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Wilbraham and Monson Academy
The Global School ®
TLAS
A
RE-ESTABLISHED 2008
Volume 1, Issue 3 March 9, 2009
I N S I D E
FEATURES
Spa Survey: See What
WMA Students Want the
New Spa to Be Like
PAGE 4
THE GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVE
Feel Like Taking a Trip?
Jeannette Viens Shows
What the Global School ®
Has to Offer
PAGE 5
ARTS
Read Priyanka George’s
Review of a Band Unlike
Any Other: Eula
By MINSANG KIM ‘10
Staff Writer
When prospective students
come to visit Wilbraham and Monson Academy, they are often most
impressed by our spacious Campus
Center, better known to students as
“the spa.”
Over the weekend, the spa
is host to many parties and various indoor activities planned by
Student Activities Director Ms.
Torres. Whether to hang out, play
ping-pong, or have a snack, the
spa is the perfect place for students
to lounge around during their free
time.
However, the spa has
remained unchanged in terms of
furnishings or design since a 1997
renovation.
To address the need to update the Campus Center, the school
administration enlisted the support
of the WMA Parent’s Association
to help with funding the effort.
Students are already begin-
By Stephanie Pajak ‘09
Staff Writer
A Victory For Rich 4!
Dorm Olympics Play-ByPlay of the Rich 4 Boys
and other WMA Students
PAGE 7
What Goes On In the Pool
After School? Mr. Moran
Gives Us the Inside Story
PAGE 8
ningn to speculate about what the
new spa will look like.
Mr. Nicholson, Alumni and
Development Director, said it was
too early to begin making predictions about what the renovated
spa will look like. “We don’t want
people to expect” anything that has
not yet been planned, he said.
The school is looking to
raise approximately $200,000 for
the renovation project. Constructiion is targeted for the summer of
2010. However, the school is still
in the early planning stages of the
project.
As part of the planning
effort, the Student Senate was
recently asked to conduct a survey on student preferences for the
renovated Campus Center, and to
determine how students currently
use the facility.
The renovation project is
expected to explore the wide range
of activities that currently go on in
the Campus Center. That information will be useful in considering
an architectural design that serves
these multiple uses.
Obviously, a design that
can simultaneously serve these
multiple student interests will have
advantages over the current spa
design; for instance, having an area
for watching television, a separate
area for games, and a study room
would be optimal.
The Student Senate survey examined student preferences
across the four primary demographic groups on campus: male
boarding students, female boarding
students, male day students, and
female day students.
The survey asked basic
questions about interests and complaints about current design of the
Campus Center.
Among the survey participants, the main reason for going to
the spa was “socializing”, followed
closely by “playing pool and pingpong”, “food’, “watching televiContinued on page 4
Class of 2009 Celebrates 100 Days
PAGE 6
SPORTS
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Spa Renovation Targeted For 2010
NEWS
And so the countdown begins…on Thursday, February 19th,
the Wilbraham and Monson Academy seniors celebrated an exciting
milestone, 100 days until graduation!
The Class of 2009 was
treated to a pizza lunch at Gregory’s Restaurant, courtesy of the
office of Alumni and Development.
After their outing, the seniors returned to WMA where the
spa was reserved for the afternoon
for an ice cream social.
As the class
talked and
laughed
with their
peers,
they were
addressed
by several
people.
Among
those who
spoke was
Mr. Christo
pher Sparks,
a graduate of
WMA, who informed the students
of his strong ties to the school and
the significance of these connections.
Mr. Nicholson (another
alum) and Mr. LaChapelle also
added a few words, both emphasizing the importance of staying in
touch with WMA after graduation.
To go along with the emphasis on staying connected, the
Alumni and Development Office
had the seniors elect their class
agents.
The class agents play the
largest role in keeping everyone
connected, and are responsible
for serving as a link between their
class and the Alumni Office after
graduation.
The agents for the Class of
2009 as voted by their peers are
Patrick Agahigian, Colin Akerly,
Russell Dinkins, Kayla Peloquin,
Trevor Young, and Xi Xi Wu.
It is their responsibility
to promote attendance at alumni
events and ensure communication
between the graduates and everyone at WMA.
As a perfect end to the celebration, Mr. LaBrecque provided
the class with information that was
seemingly unbelievable…he had
recently completed signing their
diplomas.
With this milestone passed
and the anticipation of graduation
building, the seniors continue with
the school year, anxiously awaiting
the arrival of May 23rd.
2
Features
Repeat After Me, “Chapel Is Good”
By KIMBERLY MARKER ‘09
Editor in Chief
Officer Steven McDonald Addresses the WMA Community at the
January 23rd School Meeting
Every Thursday, students
and teachers come together for the
weekly Wilbraham and Monson
Academy chapel meeting.
But why is school meeting
held in the chapel? The gatherings
almost always entail some sort of
speaker or presentation.
It could be members of
a club like R.I.S.E./ S.O.A.R., a
special guest speaker, or simply a
faculty member making an announcemnet to the school community. They are not just speaking
for their own enjoyment; chapel is
a great opportunity to get everyone
together and address them about a
certain topic.
