» Kid Cudi, pg. 12

» Modern classics, pg. 10

Kid Cudi, the beloved creator of two classic hip-hop albums, Man On The Moon Vols. I & II, has pro-fessed from the very beginning that he is his own man. The direc-tion he takes in his life has been entirely his own, and that qual-ity is most apparent in his music. I love Kid Cudi and consider him one of the most talented and cre-ative rappers of the decade, and I was dismayed to learn he will not be rapping again for some time, because this past November he publicly solidified the new direc-tion he was taking with his music. Yes, Cudi has taken all his creative license and considerable versatili-ty to explore the world of rock and roll music. This isn’t the brief devia-tion to guitar jams that Lil Wayne experimented with on 2010’s Re-birth, which was miserably mis-

guided and ultimately a total fail-ure. Kid Cudi has officially formed the band WZRD with fellow Cleve-land resident and longtime friend Dot Da Genius, and has tentatively announced their debut album to be released on January 30th, 2012. Cudi has asserted that he will be taking an indefinite leave of ab-sence from rap to concentrate on his new musical focus, but fear not dedicated fans; he has also an-nounced plans to make a Man on the Moon III when he has finished with WZRD’s first album. While I’m disappointed there will be no familiar material from Kid Cudi for a long period of time, I applaud him for his choice to ex-plore other

W h a t ’ s I n s i d eSchool News -

Seacoast Surf Shops 3

Opinion -Treat them as equals 6

A&E -Black Veil Brides 12

Sports - Sugarbush 15

Wear a helmet 15

Special Features -The Silent Majority 8

Misconceptions 9Red Iguana restaurantWinter Captains

page 12page 8

By Corey GuenBy Julia Higgins

» See Tyler Grant pg.15

Everything old is new again

Kid Cudimakes a switch to rock and roll

With all of America’s (and the world’s at large) obsession in developing the most up-to-date and intelligent technology, it’s always a pleasant surprise to see old fads become new once again. Whether it be on the silver screen (The King’s Speech) or in fashion (boat shoes) and sometimes even in technology (vintage landline phones), once obsolete or “ancient” parts of American life are coming back into modern times. The words “vintage” and “classic” seem to invoke a sense of roman-tic glamour within Americans, and exude a coolness that can oft not be achieved any other way.In Hollywood, there has long been an obsession to glorify or retell past tales, which explains the ever-growing presence of fa-mous flick remakes (“Footloose,”) and biopics concerning men of

intrigue (“J Edgar”) women of scandal (“My Week with Marilyn,”) and events of dramatic interest (“The Passion of the Christ,”). In today’s air of forcing people to move faster, think harder, and be more progressive, the presence of old films and the seemingly abundant interest for them is comforting- though times may change, one can apparently find solace in looking back. “I’m rather intrigued by historic events and pop culture, so stories and films depicting events

» Occupy Boston, pg. 9

By Sean Sica

By Tyler Russ

Photo Credit: Sean Sica

I put on my gloves and beanie as we approached the frostbitten intersection at Dewey Square, home of the Boston occupants. I’ll admit I was initially disappointed with the camp. It was small, and desolate, ridden with trash and disorganized tents. The sun had just retired as the city began to glow with street lights. I was surprised as to how friendly everyone was as we

neared the campsite. We met our first stranger within moments of being bombarded with greetings and smiles. “You two look new!” she said. “Is this your first time here?” We nodded and explained we had just arrived from New Hamp-shire, intent on covering a story for the local paper. Seemingly more excited now, she sent us off in the direction of the information

tent and told us to speak with Rita. Aside from the faint light ema-nating from the flashlight hang-ing next to my head, the tent was dark and was crammed full of tables. Supplies and important looking documents blanketed them as several other students crammed together uncomfort-ably. A short, middle aged woman, Rita Sebastian, seemed

Last season, Tyler Grant was hardly seen on the field for the varsity football team. This year he became one of the most well-known football players in the state of New Hampshire. Grant finished his junior year with 1,216 yards on 216 carries with 6 yards per carry, and to add on to that, he had 19 touchdowns. He was determined to become one of the few top football players in the state. He rarely skipped a weight

room and has an amazing result in there for his hard work, he has the ability to bench press 225 pounds and squat 300 pounds. No wonder he can put up so much weight since he started his weight room experience in 6th grade. “After our 1-9 start from last season we bounced back and put it in the past. All the hard work in the offseason and weight room really paid off. It made us

come together as a team,” said Tyler. “It feels pretty good to know I was one of the top players in the state; I’m not a person who is about the statistics. I’m really about winning every game and winning the state championship like we did this year. We will win next year as well.” “I never really imagined myself as such a high ranked player. I knew there were

“Cudi has taken all his creative license and considerable versatility to explore the world of rock and roll music”

“The words “vintage” and “classic” seem to invoke a sense of romantic glamour within Americans, and exude a cool-ness that can oft not be achieved any other way.”

Tyler Grant’s hard work pays off

Inside Occupy BostonThe Talon searches for what the true direction of the Occupy Movement was

Although recently dismanteled this path once intersected the camp in Dewey Square at the heart of the Occupy Movement

When it came to the discussion for a new principal on December 7th, it seemed that our teachers were looking for nothing more than what we’ve had the past few years. I sat in oan the discussion and was surrounded by a surprising number of people in the Roy Morrisette Room, all talking about our school’s principal’s great strengths, and the things that Mr. Sokul has done so well for our school. There was a long discussion started off by EHS Student As-sistance Counselor Kerry Roether concerning Sokul’s involvement and support of Link Crew and programs like it. “Victor [Sokul] has been ex-tremely supportive of Link Crew,” Kerry said, “I’m hopeful that this program will remain a part of our school’s vision.” Kerry and other parents and teachers in the room agreed that the program to help freshman transition from the middle school into the high school is a necessity for the progression of our student body. The group also agreed that the program would help build connections between the teachers and students, which is something that is in need of improvement at our school. EHS science teacher Jeff Kies added that he is looking for someone who will, “build on these programs and bring Exeter High School up to it’s full potential.” There was a lot of talk about how the new principal will help involve the community. In the pre-vious week a similar public forum was held at the same location, but only about five parents showed up to voice their opinions of what qualities the new principal should possess. Many of the non-teachers (parents, concerned community members) that were present on Wednesday only knew about the

forum because they were among the few who read the newspaper, and saw the article published about the previous week’s discus-sion. Many felt that the school relies too much on the students to voice information to parents, and that the new principal should take greater action to involving Exeter High School in the community. French teacher Cynthia Young feels that more and more students aren’t involved enough with our community. She said, “I’m inter-ested in how the next principal will support the community so that students won’t fall through the cracks of what is a very large school in New Hampshire.” She went on to discuss a closer school community. With such a large staff and student body, it’s hard for teachers to work together and collaborate on class plans. “I’d like to see how the new principal can get teachers to work together to create structure for classes,” Young said. American history teacher Sharon Macdonald-Sheedy knew exactly what she wanted in a principal. “I’ve been through seven prin-cipals, I’ve seen the short and long terms, and I’d like to see you [the board charged with finding a new principal] asking why they [the new principal] would fit into Exeter High School.” Mrs. Macdonald-Sheedy has developed a relationship with Mr. Sokul, and she told of how in years past she was able to voice teacher opinions with the current principal. She wants to see the new principal be active in the teacher community, like Sokul has been, and take care of the teachers that don’t feel as comfortable in EHS as they should. Though Mrs. Macdonald-Sheedy seems to find our current principal quite welcoming, parent Laura Lenardo sees the principal as less approachable. “I’d like to hear more about teacher support. As

I’ve heard, Sokul can be less than approachable. I’d like to see teach-ers being allowed to voice their opinion more freely.” Kerry Roether later added that, like American history teacher Eliza-beth DeSimone, she is upset that our school isn’t as academically en-gaged as it should be. Roether said, “There is a segment of the student population that is not connected academically. I think it’s terrible to I see freshman saying ‘I don’t plan on graduating’ right out of the gate. We should offer more things to make these students feel invited.” This discussion then found its way back to Link Crew and similar pro-grams offered at the school. Not all discussion was as serious as academics, however. Some teachers just wanted someone who is easily connectible. “I’d like to see someone with a sense of humor,” Alumni Director Sandy Parks said. “I know I can al-ways poke my head into Mr. Sokul’s door and talk about whatever.” Many of the other teachers agreed that they would like to simply see someone who will communicate well with the community. The forum went much better than expected, and a lot of great insight was given to the board chosen to elect the new principal of our school. In the end, it seems that many of our community mem-bers have similar ideas of what they would like to keep the same in our new leader, and what needs to be changed. The discussion ended on an insightful note given by Exeter High School’s technical advisor Jim Fellows. “In this school, there needs to be an environment where you can feel safe, and Vic Sokul does a good job of that. I think the community would benefit from the feeling of closeness, and it is necessary for the new principal to be involved with this community.”

EHS opens the floor for new principal discussion

By Cam Bumsted

The holidays are a time to think not only about getting, but also giving, and the Outreach Program at the Cooperative Middle School embodies that state of mind. The program, started by CMS nurses Martha LaPerle and Linda Raye, gives financially challenged families in the Exeter region a chance to make the holidays brighter by pro-viding them with complete holiday meals and generous gift cards. All of the items given to families are donated from members of the community, and programs at both CMS and EHS. The program, started in 2002, has grown from a basement organization to one that is efficient enough to have donated items to over 80 families this past Thanks-giving. Each family received two baskets that included two turkeys and items gathered by the CMS Builder’s Club and the EHS Key Club, along with the help of local churches. The CMS Outreach pro-gram relies on donations from staff, Businesses, student driven commu-nity projects like food drives, and any individual looking to help. “It’s a 100% turn around back to our community,” says Mrs. LaPerle, “we’re helping our own.” Unlike many similar programs, the Outreach Program is a completely

non-profit organization. All of the food and other items given to the families arrived entirely in the form of donations from the community and things gathered by the middle school and high school’s respec-tive clubs. When the program first began, Mrs. LaPerle purchased all of the food items herself, and de-livered them to families, exclusively during the holiday season. Now, the program still functions primarily during the winter months, but non-food donations such as gas cards, shoes, grocery cards, and gift cards for clothing stores like Kohl’s and Old Navy are still accepted year-round, as Mrs. LaPerle always aims to aid our community. “The community has been amaz-ing in helping,” said Mrs. LaPerle, as she humbly detailed her growing organization, constantly crediting it to community support, as op-pose to her personal efforts. With community playing such a vital role in the Outreach Program, it’s impor-tant for donations to continue to flood in, as well as people getting involved. Any donations can be given either to the Key Club, or directly to Mrs. LaPerle. When asked to describe why her outstanding program succeeds, Mrs. LaPerle simply stated, “it’s businesses, its neighbors, it’s the community.”

Photo Credit: Martha LaPerleThanksgiving Day meals were collected by the program and donated to many local families

CMS Outreach Program helps families around the holidays

By Bailey Sherwin and Merial Wiles Haffner

Parents and teachers alike share their thoughts on finding a candidate to succeed Mr. Sokul

SCHOOL NEWS Friday December 23, 2011 2 • Exeter, New Hampshire

SCHOOL NEWSFriday December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 3

The senior lounge has finally ar-rived at EHS. For years, seniors had been begging for an underclass-men-free environment where they could relax, work and eat without the worry of teachers screaming at them for wearing hats or taking up space. Max Utter, treasurer for the senior class, remembers the 2 years of begging the administration for a senior lounge in the multi-purpose room. The senior Student Senate was finally able to convince the administration to allow them to use the room. Max said he envisioned a place where seniors could go through-out the whole day: during lunch, off periods, etc. At first Max and the rest of the Senate thought they had done it and that dur-ing the trial run for the lounge, students would be able to go there throughout the day; but when Max gathered up his senior friends dur-ing period two, he found the doors of the room locked. After asking Mr. Sokul about the incident he was

told that the administration would consider allowing it to be used for the entirety of the day, but this is unlikely to happen during the trial period. In the beginning Max feared that not enough people would visit the lounge, but that turned out not to be true. “The first day we had about 50 people in there during lunch,” said Max. “I’m also scared of people being too rambunctious and ruin-ing it for the senior class and senior classes in the future.” The Senate was not alone in the fight for the lounge. Max said that Mr. Forbes was very supportive of the idea and actually attended some of the meetings. “We need people to go to the senior lounge and sign the sheets that are up on the wall,” said Max. Seniors in the lounge talked of what they wanted to have added, whether it is from the school or student donations. Peter Sheldon, who donated his own Gamecube, games and controllers to the lounge, said he wanted to have a fridge added, where students can put sodas or food, like teachers do

in their lounges. “It’s just a cool place where seniors can hang when they’re not doing anything,” said Zach Hale a senior who was in the lounge playing Madden on the Gamecube and playing Wu-Tang Clan over the speakers in the room. “I want some rugs in here,” said Pete, “It’d make it a whole lot homier.” Peter offered an idea for seniors to bring in 12 packs of various so-das and leave them in an area, free for anyone to take. “We wouldn’t have to pay for the drinks, but there would be a jar where students could donate a dollar or some change to keep the drink fridge stocked.” It’s now up to the class of 2012 to be the deciding factor on whether the lounge will stay or not. If enough seniors utilize the lounge and show appreciation and enjoy-ment of the privilege, the adminis-tration will allow the multi-purpose room to become the official, permanent senior lounge.

