October 2021

This fall the Kearsarge Actors Guild found themselves back inside the auditorium and onstage for their fall play: Puffs! This humor-filled show is a fun Harry Potter spoof that tells the story of the Hufflepuffs who had to go to school with the Boy Who Lived. The cast and crew of about 30 KRHS students began working on the show in early September, and put on three shows October 15, 16, and 17. Directed by Mr. Sweatt, Puffs! was packed full of comedy, optimism, and celebratory air high-fives, and offered the audience a cheerful break from their everyday lives.

The tech crew, led by Mr. Spooner, also did a phenomenal job designing and building the set, as well as running the lights and sound effects for the shows. The auditorium stage was transformed into a medieval castle corridor. Banners featuring all four school houses (BRAVE, SMART, PUFF, and SNAKE, according to the Puffs! sorting hat) hung from the rafters and portraits of famous witches and wizards of old adorned the walls. 

A few members of the production also had positive things to say about their experience. “Puffs! was a really chaotic show, but super fun to put on! We all had a blast during rehearsals and are super proud of the way it turned out,” said Katie Nowicki, who played Megan in the show. Daniel Courtine, who played the show’s lead character Wayne, said “Though I’m not a magician by any stretch, coming up with ways to do magic on stage was a lot of fun.”

As Daniel very succinctly put it, Puffs! was “a really magical experience!”, but now that it’s over Kearsarge Actors Guild has already started rehearsing for their next show: All Together Now. This musical revue is being performed in collaboration with the middle school. Show dates are scheduled for November 12th and 13th, so make sure to mark your calendars if you are interested in attending!

Foreword:

Hello, Kearsarge Cougars! This is Ava Stillman, I’m a junior, and I am a member of the 2021-2022 school year newspaper club. Speaking of 2021, well… where do I even begin? To put it bluntly: As you all know, this year, along with the past couple of years, have been extremely difficult for all of us. I am saying this with complete certainty. Whether you’re simply annoyed with having to leave your mask up over your nose, or are upset by an endless amount of things related to the pandemic, we are all feeling essentially the same things. Teachers and students alike have been isolated, frightened, and confused in regards to all that has been happening. Almost every day brings yet another event or situation that makes our heads collectively spin. Most of us question each day what we’ll hear tomorrow on the news because every aspect of life is so erratic and unpredictable -- it has been for a long while.

And thus, for the first publication of this year’s school newspaper, I chose to interview a handful of students and teachers. I asked each of them to describe to me, in short, what their lives are like now in comparison to previous years spent dealing with this seemingly never ending and horrifying pandemic. I wanted to know if things were getting better this year, staying the same, or, as much as I didn’t want to hear it, getting worse as time goes on. I wanted to know what struggles people have had to deal with, what positivity they have gotten out of all of this, and more. I wanted to get a feel for both sides of the story, both teachers and students. I wanted to better understand everyone’s actions, reasonings, and opinions. Most importantly, though, I just could not wait to share all of this with the entire Kearsarge community. I enjoyed this process very much, and hearing the differences and similarities between each of the interviewees’ responses was truly fascinating. During each interview, there were, in fact, many individuals around myself and the interviewee that hopped into the conversation and added to the topic! I listened to students and staff converse amongst themselves about COVID-19 and its long-lasting impacts upon our society as a whole, as well as on our own small community. This positive connection over such a painful, worldwide event was wonderful to witness.

In all seriousness, however, Kearsarge has one strong group of staff and students. Of course, as a student myself, I can say for a fact that we all have -- and continue to -- rely on one another to get through these difficult times, as much as some might not want to admit it. We all have different experiences, emotions, and perspectives, but we are, nonetheless, a resilient bunch of diverse people. Hopefully, these lovely interviewees’ responses will highlight the qualities of our tight-knit school community even more!

(Note: This interview was meant to be entirely opinionated, so I told the interviewees not to worry about being blunt or giving a “wrong” answer to my questions.)

1. If you had to sum up how this school year is going thus far in only one sentence, what would that sentence be? How are you feeling about all that’s going on (...and all that’s not going on)?

Analiese B. -- “It’s not as bad as last year, because we’re all in person, but there are still a lot of restrictions in place that cut out the fun experiences that we’d normally have.”

Joseph L. -- “I’m not sure, to be honest, but I just want to say that I love Dr. Kellogg.”

Riley G. -- “It’s a mess.”

Mrs. Hill -- “I think it’s going pretty well, actually, and it’s nice to be back.”

Mr. Milliken -- “Good.”

2. What was last year like for you? Was it harder, easier, or no different in comparison to previous year?

Analiese B. -- “Last year, there was less support from teachers, much less. There was close to no social interaction (for me, at least), and we were all so split up. But in terms of the education itself, it was ‘easier’ because the teachers were very lenient.”

