Dear Readers,

In the past couple of months it seems, more than ever, drugs and alcohol have been at the forefront of the school’s mind. After Chris Herren’s visit and a surprise drug search, the JagRoar has been wondering: Are drugs and alcohol a problem at WHS? Furthermore, why do students feel the need to take part in risky behaviors? What are the consequences? Is it the media? Peer pressure? The JagRoar sought to find answers to these questions, and more.

Ms. Lanzer’s journalism class recently com-

pleted their investigative journalism unit. As part of the unit, the JagRoar staff agreed on a single, controversial topic that every student would in-vestigate from different perspectives. In light of recent events, we agreed to cover many different aspects of drug and alcohol use.

You will notice that, throughout many of these articles, most names have been changed or left out. As journalists, we have given our sources the option to remain anonymous in order to protect their interests.

You will find these stories and more in the news section, beginning on Page 4.

This Edition:

Herren’s Impact on WHS: Students weigh in on the speaker’s message, Page 4

K9 Drug Search: Many students respond nega-tively, Page 5

The Media and Drug Use: Does the

media impact our view

of risky behavior?, Page 8

WHS Prepares for Change: Principal Kaplan announces his resignation, Page 8

French Dept. Travels to Québec: Photo story commemorates the trip, Pages 16-17

STEM: Check out our section on science and tech, Pages 25-26

Photo by Jillian DiPersioChris Herren addresses WHS students and the eighth grade class. His presentation, coupled with the recent drug search, has sparked conversation about drugs and alcohol at WHS.

JagRoar investigates the truth about drugs and alcohol

A Problem at WHS?

ROARThe Jag January 23, 2015

Nous Sommes CharlieCall me a polysci nerd, but the First Amendment is perhaps my

favorite part of the Constitution. Freedom of speech is vital to society and a right that should never be infringed upon. Though other parts of the world may not have a “First Amendment” per-se, in most Western countries the right to freedom of speech is revered. Freedom of speech allows for the free exchange of ideas and opinions and fosters open dialogue, without which we as a global society have no hope of advancing.

Voltaire, a great satirist and Frenchman once said, “I disagree with what you say but will de-fend to the death your right to say it.” We at the JagRoar recognize this, which is why the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris really struck home, especially since we too are journalists. We will not deny that free speech comes with its risks and that, undoubtedly (as Voltaire so eloquently points out), you are bound to meet with opposition and criticism for what you say. However, this does not mean one should be afraid to share an opinion or speak the truth. There is a reason free speech is protected in the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land. There is a reason why peaceful protest is accepted and even re-spected, why both Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are revered and celebrated around the world.

There is a reason why more than three million people and forty world leaders (including the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian

Authority) joined together in the French Unity March. There is something strikingly beauti-ful about so many people of different religions, cultures, and nationalities joining together in the name of shared values.

This past weekend I had the privilege of joining the French department on a trip to Québec. As we took a walking tour of old Québec I noticed a sign on the French consulate that proclaimed, “Je suis Charlie.” I ran to catch up with our guide, Jacques, and asked him how the Charlie Hedbo terrorist attacks have impacted the people of Québec, a province in a country strongly connected to its French roots. Jacques was born in Paris, so the attacks, he told me, were especially devastating

for him. I told him that I am a journalist and quoted the French motto, “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.” I realize that such values of freedom, equality, and brotherhood, directly relate to the ideals we in America have been trying to uphold since 1776.

I entreat you, Jaguars, to keep this in mind going for-ward. I believe it is safe to say that, in remembrance of the Char-lie Hebdo attacks: Nous sommes tous français, et nous sommes tous Charlie.

EDITORIAL

Jillian DiPersio

Principal Kaplan Puts Family FirstAt the end of December, Ryan Kaplan

announced that he would not be returning to Windham High School as our principal. He told the JagRoar that his decision was based mostly on family.

Mr. Kaplan lives on the Seacoast with his wife and two small children. He told us that the commute to Windham is long, which we understand has taken away valuable time with his family. We also understand that his children are very young, and it is difficult to work long hours when you have two small kids waiting for you at home.

He told us, too, that the family is con-sidering traveling abroad. We believe this could bring his family new adventures and a greater deal of quality time together.

We commend Mr. Kaplan for the deci-sion to focus on family.

As a teacher, I can relate to the desire for balance. I love my job – my students, my coworkers, the planning, the instruc-

tion, the events, and even the grading sometimes. But I also love my friends, my fiancé, my parents, my brother and sister and the rest of my family, and even my

cat. All of them deserve to be priorities in my life.

So I can only imagine that as a father, Mr. Kaplan must have a strong desire to balance all of his priorities. For many parents, work time can outweigh family time. But Mr. Kaplan’s decision shows that he has bigger plans: to put family first.Even if there are other factors

that played into his decision to leave Windham (and we are sure there are), Mr. Kaplan deserves credit for recognizing the need to balance his work life with his family life. We hope the rest of the year is successful, and we wish him, his wife, and his two children all the best on their next adventure!

Read the story on Mr. Kaplan’s resig-nation on Page 8.

JagRoar Staff

Jillian DiPersio: Editor In Chief

Ashley Domogala: News/Activities Editor

Paige Esposito: Reporter/Editor

Zach Hollins: Business Editor

Taylor Mendes: Photographer

Brittany Missert: Reporter/Editor

Megan Rogers: Sports Editor

Molly Ryan: Reporter/Editor

Cassandra Salafia: Opinion Editor

Nick Tauras: Reporter/Editor

Joe Zollo: Reporter/Editor

Katherine Lanzer: Club Adviser

Jag OpinionTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 2

Ms. Lanzer

PERSPECTIVE

By Casssandra Salafia JagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - The holiday season just came to a close, and I am relatively confused with how the school handled this season. Students and teachers know that we are all supposed to dance around the idea of religion by saying “Happy Holidays!” instead of “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hannukah!” However, these religious holidays along with others such as Kwanzaa are the reason why there is a holiday season.

Now, I do not mind that people use the generic term “holiday” instead of “Christ-mas,” “Hannukah,” or “Kwanzaa” because “holiday” applies to almost everybody. However, it seems like there is an under-lying tone within the school district that avoids religion because it is somehow offensive.

I may be slightly biased toward the idea of religion since I am a confirmed Cath-

olic, but it disgusts me that we live in a society where celebrating one’s faith can be insulting. I may want to celebrate Christmas, but my celebration does not imply that I think less of another religion.

Also, has anyone else noticed the irony in the school during this season?

We cannot openly say “Merry Christ-mas,” but we have a Christmas tree in the foyer, Christmas lights in the hallways, and teachers dressing up as Saint Nich-olas. What I am gathering from this is that we cannot openly identify with our religions, but we can decorate with the physical representations of the religions. It seems like a major contradiction.

Additionally, if the school does not favor particular religions, then where were the menorahs and dradles? Why were there only Christian decorations?

We would not have a holiday season if there were not any religions, so I do

not understand why the school district denies the presence of religion. I think it is

beautiful how people come together during this time of year, but the school makes it kind of awkward to be excit-ed for the “holiday” season.

Do you have a different opinion? Feel free to email us a Letter to the Editor that can be featured in the next issue of the JagRoar.

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 3 OPINION

Have something to say?

Email JagRoarNews@windhamsd.orgWhat Is Your New Year’s Resolution?

’Tis the Season… Or Is It?

By Brittany MissertJagRoar Staff

Windham, N.H. - New Year’s Resolutions are the chance to improve in the New Year, and many people at WHS are taking advantage of this opportunity. Some people want to be healthier and exercise more, but everyone’s goals are unique to their person. Here are some New Year’s Resolutions that were shared with us:

“For my New Year’s Resolutions, I would like to spend less time on the Internet, get more sleep, and complete daily workouts. I want to be a healthier person.” ~Rebecca Lisowski, Junior

“I’d like to stretch more in the New Year and be more flexible” ~Caroline Horrigan, Senior

“I’d like to start a band with my friends” ~Leo Ducharme, Freshman

“I’d like to be nicer to people and do better in school” ~Sam Cohen, Freshman

“My New Year’s Resolution is to do ev-erything in my power to get my AP Lang kids to get 5’s on their exams, to help my Honors American kids to develop their natural skills, and to continue to help my

Modern World Lit students to be awe-some.”

