointless and often repetitive, and the legitimate val-ue of each show deteriorates as each new program is written.

The amount of money spent annually on television sets is extraordinary. Millions of dollars are spent every year to get a bigger better TV screen, in order to more fully enjoy point-less blather. Money could be spent on more valuable things, instead of television sets.

Everyday millions of viewers soak in tons of data from their television sets, and some don’t know how to decipher it correctly. In turn, TV becomes the sole source of opinion. The convenience of TV allows people to use excuses for their inability to form their own opin-ions.

All in all, television provides the American people with an excuse to ignore the important issues of their lifestyles, and continue to sit in front of their oversized screens, oblivious to the rest of the world.

Daisy Villalobos ’10Staff Writer

Diana Newman ’09Staff WriterIs there really such a thing as too much television? I mean, come on, who really came up with that? As a high school student, I enjoy going home everyday knowing I can pick up my remote and watch my favorite shows.

As a full-time student, I have homework every day, and afterschool activities. Sometimes I have to watch my little brother, and on top of that, I have a part-time job. When I get home, which is usually around 7:30 p.m., and I want to watch tele-vision, I will.

I know that most would agree with me that people generally have a favorite show that they love to watch. I do not know if it is considered to

be “too much” television but I have four. Yes, I make sure to take the time out of my life to watch these shows.

Why would someone say that this is considered to be too much television? There is nothing wrong with it. TV was in-

vented for entertainment and enjoyment. Thank you; I enjoy it very much.

W h a t I do not understand is someone saying that this is bad, I

mean, if the TV was so bad then why does our president make appear-

ances on it? Clearly it just means that the television is here to

help us, not to brain-wash us.Personally, I believe television can help de-

fi ne who you are. It can inspire you to be what you want to be. American Idol might inspire someone to want to be a singer, or from the judge’s point of view, inspire someone to be a counselor because they have discov-ered that they love giving advice.

Television might not be for everyone but, for those who love to watch, keep on watching it. It is not pointless if you do not think it is. If it makes you happy,

watch as much as you want.

Debates:

Watch as much TV as you want!

‘The tube’ has taken over

our lives!

Michael

Phelphs is

reckless.

He said, She saidEric Scatamacchia ’11Staff Writer

Will A-Rod be able to live with the guilt?

CLUB CONNECTION THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 18

Geography Bee

Advertise Your Club on Three

Monitors Throughout

the School

If you want to advertise on the monitors, pick up a form at the main offi ce, then submit it to the B House mailbox labeled TV MONITORS, or email to nhspawprint@gmail.com

Any Questions Contact: Mr. Moffet (205 A), Mr. Franco (308 E), Mr. Seaburg (114 B), or Mr. Karl (116 B)

What happens when the freedom of religion is rejected in a school environment? As a freshman, Lindsay Wrinn (’10), entered Norwalk High School ready to join the Teens with Faith club. “The club was active until 2006, but stopped because administration believed it was against a separation of church and state,” explained Wrinn. Along with Jasmin Linares (’10), Wrinn researched online and found the club, in fact, legal in a public school. At the beginning of their junior year, Wrinn and Linares’ club proposal was rejected. “Then we wrote a letter to the superintendent, but he rejected us again,” said Wrinn. Wrinn and Linares took an Honors Civics course this year. Wrinn explained how she learned about the Equal Access Act, the platform for her to write another letter explaining her rights. The club was approved and met for the fi rst time a week later. Wrinn explained her motivation to write a third proposal, “Before Civics, I was familiar with my rights already, but learning about them helped me act out. I knew the rejection was unconstitutional.” The Teens with Faith club meets weekly in Ms. Khachadoorian’s room, discussing different Christian denominations and learning about other religions. “We’re very happy that our club is popular. We thought only a few people would be at our fi rst meeting, but surprisingly, sixteen students came. The number of members has been growing each week,” Wrinn concluded.

If interested in campaigning for Prom King

or Queen, contact Jeff DeSimone,

Mrs. Bomann, or Ms. Juden

Have at least five and a half credits this year

Graduation tentatively set for June 25th

Senior Prom on June 6th

Pass English & Health

SENIORS

Jacoby Outdoor Maintenance

Landscaping... Snowplowing...Dump runs

Paul Jacoby203-855-9898

“I treat yours like mine.”

