Community Service Day - Food Banking

Our fellow PRHS students indulged in some good ole' Community Service recently and offered their help to a local food bank. 

All photos taken by Pam Rawson. 

Fanchtastic by Stephanie LaFreniere

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.”

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. 

The Fanch. 

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.

"The Fanch"
Photo Taken by Sally Littlefield

Fortunately for me, I learned that her contempt for freshman is exceeded by her loathing for senior boys. 

“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.  

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. 

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. 

After my brief, but undeniably accurate survey of frightening teachers, it was easy to conclude that Fanch is the Champion of Fear. Then I did a scary thing: I asked her how she felt about this title.“It makes my job easier,” she answered, nonchalantly. “I just have to look at someone and they’ll stop. They don’t know I’m going to do.”  

If I were a teacher, I’d aspire to be like Fanch. This year is her last year, and I’m glad I chose to overcome my fear and spend it with her, in stats.

CSL is Back! By Matthew Principe

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. 

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.

 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.

A Photo from the Boston Trip Last Year

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.

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.

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.

 If you are interested in learning more about the community service club, or if you want to join,  please contact Ms. Carrera at ncarrera@rsu16.org.

Twitter and Facebook had a Baby and Called it Tumblr by Stephanie LaFreniere

Courtesy of wpmu.org

Anyone who frequents the Internet, or even just occasionally visits, knows about Tumblr, or has at least heard of it.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.
  

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.

“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?”

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.

“Nothing original EVER comes out of the useless cesspool of Tumblr,” says PRHS junior Ian Pickett.

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.”

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.

“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.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

Girls and boys’ hoop teams keep PRHS sports on the rise By Elijah Breton

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

PRHS Last Century: A Past We Should Remember By Stephanie LaFreniere

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.

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.
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.

One man with a unique perspective was the first senior class president at PRHS,  Derek Drumtra.

“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.”

Drumtra leaves no doubt about his feelings for PRHS, calling his one year here  “a great experience … everyone involved learned a lot.”

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.

“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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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.

“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!”

Speech & Debate Team Having Another Good Year by Ryan Szantyr

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.

Ms. Robinson felt the tournament went smoothly.
“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.

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.

“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.”

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.

“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.

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.”

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.

Book Bags, Safety & Two Sets of Rules By Alexandrea Savard

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Getting to class on time shouldn’t be an issue. The time between classes has been extended this year.

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. 

“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.

And let's not forget the resentment that sophomores feel about different sets of rules for them and upperclassmen.

“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.” 

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?

Spirit Week: Penny War, Dress-Up Days, Community Service, The Works! By Stephanie Lafreniere

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!


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. 

A portion of the Penny War proceeds 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. 

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!

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. 

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!

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!

Spirit Week is 12/12/11 – 12/16/11

Monday: Valentine's Day

Tuesday: St. Patrick's Day

Wednesday: Fourth of July

Thursday: Halloween

Friday: Ugly Sweatshirt Day

Go Green Club starts small, thinks big, By Nicky Landry

The Go Green club is trying to raise money by collecting bottles and find new ways to recycle and save energy. Its ultimate goal is to save the planet.

Every Friday the Go Green club goes to every class and picks up bottles during lunch and roundtable. This helps with recycling and raising money.

Members of the Go Green Club talk about fund-raising, projects to help the environment, and how to use their revenue for those projects. The meetings usually run for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how many kids show up, how many bottles have been collected, and how many ideas the kids have.

The Go Green Club needs your ideas. This  is a great place to share your ideas and thoughts about how you can make the school a lot more “green.” If you would like to get involved with the program so you can help too, you can start by helping the Go Green Club collecting bottles on Fridays. You could be saving the environment, and just you and a few of your friends could be a big part in saving the world.  See Ms. Smith in teacher pod D204 for details.

Right now the club is still in the brainstorming stages. Last year they recycled bottles and decorated a Christmas tree with helpful tips on how to save the environment.

Go Green is a start for tackling some really important environmental issues in the world such as  global warming and lack of public transportation.

