S I

Transcript

The Lakeside Voice Volume 9, Issue 1 Colchester High School, Colchester,Vermont SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME October, 2009 Surveillance cameras installed at CHS By Rachel Racicot photo contributed by deanecompanyinc.com Over a dozen security cameras were installed at CHS in October. Students react to the new security measure By Kelsey Latulippe and Rachel Racicot Stephanie Fitzgerald, Senior: "I don't like the fact that people are watching me. We're in high school, and should be respected and given more responsibility and privacy." just go to the bathroom, locker room or other places that the cameras aren't permitted." JJ Ouellette, Senior: "It's not a big deal; there will probably be less `bad' things in the hallway and less people skipping classes." Sam LaCroix, Junior: "I think they're a joke." Ally, Freshman: "I think that they're a bad idea. People will Sam, Freshman: "I don't think that they're needed." Elise Crowley, Senior: "I think they're good for underclassmen but not for seniors because seniors are constantly getting stopped in the hallways already even though we have privileges." Peter Cormier, Senior: "I think the school should be putting more money into food, books or computers. Just because a few kids made mistakes last year it shouldn't punish the rest of us. It's ridiculous to spend that much money on cameras when we could be improving the school in so many other ways." Homecoming dance By the second week in November Colchester High School will have at least fifteen security cameras installed. Most people have already noticed the cameras being installed, but they are not fully finished yet. The locations of cameras will be at all building entrances, parking lot, fields, and stairwells; the cameras will be visible. Installing the cameras was the school board's decision. The cameras are an addition to our safety plan; the administration hopes they will make our school a safer place. They have been a major discussion all throughout the school and it seems like most of the students don't know what's really going on. Many students are upset about the cameras because they feel as if the school is violating their privacy. Also, students feel that they're getting older and should have more freedom and responsibility. They feel like these cameras get in the way of this. Though the school will likely face privacy concerns from parents, students and civil libertarian groups, school officials say that cameras curb crime and are important sources of physical evidence when crimes do occur. There have been many events over the past five years such as vandalism (in and outside), bomb threats, and a very serious fight; these could've been prevented if the cameras were there. The cameras won't lead to more security technology throughout the school, but it is going to lead more safety precautions. The footage from the cameras will not be regularly monitored; the school will only use the cameras if an incident occurs. The tapes are recorded over every two weeks, so the old footage can no longer be watched. Security cameras are present in hundreds of schools around the country. Colchester High School is not the first school in the state of Vermont to install cameras; Windham Regional Career Center has had them since 2004, and since then vandalism reports have fallen to zero. Brattleboro School District is currently considering adding cameras to their safety plan. An Autumn Affair to remember By Erica Fritzeen This year's homecoming dance was successful and everyone had a great time. The dance was held on Saturday, October 17th, from 7:30 to 10:30. The cafeteria was decorated nicely by the members of our student government. Students enjoyed dancing to some of their favorite songs, at one point, students formed a circle in the crowd for anyone that wanted to go in and show off their best moves. As seen in the picture at right, senior Ryan White was busting out his best and made the crowd go wild. Although the music and light show were great, there was one issue going on throughout the crowd: the main cafeteria lights were on the entire dance. Many people were not pleased with this and wanted to know why this was happening because usually they aren't kept on. The reasoning for this was supposedly for safety reasons. However, this issue started getting discussed and there may be a solution for it next dance by covering the lights with colored paper so that it's not as bright throughout the room. Photo taken by Erica Fritzeen Senior Ryan White entertains the crowd. 2 Lakeside Voice Staff & Contact Information Advisor: Aimee deLaricheliere The Lakeside Voice is published by students at Colchester High School. Articles are selected and submitted by the CHS community at large. The high school Journalism class is responsible for every facet of The Lakeside Voice publication. Suggestions and ideas for the articles and letters to the editor can be sent in care of: The Lakeside Voice CHS Student Newspaper Laker Lane Colchester, VT 05446 The Lakeside Voice staff: Shawn Beaulieu Josh Camisa Spencer Dandurand Zach Dandurand Tausha Deal Matt Dudley Erica Fritzeen Aaron Hodge Alex Hulbert Heather Labrie Kelsey Latulippe Chris Lebeau Alexandra Libstag Shawn Place Rachel Racicot Becca Sanborn Events Godspell coming soon October 2009 By Alex Hulbert The Colchester Theatre Company will be putting on the musical Godspell November 19th through the 21st at Colchester High School. The musical Godspell was written by Stephen Schwartz and JohnMichael Tebelak. It is about the gospel according to St. Matthew, telling the story of Jesus with a rock n' roll soundtrack. Godspell was performed on Broadway in the 1970s. It was a big hit during the time that it was in production. The show was played over 527 times before stopping. Then the musical was made into a movie. This year, the Colchester Theatre Company will welcome the musical The cast of Godspell again. Godspell has been performed before at Colchester. Mr. Coon, the pure fun with a message," said theater director, said that he liked hav- Cameron Brownell, who is playing ing the students perform Godspell be- John the Baptist. Mr. Coon also said that with cause they get to show different Godspell you can do different things to talents. There are over forty students the play throughout the years. Mr. that are a part of the production, and Coon has been the drama director for the community helps as well. "It's Photo taken by Alex Hulbert over thirty years. "Arts are life long," Mr. Coon said, talking about the talent that Colchester has in arts. Godspell will be another great play done by the Colchester Theater Company--be sure to see it! Student Government CHS Calendar By Paige Laplant As the new school year begins, the CHS Student Government is taking action in the school community quickly. Within the first few weeks of the 2009-2010 year, we put together a successful Spirit Week filled with a fun atmosphere, school spirit, and many crazy outfits. "An Autumn Affair" was the next school event to be put on by Student Government. This annual fall dance was a great chance for students to get together for a good time in a common place. In addition to Spirit Week and the annual fall dance, we recently conducted freshmen and sophomore elections and would like to congratulate the new representatives for becoming a part of such a leadership position. In November, we hope to take on an initiative that goes outside of the school, and into the surrounding community. If anyone in the student body has any questions or comments regarding the school community or issues here at CHS, speak with any of the representatives listed below as they can bring your thoughts and voices to the attention of the administration. We look for- CHS Lakers Coffeehouse Composers By Raya Lurvey The musical talent of Colchester High School showcased their first performance of the year at the Coffeehouse on September 25th. Mr. Lang and Mr. Warren work together to coordinate and manage the affair; they are both science teachers and musicians. A few years ago, the Coffeehouse was just a few artsy students standing around a stage taking turns performing. This event has amplified, becoming much more popular. Tables are draped with paper and scattered with crayons for students and guests to color on during performances, many of which show up early to get seating and sign up. The fun envi- ward to hearing your input, and we're looking forward to a great school year! Cabinet Positions: President: Paige LaPlant Vice-President: Arianna L'Equyer Treasurer: Rebecca Crane Secretary: Emily Bishop Representatives: Paige LaPlant Arianna L'Ecuyer Rebecca Crane Meagan Snyder Emily Bishop Rose Trudeau Hogan Smith Carly Schmidt Jenna Weed Tyler LaBonte Alec Kozlowski Matt Ketcham Alyse Winchester Lauren Zwonik Riley Kruger Gabby Southwick ronment is perfect for first-time performers and developing musicians to show off their talent. Each year, more and more of the student body perform at these Coffeehouses. The last one included performers such as Ryan White, Kaitlyn Boudah, Diana Marchessault, and Nick Kaim. With a little luck, there will be more musicians each time. It is incredible how much talent just one school has to offer. One of the many students that attend Coffeehouses regularly confidently stated that she loves them: "they're a lot of fun and really show off some of the great talent there is at CHS. Just over the past three years I've seen them grow so much. So many more people have been coming and it's great to see the growing support for the arts here." Jake Blondin ponders his future performance, stating, "Well I'm always nervous to sing in front of people, but at the Coffeehouse there is an atmosphere of casual relaxation making it feel good to perform whether you're good or bad." The next Coffeehouse will be on Friday, November 13th, and we hope to see you there! November 2009 11/4: Picture retakes, 7:001:00 in the theater. 