tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21971437066805480482024-03-05T03:06:52.156-05:00The Knight WriterThe school newspaper for Poland Regional High School.The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-49102818407935068672013-04-25T07:37:00.001-04:002013-04-25T07:37:39.865-04:00Holding Steady at 39 Percent, LePage Keeps the Bar Low By Matthew Principe<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Alas, the time has come to talk about politics on the Knight Writer. I would like to apologize for Governor Paul LePage’s extended absence from the KW website. Nevertheless, the governor now returns to Knight Nation, as strong and silly as ever!<br />
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Actually, the governor never left the spotlight. He’s still at center stage, making outrageous comments and bringing too much unwanted attention to Maine. As a public servant, LePage has a weird of way of representing Maine. As a member of the Tea Party movement, he is one of many angry state governors across the nation today. However, the rest don’t hold a candle to our chief executive -- if the standards are upsetting his supporters and encouraging the rest of the country to look down at his state. <br />
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Some of the memories LePage has created for us with include the removal of a mural from the lobby of the state Labor Department that -- get this -- celebrated laborers.<br />
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According to salon.com, LePage claimed “it presented a one-sided view that bowed to organized labor and overlooked the contributions of job-creating entrepreneurs.”<br />
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There was the time he told the NAACP they could “kiss my butt” on Martian Luther King Day. He’s so controversial that the switch from a Republican majority in the state Legislature to a Democratic majority is viewed as a rebuke of Paul LePage. <br />
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However, the newly elected Maine Senate President, Justin Alfond, D-Portland, knew that the people of Maine were expecting a fight between parties and expressed a desire to “disappoint” skeptics. Didn’t work out that way. What is known as “celebrity day” for the newly elected lawmakers was upstaged by LePage, who lashed out at the winners for beating his Republican buddies by using a “tracker.” <br />
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(A tracker, in political terms, means someone who follows a government official around and videotapes him at live events, sort of a hybrid spy/paparazzi. Both parties have trackers set in place for the other side; it’s a common practice for both sides.)<br />
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When the day came to swear in the newly elected lawmakers, LePage used that time to take a whack at Democrats. According to the Portland Press Herald, LePage “thanked” Democratic lawmakers for providing him with paparazzi. LePage also talked about how he felt that the next two years would be quite interesting, adding that he objected to the use of a Massachusetts tracker, instead of the Democrats hiring someone from Maine. <br />
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Earlier this year, LePage publicly expressed his intense dislike for newspapers. According to the Huffington Post, he told reporters that he didn’t like newspapers because of their "lack of objectivity." Television and radio, he said, are better because they don't "spin" the news.” He also believes the reason people have stopped buying newspapers is that news consumers have realized that what we’ve been reading is all wrong.<br />
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Whew. Good thing Knight Writer is an online publication. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In early February Lepage had a 39% approval rating. That sounds pretty low. Sounds like he’s not popular. But that is exactly the percentage of votes he earned to win the governorship in 2010. Ever wonder what those 61% bumper stickers mean?</span>Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-53843683465404498982013-04-23T23:40:00.000-04:002013-04-23T23:40:02.959-04:00TAX 101: Poland Students Ask Why Parents are so Grumpy in April
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<span class="s1"><b>If You Pay Taxes, You Have an Opinion That Matters</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>By Kylie Martin</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Children eventually reach the age at which they began to perceive, on a deeper level, the world around them. As they progress through school and became more exposed to the media, they notice people’s views on various issues: education, the economy, politicians, religion. Constantly, they hear debates regarding questions such as: Should gay marriage be legal? Is Obama’s health care program sufficient? Who can be blamed for the recession? Is abortion justified? What are the ethics of capital punishment? These debates shape how the children live. They shape their development into adults who offer political, social, and religious opinions – which become policies and law.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A controversy kids hear about as they mature is the American taxation system. Internet websites, such as brighthub.com, try to explain the complexity of taxes. There are income taxes (paid by anyone who earns an income), property taxes (paid by anyone who owns property such as land, a home, or commercial real estate), consumptive taxes (taxes on sales goods or items that are subjected to being used by either an individual or business), and others... corporate, payroll, capital gains, inheritance or estate. All of these taxes serve an overarching purpose. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Stephen Gandal offers this explanation in his article <i>What’s the Purpose of Taxes?:</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Taxes can do a lot of things. They can pay for services. They can make life easier for future generations by either reducing the nation’s debt burden, or by building bridges and tunnels that our children will use. Taxes can transfer wealth from future generations to today by increasing the deficit. They can change behavior like in the case of cigarette taxes, soda taxes and the mortgage interest rate tax deduction.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Karolyn Buotte of Farmington, a Dirigo High School teacher, explains the simplicity of a sales tax, and how she is more cognizant of its existence when she makes greater purchases. “I don't really think about it until I pay for something really expensive... like recently I bought a mountain bike.” Her husband, Jim Thurston, a self-employed carpenter of Farmington, (who also shares in the business of his family’s farm), explains a property tax he manages. “We have a camp on Concord Pond... because it’s waterfront property, the property tax is $800 or $900 every year. There’s no electricity or plumbing, but the town of Woodstock sends me a bill.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">If simplified distinctions are to be made on taxes, two opposing sides become most prominent. On one, less governmental control is wanted (or fewer taxes and aid to the poverty-stricken). The other is acceptance of government control, and supporting welfare and other social programs on a higher level. Interviewees involved in this assignment portray the more liberal perspective. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Some tax dollars are being wasted, but from a general standpoint I think tax dollars are well spent. We’re pretty lucky the way we live,” says Craig Martin, a chemical engineer from Poland.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Thurston’s perspective is similar. “I think it needs to happen in order to provide services, whether its in education or military or wherever else. Although I don’t <i>always</i> like the decisions that they make...” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">How government spends our taxes is an endless source of debate. That's how it goes in a democracy.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Buotte would like her money to go toward preserving land for state and national parks, impoverished animal shelters, and new or innovative learning opportunities in education. Martin selected welfare and health oriented programs (such as the Food and Drug Administration.). Thurston remarked after some thinking, “I would go for helping the local businesses stay competitive with larger corporations, such as Walmart, to at least give them a competitive edge. Like little stores wouldn’t be going against the Great Satan.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">These interviews revealed one obvious trend. Each person interviewed was generally supportive of taxes in America, even though he or she disagreed with how the money is used in some areas of the government. The general opinion between Buotte, Thurston, and Martin is that taxes are a necessary part of the American system. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">As grown men and women, they will be able to answer the overarching question using lessons they developed from their childhood, thus continually shaping the country’s political landscape: Are taxes vital to living a free, American life?</span></div>
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<b>Law-abiding Taxpayers and Unhappy Campers</b></div>
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<b>By Everett Bertrand</b></div>
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“If you make any money, the government shoves you in the creek once a year with it in your pockets, and all that don't get wet you can keep. ” – Will Rogers</div>
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Knowing that quite a few Americans agree with Will Rogers, I interviewed several local taxpayers to get some perspective.</div>
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Julie Bertrand, a resident of Minot, isn't convinced that the government uses our tax dollars wisely. She insisted that a lot of it went to welfare and “disability” systems for people who are not willing to hold up their end of the bargain and work like they’re supposed to. Being a probate clerk at the county office, she deals with situations that allow her to observe how people handle their financial affairs; she believes some people are “milking the system” all the time. In addition, she sees our tax dollars going to politicians who weren’t deserving. </div>
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“It (the tax system) is necessary, but too much of it pays the politicians' unearned big salaries” Bertrand said. </div>
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Skip Crosby, a teacher at Poland High School, lives in Poland. He also believes our tax system doesn’t work very well, for slightly different reasons than Bertrand. Crosby says some people don’t pay their fair share. Tax loopholes are far too many, making it possible for the wealthy to avoid paying as much as they should. Our system is overcomplicated, according to Crosby, who is not a fan of income taxes but supports sales taxes. One specific change that he would support would be the elimination of excise taxes.</div>
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“It’s like buying a shirt, and every time you wear it, you have to pay taxes on it,” Crosby said. </div>
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PRHS teacher Charlie Yancey of Hebron had some ideas that overlapped Crosby's and Bertrand's, as well as his own unique take. The system, according to Yancey, simply does not work. In fact, he says he hates our tax system. </div>
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He argues for a graduated flat tax. He says the present system provides too much room for the wealthy to find loopholes and escape paying the amount that they should. As part of Yancey's proposed changes, we would have a simpler system where there’s no room for such loopholes.</div>
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Warming up to the conversation, Yancey took his ideas one step further. He says he wants no taxation whatsoever – no income or sales tax at all. </div>
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“Charities are responsible for helping out the less fortunate, and there shouldn’t really be a government run welfare program,” Yancey insisted. He doesn’t see welfare as being a responsibility of the government, which he doesn't trust to spend our tax dollars wisely.</div>
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I actually found it a bit disturbing that all three people I interviewed believe our tax system is broken. Surely, if this was the trend in three people living in a small part of Maine, then there must be quite a few others who see the same thing. Clearly, something needs to change. If our government is “by the people and for the people,” it needs to act that way. </div>
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<b>From Dave Barry to Thomas Paine: Taxes Stink</b></div>
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<b>By Gabby Smith</b></div>
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Humorist Dave Barry had this to say about taxes:</div>
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“It's income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and stab yourself in the aorta.” </div>
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He's not alone. Hating taxes is part of being an American.</div>
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I asked my mom, Sue Smith, an analyst at McKesson and a resident of Mechanic Falls, what she thought about the death tax, also known as the estate tax. </div>
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“It’s double dipping,” she said. “My mom has already paid taxes on everything thing she owns, so why do it again when she’s dead?” </div>
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I asked her who benefits from her tax dollars and she responded that the poor are benefitting the most because they get all the help from the government. When I asked her whether taxes should be based on the ability to pay, she said:</div>
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“If two families pay the same taxes and income but one lives a higher lifestyle, it’s not fair for the family that lives a higher lifestyle to pay less taxes than the other family.” </div>