This club is a great way to get together with some of your peers and talk about better ways to save our planet, and other ways to save energy. If you just want to help out a little  you cans start small by recycling papers that you don’t need anymore, or just putting your used bottle in recycle bin. Just by doing that you can help out a great amount with saving the Earth. If you think these simple acts can change the world, then the Go Green Club is right for you. If you're into more talk than action, then show up for Go Green Club meetings and share.

Check out http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green if you want to get some great ideas about how to go green.  Get a bunch of friends together and you could be a huge part in saving your school, neighborhood, and even the world!

Living the Big Dream: A rocker’s journal By Grahm Kwasnick (Photo credit to Lauren Harris)

For most teenagers, a Friday is considered a weekly holiday. Once that final bell rings throughout the hallways, our spirits soar. As a musician, my spirits soar on weekends also. But not on Friday afternoon. On Friday afternoon, my work has just begun.

Friday 2:05pm. I walk amongst the many students toward the student parking lot, easily spotting my vehicle.  A 1993 red and white suburban, or “Burb” as we call it. For my band members, that suburban is much more than some ancient piece of metal and wheels. It’s our band vehicle. That suburban’s job is to lug a drum set, cymbals, cymbal stands, amplifiers, guitars, bass guitars and of course the band itself. That suburban has a history to us, and is much more than some vehicle. It is practically a member of the band. Sure it might reek of fast food and sweat, but it’s a smell we know to be one unlike any other. 

2:10pm. Buckling into the suburban, turning on music and setting aside our bags is something we do reflexively. It’s us removing the school side of us for the day. We’ll talk about our day at school, but then we move onto The Show. Where it is, what time “load-in” is at. When we’re going on. What we need to get. All of this consumes us as we make our way to our guitarist’s house to start packing up our gear. 

2:30pm. Arriving at guitarist Shawn Verrill’s house is a routine thing also. We enter with a direct path to food. Going a whole day without junk food is pretty hard for three teenagers with high metabolisms. After grabbing what we can, we make our way up to Shawn’s room and grab guitar chords, guitar pedals, his amplifier head and cab and, most importantly, his guitars. Trying to be as efficient as possible, we load in all the equipment into the suburban. Knowing Shawn as long as I have, I have observed some things he does before shows. Shawn will apply his Bose over-ear headphones and listen to his iPod as he gets dressed. Pumping himself up for the night is his main goal. Making sure that when his feet hit that stage he will be ready to perform at his fullest. 

3:30pm. Once we’ve told Shawn’s parents where we’re playing and what time we hope to be back, we’re off to our second destination, Richard’s house. Richard is the drummer in our band and the frequent driver of the suburban. Once at Richard’s house we all begin the procedure of putting all the drums into cases and into the suburban. But you cannot just throw the drum set into the suburban and call it alright. Richard won’t let that happen. Richard treats his drum set much like he would a mother caring for her child. Richard, and only Richard, puts the drums into the suburban. Shawn and myself simply help if he asks for it. Once the drums are in place, Richard gets his last minute things together and we move to our third destination, my house.

3:55pm. At about this time, we’re at my house. Shawn and Richard stay in my driveway in the suburban while I take care of my equipment and myself. This is one moment during the evening where I can get myself into the mindset I want to be in. But I don’t fully get into it just yet. Instead I focus on making sure I have all the cords I will need, my basses are in playable condition and most importantly, I make sure that I am. During this time I pace around my room countless times. Saying out loud all the things I have and all the things I will need for the night. “Okay got my bass cords, bass one, bass two, clothes for Shawn’s house after the show, my wallet, picks, toothbrush..” The list goes on for at least five minutes. But once I have checked off everything in my mental “Bring To Show” list, I load in my amps and guitars, and we begin the long drive to our show. 