Even though the most common form of communication here
at WMA is over WMA News on
FirstClass, it is not a secret that lots
of students only check their email
once a day, if even that.
The mandatory Thursday
meetings in chapel are an easy way
to ensure important messges and
knowledge are passed through the
community.Recently, the Academy
has had a number of very interesting speakers in chapel.
On January 23rd, Officer
Steven McDonald gave an inspriing talk on forgiveness. Officer
McDonald is a member of the New
York Police Department, and he is
no stranger to violence.
However, an act of the very
violence which Officer McDonald
put a stop to as a living was the
thing that changed his life forever.
In 1986 Officer McDonald
was shot by 15-year old boy in
Central Park while he was quesitioning the young man about bicycle thefts. The shooting left him
on the verge of death, and although
he is paralyzed, Officer McDonald
is grateful to have survived and
still be alive today.
As he spoke to the audience
at chapel, he was very calm and
contemplative about retelling the
circumstances of the shooting.
Officer McDonald related
the message that forgiveness is the
only way to fully recover from an
act of violence.
He told about how important his faith was in assisiting with
his own recovery and encouraged
everyone present to always forgive
others who hurt them.
ATLAS Staff
Kimberly Marker ‘09
Editor in Chief
Eric Diogun ‘11
Production Editor
STAFF WRITERS
Sarah Lyon ‘09
Stephanie Pajak ‘09
Caitlin Charette ‘10
Minsang Kim ‘10
Victoria Mordasky ‘10
Michaela Rollings ‘10
Jessica Wyszynski ‘10
Austin Little ‘12
Jason Duke ‘11
Priyanka George ‘11
Beong Jo Kang ‘11
Timothy Manghan ‘11
Tresara Moore ‘11
Matthew Pajak ‘11
Carey Shetterley ‘11
Naruhiko Sugiura ‘11
Jeannette Viens ‘11
Timothy Harrington
Faculty Advisor
Christopher Ayers
Faculty Writer
This moving presentation is
certainly not one to be soon forgotten, but not all school meetings
bear such serious terms.
Just a little over a week before this meeting, a special chapel
was held in honor of Martin Luther
King Jr. Day. WMA welcomed
both Dr. Charles “Scotty” McCallum ‘43 (Wilbraham Academy) and
the Anointed Tabernacle Choir on
Monday, January 19th to present to
the school
McCallum gave a fascinating first-hand recollection of what
it was like to live in Birmigham,
Alabama during the 1960’s Civil
Rights movements,
When he was finished
speaking, the Anointed Tabernacle
Choir and Praise Dancers got the
whole congregation on their feet
with numerous upbeat songs and
by the time they were finished,
everyone had a smile on their face.
Dr. Charles “Scotty” McCallum
‘43 (Wilbraham Academy)
Make
Your Voice
Heard!
Write a letter to the editor and
you could be published in our
next issue!
Kimberly Marker
[email protected]
Remember
the War, to
Keep Peace
By SARAH LYON ‘09
Staff Writer
Unsurprisingly, our library
has many books on the Vietnam
War. Most American libraries do,
but typically they are written from
the American perspective; even if
the U.S. did not win the war, it is
still the country in which we live
and which writes the histories that
we read. However, our library has
one special book about Vietnam:
Then the Americans Came: Voices
from Vietnam.
Written by Martha Hess,
Then the Americans Came is an
assembly of oral histories gathered from Vietnamese people who
lived through ‘Nixon’s war’. Hess
traveled throughout Vietnam with
a translator guide from 1990-1991,
speaking with these same people
who were mostly farmers and former Viet Cong soldiers.
The resulting collection
of oral histories is a very personal
and poignant glimpse into the lives
of people often seen merely as statistics. The memories recorded in
Then the Americans Came shows
the painfully human side of the
fighting as the Vietnamese survivors tell of the mothers, fathers,
sons and daughters that did not
survive, as they tell of the limbs,
and eyesight, and hearing that
did not survive, as they tell of the
farms, villages, and land that did
not survive, as they tell of the lives
that had to go on despite all of this.
The view of many was stated simply by Mrs. Qui: “Bombs
and bullets, killing and death. How
can we not hate the Americans?”
(Hess 121). Despite the horrors
the Vietnamese people endured,
messages of hope and peace still
floated out of the misery that was
the Vietnam War. Doctor Tran
Quoc Do spoke for many when he
said: “We consider the American
people our friends…We don’t hate
and we don’t think of vengeance.
We remember the war, to keep
peace” (Hess 75).
Remembering the Vietnam
War means not only remembering
the battles fought or the territory
lost and gained, but the Vietnamese people themselves. Then the
Americans Came is the reminder
that, by gathering and preserving
the personal stories of Vietnamese survivors, they will never be
forgotten.
Features
You Can’t Say No
By KIMBERLY MARKER ‘09
Editor in Chief
The Wilbraham and Monson Academy theater department
recently put on a production of
Oklahoma! directed by Mrs. Susan
Dziura.
