Story and Picture by Kouki Yatani

People often underestimate the hard work and effort teachers put into teaching and helping each and every student grow. Teaching someone a new concept is an extremely difficult task itself,  that combined with having to teach the young and oblivious teenage mind is a whole different level of difficulty.

In this story, I would like to introduce some amazing teachers that have continued to stay dedicated and have worked at Alfred Almond for over two decades. These teachers do not see school as tiring and boring work but rather a place to be able to interact with students and have some fun. Each of them had some unique highlights of their careers to share so be sure to stay tuned in. 

First up is the math department, introducing Mr. Kert Decker! This year is Mr. Decker’s 26th year soaring as an Eagle. He currently teaches seventh, ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade math. He looks forward to working with his colleagues everyday. He also really enjoys the variety of students and teaching math because “it is either right or wrong, there is no opinion.” Some of Mr. Decker’s biggest highlights of his career are winning sectionals for girls track and field, seeing hundreds on regents exams, but he especially enjoys seeing students grow from math seven to when they graduate.

Next up is the English department. We have two teachers that have worked at Alfred Almond for a longer time than the others in this department. 

Mrs. Cheryl Kress is currently a seventh and eleventh grade English teacher and has entered her 29th year of teaching at the nest. She absolutely loves seeing, interacting, and as she says, “torturing” her students. Her favorite part of teaching is helping students learn and grow. Mrs. Kress’ biggest highlights of her career are all the little triumphs that the students show. She loves the moments when she can see growth, the little notes from students, and the senior pictures. “These small moments build up into a highlight,” Mrs. Kress said with a big smile on her face. 

Our next teacher has taught many of our parents when they were in high school. Mr. David Brady is going into his 39th year of teaching English. “I enjoy students very much,” Mr. Brady says. He also talks about looking forward to exchanging ideas with students on certain books. Furthermore, he admires the excellent atmosphere the school district has in terms of education. He very much enjoys coaching during the tennis seasons, having coached boys tennis for 25 years and girls tennis for 20 years. Mr Brady explained that Getting dedicated to the yearbook twice was his highlights of his career and said they were, “the best years of his career.”

Our final teacher of this series is none other than one of our two school counselors Mrs. Amy Boone. She has been helping students out with everything from school schedules to college applications for the past 26 years and is going into her 27th this year. She is the school counselor for half of the school looking after students from fifth to twelfth grade. Everyday Mrs. Boone looks forward to greeting the students and helping them with their needs. She loves being a counselor because the job is so “spontaneous.” Her biggest highlight comes around every year when she gets to see her seniors walking across the graduation stage. Mrs. Boone described this feeling, “very rewarding,” and she loves to see the students who have had big challenges being proud as they receive their diplomas.

Although every teacher teaches differently, they all have one thing in common. They all love seeing and helping their students grow as individuals.

Story by Chris Craft

On January 30th, the ninth grade went on a field trip to the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. This is the first time that the ninth grade has had a field trip of this nature. The field trip was a combined trip between 9th grade English and Global Studies. 

The students met in Mrs. Snyder's room and then took a bus ride to Rochester. They got to the museum early and the kind staff let them in. They split into four groups and each got a guide. Mrs. Snyder led her own group, which went on an hour and a half guided tour. ”I know my group really liked the ancient civilizations, Egypt, Africa, Asia,” said Mrs. Snyder. “There were more than a handful of kids who came without knowing what to do for their project that found inspiration for what they wanted to do during the trip.” 

Mrs. Snyder is absolutely right in this, 9th grade student, Ezibelle Backer, shared that they were not totally sure what culture project to pursue. They knew that they wanted their project to involve Italy but had yet to officially decide. “It was really fun, I really like the baroque art part of the museum.” This baroque exhibit also helped them make a final decision on what to do for their culture project. 

Clearly, the ability to see different cultures for the first time was massively useful as it could give ideas to those not yet decided on what to do. After a successful visit to the museum, the classes went to a mall and had an excellent lunch. Hopefully this trip becomes a tradition for the ninth grade. There are few field trips in high school and this trip could become both extremely beneficial academically, but also a gem of a memory for new highschoolers.

Story and picture by Taylor Flaitz

At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Bogey’s sixth grade students have become parents to 100 rainbow trout eggs. 

When I visited Mr. Bogey and his students, they enlightened me all about their new class pets. They keep a large fish tank in the corner of the classroom along with a vacuum, an auto feeder, and a device that tests the water content. I asked the class a lot of questions and primarily received answers from the students who were eager to share what they knew about their rainbow trout. 

The basic purpose of having these fish is for a science project which is a part of the “Trout in the Classroom” program. They will learn to understand the basic needs of the trout and find out how their aquarium meets those needs. This also allows the students to utilize hands-on learning and expose them to the environment and natural world. Each of Mr. Bogey’s students keep a science notebook packet where they observe how the trout have changed at each stage of their life cycle. There is an automatic feeder where they deposit crushed up food twice a day. They need to vacuum the aquarium when it becomes dirty. There is old food residue that remains on the floor of the tank and needs to be cleaned. 