~Mr.Ryan O’Connor, English Teacher

Photos courtesy of http://wallpaperput.com/

Photo courtesy of blogspot.com

Drugs and Alcohol at WHS

This edition covers several perspectives

of drug and alcohol at Windham High School

and beyond.

How to Get Help

If you, a friend or a family member needs

help or would like someone to talk to

about drugs or alcohol, speak to Guidance or visit

teens.drugabuse.gov.

Jag NewsTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 4

Chris Herren’s Impact on WHS

By Ashley DomogalaJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – Chris Herren’s presentation on drug and alcohol abuse impacted Windham High School tre-mendously. While many students agreed with his message urging students not to change themselves with drugs or alcohol, few thought that drug and alcohol abuse are big problems at WHS, even after a surprise drug search later in the year.

WHS guidance counselor, Mr. Mike Keshigian, thought the presentation was a powerful message to students. He com-mented, “hopefully it showed them that they should be comfortable in their own skin and don’t need drugs and alcohol to change them.” Keshigian believed that the most impactful part of the presentation

was when Herren “emphasized that he had all this potential taken away by bad decisions.”

On November 17, Herren shared his struggle with drug and alcohol abuse with WHS in a moving presentation. He re-peatedly asked, “Why do you feel the need to change yourself on the weekend?” This raises the question on whether many stu-dents at WHS also feel the need to change themselves, and if Herren’s presentation urged them to change.

Interviewed WHS students agreed with Keshigian that drugs are “prevalent,” although many did not think that it was a huge issue at the school. Senior Cody Munroe stated, “Yeah, it happens, but I don’t really see it as that big of a prob-lem.” Freshman Andrew MacCausland agreed that drugs are “not major, but definitely here.”

On the other hand, sophomore Holly Masse believed drugs are a bigger prob-lem at WHS. “We have a lot of students who are getting bad grades because of them,” she commented.

Keshigian stated that students who use

drugs “have a higher risk of losing every-thing.” He believes that students can learn a lesson from Herren’s journey and poor decisions.

Herren reached out to students who were using drugs and urged them to change their ways before it was too late. Non-drug users believed that those who might be using drugs were positively impacted by Herren’s speech, while those who did not remained abstinent from drug use.

Junior Noah Hebert believed that the presentation only affected those who might be using drugs, although he be-lieved, “the bigger influence is definitely the drug bust because it had formal con-sequences.” He stated that the presenta-tion did not affect him because “with or without it, I still would not use drugs.”

Junior Jennie Terrell explained, “People have heard stories before, but he had an actual impact that it can ruin your whole future.” She thought it would affect people abusing drugs or alcohol, because the presentation was a chance “to see that that’s who they can become.”

Speaker leaves students thinking about the impact of drug use

Photo by Jillian DiPersioChris Herren speaks to the students of WHS and the eighth grade class.

Are Drugs a Big Problem at WHS?

By Rachael PageJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – Both students and faculty were surprised by the unan-nounced drug search held at WHS. The drug search raised the question among teachers and students: Are drugs a big problem at WHS?

Since the school opened in 2009, the drug rate at Windham High School seemes to have grown. Rumors buzzed around the school after the drug search and people debated whether or not it is truly an issue.

The opinions around WHS were mixed. After asking 25 students their opinions, 10 of them said that they do think it is a problem, 13 said it is not a problem, and two were mixed.

Christain Musto, WHS junior, respond-ed, “Yes, it is a problem; people talk and

I doubt that [drugs] are that hard to get a hold of.”

On the other side of the spectrum, WHS seniors Rachael Lanouette and Alexandra Connors said that they “do not think it’s a huge problem,” since they do not see a lot of it around school.

Another WHS senior, Davis Potter, agrees with Lanouette and Connors. “It’s a problem that will occur in every high school, but it’s not a big problem here in Windham.”

After asking the opinion of Greg Iworsky, Windham High School’s Re-source Officer, on the matter, he replied, “Yes, I do think drugs are a problem here.”

Iworsky also talked about what happens when a student is caught with drugs. “If a student is caught with drugs, they will be arrested immediately,” said Iworsky. “The student will go through a booking process, bail, and personal recognizant.”

Personal recognizant means that the student will owe $1,000 if they do not show up to court. “As long as they show up to court, the $1,000 will go away,”

Iworsky said.Everyone at WHS has a different

opinion when it comes to drugs being a problem. However, everyone can agree that if you are caught with drugs, there is a possibility that a student’s future plans could be destroyed.

Mike Keshigan, a WHS guidance coun-selor, talked about what could potentially happen if a student it caught with drugs. “Colleges look into it. Scholarships would be revoked, and for some schools it will be right on the application itself.”

Assistant Principal of WHS Bob Dawson, said, “We want Windham to be a safe environment.” He explained how he could not share the results of the drug search, but he hopes it sends a message to students and teachers.

Whether drugs are a problem at WHS or not, students and faculty are taking the proper precautions to keep a safe com-munity.

“We want students making safe and healthy choices,” said Mr. Dawson. “We hope students take the precautions into consideration.”

Students and staff offer their opinions

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 5 NEWS

Surprise K9 Drug Search

By Christopher MurphyJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – Several weeks ago, the Windham and Londonderry Police collectively searched Windham High School with drug-sniffing K9s during an assembly. While a regular assembly was occurring with exciting letter of intent signings, many students were unaware of the search going on beyond the doors of the gymnasium.

Many students felt somewhat offended by the decision to search the classrooms.

Jake Thomas, senior at Windham High School, found the search to be an inva-sion of trust only because “[Mr. Kaplan] introduced the assembly as a way to bring the school together.” After the search, Jake believed the trust between students and staff to be “destroyed”.

WHS junior Stevie Bernabei shared similar feelings with Jake because he felt as if the school “tricked” students. He also went on to add that the search was “completely unnecessary”.

To go along with the distrust stemming from the assembly, many students and parents found the article in the Windham Independent to be very controversial. The town newspaper cited that no students were caught for drugs during the search, when countless (though unverified) ru-mors circulated about arrests.

However, the WHS officials were not afraid to address the situation. Bob Dawson, assistant principal at WHS, said the reason for the search was to “pro-vide a healthy environment” for students attending the school. Mr. Dawson also identified that “the overall, bigger message here is that we are very concerned, scared, frightened, paranoid about students getting involved in drugs.”

Many students at Windham believe drugs are not a problem for the most part in Windham. However, Mr. Dawson, after

being asked whether he thought drugs were an issue, responded “It’s a problem if one kid is struggling with drugs.”

The common student opinion regarding the first drug search in WHS history is negative, but we will see if they are here to stay.

Many students respond negatively

Photo courtesy of reason.com

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 6 NEWS

How Weekend Choices Really Affect You

By Joey FrakeJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – You hear about it all the time, whether it is in your health class or from your parents: do not do drugs or drink alcohol. The endless phrases against drugs and partying are beaten into your head with a hammer until the day you head off to college. Sure, they educate you, but are the effects talked about in school an exaggeration, or just overprotec-tion here at WHS?

It is very clear that there are severe consequences for those that take part in drug and alcohol use, whether you are an athlete or not. Underage drinking and use of recreational drugs are against the law, and school policy is serious about these offenses. That has always been clear; what have not been clear are the real conse-quences for those who take part in these activities.

The question can be raised: Is a person’s well-being truly impacted by what they do on the weekend?

After talking with various sources at WHS, the answer became clear.

While interviewing exactly 20 students here at the high school, 14 of them had decided that drugs and alcohol have very evident effects in the classroom and during extra-curricular activities. While this is not shocking, a student perspective provides a different insight than that of adults and professionals: those are the ones who listen, make a choice, and feel the after effects

Mr. Bob Dawson, assistant principal at WHS, said, “If one kid is doing it, then it is a problem. It comes down to this: yes there are effects, and yes it is against the law, and it’s all about keeping our kids safe.”

One teacher at WHS who preferred to remain anonymous had one thing to say, especially about drugs: “I have one student, and you can tell he is, well, stoned out of his mind, so if people want to say drugs and alcohol do not change,you just take a look at exhibit A.”