Date: April 8th

Place: Priority School Room

1,200 students test, narrowd down to 20-25 fi nalistsFreshman – Seniors

Testing mostly world geopgraphy, physical maps, etc.Valuable prizes will be awarded

Faculty Advisors are Mr. Welsh and Mr. O2006 was the fi rst Geography Bee

Rushi Shah and Nicole Press

Jennifer Wilkins ’10Staff Writer

Mr. Seaburg (114 B), or Mr. Karl (116 B)Mr. Seaburg (114 B), or Mr. Karl (116 B)Mr. Seaburg (114 B), or Mr. Karl (116 B)

Te e n s W i t h

4th Place Entrepreneurship Event: Ravi Patel (’10)

Ryan Tolmich (’10)4th Place Global Business:

Larry McGonigle (’11)3rd place Business Ethics

Team Event:Michael Lepoutre (’10)Robert Romano (’10)

Greg Berger (’10)

The team as a

whole received a

Bronze Chapter

Recognition.

Norwalk High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) took part in the CT FBLA Conference in Water-bury on Monday, March 30, 2009. 15 NHS members competed in challeng-

ing business related topics. 40 CT schools competed.

SPORTSTHE PAW PRINT APRIL 2009 PAGE 19

The Norwalk high school boy’s basketball team fi nished the season 10-10. Posting one of the best records in recent years the bears made an appearance in the Class L state playoffs. Their fi rst state game was against powerhouse Hartford Public and the bears lost 72-59. Overall the season was a great success. Captain Evan Kelley (’10) said, “The whole season was great; towards the end we really stepped our game up and won fi ve of our last six games. We had our best season in the last four years.” The bears are losing eight seniors, three in the starting lineup. Captain Jeremy Dickens (`09) said, “I had a lot of fun and I am really happy we made states and I wish the best of luck to the future of NHS basketball with returning starters Drew Sawyer and Evan Kelley. I am sure next year’s team will be able to live up to their expectations.”

Daisy villalobos ’10Staff Writer

Noah cooper ’09Feature Editor

Marc coppola ’09Staff Writer

Alex Morsanutto ’09Staff Writer

Chelsea jacoby ’09Business & News Editor

Victoria giannitti ’10Staff Writer

Boys Bears 10-10

NHS Wrestling

A Victory Lap

Right On TrackGirls Finish .500

Hockey Tied Up

The Norwalk High School Indoor Track teams had a great season this year. After competing vigorously, their hard work defi nitely paid off in their multiple successes this year. Team senior Captains Daniel Conklin and Lauren Ventrlla competed in states, and succeeded in bringing back multiple medals each. Unfortunately Malik Miller (’09), a team captain, was unable to compete because he was abroad in Italy. “I’m really proud of the team and all their accomplishments,” stated Conklin, “They did great this year.” A special congratulations to Lauren Ventrella for making second in states, fi fth in New England and twenty-second in Nationals. Congrats to the whole team.

This time of year would be a sad time if the Norwalk Swim team was bad. Fortunately, the boys swimming team had one of the best seasons in recent years. Finishing eight in FCIACs, the team was very pleased with their season. “I was very happy with the improvements made by the younger swimmers, and the competitiveness of the older swimmers,” Stated Co-captain Dan Faugno-Fusci (`10). Not only did the team have a successful season, but a few individuals made their mark at FCIACs. Oscar Castillo place third in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.59, and Andy Rumore fi nished sixth in the diving competition. Coach Marchetti was very pleased with his team.He stated, “The season is fi nishing very well.” Congratulations to the 2008-2009 swim team on a great season.

Captains Cliff Magliore (`10) Chris Mulford (`09), and Fred Reisch (`10) led their team to win eight out of twenty-eight matches this wrestling season. The wrestling team worked hard and practiced from right after school until six o’clock almost everyday. “Since I have been on the team this has been our best season so far,” Said Tommy Polumbo (`10). “If we keep excelling at the rate we have been then next year hopefully we can double our wins.” At one point the team won three out of four matches in one day. We hope they continue to improve and we look forward to supporting them and watching them succeed in the future.

