The Senior Issue: NHS Paw Print’s

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BEARS!Class of 2013

The Paw PrintJune 2013SENIOR ISSUE2

There would be no way to sum up my chaotic four years at Norwalk High School in a few sentences.

Between transitioning into a jungle of new experiences, new people, changing administration, and the stereotypical high school drama, these past four years have been everything but anticlimactic. The one constant and most rewarding experience I have had at NHS has been being a part of the Norwalk High School Music Department.

The music department holds my most unforgettable memories and my closest friends. Between going to Orlando with the orchestra, to the supportive circle during the musicals before the show, the music department has opened its doors to create a second family.

The fi rst realization that I had entered this family was my freshman year during the spring musical, Les Miserables. The entire cast, pit, and crew was supportive of each other and took pride in our production. From

teamwork and tenacity we created a brilliant show that inspired us to work towards perfection every night in order to keep our high standards.

Aside from the obvious talent exhibited by the music department students, I have never met teachers who are more dedicated to their craft than Mrs. Burkhalter, Mrs. Pettibone, and Mr. Rivera. These three individuals go beyond what many teachers do. They

put in extra time whether it is creating fantastic sets for all of the productions, helping us individually with our instruments, or even just being a mentor and supporting us in whatever we do.

They taught us important lessons aside from learning the basics about our

instruments, including the importance of criticism, accepting nothing less than our best in our academics, teamwork, and having pride in ourselves and others. This constant dedication to their students, something that not all teachers do, has inspired not only me, but also many of my fellow music department seniors.

Mrs. Burkhalter who has been both a teacher and mentor to me, helped

me discover the college of my dreams, Ithaca College, her alma mater. This is just one of the many examples of how infl uential the teachers in the NHS Music Department have been.

Now that the curtain has closed on our production of Barnum, spring concerts have ended, and we have taken

our fi nal bow for Footpath Café, I am truly going to miss all of the wonderful opportunities that the Norwalk High School Music Department has given me and cannot wait to support all of their future endeavors for years to come.

High School was one great story with many little stories behind it. The thing that made my high school experience both fun and important was the different memories that I have experience. Now that this chapter of my life is fi nally coming to a close, It is time to move to the next chapter, but before that, I am ready to look back in the memory book and reminisce over the past four years. Each year spent in this place had its own special little thing about it. Whether it was a hot start my freshmen year, my sophomore slump my sophomore year, my comeback year junior year, and my farewell tour senior year, it was an experience that will last a lifetime. I have good stories, bad stories, funny stories, and important stories where I learned life lessons. The special thing about my stories are that I learned from the great ones at NHS, from Karl, Seaburg, Couture, Simo, Cunduff, Ireland, Gardiner, G, Faulkner,

Anastastia, Rivera, Fuller, Smith, and Laughton, they are just some of the great teachers who taught me well both in the classroom with my studies and life itself. The memories I made in their classes have been a great experience. The stories I have made with my wonderful Guidance Counselor Mrs. Skenderies and her intern Ms. Wintermute have just been simply amazing and I especially thank them for leading me to the right path. No one can ever forget those great substitute stories as well. I have seen a plethora of substitute teachers and in the end it was fun to learn from them. Last but not least, I cannot be more thankful to have my friends and family around me in high school. The best memories come from them and I had an amazing time hanging out with them in and out of the school and I will always cherish the time spent. If there is anything I take away from the high school on Calvin Murphy Street, it is to always appreciate life for what it is, do the tasks you need to do, fi nd success, and always have fun with what you do. It has been one great adventure and thank you to everyone for making high school an amazing experience. Hopefully one day you will see me behind a camera telling a story based on these experiences, so I can entertain audiences and get the best recognition for it. I leave this school to my two brothers Brendan and Tommy, may your experiences at NHS be both incredible and successful.

Meditation of theMusic Department Breezy Talks

Dude, Where are My Notes?

My fi rst year at Norwalk High was pretty different than my friends’. After transferring in from a magnet computer school as a sophomore, regular class times, a big student body, and traditional classroom settings felt like home.

One of the biggest differences in my transition was going back to pencil and paper note taking. I had not regularly taken notes without Microsoft Word for over a year, and even my own handwriting felt foreign to me.