Leading the cast were
Jeremy Gilfor ‘11 as Curley and
Amanda Pierce ‘10 as Laurey. The
two stubborn characters who will
not admit their feelings for each
other were played flawlessly by
Gilfor and Pierce, who had undeniable chemistry.
Caitlin Mitchell ‘09 was
perfectly cast as Aunt Eller, Laurey’s caretaker who is smitten
with Curley. Her wise-cracks and
motherly actions made her a very
loveable character.
Although he only had three
days to learn his lines after switching roles, Alex Lindberg ‘09 pulled
off playing Ali Hakim without a
hitch.
His Parisian peddler antics
got him into bouts of hilarious
trouble with Ado Annie, played
by Katie Sloan ‘10, and his scenes
of conflict with her father Andrew
Carnes, played by Patrick Agahigian ‘09, had everyone who was
By VICTORIA MORDASKY ‘10
and CAREY SHETTERLEY ‘11
Peer Counselors
The Campus Center, or
the “spa”, is the most important
spot on campus for students. It
has a ping pong table, pool tables,
a foosball table, and most importantly a snack bar. Although, at
times, students take for granted the
opportunity that the spa provides to
us.
The lack of respect shown
to the spa has led to decisions by
Mr. Easler to temporarily close the
spa because students do not take
good enough care of it. It is like the
saying, “You don’t know what you
‘ve got till it’s gone.”
Students here should also
watching doubled over with laughter.
Sloan did a remarkable job
portraying the girl who “can’t say
no”, embodying everything Ado
Annie was supposed to be and then
taking it to the next level.
Through her affair with Ali
Hakim, her relationship with her
overprotective father, and her multiple almost-engagements to Will
Parker, played by Justin Lee ‘09,
Sloan easily became an audience
favorite and quickly stole the show.
Everyone watched intently
as the witty banter between Curley
and Laurey continued, unraveling
their story as it went on.
Just when it seemed the two
would finally have their chance to
reveal their true feelings, another
man asked Laurey on a date and
she said yes!
The question this posed
was, “How could Laurey let Judd
Fry, played by Russell Dinkins ‘09,
take her to dance instead of Curley?”.
All of Laurey’s girl-friends
know full well that she is in love
with Curley, and she is only going
with Jud to spite him. But then,
Curley shows up with Gertie Cummings, played by Bridget Callahan
‘09, on his arm.
The overly dramatic laugh
of Gertie Cummings did not exactly win her many friends within the
social circle of Laurey and Curley,
and Callahan did a great job portraying her not-so-subtle ways of
flirting with Gilfor’s character.
Everyone played their roles
with ease, or so it seemed, as they
all appeared completely comfortable on stage.
The acting was all-around
excellent, but what would a musical be without singing and dancing?
When Jessica Mayotte ‘11
and Evan Filkins ‘11 performed
their dance number as Dream Laurey and Dream Curley, respectively, they did a good job of executing
the steps properly and giving each
other enough room to move.
Although, space was an issue during the group dance number, which took place at the actual
dance in the play.
The cast made the most
of what room they had, but the
stage was very crowded, making it
much harder for everyone to move
in synch and not bump into each
other.
The dancing was hardly
Ask Atlas
consider how it feels to have to
pick up dirty, disgusting plates and
napkins from tables and sweep up
broken
M&M
shards
from all
over the
floor..
What
about
used
napkins
and
CocaCola that
has
spilled everywhere? How would
you feel about cleaning that up?
The faculty working at the
snack bar do not just make us food;
they truly do care about us. If you
get to know Kathy, Rita, etc. they
are extremely nice and truly enjoy
feeding us, talking to us, and hearing our stories about how we failed
our latest math test.
However they do not enjoy
picking up after our mess, and we
should respect them enough to pick
after ourselves. After all we are in
high school, we should know how
to walk five feet and throw away
our trash.
Dear Atlas,
The other day I walked
into the spa and saw the middle
schoolers leave the building without cleaning up their trash. As I
sat down, a teacher came up and
reproached me for being messy! I
explained to her that this wasn’t
my mess; it was the middle
schoolers! She did not care and
made me clean it up. How can
I prevent this from happening
again? Middle Schooler Hater
3
comparable, though, to the songs
put on by the cast.
As a perfect lead in for
the mood of the musical, Gilfor
opened the show with “Oh What
A Beautiful Morning”. His carefree mood and genuine smile were
contagious.
Pierce soon came on the
scene with her beautiful soprano
complementing the deeper tones of
Gilfor’s voice.
The harmonious contrast
between the two was even more
apparent during the duet “People
Will Say We’re In Love” as well as
the reprise of the same song towards the end of the show.
The most unforgettable
number belonged to Sloan, however, which did not come as a
surprise.
“I Can’t Say No” was brilliant in every way, from the humorous lyrics and catchy tune to the
energetic and fun way in which it
was performed.
