Embedded Files
New School Year, New Cafeteria Plan
New School Year, New Cafeteria Plan
Andrew Smith ~ September 25, 2018
The start of the 2018-19 school year brought several new things changes to the school environment. One of these things would be the new lunch program company, the Abbey Group. According to members of the lunch staff and other members of the facility, this program brings a great deal of food opportunities to the LHS community. Students, on the other hand, have different thoughts on the new program that has been brought in this year.
Lunch from previous years would contain multiple options, from burgers and fries to pizza for a small meal if you weren’t too hungry. If you were to grab a tray, for example, you would get some mac and cheese, some vegetables and soup. Then you could grab some more food from the salad bar and that would be your lunch. With the new program, you still have the option of burgers and pizza. The tray options have changed a little bit. You can get some mac and cheese and some fruit or vegetables from the salad bar. Throughout the year soup has not been seen yet and sides have not, either.
According to members of the lunch staff and members of the facility, the program provides healthier options for students. Members of the student community think otherwise.
Gabriella Buczala stated, “The food does have healthy options like the salad bar and the option of fruit during the lunch line but, the majority of the food offered is no healthier than programs in the past.”
Members of staff and the students also had different opinions about the quality of the food and whether the program should change, or if it should be removed from the school community as a whole. According to the anonymous members of staff, the food program is better than past programs and that it has more variety. But students are saying the food is not the best quality at all and the program should be removed from the school and be replaced.
Josie Bryant told reporters: “The salad is grey and the food doesn't taste as good as food from programs in the past.” Other students are saying that the food tastes the same or even better, but, they think the amount of food has changed and that it leaves them hungry for the remainder of the day.
Members of the lunch staff did say they would like to provide more options for students., they stated that they knew the opinions of the students but they cannot do anything to change it. The school’s lunch program is a part of U.S.D.A (U.S. Department of Agriculture) this means it we has ve to follow the U.S.D.A’s rules and regulations. They understand that the food is not the tastiest or what the student community would like to eat, but, they said it was up to the school board for the program to be changed.
LHS Drama Club Stages "Crazy for You"
LHS Drama Club Stages "Crazy for You"
Nichole Regnet ~ September 14, 2018
On November 8, 9 and 10 Littleton High School will be performing the musical Crazy For You. This musical had its first preview on January 31, 1992. The opening date was February 19, 1992 and closing date was January 7, 1996 after a total of 1,622 performances. Crazy For You is based on George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Guy Bolton and John McGowan’s 1930 musical Girl Crazy.
The story used for Crazy For You takes place in the 1930s with Bobby Child, played by Austin Hastings, being the son of a wealthy New York banking family. Bobby dreams of dancing on Broadway, but his mother and ex-fiancé attempt to discourage him. Bobby ends up running away to Deadrock, Nevada. Bobby finds himself falling in love and achieves his dream. The songs of the play include, but are not limited to, Shall We Dance, Naughty Boy, and But Not For Me.
For Littleton High School, lead actor, Austin Hastings, said, “I love it, it’s a classic musical and has got good music and a great cast. It’s really just a great story with a great history.” Austin plays the part of Bobby Child, who takes on the role of a lover. “Love the role. Enjoying getting ready, cast is perfectly cast. Good for the school, great music, romance comedy,” Austin said later.
Littleton High School is encouraging students to participate in the Drama Club as performers or stagehands. Everyone is welcome to participate in the club, high schoolers and middle schoolers. The Drama Club is beneficial to its members as the members form a community and attain friendships with those who have the same interest in the field of performing on stage. Being part of the Drama Club allows members to overcome fears and acquire a confidence in themselves that allows them to move forward in the modern world.