4:00pm. Load-in is at six a’clock. The show is in Kennebunk. We’ve never played at this venue before. But we don’t really worry about it. We don’t worry about much of anything on that ride to the venue. Except our performance. This is when I enter my most focussed mind set. I don’t block myself from the world with music, I don’t close my eyes and try to relax. Nothing like that. I simply look out the window and think of my dream. The dream that has gotten me through two years in this band, over fifteen shows and countless hours of practice. The dream that one day soon, my band will be famous. I try to envision it the best I can. Picturing huge shows, thousands of people, everything you can imagine a famous rock star has and experiences. As I look out the window, that’s what I think about. And then once I have told myself that one day soon it will come true, I am back in the suburban. On the highway heading to our show. 

6:00pm. After the usual, “Dude where is this venue” fiasco, we arrive at the venue. Once we’re at the venue the three of us all head inside and we do the same thing we do at every show. We stand in the middle of the floor, looking up at the stage where we will be playing in a few hours. Then, the load in process begins.

7:00pm. We’ve brought in all our gear, one of us manages to have stubbed their toe or banged their leg on something in the process. It always happens. Lugging around forty pound amps isn’t safe, you know. But by this time the show has started, the first band starts their first song. And we arrive back at the middle of the floor, watching the band play. Richard always focuses on the drummer, making sure their drummer keeps proper time. When it comes to other drums, Richard critiques them no matter what band they’re in. He checks if they have any style when they drum, if their drum set is adequate or if the drummer does anything funny when he plays. Richard usually catches it before any of us. Shawn always pays attention to the overall song the band plays. Catching key parts where the band did well and didn’t do so well. As for me, I focus on the bass player. I have always believed that the bass player should be just as important as the guitar player. Bass players should just stand still. They’re the segway between the drums and the guitar. They’re the piece of the puzzle every band needs. I always make sure that I am the bass player that moves around the most by the end of the night. And from my perspective, I usually am.

8:30pm. The moment that I have been awaiting since 2:05 today finally presents itself. We’re on. I tune my bass. Make sure my shoes are tied and I make my way up to the stage. Once my feet have made contact to the floor, it’s near impossible to take them off. A lot of people would be really uncomfortable being up in front of fifty to a hundred people they have never seen before. But to me it’s just a challenge for me to obtain new fans. I make sure my bass is on, I make sure it’s loud and I make sure Shawn and Richard are all ready to begin. Once I get confirmation from the two. I command the audience to move around to our music, I tell a few lame jokes that are usually inappropriate and mostly make fun of Shawn or Richard. We laugh about it in that brief moment. And then we begin our first song in our set list. 

9:00pm. I don’t ever fully remember a show. I will have jumped around so much that I somehow how scrambled my own brain into only remembering bits and pieces of shows. Once we’re off stage we begin the rat race going back and forth from the stage to get our equipment off and lug it all the way back to our vehicle. Among these frequent trips is when we get a chance to talk with our fans and other bands. Richard always hears about  his fast, obnoxious drumming by other drummers. Shawn and I mingle with fans, sell merchandise and talk about the evening. We don’t like be boring. So we do our best to make sure we’re as amusing on stage as we are off the stage. As all this happens, in my head I slowly start to think less about the rest of the show and more about getting something to eat. But we need money to get food. So then I start to think about money. And once my mind sprouts the question, Shawn and Richard subconsciously wonder it also. “When are we getting paid?”

10:30pm. The final band has just played, and other bands are starting to wonder the same question. Among the three of us, Richard is usually the one to go and ask the question that’s on everyone’s mind. He tends to be good at cutting right to the point of things. With Shawn and I however, we feel a little rude asking for money. But driving from Poland to Topsham and playing half an hour should be rewarded with a little money. But we all enjoy playing the show more than we do getting the money for it.

10:45pm. This is usually one of my favorite times of the evening. We got paid, all our gear is loaded into the suburban and we’ve said goodbye to our fans. We go to the nearest fast food restaurant and we talk among ourselves about the show. This is when we reflect, when we say what was good and was was bad. We play every show as if it’s our last. And we always want to make sure we’re satisfied with our performance. 