11/5: Parent Conferences Coming up... (students with last names beginning with A-K), 4:008:00. 11/7: SAT test date 11/10: National Mix it Up Day 11/10: Cap and gown info for seniors during TA. 11//11: Winter sports par- ent/athlete meeting, 7:00. 11/12: Parent Conferences (students with last names beginning with L-Z), 4:00-8:00. 11/12-14: Instrumental District Music Festival 11/13: Coffeehouse, 7:00. 11/16: Practices begin for winter sports 11/17-18: Seniors--order your cap and gown with Josten's, 11:00-1:00. 11/19-21: Godspell 11/20: Red Cross Club Thanksgiving Baskets, Library, 2:30. 11/25-27: Thanksgiving break Photo taken by Allie Dwinell Kaitlyn Boudah performs a song she wrote at the September 25th Coffeehouse. Op/Ed October 2009 Did I say that out loud? 3 What teachers can and can't say in the classroom By Alexandra Libstag and Becca Sanborn America was built on the premise of individual rights and justice. However, this country's first amendment, freedom of speech, is constantly trampled on in the classroom. Teachers are placed with the burden of having to monitor their words, often asking themselves, "How much is too much to say?" Here at CHS we see censorship everywhere. Teachers must put a disclaimer on every controversial topic they teach. In many classes taught at CHS there are a wide range of subjects where views and perspectives are vital. Ideas of religion, politics and thought are combated every day. At CHS teachers have a general policy about censorship: they must present all sides to every topic--neutrality is key. We began our research with Principal Minor. We asked her about the education speech presented by President Obama and confronted her about the anger and confusion expressed by students who felt that not showing the speech was censorship. What we found was that it had nothing to do with censorship at all. Our school simply did not have the band-width to stream the speech live for all to watch. "I'm sorry we weren't able to do that." stated Mrs. Minor, "And should another situation like this come up I will be sure...we are able to show it." So, unlike what was thought, the Mr. Price, Ms. deLaricheliere, and Mr. Coon speak no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil. blocking of President Obama's speech wasn't censorship, it was a technology issue. After our discussion with Mrs. Minor we headed to the Humanities department. "As a public high school teacher I should remain as neutral as possible so students can get their own political views," Mr. Price stated in response to our question about voicing personal opinions in class. Mr.Price's opinion on maintaining "a very fine balance" was similar to responses from several teachers. Mrs. Brady responded that it's ok "at times as long as you make it clear that it is a per- sonal opinion." However with politics "it's better to give students both sides of an issue." Mr. Coon took a different stance. He feels that it is ok to share his opinion, though he wouldn't tell students who to vote for or what to think. He welcomes different opinions and healthy debates in the classroom. So what does all of this mean? To the critical student this may all sound like propaganda merely used to defer any sort of inquisitive follow up questions that could possibly lead to controversial answers. Isn't that what this article is about? Aren't we supposed to be digging Lack of health care causes serious problems up the dirt in the classroom? Easier said than done. We feel the scripted responses we got represent a fear that every teacher has about repercussions of speaking candidly to students. And so with these prepackaged responses comes a form of truth. In their answers we are able to see that there is a fear of speaking up and a visible screen of self-censorship. As high school upperclassmen we are sure of our opinions and cannot be swayed as easily as one might think. This is not to say that classes should be bombarded with teachers forcing their views, however, they shouldn't coast over every uncomfortable Photo taken by Becca Sanborn topic just becasue it's uncomfortable. Censorship is a fact of life. It will be ever present in situations where one person holds authority over another. Though such blatant truths can be disappointing or frustrating, it doesn't mean that we must live our lives in a cloud of ignorance. The many complexities of human nature allow us to have perspectives that must be shared in order to shape the world we live in. Censorship is everywhere and the only way to deal with it is to confront it head on. As Robert Frost once said, "The best way out is always through." Why health care reform is a necessity By Matt Dudley People these days cannot afford the price of health care. If you don't have a job with health care benefits, you either don't have health insurance or have to pay a lot for it. Health insurance is very important because when you or someone in your family gets sick or hurt, you need to go to a doctor so things don't get worse. When you have no health insurance or cheap insurance that doesn't cover very much, then you could be in big trouble when something bad happens; it's going to cost a lot of money directly out of your pocket. If you need to get X-rays or CAT scans that costs a huge amount of money, and the fact is you need health care to cover the costs. There are tons of people across the country that have no health insurance and are in serious financial trouble. They don't have the money to pay for their house, their car, or other expenses. To me that is not a good enough reason to turn someone away from the doctor's or hospital when they are in need. Many people are dying because they can't get help and they have no other option than to just wait and see what happens. The public needs health insurance no matter if they can afford it or not. It should be a right that everyone has because it is an essential piece to living a good life. People who have the money to afford health insurance—or have a job that covers it--aren't worried at all because it's not them that are in this type of trouble. People with good health insurance aren't worried about anyone else but themselves. Saying that the public, no matter how poor they are, should have to pay for their health insurance like everyone else is crazy, because senior citizens cannot work. They aren't covered for health care because of their age (or it costs a lot), which does not make any sense. They have earned the right to be able to stay healthy and go to the doctor's when needed. I think the United States is a country that treats older people with less respect than the younger people. Today things are a lot more youth-oriented, and I think that it's very different in other countries. Everyone should be covered for health care no matter how poor they are or how old they are, and it seems quite ridiculous that people are saying that they shouldn't. I totally agree that every citizen no matter what their status should have health insurance. Personally, I have been to the doctor's or the hospital at least 60 times in my 18 years of life. Imagine how much money that would add up to without insurance. My uncle, Fred Dudley, who until a few months ago lived in Florida with his family, was one of the people that had no health insurance. He was one of the best guys I had ever met, but he still didn't have the money to afford to go to the hospital and the doctor's. For years and years he went without going to the doctor's, hospital, and dentist. Then he started having terrible headaches for a long time, so