Like most people I had always doodled in class, except for my one year at computer school. But once I got to Norwalk High I was reintroduced to this classic pastime, and something stuck. Gradually, the little margin drawings grew to the pages of my notebooks, cluttering my notes until they were barely visible.

Doodling quickly became a habit that was evident to anyone sitting near me. Drawing occupied just as much of my mind as the assigned class material. Because I had never felt a connection with any particular academic subject, doodling and creating something of my own was an outlet I felt excited about.

Pretty quickly, I got interested in all types of art, learning about it and being inspired by it. Nothing else felt like it had the same importance or meaning. What started as a pastime became an interest I could use in the future.

Now that I’m a senior and have thought seriously about how I want to spend my life, I realize how I need to work in the arts more than anything. My doodles, this negative space in school, really introduced me to where I belong.

At my old school, I did not even know what I was missing without a pen and paper in hand. If for no other reason, transferring to Norwalk High has defi nitely been one of my best decisions, and for that I will always love my school.

Photo Credit: Lillianna B

yington

Matthew Brown

LianneMetter

Haley Doran

The Paw PrintJune 2013 SENIOR ISSUE 3

I did not know what to expect entering journalism class in my sophomore year. Surrounded by juniors and seniors, I felt ĂĈć Ăù ăÿôöøÁ ÕĈć Ăāöø Ü ûôā÷ø÷ üā ĀČ ŰąĆć article, I received feedback from the editors that my writing was uncommon for a sophomore. It was not until then that I realized I had a distinctive talent. çûø ŰąĆć ôąćüöÿø Ü ĊąĂćø ĊôĆ ô āøĊĆ

story about my addiction to Facebook. (It was 2010.) I received edits remarking that I had used my opinion in the article and my opinion is not allowed in a news piece. I was challenged by this concept, not understanding how I could write about a topic without inserting some bias into it. It was intangible that a couple years later I would be on the other side of the equation: editing writing and teaching the underclassmen the difference between a news and opinion article or how to quote someone they interviewed, which now seemed so simple to me. Seeing my writing published in the Paw Print under my name was an unparalleled feeling; knowing that people were reading my articles and the possibility that I was informing them of an issue they were unaware of or altering their opinion on a topic.

Journalism provided me with the outlet I needed to express myself. It gave a voice to the student body; observing the impact of the newspaper on the school made me want to take on a greater role in the process.

I enjoyed the design aspect of the paper

as well. Creating pages on Adobe InDesign was challenging and exciting. As a junior, I was assigned the position of Feature Editor and had the chance to experiment with my creativity by crafting the center feature for each issue.

I learned the ropes of how to produce the newspaper and decided to become as involved as I could. My third year came and I took on the role of Editor in Chief. I spent my year living in the journalism room and breathing the newspaper. My time was consumed by all of the tasks put into öąøôćüāú ô Űāôÿ ăąĂ÷Ĉöć ćûôć Ċø öĂĈÿ÷ õø proud of.

There were many discouraging times when I wanted to give up, but I never did. We put in tremendous effort to produce a reputable paper worthy of the attention of Norwalk High School. We were able to laugh and have fun with its production, even when we were still at school at 9:00 P.M. on a Wednesday night.

The time I spent on the newspaper is undeniably an unforgettable part of my high school career and I am so glad I participated in such an unconventional and individual class. The more immersed I became in journalism, the clearer it became to me that üć ĊôĆ ô Űøÿ÷ Ü Ċôāćø÷ ćĂ ăĈąĆĈø üā öĂÿÿøúø and as a career.

I hope to make a difference with my words, either written in a newspaper or broadcasted on television, and to expand my knowledge of the world and communicate it to others in any way I can.

Journalism has taught me that I can do this and there is so much in the world to discover. Anyone who is considering signing up for journalism, do it; it is an experience you cannot pass up.

