By Nitasha Maindiratta
On Nov. 26, Mumbai was attacked. The seven star Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was destroyed and many residents of the Mumbai area became hostages.
Students regret and mourn the victims of such terrorist attacks, but most have not felt its serious consequences. Some students in Hills West, however, do understand the massacre, for they came in direct contact with it. But if even one student knows what horror the attacks brings, by looking into his or her eyes and seeing the sadness, shouldn't it affect everyone?
Trishna Sharma was one of the few in Hills West that was directly affected by what is now being called the the second 9/11 attack. "When my family and I heard of the attacks, we were completely terrified, trying to reach our family as fast as we could," she said. She had to wait in dread to hear any news of her family. "A day after, my great grandfather in India called back reassuring us. Thank god, the attacks did not affect my family and they are all okay."
Senior Anirudh Maheshwari was also directly affected by the bomb attack, which occurred during Thanksgiving. "I was at home on the Wednesday night before, and I turned on the news. It looked like another random bombing, which, sad to say, I am used to. But this attack became something I felt deeply affected by because the commandoes could not do anything and lives were still in danger. I clearly remember watching TV as we were trying to say what we are thankful for and as we stood silently praying, hearing 'another terrorist killed, there are several left' from the TV," declared Maheshwari.
Anirudh, like Sharma, has family living in the city of Mumbai. "Considering they are frail, I was worried about how they would get food because the bombers attacked their favorite market they visit daily. Luckily, they are okay," he said, talking about his very close grandparents. Maheshwari, who feels very deep about the subject, plans to run a Model UN to teach student about the disputes and attacks that people all over the world have to encounter.
Indians throughout the Hills West community spent their Thanksgiving breaks mourning the loss of many. We as students can try to prevent another terrorist attack from occurring. All we need is greater instruction, like assemblies, events, etc, to teach us about the roots of terrorism. It is our responsibility as the next generation to figure out the roots of such hatred and harm, for it is our duty to correct and prevents attacks that may occur in the future.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Girls' Varsity Soccer Goes Strong
By Max Willinger
The Girls Varsity Soccer program has recently been founded and is only in its’ second year of running. The team had previously been combined between High Schools West and East. Coached by Ericka Verderber, or ‘Verdi’, the girls work as hard as they can to win games. As a result of how new the program is, many underclassmen play on the varsity team because spots must be filled. This year many sophomores and freshmen played on the team along with an eighth grader. Julia DiMaria was pulled up to varsity while presently attending Candlewood. Although the girls record was not as great as they wanted it to be, 3-8-1, the player’s feel that their record doesn’t account for all the talent they have.
One talented sophomore on the team, Christina Carone, states, “Our record most certainly does not portray our talent and we are a great team who has a lot of fun, which is the most important thing.” Carone has played on the team since she was a freshman. During practice the girls participate in drills such as possession, ball skills, shooting and transitioning, and also run. Following a loss is when the most running occurs. But in doing all of those things, the girls have fun playing together.
A few players on the team recognized for their efforts are seniors Francine Kofinas and Charnelle Saint-Laurent. Kofinas was awarded as an all-county goalie. Saint-Laurent was awarded with the All-League for her positions of goalie and forward. Both girls had an outstanding season as their senior season came to a close.
Carone also says, “She [Verderber] makes you play your best and pushes you to your full potential. A coach that has the attitude to win and doesn’t take no for an answer when telling you to push yourself is a great coach.” Other players can also account for a fabulous coaching job by Verderber.
The best part of the season, according to many players, was the game against West Babylon. It was during the last two seconds of the game when it happened. Julia DiMaria, the eighth grader, scored a goal. That part of the season was the most exciting because of all the pressure that was on the shooter to score and she came through.
Overall the girls had a fun season and helped each other into becoming great soccer players and into even grater people.
The Girls Varsity Soccer program has recently been founded and is only in its’ second year of running. The team had previously been combined between High Schools West and East. Coached by Ericka Verderber, or ‘Verdi’, the girls work as hard as they can to win games. As a result of how new the program is, many underclassmen play on the varsity team because spots must be filled. This year many sophomores and freshmen played on the team along with an eighth grader. Julia DiMaria was pulled up to varsity while presently attending Candlewood. Although the girls record was not as great as they wanted it to be, 3-8-1, the player’s feel that their record doesn’t account for all the talent they have.
One talented sophomore on the team, Christina Carone, states, “Our record most certainly does not portray our talent and we are a great team who has a lot of fun, which is the most important thing.” Carone has played on the team since she was a freshman. During practice the girls participate in drills such as possession, ball skills, shooting and transitioning, and also run. Following a loss is when the most running occurs. But in doing all of those things, the girls have fun playing together.