The students, faculty, and community of Windham seem to hold themselves to a higher standard, but some students feel that really, they are no different than other kids at other schools.

“You know some teachers just give you a different look, and act as if you are ruining your future by taking part in things not necessarily conventional,” said one student who prefered to remain anony-mous.” He continued, “Hate to break it to

you, but some kids are just out there trying to enjoy their life the way they want, and who are you to judge them for it? Have you ever had fun before?”

Andrew Lowman, class of 2014 WHS alumni, explained some of the common effects of drugs: a person may “have a dry mouth, or a headache, or whatever. You may feel like crap at practice the next morning, but I never looked at people any differently. But in all honesty, the effects are still there regardless of who you are and what you take part in.”

It is never a matter of statistics, or bio-logical consequences: Rather, it is about what students really think affects them. The hangover, the dehydration, the loss of stamina, everyone knows those effects. What everyone may not know, or may realize too late, is that these consequences are certainly impactful, and after talking with several students at WHS, the impact seems clear.

Students and staff agree use has noticeable impact

Why Do Teenagers at WHS Feel the Need to Change?

By Mike TardifJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - At Chris Herren’s as-sembly in November, he repeatedly brought up the question, “Why do you feel the need to change yourself on the weekend?” in relation to drug and alcohol use, which has recently become a big topic. WHS students answered the question.

A senior here at WHS, jumped at the opportunity to be interviewed. He said, “As long as you don’t mix responsibilities with smoking or drinking, you can be mature

about the situations.”He added, “I don’t believe what I am

doing is wrong, and I don’t feel bad when I do it. The only times I feel bad are when I am under the influence and have a responsibility that I am not capable of handling.” This particular student did not want the security of keeping his name anonymous because he believes his opinions being shared could help make a difference. However, the JagRoar staff felt it was in the student’s best interest that his name not be included, and the student ultimately agreed.

Mr. Bob Dawson, assistant principal of WHS, shared his views on people chang-ing themselves over the weekends, “exper-imentation is a lot of the kind of drug-use we see with our students…[when] there’s

a lot of myth, there’s a lot of buzz around something…curiousity (leads to people) taking a look.”

When he was in high school, Dawson was one of few who did not feel any temptation to take drugs or drink alcohol because to him it felt morally “wrong.”

Another junior at WHS who wished to remain anonymous due to possible conse-quences said, “I’m just looking for a good time.” She has been in two AP and six honors classes and believes that drugs are not changing her. In her opinion, teenage years are meant to experiment responsibly because you have to grow up at some point.

Only you can determine if you can be yourself on the weekends. Two students believed that changing themselves was not such a bad thing.

Students answer the question asked by Chris Herren

Photo courtesy of rockitfm.com

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 7 NEWS

Dark Side of Drugs and Alcohol

By Nicole TingleJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Drugs and alco-hol, although they may seem like a way to have fun, cannot only be extremely addictive but can also be detrimental to your health. One person who goes too far can affect everyone in his or her life.

When a person goes overboard with certain drugs it can ruin everything for him or her. While it may seem like no big deal at the moment, the long-term effects could be deadly.

Students and two faculty members of Windham High School have been asked various questions concerning drugs and alcohol.

The first student, Cindy, was asked if she had ever experienced any trage-dies or addictions involving drugs and/or alcohol, and stated that her cousin is addicted to Heroin and is in rehab for it.

Cindy stated that she drinks alcohol and smokes weed, but because of this incident in her family she would never try any harder drugs. She also stated that she had previously dealt weed twice.

The second student, Kyle, stated that

his cousin had a serious addiction to pills. When asked if this affected his view on drugs he said, “No, because I am my own person, and I do not believe just because that happened to my cousin I will fall on the same path.”

He also said that he used to smoke weed but stopped after getting caught in the summer by his mother, and said it was an awful and embarrassing experi-ence.

The last student, Caleb, was asked if he did any drugs, and said, “Yes, I smoke weed, but I believe weed is not harmful in moderation. Anything else though, even alcohol, is not acceptable to me.”

He said that he does not drink because his aunt got so drunk that she ruined his sister’s wedding. Caleb explained that he would never want to do that to anyone.

Mr. Bob Dawson, assistant princi-pal, stated that there has only been one alcohol-related issue in his family that he can think of. He also stated that it did not change his view on drugs and alcohol, because he has never had a problem with it, and has never done drugs before.

Dawson commented, “I just do not understand the use of it. I can have fun without something like that, and it can also have very dangerous consequences.”

Editor’s Note: All student names have been changed.

Students share their family experiences

Officials: Drugs Exist on Campus

By Mark ShamonJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - At Windham High School, faculty and staff alike are in agree-ment that students use drugs on school grounds.

School resource officer Greg Iworsky firmly believed that, “Kids bring drugs into school and smoke in the woods after school.”

Iworksy also added, “We caught a drug deal in school last year; That’s the stuff that we try to prevent.” As the school Re-source Officer, it is certainly Iworsky’s job to catch students doing drugs on campus.

Students have a different take on drug

use at the school.An anonymous student verbalized, “I

work hard, play hard. I attend parties on the weekends but I do not bring any of that into school. I have responsibilities I have to take care of.”

A different anonymous student stated, “I have smoked weed in the parking lot before. It was a dumb idea but I did not get caught. I do not think they check out there after school.”

Both of the anonymous sources wanted to remain unnamed because they realized their actions are risky. They grasped that getting caught with drugs would mean serious consequences.

It seems that the faculty is aware of stu-dents doing drugs on school campus but they agree that is difficult to catch them in the act. Students understand that they have a target on their backs, but seem to believe the risk is worth the high.

Some students believe risk is ‘worth the high’

By Mike StefanelliJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Drugs have always been a very touchy subject to talk about. Drugs have impacted us all in a very negative way. So why do people do them if it hurts the people closest to them?

Sophomore Cara Sullivan said, “Peo-ple do drugs to fit in.” She recommend-ed, “students should go talk to their counselor, their parents, or anyone close to them.” Sullivan knew of people do-ing drugs, but said none of her friends do them.

Senior Emiline Sundman said, “ Peo-ple do drugs to fit in or to have a good time.” She suggested that they should talk to someone that they trust. She did not know of anyone who did drugs.

School Resource Officer Greg Iworsky said, “People do drugs as a way to fit in. They also like the effects of the drugs and what it does to them.” Side effects could be aggressive behav-ior, hallucinations, or personal injury.

Iworsky said, “Surround yourself with the right people.” He also added, “Try to stay away from the kids that do drugs.” Iworsky knew of some kids who do drugs at Windham High and he had some family members that use them too.

Wellness teacher Jill Bartlett said, “People do drugs because they try to mask their pain or their insecurity.” Bartlett recommended, ”Be connected to your school, find something that you are good at, and surround yourself with the right people.” Bartlett knew of people who did drugs.

People use drugs to try to fit in, to be cool in front of their other friends, or as Bartlett put it, “to mask their pain or their insecurity.” These kids are not making good decisions and it can affect them in the long run.

At Windham High School, all teach-ers and students are very helpful and give some good advice. Anyone associ-ated with drug addiction can always go to their trusted teachers or friends. As a community, we are all aware of drug addiction and we have done everything to make sure that we prevent use of these substances at Windham High School.

Why Do People Do Drugs?

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 8 NEWS

The Media and Drug Use

By Bradley RobbinsJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - At Windham High School, many students and faculty believe media and entertainment affect students’ decisions regarding drug use.

According to Brian Moore, a sophomore at WHS, “movies and entertainment that promote drugs are a problem, especially 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. Kids will want to try it so they feel cool.”

Does drug-promoting music affect Windham High School students’ decisions to try drugs?

Jared Cassedy, Grammy-nominated WHS band director, stated, “I believe that vulgar or drug-promoting music does have an effect on high school students. There is a level of desensitization that may take place where individuals can become numb to the actual meaning of what they are listening to; lyrics such as these can also

glamorize these issues in a way that may encourage a certain kind of behavior or attitude about profanity and drug use.”

Not everyone believes there is a strong correlation between the person and media that glorifies drugs. Alex Morrow, a WHS sophomore, believed, “It’s all about the person.”