The Norwalk/McMahon Hockey Team is not what you would consider outstanding, but on February twenty-third, the team broke their 0-39 losing streak. The team faced the Shepaug - Litchfi eld – Waramaug co-op team. Shepaug’s record was not stellar either considering their only win in two years was their opening game to Norwalk this season. Even though it did not seem like it, the boys improved tremendously over the course of this season. They became brothers in a sense. Due to all that team bonding the overall play increased tremendously as well, and this showed in one of their concluding battles against Shepaug. Captain Dylan Byrne (`11) had scored the only goal of the game late in the second period to take the lead over Shepaug. Norwalk held the lead until there were six minutes left in the third period. A ricochet shot sneaked by goalie Michael Diaz (’09). “I went to grab the puck out of the air and before I knew it I was surrounded by three of the opposing players, one of which was on my leg,” said Diaz. “It should have been a penalty because almost all of them were in the crease.” Being a former player, I know that any improvement is a win for the team. However the tie was still an outstanding feeling. “I still wanted to win,” said Byrne, “But the tie was still great for the team.”

Winter Sports Review

Boys Bears 10-10

The Norwalk High School Lady Bears basketball team ended their season with a .500 record, going 10-10 and looking back on the season with no regrets. Senior captains Kelcie O’Brien, Nicole DiMeglio, and Courtney Ellis look back on their four years of basketball and are saddened to know it is all over. “I am extremely upset the season is over. It is hard to believe I’ve played for four years and it is already over, but I can’t complain because I’ve had four great years on varsity basketball and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” stated O’Brien. Lead by NHS English teacher, Mr. Fuller, and Math teacher, Ms. Gardner, the girls played an excellent season, remembering their toughest game against Saint Josephs and coming back to win in overtime.

When asked to describe their season in one word DiMeglio said, “Dispute” while Obrien said, “Unison.” The girls leave behind a team of young talent and give them the advice, “Don’t let the arguments, or differences among one another affect the team unison. Stick together and never give up on each other,” stated DiMeglio. O’Brien and added, “Don’t get mad at your team or your coaches, keep your cool and you will win games. Always keep your head up and you will succeed.”

N SH

Photo Credit: N

HS Yearbook

SPORTS THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 20 THE PAW PRINTAPRIL 2009PAGE 20

Spring Sports Preview

Girls TrackDaniel Conklin ’09Photography Editor

Boys TrackJeff DeSimone ’09Club Connection Editor

Bears SoftballBrian Jacoby ’09Sports Editor

Girls LacrosseSara LeDuc ’09Executive Editor

Boys LacrosseAlex Morsanutto ’09Staff Writer

In Full SwingAshley Lampman ’09Arts & Entertainment Editor Girls Tennis

Samantha Redfield ’09Staff Writer

Bears GolfDaniel Conklin ’09Photography Editor

After a (unknown but losing) record last season, the 2009 Norwalk High School softball team is looking to improve. With senior captains Ashley Scarpone, Courtney Ellis, and Kristy Mastropietro leading the way, the team looks to have great success.

When asked what the difference was between this year’s team and last year’s, projected ace pitcher Scarpone replied, “We have a new coaching staff, so there are going to be some new philosophies and ideas that we are willing to embrace.”

Being a fi rst time captain as well, Scarpone had her own philosophy: “I am going to establish a strong work ethic and try to create a sense of comrodery among the team.”

The team will be built around Scarpone on the mound, Ellis holding down shortstop, and Mastropietro in command of the outfi eld. Underclassmen are looking to make an impact as well, such as Brien Mcmahon transfer Niki Talercio, who will likely see the pitcher’s circle this season

While the girl’s lacrosse season has just offi cially begun, the girls have been working for months.

Since the conclusion of fall sports, the tri-captains, Katy Lee (’09), Despina Savvoluides (’09), and Alyssa Fortunato (’10) have been leading their team members through work outs and conditioning.

The team has a strong leadership core with seniors: Katy Lee, Despina Savvoluides, Cailyn Brown, and Danielle DiMeglio. There are also a number of juniors, sophomores, and particularly freshmen ready to play the fi eld.

“We have been working very hard off season. More then half of the girls came to the weight room everyday for the past four months and that will show once the season starts,” said Lee.

The captains are optimistic about the season ahead and ready to work hard with the hopes of beating rival Brien McMahon for the fi rst time ever.

