Feb 2012

In This Issue

All You Need to Know About the Apocalypse 2012

SAYA 2012: AGAIN A SUCCESS During the week of January 14th, 15 Chinese students and 2 teachers visited Belmont High School, each staying at the household of one American student for a week, shadowing their daily activities, including school, extracurriculars and clubs. These Chinese scholars were from Nantong, Nanjing and Suzhou, participating in a program called the Sino-American Young Ambassadors (SAYA). Inspired by President Barack Obama’s speech during his visit to Beijing in 2009 about Sino-American collaboration, the Ameson Education and Cultural Exchange Foundation began the program, dedicated to promoting mutual understanding between China and the Western hemisphere. SAYA’s objective is to give American and Chinese high schoolers the opportunity to experience international awareness

Highpoint FEBRUARY 2012 Belmont High School 221 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. 02478

By BETH YOUNG

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Participants of the 2012 SAYA Program Beth Young

■ NEWS, PAGE 2

Belmont Idol Coverage & Photos

■ NEWS, PAGE 3

Beauty and the Beast BHS Musical Preview

On December 21, 2012, it is generally accepted that the world shall end. Well, it is generally accepted that if the world were really to end, then it would end on December 21, 2012. Whatever one’s views on this issue, it still may be helpful to explore some facts about the apocalypse, just in case the world ends in about eleven months. Or just in case it doesn’t end at all.

By JESSIE LU


Feb. 2012 The Highpoint

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SAYA Experience 2012

By CATHERINE TANG

NEWS

and cultural immersion. In February of 2010, the program was launched when 14 Chinese students and 2 teachers visited BHS for a one week pilot program. The following year, a total of 70 Chinese students and 7 exchanges occurred at: Belmont High School, Winchester High School, and the St. Stephens’s and St. Agnes School, among others. In order to became an ambassador in SAYA, Chinese pupils are required to undergo the Pre-Ameson Scholastic Test to measure their English ability. After qualifying, the Ameson Foundation provides the rest of the logistics, such as travel arrangements and safety. As a host school, BHS decides the pairings of foreign and American students based upon gender and similar age. The trip is not only for the enjoyment of travel, though, for the Chinese scholars are instructed to write a few pieces of writing reflecting upon the outing, particularly the differences they noticed in school and everyday life. Furthermore, each of them are expected to give a presentation or

performance to their host families and any other classes that wish to watch, about Chinese culture and traditions at the end of the week. This year’s exchange was tremendously successful, with many new hosts participating. Acquaintances and memories were made that will never be forgotten. Lei Huang, whose English name is Fairy, was one of the ambassadors, and gave her opinion on SAYA, “This trip is interesting and meaningful. America is one of the strongest countries in the world so it is very important to find out the differences between American schools and Chinese schools.” And, as for the differences between China and the U.S. she mentioned, “American students are very outgoing and friendly...creative and independent. The teachers are more like friends than teachers...it’s easier for students to [learn] when [they] are comfortable and relaxed.” The SAYA program has experienced a wonderful 2 years of cultural diversity and will continue to do so in the future. To learn more

about SAYA, visit the Ameson website: http://www.ameson.org/en/2011-11-30-19-47-48/exchange-initiatives/sino-american-youth-ambassadors. And, if you are interested in becoming a host family, contact Ms. McDevitt or Dr. Harvey for any upcoming opportunities. Fairy Huang: “This trip is interesting and meaningful. America is one of the strongest countries in the world so it is very important to find out the differences between American schools and Chinese schools. American students are very outgoing and friendly...the way of teaching is more open and specific. They don’t know tell the students every step as clearly as Chinese teachers. Instead, they just tell them the strategies to solve the questions...the American students not only have some worksheets to finish but many interesting projects to do so most of the American students are very creative and independent.”

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Every year a talent show is hosted to benefit the Diversity Program at the Belmont High School. This year, more than thirty acts auditioned and only twelve were selected to perform in the BHS Auditorium on Friday, January 12th as a part of Belmont Idol. The emcees Sonia Mankin and Mikhail Fishman introduced the acts and entertained the audience between each performer. After each performance, the contestants were given feedback from the three judges— Mr. Smokler, Ms. Larkin, and Fred Dominici. This year, Belmont Idol had its first rapper and its first band consisting of seven band members. After all of the performances, while judges determined this year’s Belmont Idol

Spotlight: Belmont Idol! winner, last year’s winner,

Whitney Mulhern gave a special performance. At the end of the show, Whitney announced this year’s Belmont Idol winners: Olivia Kerins and Rosy Fitzgerald who sang and played the guitar. The show ended with all of the performers gathering on the stage to take a bow.

