stopping the pessimistic monster triton’s new...
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TRITON HIGH SCHOOL Triton’s Student-Produced Newspaper May 14, 2014
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By Kelly Herrick
Staff Writer There are an endless number of stars, planets,
nebulae, and galaxies in our universe. There is also
a high-quality telescope sitting in science teacher
Mr. Tony Castro’s room.
Although a telescope has been donated to Triton
that students are free to use, no one has taken ad-
vantage of it. The official Astronomy Club has dis-
banded , but the telescope is available to students
who are interested in taking it outside. With con-
sent from Mr. Castro, students may access the tele-
scope for their pleasure. Due to its massive weight,
students are encouraged to form a group and take
the telescope out as a team.
Junior Eve Beebe feels that students should take
the time to form a group and take advantage of the
beauty of the night sky.
“We’d be ignorant not to look at something
around us,” Beebe said. “We are in one known uni-
verse, and every time we look into it, we find some-
thing new.”
Castro, a physics teacher, recommends reading
Sky and Telescope magazine to search for upcom-
ing astronomical events, and according to Mr. Cas-
tro, students should “read the manual to figure out
how to move it, turn it around, and make observa-
tions.”
Principal Kathryn Dawe said that prior to taking
out the telescope, students are required to get per-
mission and be accompanied by a staff member.
Last year, janitor Ryan Collins consented to the
idea of bringing the telescope to the roof for obser-
vational purposes. An alternative to this is to bring
it to the parking lot. Whatever the case, students
will be responsible for ensuring the protection of
the telescope and bringing it back safely.
For aspiring astronomers or those who have an
interest in the field, the telescope provides a won-
derful opportunity.
See TELESCOPE on page 2
Triton’s new
telescope Student stargazers sought
By Shannon Lyons
Staff writer “I just want to get out of here.”
“I hate science.”
“I don’t want to go to practice
tonight.”
“This weather’s killing me.”
“I am so beyond tired.”
As I walk down the hallway, I
am engulfed by these conversations,
swallowed whole by the pessimistic
monster that our endlessly expressed
grievances fuel. Witnessing such
cynical discussion makes maintain-
ing a positive mentality feel next to
impossible. Suddenly, I am remind-
ed of the two assignments I have
due tomorrow and the 7 p.m. prac-
tice I have tonight.
I am left feeling dejected.
John Wooden, a famous American basketball
player and coach, once said: “If we magnified
our blessings as much as we magnify our disap-
pointments, we would all be much happier.”
With the drab weather of these rainy months and
the building pressure of the approaching end of
the year, it is easy to fall into a habit of com-
plaining. The problem is, however, that our com-
plaining is rarely in search of a solution but
moreover, a way of mindlessly bringing our-
selves and those around us down simply for the
sake of voicing our annoyances.
Triton sophomore Tess Broll agreed that our
society has essentially provided a gateway for
negativity to seep into our communication.
“I think that subconsciously complaining is
not only a main part of eve-
ryday conversation, but of-
ten a conversation starter,”
said Broll. “I think that if we
were able to stop complain-
ing we would be able to
convince ourselves that we
are happier and less stressed
and have better things to
converse about.”
From March 3 to March
7, I conducted an experi-
ment that tested the frequen-
cy of my own complaining
habits and challenged me to
go one school week free of
negativity. I recorded every
time that I felt the urge to
whine, to criticize or to condemn something or
someone.
What I thought would be a few quick days of
maintaining a positive attitude turned into a long
and difficult trial, as I continuously had to re-
mind myself to re-evaluate my thoughts before
voicing them. Suddenly, the exchange of gossip
and the ventilation of aggravation seemed to ex-
plode in the conversations around me, louder
than ever before. Every sour person I encoun-
tered seemed to beg for agreement or validation
that they had the right to be mad at whatever it
Stopping the Pessimistic Monster Halting complaining seen as key to making progress
The Other Colbert Report By Cedric Colbert
Local: Following the recent scandal in-
volving Justina Pelletier and the recent
deaths of three children on her watch, Ol-
ga Roche, the head of Massachusetts’ De-
partment of Children and Families, has
resigned. Governor Deval Patrick, who
had previously defended Roche, accepted
her resignation “with some sadness” (AP).
National: On Thursday, May 8,
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny
Manziel was selected as the 22nd
pick overall by the Cleveland
Browns. Manziel had to wait three
hours before he was finally drafted,
despite being projected to be a top-10
pick. (abcnews.go.com)
International: On Friday, May 9, Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin visited Cri-
mea for the first time since he annexed it in
March. During the visit, he celebrated Rus-
sia’s Victory Day over Nazi Germany in
WWII, while showing off Russia’s military
strength during a parade.
(abcnews.go.com)
was they were dealing with. When I did not pro-
vide this reassurance or add any further com-
plaints, their words hung stiffly in the air, hinder-
ing the natural flow of our conversation. It was
then that I realized how strongly our communi-
cations depend upon the generation of grievanc-
es.
