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Tiny House Construction in Building Trades
Tiny House Construction in Building Trades
Gabriealla Lemay ~ December 13, 2018
The tiny house movement has allowed many Americans to live in a comfortable, cozy, affordable, and eco-friendly home. Living in a tiny home enables people to spend less money on their house, as the typical American home is about 2,600 square feet, opposed to a tiny house, which ranges from about 100-400 square feet. Tiny homes also are very environmentally friendly, as the homes are smaller than typical homes, so they use much less energy and materials to build.
In the beginning of October 2017, students taking classes in Building Trades, part of the CTC, started to help build a tiny house. Directed by Mr. Tilton, and with the approval of the owner, the students helped plan the tiny house, and eventually build it. The expected finish date is by the end of this school year, when the owner will take it home to use it as a guest house.
With a $35,000 budget, and the trailer costing $6,800, they had $28,200 to build the full tiny house. It has four major parts to it, including a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a loft bedroom. The complete home is 24 by 8 feet, with 2 foot extensions on each side, and weighs about 14,000 lbs. It truly is a beautifully designed two-person home.
Tilton said that this project provides the students with many different opportunities to learn different things, including installing windows and doors, putting shingles and roofing on, and many more things. In fact, he might be starting another tiny house this year, right next to the almost finished one. Overall, this project is a great hands-on activity for students to do, and it is very exciting to see our students take part in it.
Maura Murray in a 2003 family photograph.
Responding officer Sgt. Cecil Smith of the Haverhill NH Police Department (photo copyright Oxygen Network).
Murray Disappearance Continues to Baffle
Murray Disappearance Continues to Baffle
Authorities & the Public
Authorities & the Public
Gabbie Buczala ~ December 13, 2018
Maura Murray, was born and raised in Hanson, Massachusetts. She had everything a young teenage girl could want. Maura had a pleasant home, nice clothing, friends, and a loving family. Maura graduated from Whitman-Hanson High School where she was a beautiful, popular, young star athlete on the school’s track team. In the fall of 2002, she was accepted into United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, where she studied chemical engineering for three semesters. Before her fourth semester started in 2003, she left West Point due to the threat of expulsion and transferred to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst to study nursing. Within the next year of Maura Murray being at the University, she disappeared and has yet to be found. The disappearance of Maura Murray is one of the most intriguing cases the North Country has seen.
February 9, 2004, stands as the day that haunts the Murray family and police investigators with many unanswered questions. Classes were canceled that day, so Maura spent the day in her dorm room until late afternoon. She sent an email to her professors and work advisor telling them she would need time off due to a death in the family. The family later realized that Maura had lied, no one had actually passed away in the family. At 4:37 p.m., Maura placed a call to her own voicemail and left to withdraw $280 from a local ATM. She later made her way to a liquor store where she bought $40 worth of alcohol, which included a bottle of Bailey’s, Kahlua, vodka, and a box of Franzia wine. Maura also stopped at the DMV to pick up insurance paperwork for her father’s car. After following this trail Maura left behind, police assumed she had accessed the I-91 highway and started to make her way towards New Hampshire.
Police can only speculate what they think happened to Maura between the hours of 4:30 pm to 7:30 p.m. Police investigators think Maura got off the highway in Wells River, Vermont, and was on her way to Bath, NH, when she turned off Route 302 onto Route 112. As Maura went to take a sharp turn, she lost control of her vehicle and spun into a snowbank. At 7:27 p.m., a woman called Grafton County Sheriff’s Department and reported a car accident in front of her home. Butch Atwood, a local school bus driver, was on his way home after finishing his last bus run when he saw a woman standing on the side of the road and a car that was wedged into a snowbank. Atwood stopped and asked the young woman if she needed any help. She told him Triple-A was on their way, and that she didn’t need any help. He noticed she was slurring her words, which made him think she was drinking. Maura also appeared cold. Atwood didn’t call the police while at the scene of the accident, as the area does not have cell phone service. But he did drive home, which was only a few seconds down the road, and called the police at 7:43 p.m. The police officer who was dispatched by the sheriff’s department arrived at the deserted accident scene at 7:46 p.m. Maura Murray was nowhere to be found.
To Be Continued.