Going into Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy, also known as CATA, I began to believe the rumors that are often spread throughout EHS about charter schools. It took a climb of five very steep flights of stairs in an old mill factory for me to realize that the rumors were not even close to true; the charter students have to work hard just to get to their school, which takes true dedication. Walking into the school was like walking into an art studio; everything was beauti-fully designed. Old bricks that have probably been there since the mill was used for its original purpose supported the high ceilings.

Unlike EHS, where the walls are generally bare of anything other than the occasional fundraiser poster, the whole building was a piece of art. Portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Beyoncé decorated the walls of the girl’s bathroom; sculptures made from papier-mâché hung from the ceiling, and still smelled like fresh paint. The main room was filled with students, all of whom were dressed in clothes that would get strange looks at EHS. Some dressed in their PJs, other’s dressed up in very artsy get-ups, taking a fundamentalist view of Vogue. What might shock many EHS girls is that there was not a single person opting for Uggs, and none of them died from em-barrassment. They wore what made them happiest, and not what their clique deemed appropriate.“There are a few cliques, but they are loose. People can talk to each other in the other cliques, and everyone wears what they feel represents their personality,” said

Sharon Bennett, a senior at CATA. To break the chatter of the stu-dents, there was a large horn that a couple students blew to announce morning circle time. They gathered around the room in, ironically, a rectangle and announce every-thing that is going on in the school in the near future. Before that, they discuss what is good about their day so far. “Today is my mom’s forty-second birthday and there are way too many jokes that come with that,” one student announced. Then people would nod their head and move their hands up and down in a sign that I would have guessed meant rain falling down, but it actually means that they relate to

the story. The number of students in a classroom is roughly the same as in a class in EHS, sometimes smaller. In their English class, clearly marked by the Gryffindor sign, the students tap away on their laptops, talking when they feel necessary. For them, learning the material is much more important than at EHS. “We have to make our own curriculum to show that we understand something, and if we don’t get it, we don’t pass and if we don’t pass, we don’t graduate,” said Sharon Bennett. “I was supposed to show how I can format a French poem about Winnie-the-Pooh, so I did it by formatting it into a honey pot.” Yet, there is still a safety net for students who don’t get it. “One of the million reasons why I decided to teach at a charter school was the fact that I know every student that goes to this school,” said Mrs. Frost, the English teacher at CATA. “I would have conversations with students I didn’t

After years of asking, the Senior Lounge is here

By Riley Maguire

After years of insistence by the senior classes, the administration has relented and the Multi-Purpose Room has become the new Senior Lounge

Photo credit: Cam Bumsted

By Kate Wilkinson

The Senior Lounge is currently in a trial period, and if the administration thinks it was successful, it could become a permanent underclassmen-free space

Photo Credit: Cam Bumsted

Cocheco Arts and Tech has a different outlook on teaching

Photo Credit: Cam Bumsted

Photo Credit: Cocheco Arts Academy

SCHOOL NEWS Friday, December 23, 20114 • Exeter, New Hampshire

Going into George and Phillips in Downtown Exeter, you could easily find Janelle LaPlante, a junior at EHS, standing by, wait-ing to answer questions about everything from tennis shoes to running apparel. Working at George Phillips is not like working at most jobs that students at EHS work at. “I’m the youngest by far,” said Janelle. “The people that work there could be my parents or my grandparents. “ Working there she is often in the front of the store, guid-ing people on which shoes they should buy. “I like talking to people about running shoes because I run, so

I’m able to tell them which shoes have worked best for me and hear their stories,” she said. “For example, I have these minimalis-tic shoes that I used to run with, so I can easily tell runners about the product.” An avid runner herself, Janelle often finds herself running 35 miles every week during cross country season and track in the spring. “I don’t do winter track because it’s cold and I don’t like running indoors,” Janelle said. Yet, helping people pick out their shoes is not the only thing that’s in the job description. Janelle has to string rackets, something that just doesn’t hap-

pen in a factory. It has to be done by hand. Each racket is taken into the shop, marked, and placed for stringing. “You have to put the tennis racket on this machine and you have to screw it into place,” she said. “Then it spins around and you have to adjust it depend-ing on how taut you want it. The tighter the string, the more power.” As quick as it sounds, racket stringing is actually very time consuming. “It usually will take my boss, Bert, 20 minutes, but it takes me forty minutes to get it just right,” said Janelle.

Working at George and Phillips

Photo Credit: Cam BumstedJanelle LaPlante enjoys her job at George and Phillips

By: Kate Wilkinson

Some people think that all or most members of The Talon have the dreams of being a journalist one day. For Aaron Davis, a 2003 Exeter High school graduate, be-coming a reporter for the Exeter News-Letter happened without having any previous journalism experience. Throughout high school, Aaron was never a part of The Talon. “I always liked writing and was always interested in the news,” said Aaron.

Aaron was an English major at Connecticut College in New London, CT. His reporting career started during college when he began working for the Roth Writing Center where he was helping students formulate and correct their essays. It was during the summer between his junior and senior year of college when he began an internship with the Exeter News-Letter, and has been working there ever since. “I usually get to wake up

whenever I want, and I work from home,” said Aaron, explaining his job routine at the Exeter News-letter. Over a week span, Aaron’s duties are to simply write, do research, watch meetings online, conduct interviews and attend board meetings. And luckily for him, his beats are Stratham, Exeter and Newmarket, so he doesn’t have to travel far to catch news. “Being a reporter is fun. It is nice

being paid for the work of your mind, and being appreciated for it,” says Aaron. He later described that the only downfalls that come with being a reporter are not having many breaks and the inevitable stress of deadlines. “I always have to make sure I have all the information I need when I’m covering a story and interview all the people I need.” Aaron explains that this kind of pressure plays a big part in being

a reporter. Finding news is not hard for Aaron, because although he claimed to not enjoy gossiping, he always comes across people who do, which helps him find news. Aaron’s advice for aspiring writ-ers is to just keep writing. “Write letters to the editor,” he said. He claims that you just need to take baby steps, and eventu-ally you will get there and make a salary from it.

Meet alumni Aaron Davis: Journalist for Exeter News Letter

Continued From: Page 3: Cocheco Academyat Cocheco than at EHS. During one of the classes, a student man-aged to convince Mrs. Frost to let the only eighteen-year-old student go to Target to buy The Help movie so that they could watch it during the extended period. Lunch time is a particularly interesting time at Cocheco; stu-dents have to lay out tables to eat on. Some opt to sit on the floors, seeming pretty content. A few will walk around with their guitars and ukuleles and start strumming some chords whenever they get bored. Some students even sit at the teacher’s table and actively discuss with them. They all seem at peace with each other; nobody was try-ing to start any fights or talk badly about anyone. “The thing I like about this school is the fact that when there is

a problem going on between two people, everyone in the school will talk to the two people and try to have them make up,” says Amanda Rodgers, a senior at CATA.During Advisory, a mandatory study hall, some students are as-signed janitor duty, in which they have to clean up the school. “Since we’re our own janitors, we don’t try and throw things on the ground or make things dirty; we all just try to make it easier for the ones at advisory,” said Sharon.At Cocheco, the arts play a huge role in the school’s curriculum. In Geography class, students are often making maps of different statistics about areas. In English, they are trying to relate art to the books they read. They are also allowed to express themselves in a separate section of the school, where music

and art class go on. “People are really creative here; everyone is creative and unique,” said Miss Samson, the art teacher.The biggest difference between EHS and CATA is the way teachers look at learning. Unlike EHS, CATA focuses on the creativity of learning and teaching students how to thrive in the world. “If these students had to walk out of this school today and only remember one thing, it would be how to think for themselves, not just to have the right answer,” said Mrs. Frost. And while the students think for themselves, they get to have fun along the way. “CATA is a place where I can do yoga and also do work,” said Can-tey, a student at the school.

Photo Credit: Cocheco Academy

By: Diana Herlehy

Some of you may recall the excitement of finally having access to wireless internet over the school network. However, the service only lasted about two weeks at the beginning of the year before the administration was forced to shut it down. Texting services, radio stations, and other private frequencies crowding the air have unfortu-nately impacted the wireless network that was enabled earlier this year. Bandwidth and network support were severely overloaded as a result. The currently installed wireless networking hardware, 802.11G, is rated at approximately 54 mega-bytes per second. In regards to the maximum 100 megabytes that wired access allows, that doesn’t seem too bad. However, 54 mega-bytes is the hypothetical number that our wireless is rated at. Unfortunately, Mr. Pratt found otherwise, having mapped out the real-time access that’s actually available to students. A wireless vendor also discovered the severe impact from foreign waves in the immediate area. Radiation from the Seabrook Power Plant is even responsible for some of the interference. Mr. Pratt claimed to have connected to the wireless network with a mere 0.7 mega-bytes. Depending on the exact location in school, connectivity has been seen to drop to a staggering 0.3 megabytes. Using a connection with such a slow speed would es-sentially make doing anything take hours. In short, such a miniscule stream of connection makes wire-less virtually pointless. Although the district manager of technology was ultimately respon-sible for the decision to shut down

the wireless, Mr. Pratt couldn’t help but support his decision. They believed the convenience should be available to all students, but the amount of bandwidth that wireless was restrained to did not justify its use. All hope may not be lost, however. Mr. Pratt explained the possibility of upgrading the wire-less networking hardware in the near future. It depends upon the outcome of the budget discussion that’s currently being debated by the town. Assuming the resolution will be in favor of the school, the current hardware will be replaced with 802.11N; the upgrade should increase wireless connectivity by approximately 10 times. “It’s a much more robust system,” Mr. Pratt explained. “We’re currently testing the hardware in the north-ern G-wing and H-wing.” So far, the upgrade appears to be successful, as Mr. Pratt was able to connect wirelessly with 40 megabytes per second in Mr. Tobey’s classroom. Although it’s not comparable to the 100 megabytes that wired connection offers, it’s certainly better than 0.7 mega-bytes. The upgrade will consist of strengthening the backbone of the network. In short of a textbook ex-planation, we’d be installing faster and more efficient switches to the servers, which would allow for an overall faster system. If the budget is passed, both Exeter High School and the Cooperative Middle School will receive the faster networking speeds. “Public wireless will most likely come back to Exeter High School,” Mr. Pratt assured. “It’s simply a mat-ter of financial stability at this point.”

Administration hopes to experiment with student wirelessBy Sean Sica

Racket stringing can also be extremely difficult. “It’s frustrating because you have to go really slowly when you’re moving it around the ma-chine,” Janelle said. “If you don’t, the string will just rip through the machine and then it’s not even close to ready to be given to the client.” Yet working at George Phillips has its benefits. “I like working here because it’s a closely knit group,” said Janelle. “It’s nice because when you’re working there, it’s not just about the job; they care about you as a person.”

Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy approaches teaching, learning and school in a less conventional way than Exeter High School

OPINIONFriday December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 5

The Life of RileyBy: Riley Maguire

Photo Credit: Cam Bumsted

I hate the holidays. The holidays bring forth the mass of shoppers that funnel into Market Basket in droves. They all buy the same things: cranberry sauce, frozen turkeys, and other holiday related items. Customers must have asked me where the same things were at least a hundred times. And after all that annoyance is over, the Christ-mas music begins. The Management of MB must have gone out of their way to find the cheesiest, oldest, and worst Christmas tunes of all time. Midway through my shift I can hear young Michael Jackson shout, “Wow! Mommy’s kissing Santa Claus!” and I will hear it again and again over my shift because the playlist is only 3 hours long. So this music has me in the wrong state of mind, and I’m seeing rage sharks flying through my brain as The Jackson Five belt another 70’s Christmas tune. I’m out in the back of the store col-lecting liters of soda to put onto the shelf for our lovely patrons. I lean into the shelf and grab a rack of 8 of them and pull them back out. I forgot how tall I am and how low the shelves are and smash the back of my head on the metal

beam above me. I feel like the back of my head has been broken, when my work buddy calls me over and says a shoplifter has been caught in the store. We speed walk to the front end of the store. We could see and hear what was happening in the office. The guy had been stealing wine and Robitussin and gone into the bathroom and chugged both of them hoping to “robo-trip.” The store managers had brought him into the office above the booth and were now scolding him for his wrong doing. The man was look-ing down as the managers yelled at him. The thief flew into action and drove his foot in-between the 50 year old store manager’s legs and sprinted towards the other female store manager. He tackled her into the wall as she yelled for someone to call 911. The final manager had been standing near the top of the stairs and was ready for the criminal as he ran toward him. The manager went into UFC mode and choke slammed the thief to the ground, and planted his knee onto the guy’s neck and phoned for police. The police took the guy away and the whole ordeal was over. The guy was 20 years old and was offered to be put into parental custody, but I guess the fool had other ideas. In terms of being a scrooge, it doesn’t get much worse than this. The guy actually stole from one of the most genuine and kind-heart-ed stores out there. That dude was really in the Christmas spirit. From this ordeal I learned to appreciate the holidays and what they stand for. Even though the music makes me want to swallow my box-cutter, the holidays should be a time of love and friendship among people.

