Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Green Horn
The Award-Winning Student Publication of Springfield High School and the Tech Center
December 30, 2011 Volume 32, Edition 3
Movement at the Top
By Olivia Thayer
Science Fiction and Fantasy
By Tabitha Celani
Hawkins Retires, McLaughlin to Central Offce
S
omeone, will be missing from Springfeld High
School after the winter recess. You used to
see him everywhere: in the hallways, the front
offce, the parking lot. Over the past year and a half,
Springfeld High School] is still unknown. There may
be time he spends over there [Central Offce] to get used
to it.
By leaving at the half-year, Hawkins felt
he would give McLaughlin the spring semester to get
acclimated to his new position before the workload
intensifed over the summer and the beginning of the
new school year.
I felt that transition made the most sense for
him, the superintendent [Frank Perotti], and the district,
said Hawkins.
SHS science teacher Bindy Hathorn, who
has performed administrative duties in the past at the
high school, will become interim assistant principal at
Springfeld High School. Hathorns teaching position
must be flled by a new science teacher or her classes
must be distributed among the science teachers currently
working at the high school. Thibault and a search
committee will begin interviewing candidates for a
permanent assistant principal position during the winter.
The goal is to hire a new vice-principal by March.
Thibault, along with many other students and
teachers at SHS, are bittersweet about McLaughlins
departure from the high school.
See End of an Era page 23
Lauren Fish as Eridessa Anemone.
Steampunk Debuts at VAULT
O
n a cold, dark Monday night in December,
visitors to the VAULT in downtown Spring-
field were brightened and warmed by a
Steampunk exhibit put together by the Springfeld
High School Arts Academy.
You couldnt even walk. It was so
crowded, SHS art teacher Lisa Murray said about the
December 19th show. Its wonderful to see people
willingly come out to see teens showing their art to
their parents.
The set-up of the exhibit, with the help of
SHS photography teacher Catherine Moore, VAULT
See Steampunk page 21
Zach McLaughlin will move to the Central Offce. Bindy
Hathorn will work as vice-principal with Bob Thibault.
the holiday break.
Offcially his [McLaughlin's] position at
the central offce will begin with the new year," said
SHS Principal Bob Thibault, "but his last day here [at
SHS Assistant Principal
Zach McLaughlin has
become a cherished and
respected presence at
SHS. Students and staff
had become accustomed
to his aura.
That is why
many members of the
high school community
wer e s addened and
d i s a p p o i n t e d wh e n
McLaughlin announced
that he would be leaving
the high school after the
holiday break to fll the
position of Curriculum
Director of the Springfeld
Sc h o o l Di s t r i c t , a
position formerly held
by Dr. Vincent Hawkins.
Hawkins will retire after
Angelo Jardina
will leave SHS,
p.6
A Pirate's Life is
the Life for Me,
p.11
Colin Brady is
99.9% Soccer
Machine, p. 17
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Features
By Olivia Thayer
Smokeout
No Barbecue. Not Funny.
By Larry Bolduc
T
he Great American Smokeout. If its not a
barbecue, what is it? Well, its one of the most
motivational events that United States citizens
observe each year. Held on the 3rd Thursday of No-
vember, the Great American Smokeout affects nearly
15 million people annually.
Its the day everyone pledges not to smoke,
said Springfeld High School nurses Pratima Cranse and
Sierra Kent. Cranse added that the Great American
Smokeout aims to increase awareness of the hazards
of smoking and get people to quit. If this holiday takes
place around the time Americans are busy eating lots of
food, including turkey and pies, then why are we talking
about it now when everyone is excited about the winter
holidays?
According to organizers of the Great
American Smokeout, smoking is an important subject
no matter what time of year. A person dies every six and
a half seconds from smoking-related causes. Therefore,
it is always appropriate to remind Americans about the
hazards of smoking.
In fact, though most people understand the
harmful effects of smoking on the body, more than 46
million people in the United States still smoke. This
habit causes many to wonder what causes people to
smoke.