The Paw Print Senior Staff

My Journalism Experience

It is no question that our generation’s motto has become well known as “YOLO”. You only live once. You have one chance to live your life in a way that ensures you live long enough to fulfill all your goals and dreams. Ironically, most people take this as an

opportunity to participate in many life-threatening activities such as binge drinking, overdosing on drugs, or attempting hazardous stunts. Knowing that this motto is drilled into the brains of many of my fellow classmates, I fear how some will approach the collegiate atmosphere. Which is why I have personally adapted to a different motto, one that has been around long before YOLO and one that I hold to a very high regard. Hakuna Matata. It means no worries for the rest of your days. I have

carried this sentiment with me since about five years ago when I discovered a box of old VHS Disney movies in my basement and decided to watch “The Lion King” for the first time since my childhood. While Timon and Pumbaa were belting out that ever-popular show tune in the middle of the jungle, I was contemplating its deeper meaning. Life is not about making everything perfect. Everybody faces thousands of obstacles throughout their lifetime, and there is simply nothing you can do to prevent it. So why worry? Being one who has faced heavy anxiety countless times, I am eager to face my first semester of college with this motto permanently imprinted in my heart. Whether it is writing a 15-page paper in two days, cramming for a final overnight, or any of the number of demanding assignments I will face next year, I know how to get through it. No worries. Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata: No Worries for the Rest of Your Days

Looking back on the four years of high school, I realize how much we have changed and matured not only physically, but mentally.

Slang changes, style evolves, responsibilities become more important, and we get older. As freshmen, we had to ask our parents for money and rides, it was all about surviving the next four years; college was the last thing on our minds. There were so many new faces and everyone seemed so much older. The building was bigger, the teachers were stricter, and the work was harder than it used to be.

As the years went on and college got closer and closer, growing up was no longer a choice; it was a necessity. Events like SAT’s and college fairs came up and students had to start to plan ahead. College applications are stressful and time consuming and definitely should not be put off until the last minute. Time management needed to be learned quickly and this is difficult for most.

Once the long, grueling process is over, waiting is the next step. As we tried not to let the anticipation of the outcome eat us alive, people constantly asked the famous question “what do you want to do when you grow up?” and we all have had different careers in mind; lawyer, doctor, firefighter, astronaut. But as we grow up and mature, we have to

be realistic about the occupation we choose. We are all good at something, and we just have to know how to put it to good use.

I never had a clue what I wanted to do when I grew up. At first, I thought lawyer because I

was loud and good at arguing, but did not think I was smart enough for it. I considered being a nurse, but I cannot stand the sight of blood so that would not be a good option. I was undecided for a long time, but I have always been good with children and I really enjoy psychology, so when I shadowed a pediatric occupational therapist for the day and saw what she did, I suddenly knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to study psychology and be able to use that to help kids with special needs. It is not an easy job, but I feel mature enough to handle it.

Four years might not sound like that long, but when you look back on your high school career, you will hopefully notice a big change in yourself. Suddenly you are driving yourself to a job and realizing how quickly you have grown up. Growing up and maturing is scary, but it has to happen at some point or another. If you wait too long, no one will take you seriously.

So when you walk across that stage and receive your diploma, think about the first time you walked into high school. Think about how much you have changed since then, hope that it has been for the better, and plan ahead for your future.

Four Years Older

Matt Brown

Nicole Dunsmore

Lucas Keogh

Erin Kelly

Kylie Coppola HaleyDoran

Lianne MetterJuliaChiappetta

Most Likely to Write the Longest Article Most Likely to Forget an Editor Meeting Most Likely to Live in the Journalism Room

Most Likely to Not be in Class Most Likely to Miss Late Night for Choir

Most Likely to be Out When She’s Needed

Most Talkative

Most Likely to Watch Jimmy Fallon in Class

Most Likely to Write Controversial Articles

Jeanette Hamilton

Erin Kel ly

Nicole Dunsmore Jul ia

Chiappetta

“The music department is so great”

-Blair Roberts

YOU KNOW YOU GO TO NORWALK HIGH WHEN...