“I think people say what’s on their minds
without thinking who or what it affects,” said
sophomore Jamie Kelly. “Complaining is com-
mon for most people, and if people thought be-
fore speaking, happier things would be the sub-
ject of conversations, giving people a better out-
look on life.”
It is true that there is a certain form of
satisfaction that comes with complaining; an
exciting release and rush
when two people can get
together and share thoughts
about something or someone
that annoys them. This may
be because everyone wants
to be understood, like they
are not alone in what they
are feeling. Unlike confid-
ing in a close friend about
an issue, however, com-
plaining is a form of com-
munication shared between
even the most unfamiliar of
strangers. People break
awkward silence by ripping
on the weather, the slow
service or the brutal traffic.
Sophomore Olivia Lees said that the antago-
nistic mindset of today’s generation is largely
due to our constant exposure to media and news.
“I think that people talk about negative sub-
jects a lot because media usually focuses on neg-
ative events,” said Lees. “However, if people
started to talk about more positive things, they
would probably be happier and wouldn’t dwell
on the negative things that surround them.”
See POSITIVE on page 2
Sophomore Hannah Clark and Christine Ciccone share a moment
of complaining before class (Shannon Lyons photo).
Staff writer Kelly Herrick poses with the Triton
telescope in Mr. Tony Castro’s room. The telescope
is not currently in use, and the school is looking for
students to take advantage of the equipment to star-
gaze (courtesy photo).
“Complaining is common
for most people, and if
people thought before
speaking, happier things
would be the subject of
conversations, giving
people a better outlook
on life.”
— Sophomore Jamie
Kelly
Triton High School page 2 May 14, 2014
back on Friday night, soaking up
some sun in summertime or landing
that dream job that will grant the
ultimate lifestyle.
While there is certainly nothing
wrong with setting goals, it is un-
fortunate to think of how much val-
uable time so many of us waste
grousing about the most insignifi-
cant of things. While it is easier
said than done, guidance counselor
Dr. Erik Champy said that the only
way to pull the plug on this toxic
form of communication is to turn
our attention elsewhere, to the posi-
tive aspects of life.
“As responsible adults, I think it
is imperative to model positive be-
haviors and steer students away
from counterproductive attitudes,”
said Champy. “As students, I be-
lieve that young men and women
need to work with their peers to
curtail any negativity that may
arise. We need to constantly remind
ourselves of how blessed we are —
the cup is half full!”
Champy’s colleague in the guid-
ance department, Ms. Karen Chris-
tian, said that being happy requires
POSITIVE from page 1 Throughout the course of my experi-
ment, I not only felt engulfed by the neg-
ative conversations around me, but also
by the abundance of dispirited tweets and
whiny Facebook posts, something that
would not have stuck out to me before
taking on this challenge.
In my attempt to record my own chal-
lenges of the week, I found myself be-
coming more aware of other people’s
complaints as well. The most common
complaints I observed, both on social
media and in face-to-face conversation,
were subject matter regarding being tired,
having a heavy workload and being in
“desperate need of summertime.”
I began to research the reasoning as
to why people became so hyper-focused
on the stress in their lives, or why so
many of us have taken on the ‘let’s just
get through this day’ mentality. One
anonymous quote that rings true in this
instance, read, “People wait all week for
Friday, all year for summer, all life for
happiness.” So many of us, especially
students in high school like myself, are
driven by the knowledge that hard work
has a reward, whether that be kicking
a balance between being positive
and still allowing our emotions to
be expressed.
“ If people tried to make a posi-
tive out of a negative, they would
be happier. I do believe in the pow-
er of positive thinking to help one’s
overall demeanor,” said Christian.
“I also think that it helps to discuss
grievances in a mature manner, as it
is not good to keep one’s negative
feelings bottled up inside.”
While I do not think of myself
as a pessimist nor a gossiper, you
would think that, coming off of my
experiment week, I would be ready
to release myriad complaints. This
was not the case. In fact, since my
experiment, I have felt an increased
ease in refraining from cynical con-
versations. I have learned to differ-
entiate between pointless comments
and those which desire a solution.
In the future, I hope to see myself
and others continuing to take on
this positive perspective, so that one
day our conversations are intoxicat-
ed not with negativity, but with a
new and contagious optimism.
By Erin Volpone
Staff Writer When thinking of
a varsity sports team,
many think of the
best of the best ath-
letes a school has to
offer: the fastest,
strongest, most dedi-
cated group of ath-
letes.
So the question at hand is, does it
matter who these athletes are? The an-
swer to that is no, having underclassmen
on a varsity level sports team does not
matter in the long term as long as the
athletes are ready.
Many Triton sports teams over the
years have had a variety of students of all
ages play for them, students on varsity
have ranged from freshmen to seniors,
and even the occasional middle-school
student has appeared on sports teams.
This year’s new athletic director, Mr.
Sean McInnis described what he found to
be his definition of a varsity player.
A varsity player is “a strong student
athlete, with outstanding qualities in his
or her sport, who is dedicated and willing
to work,” McInnis said, “But most of all
(the athlete is) willing to accept his or her
role and always want more.”