Creative Writing Contributor
Creative Writing Contributor
Wishes to Remain Anonymous
Wishes to Remain Anonymous
Kaylee Quinones ~ December 1, 2018
The one thing in this school that we seem to forget is the fantastic talent some students have, ESPECIALLY with creative writing. The artistic genius behind this will be left unknown upon request. Teachers tend to miss this talent because maybe the student is timid and they probably don’t wish to share things. Here at the paper, we get it. Something very close to you doesn’t want to be shared as it is very personal. I interviewed the author to try to get more of an idea of how she came about writing this story.
People often wonder why someone writes a story. In this author’s case, she remembered back in middle school when the D.A.R.E. officer was talking about domestic abuse. If you didn’t know, in 6th grade we had a program we had to participate in do called D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E stands for “Drug Abuse Resistance Education” where we mainly talked about how there are better things to do than drugs. People think no one ever takes anything away from that program, but there is proof that at least one person had taken away something from the lectures. The title of the author’s book was also inspired by the song “Daddy Issues” by the Neighborhood.
Wanting perfection in a story is essential to the writer. The author has been revising this story for two years now. Writers are perfectionists and nothing is ever good enough for them, but from my analyzing and watching them write they seem to enjoy the revision process very much. It shows maturity and drive. Another thing, with all the writing, sooner or later one will develop a little something called “writer's block.” The definition for this is, “the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.” I had asked if she had any writer’s block while writing the story and it was inevitable she did. Once she got it, she wouldn’t write anything for months, and then an idea would pop into her head.
The last thing I asked, “what would you like people to take away from the story?” She replied, “I didn’t want people to read it when I wrote it, I didn’t have a specific theme in mind.” There you go. Now enjoy the story!
*****
One
My pajamas are wet, soaked with sweat, and sticky; they cling to my skin as I roll out of bed. My legs tremble, my hands shake, my head hurts. I hear Daddy yelling at Mommy, his voice rough and scratchy. I can't really tell what he's saying; his voice gets all warped and distorted when I try to understand. Maybe I'm tired, maybe I don't want to know. I hear Mommy crystal clear though. Her voice is weak, pleading. She says my name.
"Don’t let Emmalene hear," she begs, though it's barely audible, her words crushed between the folds of Daddy’s anger. Daddy's voice again, though I still can't understand the words, thick and heavy with alcohol. My legs quake violently as they carry me from the edge of my bed to my doorway.
A single beam of yellow light from the kitchen streams through the crack going down the middle of my door and illuminates a strip of my room. I run my finger down the crack Daddy put in my door one night when he was really mad. I gulp and lean down, pressing the side of my head to the bottom of the door.
"Shut up!" I hear Daddy yell, and then a big crash that makes me jump. I hit my head against the doorknob and sniffle, scrambling backwards. I can hear Mommy crying now; loud, racking sobs. Daddy shouting, but his voice has gone out of tune again.
I force myself to my feet, feeling wet tears roll down my cheeks. I sniffle and wipe them away with the sleeve of my pajamas. I open the door a little, enough for me to squeeze into the door frame and watch.
"Get up, Caitlin. Stop being so dramatic," Daddy snarls, grabbing Mommy by her shoulders and yanking her up. I can see from here her blotchy red cheeks and a dark shadow already forming under her eye.
"Liam, please," she nearly whispers.
"I'm not doing anything!" he screams, slamming her into the wall. I wince at the same time as Mommy and shrink back against the frame of my door. Mommy looks up, and then over at me. Her eyes widen and she slowly shakes her head.
"What are you-" Daddy starts but then his head turns and he sees me. Oh no.
Instantly, he drops Mommy and she crumples to the ground. Fear courses like venom through my veins, cementing me to the floor. All of a sudden, Daddy is in front of me, grabbing me, so fast I don't even see him. He snatches me up swiftly and holds me up against the wall, so high up that my head touches the ceiling. His eyes are red and a sheen of sweat covers his forehead. He reeks of beer.
"What are you doing up?" Daddy demands. I don't say anything. I don't want to cry, and if I open my mouth, I know I will. Daddy slams me harder into the wall.
"I-I'm sorry D-Daddy," I stammer in a whisper. He wrinkles his nose and lowers me from the wall, still holding me by the shoulders. He kicks open my door and throws me to the floor like a ragdoll.
Daddy turns and storms back into the kitchen. I'm shaking furiously and it's all I can do to pull my legs to chest and wrap my arms around me, trying to hold myself together. My stomach aches and I press my hands against the flesh. Maybe if I make it hurt now, it won’t be so bad in the morning.