finally he went to the doctor's and they told him he had brain cancer. Within of week of being told, he died at his house in my dad's arms. This is only one example of why the lack of health care for everyone needs to be solved. The same thing is happening to people all across the country and we need to figure out how to change it now; we need to stop putting it off. On October 27 Harry Reid, the senate majority leader, brought forth a bill for a governmentrun insurance plan (the public option) to the Senate. It's not going to be easy to pass a vote that gives everyone health insurance, but President Obama is determined to make it happen. In order to pass, the bill needs to be agreed on by the House, Senate, and the President. We are finally working on solving this problem, but it does take a lot of long and tedious effort. There is help on the way. By Alex Hulbert increase. At least 17,000 American troops have been sent to the region of southern Afghanistan that borders Pakistan. Most people do not like the thought of more troops in to Afghanistan. We have been active in Afghanistan for eight years and in recent months troops have increased—and so has the violence. Some people are starting to view this war as another Vietnam War because it seems unwinnable. Over 800 American troops have died in Afghanistan so far. How many more will die before it's over? Army General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander, wants an additional 40,000 troops because he thinks the region's Cartoon by Lucie Stein Everyone wants--and deserves--health care...but who's going to pay for it? Afghanistan: To increase troops or not to increase troops? Now that the anniversary of the Afghanistan war has come and gone, the talk of increasing troop activity is still going on. President Obama increased troop levels there in February and again in August, but there is a possibility that there will be another troop problems can't be solved without more military presence. The geography of Afghanistan is very harsh, so they need more troops to make Afghanistan stable. Senator John Kerry thinks we need to help make the government of Afghanistan more stable before we send more troops. Even if people think that this war is worthless and is like the Vietnam War, others think we should still fight the war on terrorism. It's hard to make a decision whether or not to increase troop again. There is no longer strong public support for the war, but the only way to get out of the war is to increase troops. At this point pulling out is not really an option. 4 Wanna Take A Test?? 2009 NECAP Incentives described as a "perk" by the By Alexandra Libstag average junior. This year CHS will be putting the NECAP scores on the A few weeks ago, juniors spent two consecutive Tuesday and Thursday high school transcripts of the 2011 mornings racking their brains for class. After schools such as Essex and clever insights and mathematical South Burlington announced the epiphanies during the NECAP exams. scores would be included on their Yet this year the class had more to transcripts, they saw their statistics look forward to than just performing drastically jump in the right direction. well for their school. "Last year's CHS couldn't take the chance of yet scores didn't represent the perform- another year of low scores. "The ance level for the students in this Burlington Free Press doesn't publischool," Principal Minor stated about cize the good things about schools; the New England Common Assess- NECAP scores are a quick, easy way ment Program (NECAP) outcomes. to say that a school is 'bad' or not," Mrs. Minor stated. The combination safe to say that It's of this fact and the most students comparative scores were less than of other schools thrilled about the prompted the CHS addition. "I'd try administrators and hard without havdepartments to take ing to put the matters into their scores on my tranown hands. After a script. It just survey from last me more makes juniors year's nervous," stated showed that the one junior. Anstudents had no other student motivation to do made the point well on the test, the CHS Prinicpal Amy Minor that "If you apply teachers decided a to southern schools, they're not going change was in store. This year, juniors were greeted to know what a NECAP is, just that with quite a few new incentives to do it's a standardized test." Nonetheless, this information regwell on the reading, writing, and math with the class, leading to many istered exams. During the two week window, teachers were instructed to give the students spending several extra hours juniors a significanlty smaller amount sitting in the library attempting to do of homework, with nothing due the as well as possible. That is, as well as days of the tests. If a student receives a student can do after testing for over a 3 or 4 on the math section, he or she two hours and sustaining himself or will be exempt from the final exam in herself solely on cheesticks, animal math class. This is also the case for crackers, and apple slices. "I'm really the A.P. English and Human Experi- proud and impressed with the juniors. ence courses--earning a 3 or 4 on the I appreciate the effort and am really reading/writing sections means ex- thankful," commented Mrs.Minor. Only time will tell if these new inemption from the final. However the centives paid off, or were yet another perks don't end here. A pizza party is in store for the class that gets the unsuccessful attempt at fighting the highest number of students who relentless battle of teenage motivapassed the exams or possibly a tion. "The Burlington Free Press doesn't publicize the good things about schools; NECAP scores are a quick, easy way to say that a school is 'bad' or not." Op/Ed What grinds my gears By Aaron Hodge You know what really grinds my gears? When people throw away bottles and there's a recycling bin right next to it. That Arizona Iced Tea isn't from Arizona. When you look at your cell phone and see that it says you have voicemail, but it doesn't say who called. You begin to get a little excited, thinking, "Ooh they didn't text me or anything, it must be important!" The fact that you don't know who called just adds to the anticipation. So you quickly type in your password for your voicemail and stick the phone to your ear. You're really excited now, maybe even a little nervous to find out what this important message could be. Then all of a sudden you start hearing fart noises. At first you're confused, but still eager; you think that maybe they forgot to start talking. But the fart noises go on for at least a minute before the message ends and you realize you've just been prank called. When a bunch of kids clog the middle of the hallway when I'm trying to get to class. October 2009 When people text "rofl." Are they really rolling on the floor? I doubt I'm that funny. You ever watch Animal Planet? You know those shows where these animal cop people drive around and rescue homeless and abused animals? Well, once these animal cops were driving around in their spiffy van when they spotted a duck on the side of the road with an injured toe. Immediately they go all-out to rescue, feed, and shelter this poor duckling, even soothing it with their reassuring words. Now in no way am I against helping out animals, but what grinds my gears is while they were driving around they must have passed by at least ten homeless guys. That virtually no water comes out of the water fountain in the boys' locker room. The worst part is that it's been that way since I was a freshman--can't we get someone to fix that? Whenever I'm about to log off Facebook and go to bed, it's always my longlost uncle or something that gets on to chat with me, wondering how I've been. What makes it worse is that it's always someone who lives in a completely different time zone and they're ready to talk for hours. In every Hollywood movie about high school, none of the kids have acne. When Alec Kozlowski left my house and then texted me ten minutes later saying he forgot his phone and asked me if I could look for it. What grinds my gears is that I believed him. In fact, I looked for 20 minutes before I gave up. All right guys, when you walk into the bathroom and there's another guy in front of you and he picks the middle urinal, even though he knew you were right behind him. Why'd he have to make it awkward? If you pay even a little attention to football, you've probably by now heard teams saying, "We're a second half team! Second half is our time!" Every team says this, so I wonder if any team says the opposite: "We're a first half team boys! We're gonna build up a huge lead in the first quarter, maintain it through the second, but after halftime we're done for!" Just a thought. When people tell me