Return of Marching Band Regalia
Return of Marching Band Regalia
Austin Hastings ~ September 24, 2018
Homecoming had something that had been absent for many years. A marching band with uniforms led the student body to the renowned Homecoming bonfire. For years, the band hasn’t worn its regalia because the students said that the uniforms were too hot and stuffy. But this year LHS band and choral teacher Mrs. Noyes insisted on having band members wearing them. Some students were opposed to this because they thought that the uniforms were either too hot, uncomfortable or they just didn’t like the looks of it.
For instance, Raegan Porfido said that she found the neck piece uncomfortable. She also stated that the general design and the appearance of the uniforms were superfluous and over the top. On the opposite side of the fence, Aidan Hastings is one of the band members that thoroughly enjoyed the uniforms and takes deep pride in the appearance of the band. Aidan stated that the band should always wear uniforms during the parades because not only do they look fantastic, but school spent a ton of money on them so they might as well be worn.
Leading up to the parade, Mrs. Noyes said she would like to have the band wear the uniforms but that she was worried there wouldn’t be enough for all of the students. Luckily, the band had uniforms to spare and could suit everyone except the drummers, whose instruments were inhibited by the shoulder pads of the regalia. While on the topic of uniforms shortage, the band is missing between 10 and 20 uniforms that may have walked away with graduates. If you know any alumni who might have hung onto their marching band uniform, then please ask them to bring it into the school and drop it off. It is the hope of the majority that the band will continue wearing these glorious outfits in all of its public appearances.
Hops Business Growing by
Hops Business Growing by
Leaps and Bounds
Leaps and Bounds
Nick Sanborn ~ September 14, 2018
Joe DePalma, member of the Class of 2019, tends to his hop yard. He has rightfully earned the nickname "Farmer Joe".
Q: When did you start growing hops?
Three years ago.
Q: What made you start growing hops?
Mr. Stinehour and I had a lovely conversation about how hop prices were rising and I decided “why not grow it?”
Q: How is the hop business? Is it booming? Is it a new business?
It is booming because craft breweries demand more locally grown hops, due to the difficulty associated with competing with large brewers like InBev for reliable hops supplies. Hops are also extremely specialized to the soil they are grown in. Because of this hops grown at my farm will have a different flavor that hops grown across the country and even Littleton center, even though they are the same variety. This makes hops a truly local plant, and opens up a unique marketing tool for microbreweries.
Q: How do you grow hops?
Start by building trellises composed of telephone poles spaced out at 50 foot intervals, at 20 feet apart. You run cable wires between the telephone poles and then connect strings down from the cable at three foot intervals to each hops plant. Hops plants start as rhizomes, which are basically rootstock. You put them in the ground, and after about two weeks the shoots will start to grow, you then train the shoots up the string, wrapping them clockwise around it. Usually by July they reach the end of the telephone poles. Once they reach the top it causes a hormonal reaction that triggers sidearms that grow off the side of the plant called cones, which are the product that is actually put into beer.
Q: Have you made any money off the hops?
I have a partnership with Schilling Beer Company to provide locally grown hops, and I am working with them to plant varieties that they would like to see in their beers. Hopefully, next year I will be doubling my operation and planting about a quarter of an acre. The owners of Schilling Beer have promised to buy whatever I grows.
Q: Who are your biggest buyers, or customers?
Schilling Beer Company, Rick Stinehour and Shawn Hagan. I hope to expand to more brewers next year.
Q: What's your favorite thing about hops?
By growing hops you really have an extremely rewarding feeling because you watch as a tiny plant grows up into a 20 ft tall tower. You realize that your hops, despite being just one of many ingredients in a beer, have the most impact on the character of the product. It is my hops that people smell and taste when they consume a beer, the hops that I worked so hard to cultivate and nourish.
Q: Are growing hops at your age legal?
Yes it is, because hops contain no alcohol, they are just an flavoring added into the beer. Hops are in the cannabis family, however, but contain no THC. Hops actually have many medicinal purposes as sedatives (primarily consumed with “sleepy-time tea”), anti-inflammatories, and estrogen supplements for women going through menopause.