(Right, Above) Whitney Mulhern

BHS Idolists Elaine Miao


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The eighth Belmont High School art auction will be held on Saturday, December 17th from 6:00pm to 9:00 pm in the BHS cafeteria to support the Belmont High School AP Studio Art class trip to France in the spring.

The biennial auction will comprise of an all-you-can-eat dinner, live music, and a silent art auction. Fifty two restaurants have agreed to donate food to this exciting event. Throughout the evening, art from both professional artists and student artists will be displayed for people to bid on. All proceeds will go to the AP Art class art tour of Paris in April 2012. This year, the class consists of twenty five hand-picked dedicated young artists who, over the years have earned Belmont High School’s art program national recognition by attracting the top art schools in the nation and winning numerous awards in the Scholastic Art competition every year. Tickets for the auction are on sale now for twenty dollars per person and can be purchased at the door as well.

NEWS

BHS Competes in the Division II MSTCA State Relays

By CATHERINE TANG

Beauty and the Beast: A Preview

We all watched it as children. We sat on our living room floors and rooted for Belle, sympathized with the Beast, and despised Gaston. Well, now we have one more chance to watch Disney’s classic, Beauty and the Beast. The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company is putting on its own unique rendition of the beloved fairy tale this March 15th -17th. Director Christopher Brindley shares, “Our production of Beauty and the Beast will most certainly pay homage to the Disney tale, however, as always I strive to find the truth in the story, which sometimes brings about some different choices.”

Brindley made the controversial and brave decision not to cut any student who auditioned and so with an outstanding seventy person cast a lot of true talent has made its way in. Brindley explains, “It is my policy not to make cuts because I want as many kids as possible to have the experience of

By LAURA LEVITT

Belmont High School’s Production of the “Tale as Old as Time”

being on stage or behind the scenes.” With that mentality in mind, the rehearsal process began, and students began the hard work necessary to pull off this “tale as old as time.”

One actor, Chovi Nazaire who is playing the shows burly antagonist, Gaston, comments on the rehearsals noting, “The rehearsals are generally lighthearted but always productive.” Nazaire is a Belmont High senior who will be starring alongside senior Sienna Haines as Belle, senior Paul Green as the Beast, junior Alex Griffin as Lumiere, senior Katie Fallon as Mrs. Potts and a whole slew of other talented and enthusiastic actors. The production will also be starring two young boys to play the role of the endearing and innocent Chip, a young “chipped” teacup, making the production a true community effort, and one for all ages. The show also

has a 40 student backstage crew that will build the sets, make the costumes and essentially keep the whole show running from behind the curtains.

Belmont High students are hard at work bringing to life their characters and the magical world the show takes place in. Soon, all they will need is an audience to share it with.

On January 15, the Belmont indoor track team competed in the Division II MSTCA state relays at Reggie Lewis. The boys tied with Shepherd Hill and Tewksbury at 21st place with a final score of 2 points. They ran a hard race in the 4x200 meter, earning 43rd place with a time of 1:50.74. The boys ran another tough race in the 4x800 meter with a time of 9:31.26, placing 32nd. But things turned around for them in the 1600 meter spring medley: they ran an amazing race, placing fifth with a time of 3:50.18. In high jump, the boys placed tenth with a total height of 4.65m. On the girls side, though they did not place, they still ran well in their races. In the 4x50 meter, Belmont placed 20th with a time of 26.57. They did even better in the 4x200 relay, earning 17th place with a time of 1:56.00.

Unfortunately, Belmont got disqualified in the 4x800 relay because they passed out of the zone when they were handing off the baton. Even though they were disqualified, they still ran a good race, earning second in their heat. But the girls picked themselves back up in the 1600 sprint medley, placing 16th with a time of 4:40.31. The distance medley was a difficult race,

but the girls still placed 21st with a time of 14:19.95. Overall, the boys and the girls ran their hardest in the relays and they both represented Belmont High with flying colors.