Elaborating further, McInnis said that
this could be a freshmen or sophomore,
but the factors of maturity and brute
strength also play a key role in a player’s
readiness for such a position.
True, many believe a varsity level
team should be reserved for upperclass-
men — juniors and seniors — seeing as
these students usually have more experi-
ence, maturity, and strength than, say, a
freshman. But in special cases a select
few underclassmen have been known to
show they are ready for such a key role.
Having known from experience, be-
ing an underclassmen on a varsity level
team can be very rewarding, and in the
long run it helps the player learn to har-
ness his or her craft and become a better
athlete.
Pigeon-holing the younger athletes
will not help to develop programs, in-
crease interest or add numbers to teams.
If there is a player who is outstanding and
ready to play, they should not be held
back based on their age.
By Erin Holloran
Staff writer To many, freshmen
year is supposed to be
a year full of new ex-
periences and trying to
grip the reality of high
school life. This new
“life” can often in-
volve the stress of aca-
demics, finding an after school job, and for
many, sports. So is it exactly right to ask
these youngest students to be varsity-level
athletes?
In both Triton and many other high
schools in the country, there are three levels
of sports offered: freshmen, junior varsity and
varsity. Which of these teams a athlete makes
is determined most by an athlete’s experi-
ence, level of maturity, and ability. In an in-
terview with Triton Voice, athletic director
Mr. Sean McInnis explained the difference in
these levels.
“Freshmen and JV teams have two differ-
ent purposes. Freshmen level is designed for
freshmen and sometimes even middle school-
ers to participate. It gets them integrated into
the school and meeting people and teaching
them a sport they can hopefully play for life;
it also provides everyone the opportunity to
play….JV allows student athletes another
avenue to get ready for that varsity level; it
gets them the experience they need.”
So does this mean that freshman and
sophomores should stay at the freshmen and
JV levels, or should they be on varsity as
well? McInnis gave his input on the matter.
“The whole point of varsity is to put your
best athletes out there. If that means younger
athletes can handle (the burden) both mental-
ly and physically then they should be allowed
to play. It’s like academics; should a student
be in AP or CP? They all fall into different
realms. There is no “cookie cutter” fit”.
Often times the varsity level can hold a
large amount of stress due to the high expec-
tations that need to be met. And this stress
can often be too much for someone who is
new to high school. On the other hand, some
kids are able to handle the new amount of
stress and are able to do just fine. Like McIn-
nis said, there is no true “cookie cutter” fit,
and if a student is ready to take on the respon-
sibility of a varsity sport, then they should be
able to be on the team.
Underclassmen on Varsity! Underclassmen on Var-
Case Study: Freshmen Lewis L’Heureux Note: As a freshmen, student Lewis L’heureaux has played both freshmen, JV
and varsity-level sports. He answered questions about the experiences recently
for the Triton Voice.
How much time per week do you dedicate to both teams?
“I played freshmen football, JV football and varsity football. I also wrestled
for JV and varsity. Weekly, I spent about 18 hours of each football team and
about 12 hours for each wrestling team. I had practices every day, five days a
week and games and meets every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”
Do you find it stressful? How do you balance your time?
“I found that playing for all levels of football and wrestling was very stressful.
School work is very difficult to keep up with when having practice every day
and games/meets every other day.”
What is the upside to being on both varsity and junior varsity?
“The upside of being on all of the teams are you gain a lot of experience from
playing every day and also competing at a higher level of competition raises
your skill in your sport.
Do you feel that being on varsity and junior varsity has made you a better
player?
“Playing for both teams 100 percent made me a better player because of the
competition I had to face. I had to step up my game just to be able to compete
with the other, bigger, stronger, and older kids.”
What are the pros and cons of being on both varsity and junior varsity?
“The pros of being on both teams are you get much better at your position or
weight class.
“By playing with varsity, your “survival skills” kick in and you need to im-
prove and adapt your level of competition. Then when you play on your regu-
lar freshmen team, you do much better against freshmen kids.
“Cons of being on both teams are the sacrifice of school work time and having
to cram your work time into your schedule. Another con is missing valuable
freshmen practices or games/meets to play for varsity. Sometimes by missing
practices, for freshmen, I had to learn new plays in football during warm ups
right before the game.”
TELESCOPE from page 1 “We would use it to look at the moon,
the North Star, and then maybe Mars and
Venus if we can see them,” said junior
Nick DiGenova.
There is so much more to see. As
Beebe said “Comets come by, we would
look at the Moon, look at constellations,
we could plot our own star maps; we
could do all sorts of cool stuff.”
OPINION: Should underclassmen play varsity sports?
Jackie Jerome has made her college
decision. “I’m going to NECCO in the
fall of 2014,” said Jerome.
“I’m going to be studying criminal
justice and getting the law enforcement
Senior of the Week
Jackie Jerome
Freshmen Lewis L’Heureux (left, top
and right, throwing) plays both JV
and varsity football and wrestling for
THS (courtesy photos). In the article
below, L’Heureux discusses his ex-
perience playing at both levels.