It [smoking] calms some peoples nerves,"
said SHS Interim Assistant Principal and science teacher
Bindy Hathorn. "The nicotine gets them hooked and
they need that rush from it so they continue to smoke.
This explanation may make sense for people who have
survived crises like wars and fnancial setbacks. But
what about others--especially young people--who are
offered better options to deal with stress?
Kent, who describes smoking as an insidi-
ous addiction" and adds that "the best option is to never
start, also says that the American media and United
States family culture may be at fault for the alarming
percentage of young people who smoke. Kent added
that the best way to combat the smoking epidemic
among young people is to increase the cost and the
visibility of the disgusting parts of smoking, such as
The slogan of the Great American Smokeout conveys a serious message.
Campus
Connection
An Atrium
Landmark
By Hannah Sorrell
I
ts lunchtime and youre looking for something to
drink. Something that the Springfeld High School
cafeteria doesnt offer. Maybe an Arizona Iced
Tea. Perhaps a Vitamin Water. Rather than sulking
because you cant have an appropriate beverage, you
grab a friend and a dollar and walk over to the River
Valley Technical Center student-run store, the Campus
Connection, located on the other side of the culinary
arts cafe along the cork hallway.
The students defnitely take advantage of
the store, said RVTC business student and Campus
Connection staff member Lisa Wilkinson. "A lot of kids
come to the store for snacks.
Students like to come get what the school
See Smokeout page 21
See Connection page 21
Business student Dylon Metcalf
serves patrons in the Campus
Connection in the RVTC Atrium.
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Features
Nightlights and Blankies
SHS Drama Class Nails Fall Play
By Jeremy Justice
T
he Springfeld High School drama class has done
something new and something good. In a break
with tradition, the regularly-enrolled drama class
students acted in, and produced, the fall play Dont Be
Afraid of the Dark. In the past, play performances have
been brought to the stage by the SHS Drama Club, after
auditions and rehearsals led to cast selections.
This autumn, however, drama students in
Rebecca Skrypeck's class chose Dont Be Afraid of the
Dark, a slapstick, murder mystery spoof written by Tim
Kelly, after reading various scripts.
Dont Be Afraid of the Dark takes place in
early 1900s America. Zip Whittle and Lilac Cooper
arrive in a remote, spooky mansion known as The
Shadows. They meet the butler and maid, whose names
are Skull and Bones, and are told that their relative, an
infamous horror playwright, has passed away. They are
required to spend a weekend in The Shadows to attend
the reading of their relative's will.
As one could assume from this set-up, all is
not all as it seems at The Shadows. A patient at a nearby
insane asylum (also called The Shadows) has escaped
and is terrorizing the locals.
I wanted to try something different for
the fall show this year, SHS drama teacher Rebecca
Skrypeck said as she described her decision to have
the drama class work on the play in school. In addition
to working on the play in school, drama students also
spent time after school working on sets, blocking, and
rehearsals.
The additional time spent on this theater
project benefted the students. The students were very
productive and they learned a lot, Skrypeck said. I got
to spend more time with them on smaller portions of the
script, their character development, and other things.
Those who attended the play seemed to
agree that the drama students' work paid off. Junior
Emily Chevalier, new to drama this year, enjoyed her
experience with Tim Kellys play.
[The practices] were a lot of fun, Chevalier
said. Chevalier also enjoyed the in-school practices more
than the out-of-school practices, which she described as
less serious.
Though she enjoyed the fall performance,
Chevalier is not sure if shell return to drama next year.
I dont know if Ill do it next year, Chevalier said, but
Ill defnitely do the next play. It was a lot of fun.
Chevalier added, It turned out well. We
made a few mistakes, but we flled it up.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Austin Smith and Kieley Schuck
are Zip Whittle and Lilac Cooper in
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Emily
Chevalier played Gloria Par. The
cast of this murder-mystery spoof
was drawn from the frst period
drama class. The show was directed
by Rebecca Skrypeck.
See Class Play page 23
A decorated wreath symbolizes the River Valley Technical Center horticulture
holiday sale of wreathes, Christmas trees, and poinsettias. Profts from
the holiday sales are used to buy equipment for the horticulture program.