By LINDA LEE


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GLOBAL

Apocalypse? The actual term “apocalypse” is most

likely derived from the Apocalypse of John in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. Literally, “apocalypse” means “a lifting of the veil” or “revelation”. The Book of Revelation depicts scenes of the future, some of which suggest the end of the world, which is perhaps why the term “apocalypse” was taken.

The date of the apocalypse comes from one of the numerous Mayan calendars. This one calendar follows patterns of our sun’s relationship to the star Alcyone. The 26,000 year cycle ends in 2012. Since Mayans were known for their scientific, mathematic, architectural, and artistic accuracy and achievements, the fact that this calendar ends in 2012 is cause for some concern. Still, it may be true that Mayans simply did not get the chance to finish their calendar.

In addition to the Mayan prediction, ideas of the apocalypse can be traced in the Jewish Book of David, Martin Luther’s writings, the thoughts of Christopher Columbus, and throughout other events in history. Since no exact dates have been given by these sources, the Mayan calendar provides the best guide.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEB 20-24 February Break FEB 27 - MARCH 2 AP Registration MARCH 2 BHS Semiformal MARCH 15-17 Beauty and the Beast BHS Musical

Shoot us an email at [email protected] !

Suggestions? Feedback? Want to join the staff?

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What will actually happen at the

apocalypse is a mystery and a highly debated topic. Some claim that the apocalypse will be a natural disaster, more specifically the collision of a rogue planet with the earth, while others believe that it will be the last judgment mentioned in the Bible. Still others believe that four horsemen will appear, one representing the Antichrist movement, one representing war, one representing famine, and the last one literally representing death. The more optimistic debaters argue that the apocalypse will lead to a Golden Age. Some of these theories have been debunked by scientists, such as the cosmic collision, although others are much more spiritual and much less predictable.

Americans have been fascinated by the apocalypse for centuries, and history even suggests apocalyptic thoughts in the American Revolution. Hopefully, December 21 will live up to its expectations.


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By VINUTNA VEERAGANDHAM

GLOBAL

Oil Prices Skyrocket

Relax

Gas has a huge impact on our economy since many people depend on it. A change in price, whether it be an increase or decrease can change America’s economic growth. For the past couple of years, many companies have created products that will relieve our dependency on gas. Cars that run on electricity, water and vegetable oil have been made. Because of these new technologies, the demand for fuel is not as high and is causing gas prices to drop. During the week of the January 22nd, fuel demand fell for the 22nd consecutive time. It had declined by 5.5 percent from 2011.

Though demand for fuel is decreasing, the prices are still increasing. On January 20th, prices were the highest they had ever been. Iran has been threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, this is a route for about 1/5 of the world’s oil. This is because the International Atomic Energy Agency has been trying to set sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program. When the agency returned, a Chief Inspector reported that the visit was “good”. He also said that they would most probably have to make

another visit to Iran. The tension in the Persian Gulf had raised the price of one barrel of oil to $100. Head of Iran’s state oil company said that prices could be as high as $150. Though Iranian imports are banned in the US, Iran is a primary source of oil for the rest of the world. The national average for oil on Jan 20th was $3.382 per gallon. This is 17 cents more than it was a month before and 27 cents more than it was a year before. During the week of 22nd of the January, US crude oil inventories increase by 2.1 million barrels to 339.5 million barrels. This was the highest they had been since the week of November 11th. Also during this week, US drivers bought around 8.51 barrels of oil a day. In the week prior to this, drivers had only bought 8.48 million barrels a day. In January, the European Union had said that they will ban all Iranian imports starting in July. They had also said that they will freeze the assets of Iran’s central bank, this will serve as a part of the sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program. Together, the US and the European Union are causing the price of gas to increase significantly.

By SHABNAM RAFIEIZADEH

The year of 2012 represents lots of paranoia. For some, it means the end of the world, Especially if they saw the movie “2012”. There was a person that made a prediction about 2012. I believe his name was Nostradamus. He predicted that in 2012, World War III would occur. After hearing all of these things, Some might think that they don’t know what to believe after so much false predictions have been made for the beginning of each year. For example, a prediction was made that

in the beginning of 2000, All of the computers would crash. On the other hand, some think that this is all just paranoia. Maybe we should just relax. Relax. Some people don’t think of it as something special that 2012 is approaching. Thinking that the first day that they go to school or work in 2012 is going to be as boring as it was in 2011. Some people think of 2012 as a “new beginning”.