The sixth grade students were very proud to show off the new science vocabulary they learned. Cal Turner, a sixth grader, was dying to explain what cannibalism was, which is what has occurred in their tank as they have gotten bigger. This is why it is very important to keep the trout fed. Raegan Miles was able to tell me what “testing the water parameters” meant. They use a special mechanism that she explained “helps stabilize the pH and ammonia levels” so the fish are living in ideal conditions. When these trout get to finger length they will be released in the Genesee River. The whole sixth grade will be taking a field trip with stations to prepare the trout for release and they will be able to see their trout children be released into the wild. There will be a fly fisherman coming to do a demonstration and Mr. Link will also be there for the stations and demonstrations.

The students named the trouts themselves. Ezri Ball named one of them “Renegade Raider.” Other names included “My Baby Fishes” and “Fanum Tax.”

Exposing these young students to how humans can affect our ecosystem is a great way to support the local ecology and habitat for trout. This science project could even influence the interest in a future career of environmental scientists, ecologists, park rangers, or even DEC officers.

If you want to learn more about this “Trout in the Classroom” program. Click here.

Story by Tighe Grigg

Selecting a college major has the potential to be a standout moment in your college journey. It involves identifying your expertise, making the most of thrilling opportunities, exploring various career paths, and uncovering your true self. This is a substantial choice you have to make but a flexible one as it can be changed at your will. 

It is still a substantial choice. You should take smart and efficient steps on your way to choosing it. An interview with senior Candy Zhao helps demonstrate the steps along the way.

Step 1: Know Yourself

You should first identify what you are good at and what you like. Zhao stated “I'm outgoing and I like talking to people and problem solving” A person's interests and values play a massive role in what they should choose to major in and generally what to do in life. Thinking about what takes up your free time and the classes or the types of work you enjoy in school the most will help you identify your interests and values. 

Step 2: Explore Options

Exploring the options you have for a college major can assist in thinning down your options. Some ways you can explore your options, after identifying interests, are if the career that major leads to is expected to endure over the next decade. Along with if it’s possible to transition to a different career path while still applying the major you’ve acquired. Questions like these will help you to explore the majors available to you. Zhao said she followed this criteria and decided on “Business, political science, and economics” for her possible majors.

Step 3: Read and Research

Look into articles or coursework related to majors you are interested in and reflect on whether or not you can envision yourself studying it. Research others who have gone into similar majors and see what paths they took and how successful they were. There are many paths that can come from a major and exploring those paths can help you discover if that major is right for you. “I looked it up online and talked to people in those majors.”

Step 4: Ask for Help

After doing some research on your own, consider asking friends and family or teachers and counselors about some of the majors you chose. Those you ask will offer opinions and advice that could assist you in choosing but it's also important to remember it is your decision and whichever path you want to take is your choice. “I talked to my counselor about it”

Step 5: Choose

After all of the consideration, list-making, questioning, and research, keep in mind that it is your future. Whichever major brings you joy and excitement and you think will most likely result in success is the choice to take. Always feel free to be unsure because it is easy to change majors. The major you pick is the start of something great and is not something you should dislike or be worried about. “I ended up choosing business in the end and I think it's gonna be a good choice.”

Story by Tighe Grigg

The 2024 Semi-Formal was a high school dance that brought many students of Alfred-Almond a night full of fun. The dance’s theme was a Snow Ball like it is most years. The turnout was good but students agreed it was less than past years. 

This left me wondering if the turnouts are similar, increasing, or decreasing for the dance each year, or if things change about the dance ranging from music to snacks. An interview with a group of sophomores about the Semi-Formal brought some answers.

Zavier Rao who attended both the 2024 dance and the previous years dance in 2023, said that the Semi-Formal was “good” but he was bored. Rao also said “It was like the same as last year”, the other sophomores agreed with this. 

Rao continued talking about the amenities at the dance. He complimented the snacks provided like the “cookies and the drinks.” One of the changes that was made this year was a photo booth to take pictures with friends that you can get handheld for free. The sophomores agreed with each other and said they think “the photobooth was a good addition.” However, one negative that sophomore Mackenzie Towner said was that “the music was worse than last year.” Most people agree with this as the music strays farther away from rap each year which is commonly enjoyed at school dances.

Some seniors agreed and said that there seemed to be less people and the dance floor appeared a little more empty. Senior Owen Lawrence said “The dance floor was a little quieter than the past two years.” 

Overall the students agreed that the Semi-Formal was a success and they plan on going again for sure. They also agreed that the dance has not changed much throughout the years but what has changed are good changes.

Story by Liam Carstens

Do you want to learn to play chess? Do you want to get good at the game to beat your friends? If so, then the chess club might be right for you.

In the club, you will play against other members, who’s skill levels range from beginner to experienced. You can also feel free to spectate other people’s games to learn more about chess.

“It doesn’t matter if you're smart or not,” said freshman Mason Barros. “A dumb person can still win in chess. All it takes is a small mistake from the other player.”

Another member of the club, Freshman Luca Reginio said that “chess club is pretty fun.”

I have also been playing chess for a few years, mainly through apps and websites, and have been playing with friends and people online. Chess club gave me a place to play against many different people and improve my skills.

Computer teacher Ms. Lisa Postilli, who runs the chess club, says that “Chess club would offer a place for students who love the game, a place to play.  Students who want to learn the game, a place to learn. Students who want to improve their skills, a place to improve.”

Because the club was created this year, it is not an official club yet. If enough people join the club or show interest, however, the club would be considered to be official next year.

If you decide to join the club and face your competitors, be ready to have fun and prepare for a challenge.