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News
Shan Xu Naturalized
By Meg L. Neet
W
hat do you expect to fnd when you walk into
a post offce? Certainly not a courtroom. But
if you go into the U.S. Post Offce and Court-
house in Burlington, Vermont, thats exactly what youll
fnd. In the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of
Vermont on the 5th foor, Shan Xu ("Sahn Shu"), a 2011
Springfeld High School graduate, became an offcial
U.S. citizen, along with 27 other applicants from 18
different countries, during a ceremony that took place
in mid-November.
Shan, Vicky Hingston (from the SHS Eng-
lish as a Second Language instructional team) and this
reporter enccountered tight security at the U.S. Post
Offce and Courthouse on the day of the naturaliza-
tion ceremony. After giving up cell phones, showing
ID, going through a metal detector, and having bags
passed through the X-ray machine, applicants and their
accompanying friends and family were allowed into
the courtroom, a big circular room flled with chairs,
benches, and huge navy blue curtains on the walls.
SHS English teacher Ed Wilkins (one of
Shan Xu's teachers from SHS) and his wife, Daryl, also
attended the naturalization ceremony. Everyone waited
anxiously for an hour for the citizenship ritual to begin.
Eventually, the Honorable Judge William K. Sessions
III walked in and took his seat, followed by four state
color guards of the American Legion for the Department
of Vermont, who carried the United States and Vermont
fags.
The judge requested that everyone sit down
as he introduced the guests who had shown up for the
event. Then Jean M. Tharpe, Field Offce Director of the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, presented
the petitioners for citizenship. The presentation included
an explanation about how all the applicants had taken
and passed the test for becoming a U.S. citizen.
After that, the judge delivered a small speech
about the Oath of Allegiance. He descrubed how the
applicants were gaining new loyalties, hopes, and
strengths in their process of becoming U.S. citizens. As
they became naturalized American citizens, they were
obliged to leave behind allegiances to other countries. In
Shans case, she was giving up her Chinese citizenship
and allegiance to that country.
Finally, the big moment arrived as all the
applicants stood up and repeated the Oath of Allegiance
after the judge. In the important moment of the cer-
emony, by the power invested in the Honorable Judge
William K. Sessions III, all applicants for citizenship
were declared full U.S citizens.
After this important moment, visitors and
friends took photographs of the new citizens. One by
one, each new citizen was called up to receive his or
her certifcate from the judge, the U.S. Marshal, and
the Immigration Services Director. Before leaving,
everyone stood up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the
state color guards exit.
Several of the new citizens, including a de-
lighted Shan, stayed to get pictures with the judge, the
marshal, and the Immigration Services Director. Last,
Shan stopped and registered with the Vermont League
of Women Voters. After security returned cell phones,
Shan, family, and friends went to Ben & Jerrys. As
2010 SHS grad Shan Xu became a
U.S. citizen in mid-November. The
naturalization process requires
applicants to pass a test and recite
the Oath of Allegiance.
So Few Books
So Much Time
By Jeremy Justice
S
pringfeld High School Llibrarian Jen Wasyliko
ordered and received a shipment of old and new
books recently. This shipment includes popular
new books by Jay Asher (13 Reasons Why and Future
Us) along with several other noteworthy titles ranging
from sports stories to futuristic tales of rebellion.
The SHS Library receives two to three book
shipments a year, each containing roughly 40 books.
I really want the kids to just enjoy the books, said
Wasyliko. There are a lot of life lessons buried in them
that I hope students can experience.
Wasyliko plans to open an online student
blog to allow advisory students to critique the books
they read as part of silent reading in advisories.
It defnitely brings some variety and a new
perspective about what types of books are being written
out there, senior Richie Thomas said in response to
these bookish notions emanating from the SHS Library.
The fact that were supplied with new shipments of
books each year is good. Students can read new and
old books that they previously couldnt.
News
10 Years of Warmth, Humor, Fashion
Angelo Jardina to Leave SHS
By Olivia Thayer
Angelo Jardina, doing what he does best, connecting with students.
