We’ve all heard the news by now… our school will be implementing Yondr pouches for our electronics. Because of this, I was interested to know what others thought about no longer being able to use our phones, AirPods, etc. in school anymore.

Here are some opinions:

Anonymous: “I hope we could still use our phone for medical reasons.”

Anonymous: “Terrible!”

Daniel C.: “I wish we could use our phones in study halls and lunch.”

Ms. Swider:  “I think that the Yondr pouches are a necessary measure to ensure that all of the students are engaged in learning and given a better chance to build interpersonal skills. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need the Yondr pouches because students would be able to self-regulate and turn their phones off during instructional periods, yet the data has shown that phones have become an addiction that is interfering with both learning and personal growth and development. As an educational institution, it is the school's responsibility to give every student the opportunity to meet their potential, and the Yondr pouches will facilitate that goal. I know that I personally cannot carry my phone with me to classes throughout the day because I have a difficult time ignoring notifications, so I am easily distracted by my phone. Additionally, the urge to play games or scroll TikTok during free moments prevents me from being my most productive, so I avoid the problem by locking my phone away during the day. Essentially, the Yondr pouches are simply affording the students the same opportunity.”

Anonymous: Personally, I think it will now be easier for teachers to teach a more engaged classroom, with students not on their phones for the entire period. But, there is one part of this I am skeptical about, that we will not be specifically assigned our own personal pouches. They will be left at school overnight and we will put our electronic devices into a different pouch when we return to school the next morning. I do not think this is a good idea, as it doesn't seem sanitary, and could possibly spread COVID or other illnesses to those within the school if the pouch was previously used by someone who is sick. In spite of this small concern, I think that it is the right idea to keep our school as a learning environment where no one is distracted by their phones.

On September 10, ABC news hosted the presidential debate. The 90 minute program was filled with controversial topics and questioned each candidate on their platform. With only two short commercial breaks allowed, and each candidate not allowed to interrupt one another, there was not much room for messing up or getting lost with words. Before the debate even started, there were reporters hyping up how crucial a sound performance is for each candidate's reputation going into the election. As one of the commentator’s mentioned, there were only 56 days from the debate until the day of the election. 

The debate was informative and quite entertaining. Trump and Harris went back and forth on numerous topics such as the economy, immigration, crime, abortion, and the Israel-Hamas war. Kamala was eagerly ready to respond each time she had the opportunity, as she seemed very prepared for any question on all of the broad topics covered. Kamala even attacked Trump on many different accounts, calling him “weak”, “wrong”, and a “disgrace”. She was successful in throwing Trump off throughout the whole debate. On the other hand, Trump was loud and out of control at times. Trump came across as very defensive, and often repeated lies from 2020. He even created a conspiracy theory about immigrants eating pets. Both of the candidates participated in a vicious debate regarding the issue of abortion, which is a hot topic across America today. Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his presidency that aided the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Kamala demonstrated that she feels strongly about female reproductive rights, and preached her beliefs in a way Joe Biden has never been able to do before. 

After the debate ended, two things remained prominent. Kamala Harris was the right choice for the Democratic party and Donald Trump is not ready to back down, even more so he is ready to fight. The presidential election will be extremely close, and it is hard to say who will get the seat in the White House. 

Everyone wants something to connect to, whether that be a place or a group of people. It could be a favorite park, a favorite weekly group, or it could be both. That is exactly what the Amsterdam High School Drama Club is: a place to thrive and a group of people to thrive with. It is the perfect place to find who you are, and even someone you never knew you could be. Some may argue that it is too much of a time commitment or not worth the energy, but one experience within this organization can prove that opinion wrong.

The Drama Club, at its heart, is known for its people. The actors, the designers, the stage managers, the musicians, the director. These people may seem very divided due to their work in separate stations; but, when it comes down to it, they are all working together more than the average viewer can tell. An organization like this is successful through collaboration and everyone involved is aware of how important that collaboration is. Christopher Stefani is the current drama club director. He is incredibly dedicated and passionate about this organization and is an expert in the execution of this mass collaboration. Along with this collaboration, he is very proud that the AHS Drama Club is mainly student-run. Every department is led and run by the students of the club. It gives them the opportunity to feel what it is like to work as a team while also being a part of one or multiple aspects. A recent advertising of the Drama Club’s performance of “Into the Woods” in the Amsterdam Recorder greatly highlights this student involvement with their interviewing of Mr. Stefani. “‘The students are very active in the production of the musical,’ Amsterdam High School Drama Club advisor and Director, Chris Stefani said.  ‘All of the costumes are built by students, the lighting design is made by students, the set, with the exception of myself, was all built by students, painted by the students, they run the lines, they run the spots, the pit consists almost 100% by students, which is great.’” (Vaughn-Holdridge). The interpretation of his tone during this interview shows the pride he holds about the club and how being “student-run” is very unique—especially for a high school group of this magnitude. There are even social media accounts run by students that work towards marketing, advertising, and announcing scheduling for these productions. One in particular is the Amsterdam High School Drama Club Twitter account. Granted, it is a bit dated, but it shows that students were taking initiative to spread the scheduling information and learn how to recruit individuals for the show at the time, “Young Frankenstein”.