The Talon StaffEditor In Chief

School News

Features

Opinion

Sports

A&E

Advisor

-Jack McElwee

-Editor: Bailey Sherwin-Corey Guen-Hannah Laudani

-Editor: Jack Darmody-Diana Herlehy-Jillian Poirier

-Editor: Emma Carleton-Jack McElwee-Tyler Russ

-Editor: Riley Maguire-Cameron Bumsted-Sean Sica

-Editor: Julia Higgins-Merial Wiles-Haffner-Kate Wilkinson-Shelby Leatherbee

-Mr. Rob Schneider

American ignorance to blame for harsh opinions towards undocu-mented workers

There is a common miscon-ception in America that undocu-mented workers are job-stealing, government-money-wasting barbarians who have no place in the country. After listening to the story of a woman who has been in the position of being an ilIegal immigrant, however, I have learned that people who think like this are undeniably wrong. It is first important to estab-lish that “illegal” is not a word that should be used to describe humans. For example, a murderer is not illegal him or herself, but rather, he or she has simply com-mitted a felony. This is why it is important to refer to immigrants lacking legal documentation as “undocumented workers”. Throughout American history, immigrants have often been blamed in times of economic distress. For instance, in the 1800s a Nativist Party was formed when immigrants flooded into the country to work in the newly created factories and mills. Today, the minute-men group waits, armed with weapons, to report any Mexicans they may see wan-dering around the border. These groups of people are the ones who have not yet learned the truth about immigrants just try-ing to make a life for themselves in America, to support their fam-ily members, and themselves.

Eva Castilla, a Venezuelan na-tive but now an American citizen, came to the country as a young woman to receive an education, so she would be able to aid her father in running his business. But after her first job working with immigrant refugees, she decided that social work was her path. Unfortunately, her visa would expire as soon as she was done with school, and she would be sent back to her home coun-try. So Eva took various classes to extend her time in the US. Eventually, she decided she want-ed to marry her boyfriend, an American from Manchester, NH, and not only would she be legally connected to the love of her life, but she would be allowed to stay in America as well. The govern-ment, however, saw her marriage as a ploy to gain citizenship, and Eva was sent back to Venezuela. After 5 years of work towards gaining citizenship, Eva and her husband were finally allowed to live together in America. Though this could be the perfect happy ending for Eva, her story still continues, as she works today with the NH Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees to make sure that becoming an American citizen is not such a nightmare for other people. Because she has first hand ex-perience on the matter, Eva can

New insight about undocumented workers.Guest Columnist: Kim Szarmach

relate to the immigrants, and she explained how they should not be blamed for our hard economic times. In fact, the undocumented workers may be giving more than they gain. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented workers receive no benefits for their work. In the life of an undocumented worker, there is no Medicare of Medic-aid, or anything really that the government pays for. They can’t even get food stamps, which is a particularly hardship because it is a struggle to pay for food when your job pays less than minimum wage. This means that undocumented workers are pay-ing for everything that they buy themselves. Not only are they supporting American businesses with the little money they have, undocu-mented workers take the jobs that no American would ever take. The workers often find themselves in the meat packing industry, which is infamous for its lack of sanitation and high injury rate. After hearing of the stories of many immigrants in America, I believe that the blame is on us for being ignorant on the topic of undocumented workers, not the people who work tirelessly for success in our country, and improve it all the while.

It is Still Okay to Get Advice From Others

By: Emma Carleton

As a child you’re always told what to do. Eat your vegetables. Don’t talk to strangers. Put on sunscreen. Be polite. You’ve always had your parents there to help you. But as you get older you start to do these things on your own. You become more re-sponsible. You get a job, do your homework, and buy things for yourself. All of this is supposed to prepare you to make the decision of what you want to do when you graduate high school. Even though you have become more independent, it is still okay to get advice from others. An outside person can provide insight on yourself that you didn’t even know about. There are always your parents, or teachers, or just someone you look up to in general to help. But part of growing up is becom-ing independent and making decisions on your own. How would they know what you want to do anyway? But they can be a lot of help. Sometimes we don’t see certain characteristics about ourselves because we are so used to them, but an outside person would be able to pick up on that. When someone is asked

to describe themselves, they of-ten don’t know what to say, but when a friend or family mem-ber is asked to describe them, they can easily come up with a description. They might be able to see things that you would be

good at that you wouldn’t have even thought of. And their sug-gestions don’t have to be your final choice. Maybe all of the suggestions combined will help find one thing that you really want to do, something that you never would have come up with on your own. Suggestions never hurt anyone. It’s also okay to change your mind. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up liking what you once thought you might. And along the way you might find something you

do like. Thomas Edison said, “I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” But where is the fun in getting it right the first time anyway? Personally, I change my mind a lot. I like one thing one minute, and another thing another minute (like most high school students). So how am I supposed to decide my future right now? Listen to other people’s suggestions, or friends’ thoughts about their futures. Once you find one that stands out to you act on it. Find out more information and if you don’t love it then change your mind until you find something that you do. Just keep your mind open.

There are always your parents, or teachers, or just someone you look up to in general to help.

OPINION6 • Friday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire

100 words that are brutally honest

By: Jack Darmody

Photo Credit: Cam Bumsted

Somewhere Only I Know

When people think of Paris, there’s no doubt that the city in France comes to mind. But for me, Paris is a small town on the coast of Maine that my family has been spending summers at for almost fifty years. When my great grandfather first built our cabin in 1963, it was the only building for miles, and was nestled between the forest and the edge of a small lake, locally called “Buster’s Beach”. Now, houses coil around the lake, most of which belong to year-round residents, with the occasional summer homes intermingled. But the town still remains small enough that all the residents, even those who only visit in the warmer months, are complete-ly familiar with one another. The lake that serves as the center of the town is small enough that, with enough skill and energy, a swimmer could swim from one shoreline to the other. With no cellphone tower for miles, and only one home with internet connection, Paris is the perfect place to escape for a technology and stress free summer. Neatly tucked into the shadow of Portland, Paris is easy to miss, but for me it’s a perfect second home. This is somewhere only I know.

By: Merial Wiles-Haffner

Lessons to be learned From reality TVBy: Julia Higgins

In 1971, Alan and Susan Raymond entered into an agreement with the Loud family, a clan composed of two parents and five children. The Louds, who lived in Santa Barbara, California, were filmed for a television docu-mentary from May 30th to December 31st 1971. The footage obtained was edited down from 300 hours, and aired as a twelve-episode film. After filming was completed and every episode had been aired, the Louds complained that the documentary had shown them in a negative light, emphasizing the more unhappy aspects of the family and its rela-tionships. This “documentary,” was the first recognized example of reality television. Since the production of, “An American Family,” the American public has become increasingly fascinated by reality television. Though many will claim that reality TV is disturbing, disgusting, and downright vulgar, this view is hardly reflected in television demographics. Each year, the number of reality television shows on air rises, and the content aired on these respective shows grows more and more extreme and offensive. This, however, does not deter millions of viewers from tuning in to their reality show of choice, and soaking in some drama. But what is the affect of reality shows on the American public? Many parents and other concerned viewers are inclined to desperately fight against reality television shows, as they strive to protect the innocent minds of America’s young. Do they influence negative behavior, or do they teach us what not to do in order to avoid public humiliation? With the creation of shows such as Jersey Shore, Toddlers in Tiaras, and the Real Housewives of New Jersey, Americans are given a slew of engag-ing, if not stupidly enjoyable shows, in which we can all thank our lucky stars that we are who we are, if only for an hour. “They seem like they make us feel as if our lives aren’t bad, and theirs suck,” says senior Melissa Hayden. “But they also influence you if you are crazy, dramatic, or irresponsible- it gives you hope that you could make thousands off of a TV show.” The very fact that we as Americans resort to reality TV as a source of entertainment is mind-blowing, and yet so understandable. With reality TV, we see “real” situations and “real” people, which could arguably influ-ence our behavior more so than shows in which the characters and the storyline are written. “Reality shows often show the best and worst of humanity,” said student Austin B. Grant. “Shows like, ‘What Would You Do?’ often show the better side, while shows like ‘Real House Wives of Orange County’ show the worst. Reality shows can teach us a lot about ourselves, and how we as individuals can better act in a social community.” I agree with Austin- when watched with a clear mind and a coherency concerning the stupidity that reality programs portrays, reality personali-ties do teach us a lot about our country, and how we as people can better ourselves so as to not behave like complete fools. Yes, it is very arguable that some reality shows only serve to destruct innocent mindsets, but that comes down to the bigger and more contro-versial issue of what programs parents let their children watch, a com-pletely separate problem. So, while reality TV may be wildly inappropriate, I believe the true lessons of the shows come in the form of what not to

do, and can therefore be awarded a more critical second glance.

We pay 25 dollars but teachers feel as if it’s their right to park in the junior parking lot. What gives them a choice of where to park if we have to pay to park there? They have more than enough parking in the administration lot but yet for convenience they want to take spaces from kids who pay to park there. It’s just pure laziness and blatant disre-gard to all the juniors that have paid to park there. The admin-istration must force teachers to stop parking in the front of the ju-nior lot or the disrespect towards the juniors will continue.

The Talon: Pirates verses ninjasMr. Magliozzi: Ninjas in hand-to-hand, but pirates in long distance. Ninjas just have skill, and pirates are just drunken men behind cannons. T: If you could have any super power, what would it be?M: To bestow quietude on anyone in my presence.T: If everything you touched turned to skittles and you touched a person and ate those skittles, would that be cannibalism? M: Yes, but it would be tastier than actual cannibalism.T: Describe a dish with spam in it.M: Mac and Cheese with spam

sautéed with garlic.

Photo Credit: Cam Bumsted

What you get when you ask teachers strange questions

When we ask ourselves why we have pep rallies to begin with, we could all agree that we have them to promote unity and pride for our school. This is why I find it troubling when the freshmen get booed at these pep rallies. It’s always been my belief that freshman ought to be treated as equals. For this reason, I believe that booing them is wrong, and it should not continue. One thing I love about going to Exeter High School is the students. You guys are the greatest group of people that I have ever been associated with. You guys are kind, you look out for one another, and you give this community so much to be proud of. This is another reason why you should not boo the freshman: because you are better than that. You all are such great people, with so much ahead of you. Don’t lower yourself to the level of booing a group of people because of who they are, because you are all truly so much better than that. We are all Blue Hawks, we all walk the same hallways, and we all go to the same school. Instead of focusing on the few things that divide us, let’s focus on the many things that unite us. It’s no secret that when we sit in our classrooms we are largely di-vided by class, but when we leave those classrooms and step into the halls of EHS, we are all the same and we should all be able to walk these halls with pride no matter what class we belong to. If you are a freshman, that should be a source of pride. You should be proud to be a fresh-man and we are all proud of you, because you are Blue Hawks just like us. Don’t boo another Hawk. All we’re doing at the end of the day is booing ourselves.

Freshman should be treated equally

Editorial: Student Senate effective despite appearancesBy: Jack McElwee

By: Doug Marino Every year, each class elects a few members to represent them in the Student Senate to make decisions on our behalf. Recently however, the question has come up if the Student Senate actually makes change or if they are shot down by administration every time a proposal is brought up. From the outside it can seem like nothing is done, but from the inside there is constant commo-tion. For example, a proposal such as the Senior Lounge takes years to be acted upon, but is not due to inactivity in the student senate. It seems like it to those of us who do not sit in on the meetings, but the senate and administration and constantly trying to work out the terms for each proposal so it runs as smoothly if or when passed. The Student Senate carefully goes over an issue or an idea and creates a proposal that they have all agreed too. From there the Senate takes it to the administra-tion where they read it and ask questions or make changes. The Student Senate then counters what the administration wants with their own ideas and they go back and forth until coming to an agreement. “I think because we haven’t

taken action as quickly as the students want and sometimes we’ve delayed action for additional information, the perception of the kids is that the proposal has been shot down,” said Mr. Sokul. It’s true that in any proposal there is going to be banter back and forth between two sides, whether it is republican and democrat in the U.S. Senate, or if it’s Student Senate and administration in our school. It seems though that the reason for an extended delay is the lack of administration being present. It is very rare to find ad-ministration at the Student Senate meetings which means the student senate members can’t always speak to them face to face and resolve an issue in a faster manner. Although it may take a while for a proposal to be passed, Mr. Sokul and the administration have never completely shot down a proposal. In knowing Mr. Sokul, he is always open to the students’ concerns and helping them reach the objective they are trying to achieve. The se-nior lounge for example has taken a few years, but the students were persistent about trying to pass the proposal for it. Mr. Sokul and the administration were never close-minded to the idea, it just took time to agree to the terms and the seniors finally were given the trial run they have been waiting for. Some other proposals that have taken a long time though have been forgotten because a new topic is brought up and the old proposals fall by the wayside. So the fault cannot be placed on one side or the other for not passing proposals all the time. The proposals that are necessary or most desired are still passed; it just takes time like any other senate. A new principal is coming into office next year though, which means the relationship between senate and principal will be com-pletely wiped clean. I just hope that the new principal next year will be as open-minded as Mr. Sokul has

been for the past eight years.

OPINIONFriday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 7

Letters to the EditorDear Editor, I’m reading a book and it tells the tale of a crew of highly quali-fied seamen. In their world they go heroically unnoticed for most of their day-to-day lives until they meet their moment of truth. When tragedy struck on the sub, the men of the “squallus” were called into action, not for others, but to rescue themselves. Their true essences of who they were shown more than any moment otherwise. I come to realize in this natural world, I am so apart from these men in my role and place, but its helped me realize a little about me. I want to be important or do something that I can truly enjoy to the fullest with a lot of good people, but most of all I want to be able to help oth-ers disconnect with materialistic things and civilization, and recon-nect with nature and bring peace to many situations. In order to do so, I will have to change my place in the world, from student, to graduated self-proficient citizen of America, before I can really get started.