“You remember Chiu Fai’s number”-Tyler Brown

“It says Norwalk High School on top of the

building” -Matt Favazzo

“There’s writing all over the bathroom”-Malique Weir

“You eat breakfast at 7:10 in school”

-Joshua Kleinwaks

“You fi nd random clothing items in the halls” -Luisa Chacon

“Everyone swears they can rap!” -Jonathan Torres

“It takes longer to walk from A to E house than to drive to

school” -Jeremy Falcone

“You memorize 8:16, 9:06, 9:59, 10:49, 12:35, 1:25, and

2:15” -Maureen Naval

“You get milk poured on you in the stairwell”

-Cori Bonnadio

“Teachers ask to get them food”

-Marc Lerebours

“Teachers say you can take open end, but say if you get caught they will say you cut” -Sam Genovese

“The Star-Spangled Banner lasts forever”

-Sara Restrepo

YOU KNOW YOU’VE LEFT NHS WHEN....

...An H becomes just a letter again.

...You’re no longer paying dues, you’re paying

bills.

...You don’t have to ask someone to go to the

bathroom.

YOU KNOW YOU GO TO NORWALK HIGH WHEN...

“You eat breakfast at 7:10 in school”

-Joshua Kleinwaks

“You see the zoo leaving the cafeteria”-Haley Doran

“It’s a good day because there was soap in the bath-room” -Shannon Vallerie

“You say ‘Fuller can I have a pass?’” -Danny

Jakab

“You memorize 8:16, 9:06, 9:59, 10:49, 12:35, 1:25, and

2:15” -Maureen Naval

“Only one bathroom is open”

-Ronak Patel

“You want to do the musicals”-Sophie Katz

“You hear the word ‘bet’ 75 times a day”

-Rachel Scicchitano

“The Star-Spangled Banner lasts forever”

-Sara Restrepo

“Nothing works the way it should”

-Dylan Ashton

“You go anywhere but the cafeteria for lunch”

-Julia Chiapetta

“It’s 80 degrees and the heat is on”

-Sean Butler

YOU KNOW YOU’VE LEFT NHS WHEN....

...You don’t have to ask someone to go to the

bathroom.

...You can call in sick without your parent’s

permission.

...The next time someone takes your phone it’s a crime.

In freshman year,I was kind of alone,And kind of sad,And someone told me,“No guy will ever date you,Because you’re too sarcastic.”

In sophomore year,I kind of started to believe that,But then some guy came along,And he asked,“Do you want to go to Spring Fling with me?”I wasn’t sure,But I said yes.Not because I was lonely,But because I was terrible at rejecting people.

By junior year,I had learnedThat this guy loved sports,And kept bees,But he was also great for me.

In junior year,This guy and IFinally said those three magic words,But, what’s more,We started living by them, too.

By senior year,I was his,And he was mine.This guy had taught me to open up,And to trust,All without even realizing he was doing it.

Now, at the end of senior year,While trying to plan for what’s ahead of us,This guy still loves me,Still makes me smile,Still loves sports,Still keeps bees,Is still great for me,And still lives by those three magic words.He’s even taught meTo see myself as beautiful.But the best part is,This guy loves my sarcasm.

The Paw PrintJune 2013SENIOR ISSUE6

The Lows of High School

Getting out of bed in the morning tends to be the hardest part of my day. ãôąć Ăù ćûø ÷üùŰöĈÿćČ üĆ ÷Ĉø ćĂ ćûø ùôöć ćûôć itís 6 A.M. and everyone knows Iím not a morning person. But what truly weighs me down is the knowledge that if I get up, Iíll have to spend my whole day at a seemingly worthless institution, restlessly awaiting the 2:15 P.M. bell. School has never been a place I have looked forward to going; sitting in class learning material that would not be of use to me a week later seemed like an utter waste of time. Work did not end when the bell rang, it followed me home as teachers made sure to dispense assignments that consumed as much time as possible, but had the least amount of purpose. The duration an assignment should take doubled as I would spend half of the time wondering why such a pointless task was distributed or the opportunity cost of not ŰāüĆûüāú üćÁ ÕČ ćûø ćüĀø Ü öĂāĉüāöø÷ ĀČĆøÿù ćĂ ÷Ă the work it would be the middle of the night, and I would end up doing the minimum amount to get credit. Many of my classmates seemed to be stuck in the same situation. Too much work, with too little time left books unread and notes not taken, yet we still managed to end up with respectable grades. The reality that students do not need to do thorough work to get good grades shows that something is not right with the school