11:30pm. Being back in Poland the only thing on our minds is going to sleep. Nothing else seems to concern us at that moment. All we want is sleep. By the time we arrive at Shawn’s we simply don’t have the energy to bring all our gear back inside. So we leave the suburban in the garage, lug ourselves up the stairs to his room and fall down wherever is comfiest. 

11:35pm. After a few minutes of laughing about the tiniest of things that would be tasteless in the daytime, we all return to the place where we started our day in. Fast asleep, dreaming about our next show. We’ll shift into high gear on a Friday afternoon, when most of our classmates are winding down.

PRHS Civil Rights Team working hard on school culture By Jacob MacDonald

The people are worried. Hate and violence are on the rise. 

Slowly, but unmistakably, a shining beacon of hope and kindness shine upon the land, causing the dark sewage of hate to regress back from where it came.

A super hero did not accomplish this.

Kids from Poland Regional High School did it.

The PRHS Civil Rights Team noticed a disturbing trend of fights and racism in the school and worked hard on ways to prevent it. One factor they identified was that many kids did not know how to report civil rights violations, or did not even know when their rights were being broken.

To tackle this issue, the Civil Rights team created a billboard and placed it in a widely visible area. The team also approached teachers, clarifying complex rules and procedures, and urged them to make more of a difference in the classroom. To their credit, our teachers decided to pursue additional civil rights training to become more informed and more sensitive to the students’ needs.

Additionally, the Civil Rights team decided to continue the tradition that Sophie Geelhoed (Class of 2010) started last year, to take the pledge to Stop the R-word.  The team has invited the Middle School and Poland Community School to join their efforts.  Pledge Day was March 22.   

For all their hard work and accomplishments, the Poland Regional High School Civil Rights team was mentioned in The Torch, the State of Maine Civil Rights Team newspaper. Congratulations, team! 

Our Civil Rights team has another goal: To submit a proposal for a Civil Rights Day which to explore student ethnic backgrounds and encourage acceptance of all people and cultures.

Do you have an idea to help the school? Do you want to make a difference in peoples lives?Join the Civil Rights team. Contact Ms. Hall at: nhall@rsu16.org  or Mrs. Manchester at hmanchester@rsu16.org.

Guys and dolls: A Great Show! By Nicky Landry (Photo credits to Amanda Lilley)

Guys And Dolls finally made its way to Poland Regional High School after a 55 years on Broadway. It was worth the wait, thanks to the hard work and creativity of the kids and adults who performed on stage and worked behind the scenes.

The play, based on the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics were Frank Loesser, ran from Wednesday March 16 to Saturday March 19.

The amazing cast included: JJ Power, Nigel Williams, Joshua Morgan, Mary McKellick, Bruce Gerry, Caitlyn Currie, Vicki Hirsch, Irina Butina, Tricia Marvin, Tony Whalen, Jeremy Guerrette, Eli Murphy, Ensign Gerry, Sam Larrivee, Trey Rogers, Shawn Bang, Amanda Lilley, Tyler Myers, Brooklyn Cunningham, Ranissa Berry, Jackie Joncas, Maggie Whitemore, Katie Poor, Elijah Breton, Elesha Prat, Katriana Pratt.

D’Arcy Robinson was the Master of Ceremonies, the Waiter, and, of course,  the director of the play.

The music was awesome, thanks to a band that included Vickie Stubbs on piano, Mark Fredricks on the drums, and John Lawson on the bass.

The scenery was great, painted and drawn by Lindsay Barriault and Emily Summers. Props were by Dan Burgess and Zach Walker.

Many members of the cast and crew worked on this play in their Intro to Theatre class, in addition to committing hours after school in into the evenings on their lines spacing and stage preparation.

Guys and Dolls featured two acts. The first act had nine scenes which basically introduced the conflict and what everyone’s roles were. After a 15-minute intermission, the second act had seven scenes, fixing the overall problem and concluding things with a very happy ending where everyone gets the girl.

If you missed this show, you missed a lot of laughs and an opportunity to see some of our most talented performing artists here at PRHS. Be on the alert for the next show by the Poland Players.  Admission is inexpensive. It's a great night out.