Bob Dawson, assistant principal of WHS, states, “I do believe there is a glori-fication of drug culture in some music, and I think that can have an effect on certain young people, but probably not here.”

Does positive media, such as presenta-tions, guest speakers, and anti-substance commercials influence the WHS student body into staying drug-free?

Morrow stated, “No, mostly my mom!”Moore, on the other hand, begged to

differ. “I agree with those commercials saying ‘don’t do drugs.’ I know the risk and I know what happens to you.”

Does media influence drug use more or less at Windham High School when compared to other high schools?

Mr. Cassedy strongly believed, “The effect has a lot to do with the community culture that’s already been created and what has been established by the com-munity members. Music, and the media

in general, has a huge impact on popular culture acting as a lens for individuals to consume content in a way; certain types of propaganda enable a shift in perspectives and values to occur, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.”

Mr. Dawson believed it “probably has the same effect at Windham High School. It’s more of an individual thing; some students are deeply affected by the music they listen to while others are more casual listeners. Sometimes peers will influence you TO use or NOT to use, and those are much more important factors.”

Over all, students and faculty had a wide array of opinions in regards to media influencing students’ drug use at Windham High School.

Students and staff weigh in on music, TV’s influence on teenagers

WHS Prepares for Change in Administration

By Cassandra SalafiaJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - As most members of the Windham School District know, Prin-cipal Ryan Kaplan gave notice of his res-ignation in December. He chose to finish his second year as principal of Windham High School before he moves onto the next chapter for him and his family.

Principal Kaplan has not exactly figured out what is next for his career. He is torn between finding work near his home on the Seacoast or signing up to teach inter-nationally. With either option, he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and children.

Now WHS students and faculty are probably wondering, “what does this mean for us?” Well, a new principal will begin

working in the 2015-2016 school year, but it is unknown who that principal will be as of yet. A majority of the changes to come within the school will be dependent on who fills the position.

It is possible the new principal will maintain Kaplan’s legacy. Kaplan plans to work with the new principal in at-tempts to make the transition smoother for the WHS students and faculty. He said, “One of the things I have been working really hard on is promoting consistency and stability [within the school].”

Kaplan encouraged a lot of change within the school in his two short years. For instance, there are more Advanced Placement and regular course options for students. Additionally, this year the school started the Freshman Seminar course in

order to make the transition from middle school to high school easier.

There have even been some physical changes to WHS such as the Media Center redesign and tech department relocation.

However, Kaplan’s most well known legacy is full-school assemblies. “They have really taken a life of their own, and students are helping to run assemblies more,” said Kaplan. He hopes assem-blies continue in future years due to their success.

Even after Principal Kaplan moves on from WHS, the school will still see some of his changes. Principal Kaplan said, “Next year [Windham High School] will be a [University of New Hampshire] internship site. We’re going to have six UNH interns throughout the building… They’ll be here for the entire year.”

The JagRoar staff wishes Mr. Kaplan the best of luck in his future endeavors!

Mr. Kaplan explains reasons for resignation

Photo courtesy of turningpointcenters.com

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 9NEWS

AP Gov. Classes Run Mock Elections

By Cade NethercottJagRoar Correspondent

WINDHAM, N.H. - This past November and December, the AP US Government and Politics class at Windham High partic-ipated in our second annual Mock Elec-tion. As with the previous year, there were Democratic and Republican candidates who worked with their political “teams” to generate a campaign for the Presidency. As there are two sections of the course, this year’s election pitted senior Tim Stap against junior Will Carpenter for block 1A, and junior Lexi Lewis against fellow junior Ben Emrick in block 2A.

There were a couple of significant changes to the project this year that made it significantly larger than our first effort

in the fall of 2013. The most dramatic change was the introduction of a campaign Twitter account to build a following of the candidates. Within hours of creation, all four candidates were able to gather a significant portion of the student body as supporters and immediately took to cyberspace to begin the attack on their op-ponents. We had photo manipulation that left Mr. Stap looking like a communist, out of context pictures of Mr. Emrick sit-ting on the sidelines of a basketball game, and weird Middle School side-pony tail photos of Ms. Lewis. To further add to the fray, we had the very welcome support of the two largest Twitter followings in the school, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Raycraft, jump into the mix and begin to support candidates.

The campaigns were tasked with many duties, including raising funds (elections are expensive, after all), surveying the student body, generating a campaign plat-form and logo, both positive and negative

campaign commercials, and much more. This years four campaigns were able to get over a hundred dollars in donated money, which the Government class was happy to send on to the Shepard’s Pantry to help support local families during the holiday season.

The other large change to the project this year was a live debate and vote in front of several Political Science and American Studies classes. After the debate, students were able to ask questions directly to the candidates to flush out their opinions on a variety of issues. This was immediately followed by a vote on the candidates, with two clear winners.

This year’s elections were awarded to Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Emrick, although all four campaigns did an excellent job of gathering support. After making huge strides in the project between year one and year two, we have great hopes to see what direction the assignment will take next fall.

Nethercott’s activity grows in second year

Photos courtesy of candidates’ Twitter feeds

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 10NEWS

Ugly Sweater and Pajama Day

By Brittany Missert JagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Shortly before break, the staff and students were invited to participate in fun-themed days. The Jaguar Community Alliance hosted their fifth an-nual Ugly Holiday Sweater Day on Friday, Dec. 19. The general consensus regard-ing Ugly Sweater Day is that it is a great tradition and entertaining to participate in and watch.

“I think it’s fantastic!” said Jeff Dou-cette, a freshman and first time participant in this tradition.

A large percentage of the WHS stu-dent body and faculty donned their ugly sweaters, though many did not come to the photo-op held during advisory. Mr. Michael Welch and other staff members judged the official contest and awarded prizes to the winners.

“My ugly sweater is actually from En-gland,” winner Lucy Williams, a sopho-more, reported. “My mum brought it back

for me in November.” Second and third place were awarded to Elizabeth O’Neil, a junior, and Maggie Farrell, a freshman.

When asked about her ugly sweater, Mrs. George had an interesting story to tell. “It’s my grandmother’s sweater, and the pins are from my mom. She used to put them in my stocking every year.”

Another fun holiday tradition took place the following week: Pajama Day. The Friends of Rachel Club hosted this event on Dec. 23, the day before Winter Break started. It was a great way to kick off Winter Break, and there were many participants within the student body and

faculty. Not many students wished to have their pictures taken for this event.

Students get in the spirit for Winter Break

Emily Hao Wins Spirit of NH Award

By Caroline HorriganJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Around WHS, one of the many bright faces you will see is the smiling 18-year-old, WHS senior Emily Hao. Hao moved here her freshman year back in 2011 from China. Along with learning a whole new language and jump-ing into the American school setting, Hao jumped right into community service.

WHS Principal Mr. Ryan Kaplan presented Hao with the NH Spirit Award at the assembly on Dec. 4. This award is a combination of Volunteer NH and the office of the governor. They recognize individuals and groups with outstanding

contributions to volunteerism thought the state of NH.

Hao said that she was excited but con-fused when her name was called for the award because she had been unaware she had been nominated until she won.

Her friend Kate Lu, WHS junior, said that she is proud of Hao’s accomplish-ment.

Ms. Holly Londo, WHS school to careers transition coordinator, wrote Hao’s recommendation letter. She said that colleges look for people who stand out not only by their number of service hours, but also by their strong motiva-tional ethic.

Londo met Hao her freshman year and said despite her language barrier, she wanted to serve others.

Now during her senior year, Hao has completed around 220 hours of commu-nity service. Hao regularly volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in Salem, N.H.

WHS senior honored for excellency in community service

Photo by Brittany MissertThe contestants for ugly sweater day pose together in the main lobby.

Photo by Brittany MissertThe winners: Lucy Williams, Elizabeth O’Neil, and Maggie Farrell.

Photo courtesy of volunteernh.org

The Spirit of New Hampshire Awards are awarded to those with great community service.