system. The curriculum should be challenging and worthwhile, particularly for students who enrolled in AP and Honors courses with the intention of enhancing their minds. Not all of my classes have been futile, but too ĀôāČ ûôĉø õøøāÁ Üā öÿôĆĆ¿ Ü ĊĂĈÿ÷ öĂāĆćôāćÿČ Űā÷ myself wishing I were sitting in a college course instead, or that I had a teacher from a previous year who actually taught valuable lessons. All of this made it seemingly impossible to get up in the morning. Lying in bed an extra thirty minutes after my alarm sounded, hoping school would magically be cancelled, sums up the impression high school has had on me. I entered high school with high expectations for a rewarding and worthwhile four years. These prospects were shattered as I learned through many petty and unjust experiences that high school is merely a vacuous and shallow exploit. However, my time in this building has transformed me from the naÔve and idealistic thirteen-year-old entering high school into the capable and idealistic seventeen-year-old exiting it. Without my interactions and involvement at Norwalk High, I would not have the determination to thrive in my future and take on works that I am passionate about. Without having learned what I do not like, I would not know what I do like. Without some upsetting experiences, I would not be able to appreciate and enjoy the outstanding ones. Now, the time that we have been awaiting ûôĆ ŰāôÿÿČ ôąąüĉø÷Î Ċø ôąø úąô÷Ĉôćüāú ôā÷ ĀĂĉüāú on from high school to start bigger and better things, to take on our lives, and I could not be more motivated.

Today’s generation is going through an epidemic where they feel as if it is

necessary to document every part of their lives. Not only with Twitter or Facebook but also with Instagram, and now Vine as well. For a majority of people though it is not about sharing a cool picture anymore, but getting recognition by the number of likes they receive on a picture or video. And yes, we all know that part of the fun is seeing how many people find your picture to be entertaining, and getting more and more attention, but recently it seems people are worried about becoming Instafamous instead.

The things that should be taken into consideration to make a person popular, or what used to be anyway is how pretty you are, or how cool people think you are, or how much

stuff you have. Now it is based on how many followers you have or likes you get on a photo. When it should be how you are as a person and your personality. Social networking is only getting more advanced and becoming more popular as time goes on. It is something that, yes, people should embrace and have fun with, but not overuse it and turn it into another type of world for them to become solely involved in. Some of the best advice to receive is to live in the moment. With social media it is practically impossible. “Pictures were meant to hold memories, to remind you of a good time,” stated senior Michael Bonebrake. “Now pictures are ways to boost your self esteem and have everyone tell you how pretty or hot you are. People now can’t have a good time without Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.” Unfortunately not much of the youth realize this because we are so blind to it, and it is in fact an addiction for us. What would we do without all these apps that we have access to through our phones?

Instagram for Insta-approval

TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT JOURNALISM AT NHS1. Microsoft Word will crash every time you attempt to save an article.2. If you accidentally lock the keys to the journalism room inside the room, you will suffer the wrath of Mr. Karl.3. If someone does not write their article, the whole class and newspaper is affected.4. No one ever wants their picture taken for Heard in the Halls.5. Matt and Lucas will drop the pizza we order for Late Night, and lie about it.ÉÁ çûø ăąüāćøą Ċüÿÿ āøĉøą ĊĂąþ ćûø ŰąĆć ćüĀøÁ7. Mr. Karl will criticize your music selection and play Tallest Man on Earth at every Late Night.8. Nicole gets annoyed by Matt.9. Headlines are impossible.10. The bull stares on.

Nicole Dunsmore

Kylie Coppola

Jeanette Hamilton

This Guy

The Paw PrintJune 2013 7SENIOR ISSUE

Entering Norwalk High School I was dead set on one career: music. I knew for a fact that I was going to spend the rest of my life playing music and if I tried hard enough I could be successful at it. I had already learned several

instruments, studied music theory, and practiced my trombone every day to improve. Soon after I started high school I realized that most people do not choose their careers by middle school, and I was definitely in that majority. During the course of four short years at Norwalk High, I pursued the beginnings of careers in music, law, teaching, filmmaking, and various other aspirations in between. I spent entire summers researching how to write classic screenplays, only to ditch it to become the next world famous rapper, which then became joining Congress, then being an architect, and so on. I used to think that this wishy-washiness was a bad warning to what my future might hold. I saw myself twenty years from now still hopping from career to career because I cannot choose what makes me happy.