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I asked why are taxes so complicated. She said the government doesn’t want people to understand taxes, it just want them to pay.</div>
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I also interviewed my dad, Bob Smith of Mechanic Falls. He is a manager of marketing sales at Maine Oxy. His take on who benefits from taxes: “Special interest groups because our representatives are influenced by money instead of being influenced by the people.” He prefers so-called sin taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, rather than excessive property taxes on homeowners.</div>
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Finally, I talked to my aunt, Joan Bergeron. Her take on sin taxes: “When you spend money on cigarettes, it’s like taking the money out of your wallet and burning it, so I think it’s great to tax cigarettes.” She believes politicians benefit more from taxes than the people who are supposed to be receiving services.</div>
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My interview subjects seemed to agree on sin taxes but not much else, although each of them are skeptical about who benefits from our taxes. This attitude goes all the way back to Thomas Paine (1737-1809), who wrote:</div>
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“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.''</div>
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<b>Take Time to Learn How Tax Dollars are Spent</b></div>
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<b>By Katie Burgess</b></div>
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The IRS receives more than 140 million individual tax returns and collects over $950 billion in taxes, according to Forbes Magazine. </div>
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Federal and state governments spend tax revenue on roads, health care, education and the military, but taxes remain forever controversial.</div>
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My dad, Larry Burgess, a resident of Mechanic Falls and employee of TD Bank, said, “Taxes are important, but sometimes the government misuses tax dollars that could go to better uses.”</div>
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If he could change one aspect of how the government spends taxes, he would have tax cuts for certain demographics as well as “anything considered frivolous spending” to allow for increased spending on more important things. </div>
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Burgess did not give specific examples of spending programs that could be cut. He's well informed, noting that taxes help businesses and provide funds for schools and projects, both local and statewide. When asked about education funding Burgess said, “I would support more money spent on education, but I would also like to see improvement in how schools utilize the tax dollars they receive.” </div>
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My mom, Julie Burgess, admitted not knowing much about taxes. </div>
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She said, “I don’t like certain taxes, although taxes are good because they benefit the community, state and government.” She recognizes the benefits of taxes, but also realizes that there are certain taxes that aren’t a necessity and become a burden for many people. Although she doesn’t know very many specific details about taxes, her general knowledge is enough to realize that education doesn’t get enough funding. Julie believes that teachers aren’t paid enough money, but she also agreed with my dad when she said, “Tax money is not always spent wisely.” </div>
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I interviewed my Roundtable advisor, Mss. Fryda, who teaches history and humanities. She knows a lot about taxes and has many opinions on the topic. In general, Ms. Fryda is satisfied with how tax dollars are spent, because she notices good roads, bridges and schools in my town. However, she wishes more state taxes were spent on public education.</div>
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When asked if she supports or opposes tax cuts she said, “I oppose tax cuts. What I would like is a re-prioritization of the tax money that is already being paid.” Similar to Larry Burgess, Ms. Fryda said taxes shouldn’t be used on insignificant things. Subsidies for industries that are doing just fine (such as oil and agriculture), Ms. Fryda argues, shouldn’t be receiving tax dollars or tax breaks. Ms. Fryda also believes that the current defense budget is way out of proportion and that tax revenue could be used elsewhere.</div>
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I've learned that many people don’t understand the positive or negative impacts of taxes, but if they had a deeper knowledge they would be able to formulate an opinion regarding how their tax dollars are spent by government. Well informed citizens are becoming more scarce. Taxes will always be part of our society, so it's up to the taxpayers to educate themselves and speak up.</div>
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Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-46701176253720879112013-04-09T08:01:00.000-04:002013-04-09T08:01:10.949-04:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Remember that thing we did in February? That totally awesome, mega super fun thing we did? Winter Carnival? Man, that was a blast, wasn't it? In remembrance of that incredibly exciting day, Robert Emerson of the Senior Class has given us permission to post the videos of the Air Bands he taped. So, here they are!</div>
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<b>Freshmen Class</b></div>
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<b><iframe frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=209691095839412" width="320"></iframe> </b></div>
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<b>Sophomore Class</b></div>
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<b>Junior Class</b></div>
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<b>Senior Class</b></div>
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<b><iframe frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=209792829162572" width="320"></iframe></b><br /></div>
Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-46043858139636507182012-11-08T14:38:00.003-05:002013-02-25T14:23:22.838-05:00Community Service Day - Food Banking<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Our fellow PRHS students indulged in some good ole' Community Service recently and offered their help to a local food bank. </h3>
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All photos taken by Pam Rawson. </h4>
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Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-56535815941395106502012-11-05T20:18:00.002-05:002012-11-05T20:20:49.898-05:00Fanchtastic by Stephanie LaFreniere<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In school we students come across moments that strike fear into our hearts and make our knees buckle. Perhaps we forgot about the sticky notes that were due today, or we “left our homework on the kitchen table.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To celebrate Halloween, 2012, I took it upon myself to ask students who of our PRHS teachers struck them as scary from Day 1. The response was unanimous. She shouts at us down the hall, lurks behind us, casting a shadow during class, throws markers at us while we sleep.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Fanch.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mrs. Fancher has been teaching at PRHS since Miss Yindra was a student; she knows the twists and turns of our school, and has mastered the ups and downs of the students. She is known for her distaste towards freshmen--which was the first thing I ever heard about her, when I was a freshman, which can be terrifying.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"The Fanch"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Taken by Sally Littlefield</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fortunately for me, I learned that her contempt for freshman is exceeded by her loathing for senior boys.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The only thing worse than Freshmen are Senior boys,” Fanch has said about 1,000 times; if she has an opinion, she isn’t afraid to share it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A pet peeve of Fancher is sneezing, and one student even described to me how she felt when she had hit her three-sneeze limit. A “heart stopping moment” was the phrase she used. I sure hope allergy season is over.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite her tough disposition, and seemingly frightening aura, Fanch is also one of the most beloved teachers. She’s someone you have to “know to love” one student explains. “Fanch is tough, but she really wants her students to succeed.” In fact, it’s her frightening qualities that make her lovable, and attitude that keeps us going.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After my brief, but undeniably accurate survey of frightening teachers, it was easy to </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">conclude that Fanch is the Champion of Fear. Then I did a scary thing: I asked her how she</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> felt about this title.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“It makes my job easier,” she answered, nonchalantly. “I just have to look at someone and</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> they’ll stop. They don’t know I’m going to do.” </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I were a teacher, I’d aspire to be like Fanch. This year is her last year, and I’m glad I</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> chose to <strike>overcome my fear and</strike> spend it with her, in stats. </span>Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-55037229199062069832012-11-04T22:04:00.002-05:002012-11-04T22:15:30.357-05:00CSL is Back! By Matthew Principe<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know our school has a club where you can go out and do community service for a sweet reward? Its called the Community Service Club (CSL). As a group we venture out into the surrounding communities and see what jobs there are to tackle. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We meet once a month, usually on a Wednesday. The day can vary from scheduling purposes. In addition to the meetings, we schedule dates in the community to help people-- usually once or twice per month. Last year the club made numerous trips to the Norway Veterans Home which always welcomed us. We played games with the vets and listened to their war stories dating all the way back to World War II.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Upcoming events this year will be the December toy drive and a possible trip to Poland Spring Campground to paint picnics tables. The campground trip could be rescheduled for next spring. We will be returning to the veterans home later in the winter. We are open for new ideas to help the communities we grew up in.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">A Photo from the Boston Trip Last Year</span></td></tr>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reward for doing at least 20 hours of community service is an all-expense paid trip to see the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in the spring. From experience, I can tell you the trip is amazing. As a group we travel on a Greyhound bus into Boston with other community service clubs from other schools. We go on a tour of Fenway and learn all the cool stories about the 100-year-old ballpark. We also get to watch the Red Sox take batting practice, and we get coupons for our dinner. The trip makes for a long day and night, but it also means a day off from school for jobs well done.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our most recent project was at the Gray Wildlife Park in Gray Maine. Last week was their annual Halloween Night, where you could trick or treat while experiencing the animal night life. The place was covered in Halloween decor as well as many activities for kids to do. One of these was a small obstacle course for the kids to run through. Our job was to clear out the space again and rake all of the straw and hay away from the nearby cages. The design was set up so that the kids could run next to the little creatures in their cages. Our group received a surprise visit by Ricky Raccoon, a lone raccoon left in his cage who watched over us as we worked around him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When our group was finished we raked and swept the walkways from the gate to the cages. There were seven of us and in less than an hour we had about 100 feet of trailway free of leaves and pine needles. l It was a beautiful site. As we finished up our handiwork the head park ranger came and relieved us from out duties. He let us let us roam around the park for the remainder of our time there. It was a nice reward after a long day of hard work. The moose were out and about and put on quite a show for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you are interested in learning more about the community service club, or if you want to join, please contact Ms. Carrera at <a href="mailto:ncarrera@rsu16.org"><span class="s2">ncarrera@rsu16.org</span></a>.</span></div>
Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-11613217564141674502012-11-04T21:32:00.000-05:002012-11-04T22:16:26.517-05:00How We Voted and What it Means by Derek York<h3>