A few players on the team recognized for their efforts are seniors Francine Kofinas and Charnelle Saint-Laurent. Kofinas was awarded as an all-county goalie. Saint-Laurent was awarded with the All-League for her positions of goalie and forward. Both girls had an outstanding season as their senior season came to a close.
Carone also says, “She [Verderber] makes you play your best and pushes you to your full potential. A coach that has the attitude to win and doesn’t take no for an answer when telling you to push yourself is a great coach.” Other players can also account for a fabulous coaching job by Verderber.
The best part of the season, according to many players, was the game against West Babylon. It was during the last two seconds of the game when it happened. Julia DiMaria, the eighth grader, scored a goal. That part of the season was the most exciting because of all the pressure that was on the shooter to score and she came through.
Overall the girls had a fun season and helped each other into becoming great soccer players and into even grater people.
Swimming Girls Dive to Success
By Daniella Salvatore
The 54 girls that were on the Girls Hills Varsity Swimming and Diving team have helped contribute to the team's popularity at both West and East. A few years ago, students and faculty members alike did not even know the school had a swimming team, but now they are more than well aware. The team has always been a collaboration of both West and East because there were never enough swimmers to make two separate teams and a junior varsity high school team (the junior varsity consists of middle school swimmers). It was also incapable to have cuts.
Coach Jason has always accepted anyone as long as the swimmer knew the basic strokes and could keep up during practice. However, the number of girls that show up to the welcoming meeting in the beginning of the season greatly increases every year. The team has come a long way with the 2008 season having the largest amount of girls on the team, 54, 22 of which are seniors. This may have to do with swimming's new found popularity due to the Olympics this year and super-athlete Michael Phelps.
Having so many girls on the team leads to chaos and absolute insanity at certain times throughout the season. Because Coach Jason thought he had a large team last year, which consisted of 15 fewer swimmers, he asked Coach Jen, a teacher at East, to coach diving so he could strictly coach the swimmers. Swim meets were crazy at times trying to tell the girls who were in which event and to make sure everybody was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Obviously, with 54 girls on the team, not every swimmer competed in every meet. This left a lot of girls on the bench especially when on average only 3 swimmers were in the pool at one time. However, that leaves 51 girls to be cheering their team on.
The Girls Hills Varsity Swimming and Diving team received one of the highest ratings for sportsmanship every single season. You would think with this many girls there would be a lot of cat fighting, but it was the complete opposite. Everyone was friends with each other and helped each other out a lot. There were a lot of times when the swimmers had the chance to bond and get closer to other girls on the team, especially if they were in your lane during practice. It has also given the team the chance to get to know some of the girls from the other high school. There is a system called little and big sisters where in the start of the season the captains assign everybody a partner. This is when seniors and juniors are paired up with sophomores and freshmen and on certain swim meets the little sister brings the big sister food, or vice versa. The little and big sister system helps to eliminate the boundary of thinking the upperclassmen are superior.
There were also 4 captains picked for this year's season to help keep everything under control. Although having this size of a team was fun and something different than the ordinary, Coach Jason announced at the end of the season that he will be making cuts next year. Even though this is a bad thing for the swimmers, it is a good thing for the swimming team as a whole to show that we have grown to the extent to which we have to make cuts. Maybe a few years down the line there will even be two separate East and West teams and they can compete against each other.
The 54 girls that were on the Girls Hills Varsity Swimming and Diving team have helped contribute to the team's popularity at both West and East. A few years ago, students and faculty members alike did not even know the school had a swimming team, but now they are more than well aware. The team has always been a collaboration of both West and East because there were never enough swimmers to make two separate teams and a junior varsity high school team (the junior varsity consists of middle school swimmers). It was also incapable to have cuts.
Coach Jason has always accepted anyone as long as the swimmer knew the basic strokes and could keep up during practice. However, the number of girls that show up to the welcoming meeting in the beginning of the season greatly increases every year. The team has come a long way with the 2008 season having the largest amount of girls on the team, 54, 22 of which are seniors. This may have to do with swimming's new found popularity due to the Olympics this year and super-athlete Michael Phelps.
Having so many girls on the team leads to chaos and absolute insanity at certain times throughout the season. Because Coach Jason thought he had a large team last year, which consisted of 15 fewer swimmers, he asked Coach Jen, a teacher at East, to coach diving so he could strictly coach the swimmers. Swim meets were crazy at times trying to tell the girls who were in which event and to make sure everybody was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Obviously, with 54 girls on the team, not every swimmer competed in every meet. This left a lot of girls on the bench especially when on average only 3 swimmers were in the pool at one time. However, that leaves 51 girls to be cheering their team on.