that eating crushable yogurts without a spoon is uncivilized. Uh, it's called a crushable for a reason. That really annoys me. Greg Olio: When people say "What?" after you ask them a question they clearly heard. When rappers praise Jesus, then proceed to talk about poppin' a cap in some fool's posterior. What grinds your gears? school-wide pizza party if there are major school improvements. However one particular change isn't being Liam Connors: The water fountain in the boy's locker room--you pretty much have to french kiss that thing to get any sort of hydration (see picture above) Shawn Beaulieu: When you look at someone's iPod and they only have one song by a really good band. Declan Maley: Life. Michael Coccetti: When people call "grinding" dancing; that's not dancing, it takes no skill whatsoever. It's just an animalistic motion simulating something inappropriate. Jake Stalnaker: Mags. Ryan White: When I buy a Pop-Tart and only half of it is frosted. Photo contributed by scienceblogs.com Juniors at CHS took NECAP tests for reading, writing, and mathematics October 6th-15th. Mr. Hammond: When you're part of an email thread with a bunch of people and somebody replies to the sender but it sends it to everybody. Chris Poirier: When people ask me what grinds my gears. Ms. Boles: When people Facebookfriend you and you've never spoken to them before. Peter Cormier: A boy can't eat peanutbutter in school anymore. Alexa Ayer: When one person feels the need to complain about something that's annoying everybody--like when we're outside for a fire drill there's always that one person who complains loudly about how cold it is. Hope Perez: When people surveying you in the mall tell you it'll take two minutes, but then they have you watch a half-hour video. Tim Palmer: Drunk driving. Jay Morgan: When Hodge does his "apple picker" dance. Shawn Place: When the school pays all this money for high-tech computers but then the internet is really slow. Eric Decker: Lindsay Lohan. Mr. MacArdle: Apathy. Jason Sebo: Really thin toilet paper. Mike Bombardier, conditioning coach of the football team, all around scary guy: When my grandfather clock signals the hour, but then I look at all the other clocks in my house and they're all ONE MINUTE OFF (capitalization used to express anger). The Haunted Walk October 2009 Features What was your best Halloween costume? Ian Costello, Senior Come and stay... forever! By Heather Labrie The Haunted Walk includes thrilling performances that will make your hair stand on end and creepy roaming ghosts, haunted hayrides and even a Headless Students at Horseman. Colchester High School help produce this spooky evening. The event is put on by the Colchester School District, Parks and Recreation and the Colchester Police and Fire Departments. It takes place Friday, October 30th at Bayside Park. Guests can show up anywhere between 6:30 p.m and 9:00 p.m for a scary, entertain- ing, and safe experience. Families and friends from all over are more than welcome to attend this all-ages free event. The Haunted Walk attracts between 1400 and 2000 guests throughout the night. Mr. Coon has designed it every year for the last 23 years. During an interview with Mr. Coon, he revealed that originally the Haunted Walk was called The Haunted Forest until the Catamount Haunted Forest threatened to sue Colchester for having the same name for their spooky experience. Mr. Coon Josh wants to know: What's your favorite horror movie? Saw The student body has voted and The Saw series was on the tip of everyone's tongue. This bone chilling movie series is full sick and twisted games, sending its vitctims through a rollercoaster of emotions. These movies will forever be considered a classic in the view of Colchester High School students. Nightmare on Elm Street Here's Freddy, coming in second. A familar childhood horror movie, it tells the creepy tale of a burned teen-stalking murderer who kills you in your dreams. What's scarier than that? Photo courtesy of John Coon Sophomore Nick Kaim (half of him) performs at the 2008 Haunted Walk. says The Haunted Walk was originally brought to his attention years ago by the Colchester Police Department as an event to "cut down damage on cabbage night." People should attend this event because it is the "best kind of Halloween event to go to that is free," according to Coon. The Haunted Walk is also an awesome opportunity for the school to give back to the citizens of Colchester. The Haunted Walk is that it is only advertised in Colchester to cut down on the amount of out of town attendees. It is advertised in the school newspaper, through the recreation department and The Colchester Sun. There are two other haunted events in the area; however, the other events charge $10 or $12 a ticket. The Haunted Walk is the only free spooky event in the Colchester area. Don't miss it! Ghost sightings at CHS? Leah Jankowski, Junior By Aaron Hodge For years there have been rumors of a man in a black trenchcoat haunting the theatre, with many people claiming to have seen him. It all started in 1995 when Mr. Coon held a fundraiser with Ed and Lorraine Warren, the founders of the New England Society of Psychic Research. They told crowds of people of their paranormal experiences and cases-including those that were the basis for the movies The Amityville Horror and The Haunting in Connecticut. During the fundraiser, a student asked if they thought the theatre was haunted. Lorraine, the clairvoyant one, proceeded to walk around the stage until all of a sudden she stopped, pointed to the back corner, and said there was a man there. Nobody else saw him, but then she began to describe his physical features. "He wants to say hi to you Mr. Coon," Lorraine relayed blankly. Eventually she said what the ghost's name was; Mr. Coon recognized it as the name of a former student of his who had played in his bands. Sadly, he had recently committed suicide. Numerous encounters have occurred over the years, including one involving a former teacher. She claims that she forgot something at the school one night, so she drove here to get it. When she walked past the main office on her way to the exit, she began to hear singing from the theatre. Although frightened, she peeked in to investigate. It was pitch black inside. She could clearly hear someone singing so she yelled "Is someone in there?" The singing ceased. Frightened, she ran out of the building and drove off. While she was leaving she noticed there were no other cars in the parking lot. Other teachers have maintained that when they have sat in the theatre alone to work they have felt a presence behind them, sometimes even catching a glimpse of a trenchcoated figure in the corner of their eye as they turned around to find no one there. Mrs. Minor is positive there is a ghost here; she claims that when she was here one Sunday morning she heard a toilet flush in the bathroom. On investigation, she found nobody. She was the only one in the school. Years ago a student locked himself in the theatre for a night with a video camera to try to catch the ghost on film. In the morning he was confident he had done just that, but after reviewing the tape with Mr. Coon they discovered that it was merely his reflection in the mirror that had scared him. These are only some of the stories, so the question is: do you believe? This year I'm going to be a dark fairy. Anne Rathe, Sophomore One year when I was younger I was a pumpkin. Nick Scibeck, Freshman Texas Chainsaw Massacre A personal favorite, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comes in third. It is based on a true story of inbred cannibals. They hunt their human prey with one very effective weapon: Leatherface. He's giant with no remorse--just a chainsaw and a bad limp. When I was five I was a watermelon with seeds. Photo contributed by arbogastonfilm.blogspot.com Ghosts in the theatre?!? Only one way to find out.... I was a lion when I was six. 5 Features Off to a good start 6 October 2009 9th graders adapt to life at CHS By Tausha Deal When the first bell rang at 7:40 a.m. on the first day of classes at Colchester High School, teenagers scurried through the hallways to get to their first mod classes. And you could see that familiar look of angst on every freshman's face as they began their journey through their high school careers. Going from middle school to high school can be a difficult transition for anyone. One minute, you're just a kid with no worries at all and the next minute, you're making big decisions on your own. Not only that, but high school can seem frightening to an incoming freshman - a larger building, exams, and older kids who have been rumored to stuff kids inside of lockers. One thing that isn't too familiar, though, is how fast this