All those involved in the
play, whether it be the actors, the
director, the tech crew, or the stage
managers, did a fabulous job bringing Oklahoma! to life.
This is one musical that you
just can’t say no to.
Dear Gummed out,
If you or others come in
contact with a sticky situation like
this, you should ask the spa ladies
politely for a wet napkin to clean
it up. Getting rid of the mess will
bring happiness to your peers and
their teachers because everyone
will have nice clean homework!
Dear MSH
If you see anyone from
the upper and lower schools, you
should tell them to pick up their
trash before they leave. Then you
will not end up in trouble. If the
spa is kept clean, everyone will
not have to suffer the unfair consequence of it not being shut down.
Dear Atlas,
Last year the spa was
closed quite a few times, so this
year I have made it a habit to
help clean up. Usually, I pick everyone’s trash- which is disgusting and I put the billiard balls
back on the tables and return the
ping pong paddles! But do I ever
get a thank you from anyone, or
do I ever get rewarded for cleaning up? No, I do not! Cleaning
Sensation
Dear Atlas,
Yesterday I went to the
spa to do some homework with
my friends. After I was finished
I went to grab my book and I
couldn’t get it off the table! It
was stuck! Someone had placed
their chewed gum on the table.
What should I do, so this doesn’t
happen to others? Gummed Out
Dear CS,
It is awesome that you
clean up the spa! The only recognition you should get is a booster
of self esteem! You know you are
helping everyone in the WMA
community by doing so. This
makes our campus center look
excellent to tours and helps out
maintaence!
4
Community
Spa Renovation (continued)
Continued from page 1
sion”, and finally, “doing homework.”
Another section of the
survey divided the most popular
complaints about the spa into four
categories: furniture, cleanliness,
food price, and activities.
About one-third of the complaints concerned the spa furniture,
mainly the uncomfortable chairs
that accompany the tables behind
the couches.
1
Sunday
The different priorities of
day and boarding students were
also apparent through the difering
weights give to cleanliness and better activities, respectively.
There were also a number
of complaints about the food prices
in the spa, which some surveyed
students felt were high.
See tables below for pie
charts based on the Student Senate
survey results.
March Birthdays and Holidays
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
Aimee Adamski
Maoi Marcelino
Matthew Pajak
Maria Slater
Peter Pascarelli
Vladislov Ussov
8
International
Women’s Day
9
10
Purim
11
Emma Borgeois
Erin Keating
Jacqueline Smith
Cory Walton
15
16
Ian Ahern
Brian Popovich
22
23
Ryan Dahlen
Kimberly Marker
29
30
Brenda Costa
Sean Meunier
Justin Stewart
Henry Liao
5
Thursday
12
Eva Landers
Niasia Thomas
6
Friday
7
Saturday
Minsang Kim
Beong-Jo Kang
13
14
Alex Lindberg
Zacahary Voltz
17
18
19
20
21
St. Patrick’s Day
Alexandra Comey
James Bernardo
Orange Wang
Spring Begins
Charles Corbett
William Edwards
24
25
26
27
28
Christian Grenier
Nicholas Jalbert
Alessandra Mele
Wesley Slobody
31
Charles Callahan
Elizabeth Hodson
5
The Global Perspective
What Is a Bicentennial Scholar?
By TRESARA MOORE ‘11
Staff Writers
Have you ever considered
becoming a Bicentennial Scholar?
If so, then here’s what it entails. The Bicentennial Scholars
program is not only a merit based
scholarship, but an opportunity to
travel and take trips that are not
only educational but unique and
exciting.
The scholarship is only
awarded to high school students
who have been at Wilbraham and
Monson Academy for more than
one trimester, and provides a wonderful opportunity to experience
the world through your own eyes.
We asked current scholar
Patrick Agahigian about what
changes the program had undergone since he was awarded the
scholarship in January of 2005. He
had this to say:
“When I was named a
Bicentennial Scholar in the January
of 2005, the program was designed
to provide a $15,000 tuition credit.
The group of scholars was relatively small, never exceeding 12-15
scholars.
“For the 2007-2008 school
year, the financial award was
upped to $20,000 but the number
of scholars and the group activities
remained the same.
However, for the 20082009 school year, the $5,000 was
formally introduced and the number of scholars has increased with
a high goal of up to thirty scholars
over the next few years.
“Ultimately the newfound
growth and changes that this program has `incurred is only for the
better and I’m excited that a new
batch of scholars will follow in my
footsteps.”
To become a scholar, the
applicant must have at least a 3.3
GPA and be motivated to do well
in school. They must not only be
aware of global issues but have the
skills of a global leader.
A student’s involvement in
extra curricular activities such as
class leadership roles or community service projects is also crucial
in the selection process.
The scholarship provides
a travel stipend of up to five thousand dollars, which can be used for
one trip per academic year.
Each academic year that the
student is involved in the program,
the stipend is automatically renewed.
There are monthly activities
that are mandated for the scholars, such as luncheons with guest
speakers and trips to see new movies that portray global issues.