Joseph L. -- “Well, I was at a different school the year before, so I’m not sure about Kearsarge and what they’ve done here. Either way, I’d say it was easier for me, but I would also say that a lot of people were quieter, so it was difficult to interact. It’s better this year.”

Riley G. -- “I think it was easier. I enjoyed my time at home, even though I was looking at a screen for much of my time. I was in my space, in my comfort zone. Freshman year was difficult for me for sure, and I found remote to be a lot easier in comparison. For me, it was easier to not be face to face.”

Mrs. Hill -- “Harder. The hybrid model was more difficult to deal with, and I could never have discussions or group work with my students, which they need. It’s so important.”

Mr. Milliken -- “It was frustrating because I spent more time preparing in order to help my students and still somehow got less done than usual.”

3. What would you change about this year?

Analiese B. -- “I think that they should be more focused on doing the things that we would regularly do, because I feel like the administration doesn’t understand that we need the social interaction, activities, and overall high school experience. School is not supposed to be solely learning 24/7. That’s not how life is.”

Joseph L. -- “Weirdly enough, I wish that we could have a longer school day so I could get more classes in. I feel like I’m just barely meeting the credit requirements, and I really want to do more with my time left in high school. I’m a senior this year, so I feel like I’m missing out because of the schedule.”

Riley G. -- “I feel indifferent. I’m not really a leader, I kind of take things as they are. Leading and speaking my opinions is not often what I do, so I don’t really have anything that I’d suggest changing, especially because I know that this year will probably continue to be messy.”

Mrs. Hill -- “I would move the lunch area so we can walk around the entire building and also use the track on mask breaks. It’s an important time for teacher and student conversations.”

Mr. Milliken -- “If it were possible to see each other’s faces, it would be better. Masks provide a lot of confusion.”

4. What has been a challenge for you this year? On the contrary, what things do you find to be positive?

Analiese B. -- “I think a challenge for me has been the transition from remote learning to being full time. Being back in the school with everyone has been difficult because it feels like there’s just too many people. I think the positive part is that we still have sports going on without many restrictions.”

Joseph L. -- “Probably that I’m taking two English classes at once due to the schedule setup. I thought we were going to have a seven period day like we always had in the past, but we still have these slightly altered (and very weird) three to four period days. It really messed up my planning for this year. However, I got awesome, wonderful classmates, so that’s a positive!”

Riley G. -- “I think having everybody in the school all of a sudden is a challenge. After freshman year being cut off and last year being so in and out, being back here, especially with the teachers acting like nothing happened and giving us so much work, is so hard. I’m playing a sport and trying to manage a lot of other things, so that’s been difficult, especially since I’m obviously no longer remote and have become so used to that. With that being said, I love the fact that many clubs are back in session, I love being able to see friends, and I am also happy to fully participate in class and be much more connected with my peers and teachers now.”

Mrs. Hill -- “A challenge is the fact that I have to be here at 7:15 in the morning instead of the usual later start time. I always come to work a half hour early. Nowadays, I have to come almost a half hour earlier to open my door because I cannot get ready when students are in my room.”

Mr. Milliken -- “I think that the first year seminar has been challenging. There is no prior experience to rely on. My large enthusiastic Latin 1 class has been positive, however!”

5. Is there anything you’d like the district (or, more specifically, this school itself) to be more proactive about? If not, what do you instead applaud them for?

Analiese B. -- “I think they should be more proactive regarding the vandalism and destruction that has been going on. That really needs to be figured out. Also, bullying is still such a huge problem, perhaps more so than usual. They should also work more on getting back to planning our regular activities, like dances and fundraisers.”

Joseph L. -- “I’d say that they could be better about punishing specific people in this school in regards to the recent vandalism issues. They even took the track away for everyone, which makes no sense. The district could definitely be more specific in the realm of punishment.”

Riley G. -- “Again, I’m no student leader, and as such, I don’t challenge the district often. I think the whole vandalism thing is very annoying and should be handled better, however. I don’t know what the administration is doing exactly. Would it be nice if they could get a handle on it? Yes. But I don’t think it’s very realistic, because this is happening everywhere and also because students always escape punishment easily.”

Mrs. Hill -- “I really don’t know…”

Mr. Milliken -- “There’s nothing I can think of off the top of my head.”

6. Do you feel like your voice is being heard? If you do or don’t, why do you think that is?

Analiese B. -- “I think there’s a lot of people that are very vocal and they take over everyone else’s voices. There’s also so much judgement and a lot of people don’t speak for that reason. You have to be careful with what you say.”

Joseph L. -- “I tend to be a very outspoken person, so it’s hard for people not to listen to me.”