Cascade hops reach for the sky under a warm sun on the beautiful hop yard managed by Farmer Joe.
Pride and Diversity
Pride and Diversity
Sydney Blake & Breanna Corliss ~ September 24, 2018
This may be a little confusing to people who don't know what pride and diversity means, so we will try to simplify it: Pride as in LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) and diversity as in different cultures and different races.
When it comes down to it there is diversity everywhere and you would never know if someone is LGBTQ+ unless they are out of the closet. Harsh words being used as a joke could really be hurtful to someone you may or may not know. In every school, there is lots of diversity everywhere and there are probably LGBTQ+ students and teachers there, as well. It is a lot more common than you may think.
Yet there can be downsides to all of this. People aren't always accepting of diversity and LGBTQ+, so people who are diverse or a part of the LGBTQ+ community may get emotionally hurt if they hear a friend say something that unintentionally bashes them. Sometimes people will be rude directly without much reasoning behind doing so. Events like this can cause people to be scared of being themselves, developing hatred and depression; these things can be very damaging and will ultimately affect how they act, how they work, and their future.
When someone feels accepted in a place, they will flourish. It may be ‘different’ for others to accept diversity and LGBTQ+ but ‘different’ is good, and in some cases great. Everyone is diverse and there are so many people from the LGBTQ+ community. People should at least try to accept it, because it's not going anywhere.
Comments from Faculty & Students
Ms. Verfaillie: Make it very clear in your actions that you’re a welcoming person and have an identifier that marks you as someone who is willing to talk with other people. People are more educated nowadays and will be more understanding of anyone who is “different”. Hopefully, there will be less conflict and people feel more comfortable.
Mrs. Joubert: All students are different and that’s okay. We should be treating all students as individuals and accepting them for who they are. Others who do not understanding may be afraid. They don’t always know how to treat “different” people, so they treat them meanly rather than having a conversation with them and getting to know them. We need to educate others on how to be more welcoming and accepting. All students have a lot to offer and are creative and intelligent and want to be involved. We should give all students the opportunity to share their ideas. Our school would greatly benefit from having students from all walks be more involved.
Ms. Lay: Everybody should feel comfortable being themselves. Fear of rejection or fear of not being able to be who they are because they’ll be rejected or judged is wrong. It feels positive to be nice to people and to know that someone else feels comfortable being who they are.
Mr. Stinehour: Everyone’s different and we all have our own beliefs and values and they should be respected. No one is in a supreme position to judge someone else. It’d be nice if everyone could be respectful to each other. Programs like the one Ms. Verfaillie set up promote tolerance and understanding. It enriches the community by allowing everyone to be involved in discussions and conversations.
Nichole Regnet: No one likes to be rejected. They face a lot of like discrimination and people tend to look down on them because of what they feel is right. Just love them. Everyone likes to feel love. We need to accept them because no one likes to not feel accepted, and the people that are facing the discrimination can have someone to go to and talk about how they feel. We can all help each other emotionally.
Austin Hastings: They’re human and should be accepted. Treat them like the actual human they are. You don’t know their backgrounds or what they’re going through.
Breanna Corliss: People of pride and diversity might retaliate if they are treated unfairly, they often face discrimination. For example, they might get pushed out of friend groups or bullied. Accept them as human beings. They can’t change who they are. You would gain more friends and they would be happier.
Cody Ogara: You should always be open-minded to other races and judge what they do. Stop bullying and stop picking on people who are different because they still have feelings. You can always have trust and they’ll be there for you.
Andrew Smith: You don’t want to discriminate and you want people to feel welcome. Talk to them and find out who they are so you can ask questions. You’ll be friends and you won’t be hurting people.
Summary
As you can tell, many people have the same opinion about pride and diversity. So why can't we accept pride and diversity? We study history so we won't repeat the same mistakes, yet we do anyway. How is that fair? In short, it’s not fair at all. We should accept people for who they are. It’s 2018, we should have evolved past judging people as we did in the 1600’s, and when we were first settling in the United States.