The scholars have firsthand
opportunities to socialize with the
speaker and ask them questions
before their presentation to the rest
of the WMA community.
Specific novels are also
assigned to the scholars throughout the year for them to read and
discuss with each other as well as
their advisor.
Sometimes, the group will
even take a trip to hear the author
of one of the books speak and have
a chance to meet him or her.
The new scholars of 2009
(see chart) all had a GPA of 3.7 or
higher in the first trimester of the
2008-2009 school year.
Austin Little ’12 was excited by his recent acceptance and
said
“I’m excited to visit foreign
countries and meet with political
and economic figures.”
These new scholars are the
future of WMA and will represent
The Global School in their time at
the Academy.
Firsthand Global Experience
By JEANNETTE VIENS ‘11
Staff Writer
What would a global school
be without trips that take students
around the world? From March to
July of 2009, Wilbraham and Monson Academy is offering a number of amazing trips from nearby
Washington, D.C. all the way to
Bangkok, Thailand.
To start off, the school is
hosting a trip to Amsterdam this
March, where students will be living with and learning from the very
students who visited Wilbraham
and Monson Academy in October
of 2008.
The WMA students, along
with chaperone Ms. Jamie Palmer,
will also be visiting major sites of
Dutch history such as the National
Museum.
The trip is a great opportunity for students to not only learn
about Amsterdam’s culture and history, but also experience its society
firsthand as they socialize, go to
school, and live with the Amsterdam students.
“Washington D.C. is the
capital of the U.S., and the heart of
government. Importantly, it is also
a cultural center, containing some
of the most extensive collections
of American art, architecture, and
public monuments.
“Anybody interested in
American politics, art, and culture
would have an unforgettable experience,” says chaperone Mr. Paul
Bloomfield on the trip to Washington, D.C. that he and Mr. Timothy
Harrington will be chaperoning
over April long weekend.
The students will be visiting numerous museums ranging
from the Smithsonian, the Spy Museum, and the Holocaust Museum,
and even taking a ride on a Duck
Tour.
“As for food, I know where
to find the best sushi, pizza, ice
cream, barbecue, and hamburgers
-- to say nothing of Ethiopian food,
Vietnamese cuisine, Pud Thai, or
Korean fried chicken,” says Mr.
Harrington.
“Does the prospect of taking in a sweeping panoramic view
of the city from the Sear’s Tower
Skydeck appeal to you?” asks Madame Mary Bacon, chaperone of
the upcoming trip to Chicago, also
taking place this April long weekend.
Students will be able to
explore the rich history and culture
of the windy city, especially its fine
and performing arts.
Some highlights of the trip
include the evening trolley ride to
Chicago’s Navy Pier, a visit to the
Chicago Art Institute, and a Broadway performance of either “Jersey
Boys” or “A Chorus Line”.
Along with trips in the
spring, the Academy is also offering many exciting trips during the
summer such as Thailand, Greece
and Turkey, and the Amazon.
In June, students will have
the opportunity to travel with
chaperone Mr. Mark Fischer to the
exotic Kingdom of Thailand.
They will be experiencing the country’s fascinating and
unique way of life, a mixture of
ancient traditions and modern
technology. This trip in unlike any
other offered by WMA, and students should tak advantage of it.
Current Thai students,
parents, and alumni will be helping
out with this visit, arranging the
stay and teaching students about
Thai society and customs as they
visit ancient sites like Buddhist
temples.
2005 Scholars
Patrick Agahigian ‘09
Kimberly Marker ‘09
Stephanie Pajak ‘09
Kayla Peloquin ‘09
2006 Scholars
Colin Akerly ‘09
Adrianne Hanson ‘10
Lauren Marszalek ‘10
Stephanie Robbins ‘10
2007 Scholars
Jessica Duncan ‘11
Sommer Mahoney ‘11
2008 Scholars
Jermaine Boswell ‘09
Caitlin Charette ‘10
Russell Dinkins ‘09
Ariel Landers ‘09
Sarah Lyon ‘09
2009 Scholars
Emma Camilleri ‘10
Minsang Kim ‘10
Hannah Tanguay ‘10
Ryan Choi ‘11
Priyanka George ‘11
Jeremy Gilfor ‘11
Jeannette Viens ‘11
Bobby Zhang ‘11
Nicholas Jalbert ‘12
Teresa Kennedy ‘12
Austin Little ‘12
Also this June, Mr. Christopher Ayers and Ms. Jessica Feldheim will be chaperoning a trip for
a large group of students to both
Greece and Turkey.
The students will not only
view the numerous historical Greek
sites such as Olympia, the Acropolis, and the Parthenon, but also
take a cruise of the Aegean islands
(Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Heraklion and Santorini) and
Turkey.
Finally, this July, WMA is
hosting a return trip to the amazing
Amazon, chaperoned once again
by Mr. Brian Easler and Mr. Erik
Kindblom along with the help of
Mr. Easler’s close friend John Cain
Carter.
Students will be participating in numerous once-in-a-lifetime
activities including meeting native
people and settlers, and learning
about the Amazon’s environment
with Ivy League researchers.