<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Referendum Question #1</span></u></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex </b></span><b>couples? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This would mean that gay couples in Maine would be allowed to marry, with the same benefits that traditional marriages enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This means all assets would be shared through the bond of marriage including insurance for one another. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes-192, No-86. <i>PRHS students are in favor of legalizing same sex marriage.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bond Issue #2</span></u></b></span></h3>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you favor an $11,300,00 bond issue to provide funds for capital to build a diagnostic facility for the University of Maine system; for capital improvements and equipment, including machine tool technology, for the Maine Community College system; and for capital improvements and equipment at the Maine Maritime Academy?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>This bond is for some of the colleges in maine. It is to buy new things they need to keep the programs they have going. The schools are asking for a larger budget to afford repairs and new tools. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes-133, No-158. <i>PRHS students are not in favor of this bond.</i></span></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bond Issue #4</span></u></b></h3>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you favor a $51,500,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges, local roads, airports and port facilities, as well as for funds for rail access, transit buses and the LifeFlight Foundation, which will make the State eligible for at least 105,600,000 in federal and other matching funds? </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>This bond is to fix all the not so good roads around the U.S. and anything that involves traveling to be fixed. The LifeFlight Foundation will also be funded for people in need of medical care in hard to reach places. The federal government will also match us on this bond if it passed.<i> </i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes-159, No-114. <i>PRHS students are in favor of the bond.</i></span></span></div>
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Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-63406118385561268712012-06-14T09:34:00.003-04:002012-06-14T09:34:21.257-04:00Summer vacation can be taxing if you work<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(Advisor's note: Mr. Chutchian's Comparative Government and Economics classes interviewed working adults about taxes. If you work this summer, you will pay taxes. Good Americans thank you.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u>It's easy to get taxpayers talking about taxes</u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u>By Susan Gary</u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Taxes are a touchy subject. The majority of the population believes they are paying touch much, taxes are too confusing, and they are unfair. That’s what I hear, but I decided to find out for myself by interviewing people who pay taxes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I interviewed </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Michele Gary</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> from Mechanic Falls, employed at Home Depot, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Matthew Gary</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> from Mechanic Falls, co-owner of TwinConstruction, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Charles Yancey,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> science teacher at Poland Regional High School, and </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Ian Truman</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, literature teacher at Poland Regional High School and lead singer of Dead Season.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Michele Gary said, “I think it should all be a flat rate for everybody because it would be way confusing if poor people paid a lower tax, middle class people paid a higher tax and rich people paid an even higher tax.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Interesting. But what are people willing to pay for a flat rate?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Charles Yancey was very particular in how much he was willing to pay. “I think you should pay 8% of your income to the Town, 5% of your income to the State, and 2% of your income to the Federal Government. Fifteen percent total taxes taken from my income. . . Thus our local community would have a far greater amount to spend on things that support our community, instead of sending that money to the federal government, which spends it on needless wars, needless army bases, needless aid to other countries, and needless bailouts for private companies like GM.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>While doing research I also found that there was a controversy over how debt affected taxes. When in debt on investments such as mortgages, college loans and a 401K retirement plan, you are able to get your taxes lowered in order to help pay off those debts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Some people search for investments that they can make to get those tax cuts for themselves. Others, like Charles Yancey, feel differently. “It is the job of a responsible citizen to pay those debts back while still paying their share of the taxes,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Ian Truman, on the other hand, said, “Mortgage and education should definitely get tax breaks. People should be rewarded for investing in themselves.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Matthew Gary looked at the problem from a different angle: “It’s disturbing to keep pushing our debt onto our grandchildren. You should not be able to write off debt unless it’s a business expense.” If you have the ambition to start up your own business and risk your own money for the community, you should also get a break, Gary believes. He went on to talk about how far in debt our nation is, which is another interesting topic. Currently the U.S. is about $8.5 <i>trillion</i> in debt and gaining $1.5 billion every day. That means it would cost each U.S. citizen about $30,000 to pay off the national debt.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Everyone has an opinion on taxes. If citizens were more informed on the topic, how would their opinions change?</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u>Taxes: Pay up and hope for the best</u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i><u>By Emma-Jane Turton</u></i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> The American taxpayer’s definition of taxes is not the same as the New Oxford American Dictionary definition of taxes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Douglas Turton, assistant manager at the Ninety-Nine Restaurant in Topsham, said taxes “are a fact of life but necessary to maintain education, human services and infrastructure.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Christine Plourde-Rand a psychiatric nurse practitioner at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, said that while she feels that they are not something she enjoys paying, she knows that they are needed to provide services and resources to those living in this country and community. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> A man who has his salary paid by taxpayers, Trevor Tidd, a robotics and wood shop teacher at Poland Regional High School, says he’s willing to pay the taxes that are fair, and of course he hopes that somebody pays their taxes so that he can keep his job. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When asked how she thought her tax dollars should be spent, Christine Plourde-Rand said, “I feel we need to put more money in education, resources for kids to stay out of the streets and in school, rehabilitation for people to return to work.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Doug Turton wishes that his tax dollars were not spent on people in welfare programs. He feels that too many hard-working Americans such as himself and his wife, who have had careers their whole lives, pay their bills and pay their taxes, carry an unfair burden for citizens who don’t work and don’t try to find work. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sales taxes hit us every day. A shirt that says $12.99 on the tag may end up becoming $14.03 by the time it hits the register. How do people feel about sales taxes? Tidd says he is okay with sales taxes, but he wishes that he paid them just one time on vehicles that he purchases.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Douglas says, “I don’t know how New Hampshire does it (no sales tax), their property tax must be really high.” And he is correct. New Hampshire ranks third in the nation for median property taxes paid behind New Jersey and Connecticut. The New Hampshire median price for a property tax bill is $4,636. Maine ranks at number twenty with $1,936, according to a group called The Tax Foundation). Now that extra $1.04 sales tax on your shirt doesn’t seem quite as bad, does it?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Income taxes truly affects Americans on a personal level. And that level is, “the more you get, the more you give.” When I saw my pay check every week last summer, I knew how much I had worked and how much money I should have essentially accumulated that week. But when I looked at my pay check, I was a few dollars short, thanks to this beautiful concept called the income tax. I didn’t make a lot, because I didn’t work a lot. I was lucky to get $95 a week for three days a week. My mom used to look at my pay check and say, “It must be nice to only lose (about) three bucks a week,” and I would just laugh and forget about it. Until I really thought about how much <i>she </i>lost per week.</span></div>
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</span></span>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-275747965853355422012-06-05T11:44:00.006-04:002012-06-05T11:46:52.317-04:00Can sports save the world or your soul? By Elijah BretonOne early morning in mid-May, I couldnʼt help myself as I got wrapped up<br />
watching the Barclays Premier League Season finale with a league title was on the line.<br />
Crosstown rivals, Manchester United and Manchester City were sitting at the top of<br />
the league standings, with Manchester City leading United in goals scored by eight. All<br />
City needed to do was win against Queens Park Rangers (QPR), and they essentially<br />
assured themselves the league championship.<br />
<br />
The Rangers werenʼt just going to roll over and give them the game. They were in<br />
danger of relegation (European footballʼs version of shipping a team to the minor<br />
league) if they lost. United, on the other hand, needed City to tie, or lose -- but only if<br />
they won against Sunderland. Yes, the season was riddled with crazy stories<br />
throughout. But to score at least eight goals in a game was way out of the picture.<br />
For Americans, the game was broadcast late morning. For any fan across the pond,<br />
they had to scurry from Mass, say prayers for their respective team, and then watch an<br />
afternoon spectacle. The stage was set. And those fans were ready.<br />
<br />
I have become increasingly fascinated with the passion and obsession people have<br />
with sports. Iʼll be honest in saying that I, too, am guilty of such obsession. Whatʼs<br />
interesting however, is how different people and cultures express their obsession.<br />
Bates College Professor Francesco Duina says that we, as humans, “share a certain<br />
restlessness and uncertainty about our proper place in the world. We thus turn to<br />
winning to find out if we are really worthy human beings. Winning serves as an<br />
affirmation of our legitimacy.”<br />
<br />
Competition, says Professor Duina, “generates unnecessary tensions within<br />
ourselves and with the world, and because ultimately it cannot give us the answers we<br />
are looking for.”<br />
<br />
I disagree with Professor Duina.<br />
<br />
Itʼs not necessary to be focussed on the problems with the world at all times. On a<br />
global standard, every two years, the world comes together to watch their prized<br />
athletes compete for their respective countries in the Olympics. Each fanʼs passion and<br />
obsession only enriches the atmosphere of the world. On a more parochial level,<br />
consider that in 2001, in late October, the New York Yankees were playing in the World<br />
Series. The sympathy for New York in the wake of the aftermath of 9/11 was converted<br />
into an obsession with watching Americaʼs pastime. Sports can offer a distraction from<br />
the world for fans. If we looked for answers to questions such as, “When will the world<br />
end?” then why bother living? Itʼs much healthier to ponder the sustainability to the<br />
Yankee dynasty.<br />
<br />
Looking at sports obsession on a comparison level, most nations have their<br />
different forms of expression. Superstitions abound in the world of sports across the<br />
globe. No matter how crazy or foolish the superstition is, fans don't want to take the<br />
slightest chance of jinxing their favorite team. Fans in the U.S., South America, Europe<br />
and Africa will do whatever it takes to make sure that their favorite team is riding the<br />
destiny-train to a victory. The intensity of the behavior only gets worse as the season<br />
progresses and the hopes of a title increase.<br />
<br />
And superstitions donʼt take into account rituals such as face painting, tattooing your<br />
teamʼs logo on your chest, showing up to every game even if you are gainfully<br />
employed, or blowing into a vuvuzela until you pop a blood vessel.<br />
According to Professor Duina, Americans are fairly “unique in our constant inclination<br />
to turn everything into a matter of winning and losing -- work, play, personal<br />
possessions, even love.”<br />
<br />
But when you compare and contrast our obsession with winning to European or<br />
African countries, it equals out in the long run. There are a few exceptions to the rule.<br />
Take for example, Denmark, where the Law of Jante rules. This law, according to<br />
wikipedia, “Portrays and criticizes individual success and achievement as unworthy and<br />
inappropriate.” Essentially, every sports fan residing in Denmark has been neutered<br />
from any thoughts of excessive celebration and obsession.<br />
<br />
Back to my own crazy obsession -- the world-not-quite-on-the-line football game on<br />
the other side of the Atlantic.<br />
<br />
The Queens Park Rangers PR were the first to strike with an early goal. Now, keep<br />
in mind QPR was a 16-1 favorite to win this match. As soon as they scored, the<br />
stadium, filled with rowdy City fans, became silent. City charged back, however, scoring<br />