year's freshmen have already adjusted to CHS. The Class of 2013 adjusted to their classes quickly and made many new friends. The increase of Photo taken by Tausha Deal A group of freshmen enjoy lunch and each other's company during the school day. freedom and variety of classes has remained popular to all underclassmen. Either way, freshmen have been flourishing in their social and academic lives. So what has changed since years past? One factor could be that the upperclassmen are a lot more welcoming. "When I was a freshman, I remember being scared of the senior girls. They were intimidating," senior Erica Fritzeen recalls. But this year is a lot different. The upperclassmen have joined freshmen in activities such as spirit week and sporting events, and are just as supportive in general throughout the day - they don't look down on them because they're younger. Freshman Kathleen McMahon says that, "the seniors are nice," and many other freshmen say they don't really notice the difference in grades. Meet the new teachers Smart Start also helped the freshmen. They had their own school day without sophomores, juniors, or seniors to overwhelm them. It made them comfortable in their surroundings and with their teachers. Many upperclassmen attended Smart Start to help the freshmen make this a smooth transition. "I wasn't nervous coming into the high school. It's not a scary place," Thomas Deal, freshman, says about the transition. Hearing something like that is a breath of fresh air. CHS has improved as a welcoming community where everyone enjoys themselves. Being a part of the community here at CHS is something to be proud of, not something to be scared of. That is proven with this school year. Vice Principal among 5 new faces on the faculty By Shawn Place One major new addition to the staff of CHS is our new Assistant Principal Mr. Ryan Parkman, filling in for Mr. Clark. Mr. Parkman comes to CHS with a great deal of experience in the field of education; he is in his 16th year working in schools, and his 5th year in administration. He first started as a math teacher in Rutland, where he was born and raised. He taught at Rutland High School for 11 years. He then went to Bellows Falls where he was an Assistant Principal. When I asked Mr. Parkman what his hopes were for his first year at CHS he said jokingly, "to stay alive," but followed up by stating that he "wants to get to know all the kids and the systems at Colchester High School." There are four other new faculty members here at CHS this year. Over in the band room you will find Joshua Pauly; the band sounded great at the pep rally, and he is off to a great start with them. Another new face is in the guidance department is Candace Condry-Bowles, and the new addition to the math department is Michelle Page. Also a familiar face to us here at CHS, Jason Thime, is teaching an English class, as well as keeping his role in the Writers' Workshop helping kids perfect their papers. Photo taken by Aimee deLaricheliere Mr. Parkman, our new Vice Principal, comes to CHS from Bellows Falls. Seniors: What do you know now that you wish you knew then? Marie Ploof: "Skipping class does not make you cool." Jacob Sanderson: "Just how quickly graduation really comes to you." Jessika Campbell: "Who my real friends are." Ryan Mercado: "How Dirty Ron's has 20 piece nuggets." Spirit Week Lakeside Voice 7 October 2009 We've got spirit! Photos and story by Erica Fritzeen The fall 2009 Spirit Week started on Monday, September 28, with Comfy Clothes Day. The rest of the week included: Decade Day, Vermont Heritage Day, Blue and Green Day, and Beach Day. It is optional for the students to participate. However, every student seems to be involved in at least three of the five days. Beach Day was a new addition to our spirit week this year; not as many students participated because of the chilly weather, but some pulled through with great outfits. There has been talk about a pep rally for spring sports and maybe even a spring spirit week. Out of about 100 students, 80% were interested in the spring spirit week and would participate as long as the days were different. The other 20% weren't interested because of our traditional fall spirit week that everyone goes all out for; to them, it doesn't seem necessary to have one in the spring, too. Either way, a spring pep rally could still be held to recognize the spring athletes because the other two seasons get recognition. The senior class won spirit week. During the pep rally, it was a close call for some of the competitions. The Jell-o eating contest was neck and neck between the juniors and seniors. The crowd was full of suspense watching the race between senior Shawn Place and junior André Drewniak to finish their final bowls. The seniors came out victorious when Shawn finished his bowl first. Drama Club, Chorus, and Band all kept the crowd entertained with their music, dancing, and singing. Overall, everyone did a great job and the fall spirit week of 2009 was very successful. Movie Reviews 8 Where the Wild Things Are October 2009 A tasteful, yet obscure adaptation of the classic book By Shawn Beaulieu The beloved 1963 children's book Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, has--as countless other classics--fallen victim to the avaricious grasp of Hollywood. However, director Spike Jonze (director of "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation") was determined to maintain the alluring, imaginative essence of the original story. As with most things, this was easier said than done. The fundamental issue with creating a respectable adaptation was the length of Sendak's whimsical story, which is a mere 338 words long--hardly enough material for a feature-length film. Doubtless, it was necessary to extend the story and to do so efficiently and cohesively. For all intents and purposes, Jonze succeeded. The movie begins by portraying Max in true "Wild Things" fashion. Shortly after the opening credits, a playful snowball fight erupts - ending sourly and leaving Max feeling vindictive and spiteful. Fiercely, he Photo contributed by thinkhero.com Max Records stars as Max, King of the Wild Things, in the new adaptation of the children's classic. lashes out: rampaging about the house, covered in snow, tossing anything within his grasp and roaring at his mother to "make food, woman!" before biting her and storming out of the house in a panic. In his hysteric escape, Max stumbles across a derelict boat on a nearby beach and sets sail to wherever the waves might take him (whereas, in the novel, Max is sent to his room, which morphs into his own, absurd retreat). That place happens to be a secluded island of boisterous, chaotic fantasy--the perfect location for the rambunctious Max to channel his energy. Here, he meets his equally rowdy companions, Carrol (James Gandolfini), KW (Lauren Ambrose), Douglas (Chris Cooper), Judith (Catherine O'Hara), Ira (Forest Whitaker), Alexander (Paul Dano) and The Bull (Michael Berry Jr.). While their mischievous adventures and games with one another are as lighthearted and eccentric as the Couples Retreat written story, the primary emotion of the film will be lost on the majority of viewers. KW's detachment and Carrol's subsequent depression are infused with a general feeling of sadness without any explanation as to why everyone feels this way. Many will find themselves asking this very question--especially young children, who haven't necessarily experienced such emotions, and many won't come away with a clear answer. Despite this, however, the won- derful purity and deviancy of Where The Wild Things Are is excellently captured--a classic tribute to author Maurice Sendak and fans of all ages. This nostalgic, irrational atmosphere of adolescence is complimented by a rich soundtrack from the likes of Karen O and the Kids, The Raconteurs, Deerhunter and various others, including an untrained children's choir. The Vince and Jon show By Chris Lebeau Don't get me wrong, Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau are brilliant actors. But Favreau has experience in directing box office hits (Iron Man) and Vaughn is a newcomer; you can clearly tell by this film. In Couples Retreat this usually dynamic duo is lacking the "dynamic" component. It's a middle-aged, clumsy, and tepid somewhat-romantic comedy that shows just how bad of a director Favreau can be when he's paired with Vaughn. However, Peter Billingsley (yes, Ralphie from ‘A Christmas Story') also directed, which made me look at the movie as sort of a joke. Vaughn plays a middle-aged man Dave, who is happily married to Ronnie (Malin Akerman), with two kids. Their friends Joey (Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) are high school sweethearts who are secretly planning