But I realized that I wasn’t being indecisive, I was just being shaped towards the career that could make me truly happy: journalism. Going into my first journalism class at the beginning of junior year, I was sure that the class would be another filler and easy A to help me get another Social Studies credit in. However, I soon learned that I would have to work hard to even try to pass, so I accepted the challenge anyways. I realized that taking journalism meant that I could write what I felt was important. If I wanted to tell people about the state of the school bathrooms, I made sure to include every detail. If I wanted to tell people about how I thought summer blockbusters were all ripoffs, I did not stop until I knew I would convince every person in the school how bad those movies are. I finally see the similarities in the different careers I chose. Whether it was a teacher or a filmmaker, I just wanted my voice to be out there. I wanted people to know what I have to say. I could be arguing a case in a courtroom or letting my emotions out through music, I needed a way to let myself out, and I realize that journalism is the most direct way to do that.

Finding the “Write” Path

A school worth 10,000 Words

High School was one great story with many little stories behind it. The thing that made my high school experience both fun and important was the different memories that I have experience. Now that this chapter of my life is finally coming to a close, It is time to move to the next chapter, but before that, I am ready to look back in the memory book and reminisce over the past four years. Each year spent in this place had its own special little thing about it. Whether it was a hot start my freshmen year, my sophomore slump my sophomore year, my comeback year junior year, and my farewell tour senior year, it was an experience that will last a lifetime. I have good stories, bad stories, funny stories, and important stories where I learned life lessons. The special thing about my stories are that I learned from the great ones at NHS, from Karl, Seaburg, Couture, Simo, Cunduff, Ireland, Gardiner, G, Faulkner, Anastastia, Rivera, Fuller, Smith, and Laughton, they are just some of the great teachers who taught me well both in the classroom with my studies and life itself. The memories I made in their classes

have been a great experience. The stories I have made with my wonderful Guidance Counselor Mrs. Skenderies and her intern Ms. Wintermute have just been simply amazing and I especially thank them for leading me to the right path. No one can ever forget those great substitute stories as well. I have seen a plethora of substitute teachers and in the end it was fun to learn from them. Last but not least, I cannot be more thankful to have my friends and family around me in high school. The best memories come from them and I had an amazing time hanging out with them in and out of the school and I will always cherish the time spent. If there is anything I take away from the high school on Calvin Murphy Street, it is to always appreciate life for what it is, do the tasks you need to do, find success, and always have fun with what you do. It has been one great adventure and thank you to everyone for making high school an amazing experience. Hopefully one day you will see me behind a camera telling a story based on these experiences, so I can entertain audiences and get the best recognition for it. I leave this school to my two brothers Brendan and Tommy, may your experiences at NHS be both incredible and successful.

Senior SurveyAnswers

Best Excuses for Being Late

ÄÁ Ťçûøąø ĊôĆ ô Űúûć in the hallway!î

2. ìMy locker got jammed.î

3. ìI couldnít get out of bed.î

4. ìI had diarrhea.î

Best Nicknames

1. Seany Buttcheeks(Sean Butler)

2. Breezy(Matt Brown)

3. P-Jonez(Peter Garcia)

4. Scuba Steve(Steve Valles)

Best Hashtags

1. #Seniors2013

2. #umad

3. #caught

4. #bleedgreen

Lucas Keogh

Matthew Brown

TOP TEN MATT BROWN MOMENTS10. Writing an article about giving a pep talk to the entire

school9. Trying to put himself into the feature8. Emailing businesses about ads and counting it as an

attempt before they respond7. Leaving Late Night 1 ½ hours before everyone else because

he wants to go home6. Trying to spell “success”5. Watching full episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in

the middle of class4. Writing three

different articles about the places he goes in his free time3. Lip-syncing and

dancing to “How I Beat Shaq” during study hall2. Mispronouncing

classmates’ names to their faces1. Losing our $1000

camera in the cafeteria

B EA R S !

To the Class of 2013:

Good luck and may you always leave behind

paw prints as you embark on your future

journeys!