an equalizing goal just before halftime.<br />
<br />
At almost the same time, United -- playing Sunderland on the field but battling<br />
Manchester City for first place -- took an early lead in their game. It was like playing<br />
three teams. Anxiety gripped the faces of Man City fans. At the drop of the second half,<br />
QPR scored again, taking the lead. And this time, they held the lead for over thirty<br />
minutes. The tension was almost unbearable. Cityʼs coach nearly ran onto the field<br />
screaming at his players. Everyone knew what was at stake. Meanwhile, United<br />
continued to hold on to its lead, and the excitement sucked in fans who were not<br />
expecting to come away with a title.<br />
<br />
City and QPR were getting close to stoppage time, and the fans were now at the<br />
point of tears and denial. It was made even worse that United had claimed their victory<br />
over Sunderland.<br />
<br />
But just when the game entered stoppage time, the magic of sports -- the<br />
inexplicable and unpredictable unfolding of events that comes with pure competition --<br />
took center stage. In a span of three minutes, City scored two goals and clinched their<br />
league title. Tears of sadness became tears of joy and disbelief. United fans looked like<br />
each of them had taken a Muhammad Ali uppercut out of nowhere into the gut. City fans<br />
rejoiced with laughing, singing, crying and celebration.<br />
<br />
Three weeks later, they still could be celebrating, for all we know.<br />
Itʼs a good thing to see from the other side of the globe. We are not alone with our<br />
irrational attachment to sports.The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-84589828086017775372012-04-25T14:47:00.004-04:002012-05-31T12:35:19.571-04:00Twitter and Facebook had a Baby and Called it Tumblr by Stephanie LaFreniere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of wpmu.org</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who frequents the Internet, or even just occasionally visits, knows about Tumblr, or has at least heard of it.</span><br />
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“All it is is a mass image search site where people post pictures that other people can ‘repost’ onto their ‘wall’ to say that it represents them,” says Corey Wallace, a PRHS junior. “It's as pointless as it can get. No discussions boards. Just images about 1% of the people in it made that 99% of the people used.”</div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corey is pretty much right -- Tumblr is a blogging site where people can post, and repost, pictures, text, videos, links, quotes, audios, just about everything you can think of. Now, I use the term “blogging” very loosely when talking about Tumblr, because in fact, it’s not a blogging site, it’s a microblogging site. One word makes a whole lot of difference.</span><br />
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Microblogging is just an elaborate word for social networking; the only reason Tumblr is even called a microblogging site is to attract people who like to blog with the pretense that the site is for blogs, when in reality Tumblr is more picture-based than text.<br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tumblr is really just a newer version of Twitter, and if Tumblr were spelled correctly it would even have the same number of letters! At Twitter you can follow people (and their “tweets” appear on your page just like on Tumblr), you can repost peoples “tweets,” and you can post pictures. The exception is that on Tumblr you have no word limit on your posts (which is funny considering Tumblr is more picture-based while Twitter is more text-based), everything is the same. So, I suppose this is another Myspace vs. Facebook argument.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I try to keep an open mind, especially on the Internet with the millions of varying opinions that exist, but I could never get what was so special about Tumblr. Really, it just looks like founder David Karp saw Twitter had a word limit, and decided to make a website that didn’t, and -- seeing that one of the most popular websites around, Facebook, was mostly text based -- made Tumblr more image-based.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The biggest argument I hear made in favor of Tumblr is that ‘it's a way to express yourself!’ But what does it say about you?” says Zoe Leino, a PRHS junior. “ You like to show off things that other people have created? How are you expressing yourself if the things you post come entirely from the minds/creativity of others?”</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I agree with Zoe. As Corey said pertaining to images, “One percent of the people in it made that 99% of the people used,” and although this number is clearly dramatized, a single photo on Tumblr can go viral in less than an hour, appearing on thousands of different users pages.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Nothing original EVER comes out of the useless cesspool of Tumblr,” says PRHS junior Ian Pickett.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My search for good quotes on Tumblr produced mostly unpublishable comments due to profanity. Hannah Labbe, a PRHS junior, said, “Everyone on Tumblr is more accepting of you than people on Facebook. On Facebook people are scrutinized for everything you post, with Tumblr you can reblog the posts you like or keep scrolling. You choose the people you follow and what fills your dashboard.”</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Zoe Leino responds with this: “On Facebook you can also choose who you are friends with and what posts you see.” She adds that you don’t HAVE to look at everyone’s statuses. All in all, it’s the same, and if you feel “scrutinized” it’s your own fault for”friending” those people.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I don't think Tumblr is necessarily all about ‘expressing yourself’ or doing it differently than other people,” said PRHS junior Taylor Wood, who offers a different perspective of a frequent Tumblr user. “I use it because I can find stuff that makes me laugh, reblog it and hope other people find it just as amusing. When major events happen, Tumblr users are pretty quick with spreading important information.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Granted it may not be anymore creative than other sites, and people may use the same layout, or reblog the same content, but it's still just a fun site to use,” Taylor said. “It's nice to see that other people have some of the same views as you, you're not the only one with certain conspiracy thoughts, and everyone finds a gif of a cat's head stuck in a jar hilarious.”</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people do use the argument of Tumblr being a means of “expressing oneself,” which is why I found Zoe’s earlier quote quite amusing. But it seems to me that Taylor is saying it should be more for fun than a personal diary.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like that holds true for any social media website, bringing me back to point that Tumblr is just Twitter and Facebook combined. Though, I will admit, it is much more convenient to have Twitter and Facebook together, rather than apart.</span><br />
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This article was not meant to offend anyone in any way, and I apologize if it did, or if it seemed too biased. I’m not going to hate someone for using Tumblr, nor do I wish to encourage disdain toward Tumblr users. I only hope that this would help people to develop their own, slightly more educated, views on Tumblr; it’s really up to you to decide how you feel about our ever growing Internet’s contents, and eventually up to you to decide how it’s used.</div>
</div>Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-32740067512504913972012-04-25T14:26:00.000-04:002012-04-26T19:08:18.640-04:00For the Love of Money and the Game: A New Baseball Season Begins by Elijah Breton<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZgaFtsGO_TGerCdiabYdGfTI89q_a_lM2mlYKN3c0ALSMpoKpKoxC2mptCf172ZUA2vxfCxQxvqrPdoDxmjK1GybieMG77Y-QwCbE-ua1fL6-SszSgnX7ssvsaM64HGhvpva_aG3GJQ/s1600/baseball_money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZgaFtsGO_TGerCdiabYdGfTI89q_a_lM2mlYKN3c0ALSMpoKpKoxC2mptCf172ZUA2vxfCxQxvqrPdoDxmjK1GybieMG77Y-QwCbE-ua1fL6-SszSgnX7ssvsaM64HGhvpva_aG3GJQ/s1600/baseball_money.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of sportsforecasters.com</span></td></tr>
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Money. Baseball. The two words are so linked that “Moneyball” became a best-selling book and a Hollywood film.<br />
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The O’Jays had this to say about money: “Some people got to have it, some people really need it. Listen to me y'all, do things, do things, do bad things with it. You wanna do things, do things, do things, good things with it.” <br />
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Major League Baseball owners have a lot of money and don’t need it. Eight out of ten MLB team owners probably do bad things with their money. Bad, in baseball terms, means sitting on a pile of dough and not spending it on your baseball team. <br />
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Teams and team owners are worth more than their payroll suggests. Many fans scoff at how much teams “overpay” athletes. In reality, proportional to what team owners are worth, they probably could be spending even more! <br />
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<span id="goog_276115932"></span><span id="goog_276115933"></span>In 2009, the Steinbrenner family, owner of the New York Yankees, was worth approximately $1.3 billion, according to www.e-sports.com. They are worth more than two-thirds of the other team owners in the league. However, there are nine baseball team owners worth more than the Steinbrenner family. According to ESPN, only four of the nine are in the top half of team payroll rankings.<br />
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E-Sports recently reported that as of 2009, the Seattle Mariners’ owner, Nintendo Corporation, was worth $257 billion. Their team payroll was $98 million, which ranks 14th in the majors. The Yankees spent 20.67 percent of the Steinbrenner family’s net worth on 25 major league baseball players. If a team like the Mariners spent 20.67 percent of their owners’ net worth, their player payroll would have been at $53 billion. Do you think they could compete with the Yankees at that affordable price?<br />
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Looking at this from a different perspective, ESPN also reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007-2008 made a profit of $29.4 million after taxes, while competing with the 27th highest payroll in the major leagues (there’s only 30 teams) The New York Yankees in 2005 lost $50 million as a company but still managed to have the highest payroll in baseball. <br />
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Now, if you’re an owner who wants to make a dollar or two, you could certainly follow the blueprint the Pirates set out. However, the owners who pocket their money without re-investing in their team fail to realize that fans who pay as much as $75 for a distant bleacher seat are essentially paying the owners pocket change. Whatever happened to taking an entire family to a game for $50-75? Fans of all professional sports expect their team to compete at the highest level. If the money is not distributed in way that encourages competition, what’s the sense of watching that team?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of www.preserveramapo.org</span></td></tr>
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Ironically, it is the same owners with the “collect and run” mentality who who continuously lobby for a salary cap in Major League Baseball. Their dream is not winning. Their dream is that by diminishing high-spending teams such as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels, high profile stars and free agents would be less inclined to cash in on the biggest paychecks. Therefore, any team could, in theory, put as much money into their team as they would get out. <br />
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Different team owners have varying personal agendas. Some of those agendas do not include Major League Baseball. Consequently, there is no purpose in applying a salary cap to aid teams that don’t necessarily need the help. Rather, they prefer to not compete in money wars. Think of the competitive incentives involved in capitalism versus socialism, and you get the general idea.<br />
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It’s always a good idea for a sports journalist to talk to fans, so I did. When asked if teams such as the Pirates or Mariners were competing on a level playing field, Bruce M. Whittier assistant principal Shawn Vincent said:<br />
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“I think the Pirates and the Royals have the potential to compete. I look to the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays as examples of teams that have hired the right baseball people, made good choices and built up strong systems. It is possible to be highly successful on a short budget.” The Rays have made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons despite a small budget.<br />
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Corey McFadden, a PRHS guidance counselor, disagrees with Vincent. He said:<br />
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“I don’t think they can compete, obviously not. Pittsburgh hasn’t made playoffs since ’92. Pittsburgh and Seattle are perfect examples of places with a strong fan base but they just don’t take the extra step and follow a model like Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay has a great team and can’t even get 8,000 seats filled.”<br />
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Do teams get a bang for the bucks that they pay their players? Let’s consider the numbers.<br />
<br />