on divorcing after their daughter goes off to college; Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are considering divorce after they continually try to conceive but just can't; and Shane (Faizon Love) is recently divorced and trying to be young again with 20-year-old girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk). In by far the cheeziest yet somewhat predictable scene, Jason and Cynthia ask their friends to go on a couples retreat to an exotic island. Now this happens in the very beginning of the film and has no backstory. Cynthia and Jason are hoping to get counseling to repair their crumbling marriage, while they promise their friends they can have tons of fun--and of course they all accept. But once at the resort the couples soon realize they must follow a strict schedule for couples therapy or risk losing their airfare back home. With a super-hippie love guru (Jean Reno), a smoking hot yoga instructor (Carlos Ponce) and a negative-attitude majordomo (Peter Serafinowicz) this film is an absolute joke. For the majority of the movie, all Vaughn does is rant on about things. He even makes a comment about Richard Simmons! You can tell it's a Vince Vaughn film. The film has a Vaughn's boys' night vibe throughout; it's all about Vaughn and nobody else. The movie also lacks realism. Who is going to actually go to a tropical island to seek marriage counseling? Overpaid actors are in abundance as well. There are actors (Faizon Love) that are almost completely unknown that are getting paid more than top notch actresses such as Kristen Davis and Malin Akerman; all because they are men in a Vince Vaughn movie. In all due respect, Couples Retreat is just a fun Vaughn and Favreau movie that lacks so many aspects of a Hollywood blockbuster. By Matt Dudley Bruckheimer is an action comedy about the latest evolution of a covert government that is training animals to work in espionage. Armed with high-tech government weapons these guinea pigs are ready to save the world from destruction. The movie Final Destination 4 is out in 3-D, and so far people have said that the movie is more confusing than clever. Final Destination 4 is about a group of people that go to a race track where the race becomes deadly. The three movies that came out in the past were all similar; they were all about a group of people that are destined to die at a certain time. Hopefully the newest Final Destination will be the best one yet, but people say the movie is just as stupid as it sounds...but maybe it will be cool in 3-D. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a story based on the well known children's book. It's about a scientist named Flint Lockwood. Flint is trying to solve the problem of world hunger when he runs into problems with proportion and The cast of Couples Retreat 3-D Movies: Comin' at ya! The movie studios are stacking up the money due to the new releases that feature 3-D. Everyone is excited about the new movies that have came out in 3-D. Some of these hot new movies are GFORCE, Final Destination 4, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and Astroboy. G-FORCE, produced by Jerry Photo contributed by themovingpicture.net giant food starts flying down from the sky. The Toy Story movies in 3-D were released October 2nd and only ran for two weeks because it was a limited engagement. It had hot reviews and seems to be a thumbs up 3-D movie. The Toy Story movies are about toys that get sent to toy making shops, and put in the aisles in stores. Astroboy is a movie based on a robot boy that was build by a professor in Metro City. Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astroboy is equipped with X-ray vision, super strength, super speed, and the ability to fly. Astroboy sets out looking for acceptance when he realizes that the people from Metro City need him and he goes back to save his city. Get to a movie theater to check out some of the new 3-D movies; it is a new way of watching movies and it's quite interesting. October 2009 Josh wants to know: Who's your favorite musician? Music Reviews Auto-tone and beef in the rap game Old school vs new school By Matt Dudley Lil Wayne, live from the 504, holds the #1 spot. He was voted top MC in the game by the critics and the students at CHS. More and more rap and hip hop artists are starting to use a musical tool called auto-tone. It is a voice synthesizer that you download on a computer. You record the voice, put it on the computer, and then run them together and it mixes the voice to sound mesmerizing and futuristic. Some people that listen to rap and hip hop like the new mix to the songs but a lot of people prefer more old school style and they complain about the overuse of auto-tone. The old school rappers such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, The Game, and Jay-Z don't like using any type of voice changer. I think this is exactly what rap needs: as much diversity as it can get. The more "beef" that the artists have with each other, the better the music gets. Jay-Z put on a concert that was Photo contributed by trueslant.com called "Death of Auto Tone." This was directly pointed toward Kanye West because he is one of the artists that is overusing auto tone. Plus Kanye is supposed to be a good example, but he's just really rude and uncivil. The old school rappers are calling out the new school rappers and they are challenging each other to put out the best music. The first time auto-tone was used was in the 1970s, so it's not new; it was just underused in the rap game. A lot of rappers have put out new music featuring songs that use auto-tone. In my opinion, I think it's becoming way overused. Not only do too many rappers use it, but too many rappers use it in too many of their songs--and their songs have more auto-tone than real rap. The artists that I like who feature auto-tone in some of their songs are What's your favorite song to cruise to? Bob Marley in the #2 spot. His artistic genuis is still appreciated by the youth of a new musical generation. 9 "So Good, So Right" Chis Furlani likes cruising to this song because "it make you feel so good, and so right." Song by Bone Thugz and Harmony. "Forever" The Game is Compton's next rising star, already rockin' the charts with multiple platnium albums. He holds the #3 spot. Photo credt 3 Mike Hoffmann loves cruising to this song because it has a good catchy beat. Says Mike, "it speaks to me." Song by Drake featuring Lil Wayne. Kanye West uses auto-tone, prompting Jay-Z and others to claim that Kanye can't rap. Gorilla Zoe, Lil Wayne, Tech N9ne, Drake and Flo-Rida. There are some rappers that I don't like to listen to like T-PAIN, and Akon, because they are the ones that are overusing auto-tone. They are taking the original meaning of rap and changing it into a completely different sound, and that's what is causing all the talk. The artists that I like that use auto-tone don't seem to overuse it; it's only in a few of their songs. If you started out in the rap game as an old school rapper, you can't change the type of your music from old school to new school, which will drive the fans away. That's why I am up for listening to different artists because I like all different types of rap. If you listen to the lyrics as well as the beat, you will hear the other rappers talking about each other because it's really all about competition. Lil Wayne oftentimes will feature with another hot rapper and they'll make songs and put them out specifically to see who will put out a song trying to show up theirs. Tech N9ne has a song called "Blown Away" and the whole song is about calling out another artist for who's the best rapper. That's what people are looking for in rap music: people talking smack, ill rhymes, and fresh beats. Cage the Elephant: a stampede of rock, funk, punk and blues By Becca Sanborn Cage the Elephant's new self-titled album has taken young indie rock music followers by storm. The band's exhilarating high speed performances and influential lyrics are a perfect catalyst for success. The album tackles subjects like shady smack talkers ("in one ear"), corruption, hypocrisy ("James Brown"), and war ("lotus"). The band's sharp lyrics and lively music makes for an explosion of honesty, matter-of-fact insight, frustration with the world we live in, and just plain amazing music. The band was formed by five guys from Kentucky in 2008 and they made their name one to look out for at this year's South-by-Southwest Music Festival. Produced by Jive Records, the album is a strong display of the band's energy and style. You can hear the fire behind lead singer Matt Shultz' vocal delivery. Shultz' voice is joined by brother Brad Shultz and Lincoln Parish's furious twin guitar assault and fueled by the heavy beats and