-John Greene

Dear Editor, After reading the article, “Neck Scarves and Elmo Sock Aren’t hip,” I don’t really agree with the thoughts being stated, and here’s why. The person who wrote this is portraying the new hipster as this group of people that are rude, and don’t care about other people and issues around them. I don’t think this is true. Not all “new” hipsters are conceited or self-centered. I do agree with the statement that hipsters are their own person. They have their own sense of style, and the type of music they like is unique. I don’t feel like hipsters should be mis-labeled, and I think they should keep doing their own thing.

-Mary Vogt

Dear Editor, Ever since I have been in this school I have felt that the arts have been limited. The school goes all out for sports and the arts get the short end of the stick. The school spent a lot of money to pay for uniforms, buses, sport equipment, and events to sup-port the teams (parades, Pep ral-lies etc.). While on the other hand the arts get a limited budget to use for supplies for art classes, costumes and make up, wood and other material such as paint, felt and cloth to build sets and costumes for the theater shows. I feel that the arts should get more support and credit for the work and effort that they put in.

-Tim Head

Dear Editor, I agree with the point that is trying to be made here; my opinion of the person who wrote it however is a completely different story. Students in this country today who say that they hate school and don’t understand why teachers push them so hard are people who do not see the big picture. The big picture is that kids go to school in order to learn skills that they can’t learn in the real world. Teachers push students as hard as they do because they are preparing them for the difficulties in life that lay ahead of them. There are too many students in this country who want to take the “easy” way out. These students don’t want to apply themselves in class or take time to do their homework and better themselves. Instead they choose to coast through life; copying other students work and not working for any-thing that they obtain. These students are inevitably hurting them-selves in the long run, by not doing their own work. Is it really worth it to get an A on a test or paper if you don’t truly understand the material? Most students would say that it is because all that matters is the grade that they received. The truly responsible and hardwork-ing students would disagree with them. The select few students who give absolutely everything they have into their schoolwork would disagree. They would say that it is better to fail and learn what you did wrong than cheat just to get the grade and not learn anything. These are the students who try their hardest every time they walk through the doors of their schools. But why do these students try so hard if it is easier for them just to cheat and coast through life like other students do? Students try hard in school because they want to better them-selves. They understand that they won’t get anywhere in life if they don’t give everything that they have. The reasons why students try are much deeper than people think they are. The people who think that students try just to please their parents or prove teachers wrong are idiotic and don’t comprehend the real reasons why. Students try hard because they want to prove something to themselves; they want to prove that they can do something that nobody else has done before them. When they want to accomplish something they don’t say “I guess”, instead they say “I will”. The people who say that they’re willing to sacrifice anything in order to be successful and a week later quit are hypocrites and are the scum of the earth. These people give the people who truly want to accomplish something in life a bad name and should be ashamed of themselves. In reality, there are only a select number of people in this country who will do whatever it takes in order to make something of themselves and do so the honor-able way. These people keep a question in their head every single day and every day that they feel like quitting they remember that ques-tion and know their answer. The question that they ask themselves is, “When you want to succeed, as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful” (Eric Thomas). So to the people who want to criticize the people who try hard every day in school go right ahead, because in the future your comments won’t matter. You will be a bum on the street corner, while the people who you criticized will be the owners of very successful companies. The same goes for people who decide to write an article such as this one. Before you write an article like this one you better be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you do the things that you preach. If you don’t do the things that you preach and you’re truly one of those people who coasts through life, then don’t even pick up a pen, because every time that you write an article about trying when you really don’t is a slap in the face of the people who are beating themselves half to death every single day of their life to make something of their selves. Think before you write.

-David Ayotte

Letters to the Editor Policy

The Talon welcomes Letters to the Editor from all members of the Exeter High School Community. The Letters to the Editor section is a forum for people to address issues that are brought up in articles printed in The Talon or other issues of interest to the community. Letters may be given to any mem-ber of the Talon staff, return to Mr. Schneider in his room F234 or brought to room A223 during period 7. Letters may be printed at the discretion of the Editor. Letters may be printed in full, shortened, or edited for clarity. Letters deemed obscene, submitted anonymously, or contain-ing criticisms of individuals will not be printed.

Dear Editor, I do not think that it has much to do with what you are wearing or what kind of music you listen to. Elmo socks and such can be cute as long as they are worn without the guise of “irony”. The main point is that a pretentious, judgmental jerk is a pretentious, judgmental jerk whatever they happen to be wearing or what music they are shoving in your face. The use of the word “hip-ster” is detrimental to people who like to listen to Indie music and not get judged for it. No one should be judging any one, especially based on clothing or music taste. Calling someone a “hipster” based on superficial labels is just as judgmental and mean as the worst of the “hipster” attitude that the author purports to so despise.

-Victoria Berk

Dear Editor, This is concerning the article that was written in the Novem-ber 28, 2011 issue of the Talon, “Our Dances in Danger”. The reaction from the students, towards this article wasn’t surprising. We as a student body all know what happens at the dances. Honestly most of us look forward to the night out, with friends where we can get a break from school and just let go. If the administration decides on canceling the dances, the students that normally go to the “safe environment” of the school to have a good time, instead they may go elsewhere, where they could get out of control and get into trouble. Mr. Sokul may not intend to cancel the dances. But as most of us know Mr. Sokul will be retiring at the end of the year. The opinion of the new head principal may be different, and he or she shouldn’t just take the administrations opinion into mind, but also the students’ opinions and their reactions.

-Hailea Palmer

The Talon happily accepts letters to the editor from students and fac-ulty of Exeter High School. The members of The Talon would appreci-ate it if teachers could encourage their students to write letters to the editor. Any type of feedback on articles they read or something they would like to see in The Talon will be accepted. Some things that they can write about would be a topic they feel doesn’t get enough attention, something they think is cool, or a response to something they read. Some more specific examples would be:1.) Would you eat at the Red Iguana after reading the review?2.) Was your favorite artist reviewed?3.) Have you noticed any new trends around the school?4.) What do you think about the Occupy Wall Street situation?5.) Does the CMS Outreach Program give you an idea for helping out around the holidays?6.) Do you agree with Kim’s opinion about undocumented workers?7.) Do you have any teachers that give funny responses to strange questions?

You are also able to write letters in response to other letters written to the Editor.

Helpful Ideas

Dear Editor, When we ask ourselves why we have pep rallies to begin with, we could all agree that we have them to promote unity and pride for our school. This is why I find it troubling when the freshmen get booed at these pep rallies. It’s always been my belief that freshman ought to be treated as equals. For this reason, I believe that booing them is wrong, and it should not continue. One thing I love about going to Ex-eter High School is the students. You guys are the greatest group of people that I have ever been associated with. You guys are kind, you look out for one anoth-er, and you give this community so much to be proud of.

This is another reason why you should not boo the fresh-man: because you are better than that. You all are such great people, with so much ahead of you. Don’t lower yourself to the level of booing a group of people because of who they are, because you are all truly so much better than that. We are all Blue Hawks, we all walk the same hallways, and

we all go to the same school. Instead of focusing on the few things that divide us, let’s focus on the many things that unite us. It’s no secret that when we sit in our classrooms we are largely divided by class, but when we leave those classrooms

and step into the halls of EHS,

we are all the same and we should all be able to walk these halls with pride no matter what class we belong to. If you are a freshman, that should be a source of pride. You should be proud to be a fresh-man and we are all proud of you, because you are Blue Hawks just like us. Don’t boo another Hawk. All we’re doing at the end of the day is booing ourselves.

-Doug Marino

Special Features Friday, December 23, 20118 • Exeter, New Hampshire

The silent majority is quiet no more

What was really going on down in Dewey Square, and why it will never work.By Corey Guen

Photo Credit: Corey GuenThe sign shows the revolutionary efforts of the movement in Dewey Square.

In the last three months, the Occupy Wall St. movement has supposedly had a huge impact on American politics and news. The first encampment has spawned hundreds of sister organizations in nearly all of America’s major cities and in plenty of places off the beaten path. Even more significant are the thousands upon thousands of “dedicated” Occupants hunkered down in their tents, weathering the storm for the betterment of the disillusioned American public. They claim to represent the “ninety-nine percent”, or the modern day Silent Majority. These people, historically, are those who live somewhere in between the screaming politicians and passionate talking heads on TV that dominate the political scene. The 99% are average Americans, who simply want to live comfort-ably and have an equal opportu-nity to succeed in America. This is what the Occupy movement wants to be seen as embodying; protesting for the advancement of the individual and the voice of

democracy. The reality is somewhat differ-ent. In a weekend trip to Dewey Square, the home of Occupy Boston, my goal was to gain some insight into the ideals and the heart of the movement, and to get a sense of where it’s going with all the attention it’s receiving. I arrived with few opinions or judgments about the protest or the protest-ers themselves, and walked away confused, disappointed and a little indignant. I was confused because I came away with even less of an understanding as to what these people wanted. I began to get the sense a great number of them weren’t there for any particularly strong reason. I was disappointed because the actuality of the move-ment was far less exciting than the media portrayed it to be, and gave me little hope that corporate America and our governing system could be changed to benefit the people. Also, a city official who asked to

remain unnamed said, “Most of the tents are actually empty. It turns out most of the people who live around here just go home at night. There are less people than you might think who actually live and sleep in the tents.” I was indignant and a little shocked because the people who claimed to represent my peers turned out to include drug dealers, troublemakers, anarchists (people who want no government at all) and socialists, among other people. These weren’t exactly the type of people I felt best represented the average American. The Occupy movement has been criticized for its lack of focus and solidarity, which the Occu-pants constantly deny. Sadly, the criticisms are true. If you walked into the camp and asked twenty people why they were at Occupy Boston, you would receive twenty different answers. “I’m here to fix a corrupt system,” said Bobby Alvarez. Their free publication states, among other things, “We want to revoke corporate personhood so that corporations have no ability to interfere with elections.” Bobby, a drifter from Rumney, New Hampshire said, “I’m travel-ing to every state by thumb and joining the protests, never asking for money to prove that we don’t need [money] to live.” “I’m here to empower the peo-ple and question who the govern-ment really protects,” said a woman at the Occupy Boston Summit, held in the Quincy School fifteen minutes from the camp itself. Another man stood up and proclaimed, “I want no issue to be secondary to another.” The problem is that this ideal, while theoretically the fair and just way to approach government, simply doesn’t work when put into practice. This is a fundamental flaw in the Occupy movement. The

very diverse groups of people who take part in it have so many ideas and desires for change that none receive any special attention, and therefore no progress is ever made. If a few members of the move-ment decided to take a leadership role and determine a select few goals to focus on and devote time to, they would have a legitimate chance to create needed change. There is no denying they have the presence and power, all the evi-dence of that is camped out on the streets of America and plastered all over the media. Progress becomes impossible, however, because the values behind the protest involve treating every single issue with equal importance and maintaining that everyone has a voice. Occupy’s own structure is the main reason why it will never succeed in ac-complishing anything of merit. When we arrived at the camp for the first time and listened to Brandeis graduate Rita Sebastian describe how the camp worked and the values it wanted to show-case, I was generally impressed. The protesters govern themselves quite effectively, using a system of “working groups”, which are small groups of people who deal in a specific aspect of the movement. These working groups range from Winterization to Civil Disobedience, and at each meeting of the pro-testers, known as General Assem-blies or GA’s, the working groups present proposals for government or action. Instead of voting, they attempt to achieve consensus, which is when everyone agrees on a compromise, and it is passed as legislature. Initially I was impressed by this system, but the more time I spent there the more I realized what the problem was. This form of “participatory democracy” that the Occupants cherish works well with the small Occupy camps, but trying to apply it to an entire coun-try would result in nothing short of disaster. Already, the United States Congress can accomplish next to nothing due to conflicting opinions and beliefs of politicians. Imagine if the entire country was allowed to operate the govern-ment in the same way that Con-gress functions. Absolutely nothing would ever be accomplished; there would be too many contradicting voices. Finally, Occupy Boston suffers from a lack of togetherness. There is not a noticeable sense of com-munity within the camp beyond a few people, and while most were friendly, some appeared rather hostile. As our unnamed Boston official source put it, “90% of the people in there are peaceful. But in a big group like that, there are always a few people who just want to start trouble. You know them when you see them, and they’re just there for the sake of protesting.” He is correct that while many of

the movement’s participants are focused, a great number are not there for political or social reasons, but rather use the camp as a place to do “business”, get free food, or stir up trouble under the guise of righteous protest. On the other end of the spec-trum, there are a great number of supporters for the movement who spend little to no time around the camp; these were the majority of the people who convened at the summit in the Quincy Elementary School. The people meeting here were not those who wanted to in-cite trouble. Rather, most appeared to be college educated, have developed political viewpoints, and better represent the idea of the American 99%. This group, however, was the most responsible for the fact that Occupy Boston has no sense of direction or concrete demands. We attended the summit expecting speeches from leaders and a less involved experience. Instead, the entire summit was based upon small groups, answer-ing questions and sharing answers with the whole room. In just over half an hour, we already had noted over 100 different issues or de-mands someone had voiced at the summit as being important and in need of addressing. Topics ranged from corporate accountability to class mobility to the environment and beyond, and rather than shut-ter the clamor of ideals and values, the leader of the summit encour-aged it. All these educated people did not seem to realize that merely talking about change does noth-ing, and that only solidarity and concentration would ever allow for real change.