PRHS Track Stars Shine In Boston Competition By Grahm Kwasnick

Competition is something that we all face on a daily basis, whether it be something related to school like challenging yourself to write the best essay in the class, or something at home like becoming the best in the family at Wii Tennis. But the most common place we see competition is in sports. 

Cameron Woodford and Eli Murphy, two very talented athletes in the senior class, took competition to another level with  “the most intense experience we’ve faced,” a regional track meet in Boston, Massachusetts.

Being an ex-athlete myself, I have a pretty good idea of what competition is like. The atmosphere changes completely from your daily life; your mind set is completely different and you are more focussed than you ever have been. This makes change at Poland Regional High School interesting. If you haven’t noticed, indoor and outdoor track have become quite popular here at PRHS. More and more students join the team every year. This means more people competing, and it means more opportunities for us to see our peers become athletic stars.

Cameron Woodford and Eli Murphy are both are decorated athletes who have competed at very high levels of competition for their specific events in track. Cam specializes in shot-put and Eli in hurdles. Hearing of their recent experience at regionals, I interviewed them both to ask how this competition was different from all the rest they’ve faced before.

I first asked Eli what the experience was like.

“Very competitive” Murphy said. “So much more lively than the Maine meets.” Being in such a big competition, Eli told me that, “Everyone wanted to do their absolute best. It was very … intense. Everyone was better, everyone knew what they were doing. It was all very controlled.”

Being around hundreds of other extraordinary athletes who have trained months for this competition, you can imagine that a lot of pressure was on Eli and Cam. But before the competition began, there was some fun on the road. Our boys were able to relax with some quality bonding time in Massachusetts rush-hour traffic. Cam told me that the traffic wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for an accident. “We were stuck in a traffic jam for three of four hours,” he said. “We moved so slow. At one point we stopped at a Mexican restaurant and talked with some of the locals.” 

The big question I had for them was how they performed. Eli admitted that he did not do his best. “It wasn’t the best I had, but the atmosphere that I experienced on that level was a really good thing to have. A really good experience for college.” 

Cam’s experience of the competition was very similar to Eli’s.

“There was a very historic feel to it,” Woodford said.  “There were professionals all around us, a real eye opener. Way more intense than regular meets for sure.”

Cam also told me that when he was throwing in his event, he was surrounded by a big cage. On the outside of the cage fans would cheer the thrower on. 

“In no way was it like normal meets, normal meets are so much more relaxed,” he said. “This was just … intense.” Cam ended up doing very well in his competition.

Both Murphy and Woodford want to recruit you, reader, for the track team so that you can be part of a very successful, award-winning team that they have spent years on. Be sure to congratulate Cam and Eli if you see them for their incredible athleticism. 

 
In the end it is never really about who ran the fastest, who threw the farthest or who succeeded the most. It’s about being part of the competitive atmosphere and enjoying yourself. Because if you finish dead last in a competition like the one Eli and Cam participated in, and still manage walk away with a smile on your face, you’ve won the big challenge. Not only for your team, but for yourself as an athlete and a person. 

Paul LePage's Two-Month Sprint By Matthew Principe

Even if you haven’t been watching the news lately (or even if you live under a rock in New Hampshire) it's hard to avoid Governor Paul LePage. 

People are talking about Maine's new governor. He's upsetting some people while uplifting others, and he's not even close to finishing his first 100 days in office. The first 100 days are sort of a benchmark for governors and presidents. LePage looks like he's doing a 100-yard dash instead of a mile.

Our new governor is outgoing. He's not media-friendly, but he's not media-shy, either. He has spoken on many controversial issues already. 

The fun began during LePage's campaign for governor. (He ran under the Republican Party ticket against Libby Mitchell, a Democrat, and Eliot Cutler, an Independent; LePage won with 38 percent of the vote.)  Maine newspapers had fun with headlines such as “LePage tells Obama to go to hell.” Also during the campaign, LePage said he does not object to requiring the teaching of creationism in public schools. 