rhythms laid out by bassist Daniel Tichenor and drummer Jared Champion. On the band's website, Matt Shultz states, "The music comes from a pure place. We really like the energy of music that feels passionate, raw, unplanned emotion. That's what we were really trying to capture in the studio." The album is significantly different than just about anything I've heard in a while. The band seems to have a laid back lazy attitude in Shultz' casual voice, but add in the drum beats and the occasional bluesy bass line and the music takes on a tone that speeds along at a 100mph pace. It makes you listen. According to Matt Shultz, "Forming Cage the Elephant was a rebellious thing — a way for us to carve out our own path instead of following the path created by the community that surrounded us." They most certainly succeeded. "Fortunate Son" Photo Credit 4 New rap talent Drake is in the #4 spot. Also a TV actor, he could be the next Will Smith. Peter Cormier likes getting pumped up to this song. "I've always liked it and it's always been on my dad's station. I listen to it before games." Song by CCR. photo contributed store.livenation.com Photo credit 5 Cage the Elephant's new self-titled album is available now. By Spencer Dandurand Laker Football "Laker Football is perfection," stated a confident Shawn Place. Place is a safety on the undefeated Laker Football team that has seen quite a bit of success this season. After a disappointing end to last year's football season, the Lakers have rebounded to an astonishing 8-0 record, outscoring their opponents by over 200 points. Where has all of this recent success come from? Sophomore running back and defensive back Alec Kozlowski says, "The success we've had is due to hard work." The Lakers' practices have been based around conditioning and hard work and it is clearly paying off for the team--not to mention the great athleticism the Lakers have shown. One of the more outstanding athletes on the team is Junior running back, Devon Grammo. Grammo led the team with 17 touchdowns last year and he is well on his way to leading the team for the second year straight. Grammo has credited his success to his teammates: "My line block's amazing." Laker Coach Tom Perry deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the undefeated record, as does the rest of the coaching staff. Perry has been the conductor of the Laker Train for the past six years and he couldn't be more impressed with this year's players. "Number one is leadership. We have good quality leadership from our seniors and we have some pretty good athletes." Captain Tyler Combs has done a tremendous job keeping his teammates focused and making sure the good work ethic continues. "Tyler Combs has done a great job this year. He's always getting on his teammates in practice and in games," said Perry. The football season is winding down, yet the excitement has accelerated each week in hopes that the Lakers will stay perfect. The Lakers will face the Milton Yellowjackets this Friday night in the season finale. "My goal is that players learn how directly effort relates to success," stated Coach Perry. If the current effort and hard work continues, there is no reason why the Colchester Lakers Football team shouldn't indeed remain, perfect. Undefeated! Sophomore running back Alec Kozlowski. Laker Football takes on Milton this Friday, October 30, at Milton. Game time is set for 7 PM. "You can't stop us!" - Junior offensive and defensive lineman Ryan Crowley. Pictured: Junior running back Devon Grammo. "We condition harder than anyone I have played for." -Junior linebacker Jay Morgan (also pictured). "We have come together as a team this year" -Senior defensive end D.J. Keough. Pictured: Senior guard, Aaron Hodge, senior tight end, Tyler Combs, and D.J. Keough. Laker Sports October 2009 Winter sports on the horizon By Josh Camisa With the fall sports season drawing to a close, winter sports teams are starting to get ready for the 2009-2010 season. The girls' varsity basketball team has a new head coach this year; T.J. Sawyer will be replacing former coach Joe Johnson. Both the boys' and girls' varsity basketball teams have already begun open gym sessions to try to improve over last season. Of the boys' team, senior Spencer Dandurand said, "we did lose our entire starting five, but we have the energy to be successful-and we will surprise many teams." Most varsity teams are returning with a handful of seniors, and all hope to be Colchester High School's next undefeated team. The downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and dance teams all expect success this season with strong returning team members. The wrestling team also anticipates great things from junior team member Devon Grammo this season. The varsity hockey teams are very young this year, By Spencer Dandurand As October comes to an end, the fall sports season begins to wind down. This can only mean one thing: Play-offs. Here is a preview of how the Laker sports teams are shaping up for their play-off runs. Laker Football The Laker football team has secured home field advantage for the first round of play-offs with their 62-22 triumph over North Country last Friday night. Play-off pairings will be announced this Monday. Boys' Soccer The boys' soccer team battled with second-ranked Burr and Burton Academy on Wednesday. The boys' basketball team line-up. Colchester High School is in the process of building two new sports fields this year. Hopefully ready by this spring, the new Laker Athletics Laker territory will be used for lacrosse and rugby games and as a baseball practice field. "If not finished by spring, they'll definitely be ready to start off next year," says Athletic Director Bernie Cieplicki. The idea of new sports fields was originally introduced to the town last spring. The offer was to place four new fields at the High School, but the taxpayers voted Photo courtesy of Josh Camisa but have strong senior leadership. Speaking of the boys' team, senior Shawn Place said, "we may be young, but we have a lot of potential." They expect to have a very exciting year. With the weather getting colder and colder, Colchester High School's winter sports teams are anxious to get started. Practices officially begin on November 16th. Our winter athletes start the season with hopes for future championships. With strong returning players and promising young talent, those hopes could become a reality. against this. An anonymous citizen then donated $250,000 to build two of the fields so that taxpayers wouldn't have to be affected by the decision. CHS was thrilled by the huge donation and immediately began excavating. "A lot of different people came together and spent a lot of their time and energy trying to get these fields for the end of this year," Cieplicki stated. It seemed to bring the people in the community together, as well as brighten the school's environment. CHS won't be attempting to build the additional two fields any time in the near future, but if they are eventually built, they would be used as another soccer field and possibly a game field for JV teams. By Spencer Dandurand New fields hopefully ready for spring Kelsey Latulippe Fall sports teams head into play-offs Girls' Soccer The Lady Lakers squared off against Burlington in the first round on Tuesday. Field Hockey The Laker field hockey team ended their season with a dramatic 1-0 loss to second ranked South Burlington. They started their play-off run with an overtime victory over Burlington. Cross Country Jenna Griffith and Brendan Copely ran their way to Metro titles this past weekend. The State Championships will be held at Thetford Academy on October 31. World Series action The Fall Classic is upon us--that dramatic finale of the Major League Baseball season that never seems Yankees vs. to let us down. Phillies The New York Yankees set the stage for the World Series with a victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night. The Yankees clinched the American League penant by winning the series four games to two. Prior to the ALCS, the Yankees took care of business by sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the divisional play-offs. Representing the National League for the second year in a row will be the Philidelphia Phillies. The Phillies made easy work of their two opponents by dispatching the Colorado Rockies in three games in the Divisional Play-offs, and then defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the NLCS. This year's matchup will likely prove to be a great one as the Phillies are locked and loaded for another World Series victory, but the Yankees are hungry for their first ring since 2000. Game one is set to be played Wednesday October 28 in New York. Who do you like in the World Series? Philadelphia