Scattered demands and no plan for change has left the Occupy movement without any direction or goals, and the movement’s unwillingness to focus on any smaller set of topics has led to a protest that seems more a plea for attention than a true call to action. Lack of unity within the camp and on a national level seems to be the main reason why nothing of con-sequence has been accomplished. Failure to recognize these flaws will ensure that Occupy will be remem-bered as little more than a bunch of people in tents that momen-tarily started a political craze.

Photo Credit: Sean Sica

A poster displaying the comraderie between the protestors of the Occupy movment in Boston.

“The problem is that this ideal, while theo-retically the fair and just way to approach government, simply doesn’t work when put into practice. “

The 99%

to be the center of attention.It was clear she played an impor-tant role in the occupation, as her educated vocabulary rang with enthusiasm. It didn’t take long to grasp an idea of what this was all about, what this whole camp was really doing. The Brandeis University Masters graduate explained how Occupy Boston was the microcosm of ide-al world. Each tent had a singular purpose, whether it represented universal medical care, food, or simply shelter. “We do this so we can make a statement and make a lot of noise,” Sebastian said. Excited to see more, we left the tent to explore the rest of the campsite. The public park I once recognized had now become a dump. Trash enveloped the vacant space that hadn’t already been infested with tents. Various hand-made posters consistently caught my attention as we fol-lowed the pebble-stoned path that encompassed the camp. The campers were friendly, but there was an aura of intimidation from some of the quieter groups of people. We strayed from the beaten path that ran through the center of the park, as night had completely set in by now. With streetlights as the only source of light within the city now, we returned to the camp en-trance to see a group of campers strewn about, with one particular individual making a ruckus. A ban-dana hung from the man’s neck as his ugly sweater and ludicrous outfit animated him out of the crowd. “You’re sexy, you’re cute, take off your riot suits!” he chanted mockingly through his mega-phone. I smiled as he attempted to get a rise from the surrounding officers. We introduced ourselves and he smiled, replying that his name was Franklin. It was clear the Dorchester occupant’s job around here was to stir up trouble. I tried listening in as he walked away towards Rita. Their somber expres-sions and hushed conversation signaled that it was something important, but what? “Alright, we’re going on a mission people! I can take four others!” he shouted. Being the two closest people

to him at the time, Corey and I were each given subway tickets. I inspected them curiously as Franklin picked out two other volunteers, including Rita. He handed me a heavy bag, beckoning us to follow him as we approached South station. I pes-tered him with questions until he began explaining where we were headed. The only replies I got ran

along the lines of “Don’t worry. We’ll bail you if anything happens.” That really made me nervous. After a few minutes of continu-ous nagging, I turned to Rita and dragged an explaination from her instead. Franklin seemed too pre-occupied, or rather, inattentive. I put together the pieces of the disjointed explanation she gave me and began to feel uneasy. This ‘mission’ consisted of riding the subway to Harvard Yard so that we can join an occupation currently going on within the premises. The only problem was that we weren’t Harvard students, and didn’t have proper access. Franklin explained that body-

guards surrounded the yard, but he knew an area free of security. He intended on crawling under a fence to join the rally. We were about to break into Harvard Yard. My mind became disconcerted as I considered the possibilities. I looked to Corey for some input, but he seemed just as shaken. As the train entered the station, I knew what we had to do. I ap-proached Rita and kindly resigned. She seemed to understand our dilemma while Franklin obliviously entered the train, focused only on his mission. We bid them farewell, and left the station. We never did see them again. It was only later did we find out that the occupants that wore bandanas belonged to the ‘civil disobedience’ tent, whose sole purpose was to stir up trouble, just as Franklin had done. We retired for the night and returned the following morning to get some real perspective on the movement. Fortunately, campers seemed more than willing to be interviewed. We approached each interview with the same question: “Why are you here?” Hoping to gain some perspec-tive as to some foundation for what these people were actually protesting, we soon found other-wise. It seemed as if every person stated a different reason for being here. We even met a NH resident

from Rumney who explained he had hitchhiked all the way here, intent on doing so for each state to join each Occupy movement so that he can make a difference. “We’re out there 24/7,” he said. “Our man hours dwarf the Boston Tea Party.” Rita reacted vivaciously when we approached her with her reason for her involvement. “What we’re doing her is actu-ally trying to make a new form of government here,” she said. “Welcome to Occupy Wall St.” She smiled as nearby sirens resonated nearby. “This place is a classroom of looking at participa-tory democracy,” she continued.

“And not only that, but free speech.” Occupant Jorge Alvarez agreed. “I came to join like-minded people,” he said. “To free a corrupt system in a nonviolent manner.”We unfolded what we had ob-served as a disorganized assembly to another occupant. He respond-ed rather defensively. “We’re all socialists or semi-anarchists in our ideals, but we are always open to debate,” he said. The more we interviewed, it seem more and more apparent that these people have no core inten-tions. General topics of interest these people had ranged from gender and class to economic justice and fairness in wages. The list goes on. “You’ve not only got access to basic needs,” Rita said. “But you’ve also got something that’s called the marketplace of exchange of ideas.” Strewn about with their own reasons, every individual stated their own motivation for joining the movement. There are no key leaders within the movement, and while they take pride in that, it could become the essence of their downfall. Unless someone steps to the fore and unites these individuals to one or even a few core points, they will fail. They need better articulation of that foundation on which they all stand.

1.All the Occupants were jobless hippies. Truth: Most of the Occupants had full time, or at least part time jobs. As Adam, a student at the University of Georgia and member of Occupy Athens said, “When people drive by and yell ‘Get a job!’ our most common response is, ‘We have one!’” Occupants were more often than not employed individuals who participated in the move-ment as a way to project their values and beliefs to a society that has seen no change for the betterment of the people. Many witnessed the wealth gap grow-ing steadily, and joined to protest the vast amount of the country’s wealth controlled by such a small portion of the population. 2.Occupants wanted the money of the wealthy to be taken from them and given to the poor. Truth: Occupy Wall St. was NOT a protest of whiners who were too lazy to make their own money.

They don’t believe that the rich are undeserving of their money; rather they wanted accountability for the people on Wall Street and their selfish actions. They protest-ed, and rightfully so, how many of the members of the 99% pay a higher tax rate than that of the 1%. They also wanted to remove the corporate presence in politics, so that money is no longer the deciding factor in the winning of

political elections. 3.People at Occupy were criminals, drug addicts and violent radicals TRUTH: While some of those present at the Occupy camp had questionable motives and goals, the people were mostly reason-able, friendly and intelligent indi-viduals. The media tends to focus on the most eye-catching and exciting things any sort of event like this spawns. They take pic-tures and write about the riots, the outspoken anarchists, the dirtiness and the drug use, but forget to focus on the average protestor. In fairness, a demonstration in which 200 people are tear-gassed and arrested is a far more interest-ing story, but the reality was that many people were average, employed, and levelheaded, who truly want to see change rather than start a riot. 4.The Occupy Boston camp was a hub of activity, with people constantly working, protesting and promoting the cause TRUTH: Surprisingly, the Oc-cupy camp was generally pretty quiet. Again, this is a quality the media tends to distort by showing only the protests and the radicals, but even so there was far less going on at any given time than what might be expected from a movement receiving national press coverage. There were gener-ally fewer than 30 people active in the camp at a time, and often they weren’t doing anything par-ticularly productive; usually a few Occupants ran the health, info and food tents, and sometimes even those were empty. 5.The camp was full TRUTH: There really weren’t that many people living in the camp itself. Especially as the Boston winter began to set in, fewer and fewer people were actually sleep-ing in the tents. A Boston official said that “Most of the people live somewhere around here and just go home at night, then they come back again in the morning.”

Special FeaturesFriday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 9

Continued from page 1

Photo Credit: Sean Sica

Civil disobedience member attempts to garnersupport for the Occupy movment.

Revealing the truth behind the occupy

movementAn indepth look about what was really going on in the Occupy movement in Boston.

A protestor walks through the streets protesting against Wall Street and greedy corporate giants

Photo Credit : Sean Sica

By Corey Guen

“They don’t believe that the rich are undeserving

of their money; rather they wanted account-ability for the people

on Wall Street and their selfish actions. They pro-tested, and rightfully so, how many of the mem-

bers of the 99% pay a higher tax rate than that

of the 1%. “

“Occupy Boston was the microcosm of ideal world. Each tent had a singular purpose, whether it represented universal medical care, food, or simply shelter.”

Tuesday, December 23, 201110 • Exeter, New Hampshire ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Spacetour: a Starkid extravaganzaFrom Youtube to cross-country tour, this theatre company performs for passionate fans across the US.

Big-name rappers came to Boston for a night of rhymes where some were lacking and others inspired

Jamm 94.5’s Monster Jam concert

Everything old is new againThe American interest in taking the old and reno-vating it into new

By Jack Darmody

By Julia Higgins

By Jill Poirier

People had been lined up for the 8:00 PM StarKid concert since 3 o’clock in the afternoon. A group of girls had even camped out the night before- in tents. On Yawkey Way. A dark street in the middle of Boston. In mid-November. The StarKids have some serious fans, apparently. My sister, her friend, a friend of mine, and myself managed to beat the entire crowd simply by scarfing down caesar salads and chicken fingers ten minutes before the doors to the concert opened at 7:00 that night. The House of Blues has a pretty sweet deal, where if you eat dinner there before the show, your waitress will sign your receipt and write “Pass the Line”, allowing you to forgo the crowds, and most importantly, the waiting. We passed a line that stretched all the way to the highway- we even passed* those girls who'd weathered the night in an attempt to get in first. The House of Blues was stand-ing-room only for this concert, and open admission. Since we got in before the line, we were able to go all the way to the front, up to the stage. Standing for an hour in close contact with a bunch of people I didn't know, waiting for the opening act, was not enjoy-able. When Charlene Kaye and her band took the stage, however, it was worth the uncomfortable wait. Her powerful soprano voice filled the hall with fantastic music. Her songs, like “Animal Love,” which she wrote herself, had solid lyrics, strong beats, and catchy tunes. The unexpected appear-ance of Darren Criss during the song the two collaborated on, “Dress and Tie,” sent the crowd into a frenzy. Criss only hinted on his Twitter the night before that he would be appearing in the last few performances of the Space Tour. When Jaime Lyn Beatty, Brian

Holden, Lauren Lopez, Joey Rich-ter, Dylan Saunders, Meredith Stepien, and Joseph Walker finally came onto the stage, all wear-ing space helmets and doing a slow moon walk (in imitation of NSYNC’s famous concert en-trance), it was a relief. As wonderful as Charlene Kaye was, everybody was excited for StarKid. From the moment they took the stage, it was nonstop music and hilarity. They performed their best and most popular songs from all of their musicals. Leading with “I Wanna Be (A Starship Ranger),” from their musical “Starship,” the StarKids set the tone for the rest of the concert: high-energy and exciting. Songs like “Harry Freakin' Potter,” from “A Very Potter Sequel,” “Kick It up a Notch,” from “Starship,” and “Ready to Go,” from “Me And My Dick,” kept the thrilling wild-ness high throughout the night. The more mellow songs, how-ever, pulled on the fans' heart-strings and cooled everything down. “Coolest Girl,” from “A Very Potter Sequel” and “The Way I Do,” from “Starship” calmed the crowd, as people softly crooned along. Then Darren Criss appeared. His charming good looks and swoon-worthy voice made the crowd go insane the moment he strolled on stage. As soon as he opened his mouth to sing “Not Alone” and “To Have a Home,” the entire hall was silent. Some sang along, but most of the young girls I looked at were simply staring in an open-mouthed reverence at Criss. I must admit, “Not Alone” is one of my favorite songs, and when sung by Criss, it's just fantastic. It was a fun, high energy con-cert, and definitely worth my ach-ing feet and back, and the ringing in my ears that lasted more than

a day.

Every year the Boston based radio station Jamn 94.5 throws a concert in collaboration with the best names in the rap business. This year they combined the styles of artists including Ace Hood, Wiz Khalifa, New Boyz, and T-pain. The concert catered to all styles of rap and provided a constantly chang-ing dynamic among the five hour performance. The concert began with Ace Hood, a relative unknown, who provided a strong cathartic voice to begin the concert. Doing multiple covers of songs by Akon and Lil Wayne, he used his own dark voice to provide a fresh take on old songs. One stand out was his rendition of “Convict” by Akon, in which he sped up the beat to create a feeling of tension in the song. He made the audience go crazy, as he provided unapologetic rhymes about different rappers and the overall industry which, according to him, has become su-perficial, with few actual “rappers” remaining. He provided the angst which his style has been known for and for me was the surprise of the night. In comparison to Ace Hood, New Boyz exuded a more laidback

vibe. They had a strong stage pres-ence, and engaged the crowd by doing their typical set list includ-ing “Tie Me Down” and “You’re a Jerk.” As the performance went on, the relatively calm attitude of the group, along with the audi-ence’s yearning for bigger-name artists hurt their performance. As the stage presence wavered, the crowd began to get unengaged lose interest. T-pain didn’t fare much better- his only standout of the night was the song “Best Love Song.” He began with a cliché performance of “5 o’clock” that failed in many aspects, as it did not garner any attention. His stage presence was severely lacking, as he relied too much on his generic rap and boring stage movement. Even after singing, “Buy You a Drank” which nearly the whole audience was familiar with, the audience remained un-satisfied. As his performance came to a close, however, the energy dramatically increased as “Best Love Song” came on. The song had an intriguing choreographed dance, in which he began doing the robot, making the crowd go crazy. Overall, T-pain lacked the rapping

prowess which has made him such a big name. Wiz Khalifa was by far the hit of the night. He began with his most recent hit “No Sleep,” and had a strong flow, enabling him to live up to the hype that surrounds him. In concert he has a presence which makes him command the stage. He was able to become the most focal point of the concert as he began to dominate one song after another. During his performance, it seemed as though there was an electric energy because of the amazing quality of his music in live concert. He continued through his track list including “Black and Yellow” and “Super High,” which proved among rap that he truly is one of the most popular artists. Wiz had a presence that none of the other artists could create, and forced the viewer to watch the subtle nuances that make his style of rapping great. Monster Jam provided a con-stantly changing dynamic and was able to appeal to all kinds of rap fans. The concert was a mixture of old and new styles which incorpo-rated the best aspects of rap, with the exception of T-pain.