The Arts In Our School
The Arts In Our School
Kaylee Quinones ~ October 4, 2018
The arts in our school are in full swing, especially Pep Band, art classes, and Drama Club.
Music has had a major impact on our school. You hear it in pep band, parades, and sometimes people visit the band room windows and like to wave to the performers. The band is thriving this year with 65 students! Now you may not think that’s not a lot, but wait until you add in the chorus. There has to be someone wonderful behind all of this success.
Christina Noyes has been teaching at Littleton High School for five years now and loves it here. As you know, she came here from Gorham High School. She chose the best school. You caught a glimpse of Pep Band at Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 21.
What is the best way to talk about art than actual art class. Ms. Jones has had a hardworking year. On top of all the lesson plans, classroom prep, grading, and doing photography as well, she is still a college student. I know that education never stops. She is in the works of getting her Certificate of Advance Graduates in arts leadership and learning, which is fancy talk for mixed arts and is planning on getting her doctorates. Ms. Jones, if you don’t know, initially taught kindergarten through eighth grade in Lancaster.
Staying on track, there is an art opportunity this year again through Plymouth State. PSU is putting on the production “The Little Mermaid” where there will be opportunities for anyone who is interested.
Saving the best for last, Drama Club is another opportunity that is open at our school, and it’s a good one. Deb Stinehour is the mastermind behind all of this. Trying to balance her personal life with Drama Club it becomes very tricky. She does not have a full-time job because of this program, so she is entirely dedicated. She has an understanding husband who also helps out with making the agenda for her every year. As teenagers say, “the grind never stops” and she has a lot of help behind the scenes of every entire production.
Ever wondered where the costumes come from? Tammy Hastings, mother of Austin and Aidan, works nonstop to make sure every one of the outfits is perfect and she succeeds every time. With production comes the technical aspects, which are run by Kevin Hastings. He helps with the sounds, lights, cues, and much more.
The last person to recognize throughout this is the stage manager who does a lot more than you think. LHS alumnus Serena Anan makes sure everyone is where they need to be. She writes down the blocks (where people need to be at what time), gets everyone moving from the makeup room, makes sure all stage crew has all the cues as well. This fall, the Drama Club is putting on the production “Crazy About You” and in the spring, the BBC Radio production of “Macbeth”.
I know I speak for everyone when I say we are very excited what the arts will entail this year at Littleton High School.
The Bell System
The Bell System
Kodi Baihr ~ September 25, 2018
Students are loath over the return of their long standing rival, the bell system. However, the students of LHS don’t agree with the bell system, and want change. Students argue that there is not enough time between transitions. The staff and teachers disagree, and say the bell system is fine as is.
Mrs. Joubert, of the Guidance Office, agrees with the bell system. “It helps keep track of time, so students know when to get to class, and when to leave.” She also said that five percent of the school has been consistently late in recent years. In our interview, she said, “I had to manage my time and organize, to get to my classes on time”.
When asked, Mr Fillion, Vice Assistant principal, said that 46 tardies have been issued, from August 27 to September 20. The expectation for class transitions is to go from your class to your locker, perhaps to the bathroom, and then to your next class.
“We would consider changing the bell system, if we had the data,” Mrs. Joubert said. “The thing is, more time for transitions would take time out of lunch or break. And I don’t want to take time out of lunch or break”. Mr. Fillion agrees with this, even questioning, “If students were given more time, would they waste it”?
This year alone brought at least 360 students to LHS, and an additional 100 students for visitary purposes, from neighboring schools , at the beginning of the school day. One student who came from out of state is Breanna Corliss. She explained that, at her old school, she had five minutes to get to class. She says she enjoyed the time between bells at her school. When she got here, that changed.