Jag FeaturesTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 11

Music in the AirBy Brittany MissertJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - The Band and Choir Concerts were a great success drawing crowds both nights. The band concert took place on December 10th, 2014. The Jazz Ensemble performed first with six different pieces and multiple solos from musicians Conor Leland, Kurtis Jolicoeur, Kendrick Cole, Benjamin Nikitas, and Chris Salemme. Jillian DiPersio and Emma Joanis also sang with the Jazz band.

New this year to the band department was the Percussion Ensemble. They played a piece called The Evening News. The Wind Ensemble performed shortly afterwards, playing a piece the English Folk Song Suite.

The night ended with the Concert Band playing Prelude, Scilia-no, and Rondo, An American Elegy, and Festive Overture: Opus 96.

The Choir Concert took place the following night on December 11th, 2014. The Women’s Choir performed for the first time at WHS. They performed three different pieces, one of which was conducted by student intern Robyn Clark. Robyn also sang in the Trio along with seniors Danielle Fischer, and Cara Chrissis.

A Cappella sang 3 pieces as well, but the crowd favorite was the theme of Hawaii Five-O. This piece was popular because Mr. Sweetser, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Kaplo and Mr. Kaplan were the vocal percussion section. It was quite entertaining to watch.

The Honors Mixed Choir performed five different pieces in-cluding Baba Yetu and the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy. Lastly, the Full Choir performed two old favorites: Ding-a Ding-a Ding

and Carol of the Bells. Mrs. Cuneo invited returning alumni to join them on stage for the final song, and Lindsay Smiley, who graduated last year, eagerly joined them.

All in all, both evenings were a wonderful display of the per-forming arts program at here at Windham High.

Review of Band, Chorus concerts

Photos by Chuck Swierad

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 12FEATURES

Art FeatureArtwork submitted to the Scholastic Art Awards

Anne Lin Cheyann Devlin Elisabeth Pope

Jack Sobocinski Matt TaurusJen LeBlanc

Nick Depamphilis Victoria WicielWilliem Shattuck

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 13FEATURES

Art Feature, cont.

Kevin Curran

Julie Sanders Cheyann Devlin Nick Depamphilis

Anne Lin Matt Taurus Elisabeth Pope

Artwork submitted to the Scholastic Art Awards

Advice from Philosophy: A Fear of Flying

By Ken NaroianJagRoar Correspondant

WINDHAM, N.H. - In Captain W.E. Johns’ wartime adventure story Spitfire Parade, the fearless aviator Biggles explains his atti-tude to the risks of flying: “When you are flying, everything is all right or it is not all right. If it is all right there is no need to worry. If it is not all right one of two things will happen. Either you will crash or you will not crash. If you do not crash there is no need to worry. If you do crash one of two things is certain. Either you will be injured or you will not be injured. If you are not injured there is no need to worry. If you are injured one of two things is certain. Either you will recover or you will not recover. If you recover there is no need to worry. If you don’t recover you can’t worry.” From W.E. Johns, Spitfire Parade (1941)

The passage above is in the form of a thought experiment. Thought experiments are created by philosophers—one of the elements we study in the English elective class available to up-per-classmen at WHS, Introduction to Philosophy—either to offer evidence to support their theories or to offer evidence to destroy the theories of others. So, does this thought experiment offer a good argument for not worrying about flying? My hunch is that it may not be all that convincing for those who have flight anxi-eties, but, even for them, it can serve as a valuable lesson about how to approach anything risky. While the above example may seem at best simplistic or at worst guilty of being a false dilemma otherwise known as the ‘either/or fallacy, it does illustrate an in-teresting and possibly liberating way to approach not only board-ing metal tubes and letting strangers in suits and captain’s caps lift us 35,000 feet off the earth and dangle us in mid-air as we are propelled through the clouds, but something far greater and sometimes even scarier: life. Especially the inevitable challenges and conflicts of life that cause stresses that can lead us to worry and sometimes paralyze our ability to do the things we want for fear of failure, the things that if strived for may figuratively ‘give flight’ to our dreams in life. Although this thought experiment works best for resolving not to worry about the things that are out of our control such as plane rides or the weather, or the record of your favorite sports team or political pundits, it also brings solace about things we do control that worry us. For example, if we re-place ‘flying’ with some common student worries such as ‘taking a test’ or ‘applying to college’ as long as you prepared for the test to the best of your ability or worked hard to meet the standards required by the scholastic institution you are applying to, worry seems at best useless and at worst counter-productive to your performance, in the case of the test, and to your general mental well-being, in the case of waiting for letters of admission.

This can be a very stressful time of year for many students. Along with life’s usual tensions, mid-terms are looming and the college admission process is in full swing. The advice from philosophy on this matter seems to indicate that we should work

hard at preparing the best we can to achieve our goals then trust ourselves to perform what we’ve practiced and prepared for when the pressure is on by letting go of the negativity that unnecessary worry brings. To get all philosophically paradoxical about it, we could say that what we do now determines what we will be in the past when we get to the future, but what we do now does not de-termine our future because we can always choose again. Unless, of course we don’t recover; so stop worrying ,but just make sure to choose airlines that employ highly qualified pilots.

Mr. Naroian shares his thoughts and ruminations

Photos courtesy of blogspot.com and racetams.net

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 14 FEATURES

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 15FEATURES

WMS/WHS Exchange Concert This WeekendBy Nick TaurasJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - On Jan. 24, the Windham High School Band and Choir will be hosting the exchange concert with the Windham Middle School Band and Choir so they can acquaint themselves with the high school. During the exchange concert middle school students will be able to learn how the high school band program works and how it varies from what they know now at the middle school.

Freshmen Olivia Gomes, who is with the Windham High School Concert Band and Honors Wind Ensemble, said, “I know that being in eighth grade last year, and coming up this to high school that it was great to have and get to know the upper-classmen. However I’m excited that I get to share that with the younger kids.”

Each year the band and chorus holds the concert to help make the transition between middle school and high school band and choir programs easier for everyone The exchange concert also helps the middle school students get to know the high school

students and feel a sense of security when making the final transi-tion the first day of school by knowing some of the students who are already at the high school.

Mr. Jared Cassedy, the Dean of Fine Arts and Director of bands at the Windham High School, was happy to say,“We are very excited for our annual Windham Middle School/Windham High School Exchange Festival and Concert! The festival is a unique opportunity for both the eighth grade band and choir students and the high school music students to come together for a few hours to just share and celebrating the music making process! This has always been a wonderful introduction for our current eighth grade music students and provides us the opportunity to begin forging positive and meaningful relationships! We are looking forward to it!”

“The day will be filled with making music through rehearsal and other activities that will hopefully help the students learn what it is like to sing in the choir and play in the band at the high school level. The day will end with a concert performance by band and choir students” stated Mrs. Sheila Cuneo, the Chorus director at Windham High School.

Religion on Trial in Ethics ClassBy Michael StefanelliJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - For their final project, Mr. Cade Nethercott’s Honors Ethics Class participated in a “moral jury.” Rather than putting a person on trial, the class put an idea on trial: “Religion is dangerous and ethically immoral.” Students were divided into two teams, consisting of the de-fense (defending the claim) and the prosecution (prosecution the claim) with a group of philoso-phers presenting testimony on each side.

The prosecution consisted of six attorneys and four philos-ophers. Danielle Fischer gave the opening statement for the prosecution. The attorneys asked each philosopher ques-tions on their philosophies and what they believed in. Anthony Gallo made the opening state-ments for the defense.

Sophia Tausanovitch, rep-resenting Aristotle, stated that religion promotes virtue so therefore religion has to be ethical. Aristotle says living a virtuous life is living a great life. Patrick Higgins, acting as John Stuart Mill, stated that religion can cause great happiness.

Mill was a Rule Utilitarian, which means that he believed that an action is good if it leads to the most happiness, but the act must morally conform to rules in order for them to be morally acceptable.

Grace McNamara, playing the role of John Rawls, stated that people should give up some of their rights and their freedom for the protection of the government. John Rawls was a 20th century

political and moral philosopher. Kevin Anderson, as Immanuel Kant, believed that determining

if an action is moral or not does not lie in the outcome of the situation, but within the action itself.