To tell you the truth, that’s a good way of thinking about it. It makes you open-minded towards the future. We should be open-minded towards our future.

!!!


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VOICE

Why Your New Year ’s Resolutions Will Fail by February

By EVA GALLAGHER

Once the clock hits midnight, every person thinks of all the goals they want to achieve in the new year. We make the lists, we think we have the motivation and are ready to go out and do what we’ve always wanted. One month later… We cancelled our trips to gym, we went back to eating unhealthily and we ran out of money for the trip to Paris. Now what? Our next thought is, well, we have 2013 for all that. And that’s how time flies. We keep pushing it back, and next thing we know it’s 2025 and the trip to Paris still hasn’t been made. The reason for this?

A recent survey discovered that 35% of Americans break their resolutions by February due to the lack of motivation in people. We make large, unrealistic and vague goals and struggle to stick by them. A week into your resolution and you feel small and incomparable to your plan for success. We don’t succeed because in the back of our minds we know, “there’s no way I can lose that much weight in a year”. We need to form resolutions with steps to reach them. To do that, you have to make sure the goal you want to achieve is worth it, and you will be willing to commit to. After that, make sure to build the plan with baby steps and gradually increase the difficulty.

By EVA V. GALLAGHER

An anonymous student answered a few questions about resolutions… Why do you make New Year’s Resolutions?

“You need to set goals for yourself. The new year brings new experiences and choices, which can be healthy for everyone.” Do you think people should only make New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of the year, or are free to make them throughout the year?

“I think people should make them throughout the year because people should better themselves every day. They should keep working, keep learning and keep putting in their best effort. Goals should be made all the time.” Why do you think New Year’s resolutions often fail?

“People don’t change easily. It’s hard to break old habits—you are who you are, and New Year’s resolutions require you to change that.” How should we prevent people from giving up their goals?

“If you share your goals with your friends, you’re most likely to stick by your resolution, with the help of their support. If someone is there to remind you, or help you out, it makes the process easier—and more fun!”


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HIGHPOINT STAFF EDITORS Jenny Kim Ben Reid THIS ISSUE’S WRITERS Beth Young Jessie Lu Shabnam Rafieizadeh Linda Lee Vinutna Veeragandham Eva Gallagher Catherine Tang PHOTO/ART/Other Elaine Miao FORMATTING & DESIGN by Jenny Kim

Check out our website at http://highpoint.belmont.k12.ma.us/

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Special thanks to the PTO for making Highpoint possible!

VOICE

The Wear and Tear of High School Sports

Drenching rain, frigid snow, ninety degrees and it seems like you’re swimming in your own sweat—every season passes, every type of weather, and if you’re out there, you’re probably one of us. We are the kids in kindergarten who couldn’t stand to lose a race around the playground, or decide to stay inside and play board games. Outside, a game of tag beckoned. We were the ones who would join the mass of confused tykes running around playing Second Soccer with shiny cleats and shin guards over our socks. We would pull on our hockey pads at six in the morning, when they still didn’t quite fit us. As we played there were bruises and cuts, as well as the occasional bright pink cast covering a broken bone. Before we knew it, we found ourselves walking down the maze of hallways at the high school. The word Tryouts squeezed its way into our brain. Freshman, JV, Varsity, am I good enough for any of them? We love what we do. We live through the freedom and

By MAGGIE O’BRIEN

exhilaration. We wrap our arms around our teammates’ backs in a huddle, and we feel the connection of wanting to win running through our veins. We have reached another level. Unfortunately, our cuts and bruises have been kissed goodbye. Growing up comes with a lot of things, one of them being the extreme physicality of playing sports. Our devotion of the game leads to concussions, ankle sprains, ripped muscles, and torn ligaments. We are out there every day doing what we do, but sometimes our hearts gets ahead of our bodies. We will risk playing when we are sore or when we haven’t stretched. Commitment shouldn’t mean injury. Concussions can affect you twenty years from now. Torn ligaments in your knee result in surgery. A long six months of sitting on the bench. We are athletes. We have a responsibility to ourselves. Be aware of what your body is telling you and do what you feel is right. It’s not always crappy weather; try not to miss the good days.

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Feb 2012