Phillies or New York Yankees? Senior D.J. "Fluffy" Keough thinks the Phillies are the team to beat. 11 Senior Kristen Couillard is a firm believer in the Phillies' chances to win it all. Freshman Bobby Brigante says, "Yankees all the way!" Senior Brittany Turkuljia has the Yankees as her top pick. Sophomore Brendan "Baby G" Deorsey thinks the Phillies are on their way to a repeat in the World Series. October 2009 Laker Sports Strong season for girls' soccer Boys' soccer in play-offs 12 By Zach Dandurand The Colchester boys' varsity soccer team started their year off with an eventful pre-season. The team headed off to train at camp Teela-Wooket in Roxbury, Vermont to polish their skills and bond together as a team before the season started. Senior captain Abe Pasic spoke well of what was accomplished at the soccer camp: "At camp we learned a lot about each other and ourselves, we came together as a team, and made sick beats in the process." Although the team is primarily juniors, the Lakers have been able to compete with every team so far. They began the regular season facing Rutland on a Saturday morning. Junior Dustan Whitcomb was able to put the Lakers ahead early on, but due to a controversial penalty kick call, Rutland was able to tie it up and put the game into overtime. The game ended in a one to one tie and Colchester was a little slow to rebound, losing some close games. But recent games have shown that the Lakers are bringing it all together while overpowering North Country three to zero to pick up a win at home and playing tightly against soccer powerhouse CVU as well. Leading goal scorer Dustan Whitcomb had this to say about the win against North Country: "We played well, we didn't fight, we possessed the ball, and we came together as a team." The Lakers continued to play well as they headed off to BFA to play their second game against the Bobwhites. A couple of first half goals by Dustan Whitcomb put Colchester up two to zero early. Both great goalkeeping and defensive play allowed the Lakers to stay ahead and to come away with the win. Coming off a tough loss to South Burlington, the team set off to play the defending state champion Burlington Seahorses. The game was locked at zero to zero at the end of regulation and was sent to an intense overtime. After Mark Miller was fouled in the attacking third, Abe Pasic was set to take the free kick. He served in a nice ball to the far post and Zach Dandurand was there to head it in past Burlington keeper Amir Pasic for the win. The soccer team looks to keep playing well down the stretch and into playoffs as they are heading towards some key games. Three year Colchester varsity soccer member Ben Morton-Black was asked about how he views the rest of the season and answered with, "At this point in the season, we should just prepare for play-offs, while trying to win as many season games as possible." Despite a few bumps along the way, coach McCannell likes the way the team is coming together down the stretch: "We've had to overcome obstacles in order to achieve consistency but now as we're headed to play-offs our whole team is together for the first time all season." "Now as we're headed to play-offs our whole team is together for the first time all season." Coach McCannell By Zach Dandurand and Shawn Place Senior Paige LaPlant likes the way the team is playing and is optimistic about their play-off chances: "We definitely have the potential to go far in play-offs but we just need to be consistent with our play. It's a great group The Colchester girls' varsity soccer team started of girls and I'm really excited about our team chemistry." off the season with a bang by sneaking past Rutland one The Colchester girls have seen much success alto zero in an exciting double overtime game. Lauren ready this season beating top ranked teams, despite the Bernard fired a shot past the Rutland keeper for the win. fact that they have a very young starting core. Although This was a great beginning they are young, they have a to what has been a promising lot of talent. season for the girls' team. The Rising star Lauren Laker girls' next test was when Bernard is one of the most they set off on a long trip to play talented soccer players in North Country. They made the the state. She has been chotrip worth it by blanking the sen to play on her age Falcons three to zero. groups' national team After starting off strong which she says has really the girls' team lost some tough helped her become a better games, but got right back on player: "Playing with some track while stringing together of the best players and havthree straight Metro wins, the ing an opportunity to be first of which came against coached by some of the Essex. The Lakers went to their best coaches in the country field and dominated, winning has helped me become a four to one. Katharine Morely better player." Although and Lauren Bernard each had a traveling all of the time is pair of goals in the victory. This hard, Bernard went on to win was the first win against say that she enjoys the exEssex for the Colchester girls' Photo courtesy of Kate DeCoff perience, "I don't like being soccer team since 2004. away from home and from The second win during this Junior forward Katharine Morley Andrew, but it's a good exstreak was when Mount Mans- rushes for the ball in a game against perience and I have fun field visited Colchester and was while I'm there." defeated two to zero. Lauren Bernard and Rachel SeaThe Lakers are hoping that all of their talent will help man each had a goal in the win. The Lakers kept it going their team go far this year. by beating Essex for the second time in one week, this The Colchester girls' varsity team looks to finish up time two to one. Kristen Couillard put the Lakers on the their season strong and head into to play-offs with a lot board first and Bernard added another goal to push them of momentum. past the Hornets. X-country running prepares for state meet By Shawn Beaulieu The Colchester High School Boys' and Girls' Cross Country Running teams, who both placed fourth in last weeks NVAC District meet, are preparing for the State Championships in Thetford, Vermont, which will take place this Saturday, the 31st. Running legend, sophomore Brenden Copley, and freshman Jenna Griffith both took first place with times of 16:26 (Copley) and 19:13 (Griffith). With these two sensational runners, and admirable support in Ryan White, Liam Connors, Emily Davis, and Nicki Davis, Colchester is hoping to qualify for the New England Championships in November. An interview was scheduled with Mr. Copley, in regards to his personal and team expectations for Thetford; however, Copley left early, saying, "He don't know speak." Captain Ryan White served as a surrogate, saying, "If we run our best, we can place in the top 4. And of course, Brenden will lead the team, but we also have rising stars like first year runners Mack Hyman (Personal Record - 19:24) and John McNeil (Personal Record - 18:03)." The notoriously cold and muddy course at Thetford will pose a great challenge to the team, demanding greater strength and perseverance than any other meet this year. The girls' and boys' teams will see the extent of their running capabilities this Saturday. Photo courtesy of Shawn Beaulieu Brendan Copley leads the pack. Field hockey goes to quarterfinals By Chris Lebeau Photo taken by Jeff Barton The 2009 Laker boys' soccer team prepares to take the field for a recent game. The Colchester Field Hockey team had a great season that brought them all the way to quarterfinals. They were 7-52 in the regular season under coach Shawn Carney-Lefebvre. In their first play-off game, they defeated the Burlington Seahorses in dramatic fashion in overtime. Junior Kaitlyn Boudah scored the winning goal, leading the Lakers to a 2-1 win. They unfortunately couldn't maintain that momentum against the impressive South Burlington Rebels in the quarterfinals. The final score was 1-0. "We had a pretty steady season and we had some unexpected wins (Mt. Abe) and we put up a good fight against Mid- dlebury," says Senior Captain Elise Crowley. "We've had some on-games and some off-games" says Freshman Jackie Sortor. The team has a tremendous amount of school spirit to accompany their drive to win. The girls are always dressing up nice or wearing some very colorful and coollooking outfits on game days. The J.V. Field Hockey team didn't have the season they hoped for, but they came together as a team and learned a lot under the instruction of Kellie McClintock. "We all came together as a team and we all had a lot of fun," says Sophomore Lilly Hamlin. Overall, the field hockey teams had a lot of fun throughout the whole season and they hope to have just as much fun next year.