The Norwalk High School golf team is looking forward to bouncing back from a subpar season last year.

The team has been bolstered by ten new members, more than doubling the size of last year’s team. This squad consists of fi ve seniors who will provide discipline and leadership on the course and at practice.

“We’re looking forward to improving and having some fun on the golf course,” said senior captain Tom Kodel.

Kodel is expected to be the top golfer for the Bears, and be a strong leader on and off the course. This experienced golfer should add some stability to this relatively young team.

“What’s better than golfi ng for free?” exclaimed senior Jeff DeSimone (’09). The team is very happy to have this former track, football, basketball, and baseball athlete to add to their ranks.

So keep an eye on our very own NHS Golf Team, they are sure to meet par on peoples expectations.

Bears BaseballMatthew Cranston ’11Sports EditorThe Norwalk High School Baseball team is ready for another season of success. The Bears captains this year are seniors Brian Jacoby, Michael Andino, and Chris Hines. “I think this upcoming season is going to be all about the team working together as a unit because we have a lot of young players looking to get some playing time. The older kids are going to have to guide them through the varsity program and let them know what is expected of them,” stated Jacoby. The team captains say that their goals this year are the same as every year; to win games, make the playoffs, and hopefully win a conference championship.

The girl’s tennis team had a rocky season last spring, but this year they believe they are going to put end that. Jessica Munoz (’09) and Ashley Lampman (’09) are the captains this year for the girl’s tennis team. They both have been on the team since their freshmen year and are eager to start this season. They are also hoping to win at least six games so they are eligible to go to states They have started practicing earlier and going to clinics to train since February. They did not start this early last year; they believe all the extra practice will help improve their game. “I’m excited for this season, I’m really looking forward to a successful year,” said Munoz.

N SHAfter having a very successful season last year, fi nishing with a record of 11-6, Norwalk hopes to stay near the top of the standings after losing some key competitors. Not only did Norwalk High School stay competitive throughout the regular season, but they also took home several FCIAC medals at the county fi nals. “We are expecting big things from some of our juniors and sophomores on the team. The distance squad has good depth, but each person will have to step up to earn some points,” said senior captain Daniel Conklin. The only people returning who came home with FCIAC Medals last year are seniors Daniel Conklin, Jeremy Dickens, and Malik Miller. That is less than half of the athletes who got medals last year from NHS.

Best Of Luck To All Of The Spring Athletes and Their Teams

The boy’s lacrosse team is looking to build up a solid foundation for the upcoming years with a young group of promising athletes. With only two returning starters the team is looking for the younger classmen to step up and attribute to the team. The bears open up their season with FCIAC powerhouse Greenwich. Jake Passero (’10) says, “This rebuilding year will be a great opportunity for our younger players to gain some experience and lay down a foundation for following years.”

The Norwalk High Girls Outdoor Track team is looking to repeat another strong season; however this task may prove diffi cult. After fi nishing third in the FCIAC meet last season the Bears look to rebuild after losing two key members. Graduates Kaylani Williams and Mina Alexis both took home fi rst place medals last year which greatly helped the team. This year the team is lead by All-State senior captain Lauren Ventrella who will lead the way in short sprints and hurdles. “I’m hoping we can stay successful with such a young team,” said Ventrella ’09. Junior Libby Burr will also score points in the sprint category and the team will also be helped out by Rachael Simpson in the jumps.

The tennis season is in full swing as the boys tennis team begins their season with high hopes and a strong momentum.

The boys ended their spring season last year, 5-9 but hope to improve this season. “We have some very skilled players that will drive this team competitively as well as younger players that will be taught skills that will make them more competitive as the season progresses,”said Co-captain Noah Cooper (’09).

The team is looking forward to more contributions made by strong players, Jason Parraga (’11), Michael Lepoutre (’11) and Cam Piasecki (’11) as well as being able to fi eld a full team.

“Last year we had to forfeit doubles often because we didn’t have numbers, but this year I think we’ll have a full team and we can start a match without having to forfeit points,” said Co-Captain TJ Lepoutre (’09).

Support the team at two anticipated matches; Greenwich on April nineteenth and BMHS on April twentieth both at Norwalk High.

Photo Credits: Daniel

Conklin and Jaleesa

Davis