Journalist Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times noted that the Cincinnati Reds signed Ryan Madson to a one-year, $8.25 million contract. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year $50 million dollar contract.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTqaIJo-LL-KBJbSmhbA9lUwFJWM48UzyOCWjZhvaBQMwG6MaforMzqKTqP-HTrP8ueopPraom359P7ZvbJw7nn1VGKtZxVFnZOCcQ2uEANLAOwzobO3H8y2D7sNHbnflvph7-QUSgB8/s1600/baseballmoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTqaIJo-LL-KBJbSmhbA9lUwFJWM48UzyOCWjZhvaBQMwG6MaforMzqKTqP-HTrP8ueopPraom359P7ZvbJw7nn1VGKtZxVFnZOCcQ2uEANLAOwzobO3H8y2D7sNHbnflvph7-QUSgB8/s1600/baseballmoney.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of www.sportsagentblog.com</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Papelbon, “Has six years of closing experience, but his 2011 season (4-1, 2.94 ERA, 31 saves, 0.933 WHIP, 87 strikeouts, 10 walks, three homers in 641/3 innings) was only slightly better than Madson's. And Papelbon, 31, is one year removed from a career-worst 5-7 record, 3.90 ERA and 1.269 WHIP” DiGiovanna writes.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, in Madson’s “First season as a closer, the 31-year-old had a 4-2 record with a 2.37 ERA and 32 saves in 602/3 innings. He struck out 62, walked 16, gave up two homers and had a 1.154 WHIP,” according to DiGiovanna.<br />
<br />
What makes Madson’s contract intriguing is that he is signed to a one-year deal. Historically, closers have a small window during which they are successful. Closers are usually fighting for their jobs from year to year, with good reason. Baseball history is full of pitching flameouts: Keith Foulke, Eddie Guardado, Joe Boeowski, Jason Isringhausen, and Eric Gagne in recent years, and several hundred others in the last 50 years. <br />
<br />
At a more athletic position, shortstop, the Phillies chose to spend $18 million over three years for Jimmy Rollins, who is clearly on the downside of a great career. Conversely, the Marlins paid $106 million spread out over six years for Jose Reyes, who plays a lot like the young Jimmy Rollins once played. But Reyes has had calf, ankle and ribcage injuries in the past three years -- problems that Jimmy Rollins didn’t face until he was into his thirties. Who is investing their money wisely, the Phillies or the Marlins?<br />
<br />
Vincent had this to say about the Reyes contract: <br />
<br />
“The team must believe this is a guy that their fans will identify with and support. Maybe they feel the demographic they will entertain can connect with Reyes. I believe it is about more than baseball; I think it is about trying to put a face on their franchise. (Pitching ace) Josh Johnson is great, but he may not match the demographic they anticipate serving.”<br />
<br />
McFadden had a different take. “Contracts have gotten so out of hand. When the Red Sox gave contracts to Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew, I just didn’t care anymore,” he said. “I don’t care what they do with their money. In 2000, I could show up on street of Fenway Park and sit for $23 or stand for $12. I haven’t been to a Sox game for 3 years because it’s hard to get a seat less for than $58. No one is worth $106 million, no matter what you do. Doctors or teachers are worth more money.”<br />
<br />
Looking at how a team’s spending translates into wins in a cost-per-win ratio, the Yankees spent a little over $2 million per win, ending up with 99 wins. The Pirates spent a paltry $625,653 per win, ending the season with 72 wins. Clearly, the more money a team spends on the payroll, the more likely it is for the team to rack up wins. One could argue that not every team has a big city for fan support. However, each team is placed in a prime American city with large amounts of people residing in the greater metro area. There simply is no reason a team cannot spend to win.<br />
<br />
The next time your favorite team has a sub-.500 season, and you still care, look at the owners making executive decisions. Are they pinching pennies? As a famous football guy, Bill Parcells, would say, “The players are what they are.” And so are the owners.Stephanie LaFrenierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394525125169337703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-70415465981380564622012-04-11T08:21:00.004-04:002012-04-11T15:18:02.524-04:00Something to Think About for the Next Easter Sunday By Stephanie LafreniereI remember running through the house as a child searching for tiny colorful eggs<br />
that held special, mostly chocolate, treats inside. It was always a day I looked forward to<br />
and always lived up to the hype. My parents played their parts perfectly, and I, an eager<br />
young child, searched restlessly for each and every egg, which eventually led to<br />
discovering a basket the bunny himself had left behind, just for me. Those were the<br />
golden days of Easter. So, when did Easter suddenly become a second Christmas?<br />
<br />
My 10-year-old nephew received a bike for Easter. A $100 bike, rather than $20<br />
worth of little pieces of candy and a small basket full of fake grass. Iʼm sure either way<br />
he would have received a new bike eventually, but thatʼs not the point. Easter used to<br />
be a small holiday where families would get together for an egg hunt, eat some<br />
chocolate, and have a nice dinner. Even if you werenʼt religious, you probably enjoyed<br />
the fun of the holiday. Somehow, in the last 10 or so years, itʼs become almost like a<br />
second Christmas, where children receive gifts that are much more expensive than the<br />
old basket of eggs, and are usually barely, or not at all, related to Easter in any way.<br />
<br />
Iʼm not saying itʼs a bad thing to give your child a gift, but I just donʼt understand<br />
why Easter has become the day to do so. Isnʼt Christmas stressful enough? And then<br />
there are birthdays too! Itʼs not like kids need another gift-giving holiday.<br />
<br />
“If you look at it from a commercial view, itʼs a lot of fun when youʼre a kid<br />
because you get to go on Easter hunts and get gifts, which racks in money for<br />
businesses. From a religious view, itʼs lost a lot of what it means, or what it used to<br />
mean,” commented Jackie Joncas, a PRHS junior. “And if you look at it from a parentʼs<br />
point of view, itʼs a big waste of money!”<br />
<br />
Jackie comes from a quasi-religious family that still attends an evening mass<br />
after her Easter dinner. Sheʼs from my age level and understands in the the same way I<br />
do that Easter has changed. Though, truthfully, Iʼd have to say everythingʼs changing<br />
nowadays, be it technology, schooling, or yes, even holidays.<br />
<br />
But, donʼt let this keep you from enjoying your Easter and all your Easterʼs after.<br />
Go ahead, eat a delicious dinner, and enjoy that new game that cost your folks a<br />
fortune! Eventually it'll all get back to you.The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-73888228907917542452012-04-02T16:11:00.002-04:002012-04-06T11:56:32.055-04:00Doing Our Part By Matthew Principe<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Norway Veterans home is home to some of the nicest people you will ever met. I’m talking about both the veterans and the people who work there. Our school’s CSL (or Community Service Learning) has taken may trips to this place, each time coming back with smiles on our faces. Even though it has rained every time we have gone up to the home, inside you could never tell. Everyone there is happy. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The home is a wonderful place. The staff is very friendly. There are always activities for the elderly to enjoy taking part of. For the last couple of visits the CSL has been the main attraction. We have played games and painted with the veterans that come to see us. We also listen to all of their remarkable tales.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>I remember one veteran who talked about his secret mission while in the service. He was stationed out in a ship in the middle of an ocean and there was talk that he and other members of his crew would be sent out to do something, but no one knew what that something was. That something turned out to be flying planes to places that need them. He never had to fight in battle or risk his life. The army sent him to all the beautiful places in the world such as Jamaica and Hawaii. At the end of his service he was scar free. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>Another person I personally talked to was a remarkable man. He has lived in Maine for a long time now. He told me and the other members of the CSL about how he has been going skiing at Sunday River for as long as they’ve been open. Every weekend he went skiing, even if he was injured. Lately, however, he hasn’t been able to go much because of his age, but he is still able to get at least one run done when he does make the trip. At that age you have to keep moving. Its inspiring to see someone over the age of 80 able to still ski down the mountain he basically grew up on.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The last man that I’m going to talk about is a man known to everybody as Gramps, who is 101 years old. He is the oldest man in the home. Not only is he as charming as he is funny, but he is also very artistic. He has come to see the CSL every time the group makes the trip. Gramps is a very talented water color painter. He always shows us something out of his many works. If you wish to see his art, go see Ms. Carrera in her room. She has one piece that Gramps did a long time ago. He also filmed some of his stay in WW2. He tried to show the group but the DVD, unfortunately, did not work. When you live 100 years, minor technological glitches don’t bother you. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">If you wish to join the Community Service Club, contact Ms. Carrera, the group’s co-curricular advisor. Let me take this opportunity to say how much fun I personally have serving in the club. It’s hard work, but we have fun -- lots of it. What a better way to get a credit than having fun and helping out your community (not to mention the Red Sox game at the end of the year)? If you have ideas for community service learning or places where we can go to make a difference in people’s lives, stop on by. We meet on Wednesdays after school at the bell, 2:05 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Drop on by.</span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-4039422786984451492012-04-02T16:04:00.003-04:002012-04-06T11:57:22.177-04:00Girls and boys’ hoop teams keep PRHS sports on the rise By Elijah Breton<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">With the conclusion of the 2011-2012 Maine high school basketball season just a couple of weeks behind us, it’s a good time to review and savor the success earned by Poland Regional High School’s girls’ and boys’ teams.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>After a rocky start, going 0-6 in the team’s first six games, the Lady Knights fought their way back into the competitive arena by winning four of their next five games. Their quick success was sparked by freshman Michaella Arsenault, along with sophomore, Emily Bolduc. Together, the underclassmen lead the Lady Knights to a 6-12 record overall for the season, breaking the school’s previous record of most wins (five). Arsenault lead the team in points with 10.2 and 10.6 rebounds per game. Bolduc lead the team with 4.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game. Contributions were also made by seniors Danielle Miville and Katrina Seeley. The Lady Knights’ six wins were good enough to squeak into the playoffs for the first time in the school’s history as the lowest seed in the Class B Western Conference. Unfortunately, the team’s record breaking season ended with a loss in a preliminary game to Spruce Mountain. Nevertheless, it was a record-breaking season.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The Poland Regional High School Knights appeared to be very strong right out of the gate, winning the first two games of their season. Their early success was lead by seniors Jacob Littlefield, Logan Nichols Ricky Bryant, Andrew Peterson, Nate Rybeck, Jed Quint, and Trevor Morin. The Knights went on to win three of their next five games before a series of injuries plagued the team. Through midseason, the Knights lost both Littlefield and Peterson to injuries that would keep them out for nearly the rest of the regular season. Despite losing two of their leaders, seniors Ricky Bryant, Logan Nichols, and Jed Quint each stepped up their games to guide their team to a 5-6 record over the last eleven games. Bryant lead the charge with 16.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while Nichols added 5.2 steals. Sophomore C.J. Martin contributed with 1.7 steals per game. Peterson was able to return to the team before the regular season ended as the Knights finished with a 10-8 record, clinching the 9th seed in the playoffs. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The Knights were able to get Littlefield back into the lineup just in time to beat Mountain Valley in a preliminary game, sending them to the Portland Expo. The team was faced with the challenge of facing the No. 1 seed, Falmouth, whom they would eventually lose to in a hard-fought, and well-played game. The Knights certainly have no reason to hang their heads. They created a positive culture and atmosphere and represented PRHS to the best of their talents.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>Both teams have promising outlooks in the seasons to come. There is no reason to think that each team won’t be able to build off of the success they recently had. PRHS sports in undoubtedly on the upswing as the school’s second decade unfolds.</span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-7652124790101484242012-04-02T16:00:00.001-04:002012-04-06T11:59:09.499-04:00Opinion: This Article is Not Yet Rated by Ryan Szantyr<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">There’s a new documentary film set to be released fairly soon called “Bully.” The film, as one could predict, deals with bullying. Lee Hirsch, the film’s director, was himself bullied as a child and wanted to present a film which dealt openly with the effects of bullying, both from the standpoint of the victim and the bully himself. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>Hirsch has said his goal with the film was to “[inspire] advocacy, engagement, and empowerment not just in people who are being bullied and in their families, but by those of us who all too often stand by and do nothing.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The documentary’s main audience are children––children who bully, who are bullied, and who do nothing while their peers are bullied. However, one thing might prevent the film’s most important audience from seeing it: its rating. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>We all know the ratings: G means anyone can see a movie, PG means anyone can see it, though parental guidance is advised for younger children, PG-13 means parental guidance is strongly advised for children under 13, R means no person under 17 can see the film without an accompanying adult, and NC-17 means no person under 17 can see the film at all. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The organization responsible for these ratings? The Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA. They’re also responsible for the green screen you see at the beginning of the previews which says “This preview has been APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES.” The MPAA also decides the ratings for the films you see (or, if you’re under 17, might <i>not</i> see). </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>“Bully” has received an R-rating, due to language. The kids in the film speak how kids speak––they swear. Now, the MPAA has pretty clear rules about swearing: if a movie uses a bad word (like the f-word) one to four times, then it can get a PG-13 rating, depending, of course, on the context. “Bully” uses such words more than four times, so one can assume that it should get an R-rating. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>But the rule has an exception: a documentary called “Gunner Palace,” about the War in Iraq. <i>That </i>film has 42 uses of the f-word in it, yet it got a PG-13 rating. How? The reason given by the MPAA is that the documentary “shows real life in the army overseas and the importance of the younger audiences to connect and understand what soldiers have to go through.” The MPAA also said “considering the combat conditions facing the human subjects of a war documentary, the language, while strong, did not constitute gratuitous profanity.”</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The filmmakers of “Bully” have now presented the film in front of the MPAA twice, hoping for them to accommodate the strong language in light of the film’s important message, and that message’s importance to children. The MPAA, however, has upheld its R-rating. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>In reaction to the film’s R-rating, Harvey Weinstein, one of the film’s distributors, has decided to release the film unrated. While some may believe this solves the problem, the MPAA works in league with the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), and unrated films are rarely shown at NATO-backed theaters, which mean just about every mainstream theater a kid would have access to. </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>The fact that “Gunner Palace” can get a PG-13 rating despite its strong language yet “Bully” cannot is, in my opinion, appalling. Why can’t the MPAA acknowledge that the film shows the importance of the younger audiences to connect with and understand each other in order to try to stop bullying, just as they acknowledged the importance of “Gunner Palace” in showing the importance of younger audiences in connecting with and understanding what soldiers have to go through? </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Ultimately, “Bully” is being bullied. It is a film which should be seen by every kid, yet because of flimsy and crude rules, most of its audience will not be able to see it. </span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-35557281286205244732012-03-15T15:37:00.000-04:002012-03-15T15:37:23.729-04:00Books you can read because you love to read!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">(Editors note: Welcome to our first Knight Writer book review, courtesy of sophomore Susan Gary, who likes fantasy-romance-science fiction genres).</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Sister’s Voice</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By: Mary Carter</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Sister’s Voice</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a very touching story about a young women in her twenties, who is deaf. Although Lacey grew up in a home for disabled children, she doesn’t see being deaf as a disability, but as a gift. </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One day, Lacey receives a letter claiming that she has a long lost twin. She learns that her biological sister had a normal childhood and she begins the search for her sister and parents. However, she finds that her childhood was anything but simple and her past has more twists and turns the further she digs.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Sister’s Voice</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is beautifully A constructed story about a young deaf woman learning her past. This novel shows the power of sisterhood and the strength of any form of love. Any reader looking for a touching story would be recommended to read this book. This book should also open the horizon of any reader taking a look into the life of a deaf person and their views on the world.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Iron Fey Series</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By: Julie Kagawa</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 10.0px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meghan Chase was the girl in the back of the room whom no one ever talked to. That is, except for her best friend Puck. Her biological father left when she was a young child, and her only memory is of him disappearing into a pond. Now her step father forgets she exists.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When her real brother goes missing and an impostor takes his place, Puck tells Meghan that she belongs to the hidden world of the fey (fairies). Meghan begins her journey through the dangerous Wildwood and finds herself in the Winter and Summer Courts of the fey world, both of which desire to claim her as their own, for she has a secret to her blood that she has yet to learn.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The journey of Meghan’s adventure of finding her brother, finding her true father, learning the power in her blood, and choosing between Puck who has loved her for years and Ash, the Prince of the Winter Court, can be found in a series of four books. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Iron Knight</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a capturing series that will keep you guessing as Meghan is forced to continuously make hard decisions that all have life changing consequences. Anyone with an open mind will be captured by this mysterious tale of Meghan Chase’s journey of trying to find her brother, and more importantly, herself.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The House of Night Series</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By: P.C. and Kristin Cast</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font: 10.0px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Zoey is a typical teenager; she’s lost touch with her mother, she has an un-loving step father and is dating the quarterback. Then suddenly one day at school, Zoey gets marked. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Zoey discovers she has 6 years to adjust to being a vampire, or die because her body can’t handle the change. Add to this stress the High Priestess of her new vampire school, House of Night, is evil, and Zoey has the rare power to control not only the rarest element, spirit, but all five, (Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Spirit). You can imagine the struggles Zoey must face. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Zoey must handle her powers to control the elements, take on the responsibility of being a high priestess, look after the Red Ones, die, and return from the after life. You can experience Zoey’s struggles and faith in Nyx through the continuing series of the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">House of Night: Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and more to come. The </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">House of Night</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> series is about more than the cliche story of raging vampires. It’s about taking responsibilities, making choices for the betterment of others before yourself, and getting past the inequalities of life. Zoey learns all this while trying to save humanity from the evil in her kind, and still doesn’t know if she’ll survive the change. This series is for any fantasy or romance reader.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Mortal Instrument Series</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By: Cassandra Clare</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Clary has lived a very simple life, and she was happy with it. She loves her mom, her stepfather Luke adores her, and Simon is her best friend. Then suddenly she is able to see weird creatures and two teens killing monsters. Jace and his sister are Shadowhunters (keeping the human world safe from deadly monsters) and can’t imagine how Clary has the sight. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Turns out Clary has Shadowhunter blood and starts her life long training. Simon is in love with her and is turned into a vampire. She falls in love with Jace, but they keep getting torn apart, Luke is really a werewolf, her mom is a Shadowhunter, but who is her dad?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A reader looking for adventure, action, and a little romance will find that and more in the Mortal Instrument series: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, and City of Lost Souls.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Unearthly</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By: Cynthia Hand</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Clara Gardner is part angel. She’s stronger and faster than her peers, and now she’s been given her purpose. She is a Guardian Angel and is finally receiving her visions. A boy standing in the burning woods. Where is he, who is he, and what is she supposed to do? These are the questions Clara must find the answers to own her own, causing her family to move, she falls in love, and her life suddenly becomes much more dangerous.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Any high schooler will be able to connect with Clara. Her story is more than just her trying to complete her purpose. Clara is still going through her adolescent stages. She has tiffs with her family, she a crush who doesn’t seem to notice her, and she’s really just like one of us.</span></span></span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-86364520376704266912012-03-06T13:20:00.003-05:002012-04-06T12:04:15.115-04:00PRHS Last Century: A Past We Should Remember By Stephanie LaFreniere<span style="font-size: small;">Poland Regional High School was established in 1999 with the understanding that high schools in the surrounding area would no longer accept kids from Minot, Mechanic Falls, and Poland due to overcrowding. As a new school, PRHS was drenched in chaos during its first few years.</span><br />
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Parents constantly argued with the school about the quality and style of teaching or just the general way the school was run, accusing the faculty of (among other things) openly promoting homosexuality.<br />
So, what was this like for the students? It must have been difficult to switch from a school you were in, for possibly up to three years prior, to a new school that was up to so much criticism.</span><br />
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One man with a unique perspective was the first senior class president at PRHS, Derek Drumtra.</span><br />
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“It was a new experience for everyone trying to get an innovative school with breakthrough ideas on the map in an old-school minded community,” said Drumtra in a recent interview that we conducted through email. “Some people embraced the ideas, others fought it every step of the way.”</span><br />
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Drumtra leaves no doubt about his feelings for PRHS, calling his one year here “a great experience … everyone involved learned a lot.”</span><br />
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I talked to Mr. Drumtra about his experience here at Poland Regional to find out how he felt the school was run and kept. I figured he’d have a lot more inside information to judge the makeup of PRHS. He sounds like he has maintained the ideology of a student, with the additional wisdom that comes with age. He spoke of nothing but good memories and how much he enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of a new school, despite all the chaos.</span><br />
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“In the end it was good for everyone,” Drumtra said of the daily drama. “I think we all learned something. I loved everything about that time; the newness, chaos, everything, I liked being in the middle of it all. Being the first class president was an exciting time and I relished in every moment of it. It was an experience like none other and I would do it all over again. It was worth it.”</span><br />
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The only negative thing Derek had to say about PRHS was the unrealistic way it addressed life and certain aspects of school. When asked if he thought PRHS prepared one for college he answered, “I would say yes and no. More on the no side, Poland gives you too many chances in life and in college you don't get that many opportunities.”</span><br />
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I asked him to elaborate on this and he replied, “It gives you too many chances in ‘school.’ I mean, it's not realistic in real life. If you fail a test you make up an excuse and take it again. It's not like that in college or the real world.” Drumtra knows a thing or two about the real world. He is a real estate broker, and he owns two businesses – a construction company and a boat rental company.</span><br />
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I share similar opinions with Derek, in the sense that there are too many chances, but I feel as though this is true in any high school, not just Poland; our teachers want us to succeed, I believe, and would do anything to help us. In college, there might not be so much leeway.</span><br />