I
f you walk down the social studies hallways of
Springfeld High School and look into the classroom
located between Mrs. Fog and Mr. Lavin, you would
see a tall man with a dramatic voice and a colorful scarf
engaging students with his characteristic sense of humor
and warmth. This would be Angelo Jardina teacher,
coach, and winter-fashion extraordinaire.
Currently, Jardina teaches U.S History,
American Studies, sociology, and psychology at SHS.
Scott Hafferkamp, currently a special education teacher
at the high school, will flled Jardinas position on an
interim basis for the remainder of the year, though
Jardina's individual classes have not been assigned to
any particular teacher yet.
high school. I want to thank all my colleagues," he
said, "both who are gone and who are still here, for be-
ing patient with me, helping me, showing me the ropes,
conjoling me to be a better teacher, being professional,
being so warm and welcoming, and making it a great
transition.
Jardina said that his greatest period of per-
sonal growth and professional development emerged
during this transition. He describes his early teaching
method as just diving right in." Originally he was an
in-your-face kind of guy" who has been tempered by
both colleagues and students over the years.
The students saw my intent and saw my
concern and my love for them," Jardina said, "but [they]
had to say whoa, we understand, but calm down.'"
He believes that his relationship with
students has changed drastically. In my approach to
students, Im more open to their opinions and their
ideas," he said. "They dont see things like I see them,
and thats okay."
Jardina accepts these positive changes with
humility. Professionally, I think that Im a better teacher
than I was ten years or twenty-three years ago, he said.
"But I also am aware that Im not the best teacher yet.
Theres so much more to grow, so much more to know,
and so much further to evolve.
Jardina credits many of his colleagues with
thanks for, and acknowledgment of, guidance over the
years. Greg Smist [former resource room teacher at
SHS] was important as a source of guidance and patience
in Jardinas early years at SHS. As for current teachers at
SHS, the list of credits seems endless. Jardina mentions
fellow social studies teacher Jeff Lavin as a signifcant
friend, teacher, and colleague. He extends praise to Liz
Coen, Kevin Coen, and all the young teachers at SHS
who he believes are bright, creative, capable, and who
have the ability to interact with seasoned teachers and
create a chemistry that is just fantastic.
Overall, Jardina has great respect for all of
his fellow teachers at SHS.
There were so many opportunities where
my colleagues allowed me to be myself and to make
blunders, as I did on a day-to-day basis, said Jardina.
They continue to encourage me and give me the mo-
tivation to come in every day.
And naturally, for Jardina, there are the
students, who are the focus of any teachers career.
He feels that the students are his incentive. They make
teaching high school easy.
Youre around a couple hundred people who
love life and look at it from so many different perspec-
tives, and its contagious, Jardina said, regarding the
students at SHS. When you love this career, youve
See A Legend Lost page 21
Even though Jardina is offcially retiring
from his teaching career in the Springfield School
District, he hopes to continue teaching in Florida.
I do plan on continuing teaching. Im not
retiring, said Jardina. I do believe that I have a few
more years left in me and I want to be active in the
classroom. Jardina has taught in the Springfeld School
District for 23 years, 13 in elementary classrooms and
another 10 at SHS.
There was a big learning curve there, said
Jardina about his switch from elementary school to the
But meeting with kids on the outside of the classroom--basketball,
However, as of January 23, 2012, Jardina
will retire from SHS, though he will continue to teach
a Vermont Virtual Learning class online until the end
of the school year.
Im actually taking a family leave request,
said Jardina. My wife is going through some diffcult
health times.
Jardina and his wife plan to move to Florida
in the spring. He hopes the transition out of state will be
easier if he is to leave his teaching position a few months
prior to he and his wife's moving date in late March.
dodgeball, games, sitting in the bleachers with kids, ranting and yelling
with the kids, the laughter, goofng around in the hallways--those moments
really stick wih you.
Angelo Jardina, Social Studies Teacher.