Continued from Page 1

pertaining to those fields are interesting,” says senior Maggie Noonan. “The whole ‘this [insert form of media here] is based on a true story’ is appealing because it’s interesting to learn more about reality.” Ms. Noonan makes a good point- in having an interest in biopics, people can generally garner a greater, if not slightly skewed and dramatic version of history. “It makes history come alive,” says senior Marybeth Kelley. “Old movies are so much subtler than movies these days. They’re not just about watching ‘sex, drugs, alco-hol, and explosions,’ and they’re more than special effects- old movies are about the acting.” Mod-ern movies are far too focused on creating a visual affect, rather than an emotional one- this is what makes remakes and biopics such an enjoyable alternative. The focus is on the true meat of the plotline, and not on making a bomb go off in every available prop car. The “everything old is new again,” logic follows true in fashion and general lifestyle as well. Throughout the halls of EHS, there are an overwhelming number of

Sperry-clad feet, worn by both guys and girls. Boat shoes, originally made by Paul Sperry for the purpose of boating, were vastly popular in the 1980’s. Over time, they eventually fell out of vogue as the world of fashion found new fads. Within the past three years, however, Sperry’s have trotted their way back onto the pop culture pavement. Styles found throughout the 60’s are often re-popularized as well, as hippy-chic regularly makes its way through the fashion circuit. Even during the red carpet walks of Hollywood starlets, it’s not surprising to see a reference to Old Hollywood in the form of finger curls, classic dresses, and the like. This continuous decision within pop culture to recreate and thus relive previous eras is like a constant reminder that just because the world is stuck on a “fast-forward” speed in some as-pects, doesn’t mean it’s a faux pas to return to old favorites. “[Fashion] from the 60’s and 70’s definitely interests me,” says Maggie. “I’m greatly amused by the majority of fashion from the 80’s but a lot of it is just awful. Early 90’s stuff is cool though. Basi-cally classic counter-culture and most grunge styles are appealing

in my opinion.” Throughout homes across America, it’s becoming increas-ingly popular to see vintage “Princess” telephones, technology that was once considered the ultimate modern tool. Eventually, these classic phones fell out of use as slimmer, “cooler,” pieces took their place. Nowadays, however, the price of these ancient phones has skyrocketed, as their rare, vintage uniqueness makes them a “must-have” piece in homes of all sorts. Though iPods also rule over the world of music technology, record players are becoming increasingly popular amongst the world’s hip-ster population, as people strive to obtain the vintage record player’s look and sound.“I don’t know if I’m interested in getting one for myself,” says senior Erik Benotti, “but if I got a record player from someone as a gift I think it would be so awesome.”Americans everywhere seem to like the sound of “vintage,” as there is an undeniable sense of classiness surrounding the word. Whether it be in movies, fashion, or technology, vintage is an im-portant image to maintain.

Friday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 11ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Websites that tell you what your mirror (and your bf ) will not

T w o w e b s i t e s t o h e l p c o n s t r u c t t h e p e r f e c t o u t f i t

Have you ever not known what to wear, standing and staring blankly into your closet, or worse, not being able to decide between outfits? Maybe you like a pair of pants just the top just doesn’t do it for you. This has happened to the best of us, and now there is help. There are websites such as Go Try It On and Fashism that are geared towards providing a quick second opinion on what you are wearing. These sites allow you to take a picture of your outfit and upload it to the site, and you receive comments from the view-ers. Users then rate your outfit by clicking “I like it” or “I hate it” on Fashism, or “Wear It” or “Change It” on Go Try It On. With these ways of reviewing the outfit, there are no feelings hurt from unkind words. Fashism, created last Septem-ber, currently has about 3,000 registered users. Membership is free, and 100,000 visitors have used it since its launch. Go Try It On has about 5,000 registered free users since its debut last March. The instant feedback from unbiased reviewers is helpful for the concerned users. The question many of us ask, “how do I look?” can now be answered honestly. These types of websites

are helpful because you don’t have to second guess yourself or wait for an opinion when it is too late to change. In a trial period, volunteer Hunter Casey, grade 11 let us posta picture of him on Fashism.com. 63% of viewers said they “liked” his outfit. The other 37% either didn’t like it, or didn’t have an opinion on it. One viewer, Daftb, said “Would look heaps better with a blue shirt instead of the hoodie, agree it’s a bit colorless and lifeless. Some necklaces as well would give it some character too.” Another viewer, ArielCensor, said “Instead of the white shirt, wear like a thick striped one or have color in the sweatshirt.” Each comment was thought-ful and wasn’t rude or hurtful. Another volunteer, Kayla Marrs, grade 9, let us post a picture of her on Fashism.com. 74% of viewers like her outfit, the other 26% either didn’t like it or had no opinion. One viewer, Bexycola, said “A perfect outfit for someone under 16…you look at ease in it, so perfect!” Another viewer, aly_x3, said “Some different shoes would look better, but you look so young, so I think this is great!” This sort of constructive criticism is helpful to interested users. These types of comments will

help improve your derivative after posting on the website. If you are ambitious and always looking for way of improving, or maybe you are just curious, try out these new intuitive sites.

By Hannah LaudaniEHS Class of 2013

Holiday 2011 Playlist

EHS students rate their top five holiday songs

By Bailey Sherwin and Merial Wiles-HaffnerEHS Class of 2012 and 2013

M R . V I O L E T T E – E n g l i s h T e a c h e r1 . “ D o T h e y K n o w I t ’ s C h r i s t m a s ? ”2 . “ O h H o l y N i g h t ”3 . “ M i s t l e t o e ” b y J u s t i n B i e b e r4 . “ A l l I W a n t F o r C h r i s t m a s I f Yo u ” b y M a r i a h C a r e y5 . “ G r a n d m a G o t R u n O v e r B y A R e i n d e e r ”

“ I l i s t e n t o c h r i s t m a s m u s i c t o p u t m e i n t h e h o l i d a y s p i r i t ! ”

A a r o n H a g e r ‘ 1 21 . “ S h a k e U p C h r i s t m a s ” b y T r a i n2 . “ A l l I W a n t f o r C h r i s t m a s I s Yo u ” b y M a r i a h C a r e y3 . “ S t e p I n t o C h r i s t m a s ”4 . “ C a r o l o f t h e B e l l s ”5 . “ F e l i z N a v i d a d ”

“ I l o v e t o d a n c e a r o u n d t o F e l i z N a v i d a d ! ”

M c K a y l a M c Q u a t e ‘ 1 31 . “ A l l I W a n t f o r C h r i s t m a s I s Yo u ” b y M a r i a h C a r e y 2 . “J i n g l e B e l l R o c k ”3 . “ F r o s t y t h e S n o w m a n ”4 . “ R u d o l f t h e R e d n o s e d R e i n d e e r ”5 . “ D r e i d e l D r e i d e l ”

“ C h r i s t m a s i s t h e b e s t ! E v e r y o n e i s h a p p y ! ”

C h r i s t i a n S a b l o c k ‘ 1 41 . “ R u d o l p h t h e R e d n o s e d R e i n d e e r R e m i x ”2 . “ D e c k t h e H a l l s D u b s t e p R e m i x ”3 . “ L e t I t S n o w ” b y D e a n M a r t i n4 . “ I t ’ s T h e M o s t W o n d e r f u l T i m e o f t h e Ye a r ”5 . “ I S a w M o m m y K i s s i n g S a n t a C l a u s e ”

“ I t i n s t a n t l y p u t s m e i n t h e c h r i s t m a s m o o d ! ”

Z e l i c a Z u z e l ‘ 1 51 . “J i n g l e B e l l s ”2 . “ M i s t l e t o e ” b y J u s t i n B i e b e r3 . “J i n g l e B e l l R o c k ”4 . “ F r o s t y t h e S n o w m a n ”5 . “ R u d o l f t h e R e d n o s e d R e i n d e e r ”

“ C h r i s t m a s m u s i c a l w a y s b r i g h t e n s m y d a y ! ”

Photo Credit: Hannah Laudani

New trends walk the halls of EHSE x e t e r H i g h S c h o o l ’s n e w e s t f a s h i o n t r e n d s

A new season is starting, and it’s time to put away the tank tops and skirts, and bundle up in sweaters and jeans. Exeter High is always setting new trends for fashion. Whether its cool back-packs or combat boots, we are always up for a new style. That’s what is so great about Exeter; there are always new trends to follow.

GIRLS: Vests are back at Exeter High School. The best thing about vests is that they’re easy to throw on and match with anything; jeans, yoga pants or skirts. They’re comfortable and stylish at the same time. They can be one color or have a pattern, even fur and you can buy them at any store.

Combat boots are making their way through Exeter High. These boots are not just for fighting anymore, they’re a stylish trend. You can wear them with jeans and leggings, and they look great. They come in colors like brown, tan and black with laces. “ I wear my combat boots almost every day,” said senior Lizzie Demers.

UNIVERSAL: Traditional zipper back packs with one color are gone and a soft fabric pattern button backpack has hit Exeter High. They have wild colors and comfortable straps, plus are big enough to carry most of your needed pos-sessions without making your

backpack bulge out so that when you walk up the stairs you knock people out. This backpack can be for guys and girls. “I switched backpacks in September and I love my new one,. Its comfortable and cute at the same time,” said

Megan Dohrmann.

Flannels: the soft and comfort-able button up every boy seems to own. They’re easy to put on, and go with just about anything.

They keep you warm on cold fall days and look good at the same time. They have flannels in any color and are made in just about any material. “They’re a universal clothing. They’re fancy and keep you insulated, ” said Andrew Gris-wold, a junior at EHS.

By Bailey SherwinEHS Class of 2012

Kayla Marrs ‘15

Seniors Lizzie Demers and Megan Dohrmann Photo Cred: Bailey Sherwin

Kevin Civellio models a flannel Photo Cred: Bailey Sherwin

East Kingston is not the first place where most EHS students would think to go to on Friday nights for an amazing restaurant. But to a student’s surprise, there just so happens to be a very unique, delicious and unknown spot right on Main Street in East Kingston, The Red Iguana. When I walked into the unfamiliar restaurant, I was greeted at the door by a friendly woman, who welcomed me wear-ing a red, Mexican, festive dress, as did all of the other waitresses in the restaurant. It was very much like any other Mexican restaurant playing native Spanish music and displaying Mexican-themed decorations all along the walls. I started my dinner with a

basket of chips and small bowl of medium hot salsa. When I opened the menu ready to order,

I noticed it contained all of the traditional Mexican menu items with a selection of soups, salads, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, a

complimentary variety of sauces, and even a seafood selection, all of which were very affordably

priced. Their known specialties are the cochinita pibill and the smothered burrito. I decided to order the Chicken Enchilada

Mexicano with my choice of rice. My food was ready and served within ten minutes. The enchi-lada was very flavorful and was the perfect portion for a hungry appetite. The rice was cooked just right and my entrée even had an incredible, freshly made side of guacamole. The Red Iguana is hard to miss. If you’re driving down Main Street in East Kingston, a big, red hot chili pepper-colored barn will catch your eye to your right. “Every time that I’ve gone to the Red Iguana, it’s been packed with people laughing and having a good time, and I’ve been greeted by friendly faces,” said Allie Fitzgerald, a senior who also loves this restaurant. After a great time and

delightful dinner at the Red Iguana, it was time to leave, but before I could even reach the door, a staff owner ran to the door and opened it to let me outside. This proved to me even more of how dedicated the staff of this restaurant was to pleasing their customers. The Red Iguana has a wonderful staff and comfortable atmosphere that engaged me the second I walked inside. “I used to think of Las Olas being the only local Mexican food I crave, but now I’ve added the Red Iguana to my list after trying their burritos.” Allie Fitzgerald said about her new interest in this hot spot. The Red Iguana offers both indoor and outdoor dining. It’s open from 11 am to 10 pm, seven days a week. Go stop by for a spicy burrito and a great time!

By Kate Wilkinson

Friday, December 23, 201112 • Exeter, New Hampshire ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

This summer I was lucky enough to go to Warped Tour, a large-scale tour where over 50 bands played on six stages. And while I was happy to be there,

I couldn’t help but feel disap-pointed. Almost every “rock band” there didn’t really give off the rocker vibe one would expect. In fact, they all seemed to have just rolled out of bed, wearing sport jerseys and baggy shorts. They played lazily, like it was no big deal to be playing for their fans. Mainstream-fever had taken over and it was now corrupting what many thought of as the purest form of music. I couldn’t help but feel like the old rock band in Fall out Boy’s music video, “I Don’t Care” when I thought, “What hap-pened to rock ‘n’ roll?” It wasn’t until the very end of the day when I saw them: the band that had it all.