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Despite the chaos of a new high school forming--fights between students, teachers, parents; all the constant conflict--Derek managed to keep a positive outlook on his high school career (and achieved the rank of class president) that appears to have carried with him throughout his life. He should be an example to all of us – not letting tough times get us stuck, and to always strive for the best we can be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Besides getting married, and the birth of my baby girl, being class president and being involved in everything at the beginning was one of the greatest, most fun and rewarding times of my life,” he said. “Weird to think that a senior in high school thought being in high school was fun, but it was. I loved every minute of it. It's the greatest time in your life, enjoy every minute of it and don't let it pass you by!”</span>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-77175113800360438402012-03-06T10:04:00.001-05:002012-03-06T13:15:47.562-05:00Revisit Winter Carnival! Photos by Lauren Harris<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.354821144540666.79893.202313539791428&type=3">CLASS OF 2015</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poland-Regionals-Knight-Writer/202313539791428">Poland Regionals Knight Writer</a></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0Poland, ME, USA44.0605556 -70.39361109999998744.0018061 -70.4901111 44.1193051 -70.297111099999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-20472603312951060502012-02-10T17:38:00.015-05:002012-02-12T20:04:10.721-05:00Love for One Day in the Calendar Year? By Stephanie LaFreniere<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECbCb-Oc61Fjb1OtmnPZrgZyu07tnhHOA7vITwnvNGaSv9GVeKiawpNLGdxkdU_ISDv_0w3Hu6KMsnUWfp0Jt8tPBILkE6YpD58OeU8EJEddrYuyOOyYkoZO-KiP6ncmCwsibWlFSX0E/s1600/happy_valentine__s_day_by_drkzdoodles-d4p3rmr.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECbCb-Oc61Fjb1OtmnPZrgZyu07tnhHOA7vITwnvNGaSv9GVeKiawpNLGdxkdU_ISDv_0w3Hu6KMsnUWfp0Jt8tPBILkE6YpD58OeU8EJEddrYuyOOyYkoZO-KiP6ncmCwsibWlFSX0E/s320/happy_valentine__s_day_by_drkzdoodles-d4p3rmr.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Doodle drawn by Stephanie LaFreniere</span></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What’s the first thing that comes to your head when you think of Valentine’s Day? You probably think of love. In fact, that’s probably what most people think of – love. You’re not wrong; actually, you couldn’t be any more right. Valentine’s Day is all about love, but not in the right ways, and certainly not for the right reasons. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Like any holiday, Valentine’s Day is a huge money maker. </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every year, according to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">nationalstationaryshow.com </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and the Greeting Card Association. That's </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1,000,000,000</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. This makes Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. </span></span></span></div>
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<i>For this was on seynt Volantynys day</i><br />
<i>Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make</i>.</blockquote>
"For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when<br />
every bird cometh there to choose his mate."<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Picture and Poem courtesy of Wikipedia </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Valentine’s Day wasn’t always about celebrating love, or making money. A long time ago the day commemorated the death of a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine (there may have been more than one St. Valentine, but that's another story).</span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that Valentine’s Day started to become associated with love. In France and England, it was thought that February 14th was the beginning of birds’ mating season. This helped to influence the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The earliest association of Valentine’s Day with love is in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Parlement of Foules</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer. He wrote the poem to honor the first anniversary of King Richard || of England and Anne Of Bohemia’s engagement. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The major flaw in Valentine’s Day, other than the corruptive influence of money, is love. If love is the main “theme” of Valentine’s Day, wouldn’t that make the whole holiday a sham? Or worse, wouldn't that make the concept of love a sham?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Don’t get me wrong, love is great -- wonderful, in fact, but for some reason we like to pretend that it rises to the forefront of our collective conscience on Valentine’s Day. You don’t see a lot of people going out of their way to buy chocolates or flowers for their significant other on any other day of the year, or going on many fancy dress-up dates. Why should Valentine’s Day be any different than any other day of the year? Why should this one day be celebrated for love? Shouldn’t we celebrate love all the time? Having love celebrated only one day of the year makes people not appreciate the idea of love as much, or the idea of showing love. It creates pressure to give gifts to your special someone. The pressure would cease to exist if showing real love and affection weren't so “out of the ordinary” on a daily basis. Why isolate “love” and its fancy trappings to one day?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be necessary to remind you to express your love and appreciation for someone. There are 365 days in a year (366 in a leap year) where someone can show their admiration for people whom they care about. Valentine’s Day is only one of them, but it's the only one with </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">one billion</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> cards to show “affection.”</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/11411294/1/valentines-day-is-dumb-and-youre-wasting-money.html?cm_ven=emailfriend"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Check out another great Valentines day story!</span></span></a></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-82834781200879421622012-02-09T19:12:00.004-05:002012-02-10T07:26:44.142-05:00Zombies. Presidential Candidates. Same Thing. By Matthew Principe<div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Most high school kids don't care about politics. This includes those who actually know a few things and those who don't. Those who do care about politics desperately need comic relief.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I'm asking all of you – those who care, those who don't, and those who think our leaders and candidates will end the world in 2012 before the zombies do – to pay attention to this guy:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">His name is Vermin Supreme. He is becoming quite popular this year (if you have not heard of Mr. Supreme, check him out on the link we have provided). He has run for president before, but every year he continues to increase in popularity.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Mr. Supreme's words, he is a “tyrant, a friendly fascist, someone you should trust.” Sounds crazy, right? Maybe, but this is not Supreme’s “first rodeo.” Heck, no, he has political experience! According to Wikipedia, in 2004, he received 149 votes in the Washington, D.C. presidential primary. In the 2008 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, he received 41 votes. In 2012, Vermin Supreme received 833 votes in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary. Is he catching on? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Who would vote for this guy? What is this world coming to? Former PRHS student Dillon Douglass gave this some thought before saying that Vermin Supreme's metaphors on teeth made him look quite stupid. “And he wears a boot on his head,” Dillon said. “I question that.” (Dillon is clearly overqualified to editorialize on politics for Fox or MSNBC). </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Don't worry, I think Supreme's candidacy is a big intentional joke; I don’t think he will actually go though with a legitimate campaign. I mean, nobody has time to think of that many teeth puns when they have to run the country or play politics with the big boys and girls. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I think it’s funny. Today, politics are very serious. We do live in serious times, but we need more humor and relaxation now. I think that’s just what Supreme brings to this election. <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Most students I talk to don't want to discuss politics. If I press them and ask what they would look for in a leader, the most common answer is “intelligence.” But who knows whether Vermin Supreme is or more or less intelligent than Barrack Obama, Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In no way am I supporting him and giving him my vote, but, if the world is going end this year due to a zombie apocalypse (you don't hear Romney, Gingrich or Obama talking about this, do you?) then we need something in our lives to make life just a little easier. So let’s sit back, wear a boot, brush our teeth, and wait for a zombie apocalypse.</span></span></span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-15588887430080098622011-12-15T14:17:00.012-05:002012-02-16T12:35:01.378-05:00Speech & Debate Team Having Another Good Year by Ryan Szantyr<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Poland Regional High School played host to a Speech and Debate tournament on earlier this month, and the event proved successful. Poland’s Speech and Debate team, coached by D’Arcy Robinson and captained by Elijah Breton, worked throughout the week to get the school ready for the tournament––the biggest of the season so far. <br />
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Ms. Robinson felt the tournament went smoothly.<br />
“We placed fourth out of twenty-two schools, and given the expectations for us to put on the tournament, I think we did pretty well,” Robinson said. <br />
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Elijah Breton, who placed second for his event, had a bittersweet response to the tournament. Despite the tournament’s success from a hosting standpoint, Elijah was critical of the lack of support on the part of the school’s administration and faculty.<br />
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“To me, its hard to see administrators going to almost every home sporting event there is, but not go to one of the two Poland tournaments,” Breton said. “There isn't any reason why they can't come and support the team as well as Ms. Robinson's hard work. We have such a great team, and I enjoy what I do very much. But, sometimes I question why I get up almost every Saturday morning when I know there is no support.” <br />
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Although Ms. Robinson had similar sentiments, she acknowledged the support of co-curricular director Don King, who attended the tournament, as well as the Boosters.<br />
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“It’s always nice for people support the team and see how hard the kids work,” Robinson said. “There is some real value for the students.” Ms. Robinson also acknowledged the support from parents who helped set up for and facilitate the tournament.<br />
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The real success for the tournament, from Ms. Robinson’s standpoint, was that “we worked as a team. We did what we needed to do, and I’ve gotten several e-mails from the coaches of the schools that participated telling me how smoothly it went and how happy they were that we were able to finish on time and even early, which is quite an achievement for Speech and Debate.”<br />
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Another tournament -- speech-only -- was scheduled for Saturday the 17th at Mount Desert Island High School. If you see Speech members in the hallways and classrooms, be sure to check in and ask them how their team performed. They’re representing our school, they compete against the best in their field, and they need our support.</span></span>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-86063483755315394982011-12-15T14:15:00.005-05:002012-02-09T19:18:56.298-05:00Book Bags, Safety & Two Sets of Rules By Alexandrea Savard<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The school's new book bag rule generated a lot of debate early in the semester. Sophomores seem to care the most, because they're supposed to leave their backpacks out of the classroom, while juniors and seniors can carry their bags everywhere. Sophomores are afraid they will be late for classes, miss a bus, or forget something in their locker. They want their bags with them.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Students seem to agree that backpacks on the floor create safety problems, but they argue that it's already difficult to get to class on time without a trip to the locker. It's just more convenient and efficient to have your bag with you in class. Teachers, of course, say students have plenty of time to go anywhere all day.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Safety is a huge issue with book bags. One issue students don't often consider is that nobody but you knows what's inside your bag. In countries where citizens face more national security issues than we do, leaving a book bag on the ground, unattended, is considered dangerous. There could be something inside the bag that can hurt people. Other safety issues are simpler – if the fire alarms go off people can trip over the book bags, making it more difficult to get out of the building on time. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">And then there are health issues. Students go to the school nurse all the time with back pain. Could we reduce the traffic of students leaving class for the nurse's office if we reduce the weight on students' backs? Think about it.