"Go take care of your kid, you shit mom," Daddy growls and I hear Mommy get to her feet. "I'm going out." The front door opens, then slams shut with a loud THUD!
Mommy stays in the kitchen for a few minutes. I know she is wiping her tears, putting on a brave face. Like she'll be able to hide any of this from me. As if I didn't see anything that happened, didn't get a full commentary. Like this hasn't happened before.
After a few more seconds, Mommy's quiet footsteps come down the hall. I sit up and scooch back against my bed frame. I wipe my tears away and wrap my arms tightly around my stomach. Mommy walks in, hanging first in the doorway.
"Emmalene, baby, are you awake?" she asks softly. I pick my head up and look at her. She's barely visible, all the light behind her, but I can already see where her bruises will form; one under her left eye, another on her collarbone, a few on her forearms, probably a couple on her shoulders. Me and her, wearing the same dark colors like ink splotches on our skin.
"I'm awake," I croak. Mommy walks in and sits next to me. She doesn't say anything, only stares at our feet.
"Are you okay?" I murmur. All of a sudden, Mommy bursts into tears again, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me into her lap. She holds me tight in her arms and buries her face in my hair, which does nothing to muffle the sound of her desperate crying. What did I do?
I reach up and press my cold hand to her hot cheek. Silently, I trace the lines of her skin with my finger, unsure of what else to do.
"I love you so much baby," Mommy whispers in my ear, then kisses my forehead. She gently lifts me up and lays me into bed. Peeling back the covers, she crawls into bed with me and pulls me tight to her chest. I think, that maybe she needs me more than I need her right now. Because she knows as well as I do exactly what'll happen in the next few days.
Tomorrow, Daddy won't come home, and if he does, it'll be really late. Mommy will alternate between calling him and crying her eyes out. I'll be alone in my room all day. The day after that, Daddy will be home and he'll say he's sorry. He'll kiss Mommy and Mommy will say it's all okay. Daddy will promise he won't do it again, that he's going to quit drinking. And then the whole cycle will happen again in a couple of days. Over and over like that, until one of us finally breaks for good.
*****
[Editor’s Note: We hope to see additional work from this particular author, while encouraging all students to submit work they would like considered for publication. Thank you.]
Football at LHS?
Football at LHS?
Nick Sanborn ~ December 13, 2018
Littleton High School could definitely have a high school football team, but because of concerns that shouldn't even BE concerns, we don’t. When the people say that we're a Division IV school and that we wouldn't have enough people to play they are wrong. How can you just shut down a program that could be reinvented in the future? There are plenty of kids at this school who would have played this year and in some of the past years after the athletic department got rid of it.
How can a school just exclude a sport like football that is so well known to be the father of all sports? We get into high school and our high school doesn't even have a team. Why don't we have one? Because we don't have enough money? Wrong!
We have plenty of money to pay for gear, and the school wouldn't even have to pay for most of it because who’s to say we couldn’t get sponsors for football as we do for other sports? Adidas, who sponsors our whole school sports organization is a strong possibility as a football team sponsor. Additionally, the school wouldn't even have to pay for some of the gear because players would just buy their own equipment like shoulder pads and cleats. The school would only have to provide gear like helmets, leg pads, and jerseys.
The town has plenty of money to consider paying for a new elementary school, so money for items like goalposts and paint for the yard markers shouldn’t be a problem. Why can't they spend a little bit more money and get this town what it wants, football? Even if Littleton High didn't have enough kids to field a football team, we could team up with Profile or Lisbon because most likely we would only be a couple kids short. I'm not saying we would be a good team because we would be in Division III and it would take a few years to build a reputable team but think of how many people would come to the games if we teamed up with more schools to create a football team. The school could charge an entry fee and we could have a concession stand that would generate more money to support the team. It could also open up a lot of opportunities for cheerleading in the fall as well as possible football scholarships for college-bound students. Going to a weekend football game gives kids and families something to do together. We could be bringing communities together through a Littleton High School football team. Profit is the only word I can hear when I think about a football in Littleton.
Music to Change Classes By
Music to Change Classes By
Nichole Regnet ~ December 13, 2018
As many of you know, the school has started a new bell system that includes music being played at the end of each full block. In previous years, the LHS had used the traditional buzzer, which in all honesty, was much easier for the school personnel to manage. With the new system that the school is using this year, there have been some complications. These complications include finding the right music that is appropriate and clean for the listeners.