Early into his term LePage said he refused to be “held hostage” by special interest groups. He refused to take part in Martin Luther King Day events or meet with the Maine representatives of the NAACP. He told newspapers to “Tell them they can kiss my butt.”  He was referring to the NAACP. His comments sparked  outrage, with civil rights leaders calling his remarks “astonishing and troubling.” The governor said he can prove he's not a racist because he has an “adopted” son who is not white. Unfortunately,  the adoption paperwork has never been filled out. Fortunately, the young man is still considered part of LePage's family. LePage eventually met with NAACP representatives and tried to “make nice.” 

 
Another hot issue was the hiring of LePage's daughter, Lauren LePage. Paul made her an assistant chief of staff with a pay of about $41,000 despite limited experience. State laws applying to nepotism did not apply to this matter. Critics of the hiring noted that Lauren LePage is earning a salary higher than trained many police officers and teachers.  

Governor LePage has made some his biggest media splashes on health care issues. 

He called for a repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,  which is the bedrock of the federal health care reform laws passed by Congress a year ago.  Among the law's many features is that it  helps patients with pre-existing conditions get health insurance coverage.  LePage called for a repeal of the act and called it  “unconstitutional.” He has asked Maine’s attorney’s general to back him up and challenge the law. He also does not believe in MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program, which helps low-income people with health insurance) because, he says, it can be too easy to join or qualify for. 

LePage opposes same-sex marriage.  He says civil union couples get the same legal standing. 

Very recently a study has found that in baby bottles there are organic compounds, called Bisphenol A (BPA), which contain toxins. These hormone-disrupting compounds have been found in everyday items such cash register receipts, canned food and baby bottles. Expressing his skepticism, LePage joked that “the only bad thing about BPA is that it might give women little beards.” This did not go over well. 

Seems like it's only a matter of time before the governor says something that upsets a lot of people. It would be foolish to dismiss him, however, because of one important issue that he is staking his reputation on: Maine's business climate. LePage wants to make Maine a more business-friendly state so that we can have more jobs and more opportunity for young people. Who can argue with that?

A spokesman for LePage has said this about the governor:  "He's got a directness about him that a lot of people find appealing." If Maine's economy improves dramatically on LePage's watch, it may not matter how many people find the governor's comments unappealing.

*Photo credits to http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Maine/photos*

Life As We Know It on Facebook by Eric Bell

Who doesn't love Facebook?

 
"I only go on when I need to talk to someone or when I'm really bored or I need to share something with the world,” says Cameron Morrell. “Or when I'm sad or angry."

"I go on because I am addicted,” says Aliyah Gregory. “I don't really know why, but I feel the need to get on every night and check the latest news feed."

Facebook, the familiar social networking site that most of us know, was launched in February 2004, and now has about five hundred million users. Co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has grown a lot in seven years. Zuckerberg was only nineteen, and a sophomore at Harvard when he launched the original site, “thefacebook.com”. After the creation of the world's most used and visited social network, controversy never ended.  Facebook has evolved throughout the years, and nobody knows what it will look like in a year or two or ten. 

 
Facebook seems to be a word that most teenagers and adults know. People use it when they have nothing else to do except stick their noses in other peoples business, play Farmville, or play the other various games on the site. People can “facebook” (a verb) rather than speak face to face; this causes variety of problems. Students may even be two-faced, expressing their emotions better through FB. This can cause anger and frustration among students on Facebook. But on the bright side, Facebook has helped some people re-connect with long lost friends, or family. 

 
At home, at their friends' homes, at work, even at school, Facebook is everywhere. Yes, school, where it isn’t permitted, but somehow students find the need to go on it anyway. And of course they have the techno-savvy to do it. Why work on homework when we can just go on Facebook? What is so addicting about Facebook that students have a need to go on it during school hours? Is it just the fascination of posting what exactly they are doing every ten minutes? Going on Facebook during school may even affect some students' grades, depending on how frequent they go on. Some students even lie about being on Facebook, despite the evidence that shows they're violating school policy.

