SCHOOL & COMMUNITY NEWS

Attention Juniors and Seniors! Alfred-Almond is proud to announce an outdoor prom on June 5th from 8 PM to 11 PM. Although some restrictions will be in place, it is looking more and more like a normal Prom. Masks will still be required, however, students will be able to bring dates from schools other than Alfred-Almond by simply filling out a form. Attendees will be allowed to dance and socialize, but unfortunately will not be receiving a meal. Tickets will be 30$ for singles and 50$ for doubles. We hope to see you there!

Story by: Cameron Claire

On Monday April 26, Alfred-Almond’s National Honor Society was proud to welcome its new members. This has been the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that the NHS was able to hold an in-person induction ceremony.

The National Honor Society induction ceremony was held in the newly refurbished auditorium. Members and guests were spaced out accordingly and were all of course wearing masks. The ceremony began with a formal welcome read by Mr. McAneney, followed by Jessica McMahon leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, Allyson Campbell, Amber Weinar and Kiara Wisniewski sang Alfred Almond’s Alma Mater. After this, Dr. Rivers proudly took the stage to congratulate and encourage the inductees to continue to strive for their goals and build great character in her salutation speech..

The President of NHS, Amber Weinar, addressed the crowd and broke down the overall meaning of the ceremony. There was a red candle and four white candles. The red candle represented knowledge. The white candles symbolized the essential criteria for being a NHS member; Scholarship (read by Ella Napolitano), Leadership (read by Zoe Balinsky), Service (read by Andrea McMahon), and Character (read by Alyssa Turner). The member reading about each criteria came up, lit their candle and explained what that candle signified.

After all the candles were lit, it was time to hear the parent’s tributes. This year, their speeches had to be kept short, but they were still moving and emotional. After the last inductee came up and sat on stage, they took the oath and lit their candles.

2020-2021 Members

Emily Agnello Zoe Balinsky

Allyson Campbell Aquila Cushing

Ryann Donlon Maria Graziano

Maggie Griffin Abigail Grove

Sydney Heining Avery Libordi

Maeve Looney Andrea McMahon

Jessica McMahon Chris Mormino

Ella Napolitano Brent Porter

Zoe Tarun Alyssa Turner

Amber Weinar Kiara Wisniewski

2020-2021 Inductees

Jack Byrnes Daniel Dumond

Lucian Fioretto Ainsley Grigg

Liam Harris Cameron Heining

Alison McMichael Julian Petrillo

Nial Rigas Nolan Tormey

Claire Volk Anna Yarnal

Story by: Andrea McMahon

“This year’s AP exams took place in the Home and Career’s room throughout the month of may. There were mixed reviews coming from other students regarding the different exams. Some thought that they were well prepared, while others felt some pressure. How did you all feel?” - Cameron Claire (AP Gov)

“I think the college board went easy on us this year. The test was surprisingly less difficult than I expected it to be.” - Alyssa Turner (AP Gov)

“I honestly studied only the day before and it wasn’t too bad, I sat for at least 40 minutes for both parts waiting for the time to be up.” - Andrea McMahon (AP Gov)

“I studied for about 2 weeks before my exam. I felt prepared, but poems will forever be the end of me.” -Avery Libordi (AP Lit)

“The AP Art exam was a little different. Maggie, do you think you could explain a little bit?” - Cameron Claire (AP Gov)

“After working thoroughly all year we were well prepared for the submission of the portfolio. We worked together as a class getting and giving feedback from each other. Mrs. Powers pushed us to do our best work and be on time for our submission date.” - Maggie Griffin (AP Art)

“Yeah I took the art exam too. After filling our portfolio with pieces we’ve made that suited our topic, or question we chose to research, we also had to write an essay about it. The worst part was the short character limits, in my opinion. We were only allowed 1200 characters for the essay, which I thought cut it short.” - Brent Porter (AP Art)

"So all in all, it seems like the exams were all different and difficult in their own ways. I think that we were probably at a disadvantage with the altered learning schedule, but at least they're now over and we can leave them behind us." - Cameron Claire (AP Gov)

Story By: Cameron Claire

On Monday, May 3, the school and the bus garage released a message about the new protocol for students at the end of the school day. The message was as follows.

“Good Afternoon,

We have reviewed our dismissal procedures due to the increased number of vehicles on school grounds at dismissal time. To this end, we are implementing a new procedure beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4 to see if we are able to reduce the congestion and facilitate a safe and timely departure for buses and vehicles.

Beginning tomorrow, students that drive to school and park in the student parking lot will be held until buses are released and leave school grounds. There will be additional staff directing traffic at multiple points. We ask that everyone exercise patience and understanding as we work to make dismissal as safe and expedited as possible.

Thank you for understanding that safety is our first priority.”

You must be wondering what happened to cause this protocol change to occur and, well, it’s caused by congestion. Due to Covid-19, more parents are picking their children up from school. This has caused the bus loop to be more filled than normal years, so the buses have been having a harder time exiting and getting students home on time.

We all know congestion causes discomfort and anger no matter in who or where. The procedure the school has come up with to deal with this congestion includes two parts that act in unison. Part 1 involves student drivers staying put until all the buses have left. Part 2 is where the busses all exit out one exit. (Most) parents are able to exit freely down the driveway in front of the school. Although this plan has been frustrating for many student drivers, the student body has done an excellent job being patient during the transition.

Story by: Grant Watson

The Summer Youth Employment Program provides jobs to teenagers so they can work over the summer. It gives them the opportunity to make money over the summer to help their parents, save up for future endeavors, or just have spending money to buy what they want.

To get in the program, you must fill out an application. Although the deadline has passed this year, look out for the announcement about the SYEP next year around April. Some of the basic information required is your name, address, birthday, social security number, and email address.

Once you hand in the application, you will be notified by phone or mail if you have been chosen for employment. After you’ve made it past that step you need to attend orientation. This is where you will learn about the rules of the job, what hours you will work, transportation information, when you will be paid, etc. Attendance of this Parent/Youth Orientation is mandatory or you will not be hired.

Most people chosen for a job will work for 6-7 weeks, 14-28 hours a week, be paid $12.50 an hour and be placed in either a business, school or agency.

After orientation, the only thing left to do is patiently wait until you start. I recommend using the time before your first day to hang out with friends or do fun activities. Even though all your time won’t be taken up, you’ll most likely be tired after work and may not feel like hanging out with anyone.

At the end of the summer you will (hopefully) have money burning a hole in your pocket, but money isn’t the only thing to be gained from this experience. Employment will teach you responsibility, good work habits, time management and organizational skills. It will also give you not only the possibility to have references and work experience for future jobs, but the opportunity to meet new people and gain new experiences.

If you have ever considered applying for this program-- do it, do it, do it! The worst thing that can happen is rejection, and if this happens, hey, at least you will have a whole summer for fun.

Story by: Alyssa Turner