Basie Bostic, representing Friedrich Nietzsche, was a philos-opher as well as a poet and cultural critic living in 19th century Germany. He believed in a form of existentialism, which means

there is no objective meaning to life. He rejected Christianity and had the belief called Uber-mensch: a concept of human evolution in which humans will eventually evolve into greater beings that reject organized religion, create their own path of life, and do not act against the natural world.

Marco Allanach, as Jeremy Bentham, was a philosopher liv-ing in the 1700’s. His belief was that the greatest happiness should be provided for the greatest num-ber of people. He ignored justice and minorities simply because they does not create the greatest

happiness. Nicole Lawrence represented Sam Harris, a present day philosopher, who believes that there is a definite right and wrong and focuses on scientific fact rather than spirituality.

Delaney Shea, playing the role of Epicurus, was an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus believed people should not worry about an afterlife when one can live his or her life right now. Happiness is the absolute best thing in life.

Ryan Trager made the closing statements for the prosecution. Trager said that religion should not die out. Graham Smith made the closing statement for the defense. The jury decided 8-4 in favor of the prosecution, deciding religion is moral.

Photo by Jillian DiPersioAt the end of the trial, the prosecution emerged victorious.

French Department Travels to Québec

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 16 FEATURES

Photos by Jillian DiPersio

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 17 FEATURES

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 18 FEATURES

Granite State Music Festival Takes Over

By Jamie Driscoll and Nicole TingleJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – The Granite State Music Festival was hosted by Windham High School on Friday, Jan. 9.

Five other schools were involved in the festival this year: Gilford High School, John Stark Regional High School, Belmont High School, Raymond High School, and Goffstown High School. Last year, the Music Festival was hosted at Gilford High School.

It is an honor to be asked to play at the music festival, because only a select num-ber of students are chosen each year to be a part of it.

Mrs. Cuneo, the choir director at Wind-ham High School, said that in preparation for this event, the students “practice all day, and then play at 7 p.m.” Cuneo also

mentioned that there were two conductors that were coming as guests: Nic Orovich from the University of New Hampshire and Chris Shepard.

The festival takes a full day of prepara-tions. Study halls and classes were kicked out of the auditorium, just so the students could have that space to practice in.

Students ‘practice all day’ to prepare for nighttime performances

Photo by Jillian DiPersio

Photo by Jillian DiPersio

Jag SportsTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 19

Photo courtesy of unionleader.comRachel Lanouette and Courtney Sweeney share a hug.

Field Hockey Girls Sign to Colleges By Layla SaadJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Three field hock-ey athletes have committed and signed to play in college. Rachael Lanouette, Courtney Sweeny, and Justine Levesque have all been playing field hockey since fifth or sixth grade and their time and hard work has finally paid off.

The field hockey team at WHS has made in to the championship three years in a row, and the girls won the championship their junior year.

Justine Levesque started playing field

hockey with Mrs. Leahy in sixth grade. When she came to high school she knew she wanted to play in college and her sophomore she started the process by e-mailing coaches. Levesque has commit-ted to D2 Merrimack College, and plans to go Pre-Med.

Courtney Sweeny has signed to D1 University of New Hampshire. She said she “loved the school and its surround-ings”. She plans to major in Biology or Biochemistry, and follow with graduate school for optometry.

Lastly, Rachael Lanouette committed to D1 Ivy League Brown University. She

said she picked Brown because it offered a “high level in competition in athletics and a rigorous academic offering.”

Committing to these schools for these girls has been unforgettable. Lanouette describes committing as “extremely hum-bling” and describes Brown as the school of her dreams. Justine said signing her NLI was the biggest relief of her life.

These girls have accomplished their dreams with WHS supporting them the whole way. They all seem very excited for the future ahead of them and their love for field hockey to continue through their years in college.

Photo courtesy of merrimackathletics.comJustine Levesque signs to Merrimak College.Photo courtesy of nh-highschoolsports.com

Sports Roundup

Boys Basketball: 4-1

Girls Basketball: 2-4

Hockey: 6-0

Want your team’s information here?

Email us at JagRoarNews@windhamsd.org

to submit scores, schedules, stats and more!

By Joe ZolloJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - On July 19, 1965, a legendary sports caster was born. The name Stuart Scott will be a name that forever will be notorious in the world of sports. Stuart is known for his appearanc-es on the ESPN Network, mostly on the show Sportscenter and he is also known for the networks coverage of both the NBA and the NFL. He changed the world of sports and the world of broadcasting for ages to come by reading the rules and not following any of them. Former ESPN anchor and radio host Dan Patrick said that “he didn’t just push the envelope, he bulldozed it” and he hit the nail right on the head. Scott brought a modern hip-hop flare to the studio and he showed it every time the camera was on him with his fa-mous catch phrases from “booyah” to “as cool as the other side of the pillow” but on Jan. 4, 2015, Stuart Scott passed away

from cancer. Stuart was an inspirational man to

everybody that he met and was a fun man to watch anchor sports news. He grew up in North Carolina and attended the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After he graduated, Stuart ended up a various local stations and by 1993 he was hired by ESPN and was on the opening of ESPN 2. There were other African-Amer-ican sports casters before he started but there were none that would leave a mark like he did. After 15 years of being on the station, Stuart Scott was frequently appearing on Sportscenter and Monday Night Football but the year before, he started a seven-year journey that would be the toughest part of his life. In 2007, Scott was told that he had a cancerous appendix and from that day on he would have cancer the rest of his life. After remission, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and again in 2013. His co-anchor, Steve Levy, told reporters in an interview

that you could see him hurting when he was off camera but on camera, he acted like nothing was wrong. Unless you knew Stuart then you had no idea that nothing was wrong with him because he was al-ways beating the odds and he was recog-nized for doing that at the 2014 ESPY’s. Stuart Scott accepted the Jimmy V Perse-verance Award for his fight against cancer and he gave a very emotional speech. “When you die, that does not mean you lose to cancer, you beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live” is the line that he said and that nobody will ever forget for years to come. He lived everyday to the fullest with his kids and by living life with a purpose and that is why Stuart Scott did not lose to cancer, he beat cancer and is still beating it by inspiring people to live life to the fullest. On January 4, in the year 2015, the world lost a great man but heaven has certainly gained one. R.I.P Stuart Scott.

Troy PetersWhere do you hope to go to college?I am looking at BC, UNH, and UVM.What is your practice schedule like?My practice schedule does not vary much. It is normally monday through Fridays with competitions on Saturday and Wednesday.Do you any pre-game rituals? I do not have any I try to keep my mindset calm and go into events with a low key mindset.What pro athletes inspire you?Michael Jordan, JJ Watt, and Rob Gron-kowski.

Stuart Scott: A Man To Remember

John Monahan Where do you hope to go to college?My top two choices would be BC or Northeastern.What is your practice schedule like?We have practices four times a week and two games a week.Do you have any superstitions?I’m not really superstitious. But I have habits like taping my stick before each game and putting my equipment on in the same order every game.What pro athlete is your inspiration?Jaromir Jagr be cause he is one of the best hockey players ever.

Meet the Jags: Athlete Spotlight

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 20 SPORTS

Start of the Winter Season

By Megan RogersJagroar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Winter is here and so are the winter athletics at Windham High School. During our winter season our school participates in basketball, wres-tling, hockey, track, gymnastics, skiing

and swimming. So far our boys basketball team is 3-1

in the season. Coach Mike Steffanides of the boys varsity basketball team says that he hopes to go to semi finals and on to the championships this season. Steffanides also says a new player on the varsity team to watch for is sophomore Kyle Rembis. Rembis is doing very well this season and his coach is looking forward to seeing him improve throughout the season and the rest of his high school basketball career.

Our wrestling team also has some play-ers that are doing well so far and are ex-

pected to only get better and better as the season goes. Theses two players are senior Troy Peters and Bailey Alton. Coach Jack Byrne says that Peters is working hard this season and is a great player overall. Alton is another athlete to watch this season; he is a new varsity player and is expected to do really well this season. Mr. Byrne says that he is extremely dedicated to the sport as he wrestles year round and nothing holds him back.

This winter is going to be a great season for our school with some new players to watch and so many games to go to.

Find out which players to watch and what to expect from our teams

Photos by Taylor MendesThe wrestling team and girls basketball team at practice.