Riley G. -- “I feel at times, it’s a little tough to get my voice heard. However, most of the time — especially because I am in student council, et cetera — my opinions are respected and listened to, despite the fact that I really don’t have much to say. I go along with what the majority feels is right.”

Mrs. Hill -- “We really haven’t had any discussions with the district. There’s been no forum.”

Mr. Milliken -- “I think so, I think they kind of make a point to try and find out what we think of things.”

7. For teachers: Is there something in your classroom that you miss doing with your students and can no longer do because of COVID restrictions? For students: Is there something in a specific class or an event for the entire school that you miss doing and can no longer do because of COVID restrictions?

Analiese B. -- “I miss the dances…”

Joseph L. -- “I’d say that I miss physical contact the most, as odd as that sounds. I can’t hug my friends or give people fist bumps, which I love doing; I now always have to get hand sanitizer before I do, which just messes the whole thing up.”

Riley G. -- “I miss being close to everybody. It’s so hard, especially in some specific classes. We’re still so separated, and it’s hard to hear people through their masks. I’ve had to learn how to be much more independent and confident in myself, which has been hard for everyone, I think. It’s also so hard to communicate with teachers, especially with questions and confusion about the work. I just miss how things used to be with my friends as well.”

Mrs. Hill -- “Oh yes, there’s so many things. So many interactive activities, especially in economics, which we can no longer do. There are so many times where I want to say, “You two do this activity”, or “You four get in a group”, et cetera, but can’t due to the fact that we cannot be close together. All of the things that my colleagues and I have learned in regards to good teaching have to be modified or entirely removed from our curriculums and classrooms because of the restrictions.”

Mr. Milliken -- “The only thing is communicating. I look forward to a time where we don’t have to wear masks anymore so we can all participate better.”

8. Finally, on a more positive note: Do you feel as if any aspects of the COVID pandemic have brought positive changes upon either the school or your personal life? Has it brought you closer to people, etc.?

Analiese B. -- “I think it has definitely made people more aware of how much we need to be out of the house because people felt very isolated. I think most of us were looking forward to coming back, and I’m sure teachers really missed teaching in person, which has also helped the school environment.”

Joseph L. -- “I’d say with the pandemic, the friends that I previously had (and made) became more positive. Our friendships became stronger, too, I think. I almost ended up spending more time with them than normal, even if it was virtually. I was grateful for every minute spent with them, especially in person.”

Riley G. -- “I feel like I was personally able to notice more when I was feeling bad and struggling, so I kind of learned to take care of myself more in that aspect. I can now differentiate between my good, bad, and neutral moods, and therefore help other people more (especially after the time I spent on my own during the isolation of the pandemic).”

Mrs. Hill -- “I think students are happy to be here this year, more so than usual. We have had very few discipline issues so far, other than the bathroom vandalism, and I think that’s because people are so glad to see each other.”

Mr. Milliken -- “I like going outside for breaks with my students, and I’ve learned how to do some new things, including video editing.”

(Important note: All of these students and staff consented to being interviewed and to have their responses publicly posted and readable by the Kearsarge community. Additionally, absolutely do not harass anyone that I interviewed in regards to their opinions within their responses. Please.)

Thank you for reading, and a big thank you goes out to the students and teachers that participated in my work! Hopefully, you found something interesting in the interviewees’ responses and may have even been inspired to have more conversations with your peers and family about the pandemic and its impact.

On October 6th, the Kearsarge math team participated in their first meet of the season. While the math meet was supposed to happen at another school, it ended up being changed to a remote meet last minute. Regardless of this alteration, the team still had an outstanding performance. 

Evan Menard placed first individually with 14 out of the 18 possible points, Quinton Cloutier and Devin Phyllides tied in second with 12 points, and Thomas Shepherd tied in fourth with 8 points. Overall, the Kearsarge team finished with a total of 77 points, a whole 16 above the second-place team: Plymouth. The next math meet will take place on November 10th, and though the participation in this meet only allowed for one competing Kearsarge team, Ms. Wirkkala— the math team coach— says she is “really excited about the start of the year and looking forward to having at least two full teams in the next meet.”

A couple of years ago, my cousin tried to start a volleyball team. She’d done the research for the necessary gear, calculated the cost, and gotten enough interest, but, unfortunately her proposal was denied. She wasn’t even told why it was denied. So, I decided I’d try again a few years after she had graduated, since it’s a whole new group of students.

In the summer of last year I started talking about it with my friends and I got two of them to help me. We got a little information, asked my cousin about what she had done, and when the start of school came around, we emailed Mr. Fitzgerald. In the spring of this year, it was approved; the wait had been worth it. Now we had to see if someone would be willing to be our coach. It took most of the summer, but we found someone: Morgan.