The Girls Hills Varsity Swimming and Diving team received one of the highest ratings for sportsmanship every single season. You would think with this many girls there would be a lot of cat fighting, but it was the complete opposite. Everyone was friends with each other and helped each other out a lot. There were a lot of times when the swimmers had the chance to bond and get closer to other girls on the team, especially if they were in your lane during practice. It has also given the team the chance to get to know some of the girls from the other high school. There is a system called little and big sisters where in the start of the season the captains assign everybody a partner. This is when seniors and juniors are paired up with sophomores and freshmen and on certain swim meets the little sister brings the big sister food, or vice versa. The little and big sister system helps to eliminate the boundary of thinking the upperclassmen are superior.
There were also 4 captains picked for this year's season to help keep everything under control. Although having this size of a team was fun and something different than the ordinary, Coach Jason announced at the end of the season that he will be making cuts next year. Even though this is a bad thing for the swimmers, it is a good thing for the swimming team as a whole to show that we have grown to the extent to which we have to make cuts. Maybe a few years down the line there will even be two separate East and West teams and they can compete against each other.
Senior Skit Causes Controversy
By Adam Feldman
It was a weekend of passion, excitement, anticipation, and most of all, competition as dedicated members of Hills West strived to gain the ultimate satisfaction of winning "Homecoming ‘08". Between creating floats and skits to designing shirts, banners, and bleachers, each student craved the satisfaction of hearing his class become declared the winner. In the end, it was the senior class that pulled through.
Although it was a joyous time for the soon-to-be graduates, speculation immediately arose throughout the minds of many.
Unsurprisingly, many of the seniors supported the judges’ decision. Mary Ciufo, a senior at West, helped build the float and set up the gym for pep rally. She also dressed up for Spirit Week and attended both pep rally and homecoming. "We put a lot of effort into the whole thing and really took pride in our work," Ciufo said. "It's our last year at West and we really put together something great. We deserve to get rewarded for that, especially since we've never done this well in past years."
“I had discussed the points with Mrs. Alexander, and the seniors earned most of them from the float, pep rally decorations, and the skit,” said Taryn Rosenberg, writer of the skit.
Still, many students felt that this decision was biased in some way. Even senior Majid Hamidi disagreed with the seniors’ win. “The junior skit was much better!” Though a few students thought the junior skit was too offensive, Majid didn’t care. “No matter the content, you have to please the crowd. The juniors did just that.”
Bessie Weisman, a junior at Hills West, added her thoughts on the outcome. "I don’t think the seniors deserved to win this year. They weren't as innovative with their country as the juniors,” she said. "Then again, they are graduating, so they should win since this is their last year here.” Weisman was not the only student who speculated that this was a “pity” win.
Though this conflict has not come to a definitive resolution and students continue to debate the true results of homecoming, it is undeniable that the day was filled with fun and excitement, and that this controversy perhaps only added to that.
It was a weekend of passion, excitement, anticipation, and most of all, competition as dedicated members of Hills West strived to gain the ultimate satisfaction of winning "Homecoming ‘08". Between creating floats and skits to designing shirts, banners, and bleachers, each student craved the satisfaction of hearing his class become declared the winner. In the end, it was the senior class that pulled through.
Although it was a joyous time for the soon-to-be graduates, speculation immediately arose throughout the minds of many.
Unsurprisingly, many of the seniors supported the judges’ decision. Mary Ciufo, a senior at West, helped build the float and set up the gym for pep rally. She also dressed up for Spirit Week and attended both pep rally and homecoming. "We put a lot of effort into the whole thing and really took pride in our work," Ciufo said. "It's our last year at West and we really put together something great. We deserve to get rewarded for that, especially since we've never done this well in past years."
“I had discussed the points with Mrs. Alexander, and the seniors earned most of them from the float, pep rally decorations, and the skit,” said Taryn Rosenberg, writer of the skit.
Still, many students felt that this decision was biased in some way. Even senior Majid Hamidi disagreed with the seniors’ win. “The junior skit was much better!” Though a few students thought the junior skit was too offensive, Majid didn’t care. “No matter the content, you have to please the crowd. The juniors did just that.”
Bessie Weisman, a junior at Hills West, added her thoughts on the outcome. "I don’t think the seniors deserved to win this year. They weren't as innovative with their country as the juniors,” she said. "Then again, they are graduating, so they should win since this is their last year here.” Weisman was not the only student who speculated that this was a “pity” win.
Though this conflict has not come to a definitive resolution and students continue to debate the true results of homecoming, it is undeniable that the day was filled with fun and excitement, and that this controversy perhaps only added to that.
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