 
Myspace is also a popular social networking site, up in the rankings, right below Facebook. Yet Facebook has twice as many users. There was a time when Myspace dominated over Facebook, but nowadays, Facebook is number one. It seems Myspace won’t be able to catch up to Facebook. But now, Facebook has become so popular that there is a major Hollywood film,  “The Social Network” that grabbed Oscar nominations. In upcoming years, who knows, there might just be another social networking site that will skyrocket above Facebook, and there might be yet another movie about the certain site.

 
Students can go on Facebook through portable devices such as cell phones or even iPods. School may be boring at times, but is it so boring that students must consume time on this site, rather than getting schoolwork done? I could see where students would use this popular site after school, but during school hours is a little crazy. Facebook has gotten just a little out of hand these days. 

 
Adults complain about the instant messaging, how it needs fixing, or how it affects kids.  Seven years from the time it was founded, Facebook is still going under changes. Is it too much to say that Facebook's impact on society is overrated? Some say so, but most Facebook fanatics just love the site. Facebook still needs to undergo changes, but meanwhile, most teenagers and adults are happy with the site just the way it is. 

For some, such as Lauren Harris, Facebook fulfills simple needs. She says she goes on FB “so I can play the games available, like Penguin Toss.”

Who knows, there could be as many as eight hundred million users in the upcoming years.

Horrified? Good! By Lauren Harris (Photo credits to Amanda Lilley)

      Established on Route 26 in Mechanic Falls, Harvest Hills Farm (owned by Peter Bolduc and his wife Kathie) is  notorious for their Corn Maze Adventure,  which began in 2008. They have now constructed another trademark to fame: The Gauntlet.

After buying Pumpkin Land from Chipman Farms of Poland in 2009, Harvest Hills Farms created The Gauntlet, a hayride aimed to scare those who just can’t get enough horror in their lives.  Now out of season, the hayride was introduced to the public on September 18th, and closed on October 31. Numerous tourists and thrill-seeking locals experienced The Gauntlet, and many found it to be as frightening as they had hoped. Maybe more so. 

 
The high-end animatronics were marvelous and wicked all at once. At the entrance to the woodland, a mysterious aura illuminates from every shadow of tree and man alike. “Will the gatekeeper let us in?” As soon as you ask yourself that question, the doors separate, and the moon flickers down on the eerie trail the wagon must follow. Later on the course, in a dog house the size of a tool shed, a massive, 5-foot tall, animatronic junkyard dog named “Fluffy” greets you with growls and screeches. At the end of the ride, another rather huge gatekeeper wishes you well as you leave them all behind in the dust.

 
Although the animatronics were amazingly realistic and creative, the actors whom performed during the haunted hayride were the stars. Jeff Strout, the creator of The Gauntlet, requested our very own Mrs. D’Arcy Robinson to employ local actors and actresses to be coached and taught a script for The Gauntlet. (Bolduc also announced plans to donate money to the PRHS drama department.)

These entertainers were all given certain rolls to execute. The characters included in The Gauntlet ranged from killer clowns holding chain saws, spiders with screaming victims enveloped in their webbing, a butchering hog, stalker cannibals, and our own local legend: The Lady in White. This spirit is usually spotted alongside route 26 by locals and travelers, in the dark of night. Her story is a sorrowful one, as she was murdered on the night of her wedding many years ago. She walks the road searching for a motorist to assist her to her wedding. But in Jeff Strout’s scene found on the hayride, she is but a confused soul wondering in a graveyard, finally arriving to her church. All to find out she has been slaughtered by fellow hayriders. 

Overall, the Gauntlet was intriguing and startling enjoyment. Much business has been brought to the area because of it and Harvest Hills Farm’s many enjoyments. The owners have stressed how essential it is to bring the 240-acre farm to life once again. If scaring the life out of customers is what it takes, so be it.