In discussion with both drama club directors, past and present, they emphasized that they are mainly focused on the students, rather than the community’s impression on what they produce. They maintain the fact that community is very important because that is the soul of what keeps the club running. In talk with William (Bill) Nelson, the AHS Drama Club Director up until 2020, he discussed what he believed to be the club’s impact on the community. In succession to that, he worked incredibly hard to revive the club financially and was grateful to have that opportunity. A way he did this was by opening up the auditorium to creative organizations across the city of Amsterdam, saying, “We gave people the impression that there was a home for that type of community expression. In the long run, that was the real impact on our community. If somebody was thinking about a theatrical production, or a review, or a variety show, or something like that, the place to go was the high school.” When Nelson was the director, opening up this space to the community was so important to him and to the funding of the club. Yet, his main focus was still the students, saying, “It wasn’t about me, it was about the students coming through the program”. He wanted to ensure that students had an environment to grow and be themselves, with a seeming understanding of the students saying, “students need a place where they can feel like they can be themselves, and the classroom is not always that place”.  Stefani’s thoughts do not focus so much on the outer Amsterdam community like Nelson, but rather the community he has created within the club. His ultimate goal is to help these high school students come out of their shells and grow, he says, “If I am serving the students, then I am serving the community. It allows the students to shine which is the greater impact”. This statement alone proves the dedication and commitment he shows all of these kids.

AHS Drama Club alumni Alessandra Vicinanzo is one of many who is so grateful for the drama club and the impact of the directors. She is now a freshman in college and was among Stefani’s first group of Drama Club students. She felt strongly about the impact the Drama Club had on the community, talking greatly about the joy that the performances brought to the city of Amsterdam. Alessandra believes that it is very important to have a strong performing arts outlet in high school and one that has so many opportunities especially because “There’s not a lot of school theaters that have as many student-led departments.”  She was also a member of the Student Executive Board, being president her senior year. She was grateful to have the opportunity to be a leading force within this organization helping to create the welcoming and inclusive environment it is so well known for today.

Growth and understanding are both crucial things to experience throughout high school. After-school organizations like the AHS Drama Club are great places to experience those necessities. It will always be a place to experience, create, and connect through art.  Whether it be through trying something new or continuing with something you love, there is always a place to thrive within the Drama Club and people who will root for you along the way.

Fall is my favorite time of the year, especially because of all of the great athletic events going on at Amsterdam High School! This fall the school has a wide variety of sports teams for both girls and boys; football, soccer, cross country, swimming, and tennis. 

The Amsterdam Rams football team kicked off their season with an impressive game against Gloversville on September 6. Even though the Rams lost 28-24 against the Huskies, the team was able to showcase their potential for this upcoming season. The coaches and players have put in a lot of hard work this summer; they were lifting and practicing almost every day. I encourage everyone to attend the home football games, as the atmosphere is filled with fun and school pride! The next home game happens to be homecoming, which is on Saturday October 5 at 3 pm (later start due to SAT testing in the morning).

Girls and boys soccer have started off the season with wins at home. The boys soccer team defeated Scotia on September 11, and had an incredible home game - the final score was 4-1. The Lady Rams faced Gloversville on September 12, and won 1-0. Both the boys and girls team have great potential for foothills titles, as well as a spot in sectionals. The boys next home game is Friday October 4 at 7 pm vs Schuylerville. The girls next home game is Thursday October 10 at 6 pm, which is also their senior night, against Scotia. 

Girls tennis has started their season off hot with three matches in just one week. The girls team has doubled in size compared to last year, and have returning players who serve as the core of the team. The girls tennis team has an upcoming home match on Thursday October 3 vs. Greenwich at 4:30 pm. 

The cross country team started off their season with an opening home meet vs Broadalbin on Tuesday September 10. The two loop course was 2.3 miles long and went around the highschool track and soccer field. Both modified and varsity girls and boys teams were able to compete. The next cross country meet is an invitational at Saratoga State Park on Saturday October 12. 

The fall sports season ends for all of the teams between the last week of October and the second week of November. I encourage everyone to go and support their classmates and friends during the rest of the fall season! 

As the college application process appears to be the center of attention for many seniors, the deadline pertaining to early action is closer than ever. Early action is essentially an admissions process offered by some universities, giving students the opportunity to apply earlier than the average applicant, between the months of October and November. Just as early decision and regular decision has its advantages, so does early action. A wide variety of high school students choose to take this route to hear back from certain universities at an earlier date, receive greater assistance in aid, scholarships, opportunities, and even receive priority housing. It is also important to also understand the disadvantages early action brings, as it gives the applicant less of a time frame to boost their grades, standardized test scores, and resume. It is incredibly important to understand which admission process is right for you, to allow yourself to be prepared and organized ahead of time while balancing senior year.