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News
Military After High School
SHS Students Aim to Join the Ranks
By Jeremy Justice
C
ollege is the focus of many Springfeld High
School students, though some make different
career choices, such as going directly into a
career or serving an apprenticeship. For an even smaller
number of students, enlistment in the United States
Armed Services is an important option. SHS seniors
Austin Smith and Dyllan McAllister are among those
who intend to enter the military after graduation.
I just really like helping people," said
Smith, as he explained his military goal of becoming a
medical corpsman. I want to be in the medical feld.
The Navy is going to give me that experience and pay
me to do it all. Smith's father was also a member of
the military.
Smith, however, is nervous about his PT
(physical test) Exams. PT Exams represent a required
physical test each military applicant must undergo in
order to determine their appropriateness for the armed
services. I'm nervous about my PT exams, Smith
said. I have to do a lot of push-ups and sit-ups in a
short amount of time.
McAllister plans to join the U.S. Army,
though he has yet to take the ASVAB (an aptitude test
which determines a military applicant's strengths, weak-
nesses, and potential). In his plans for a military career,
McAllister hasn't ruled out the possibility of joining the
U. S. Marine Corps.
I've always considered it [military service]
an option, McAllister said when asked about his
decision on joining. No reason not to. Like Smith,
McAllister is following a family tradition by joining the
military.
If McAllister has any second thoughts about
joining the U.S. military, they have to do with the
unknown variables of the experience. Being dumped
in some other town with a bunch of other guys is a bit
daunting, McAllister said.
Both Smith and McAllister feel that military
service is a good option for others. I think people are
Austin Smith will join the U.S. Navy
after graduation. Dyllan McAllister will
join the U.S. Army. Both follow family
traditions in their service to America.
See Military page 20
Patience Bearse
Changing the World To
Beneft the Earth
By Kaylee Haskell
D
ont change the world to benefit people,
change the world to beneft the Earth. This
life motto is not on the average teenager's
mind. Yet Springfeld High School sophomore Pa-
tience Bearse follows this axiom carefully. In her
choice of this motto, Patience proves that she is far
from average.
Bearse was home-schooled during the frst
six years of her educational career. Since entering public
school, however, she has not been particularly pleased
with more conventional education..
I hate public school, Bearse said. She
added that she learned a heck of a lot more while
being home-schooled.
Spending the majority of her childhood at
home learning important lessons, Bearse seems to have
developed the all-important ideal of understatement.
My hobbies? I have a lot of those, she said with
confdence.
Bearse, for example, excels in gymnastics. I
was level 5," Bearse said, "third in the state for uneven
bars."
Along with this accomplishment, Bearse has
been honored by being chosen to represent Springfeld
schools at music district festivals for the past three years.
She also plays 10 musical instruments, including the
See Change page 21
PVP student Jessie Roy and instructor
Ruth Haskell unload food items
at the Springfield Family Center
as part of the PVP food drive Stuff
the Bus. The food drive, sponsored
through Cathy Paul's PVP class, ran
from December 5th-December 9th.
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Feature
Jim Fowle, Vietnam War Veteran
on how he celebrated his 19th birthday.
A Love Story in Red
W
ho will wear the crown? This query is not a
reference to Prince William or Prince Harry.
And it doesn't suggest answers to the ques-
tion of who will rule England after Queen Elizabeth ends
her reign. Perhaps a better way to phrase the question
is in this manner: "Who will wear the 2012 crown for
the 56th annual Apple Blossom Cotillion?
With applications for the Apple Blossom
Cotillion in early December, the race is underway for
Springfeld High School senior girls and other young
people from surrounding towns. It is now open season
for Apple Blossom Queen, an honor that has defned
beauty, elegance, and talent in Springfeld since the
mid-20th century.
The cotillion is a fundraiser for Springfeld
Hospital, though it has more signifcance besides bol-
stering the local health care facility. Many girls of all
ages--whose communities are served by Springfeld
Hospital--view the Apple Blossom Cotillion as a rite
of passage. Senior girls, along with their male escorts,
undergo the rigors and pleasures of singing, dancing,
and interviewing as they hope to be crowned Apple
Blossom Queen. Accompanying the senior girls and
their escorts are a group of elementary school children.