Every month the school chooses songs that they will play throughout the month. This month, on December 21, the school will be Christmas music throughout the day playing songs written by Bing Crosby and other artists similar to him. With the songs students suggest, a search is done by Mrs. Carbonneau and Mr. Prior to find these songs and decide if they are school appropriate. This is no small task as most suggestions are just the song name with no reference to the artist. That being said, if you suggest a song please make sure you include the artist and decide beforehand if the song is appropriate for the school intercom.
Littleton High School isn’t the only school playing music for its bells. According to South Florida Sun Sentinel, Delray Beach Florida is using the same system. Principal Debra Johnson of Delray Beach says that students have been in better moods and have had calmer actions since the change to musical bells, they call their system, “The Mozart Effect.” This school plays many of Mozart’s and Jazz song. Principal Johnson says students are moving faster and there are fewer mishaps in the halls. I have noticed, as a student at LHS, that my peers go around the halls singing and dancing to songs as they make their way to class. I’ve also noticed that there’s a sense of excitement and many smiles when a favorite song comes on.
Winter Program
Winter Program
Kaylee Manzella ~ December 13, 2018
Winter Wellness was a fun, collaborative program that allowed students to get out or stay in and do something they’re interested in. You could sign up for snowboarding, skiing, sledding, arts and crafts, bowling, rock climbing, tumbling, and more. So, why don’t we have this program anymore?
In an interview with the school Principal Mrs. Carbonneau, Guidance Counselor Mrs. Joubert, and discussions with classmates I learned many things regarding the past program, Winter Wellness. The class of 2022 was the last class to be able to participate in Winter Wellness for the middle school. The ending of Winter Wellness was due mostly to the limited amount of staff because of budget cuts. Mrs. Carbonneau said it worked when the eight middle school teachers could work with each of the programs. When our school started losing high school teachers they had to pull middle school teachers to teach high school classes.
Winter Wellness was also a costly program. A trip in town with a bus cost around or above $100, a trip to St. Johnsbury was not less than $400. The district paid for travel costs, and students paid for the activity they were participating in. The students I interviewed all said the pricing was reasonable and would pay it again. Mrs. Joubert noted that budget plays an important role in everything and sometimes is out of our control; this seems to also play a part in discontinuing the program. The school still has money left from the program, I believe is what Mrs. Carbonneau and Joubert said, that we could come up with an idea of something to do for students after schools hours as not to affect their learning time.
In high school, this program wouldn’t be available to students because of the need for credits to graduate and needed class time. Middle school is a different story but are still unable to without the teachers attending their class and the program at the same time. Also, when the kids who were on ski team had this program and went somewhere for an activity they would miss Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, and Friday’s classes. The program started in the second quarter and ended in the third. In the second quarter students would miss about 10% of allied arts classes and in the third would lose even more. Mrs. Carbonneau said that felt as though they weren’t valuing the teachers time with their students.
There were different upsides and downsides seen by each person I talked to. Some positive things were it gave students opportunities they might not usually get, teachers got to interact with their students other than just teaching them, it allowed time to get away from school and stress and enjoy what you like to do.
Some downsides mentioned were not having the staff to spare resources, losing class time, families not being able to pay for an activity their kid wanted to do, student behaviors, and occasionally unpredictable weather. The big downside that Mrs. Carbonneau hit on was the point that at the middle school age, kids are changing and become more aware of the things going on in their life like social differences, relationships, and the judging and criticizing that goes on. It could have made students feel bad about themselves, others, and make them not want to do the program and it would cause a lot of drama.
There are and may be more opportunities, not precisely like Winter Wellness but still fun. For example, right now we have TASC Time, which allows students to choose if they want to do a fun activity or go to a teacher and get enrichment. It is for the well-being of the students and tries to get them in a healthier mindset. Other ideas would be after school hours; there could be people who could go bowling every once in a while or something like a ski night. It would be a good chance for the 30-40% of students who don’t participate in sports to get out and hang out with different people.