The group will be traveling
throughout the Mao Grosso area in
the southern Amazon, and though
it might be expensive due to the
charter planes necessary to get to
Indian villages, the trip is one that
students will never forget.
Arts
6
Music Reviews
Eula
Stephen Stills
Language of Threat
Just Roll Tape: April
26, 1968
EP
(Eyewall/Rhino)
By MAGISTER AYERS
Music
Originally formed from the
union oJust before his band Buffalo Springfield broke up for good,
singer/songwriter Stephen Stills
recorded an album’s worth of his
most current songs. He happened to
accompany his then-girlfriend Judy
Collins (who would win a Grammy
for Best Folk Performance the following year) to a recording studio,
and after she finished, he paid for
an extra hour to record his own
material. The resulting tape then
sat on a shelf for ten years and
was almost thrown out with the
garbage in 1978 when the studio
closed, but thanks to an ardent fan,
it was eventually returned to Stills
and released as Just Roll Tape.
The album features only
Stills and his acoustic guitar, and almost every track was later released
in different forms with various
bands. “Helplessly Hoping” and
“Wooden Ships” (co-written with
David Crosby) would become timeless hits for Crosby, Stills & Nash a
year later, while “Change Partners”
and “Bumblebee” would appear on
Stills’ own solo albums from 1970
to 1972. “Know You’ve Got to
Run” would later be incorporated
into “Everybody I Love You” from
1970’s Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young, while the bonus track
“Treetop Flyer” would surface two
decades later on 1991’s Stills Alone.
A handful of tunes—“All I
Know Is What You Tell Me,” “The
Doctor Will See You Now,” “Judy,”
and “Dreaming of Snakes”—is
exclusive to this release and exemplifies Stills’ deft fretboard attention and warm tenor. Embryonic demos of “Suite: Judy Blue
Eyes” and “Black Queen” display
an early tenderness that was somewhat lost when these songs became
instant classics a few years later.
For fans of his older material, Just Roll Tape is a treasure
trove of captivating rarities from
American folk rocker Stephen
Stills, ranked #28 by Rolling Stone
on the magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list.
By Priyanka George ‘11
Music and Movies
The border between punk
rock and new wave techno music is
a fine one, but Eula seems to stand
right in the middle of this line
with their second EP, Language of
Threat.
The band’s unique blend of
music is unlike anything else and
manages to get you staring at your
CD player with a puzzled look
after just one song.
The use of instruments, especially Alyse Lamb’s guitar, creates a rhythm that can not be fully
described in just a few sentences.
Lamb also produces the
vocals for Eula, which are impressively high pitched yet seem to
match right up to the rest of the
music.
The result is an almost
cosmic sound with a slightly hardcore edge to it, and outcome that
is evident from the first time you
listen to “Housewolf,” the CD’s
first track.
By Magister Ayers
Music and Movies
At age 78, acting legend
Clint Eastwood directs, produces,
and stars in Gran Torino. It’s no
surprise that this is the highest
grossing film of his career, as moviegoers flock to theaters to see the
man who invented Dirty Harry, one
of Eastwood’s most famous characters, take on a gang of Hmong
thugs in suburban Detroit. Contrary to logic, the
elderly Eastwood does not require
a walker, cane, or oxygen tank to
subdue said hoodlums, though the
“The band’s unique
blend of music is
unlike anything
else... an almost
cosmic sound with
a slightly hardcore
edge to it”
Survey
Movie Review
aging star plays a cranky senior
citizen who’s very predictable.
After the death of his wife, Walt
Kowalski (Eastwood) is befriended
by his Hmong neighbors, though
he describes them initially with
every vulgar epithet in the book.
His acute ignorance garners
more laughter than pity, and he
even grumbles audibly before lashing out with torrents of offensive
slang. His neighbors, the gentle
Thao (Bee Vang) and his plucky
sister Sue (Ahney Her), steal the
show as convincing members of
their private community.
Sue’s stunning performance wins back any respect
lost by Walt’s ridiculously obtuse
nature, and the finale is so conventional that one might expect to see
“brought to you by the Walt Disney
Company” scroll up during the
credits. In the end, Eastwood has
become exactly the character he
portrays: just another grumpy old
man. (2½ out of 5 stars)
The only real downside to
this is that most of the tracks have
a fairly identical beat to them. The
exception to this is the track “At
Its Worst”, which involves bizarre
guitar chords that are either really
good or really bad: your call.
Though Eula’s style is definitely an acquired taste, those who
let it grow on them will be pleased
at their ability to give listeners the
best of both worlds with Language
of Threat.
PB&J’s Top Ten Movies
1. V for Vendetta
2. Robin Hood Men in Tights
3. Pan’s Labyrinth
4. The Matrix
5. Monty Python and the Holy
Grail
6. Transformers
7. The Princess Bride
8. RENT
9. Hercules
10. Slumdog Millionaire
News
7
Dorm Olympics
By BEONGJO KANG ‘11
and TIMOTHY MANGHAN ‘11
Staff Writers
Rich 4 Celebrate Another Victory
ing out an impressive game against
“Rich 4 is kicking everyMatthieu Bouteillier ‘09, who trione’s butt.”
umphed
for Rich 3 in the end.