These young people perform as couples and contribute
to the show's overall attractiveness and pleasure.
It is a pageant, a production, entertainment,
and a fundraiser, said Director of the Springfeld Hospi-
tal Foundation and the cotillions Master of Ceremonies
Larry Kraft. It began as a ball, a debutante ball, and
evolved into a community event, the largest single event
in Springfeld.
Rehearsals for the participants will begin
on January 8th and continue every Sunday until the
performance in the spring. This year's Apple Blossom
Cotillion, which dates back to 1956, will take place on
May 4th and 5th in Dressel Gymnasium at Riverside
Middle School--show time 7:00 pm. Dress Rehearsal,
which is open to the public, takes place on Friday night,
and the offcial crowning occurs Saturday. Seventeen
high school couples and 20 elementary children couples
are participating in this years cotillion.
Apple Blossom Co-Director Carrie Patch is
already envisioning the gala event.Again this year we
will be doing combination numbers with the little and
big kids," she said, "which is always a crowd favor-
ite.
One of the most endearing facets of the
Apple Blossom Cotillion involves the shows theme
and dresses. The 2012 Apple Blossom theme will be
A Love Story. Complementing the shows theme, the
girls' dresses will be styled in a passionate red. Kraft
added that producers are creating a narrative story for
this years performance, instead of simply presenting
a collection of musical numbers similar to past Apple
Blossom shows.
For the Love Story theme we will be using
music to tell the story of a couple who meet and fall in
love, said Patch. Some of the featured music will be
'My Girl,' 'I'm a Believer,' and 'These Boots Are Made
For Walking,' along with music from all genres and
decades.
Young and old alike have a great deal of
anticipation and excitement associated with the cotil-
lion. Many contestants participated in this event when
they were children and have been looking forward to
concluding their senior year by competing for the crown
of Apple Blossom Queen.
Im excited. I think its going to be a really
awesome experience, said SHS senior Olivia Thayer.
Our class is really close, so Im looking forward to
spending time with all of my friends. Thayer only
participated in the cotillion once during her elementary
years.
Its a great opportunity to get to know my
classmates better. And I love a challenge, said senior
escort Tim Robinson. Its also a good way to learn
personality traits like diligence and hard work.
I did Apple Blossom when I was younger
and my family did it in the past, added SHS senior
Tara LaPlante. Im looking forward to doing a giant
fun activity with all of my friends.
All my family members did Apple Blossom.
It will be fun to be with my friends, said senior escort
Jeff Fuller. I'm defnitely looking forward to seeing
everyone dance and (attempt to) sing. It should be a fun
time.
Besides being an entertaining event for the
community, the Apple Blossom Cotillion is an important
fundraiser for the Springfeld Hospital. In years past,
all proceeds from the Cotillion were used to purchase
hospital equipment. Recently, Apple Blossom profts
are used for a scholarship for graduates entering the
health care profession.
Last year we decided to give an annual
multi-year scholarship named in honor of former hos-
pital physician Sherb Lovell," said Kraft. "And we
decided to use any additional funds available for healthy
activities for area youth."
Even though May is fve months away, and
the warm days of spring seem nonexistent, the Apple
Blossom Cotillion already promises excitement and joy
for young and old alike.
I want to do Apple Blossom because its a
fun last experience with all my classmates and friends,
concluded senior escort Devan McCarty. Besides, who
doesn't love to dance and sing?
By Holly Hooke
56th Apple Blossom Ready to Roll
Apple Blossom escorts perform the
anticipated escort dance last May.
Last year's queen Chelsea Howland
and her court pose proudly after the
cotillion. Sarah Vredenburgh, who
was part of the 2011 court, and escort
Jordan Clapperton.
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News
Turning 19 in Vietnam
By Meghan Courchesne & Kiana Nelson
M
ost high school students take the time they
spend with family and friends for granted.
They turn 18, and then 19, surrounded by
safety and comfort. They have the freedom to choose
either healthy or unhealthy methods to celebrate their
arrival into adulthood. As the United States recently
removed its troops from Iraq, and Barack Obama
officially declared an end to that conflict, many
Springfield High School students were generally
unconcerned about these public events since the draft
does not exist today.