The Knights Stand Tall In The Spotlight By Lauren Harris (Photo credits to Lauren Harris)

It takes a lot to be an elite cheerleader. Good timing, flexibility, confidence, and dependability are just a few of the most important qualities, but there are so much more!

 Most of us don’t know what it takes to be flipped in the air, make eye contact with the judges while supervising every stunt, and daze the audience at the same time, but last year’s Knights cheering team did it all. while earning the title of Western Maine Class B Champions -- again.

    Our Lady Knights won their title with determination and endless practice, and yet achieved the crown by the thinnest of margins, one-tenth of a point. It was no luck -- that’s skill. Last years team went all-out and showed the judges what they are made of.  

Last year’s PRHS Knights cheerleader team improved tremendously over the previous year, putting the team on par with our previous champions.  At Regionals the previous year (2009) they scored 116.8, good for 4th place, while this year (2010) they scored 146.8, good for the championship. 

How will they ‘wow’ us this year? They have history on their side: the PRHS cheering squad is the only PRHS athletic team to bring home state championships.

The squad of 2010 consisted of Captain Sophie Geelhoed, Olivia Doyer, Shelby Brown, Billy Jo Morrison, Tyler Davidson, Stephanie Campbell, Brianna Morris, Abby Strout, Colleen Murphy, Alycia Walsh, Paige Brousseau, Heidi Chipman, Kaitlyn Roy, Mikala Hayes, Emily Briggs, Haley Hebert and Krysta Martin. Champions, all of them.

What is SRB and Why You Should Know More About It By Kelley Handy

If you want to know how student events are planned at our school, ask a member of the Student Representative Body, also known as SRB. They are not hard to find; we have 32 members of SRB.

The Student Representative Body consists of eight students from each graduation class -- seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen.  SRB is the form of student government we use here at Poland Regional High School -- a major change that took place last year. 

The new model is based on student government at Bonny Eagle;  we took their idea and tweaked a bit. We changed the number of representatives, and we included all class officers.  

“Another  change and plus is that advisers are involved, have more communication with each other, and are more aware of what’s going on in the student body” says Mr. Novak, who is largely responsible for the overhaul of student government. 

Students meet once or twice a month on Thursdays, during lunch and Roundtable, to plan events, discuss issues among students, and organize fundraising for each class. They also meet occasionally at night.

“It’s a place for peers to mentor to the younger grades” so they know what to do in the future when they’re seniors, says Mr. Novak. Older students mentoring  younger students is exciting, Novak said. 

Many students and teachers believe that it is wonderful to see students taking charge of their school. Because of the increased number of fights earlier this year, SRB will be trying to figure out a way to decrease the amount of bullying in the school. But some representatives have already taken the initiative and have talked to their class about this issue. SRB is helping student leaders learn how to take charge -- and take responsibility.

The hardest thing about SRB, according to Novak,  is making sure everyone says what they think. The major concern is that a freshman might not say what he or she thinks because a senior is sitting in the next seat. However, a freshman or sophomore opinion and vote are just as important as opinions or votes from juniors or seniors.  That happens to be major difference between our form of government and Bonnie Eagle’s -- all grades have equal vote. 

Not everyone in SRB agrees all the time. SRB has healthy debates, followed by voting, followed by acceptance of the outcome. The system is based on mutual respect. 

SRB does not work alone; their proposals and ideas go hand in hand with Vision Keepers, the high school’s policy making board consisting of faculty members, students and a community member. SRB members appoints two students to be on Vision Keepers, but they are not allowed to be on SRB also. Any and all proposals are reviewed by the Vision Keepers to see if they can become policy, or the official way we do things at PRHS.

SRB is also connected with the PRHS Judiciary Board, also known as JBoard. JBoard serves as an in-school court for a variety of student discipline issues. In addition, “JBoard serves as the court of impeachment for SRB,” explains senior Cameron Woodford. If SRB votes “yes” to impeach someone from student government, the proposal goes to JBoard, which has the final say. 

“SRB is the best form of government we’ve had because it allows a place or student leaders to come together, discusses issues and for each class to have an equal say.” says Mr. Novak