They got on stage like it was theirs. They recognized their screaming fans and even talked to them. The band members

weren’t dressed in the pathetic sports jerseys and sweat shorts. Instead, they opted to wear black and white make-up all over their bodies. You could tell they weren’t there just to sing, but to perform as well. They had an energy that seemed to catch on quickly as the crowd literally went insane. And when they played, you could tell they knew what they were doing. They still held to the roots of rock, adding a healthy dose of original-ity. They threw out the rules of mainstream, and made up their own. They called themselves the Black Veil Brides, but they should call themselves, the Uncorrupted. They didn’t have the simple

beats that play on the radio; they played complex guitar notes that would go up and down the scales with such perfection, yet Black

Veil Brides made it look easy by running around the stage only to stop for a guitar solo. The lead singer, Andy Bier-sack, has a voice that is more than memorable. Take Jack John-son’s voice, an even keel tone that hardly changes in note, and think of the complete opposite. Andy’s voice cuts right through everything that rock has become and gives it a new definition, one that makes rock wild and untamed once again. While they do scream, it’s not as painful as one would think. The screaming flows through the songs like blood through the veins of a body. It takes their songs and adds a texture to it that makes them different from most. My favorite song is “Knives and Pens”, which is off their first CD, We Stitch These Wounds. It starts out with bang as a heavy drum line pounds its way into

the song, trying to get louder than the competing guitar line, but eventually calms down to the vocals. As the vocals come in, another battle is unleashed as the screaming and vocals take it out. Then, it transitions into a collective chorus of singers, as the vocals pour through the song like water down a river. The song is filled with frequent guitar solos that nearly verge on epic, as they seem to make a tempo that is unheard of. The beauty that is Black Veil Brides is incomprehensible. They take rock to its next stage in life as they recreate the hard edge that rock used to proudly show off. The band brings a stage presence that is hard to forget. I’ll warn you now; once you like one of their songs, it’s nearly impos-sible to not get sucked into the fandom that surrounds Black Veil Brides.

“We are the Black Veil Brides”

musical avenues, and essentially continue his mantra of doing what Kid Cudi wants to do, regardless of what the world may think of it. He describes he mindset best on the song, “Man on the Moon,” where he ponders, “People would be like, yo, why does your s*** sound so dif-ferent? Almost like it’s a bad thing. And I’d be like… why not?” This line entirely embodies the way Kid Cudi approaches his craft, allowing his music to speak for itself, and let the reception simply become an afterthought. His fantastic lyrical talent and calm, calcu-lated delivery have erased all criticism however, and consistently left a nation of fans satisfied and begging for more. He has the uncanny and all too rare ability to project a wide range of emotions across an album, jumping from philosophical raps to breezy, fun jams about women and transitioning to heartfelt singing. All of which exposes his innermost feelings in a way that few have ever been able to replicate. In essence, Kid Cudi does not stylistically fit the classic mold of a rapper; rather he tran-scends labels to the point where I can only call him a gifted musician. Before you envision Kid Cudi jamming beside Steven Tyler or singing Beatles covers, know that WZRD specializes in a very electronic style of rock, heavy on synths and very otherworldly sounds. There are instruments, as Cudi plays the guitar among other things, but there is a definite air of production and alteration in the first offerings that one would not associate with traditional rock and roll. Cudi, forever the pioneer and innovator, is happy with the direction he is taking, and fully invested in this new musical outlet. If you like Kid Cudi at all, WZRD is worth a quick listen, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t a fan of at least something Cudi has done. Whether it be his early, carefree work in mixtapes like A Kid Named Cudi or Dat Kid from Cleve-land, or the soulful, sparingly produced tracks of MOTM II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Kid Cudi appeals to all and changes for none. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a fan since “The Prayer” or you just heard “Mr. Rager,” Cudi has risen to prominence amongst all music fans, not just hip hop fans. His popularity merits a chance for the public to embrace his new musical direction, even it if means fans only listen briefly. As a matter of fact, a brief listen is the only current possibility, as he and Dot have released a mere one and a half songs, both of which can be found on YouTube (the first single off the new album is Teleport 2 Me, only part of which has been released publicly by WRZD).

What’s up with Cudi?

Mr. Solo Dolo has fallen off the map recently, but his return might come as a surprise

Keeping to their true rock spirit, the Black Veil Brides have come and are here to stay

By Diana Herlehy

Welcome to the new Mexican Cantina: The Red Iguana

The Black Veil Brides have also released albums like Set the World on Fire and several EPs, including their most recent one “Coffin.”

The Red Iguana is the new East Kingston resteraunt with amazing food, amazing service, and amazing atmosphere, what is not to love?

By Corey Guen

Cont. from page 1

Photo credit: Google ImagesPhoto credit: Google Images

WZRD has released two new songs that can be found on YouTube

Photo credit: Diana Herlehy

Currier Museum opens door to rock and roll history

Don’t Shoot the MessengerJulia Higgins

Friday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 13ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Why blaming the weatherman isn’t an option when weather goes wrong

An exciting exhibit showcasing influential figures of American music

By: Corey Guen

Ever since the creation of televi-sion, satellites, and other modern day technological tools, weather forecasting has been a crucial part of society. Discovering the day’s weather is a common occurrence, and it can be seen in many forms; a lazing family tucked into the living room, watching the nightly news and paying special attention to the weekly weather forecast; a teenager checking weather.com to see if their afternoon lacrosse game will be canceled due to the appearance of dark, ominous clouds; an eager group listening to the radio in the summer, hop-ing for a sunny beach day. With the extreme interest in weather forecasting, accuracy is often a highly-hoped for factor. Due to the complexity of the at-mosphere that Earth is surround-ed by, however, the accuracy of weather forecasts is often called into question. Is this, however, a fair question to be asking? Yes, sometimes the weekend weather that actually occurs isn’t what you expect it to be-instead of sunshine, there is rain, and vice-versa. Before you grab a pitchfork and start attack-ing the forecaster, it’s important to

understand the limitations of the science and technology affect-ing the accuracy of the weather forecast. Dr. Samuel Miller, an associ-ate professor of Meteorology at Plymouth State University, pro-vided his knowledgeable insight on the topic. First, he explained the importance of differentiating between a weather report (also known as an observation) and a weather forecast. To many people, weather reports and forecasts are one and the same. This, however, is not the case. It’s important to be aware that a weather report is very different than a weather forecast- “A weather report is actually an observation,” said Dr. Miller, “which is a series of measurements that are made at a particular point at a particular time. These sorts of measurements are made all the time, and are done exactly the same way all over the world. In terms of reports, there is a very high accuracy.” During evening newscasts when the weather is featured, the weather being discussed is mostly forecasts, and not reports. Forecasts are future-based, and dependent on our limited under-standing of the laws of physics, whereas reports are descriptions

of weather that is already occur-ring, and are as close to 100% accurate as possible. In terms of getting the forecasts wrong, there are two predominant problems. “Incomplete observations are part one of the problem, while our incomplete understanding of the laws of physics is part two of the problem. As nature diverges from a simplified model of nature, the error creeps in over time,” explained Dr. Miller. Even more simply put, the further into the future weather prediction is, the less accurate it’s likely to be. Still, many people seem eager to pounce on the weatherman for “his” mistakes. “People just think that the weatherman is a pretty face get-ting up there to do a basic job,” said Dr. Miller. “That’s hardly the case, and it’s a very inaccurate assumption.” Still, in instances such as Hur-ricane Irene where huge, terrifying weather systems are predicted and only moderate weather actu-ally occurs (at least in some areas), sometimes it feels justifiable to get angry or frustrated with your local weather forecasters. The panic severe forecasts cause then seems unnecessary, as families rush into the nearest grocery

stores to purchase bulk amounts of water, prepared foods, and other such storm scenario neces-sities. As Dr. Miller explained with a slightly aggravated tone, however, this is still not an event where it’s viable to screech about the incon-stancies of weather. “Policymakers make the big de-cisions about how states respond to weather forecasts, never the weathermen” he said. “Every state has a department for emergency management, and it their job to deal with weather related emer-

gencies in the event that there is an outbreak of severe weather. It’s definitely not necessary to panic, but it makes good sense to stock up to be prepared for these big weather systems, whether they occur or not. What’s worse is being unprepared for a storm when it’s hitting.” So, next time you find yourself complaining about a sleet-filled, car-denting hail storm when the forecast claimed sun, don’t curse the weatherman and his technol-ogy- curse Mother Nature.

A new exhibit has opened up at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, showcasing a col-lection of photographs entirely focused upon rock and roll musi-cians. The exhibit, organized and complied by the Portland Museum of Art, is on display for the next month, and worth a visit for any fans of rock. These are not the photos that appear on a Google Image search, but intimate and rarely seen depictions of super-stars off the stage and away from the limelight, taking away the qualities that publicly defined them. Each photograph is a story in itself, a freeze-frame of the ex-travagant lifestyles, deep passions and emotional pains that musical legends dealt with in everyday life. The exhibit houses innumerable famous musicians, paying tribute to the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, KISS, Bob Dylan and countless other influential figures in American music. A large hall devoid of distrac-tions allows the focus to remain solely on the photographs, letting each picture speak for itself. This is exactly as the exhibit should be set up, as the photos are very per-sonal and entirely unfiltered. Raw images of Kurt Cobain in tears, Iggy Pop sitting emaciated in his home, the Beatles sharing a laugh with Muhammad Ali, and George Clinton smoking a blunt all create a vivid picture of the lives these musicians led. Unique to the exhibit is the expansive nature of the photo-graphs. I was impressed to see that the collection did not restrict itself simply strict rock and roll, but rather it showcased the pro-gression of the genre, the people who pioneered it and the influ-ences it had in all of music. Names you normally wouldn’t associate with rock and roll are present here, but instead of detracting from

the experience, they add another dimension to the fantastic genre of music heralded in the collec-tion. Bob Marley, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys share the walls with the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Elvis Presley, encompassing the reach of rock and roll and how it has influenced other genres. The pictures range from full color portraits to grainy black and white prints, but regardless of style each one is interesting and revealing. Many artists are featured multiple times, and in some cases show the progres-sion of the musicians. Iggy Pop has several photos in the exhibit, but they bare striking contrast over time. In a 1977 picture, Iggy is happy, healthy, and wrapped around a woman with a beer in his hand. Travel to the other side of the gallery, however, and you will find a print from 2007, where Iggy is sitting alone, shirtless, and look-ing more skeletal than human. His face is thin, his hair stringy, and his eyes look tired, a product of de-cades of hard and fast living. This common theme is repeated many times in the photos; there is ample evidence of drug use and sex in the photographs, but it creates a very personal nature between the viewer and the musician. The best part of the exhibit is the wide breadth of images in the gallery. Popular pictures like Led Zeppelin standing in front of their plane stand next to rare photos like Chet Baker alone in his hotel room or Bob Dylan staring out the window of his car. There is a substantial amount of supple-mental information provided by the museum to enhance your experience; an audio guided tour and a sitting area with old books and magazines expands the reach of the exhibit and a comment board allows visitors to share their thoughts on the gallery.

drivesafeComplete driver education programs

Classes start every 5 weeks and meet Mon-day, Tuesday, Wednesday nights, 30 hours classroom, 6 hours observation, 10 hours driving. 2012 dates: 1/16/12 and 2/20/12Contact: Dr. D Atwood in F160 or Dr. K At-wood in Green CommonsProud supporter of the Blue Hawks

Automatic & Standard VehiclesAvailable Drive Safe Inc.

Email: DriveSafeInc.org- Pre-register onlineClasses fill quickly so reserve now!

Reserve now with no money down!Call: 778-837224 hour answering service, Please leave a message (we return all calls)

7-20. The record that resonates in the minds of all Red Sox fans. The record of the epic September collapse that took playoff dreams away from the City of Boston in the final month. 9.5 games up on September 1stin the AL Wild Card; the Red Sox were a shoe-in for the Wild Card. Then someone ordered up some crappy pitching with their fried chicken, and the whole year went down the drain. The Rays came out of nowhere and caught the Sox on the last day of season. With the ALWild Card race tied, the Sox held a 1-run lead on the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees held a 7- run lead on the Rays and it looked as if the Sox would be heading to the playoffs after escaping the collapse. Then the one-two punch: a Rays come-back and Pap’s blown save brought the season to a close. As a somber night in Boston began, the Red Sox packed their bags for the golf courses and headed home. Johnathan Papelbon left for Philly, and the Red Sox are in need

of a closer as they enter the GM Meetings in Dallas, TX. The depar-tures of Terry Francona and Theo Epstein seemed like the beginning of another terrible era of Boston baseball, but the hiring of Ben Cherington and Bobby Valentine brought prophecies of future dominance by the Sox. Daniel Bard is now a starter. Daisuke’s com-ing back. Lackey’s done for the year(good, in a way), and the Sox are inquiring about many premier free agents. Big Papi accepted arbitration and is getting a well-deserved raise. It looks like the lineup will be as devastating as last year’s. A lineup full of pure hitters. Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury will continue to put up career numbers, and the Sox will come back stronger than ever. In 70days, Fort Meyers Florida will welcome the greatest baseball team on the planet to their city with open arms, and the 111th year of Boston base-ball will begin. Ahhh, Sweeeeeeet Caroline....