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 21 SPORTS

By Molly RyanJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – WHS students and faculty have been helping to give back to their community, and having fun doing it too. Because of the toy drive, supported by the JCA, over $500 and 96 toys have been donated to Toys for Tots.

The purpose of JCA, or Jaguar Commu-nity Alliance, is to bring together all the students and to create an inclusive envi-ronment within the community, founded by Mr. Michael Welch.

“The JCA, unique in the sense that some clubs only appeal to athletes, or say academic students, tries to blend and cross those lines, and appeals to those who would not normally participate,” said

Mrs. Janice Les, a WHS staff member and member of the JCA. The JCA’s biggest success so far has been the toy drive for Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots is a program that has been in existence for generations, helping kids in less fortunate homes experience the joy of getting new gifts for the holidays.

The JCA supported this program by asking students to bring in a toy or one dollar for the drive, and in turn they would receive one hour of community service and the option to take a festive picture

with some WHS staff.“It started with the idea of asking kids to

contribute toys with something in turn, so that it would interest students and engage connections with favorite teachers,” added Les. The idea took off from there with over fifty staff members participating. However, this is not all the JCA does. During meetings, JCA tries to involve their students in events at school. This includes, planning flag football games, Staff-student dodge ball games, staff-stu-dent softball games, and planning barbe-ques during the WHS football games.

“We try to bring everyone together and show them all the great things WHS has to offer,” commented Mr. Welch, WHS staff member and club advisor.

The JCA usually meets every other Tuesday, but the schedule is also on Moodle.

“Everyone is welcome to join the club at anytime; we welcome all students or even staff!” said Les.

Jag ActivitiesTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 22

Photo courtesy of JCASanta poses with students who donated to the fundraiser.

Club of the Month: JCAToys for Tots fundraiser successful

Upcoming JCA Activities:• Feb. Dodge Ball Tournament

(Date TBA)• March 13- 5th Annual St.Patrick’s

Day Video Game Night• Aprl 10- JCA Lazer Tag Tourna-

ment• May 22- 5th Annual Softball

Game & BBQ

Want your club’s information here?

Email us at JagRoarNews@windhamsd.org

to submit events, schedules, fundraisers and more!

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 23NEWS

Friends of Rachel Sells Midterm Bags

By Rachael PageJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – It is the time of the year that students dread the most: mid-terms. To reduce some of the stress, the Friends of Rachel Club will be selling Midterm Packages. WHS students and faculty have started to prepare for the quickly approaching midterms that start January 20th and the Midterm Packages are a great way to give your friends one last encouragement before testing.

Friends of Rachael is a club at WHS that aims to do good and spread joy throughout the community. Midterm Packages were delivered to those that people purchased for them before their midterms.

Amanda Forti, a senior and Friends of Rachel officer, said, “Since they were such a hit last year, we decided to bring them back again this year.”

The Midterm Packages themselves include small things to show your friends that you hope they do well. They include things such as pencils, erasers, candy, gum, etc, all inside a mug or cup. Students also had the option of leaving a little note to go inside it.

“Friends of Rachel is all about spread-ing happiness to everyone. People are en-couraged to buy one for either their friends or even people they may not know,” said Justine Levesque, a senior and Friends of

Rachel officer. Levesque continued to talk about how

the bags are a great way to spread happi-ness around the school and help students get through the week.

Amanda Bono, a junior and the secre-tary for Friends of Rachael, agrees with Levesque and said that they are a great way to show your encouragement. Bono also adds how it after receiving one last year, she felt better and less stressed about her upcoming midterm.

Packages help students get through hectic and stressful week

By Ashley DomogalaJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. – The school store, known throughout the school for its candy collection, will be re-opening sometime this January. However, due to new health guidelines, the store will be forced to completely replace its inventory because sugar-packed food is no longer allowed to be sold to students.

“It will all be new because none of the items complied with the guidelines,” said DECA member and WHS senior Zach Hollins.

This is unfortunate, because many kids said they only went to the store to purchase candy. Joy DelRio, WHS junior, said she enjoyed eating the skittles, fruit rollups, and lollipops that were offered in years past.

Steven Tieland, also a WHS junior, also said that he went to the school store “for the candy.”

Both students said they would probably

not be returning to the school store if it no longer offers candy for sale.

New WHS business teacher and DECA club advisor Ms. Bishop felt that it was necessary to organize inventory and paperwork before opening the store this school year. The club hopes to have the store open for the next semester.

DECA is a business and entrepreneur-ship competition in which students com-pete to present the best ideas and business plans in a series of challenges.

The club runs the school store, which is its own entity. The money earned in the store “continues to flow,” according to Zach Hollins, meaning it is put back into the store for new items.

Purchasing at the school store “supports DECA and business classes,” according to Bishop. It also “provides students with entrepreneurial experience,” she added.

The school store is most likely going to be open during all lunches and the morning, according to DECA member and WHS senior Zach Hollins.

New stock due to new health guidelinesSchool Store Opening Soon

Photo courtesy of sharpschool.com

Have a fundraiser you want to publicize?Email us at

JagRoarNews@windhamsd.org to submit events, schedules, fund-raisers and more!

January19- MLK Day, No School20-23- MIDTERMS23- End of Q2 Marking Period26- Start of Q3/Second Semester31- 12pm SALT’s Polar Plunge, 3pm Ski Trip to Saturday Night POP at Pat’s Peak

February 5- Assembly6- last day to donate to Jeans 4 Teens fundraiser16- Early Release23-27 February Vacation

Club Calendar

Monday7:20am SALT in gym (1/12, 1/26)7:30am Poetry Out Loud in F3172:30pm Smart Chix in F3102:30pm JagRoar in F318

Tuesday7:30am WHS Literary Magazine in F3172:20pm NE Math League in F213 (1/13, 2/10)2:30pm Yearbook in E2182:30pm JCA (1/13, 1/27, 2/10)

Wednesday6:45am A Cappella2:15pm Mathletes (1/28)2:30pm Gay-Straight Alliance in G3122:30pm Dance Team in auditorium

Thursday2:30pm Book Club in library2:30pm DECA in F323

Friday6:45am A Cappella7:20am Granite State Challenge in F3017:30am Go Green in F316 (1/16, 1/30)2:20pm Art Club in art room2:30pm Marine Science Team in F203

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 24ACTIVITIES

Friends of RachelWe are busy selling and handing out

Midterm Survival bags, to help students get through this busy and stressful time of year!

– Mrs. Talon

A CappellaWe are starting some great music and

would love new members! Anyone who can beatbox? Come see Mrs. Cuneo! For more information, email Mrs. Cuneo at scuneo@windhamsd.org

-Mrs. Cuneo

Ski & Ride ClubWe have already gone to Cannon

Mountain on Dec. 20 and Loon Mountain on Jan. 10. Our next trip will be to Pat’s Peak for POP (Pay One Price) Nite on Jan. 31 from 3-10pm. For about $50, any WHS student or faculty member can get a ride to and from the mountain and a ticket for unlimited skiing, snowboarding, or tubing. Rental equipment is free. There is also a bonfire and some other activities. Anyone interested in joining the club or participating in POP Nite can see Mr. Demers in F301.

– Mr. Demers

Yearbook ClubThe Yearbook Club is currently prepar-

ing the senior section of the yearbook to go out to the publisher by the end of this month.

We are currently looking for candid photos. Share your photos with the year-book staff, and they may appear in our yearbook!

To share, download the Yearbook Snap mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Or go to yearbookforever.com, enter our school name and click on Community Upload.

Our school’s access code: Jaguars2015To buy the yearbook: yearbookforever.

com -Ms. Gaudet

SALTWe are registering students who are

interested in participating in the Penguin Plunge that is taking place on January 31 to raise funds for the Special Olympics. If students are interested, they are en-couraged to attend the next SALT team meeting.

- Mr. Blair

Advisers share their groups’ activitiesJanuary Club Happenings

Penguin PlungeOn Sat, Jan. 31 at 12pm on Hampton Beach, students will be taking the plunge onto icy waters to raise funds for the Spe-cial Olympics. You can be a Plunger, who raises funds and takes a dive, or a Pam-pered Penguin, who only raises funds. Six hours of community service will be given to both types of particpants as long as they attend the event.