“There are times in the day when I feel like, “Oh crap, I have to get from Mr. Detamore’s to my locker, then to band,” Breanna said. The older students also want change. Gabbie Buczala, a senior at LHS, says that she doesn’t agree with the bell system. Gabbie believes that the bell system should be five minutes rather than three minutes. She does like the music that goes with the bell system, though. “I feel it’s a good way to make the students laugh,” she said. Her final remark was, “I feel we need more time for the bell system.”
Students from other schools have their own opinions on the bell transition system. Anastasia Lucas, a recent graduate from Profile, said that she had four minutes between classes. “Sometimes I thought that the bells weren’t long enough,” she explained, “because of trying to get from one class to another”.
Where do we go from here? The time for bell system has to go somewhere. Taking time out of lunch or break. Where does that leave us later on in the year? Will we have to take more time during summer? Could Mr. Fillion be right with his original statement? “If students were given more time, would they waste it?” Perhaps this could be a topic for the Student Council to consider on its agenda.
LHS Lip Dub to be Produced in February
LHS Lip Dub to be Produced in February
Bri Lemay ~ October 16, 2018
On April 20th, 2013, Littleton High School made and posted a Lip Dub on Youtube. The whole school participated in making it, and it showed lots of Crusader spirit. Five years have passed without making any Lip Dubs. This year, senior Jason Brammer is putting together and planning one with the help of other students.
The music has been picked by the students participating during TASC Time, as well as the route that it will be filmed through the school. The Lip Dub will be filmed on February 16th, 2019. After lots of hard work throughout the year, Brammer’s efforts will finally pay off.
Brammer says that bringing Lip Dubs back to LHS will raise Crusader spirit in our school, as well as bringing our school together more, and of course, having fun.
Drama Club Visits the Senior Center
Drama Club Visits the Senior Center
Austin Hastings ~ October 16, 2018
On Wednesday, October 10th, the LHS Drama Club took its show on the road to the Littleton Senior Center for its annual volunteer appreciation day. While there, the group of about 20 students, ranging from DBMS to LHS, sang a number of songs from its upcoming musical Crazy For You.
Rather than taking the easy way out, they also performed the first scene of this play while fitting in a rendition of the Cole Porter classic song Anything Goes! When asked why the club wanted to go attend, Drama Club Director Debra Stinehour said that “I was asked a lot in past years” but that “I never felt like we were prepared enough.”
Although at first feeling rather apprehensive about the whole ordeal, the group was very positive and upbeat not only at the performance but also on the trip down. As is to be expected, there was a slight wave of tension just before show time, but the group was really unfazed about the impending performance.
One of the actresses, Ms. Maisy Will, said that she had been feeling a little on edge. However, once the performance started the entire group chillaxed and seemed more coordinated and well put together. When asked about how she felt about the performance and reception, Maisy said “The songs make me happy. I love seeing people’s reactions.”
And the Senior Center was definitely full of good reactions that sunny afternoon. Looking out over the audience, one could see feet tapping, mouths singing and heads bopping to the cheerful show tunes. Along with thanking the students for their tremendous amount of effort and for “Always going above and beyond”, Mrs. Stinehour also extended her heartfelt gratitude towards the Senior Center for the generous donation that they made to school productions.
Now, with all this talk about excitement and head bopping, you are probably wondering how you can get in on this exclusive entertainment opportunity. The details are simple. All you have to do is come in for one of this year's performances on the Thursday (Nov 8), Friday (Nov 9) and Saturday (Nov 10) of Veteran’s Day weekend. Show times are 7:00 PM each night with a matinee on Saturday at 1:00, which is would be ideal for families with children who don’t want to be out past bedtime.
Tickets are 10$ for adults, 5$ for students and seniors, and children under five get in for free. As a thank you to all of our veterans, all members of the armed forces (whether retired or not) have free admission to both Saturday performances.