Twenty-seven people signed up to play. Unfortunately, only twenty-four of us were able to stay the whole season. In the beginning, we were one whole team. With only one coach, who is a nurse, practices were that much harder to schedule; however, she still made it work.

October 16: our first day of practice rolled around and we were all excited to begin the season. None of us knew much about volleyball, but we all surprised coach with our willingness and quick learning. We progressed faster than she expected. After a little bit, she split us into two smaller teams, blue team and gold team. This was so she could focus more on getting one group ready for a game, if we’d reach that level. We had to think about what position we wanted to play, so we could work on rotations. Rotations were quite confusing and took us a few weeks of practice to get, but eventually we did it.

October 2nd: blue teams first game. We were excited to be able to have a game. People weren’t expecting much from us, considering it was our first year and we really hadn’t been able to get that much practice in. We won our first point, it set the mood for the entire game. We were so excited that we’d reached game level,  we didn’t care if we won or lost, what mattered was that we had actually done it. We were playing our first ever game! In the end, we did lose all three sets, but we did better than anyone expected. To us, that was a victory. It made us all the more determined to take advantage of the rest of the season so we could play more games.

At this point no more games had been scheduled, but it was possible for more to come. October 8: we were told four more games had been scheduled for blue team. Practice became more serious, focused, to get ready for the upcoming games.

October 15: we were playing Plymouth. We won the first set. It was the first set we’d ever won. We were very excited. The next two sets were played. We won both. The first games we’d won. In celebration of our victory, we got garlic knots along with our dinner of pizza. 

October 20: We played against Kingswood. We also won that game, we only had one more game to go. It was home and we were determined to win, because it was our fifth game of the season. We had the chance to finish our season with an overall win. Unfortunately, we did not win, but we did win two of the five sets. 

At our last practice, Morgan said she wanted to coach us again next year, but she would only do one team, it was too much for her to do both. This is understandable, and we were just glad that she would still do some coaching next year. 

We’d started from scratch and gotten to game level. No one had thought we’d be very good, and wasn’t expecting much of us. But we pleasantly surprised them.

Best Buddies is an organization dedicated to creating connections for one on one friendships and leadership opportunities between people with and without disabilities. The main goal of Best Buddies is to make new friends that you can spend time having fun with, and doing things together that you both enjoy. It is a meaningful experience that helps everyone involved to learn more about themselves as well as each other. Our group will get together once a month and we are meeting in the gym. We will spend time doing some fun team building activities. 

On October 1st and 2nd Kearsarge had its first Homecoming game since 2019 and it was a huge success! Games started at 10 in the morning and continued on until the Football game’s eventful close around 9:30 at night. Throughout the day, sports teams had eventful games that ended in rousing successes for all teams. Both girls and boys made the top three in the Cross Country Race in an exciting start to Homecoming. Varsity Field Hockey celebrated with a 8-0 score. The Varsity and JV Boys soccer team also secured victory with scores of 5-0 and 3-0 respectively. Girls Varsity soccer followed suit with a score of 4-1. The night wound to an exciting close with an induction ceremony for Robert Bennet into the Athletic Hall of Fame and the football team beating Laconia 40 to 14. And if sports wasn’t doing it for you during the day, each Class had a booth with snacks, games, raffles, and silent auctions that kept the crowd entertained. Overall, Homecoming was a rousing success and a reminder to the Kearsarge Community that student creativity can overcome any challenge. 

Havana Syndrome originated in Havana Cuba. The illness’ “symptoms are abnormal: hearing buzzing or grinding metal or piercing squeals and feeling an intense pressure on your skull.” After that, the affected were drowsy for months after. The illness was first reported in 2016 but was kept confidential within the CIA. People thought that those affected were crazy and that it was all in their head. This was not the case. 

Havana Syndrome originated in Cuba but it goes back much further to the cold war when Russia was allied with Cuba.  A Russian scientist, Prof Lin, was hired to create a weapon similar to mind control amid fears that the Americans were getting the upper hand. He started with microwaves. Despite how bad Lin’s experiments sound, there were some experiments worse than his. One of these experiments had the subject sit in a bath of salty water and have microwaves shot at their brain.  The waves interact with their nerve system.

Havana Syndrome is a big deal, especially since it has reemerged recently. It shows that there’s a possibility that the Russians are still using it as a weapon and that the experiments were successful.  With Cuba being so close to the U.S, they could easily launch an attack. The disease may or may not affect the world in horrible ways, but right now it does not look like it could go anywhere. 

Those who have experienced Havana Syndrome have recently spoken out and this is what they have to say: “it was persistent kind of at the same level all the time very very loud it's nothing you could sit with.” This proves that they were affected for a long time and it led to a lot of brain damage. Another said that she couldn't even see. Havana Syndrome is very real and should be something to worry about.