This simple saying from
Members of female Varsity
one Rich 3 resident describes the
Volleyball team could simply not
Rich 4 revolution against everystop the dominating boys of Rich 4
body perfectly. In almost every
from bumping, setting, and spiking
aspect of dorm Olympics, Rich 4
their way to first place in the volhas surpassed everyone with great
leyball tournament.
enthusiasm.
The boys were brought
Everyone seems to be
to
victory
by their fearless leader,
curious about the mystery of their
success. But the source of Rich 4’s Frank Fritts, who is the head dorm
power is simply their desire to win. parent of Rich 4. In their first game, Fritts’
Last year, Rich 4 did not
team faced the Day Students,
get the results they desired during
including three members of the Judorm Olympics. The residents of
nior Varsity and Varsity Volleyball
Rich 4 were forced to accept the
teams.
superiority of Rich 3, which won
From the very beginning,
first place last year.
Rich 4 proved to be too much for
This year, Rich 4 did their
the Day Students to handle. Mr.
best to create the most unique and
Fritts’ powerful serves gave Rich 4
everlasting dorm chant in WMA
an immediate edge.
history. This set the spark to the
The residents of Rich 4
fire of Rich 4’s greatness.
dominated once again when they
The great Rich 4 boys
finished their puzzle in around four faced Rich 3 in the finals. With
hours. They placed second for ping their unbeatable serves and ability
pong, with Naruhiko Sugiura play- to keep the ball on the other side of
the net, Rich 4 never faltered.
Indoor soccer, one of the
main events in the Dorm Olympics, was postponed once due to
snow and later canceled because
of sickness sweeping through the
school.
The Olympics finally came
to a close on Tuesday, March 3
with the talent competition.
Wallace Blake had a great
closing skit singing the theme song
of the 2008 Beijing Olympics,
complete with candles and darkness.
Rich 2 also had a good final
skit, singing “My Heart Will Go
On”, the theme song from Titanic.
Mr. Fritts Serves For Rich 4
Despite the ugly rumors
During the Volleyball Tournament
that they came up with their talent
while sitting in the chapel just before they were supposed to present,
we are sure that this song symbolizes that the Rich 2 boys will continue their friendships after most of
them graduate in the spring, especially Tyler Price ‘09 and Will Edwards ‘09, who assumed the roles
of Jack and Rose, respectively.
In the final standings, Rich
4 came in 1st place. 2nd place was
Rich 2 followed by Smith Hall, the
Day Students, Wallace Blake, and
Rich 3. It came as no surprise that
Rich 4 won as they had a 1,000point lead on Tuesday night.
Marco Ilao ‘09
of Rich 3
Serves It Up
During the
Volleyball
Tournament
8
Sports
Dan Moran Makes a Splash at WMA
By Austin Little ‘12
Staff Writer
humanities as well as coaching the
swim team and cross country team.
I was able to sit down with Mr.
Moran and talk about his swim
ming career and how he is coaching the team this year.
Mr. Moran is coming to
WMA from the Belchertown swim
club. He turned them from a team
that was 1-7 into a 6-0 team that
won the championships. Moran
also coaches the Aquabears, a USA
league swim team. He was also the
assistant coach for the Wilbraham
Falcons swim team.
Moran has been swimming
for 21 years, and holds a number of
records from his swimming career.
In Monson he holds the 200 freestyle, the 100 fly, and the 200 IM.
When walking into the
At Springfield College he
pool after school, one will hear
holds the 1650 freestyle, the 1000
the sounds of a whistle blowing,
freestyle, the 500 freestyle, and the
a swimmer jumping into the pool,
200 fly. He has two New England
kids swimming laps that they are
records for the 12-24 age range, the
anxious to complete, and the voice 1650 freestyle and the 500 freeof Coach Daniel Moran preparstyle. Moran still competes, with
ing these swimmers for their next
six to seven meets per year.
meet.
Moran is very devoted to
Moran is new to Wilbraham the WMA team. You can see that
and Monson Academy this year,
he is really working on building an
and is currently teaching 6th grade excellent swimming program.
The team is led by captains Niko
Konstantakos ‘09 and Ariel Landers ‘09, as well as top swimmers
Nate Lee ‘10 and Mia Konstantakos ‘12. Although Ariel and Niko
are leaving, Mr. Moran has high
hopes for the future. The WMA
swim team is approaching the
Western Mass and New England
championships, and Moran has
high hopes.
Everyone is going to the
Western Mass meet, and so far
Nate, Sean, Niko, Eva, Mia, Kaylee, and Steph are going to the
New England Meets. Moran also
hopes that Nicole and Bobby will
make the New England meet.
The team has begun tapering for the championship meets.
Tapering is a strategy that involves
slowing down practices so swimmers will be able to cut time off
their events.