CTC Child Development Course
CTC Child Development Course
Jamielee Lamarre ~ October 16, 2018
One of the classes I take is Child Development with Mrs. Lemay. During this class, we learn how a child grows from a newborn to adolescence physically, mentally, and emotionally. It involves textbook work, quizzes, and hands-on activities with the children in the Little Leopards Learning Center next door. While we work with the children, we fill out observation packets. Some of the observations include gross motor skills, fine motor skills, emotional development, pre-math skills, etc.
When we aren’t working with the children, Mrs. Lemay explains different topics, we read in the textbooks, take notes, and do projects. One of the projects we did was taking a real care baby home for the weekend. The “baby” would cry, and one would have to either rock it, feed it, or change it. This experience began to teach students early parenting skills and the different changes in your life when you have children, primarily as a teen.
I spoke with one of the teachers at our school, Ms. Lay, about child development. She said, “I did not have this opportunity as a child, but I think this class provides benefits. It is a great way to get a taste of the field before going to college, as do all of the CTC classes. I think this class should still be an option for students in high school.”
This class is beneficial to students who are interested in a career working with children, plan on having kids, or even for basic knowledge. If anyone has the chance to take this class, I highly recommend it even if it’s not what you want to do long-term because it’s skills and information everyone should know.
Fall Foliage Visitors to Our Hometown
Fall Foliage Visitors to Our Hometown
Madeline Carbonneau ~ October 22, 2018
Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter. It is definitely the busiest time of year in the North Country. The colors are as vibrant as they get, and many people from all over the world know that, so they come to visit the wonderful White Mountains to see red and orange leaves.
The local stores are affected by all the visitors. In an interview with Stacy Fish from Village Toy and Book Shoppe, she said, “We rely on visitors for business before the holiday. We have had a great profit from the amount of visitors this year.” She also believes that with all of the road construction around Main Street it is making it harder for visitors to stop because of a lack of parking.
In another interview with Beth Simon from League of N.H. Craftsmen, she said, “This year, there have been more tour buses and tourists than I have seen in a while.” She also said that there have been many people from Europe and Australia visiting the small town of Littleton, NH.
I also had the opportunity to talk with some tourists visiting from Ohio who would like to remain anonymous. It was their the first time they had been to NH. They said that the most beautiful parts of their trip were the mountains and foliage. Where they are from, they have foliage, but it is not a vibrant as it is here. At the end of our conversation, they said, “The colors and coolness of the North Country definitely brings us together.”
The North Country is a spectacular place to visit during the fall months, with natural beauty and everything else. Foliage makes an impact on what our town does during the fall months. So, visit us in Littleton, NH for a beautiful fall season.
The Impact of Stress Upon Students
The Impact of Stress Upon Students
Fred Finkhauser ~ October 16, 2018
Many students and people in general have stress. Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge. Hormones are released and physical representations of stress could appear. This might include accelerated breathing and heart rate, shaking, dilation of the pupils, and flushed skin. Most stress is a bad thing, but surprisingly some stress can be a good thing. The good version of stress can sharpen the mind and reflexes.
School is a huge cause of stress. Students may have stress because of a certain test, project, or they might be behind in a class. Many students are pressured to get good grades and this can stress them out. A student’s home life may also cause stress because of parents or siblings. Students who are stressed may have a hard time sleeping and focusing in class. These are some of the most common effects of stress on students.
Many students would agree the most stressful time in the school year is finals and midterms week. These tests take everything you learned in the class. Students have to study a lot of the material. Sometimes students may have to do a project as a final and they could struggle because they don’t know what to do. Students have a midterm/final for every class so they have to study for each class or work on a project.
Stress is a very big problem that people have. It has negative effects on students that make it difficult for them to focus or to get a good night’s sleep and their grades may suffer because of stress. What should the school do about student stress?