Stress and Anxiety Levels in High Schoolers
Stress and Anxiety Levels in High Schoolers
Jamielee Lamarre ~ December 13, 2018
Stress, anxiety, it’s only human. Everyone has experienced these feelings whether it’s good or bad. Believe it or not, the level of high schoolers that are stressed have risen in the past years. Even though all of us have felt this, some may not know what they actually are. Stress is a way that your body reacts to danger. Chemicals are released into your blood, and it makes you feel more energetic and strong. These emotions could be helpful or harmful depending on if you are in physical or emotional danger. Anxiety is a reaction to stress. Being anxious includes feeling afraid, worried, or uneasy.
Knowing what these words mean is drastically different than going through it, or seeing a loved one struggle with it. It may be hard to see what’s going on in someone else's life, especially with teens, but there are some common symptoms of stress. According to data found by the American Psychological Association for stress in America Survey, 40% of teens feel angry and irritable, 36% feel nervous and anxious, 36% feel tired, and 31% are overwhelmed. If you add these numbers together, it’s well over 100. This means that many people experience a combination of things, and it’s ultimately harder for them to get rid of negative emotions.
Now some of you may be asking why? Why are teenagers so stressed, what could possibly be so hard in high school, your still kids. Surprisingly, in the same survey stated before, 83% of teens are stressed by school, 69% are worried by College or plans after High School, and 65% of people have problems with their families financial issues. The sum of these percentages is also way over 100 which again means teenagers have multiple stress factors that might be occurring at the same time. Other things that could cause stress is, family issues, world occurrences such as a natural disaster or a shooting, Traumatic events that could include the death of a loved one or abuse, and significant life changes, and social media.
Social media can be very influential to young people with the many platforms that are easily accessible. Apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Visco are just a few examples of stress or anxiety-ridden things. These tools could be used for good and bad. Some people promote things, spread information, or post for fun. Others use their voice on the internet to spread hate by leaving hurtful comments or dislikes. With the vulnerable minds of teens, meaningless words typed on a screen can make someone look down on themselves and feel hated.
I took to some students at Littleton High School to ask how they were feeling about stress and anxiety. I asked a few questions to my friends and classmates Maddy and Josie. Some things they were stressed about was school, turning things in on time, end of quarter grades, and buying Christmas presents. Maddy and Josie both said that they feel stressed on a regular basis, and school is a large factor in that. Surprisingly enough, neither of them feel that anxious on social media. This may be due to the fact that I asked what our school would consider popular, but I do know of quite a few people that are stress about social media.
Stress has become a problem in high schoolers across America. Social media, family problems, and traumatic occurrences are just a few things people get stressed about.
Band Honor Society
Band Honor Society
Austin Hasting ~ December 13, 2018
Littleton High School’s repertoire of clubs and society is once again expected to grow as a new honor society is to be chartered. Specifically aimed at band and chorus members, this new honor society is known as the Tri-M music society ( Tri-M is short for Modern Music Masters.). Started in 1936, Tri-M looks to give special acknowledgement to students who have gone above and beyond in their music classes. This is an interesting honor society because it isn’t only for high school students. It is split into two divisions: one for 7th and 8th grade and the other for the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Eleventh and twelfth graders who apply for Tri-M will find the application process quite similar to that of the National Honor Society. Where NHS applicants are evaluated on four pillars of the society, Tri-M applicants are evaluated on the three pillars: Music Participation, Academic Achievement and Service.
For the most part, the students in the bands are excited about this new opportunity. Kids such as 7th grader Taytum Adams and Junior Naomi Nunez both expressed how they felt very strongly that the program might not only benefit the people in it but would also impact outsiders. They both theorized that the society would make people who didn’t try out or didn’t make it feel like they needed to up their game and try harder in rehearsal. That all sounds well and good, but 8th grader Macy Adams had a different view on this matter. Macy said that there was unlikely going to be any effect on the efforts of the people who don’t try because “the people who aren’t trying out obviously don’t care.” She does have a solid point, but that's a conversation for another day. This honor society will still be an awesome thing for the people willing to put effort into it.
During an interview a while ago, Mrs. Noyes stated that she had an interest in going down to the Senior Center to entertain the patrons. This is a fun activity frequently done by the local chapter of NHS and the LHS Players. Ms. Nunez said that as far as going to the Senior Center she, for the most part, looked forward to “playing music for them and sharing time with them.” The general consensus of the high schoolers was that this society would really need to do projects like this to get out in the community. Besides playing for people, the society also looks forward to doing canned food drives at school concerts to benefit needy families. For information about trying out for Tri-M music society, please contact Mrs. Noyes at Littleton High School, room # 225 or phone extension # 5255.
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