Moran spends time making
sure the swimmers are confident on
essential elements of their races.
They do more sprinting, and there
are more team meetings. Moran
tries to make a meet-like atmosphere at every practice during
tapering.
Although the team’s record in this
rebuilding year has been disappointing to the team, Moran thinks
this season was a success. Moran said, “I look at this
year, and despite our record, it was
a success. It was a building year,
and the team has come a long way
from where they started this fall.” Moran hopes that next year
the team will continue to improve.
He hopes that the first year swimmers will come back, so that they
can be very helpful next year. He
looks forward to the development
of Nicole Robitaille ‘12 and Sean
Meunier ‘12.
Moran also said that a
healthy Kaylee Walton ‘12 will be
helpful, and having her injured hurt
the team this year. The team is only
losing three members next year;
Niko, Ariel and Spencer Nelms
‘09. With all of Moran’s swimming and coaching experience, he
is truly the perfect person to coach
the team. Dan Moran has helped to
develop many of the swimmers
on the team, and will hopefully
lead the WMA into the future as a
swimming powerhouse.
By Jason duke ‘11
Staff Writer
Ginsberg finished 13th
while Hasler and Corbett placed
29th and 30th, respectively.
The New Englands marked
the end of a season that represented
a big step forward for the ski team
under coaches Ms. Kate Gaw and
Ms. Gina Markowski, but still fell
short of early season expectations.
The Lady Titans finished
fourth out of six teams in the girls’
bracket of the highly competitive
Mountain Institute Ski League for
the season while the boys finished
sixth out of nine teams.
The Mountain Institute
League includes several top ski
schools including Deerfield and
Northfield Mount Hermon, which
are NEPSAC Class A schools in
skiing, Eaglebrook, which has
its own mountain, and WillistonNorthampton, whose girls’ team
won the NEPSAC Class B championship in 2009.
With Robbins missing
much of the league season, Wakefield led the girls team with a 11th
place finish among roughly 50
individual girls skiers in the league
(and that includes missing a race
due to a broken finger). Libby
Hodson ‘11 was close behind in
13th place.
League standings award
consistency over a six-race schedule. The boys team was led by
Ginsberg, who finished 10th
among roughly 70 skiers followed
by Gaw in 36th place and Corbett
in 38th.
The team had to overcome
several obstacles, including a
curtailed practice schedule due to
less than optimal snowfall in the
early part of the season and only
one practice session per week on
the mountain. They spent much of
their practice time in conditioning.
Also, several of the team’s
top-ranked skiers suffered injuries
earlier in the season, including
Robbins and Gaw, which tested the
depth of the rebuilding Titans.
However, skiing at WMA is
clearly on the upswing.
There were more students
on the team this year, and the team
posted significantly better performances as a team and individually
this season.
Last year, both boys and
girls teams finished at the bottom of the Mountain Institute Ski
League.
Hopefully this trend will
continue, and the WMA ski team
will become a force to be reckoned
with on the slopes.
Titan Skiers Shine in New England Championships
Adam Ginsberg’s ‘10 third
place finish in the slalom event
helped lead the boys’ team to a
sixth place finish out of 11 schools
Steff Robbins ‘10 and
in the New England Prep School
Chelby Wakefield ‘09 each posted
Class C Championship. Ginsberg’s
top ten finishes in both the slalom
runs of 28.72 and 28.74 seconds
and giant slalom events of the
put him in third place, less than a
New England Prep School Class
second out of second place in the
C Alpine Championship at Mt.
event.
Sunapee, NH on February 11.
Matt Gaw ‘09 had a heart
Robbins’ two runs of 31.36 breaking finish to his New England
and 32.61 seconds combined for
championship hopes. Second after
a sixth place finish in the slalom
his first run of 27.09 seconds, Gaw
among 42 girl slalom skiers in
was on pace in his second run to
the championships. Robbins also
win the slalom championship outexcelled in the giant slalom race
right with a time under 27 seconds.
with a seventh place finish among
However, three gates from
43 skiers.
the finish, Gaw missed a gate
Wakefield was edged out by and was disqualified. Matt was
Robbins in both events, finishing
philosophical about the missed
seventh in the slalom and eighth in opportunity. “Skiing [siphons] and
the giant slalom.
there are no second chances,” Gaw
Robbins and Wakefield led noted.
the Wilbraham and Monson Acad- Charlie Corbett ‘10 and
emy girl skiers to a 4th place finish York Hasler ‘10 finished 24th and
among ten teams in the champion- 32nd in the slalom to help the team
ship.
make up for Gaw’s disappointing
Only Thayer, Buckingham
finish.
Browne and Nichols (BBN), and
However, Gaw came back
Rivers place ahead of the Titans
strong in the giant slalom with a
in the girl’s alpine championships; sixth place finish. His combined
WMA finished ahead of Bancroft,
time of 64.85 for two runs put him
Brewster, Lawrence, Cushing and
less than a second out of second
Miss Halls.
place in that event.