Golf Team Off to "States" Tournament
Golf Team Off to "States" Tournament
Nick Sanborn ~ September 24, 2018
“States” this year are being held at Nippo Lake Country Club in Barrington NH. The NHIAA normally changes the location of the “States” every year. Last year it was held at Canterbury Woods in Canterbury, NH. The year before that it was at Waukewan Golf Club in Meredith. I think they change it up every year so it's not repetitive, and you're not playing the same course.
It’s a lot more challenging because you can’t get used to the course, although most teams will often take a trip to the course before the tournament for a practice round. This year, a new scoring system called the Stableford scoring system was introduced, where after each hole the golfers are rewarded points.
For instance, if you’re on a par four and you par that hole, you are rewarded with +3. A bogey would be +2, a double bogey would be +1 and anything after a double bogey you pick up on that hole and are given no points. It’s very important to get points on every hole because your goal is to have the least strokes but the most points at the end of the day; however, for the championship, we just do stroke play which means if you par a par four then you put a four on your scorecard and whoever has the least amount of strokes wins.
The Littleton golf team is doing just dandy! We finished up the year with a solid record of eighteen wins and two losses coming in second for the entire Division Four, right behind good ole Mascenic who is going to absolutely demolish Division Four at “States”. At this point, the Littleton golf team is just trying to bring home a plaque for second place and we will be happy. We have been working hard in practices; in the week prior to “States”, we played twelve holes at Bethlehem Country Club and traveled to Nippo Lake to play the 18 hole course for the first time as a practice round. This will give us an idea of what the course is like.
New Grading System for Crusaders 7-12
New Grading System for Crusaders 7-12
Andrew Smith ~ October 26, 2018
This year a lot of changes have come to the LHS community. Changes such as the new food program, new classes, and new teachers. However, arguably the most important change brought to the school would have to be the new and improved grading system. I spoke with Mrs. Carbonneau and she told me a lot about this new system and how it is going to help improve the academic lives of members of the Crusader Community, including parents, students, and family members. This new grading system is supposed to bring great improvement to the school community and help students improve and get educated much more.
One of the best “features” of this new system would have to be the ratio of failure to success. In previous years the ratio of failing to succeeding was much higher. Students had approximately a 69% chance of failure and 39%. Now, students have approximately a 25% chance of failure and a 75% chance of success.
Shown to the left is failure compared to success —success meaning passing. Students had a higher chance of failing with our previous grading system, and quite a low chance of passing their classes. The red section of the graph shows the letter grade F and the green shows the letter grades A,B,C. Now, if you take a look below, you can see what our new grading system looks like if you’re looking at Failure vs Success.
Shown to the right you can see that the ratio of failure to success is much smaller now. In this new grading system students are more likely to succeed; Allowing students a better chance in getting academic success.
Administration has been working hard on this new system for months now, they began working on it during the 2017-2018 school year. The state of New Hampshire has required this type of system for a little over 9 years now and members of Administration and the school board used this to their advantage. Administration used grading systems from schools in the area and found things to implement into the system we use here at LHS.
I spoke to some students here in the building about their opinions on this new system administration has implemented into our community. The first student I spoke to was Jamielee Lamarre, her overall opinion was negative. Jamielee told me, “I think it’s easier with ABCF because students understand it and we have used it so long in the past but, with 1234 grades can get more specific and not land in a vague category.”
I also spoke to Kaylee Quinones her overall opinion is positive. Kaylee told me, “It brings behavior into the system and shows other things other than worksheets and tests. I heard they plan on taking the percentages away and it’s a good thing.”
I also spoke to some teachers in the school about their opinions on the new grading system. I spoke to Ms. Lay about her overall opinion on this new system and it was positive. She told me, “It’s easier to determine what skill a students needs help with writing. For example, if a student writes an essay and most of it makes sense but the introduction, then I can focus my introduction instead of other things.”
After gathering lots of information I have determined that the new grading system has made a very positive impact on our Crusader community. This new grading system should help out the members of the Crusader community and bring a lot of academic success.