SPORTS Friday, December 23, 201114 • Exeter, New Hampshire

Imagine this; you are a person who makes an investment that never pays off. The price continu-ously on the investment goes up but there is never any profit or gain. But you attempt to force yourself to

believe that you are better off with continuously losing money with the investment. This is the mindset of the

average American athlete. They continuously spend more money to get supposed results that can only be accomplished through a specific sporting brand. The consumerist culture of American is what makes the ath-lete feel like buying this gear is the only way to be successful. Sports companies have become a fraudu-lent system. By making slight changes, they entice the athlete to buy more and more expensive gear. But what is the payoff? You won’t become a star athlete off a pair of cleats. You aren’t going to become the next Michael Jordan by buying the next pair of Jordan 3’s. But as long as these sporting companies can make you believe that you are a prodigy of the sport,

you will continue your brand loy-alty to that specific company. The genius marketing depart-ments at these companies provide

enough flair and slight nuisance changes that people believe they will become a star from those shoes. Sporting brands constantly attempt to promote new products but what are the changes? Brands on the forefront such as Nike and Adidas are trying to promote overhyped technology that doesn’t make any difference to athlete’s performance. By promoting these products they make it a stigma to not have a pair of 200 dollar cleats. These slight changes just aren’t enough to warrant a new pair of cleats every year. But these companies have led the consumer to believe that their new “techno-logical” breakthrough is enough to make the user buy the new pair of Nike cleats for extremely expensive prices. Although higher quality items may come with a higher price, the miniscule changes doesn’t mean you need to buy a pair of new cleats or gear every year. A proper athlete must have adequate equipment but buying for the sake of buying creates the perception that an athlete will fall behind without this equipment. A person or athlete can’t be defined by the pair of cleats that they have or any other kind of equipment. This is the superficial society that the market-ing departments at large sporting companies have created. America has failed. The country is dominated by the superficial marketing campaigns of compa-nies such as Nike and Adidas. The nation must realize that being an athlete can’t be based on your material goods.

• College Prep Writing

One in four colleges considers the application essay a major factor in admissions. Learn the key elements of writing a stand-out essay.

• Subject Tutoring

Receive assistance in Math, Science, English, and History to boost your grade point average and class rank.

200 Gri�n Road Suite 4 Portsmouth, NH 03801

On your way to college? Make Sylvan Learning your first stop!

Phone: 603-433-5898 Fax: 603-433-1848 E-mail: SylvanNH@gmail.com

• Advanced Reading Skills

Raise your reading speed and comprehension to improve your SAT/ACT test scores and keep up

• SAT/ACT Preparation

Review key skills and learn state-of-the-art strategies to increase your scores and help you get into the college of your choice.

College Prep

Programs

Consumerism blinds athletes’ perception of equipmentHow much more will expensive equipment really increase athletic performance once they’ve reached the peak of their skills?By Jack Darmody

Fate of the Red Sox might not be hopeless after allBy Ryan Foley

Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

The cleats Michael Johnson wore when he won the record for world’s fastest 400 meter sprinter.

David Ortiz on the lineup of pure hitters, ready to lead the Sox to victory.Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Companies have led the consumer to be-lieve that their new “technological” break-through is enough to make the user buy the new pair of Nike cleats for extremely expensive prices.

Guest Writer

were so many other football players better than I was but I didn’t let that effect how I tried to play.” “Before the games, I never think ahead. When I am out on the field I just take it one play at a time.” “My favorite memory was scoring 4 touchdowns in the playoff game versus Nashua South. Another memory for me was at the beginning of the season realizing I was starting offense, defense and special teams. Another memory was being nominated as senior captain for next season.” Another person that had a few words to say about Tyler Grant was Coach Boria. One question that was asked was questioning if he thought Grant would do so well

this season, “I thought he would. He was always lifting and trying to get better. The time and effort he put in was remarkable. I ran a summer strength and conditioning course and Grant never missed a day of practice.” “I was very proud of him in and out of football. He was a hard worker and he put himself in posi-tion to be a great player.” Today, Tyler continues to work very hard to strive to be better than he was this year. His dedication to the sport is greater than most people have seen in a long time. Hopefully he will strive to put up bigger numbers next year to lead the football team to another state championship.

Every year when I find myself heading off to go skiing with my friends, I stop to make sure that I have everything for the day. Gloves, boots, jacket, etc. But do I really need my helmet? Most people think so, but there are some out there who think helmets are just a waste of plastic. Though head injuries only make up between five and fifteen percent of all injuries that occur on ski mountains, they are the leading cause of ski injuries that lead to permanent disability and death. A study done by neurosurgeon Stewart Levy of Denver Colorado concludes that 88% of the injuries that cause death from skiing or snowboarding are directly related to not wearing a helmet. So why not wear a helmet? With the constant talk of concus-sions and the serious effects that

head injuries cause you’d think that people would simply just save themselves by wearing a helmet while skiing. Sophomore Omar Nabulsi doesn’t agree. “I hate helmets. It’s not like they’ll really do much, and if the person doesn’t care then they shouldn’t have to wear one,” he said. If the helmet won’t work, then there isn’t a reason to wear one. Others like freshman Cam Breton see helmets as a choice that should be recommended by mountains. “Having a helmet on is a good thing, but it really depends on skill,” he said. “If you’re trying really hard stuff then you should wear one, but otherwise it doesn’t matter that much.” But Cam says that most people are seen wearing helmets on mountains. “The majority of people

do wear helmets. Sometimes people aren’t in the park and older people don’t a lot on the trails.” Cam also said that the problem with helmet wearing in the park is style. Many kids skiing and riding these days have their own style that they keep while on the snow. In the park kids often have baggy snow gear, flashy clothes, and kids wear their helmet really far back “They think it looks good,” Cam said. “They wear their goggles above their eyes with their helmet pushed back and a hat under-neath. When they fall they end up breaking their neck cause the helmet is in the way.” But the solu-tion isn’t to not wear the helmets in the park. With all of the highflying tricks and skill needed to succeed in the park it only makes sense to wear one. “It’s a good idea to wear one, but

helmets shouldn’t be forced, they should be encouraged.” So wearing a helmet can cause even more injuries than not wear-ing one could in some situations, and not wearing one can kill you. There’s no reason why a person shouldn’t be doing their best to stay safe on a mountain. Nobody wants to see another person get hurt and it would be pointless for the ski mountains to encourage that by not having their riders and skiers wear helmets all the time. But there are those who have experienced the effects of a seri-ous head injury, and know why helmets should be worn in every sport. “If I hadn’t been wearing my hel-met, I would have died right there in the half pipe,” sophomore Reed Hunt said. He suffered from a ter-rible concussion after falling from

the deck of a vert ramp at a local skate park. Though it wasn’t on snow, he values his brain bucket. Reed, being a terrain park skier, sees the non-helmet-wearing crew all the time at mountains. “Park riders sometimes feel like they can handle not wearing helmets, it’s just stupid. Helmets are so impor-tant, I wear mine everywhere I clip my skis in.” That point of view eventually leads back to the style that the park riders often try to pull off. Many people think compromising safety for style is a good choice, but the reality is you’re really compromis-ing brain cells for style. Next time you’re about to go on the snow, remember the consequences of not wearing a helmet and remem-ber that you won’t care what you looked like when you’re laying in a hospital bed.

SPORTSFriday, December 23, 2011 Exeter, New Hampshire • 15

Tyler Grant’s hard work during weight training and pre-season paid off during his Varsity season by helping him run 1,216 yards for 19 touchdowns. 4 of which were in the Nashua South playoff game.

Tyler Grant’s hard work pays offBy Tyler Russ

Wearing a helmet might mean the difference between life and death

Throughout the New England area, there are plenty of popular, well-skied venues; Loon, Sunday River, Bretton Woods, etcetera. In the midst of these resorts, however, is Sugarbush Ski Resort, located in the small town of War-ren, Vermont. Sugarbush is composed of three separate peaks: Lincoln Peak, the main and most com-mercially successful of the three; Castle Rock, which is the moun-tain’s natural snow-only peak, and is also located on Lincoln Peak; and lastly, Mount Ellen, the origi-nal mountain of the resort. For all of Sugarbush’s impressive stats (it is one of the largest resorts in New England, has the only traverse-mountain chairlift, and has the third largest vertical drop in New England) many people within the Exeter area seem to flock to other overcrowded and potentially overrated resorts. “I like going to the larger ski places because there’s more stuff to do there than at smaller moun-tains like Bradford or Gunstock,” said junior Andrew Griswold. “The bigger places have the better stuff. You don’t get bored, and there’s a lot of different terrain to go to and mix stuff up.” This is a perfectly fair point- while resorts like Sunday River do have a lot to offer, the clogged feeling is not really worth the vast expanse of snow available. At Sugarbush, the lift lines are seldom cringingly-long, a factor that adds to the quality of the relatively low trail

congestion as well. At Lincoln Peak, the majority of Sugarbush’s commercializa-tion is easily viewable, as a vast array of impressive condos and resort-based buildings are located in plain sight. Out of the three peaks, Lincoln is also by far the most family-friendly; the slopes are a sprinkling of green trails, a handful of blue squares, yet there are enough black and double black diamonds to satisfy the more advanced skiers.

Castle Rock is located in conjunction with Lincoln Peak, and it holds the title as the most advanced and challenging terrain on the mountain. The snow is all naturally made, therefore giving it a wholly moguls feel. Lincoln Peak is also the more expensive alternative, however, as it features more top-of-the-line eating venues, sleeping accommoda-tions, and other extras such as the resort’s ski school, and Castle Rock. Out of the three mountains, this peak is also opened first and

closed last during the season, making it the more appealing choice for skiers looking to hit the slopes as early as November and bid farewell to the mountain in late April (weather allowing).Mount Ellen, the peak that Sugar-bush was initially founded upon in 1958, is harsher than Lincoln Peak, with a less family-oriented atmosphere. This, however, equates to near- nonexistent lift lines, open slopes, and a general sense of calm in comparison to the pandemonium Lincoln Peak can occasionally induce with its annual events and competitions. Another redeeming quality of Sugarbush is the local atmo-sphere. The town of Warren, VT is quaint, and paints a picture of typical Vermont-er life. The local restaurants and bars live for the winter months, when skiers from across the state, and the nation, come to enjoy the fresh moun-tain air. The aura of quirkiness surrounding Warren (and the Ver-mont area in general) only adds to the skiing atmosphere- there is a sense of community unlike that of any other. Writing from previ-ous experience, the glow of ski towns that surround Sunday River or Loon does not shine nearly as bright as Sugarbush’s home, Warren. So, whenever there is an inter-est for fresh snow and a funky yet comforting atmosphere, head to Warren, VT and enjoy the clear mountain air of Sugarbush Ski Resort.

Continued From Page 1:

Next time you think about hitting the half pipe without a helmet, remember the repercussions of the risk you’re about to take. By Cam Bumstead

Sugarbush is the mountain to be atBy Julia Higgins

Instead of going to overpriced and clogged resorts, head to Sugarbush, a lesser known but excellent alternative

“I like going to the larger ski places because there’s more stuff to do there than at smaller mountains like Bradford or Gun-stock,” said Junior Andrew Griswold.

SPORTS Friday, December 23, 201116 • Exeter, New Hampshire

EHS

Winter Preview

Captains Emily Cyr, Kate Pope, and Brenna Shan-non spoke excitedly of their upcoming season. Emily looks forward to, “Skating, and being with the girls!” Kate feels as though their strengths are, “Working together and communication on ice.” The captains agree that their weaknesses are the inexperienced players that have arrived on the team. Emily talked of the up and comers Kate Dawson, and Emily’s sis-ter, Megan Cyr as the new goalies for the team. Kat Maher and Meghan Civiello were mentioned for of-fense and defense respectively. “I’m looking forward to using the skills we learn in practice on the ice,” said Brenna, “We want to win this year!”

Chase talked about their strengths. “There’s a lot of experience, and we have a lot of returning players,” Chase said. “We don’t play well offen-sively,” but, he feels that this is something that can be fixed. Chase says the team’s young talent shines in Matt Barr, a junior captain and point guard, who is a powerful player on the court. Chase also recognized talent in Tyler Russ, also a guard. Chase is looking forward to, and hopes for, a very successful season.

Senior Dario Nachef has high hopes for the wrestling team this year. “I’m hoping for at least 7 kids to make it to the Meet of Champions.” Dario said that he has a “Solid group of kids that have been on the team for a while now.” Dario is co-captains with Senior Ben Ramsey and Junior Ross Dannar. Ross is in his second year of being a captain of the EHS wrestling team, and went all the way to the New England’s last year. Dario said, “It’d be nice for all the captains to make it to the Meet of Champions.” The captains felt a little nervous going into their first home meet against Concord, “Concord’s a tough team,” Said Nachef, “It’d be a good win.” 2 students wrestling in the Concord meet were from Sanborn, representing their entire team. Jon Schiedger and Tristan Leek are well respected by the EHS team as very tough competitors.

Senior captain Anthony Caiani feels good about the Exeter hockey team this year. “We’re a very good skating team, and there’s a lot of offensive talent on the ice.” Caiani was on last year’s runner-up hockey team and learned a lot about the competitiveness of varsity play. He hopes to help the other younger players, “Adjust to the physical play and intimidating speed of varsity.” Anthony sees potential in players, “Chris Michaud, Spenser Young, and Michael Cash-man.” “I’m hoping for a nice season this year,” said Anthony, “We’re looking to win it all!”

Season