Jeans 4 TeensMake use of old, unfitting jeans by donat-ing wearable jeans from now to Feb. 6. Jeans will be donated to homeless shelter teens. A half hour of community service will be given per pair, with 5 hours max. Drop off jeans at Ms. Londo’s office (C303). If you have any questions, talk to or email Emily Hao.

School FundraisersGet community service hours

Windham Windup is Under Way

By Cassandra SalafiaJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - In order to kick off the new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) section of the JagRoar, it only seems appropriate to talk about the robotics team’s “Kickoff” event!

The Windham Windup is part of the FIRST Robotics Competition, and every January a new challenge is given for that year. Once the challenge is given, the team has a six-week period to build their robot to fit the needs of the challenge. Then, they compete in two initial District events, the

District Championship, and hopefully the World Championship.

This year the challenge is Recycle Rush. The FIRST challenge creators enjoy giving students real-world experience through the challenge. The 2015 challenge could possibly result in some real-world solutions for environmental issues.

The challenge consists of robots having to transport plastic totes along the game field. Then, the robots stack the totes along with recycling bins.

Afterwards, the robots put “litter” or pool noodles into the recycling bins. Robots can try to put the noodles on their opponents’ side, but this rule is now being modified. In the end, sending the “litter” onto the other side may lack any value.

This year, the challenge focuses on how the teams do individually. The game lacks a

defensive aspect in order to instill “gracious professionalism” or good sportsmanship into the competition. The Official FIRST twitter page, @FIRSTweets, further expressed this concept when it tweeted “the FIRST Robotics Competition game, RECYCLE RUSH, allows us to practice Gracious Professionalism AND talk trash.”

The Windham Windup hopes to have another successful season through its execution of this year’s challenge. Wind-ham High School junior and The Windham Windup’s Team Captain, Dan Savukinas, expressed that he thinks the team will be able to accomplish some wins while simul-taneously impressing the judges.

If anyone is interested in joining the ro-botics team, stop by the engineering room Monday-Friday at 6-9 pm or during the day on Saturday.

Science, Tech, Engineering, Math

By Kyle Burton JagRoar Correspondant

WINDHAM, N.H.- As a science teacher, I’m probably a little biased when I say it, but Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) make Windham High School an awesome place to be. There is so much happening in STEM that this science teacher has been inspired to perform his own experiment - creating a STEM section in JagRoar. It will feature all matters, STEM: exploding pumpkins, death rays, flaming gummy bears, trebu-chets, robots, drones, you name it. Teach-ers and students alike may share their perspectives on all of the above. Have a cool STEM story you’d like to share about current science events, school projects, or have an opinion regarding a STEM course? Want to warn others about Mr. Burton’s bad puns? Tell us. By the way, my puns are truly awful. I’ve been known

for my periodic and shameless self-pro-motion of them. I’ll save my solid material for chemistry class. So, for now I’ll just mention a few notable STEM events.

On December 8th 2014, President Obama became the first President to write a line of code, and he did it using the coding language JavaScript. The Presi-dent, along with Vice-President Biden, spent time with some New Jersey middle schoolers during the “Hour of Code”, as part of a promotion for Computer Science Education Week, according to a White House press release. Our very own science and engineering department recently spent some time coding and programming, with the goal of implementing these skills into our instruction. We even engineered a water fountain to shut off its water supply if you got close enough to drink its water. We thought of testing this design out on a poor, unwitting administrator, as a sort of WHS version of The Torment of Tantalus (a Greek myth if you’re curious), but have yet to follow through.

In other STEM news, the Science Olympiad held its first meeting of the year back on November 24th. The Olympiad

is a competition consisting of 23 events, and is described as a sort of “Science Track Meet” by advisor Michael Demers. The competition is held across the nation. WHS has steadily improved since first competing in 2012 with 10 students. Last year WHS medaled and placed in five events. This year 30 students will repre-sent WHS, hoping to bring home even more medals.

Finally, the jagDRONE club and jagSAT team are aiming high with two ambitious projects. First, the jagDRONE club is in the process of building the school’s first ever drone. According to club advisor, Pat Kaplo, “The drone will be tested begin-ning in February and should be spotted flying around campus in the early spring. The purpose of the drone will be to pro-vide aerial photography for school events, map trails in the area, release prize tickets at sporting events, and to use infrared imaging to detect the presence of wildlife in the wooded areas around campus.” Mr. Kaplo is also serving as an advisor to the jagSAT team, which has plans to launch a high-altitude balloon on a 2-3 day journey all the way to Europe.

Jag STEMTHE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 25

Update on what’s going on at WHS

Robotics Club rushes into Build Season

By Zoe PerkinsJagRoar Correspondant

WINDHAM, N.H.- My passion for chemistry was ignited by Mr. Demers when I took Chemistry my sophomore year. I knew it was the route I wanted to take by my second semester of the class. I went onto take AP Chemistry my junior year, and contin-ued to enjoy chemistry. After I took a variety of science courses that Windham High School offered I decided that chemistry was my favorite. My senior year I decided to intern with Mr. Demers with an honors chemistry class.

For my internship I mix solutions, test reactions, find interest-ing labs and take inventory. My favorite part is making solutions, diluting a solid compound with distilled water. In honors chem-istry we use solutions, in AP Chemistry we learn the math of how to make specific molarities of solutions and now I do the math and physically create solutions for the chemistry classes.

Another part of my internship is learning Organic Chemis-try. The next level of chemistry after AP Chemistry is Organic Chemistry. Orgo is about the chemistry of carbon.

Organic chemistry makes up most of the compounds in human bodies. I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of organic chemistry with Mr. Demers and Mr. Burton.

I’m looking forward to a career in Chemical Engineering inspired by the outstanding science teachers at Windham High School.

THE JAGROAR JANUARY 23, 2015 • PAGE 26STEM

Creating Educational OpportunitiesZoe Perkins on her chemistry ELO

By Mike TardifJagRoar Staff

WINDHAM, N.H. - Being healthy doesn’t have to be a struggle. Ross Wentworth fol-lows the guidelines of living a healthy and strong life. His motives are inspirational and his dedication is desirable.

Walking by the WHS weight room, many would agree that it is obvious to predict Ross is finishing a set of 290 on the leg press. He puts in the effort every day and nothing shy of perfect is expected.

After sitting down with Ross Wentworth, a two-sport athlete here at Windham High School, I got to understand what it means to him and how he does it. “First I control my weight by constantly checking the scale roughly five days a week” said Ross. “Next you must get rid of all other distractions and solely focus on when you can make it to the gym and make sure you go every day

as scheduled.”After committing yourself, you must

want it to an unhealthy extent. Ross com-mitted his life to being macular because his biggest fear is to be obese. To play the sports Ross Wentworth does, in shape is the only way to be effective and win champi-onships.

Ross stated, “It’s not the weight you lift, but the muscles you work out. Each sport needs a certain durability in your muscles, for me the sport is wrestling and the muscle area is upper-body”.

Kevin Bugeau, the trainer at Windham High, notices the worth done by Ross and had comments to add, “During Ross’s sport seasons he cuts down in hours during the gym due to practices and games in soccer or Wresting matches. During the spring it’s different because I can see Ross just out side my office doing is final sets of the day.”

Bugeau is well educated in Physical Therapy and knows a lot about the neces-sity of high protein foods. “The best things to eat if you would like to be like Ross would probably be Yogurt because it con-tains a high amount of protein while not tasting as dull as normal protein supple-ments”. Ross added later on that Chobani Yogurt is one of his favorite snack during the day.

Bugeau last interview question was how much protein one must intake to be like Ross, “1.5 grams per pound of body weight…the protein is not meant to get you bigger, but to recover your muscle faster so you don’t stay soar as long.”

It is hard to change your diet and devote time and energy into something, never mind something that doesn’t show imme-diate progression.

Ross is an example setter. Hopefully the key parts and guidelines

of this article will help make you healthier and more like two-sport Varsity Athlete Ross Wentworth.

Photo by Jillian DiPersioZoe poses in her little corner of the chemistry lab where she does most of her work.

The science of becoming a two-season athlete

How to be Like Ross Wentworth