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Getting to class on time shouldn’t be an issue. The time between classes has been extended this year.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Unfortunately, there's a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that shows PRHS kids don't know how to operate a combination lock, a situation that will make some hesitant to stuff their backpack in the locker. </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">“I think that if they are going to to make kids keep their bags in their lockers, they should have key locks on them or they should have no locks at all on them, because there are a lot of kids in the high school who can't use a combination lock,” said Kristopher Lugner, a PRHS senior.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">And let's not forget the resentment that sophomores feel about different sets of rules for them and upperclassmen.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">“I really don't like it at all, but I think that eventually we'll have to get used to it, “ sophomore Natasha Thoits said about the new book bag rule. “It's not that bad, we just need to adjust. But what I can't stand is that only freshmen and sophomores are the ones who have to follow this rule. Freshmen are used to using their binders and stuff, while sophomores are already adjusted to using their backpacks. Juniors and seniors should have to follow this rule as well.” </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Which raises an obvious issue. If backpacks in the classroom are such a safety concern, why does this concern apply for only half the school?</span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-7369218938108610242011-12-08T08:49:00.011-05:002012-02-09T19:20:38.081-05:00Spirit Week: Penny War, Dress-Up Days, Community Service, The Works! By Stephanie Lafreniere<div class="p1">Spirit Week is a time of fun and friendly competition at PRHS. Each class is pitted against each other in the various activities of the week; whether it be dressing up to fit each day’s specific theme, or a war of pennies and collection of food. And of course, with every Spirit Week there must be a celebration!<br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;">The Penny War is one of our fundraisers during Spirit Week this time around, but not all the profits go to PRHS; we are donating revenue to heating assistance programs for needy families. Times are tough, people are losing jobs, so we decided to help out the community. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;">A portion of the Penny War <b>proceeds</b> will go to the winning class, however. The basic concept of a penny war is to collect the most pennies for your class; each class is given a huge container to dump their pennies in. So if you ever have some spare pennies dump them into your classes container. But, everything else--dimes, quarters, nickels, dollars--is bad and the amount of money the silver coin stands for will be subtracted from your amount of pennies. So, if my class had ten pennies (10 Points) and one nickel (-5 Points) we’d be left with 5 Points. So don’t put anything other than pennies into your classes container! It’s a pretty simple game and it brings a lot of hype and excitement from the classes. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;">We’re also going to be holding a food drive for anything non-perishable, such as canned goods, or basically anything packaged that won’t go bad. The food we collect is going to go to the food bank. How does this help us, though? Well, during our Spirit Week assembly each class will be given approximately 15 minutes to create a castle out of all the food their class brought in. Though it’s not set in stone yet, it’s been rumored that the best castle wins points that will go towards their Winter Carnival score. A couple extra points would be helpful, right? Might be just the edge to push a class to the top!</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>Each day of Spirit Week holds a special “meaning”; in other words, each day has a certain theme we’re asked to abide by. Our beloved Valentine’s Day comes early this year on Monday. How does one go about dressing up for Valentine’s Day? Other than wearing pink or red of course...maybe we’ll get some cupids. That would be hilarious. Tuesday we’ll need some of those ‘lil Freshman to put on some green hats and dance around, as it’s St. Patrick’s Day! Be sure to wear some green! Oh yeah, are fireworks legal now? Because Wednesday is the 4th of July for us; be sure to wear some red, white, and blue! (Seriously, don't bring fireworks.) Thursday we’re going back in time about two months to relive some yummy candy goodness; Halloween is back so be sure to bring in enough candy for everyone! And finally, we have Friday. Now you’re probably thinking, ‘oh, Friday must be Christmas or some other fantastic holiday!’. Well, I wish I could I entertain your enthusiasm, but it’s no other than Ugly Sweatshirt day. Don’t be embarrassed, dig out your most revolting sweatshirt and wear it to school! Maybe you can find an old Christmas sweater your aunt gave you to keep the holiday spirits going. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;">If dressing up isn’t your thing, maybe you’ll enjoy a nice casual dance? We had hoped to have a dance on Ugly Sweatshirt day, but it turns out the Middle School already has a dance planned that night. But, there’s a possibility of a casual dance on the Wednesday before vacation that is probably going to help the Senior class raise money for their class trip in the spring. So everyone should attend to help see their favorite Seniors off!</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>Spirit Week is the perfect way to wind down that last, almost unbearable, full week of school before Christmas Vacation. Everyone gets out some holiday cheer with the competitions and we get to see our teachers embarrass themselves with their goofy themed outfits. We also get to spread some holiday joy to those in need with our fundraisers. Next week will be a good one!</span><br />
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<div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Spirit Week is 12/12/11 – 12/16/11 </i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Monday: Valentine's Day</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Tuesday: St. Patrick's Day</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Wednesday: Fourth of July</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Thursday: Halloween</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Friday: Ugly Sweatshirt Day</i></b></span></div><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span></div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-68598569777463360762011-12-08T08:47:00.001-05:002011-12-08T12:06:23.654-05:00Are the kids in charge of PDA enforcement? By Caitlyn Currie<div class="p1"><span class="s1">As we all have been reminded multiple times, PRHS policy limits public displays of affection (PDA) to "holding hands and brief, friendly hugs" and no further. Pretty simple, direct and straightforward. But for some reason, many students interpret this as:</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">"The rules to PDA are up to the discretion and morals of each individual student."</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> In other words, "Rules? What rules?" What we all need to hear and realize is PDA affects everyone, including many of us who have no choice but to observe kids making out, groping and grinding in the hallways. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Of course, many students witnessing PDA in the school say it doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable, or they just “don’t care.” Maybe that’s why we hear so many complaints about the rule. Maybe, just perhaps, that’s why we need the rule.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> Hear me out here. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Is it possible we've become immune to PDA? I believe we’ve come to a point where we don’t notice the couple playing <b>tonsil</b> hockey in the middle of the hall. It’s just being ignored. If it’s getting to a point where it is that “regular” or “normal,” well, that’s a sign it needs to stop. This is where the rules play in.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">We don't make the rules, despite the fact that we like to believe we do. And the lack of enforcement by most teachers leads most of us to believe that we carry more than a little authority throughout the school. Personally, I have seen some of that same attitude carried out with some of the other school rules as well. Although the teenager inside me wants to rebel, well, just to rebel, the rules are the rules. But teachers don't do us any favors with selective enforcement.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I know we’ve all heard it before: “It’s a distraction to your learning.” And, whether one would like to admit it or not, school is a work place. Here we are learning appropriate behavior for our future work places. And tell me, if you were at the office ten years from now, how unsettling would it be to have to dodge smooching couples on your way to the copier, or to have two people locking eyes like they’re straight out of “The Notebook,” standing right next to your cubicle while you’re trying to do your work? Or to sit in a meeting between two people who just had their hands on each other's butts before the boss walked in? Exactly.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">So, you PDA newcomers, (those of you in a sparkly new relationship), </span><span class="s1">and you regular offenders, listen </span>up: Your peers, teachers, and future co-workers would be very grateful if you could take it down a notch. Take a deep breath. Lower the heat. </div>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197143706680548048.post-16079026109801869212011-10-21T10:50:00.003-04:002011-12-15T15:14:38.840-05:00We Came, We Defeated, We Partied.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz5e5MD851r4lXMK4GPX3UUn86M5KMja-_ojNOfGpC201Y6JF8c0ph96NY6evVa53ic_TlgeS4Hd1-VcAEe86y8zoJQUFnhbQIjiV_bZLz0bS8nk7YX_1y4Dg0UOewh3z5qt-AezbFY4/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQz5e5MD851r4lXMK4GPX3UUn86M5KMja-_ojNOfGpC201Y6JF8c0ph96NY6evVa53ic_TlgeS4Hd1-VcAEe86y8zoJQUFnhbQIjiV_bZLz0bS8nk7YX_1y4Dg0UOewh3z5qt-AezbFY4/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Isabella Baker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The rest of the pictures can be found on our Facebook (please like us!). Who knows, maybe you might be in our stash. We'd love more writers! You get to be part of an awesome team, and even get a co-curricular credit.<br />
Any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas, email or contact Lauren Harris (3lauren4@gmail.com), Stephanie LaFreniere (steph.lafreniere13@gmail.com), or Mr. Chutchian (kchutchian@rsu16.org). We'd love to hear from you!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Isabella Baker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Isabella Baker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Isabella Baker</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLMYidZIAdZzUM_GIsp5jYBXn60qKwTbhd2_QTXsPSlOcEGjPyiTTusf8VBs472Oa3qDhmoGc9uD1_MBbSFKNIQaeEfKQjwYRm7GfvWoZUfJSIJDv6r2KAh_QK95fxIl7CkCiCvGWwH0/s1600/DSC_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLMYidZIAdZzUM_GIsp5jYBXn60qKwTbhd2_QTXsPSlOcEGjPyiTTusf8VBs472Oa3qDhmoGc9uD1_MBbSFKNIQaeEfKQjwYRm7GfvWoZUfJSIJDv6r2KAh_QK95fxIl7CkCiCvGWwH0/s320/DSC_0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Isabella Baker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVkbiKttoUbx0wXGaUPHflIIWkVPCg3TMAbT1FYdyVazizKWnf4ZDYYGOZiKtejPfY92jkMm-Sit2va-2HhTSJ6usNTe0vikccH3Um-EQ_ado3zVbjP2Ua54fPYFsvtft4VPqmDKNHA8/s1600/DSCN2523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVkbiKttoUbx0wXGaUPHflIIWkVPCg3TMAbT1FYdyVazizKWnf4ZDYYGOZiKtejPfY92jkMm-Sit2va-2HhTSJ6usNTe0vikccH3Um-EQ_ado3zVbjP2Ua54fPYFsvtft4VPqmDKNHA8/s320/DSCN2523.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWsYhF3uju0Un10zBz8MIzO4Xwy6Mq7APZP2bihN5-NnKApOMy86I3Pl0t2837nJOIBgf5raqmALwPeKdy8KYfEZmdk8NE7wCsWUXQbfY6giBUHJgnMDLZ1VqL7rpPzl-IbgNO_HSsm0/s1600/DSCN2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWsYhF3uju0Un10zBz8MIzO4Xwy6Mq7APZP2bihN5-NnKApOMy86I3Pl0t2837nJOIBgf5raqmALwPeKdy8KYfEZmdk8NE7wCsWUXQbfY6giBUHJgnMDLZ1VqL7rpPzl-IbgNO_HSsm0/s320/DSCN2580.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSv1cmDqxKN0WIx3vguW7Acvr5iJWkZgRUcod6ZpcFFnlOKE2i3s4iQIjA3AmQWRG0yYlwjIdPwrrDfIHE_IyeDoVaBQUnbHZsOmRBmMeu5CjHVnjpdtzleqfD_C5ywxzDuWQNKuGjQjw/s1600/DSCN2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSv1cmDqxKN0WIx3vguW7Acvr5iJWkZgRUcod6ZpcFFnlOKE2i3s4iQIjA3AmQWRG0yYlwjIdPwrrDfIHE_IyeDoVaBQUnbHZsOmRBmMeu5CjHVnjpdtzleqfD_C5ywxzDuWQNKuGjQjw/s320/DSCN2597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPE_gGnkxADNm71CvKW0HSKQIGhEabZGdoySTOIW2KStguK5RO29p70iranb3jzlE3I9E6lzdpzETsZ_qAZnsWqBV3jbM_05DNt5ivLVZaBcOvZrPY6_F2UXi32T2gzBHetl_0tp7M9c/s1600/IMG_3442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPE_gGnkxADNm71CvKW0HSKQIGhEabZGdoySTOIW2KStguK5RO29p70iranb3jzlE3I9E6lzdpzETsZ_qAZnsWqBV3jbM_05DNt5ivLVZaBcOvZrPY6_F2UXi32T2gzBHetl_0tp7M9c/s320/IMG_3442.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8iizezC1eSYHN_RmwjRDhgBTD6Y6gxnRYQZZ1G81qoXQXGT3pi_OAlmKDkioyzrY_7oxxc30SBXXU5hNyqTtwhCemP_qB0H2diDM7LHSLt4Vxi06mfZNIIVVrUHjmlBBWJp1Sd-Fg9Y/s1600/IMG_3475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8iizezC1eSYHN_RmwjRDhgBTD6Y6gxnRYQZZ1G81qoXQXGT3pi_OAlmKDkioyzrY_7oxxc30SBXXU5hNyqTtwhCemP_qB0H2diDM7LHSLt4Vxi06mfZNIIVVrUHjmlBBWJp1Sd-Fg9Y/s400/IMG_3475.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny7wy3RHnLt4gxk_gb-gKA4Y1b4kZk97n6o4sSIum7ZlRJ_I8xkS0J_4vW7tWoxZcJJhCD68cLK1FxCYIMfHYS5q1IVnZfSZSB6rf7E4YS2VTW-tkVtojP3a78uPT_OvG-8njim7TuSA/s1600/IMG_3618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny7wy3RHnLt4gxk_gb-gKA4Y1b4kZk97n6o4sSIum7ZlRJ_I8xkS0J_4vW7tWoxZcJJhCD68cLK1FxCYIMfHYS5q1IVnZfSZSB6rf7E4YS2VTW-tkVtojP3a78uPT_OvG-8njim7TuSA/s320/IMG_3618.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephanie LaFreniere</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Knight Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09249488724813546423noreply@blogger.com0Poland Regional High School, 1457 Maine St, Poland, ME 04274-7333, USA44.0737477 -70.41430880000001544.0698937 -70.421604300000013 44.077601699999995 -70.407013300000017