However, during Vietnam veteran Jim
Fowles talk with Joanna Colemans sophomore English
class on December 19th, students were reminded of
a different, more urgent, time in American history.
required to register for the draft.
As part of an Air Calvary Unit, Fowle was
trained to maintain helicopters. He ended up fying in
small, lightweight helicopters that were shaped like
eggs with tails on them. The front of the helicopter
was clear plastic, which ran all the way under the pilots
feet. Only the pilot and two scouts ft on the aircraft.
Fowle was a scout (the position he originally
enlisted to fll) and his job was to fy low over the jungle
to search out threats for the ground infantry. He said
there were no doors or sides to the helicopter, and he
could reach out and touch things as they few 50 knots
(57 miles per hour) over the Vietnamese foliage. During
a frefght, at this speed and height, the life expectancy
of a scout like Fowle was -2 seconds
Fowle turned 19 fying a scout mission over the Central
Highlands of Vietnam. During Fowles visit with
Colemans students, he described his one-year tour of
duty, beginning in 1967 when he was only 18 years
old.
When sophomore Sean Jeffers asked what
Fowles did to celebrate his birthday in Vietnam, Fowle
had an unusual response. Got shot down, he said.
We were fying a helicopter and got shot down. Happy
Birthday to me.
Although Coleman has been reading the
Vietnam memoir If I Die in a Combat Zone, by Tim
O'Brien, with her sophomore English students for four
years, this was the frst time students concluded their
study speaking with a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Fowles was invited to conclude the students study of
OBriens book since Christine Chapman, who works
as a para-professional in Coleman's sophomore English
class, is Fowles sister. In fact, three of Chapman's
brothers fought in the Vietnam War.
Fowle enlisted into the U.S. Army in April
1967 and ended up in the jungles of Vietnam by June
of that year. He enlisted because he didn't have other
plans for his future, and he knew he was going to get
drafted.
Before her brothers visit, Chapman provided
family background. My father knew my brothers could
be drafted, she said, and by enlisting they had more
control over what job they could have there.
Since Fowle enlisted at 18, he was not
During his visit with Colemans sophomores,
Fowle recalled one experience when he participated in
a mission as a scout at night. At one point, a bat with a
4 1/2-foot wingspan burst through the front windshield
(which was constructed of plastic) swooped around,
and exited the helicopter. At the time, Fowle thought,
Whos shooting at us and where are they?
Sean Jeffers asked Fowle to describe other
animals American soldiers encountered during the
Vietnam War. Water buffalo, tigers, snakes, ants,
Fowles responded. I was in the air most of the time,
so I didnt encounter those things too much.
For Fowle, animals added to the worries
about booby traps, mines, snipers, and mortar attacks.
Even the air was forbidding in Vietnam. When one of
Colemans students asked Fowle to describe the smell
of the country, he responded, It stunk.
The smell of the damp, hot jungle, mixed
with the bases odor was, at frst, unbearable to Fowle.
However, after spending time in Vietnam, he grew
accustomed to the odor, though he is able to recall the
smell vividly today, decades after his war experience.
For Fowle, Vietnam was characterized by the constant
smell of rotting vegetation and waste. "We had buckets
and they were emptied and jet fuel was dumped [on the
waste] and lit on fre, Fowle said.
We were fying a helicopter and got shot down.
Happy Birthday to me.
Jim Fowle, Vietnam War Veteran
on how he celebrated his 19th birthday.
See Vietnam page 22
Sarah Locke and Sean Jeffers
listen to Jim Fowle talk about
his Vietnam War experiences.
Students created posters in
response to Tim O'Brien's If I
Die in a Combat Zone. Fowle
was assigned to fy in an OH-6a
helicopter as a scout.
Jim Fowle Discusses War Experiences
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Features
Transfer Students
A Different Spin on Teaching and Learning
By Lauren Fountain
T
ransferring schools is a reality for some students
at Springfeld High School. "I have transferred to
schools all over Alabama and Vermont," junior
Jason Martin said.