LHS Students Visit College Fair at UNH
LHS Students Visit College Fair at UNH
Nichole Regnet ~ October 16, 2018
Every year, Mr. Shea has taken the seniors of Littleton High School to the University of New Hampshire to tour and experience the college. The field trip allows seniors to decide whether or not they would like to attend UNH. Following tradition, Mr. Shea took the seniors to UNH on October 2. Of the 45 seniors attending Littleton High School, 35 took part in this year’s field trip. The university is two hours away from the high school. The seniors leave in the morning and spend the day at the university. One senior who participated in the field trip was Joe DePalma.
When Joe was asked what he enjoyed most about the field trip he said, “Getting to explore different colleges and the UNH campus.” For Joe the highlight of the trip was getting to speak to different representatives from different colleges. UNH is one of the colleges that Joe has applied for and is hoping to attend next year. The campus left an appealing impression on him and Joe is willing to do the work that is required to receive good grades and a better education.
One of the many things the seniors get to do is attend the lunch buffet at Holloway Collins, also known as “Ho Co.” This lunch buffet provides the seniors with a delicious lunch where they can eat almost anything they want: pizza, ice cream, chicken fingers and much more. Joe commented that the food was amazing and very good.
The excitement of the trip begins as a junior, one such junior is Willard Skidmore. Will is an excited junior who is looking forward to the field trip. Will says that he is looking forward to “seeing what it’s like to be inside of a college and getting to know my way around the college.” He believes that one can get a really good education if one has the determination to pay attention. Will wishes to learn what’s like to be a student at UNH, to stay out of trouble and keep good grades. Will hopes to find out how to get most of his money as he participates in the trip headed by Mr. Shea.
Mr. Shea has, for many years now, taken the seniors on their trip to UNH. Mr. Shea said that the senior field trip, “Gives them a good perspective on what a larger college looks and feels like. It also gives them access to the largest college fair in New Hampshire.” There are over 250 college and university representatives the seniors can speak to. Mr. Shea personally enjoyed seeing the comradery of the seniors as they get together for the first time this school year. The field trip tour guild was Susan Aubin, a 2018 graduate of LHS. Advice Mr. Shea would like to give incoming juniors who will go on the trip next year is to emphasis on the idea of dressing appropriately, for the correct weather of the day and modesty; being “cool looking” is not important on the field trip.
The Highs and Lows
The Highs and Lows
Kodi Baihr ~ October 16, 2018
Have you ever walked into school, and just wished you could go home and cry into a tub of ice cream, then sleep until the weekend? It’s okay, you're not alone. It is normal to have days where people want to crawl back into bed, and there other days when people want to conquer the world.
Everybody, at least one time in their life, has had a day when they feel like rubbish, but even through those hardships and trials and trails of woe, we as the human race still endure. And of these humans, are the students. Students have to go school everyday. But every person has their favorite days, and that is when all of their troubles go away.
Students in this day in age have one hope. The weekend. It is pretty much the gift that keeps giving, but also that keeps taking away. The Journalism Class of Littleton High School states that Friday is its favorite day, and that Mondays are the worst day.
“Mondays are the worst day,” a student explained. “It’s the worst day because it is the start of the week and determines how the rest of the days will go.” Another student said that, “Saturdays are the best, because no school. And it’s hype.”
So students have it rough, and nothing could possible compare to the stressor that is the school week. Teachers, astonishingly, have chosen Fridays and Saturdays as their favorite days. Their least favorite days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“Tuesdays are the worst,” a teacher explained. “There’s still the remains of Monday, and Tuesday is this really nondescript day.” Another teacher stated that “Saturday is my favorite day, because I can spend time with my kids and not students, though I still have to grade.”
All in all, people have their highs and lows, and some are better than others. One day, you could cash in on Megabucks and win. But on another day you could rip your pants in public. It all depends on how life is going to act that day. So, to end on a high note for the students, make sure you know your teachers and their favorite and least days. This way you can plan your week accordingly!
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