According to Martin, schools around the
country share similar ideas on how to educate students.
However, school offcials and educators sometimes
disagree about food, punishment, and homework.
"Our school lunch [in Alabama] was like a
subway," Martin said. "We had more lines and the food
was more of a home-style feel. If we had pizza, it was
ordered."
Though Martin didn't have specifc experi-
ences with discipline in his old school, Alabama is
currently the only state in the United States that still
permits students to be hit on the backside up to three
times with a wooden paddle by a teacher when they
misbehave. This tactic is used so that students will take
discipline more seriously.
Junior Baylee Williams, a transfer student
last year from a high school in Rhode Island, said that
education was a more serious process in Rhode Island
than at SHS.
"Rhode Island has some of the top schools
in the country," Williams said. "At SHS, you get way
less homework and rules are way less strict. In Rhode
Island schools, if you had a Saturday detention, you
would clean the whole school for six hours." Both Wil-
liams and Martin agreed that there was less bullying at
their prior schools. If students had a problem with each
other, they tended to work it out on their own rather than
attack each other, either verbally or physically.
Both Martin and Williams said that class
size also separated their former schools from SHS. In
Rhode Island, roughly 32 students were found per class.
In Alabama, class sizes averaged around 40 students.
"To help with the additional students in each
room, there were two student helpers per class," said
Martin.
"I feel that by having the tech center [River
Valley Technical Center] here, I am given more op-
portunities than what I was given while I was in Rhode
Island," Williams said. "The bad thing here is that there
is such a lack of motivation. We have no school spirit at
SHS. There is no big push for going off to college."
"The teachers here don't care as much if you
don't fully understand a topic," added Martin. "They will
just move on."
Both Martin and Williams believe that SHS
needs some changes. However, they feel that the high
school provides opportunities for the future.
During the current school year, three trans-
fers have added to the freshman class, and two transfer
students have added to the junior class at SHS.
The Challenge of Left-handedness
By Maygin Jimenez
T
hey complain. They write in a messy scrawl.
They live in a world that seems biased against
them. Theyre left-handed. Though they feel its
great to be unique in a world of right-handers, everyday
struggles that lefties go through are rarely noticed by
the rest of the world or the majority of people who are
of the righthanded persuasion.
Simple things such as writing in ink or using
art room scissors have a great effect on lefties. They deal
with ink smudges and scissors that don't ft quite right
because of their natural-born property. It might appear
Mann. Its annoying how we dont get the respect we
deserve as lefties only because the majority of the world
happens to be right-handed.
And, of course, there are always the naysay-
ers (the righties) who disagree with these statements.
Honestly, they [left-handed people] com-
plain over nothing, said junior Kelsea Edwards. Just
buy your own pair of scissors and get over it."
As Edwards suggests, the plight of the
lefthanded is not so dire. Studies show that left-handed
people are able to handle a variety of stimuli, which
Jason Martin has attended schools in
both Alabama and Vermont.
Lefty Carrie Mobus has diffculty
with smudging ink as she writes.
enthusiasm and a lame t-shirt that says I may be left
handed but Im always right, and they can easily make
their way in the world. Take it from Mann. He knows
what its like out there in the cruel world. His advice?
Just keep you head up and dont let un-
comfortable scissors bring you down," he concluded.
comes in handy when one may be playing Half Life or
Modern Warfare 3. Lefties are also more likely to be
geniuses. Nearly 20% of MENSA members reported to
be left-handed. Left-handers would also like to believe
that being better-looking is among their many attributes,
though this may involve more hope than fact.
Whatever the plight of the left-handed,
whether real or perceived, these people only need some
dramatic to complain over something as insignifcant
as a dominant hand, though no one will understand the
predicament of the left-handed until they are faced with
the challenge that is the left hand.
Springfeld High School junior Samir Mann,
who happens to be left-handed, acknowledges everyday
struggles.
Its hard out there for people like us, says
Just keep you head up and dont let uncomfortable
Cake Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on
towel)
* 3/4 cup all-purpose four
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
Filling Ingredients:
* 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
* 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract