Embedded Files
Volume 3, Issue 2 June 9, 2022
Photo credits: Bailey Cortese
Almost a Dropout, Now Working with Ninja
Almost a Dropout, Now Working with Ninja
by Andrew David
Bailey Cortese is a former student of J.W. Leary and graduated from Massena. He recently signed a deal with Ninja (Tyler Blevins) for the company he works at, G-fuel. As a group, Ms. Charleson’s class interviewed him. We discovered that as a kid, Bailey loved playing sports with his friends like most kids his age and even went on to win states. In junior high, he didn’t like coming to school but once he was there he enjoyed the social interactions. Bailey also really enjoyed the Rotary Pancake Day and parades.
Cortese didn't know what he wanted to do with his life and even changed his mind halfway through college at SUNY Potsdam for technology. Now, Bailey Cortese is a talent manager at G-fuel; he enjoys video games but didn’t have the skill to become a YouTuber, so Bailey settled for someone who would help YouTubers secure deals and sponsorships. Bailey first met Ninja at a gaming convention and said, “Tyler was easy to talk to” and how much of a “down-to-earth guy” he was. Bailey commented about his relationship working with Ninja “It’s like working with a movie star."
Bailey had two role models: his older brother who supported him through every endeavor, and his mother who, throughout his younger years encouraged Bailey’s interest in sports and later on convinced him to stay in college. Bailey’s parents didn’t understand why he wanted to work in the area of video games, but supported him anyway. Bailey also told us that success is not determined by an exact definition, but by "When you're proud of the work you've done you can call yourself successful." We asked him for some advice for middle schoolers and he responded, "Don't be afraid to be different. Never be afraid to stand out in a crowd."
Mr Marcellus
Mr Marcellus
By: Chris Boyea
As some of you may remember, we attached a survey to our first edition of the Raider Times. We asked for teachers that you students would be interested in learning more about. By popular demand, this article is all about Mr. Marcellus! As most of you know, Mr. Marcellus is one of our two great physical education teachers here at J.W Leary. We had the chance to interview Mr. Marcellus. He said he decided to become a PE teacher because "I was a student who was motivated by athletics, nutrition, and practicing healthy habits throughout school. I found out that I enjoyed working with students when I was lifeguarding at my local beach. The big motivator for me to pursue a career in PE was my basketball coach, who was a high school PE teacher. He showed dedication and commitment to my athletic growth in PE class and at practices." When asked what he what have done if P.E teaching didn't work out, he said police officer or state trooper.
JW Leary student, Jack Jarrett, answered some questions regarding Mr. Marcellus. Asked what he likes about Marcellus, "I feel like he is good at making PE fun for everyone and makes everyone laugh." We asked Jack if he was curious about anything regarding Mr. Marcellus. Jack wanted to know how he feels about becoming a dad and how he is going handle that and being a PE teacher. Jack's favorite memory with Mr. Marcellus was "Playing wiffleball when he was umping outside on the field. He just makes gym fun."
All About Marcellus
Favorite Food-Chicken Wings
Favorite Video Game-NBA 2k
Favorite class in school-Gym
Favorite sport-Basketball
Favorite color-Purple
Favorite movie-Step Brothers
Favorite Sports Team-Syracuse Orange
Favorite pro athlete-Stephen Curry
Favorite music artist-Drake
Favorite tv show-The Office
Favorite restaurant-Jakes on the Water
Photo credit: Mr. Marcellus
Boston and Back
Boston and Back
By: Jack Jarrett
Recently J.W. Leary took an educational trip to Boston, Massachusetts, with the addition of some ninth-graders who never had the chance to enjoy the field experience. J.W. Leary does this field experience trip every year switching between Boston and Washington DC. The school puts on these trips to expose the kids to the real world while encouraging them to keep their grades up and stay out of trouble. Every year the chaperones and the students have a great time there and leave with a bunch of fun memories.
After our six-hour drive, we spent our time in Boston doing things like visiting the New England Aquarium, walking all through downtown Boston, JFK Museum, and riding the famous duck boats. We also ate at restaurants like Fire and Ice, as well as having dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. Chris Boyea participated in the trip, and said, "The food was amazing, especially at Fire and Ice, and I've got to do things I've never done or seen before." Regarding the city, he said, "It's a nice city because it's big but not too big and I loved all the historical monuments and statues in the city it is very pretty." When asked Mrs. Jarrett who ran the trip on the places we visited she said, "I love going to the Aquarium, following the Freedom Trail and doing the Duck Boat tour! I’ve been to the North End lots of times, so I enjoy visiting there, especially Mike's pastries. Their cannolis are the best! Fire and Ice is my favorite restaurant that we go to. You get to watch them cook the food right in front of you!"
Coming into the trip there were very high expectations and I would say the trip met those expectations. One student commented, "I expected to go have fun, eat good food, and spend a lot of money, which I did all three." When asking trip coordinator and chaperone Mrs. Jarrett about the expectations coming in she said, "Have fun! I am familiar with Boston and have chaperoned this trip previously, so I knew what the trip would be like. I had seen the itinerary before we left, so I knew we would be busy sightseeing and touring the city."
In the end, everybody was sad driving away from the city with all the fun had over the long weekend. Mrs. Jarrett commented when the trip was over, "It was a lot of work and a lot of fun! We learned a lot and the kids were very well behaved. I can’t wait to go to Washington next year!" 'Til next time, Boston.
Photo credit: Ms. Charleson
Running: It's for Everyone, not Just a Few.
Running: It's for Everyone, not Just a Few.
Andrew David
Running is great for all people; people who play sports, people who game all day and night, and people who’ve never run in their life. Running creates a myriad (uncountable amount) of health benefits for your body and mind. Running is a way to get away from thoughts, it can give you a feeling of self-accomplishment. You’re never comparing yourself to others, just your previous self.
Steve Prefontaine was a famous runner who set American records for distance events from 2,000 to 10,000 meters; He only set these records due to a great training schedule which he built up over time and as Mr. Corigliano stated, “Natural talent is helpful but not needed,” And in my own personal opinion it’s the dedication and work ethic you have that counts. You, yes you, could set a school record if you commit to it. You will improve if you just run on a daily basis. Running outside of your sport or just one easy long run on the weekends will improve your fitness level in turn helping you run faster for longer (endurance).
Running results in visible benefits along with the corresponding workouts you do to strengthen other muscles in your body. Mackenzie Oldenburgh stated, “Exercising every day helps me with other sports that I participate in year-round like dance and soccer.” Workouts are usually bodyweight and centered around your core body, but most exercises involve more than one muscle group strengthening not just your core body and legs. As you get tired your body engages your abdominal region more and it will tone the muscles in your arms due to the repetitive motion of swinging your arms for an extended period of time.
When running with other people, you also establish a connection with them, and because you get to know each other some want to show off and others want to keep up causing a lot of push to work harder and get into a competitive spirit. And even though you are pushed and have to put in a good amount of effort “ I do enjoy being on the track team,” said Mackenzie Oldenburgh. Your coach is there to help you and wants to be there. Mr. Corigoliano said, “I really enjoy helping students to learn new things and help them to walk away with a sense of accomplishment.”
Finally, in track and field, just because you may think you can’t run fast or for very long so you shouldn’t try to compete, you would be wrong because there is always something for you to do well in. There really is a lot more to track than natural talent and running fast; It’s about beating your previous self and improving from where you started.
Photo credit: Mr. Corigliano
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Why YOU should Try the Fly Factory
Why YOU should Try the Fly Factory
By: Allie Lincoln
The Fly Factory is an aerial art studio for all ages. It has classes on hoop and pole. Fly Factory is not only a fun, enjoyable experience, but it's also get a great workout. Every time you will be left with sore muscles and great memories. As Riely Northrup said “ One thing I can take away from this experience at the Fly Factory is to have fun. Again not worrying about messing up will make you enjoy the time you spend there much better. The instructor, Annette, is one person you will want to be around. She really creates a great atmosphere to hang out and have fun. You will make so many friends here and I’m sure you won’t regret it.” You can join the Fly factory at any time. Everyone and anyone is welcome. They have classes for teens and adults. And don’t worry if you feel insecure about joining. As Northrup also said “ I would definitely say that if you are thinking of joining the Fly Factory to just go for it. You never know if you might like it. I went to a class just for fun and now I end up going about two days a week for over a year now. Also, be brave and stay confident. You might not get it on your first try so just stay persistent and you can achieve it. “
Annette Swamp, the founder and instructor of the Fly Factory, when asked about what teens will learn at the Fly Factory answered, "Teens will learn conditioning skills and aerial poses, how to flow between poses creating an aerial dance. It’s a sport that will make them physically stronger as well as mentally. However, the most important thing they’ll walk away with from The FLY Factory is a new sense of confidence, a safe place where they know that everyone there will cheer them on, new friendships, and where everyone genuinely wants to see you succeed and share in that joy. The FLY in our name actually is an acronym for First Love Yourself, this is what we want everyone to feel and know about themselves."
The Fly Factory runs all week with classes every night. You can sign up for classes on their app or online at https://www.vagaro.com/theflyfactory. The Fly Factory is located on East Orvis Street inside Hayden Fit. It is a clean, large, easy accessible space. When asked if you have to be fit to join the Fly Factory Northrup said, “You don’t need to be fit to join the fly factory. Doing the aerial arts has actually helped me with my strength and flexibility. There are so many options, poses, and moves to do here at the Fly factory so don’t stress if you think you aren’t capable to go here. The aerial arts can be modified to accommodate all fitness levels.” If you would like to join you can always come to one class and see if you like it and then progress. You will not regret it.
(Check out the photos and videos beside this article to get a look at the FLY factory!)
Photo/video credits Allie Lincoln
Photo Top: Allie Lincoln, Riely Northrop, Malory Tsibulsky
Video 1: Malory Tsibulsky
Video 2: Reily Northrup
Video 3: Malory Tsubusky, Allie Lincoln, Amelia
Photo Bottom: Allie Lincoln, Malory Tsibulsky, Amelia in the chandelier pose
"Running Away" From This Year!
"Running Away" From This Year!
By: Sadie Fent
In Massena, I think that music is a big part of our school, our education, and our community as a whole. And though our music programs have undeniably suffered these past few years due to Covid, we’re back now and performing! The Junior High started off the year with performing their Winter Concert, and then finished strong with their Spring Concert! It was our band and orchestra concert, with our performers being, in order, the 7th grade band, 8th grade band, the jazz band, and the orchestra to finish it off. The program, as per usual, started with the 7th grade playing the National Anthem and ended with the orchestra playing Storm by Soon Hee Newbold, an exciting finish to the night.
A lot has led up to their final performances, with both the bands and the orchestra struggling to play again. The bands were hit really hard because of Covid. In the beginning of the year, they were forced to play outside since the proper equipment needed for safe playing and social distancing (band masks, bell covers, instrument bags, etc.) hadn’t come in yet. But that didn’t stop them as they persevered and played outside. Once it was time to finally be able to play inside again, they handled the change well as they became accustomed to playing in an ensemble indoors, giving us the amazing performance that we were able to see. When I interviewed Mr. Draper, he said, “If our students can persevere through the many obstacles they have faced these last couple of years and come out on the other side with the energy, attitude and outlook that my band students have brought to each of our rehearsals, practices, concerts and lessons, then I find myself incredibly optimistic about the future of these classes and this generation.”
And speaking of the next generation, on account of a vote, the 8th grade band played Chris Boyea’s song, Running Away. Mr. Draper seemed rather enthusiastic about the song being played, saying, “Running Away" received the most votes by far and, honestly, I was incredibly impressed and proud to see that kind of support for a tune written by one of our very own.” And, I can tell you firsthand, it was a pretty cool and a rather unique experience to get to play a song written by a classmate.
Lastly, I interviewed Mr. Pratti about the Orchestra and his experience over Covid, and he said that his goal was to just get everyone playing again. “I wanted to see us use our musical abilities to improve our mental health during this brutal pandemic!” He stated, trying to get the kids involved again. But over the course of Covid, he lost a few kids and the program suffered as they weren’t really able to play together. Some kids struggled with reading notes and rhythms since they had to play online through Zoom over Covid, so just like the band, getting used to playing in an ensemble again was hard. But they made it to the other side, playing some wonderful songs in both the Winter and Spring concerts. They managed to grow as musicians in such a difficult time, and Mr. Pratti commented, “I am happy with the results of our efforts. And I'm happy with the choices we made this year. “
Photo credit: Mr. Pratti
Local Supernatural Events II
Local Supernatural Events II
By: Brody Miller
Ghost stories have been around for quite some time. Dating back to the 18th century, the first Gothic novel was written by Horace Walpole. Since then, many ghost stories have been composed and read by millions of people. Writers have even branched out as far as writing different sub-genres like science-fiction horror, comedy, and even romantic horror movies. Although one topic that sticks out to many, including myself, is local stories.
Spanky's is a local diner that is located by On a Roll Deli on North Main Street. Spanky's has been around for a while and people love to eat there. Although Spanky's is a nice diner, people have had suspicions the place is haunted and possessed. So, I interviewed a student at JWL, Allandra Kellogg, and she told and interesting story.
When Kellogg was young she received a book from her aunt as a gift. The book was about local hauntings in Massena. While reading through the book she found Spanky's Diner and begged her mom to go. About a week later, Allandra's mom took her and her cousin to Spanky's. After she finished eating, she went to the bathroom with her cousin knowing that Spanky's was haunted. The bathroom was normal at first but she started to see flickering lights. After washing her hands, she opened the door and saw an old, pale women standing in front of her. She rushed by the woman and sat down at her table. Since the bathroom was visible from their table, they waited for the women to come out and she never did. “My cousin and I were watching the door and she never came out.”
Kellogg has not returned since.
To read a local article about paranormal investigators at Spanky's from Northcountrynow.com, click here.
Photo credit linked here
Mr. Sovie
Mr. Sovie
By Camden Murtagh & Asher Cardinal
Mr. Sovie is the Team 3 science teacher and he teaches both physical science and earth science. He is a great and funny person and is also a good teacher. It is easy to see why he the favorite teacher of many students. When our staff asked the student body which staff member they would like to see in the next newsletter, he was tied for the highest number of votes, which basically proves his popularity. Mr. Sovie has a great personality and we hope readers learn more about him and his school pet.
Mr. Sovie’s original plan was to be a pharmacist but some life altering event happened and he wanted to choose a career in which he could leave the biggest impact on others. He decided to become a teacher and he chose science out of a personal passion. His favorite animal is a capybara because they are "chill and cool."
So here is the big question: What is his "lizard's" name? Now, wait a minute. It's not a lizard. Or a Gecko! It's a bearded dragon and many names! There are Mister Happy Feet, Doggy, and Professor Legs, just to name a few. Mr. Sovie doesn't have one set name for him so let's call him Professor Legs, which is one of his most popular names.
Now that we know Mr. Sovie's "lizard" is actually a bearded dragon, you should also know he is a school pet that Mr. Sovie has owned him for about two years. Professor Legs was given to him by a student's mother who had an extra one. It turns out a bearded dragon is not too hard to take care of. Mr. Sovie says “he doesn't need much stimulation, like a dog.” He also says that food is hard to find, but relatively cheap. He mostly sleeps and eats, although on google it says that ”Bearded dragons have been known to show feelings of anger, fear, boredom, and restlessness.”
Photo credits: Camden Murtagh
JV Softball
JV Softball
by: Rory Lawrence
The Raiders JV Softball team's season has come to an end with a bunch of wins and losses. It was coached By Meghan Castell who was originally the modified coach last year. The Lady Raiders have played against Ogdensburg Free Academy, Potsdam Central, Malone Central, Gouverneur Central, Canton Central, and St. Lawrence Central. They have played nine games this season!
Spectator Josie Gushlaw, pitcher Emma
Gushlaw’s mom, says of the team "It’s been fun watching the girls play throughout the year, to watch their progression both individually and as a team. The improvements they all have made from the start of the season to now have been tremendous and enjoyable to watch." Josie suggests the team could work on, "...improving their communication with each other while playing defense.”
Gushlaw, an 8th grader who moved up to JV, also played in some varsity games and plays on a 16u travel team. Gushlaw has a very strong heart for the team and softball. "I get along with most of the girls really well. It's really nice to be able to play against teams that are a little better than what you see at modified, like with faster pitching and stronger fielders." Why play softball? Well Emma has an answer! “I think people should join softball because it's such a fun game and to be able to do things with your team just makes it even better. I've had so many fun memories and Some of my best friends I met on the softball field, like Rory”.
This is also the JV softball first “normal” seasons after Covid. Coach Castell, “I really enjoy this season as it appears more 'normal'. My first year as a coach was canceled due to COVID school closure and my second year was anything but normal with all the COVID protocols. Taking the masks off was huge for ball judgement and comfort. I also missed the sportsmanship side of the end of the game (shaking hands) during COVID. Castell also says there has been more interest in softball this year, considering she has girls that have never played before. I asked Castell why she coached softball. Well here's what Castell said, ’’I love to coach to help teach others the sport I love. I also like to see the smiles on everyone's face when ONE simple change I recommend makes a big difference.’’
Photo credit: Emma Gushlaw
Modified Softball
Modified Softball
by: Kaniehtentha Thompson
The Massena Red Raiders Modified Softball season is coming to an end, with lots of twists and turns. Accordng to the website https://www.jerseysoftball.com/what-is-softball.html, "Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 9 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand." Softball is played on a smaller diamond than in baseball. Softball is a “team” sport so it’s very important to work with your team and learn from your mistakes. There's no I in team, just like there's no I in softball. Rory stated, “Your team feels like your family and I think that a lot of people would love that feeling.”
You can also learn hand-eye coordination from softball, like when you're up next to bat you need to hit the ball so that’s where hand eye-coordination comes into play. Hand eye-coordination is the way that your hands and sight work together so you are able to do things that require speed and accuracy. Time management is also pretty handy in softball. You don’t want to be late for your first game or practice, a reasonable time to get to practice is about 30 minutes beforehand.
Softball scoring is a little different than other sports, not like lacrosse and volleyball. In lacrosse you have to throw the ball in a net and in volleyball you have it make it hit the ground and or make the other team hit it out of play to earn points. But in softball you have to make it to home plate to earn a point but it's not all that easy. You have to go through all three bases without getting out, tagged, or getting three outs. The biggest wins for Massena Red Raiders Modified Softball Team was against the St. Lawrence Larries (34-13), Salmon River Shamrocks (16-1), and the Canton Bears (23-6). The Red Raiders starting lineup is starting with the team captain's third baseman Rory Lawrence. As Rory said, “My main position is 3rd base but I'm a pretty flexible player so if let's say shortstop isn't there I could take that place.” Next up is Hannah Worthley, one of the team captains, who plays anywhere in the outfield. Hannah said, “I normally play in the outfield because the outfield has a really important job of getting that ball if it is hit to us or the other important thing we have to do is make sure we back up the base that is in front of our position.” While both positions seem to be important to the game, the truth is i softball all positions are important.
Joining softball isn't just about learning the game. In softball, you can make lifelong friendships and meet new people when you are playing. Hannah said, “I think it is a very good learning experience and it helps people go out of their comfort zone and do things that they normally wouldn't be comfortable with doing.” When you are playing with a team and can learn the purpose of teamwork and when you are working together and playing as a team you can win. Coach Wilhelm stated, “Seeing my team strive and be the best that they can be as well as having fun is what motivates me as a coach.” Softball also teaches you to communicate better because you need to cheer on your teammates and call for the ball. Rory also stated “Being part of a softball team also helps build a strong bond with people and teammates.” Softball is a very fun sport to play and you make great friendships with your teammates and also you get a very good feeling from winning. Rory said, “Your team feels like your family and I think that a lot of people would love that feeling and the feeling of winning is amazing.”
Photo 1 Credit Angela Wilhelm
Riding to Success
Riding to Success
BY : Hannah Worthley
Most people say the horse does all the work and all the rider does is just sit there. Some people don’t think or consider that riding horses a sport, but it truly is. Riding horses is a very good opportunity to meet new people and learn new things. It truly does bring people together. Some people don’t know each other at all but after the first time meeting someone you act like they have been your best friend since day one.
I interviewed a coach named Emily Cambridge and a riding student named Finley Thomas about the coaching experience and the experience of being taught. Both of these people enjoy working and being around the horses. Emily Cambridge has been very successful in teaching kids about horses. She has taught me all that I know about horses now. I asked Emily what's it like to coach people with a wide age range, and she replied, “I love teaching various age groups because people have different outlooks on horseback riding depending upon their age and it provides variety throughout the day.” When asked Finley what's it like to ride in lessons with friends and being able to spend time with them, she replied, “When I take lessons not only is it mentally stimulating it's physically demanding so I feel satisfied in both areas. Being able to do it with friends is an added bonus!”
Emily, Finley, and I have all had times when we were very successful at shows. I had the experience of being able to go ride at the Kentucky Horse Park and Tryon, NC. Emily was asked what she thought it was like being able to travel around the country with kids that she taught to ride. She commented, “It gives me a sense of pride when I take my students to competitions knowing that I helped them in attaining their goals and dreams.” Finley described what she thought about traveling around the country to participate in shows, “Being able to travel with horses is a very different experience than you would expect. I have gone to Kentucky, North Carolina, and most recently Vermont. On some of the longer trips, you have to make stops along the way. Having a horse that you are responsible for in the trailer really changes the experience.”
What can you expect from the experience of taking care of the barn and being around horses for the first? Finley discusses what is it like the helping at a barn that she rides at, “I have learned so much from experiencing it first hand.” and “ sometimes clean-up gets tiring especially at the end of the day.” Emily commented on what someone should expect when it is their first time working around the horses, “Many people have the unrealistic idea that working with horses is glamorous but what they don’t realize is how difficult it can be (shoveling horse poop isn’t exactly fun or easy work).”
Photo Credits:
Top Left Photo - Jenn Thomas
Top Right Photo Jamie Worthley
Middle Right Photo - Morgan Farnsworth
Bottom Right photo - Jenn Thomas
Massena History: The Blood Libel
Massena History: The Blood Libel
By: Dio Goodfellow
According to the website myjewishlearning.com, blood libels are the allegation that Jews kill Christian children to use their blood for rituals/ingredient in Passover Matzah. It dates back to the middle ages and has continued to this day, despite denial from Jewish people, and the Catholic churches/other secular authorities’ repudiation of the idea. Accusations have led to mob violence/massacres, and decimations of entire Jewish communities.
According to the article titled, "the Massena Blood Libel" in 1928, 4-year-old Barbara Griffins went missing. Everyone tore up Massena looking for her; even state troopers were involved. Police brought in the town’s Rabbi, Berel Brennglass, for questioning as coincidentally, it occurred around the start of Erev Yom Kippur. It lasted for more than an hour. It was about Jewish practices, specifically human sacrifices/ and rituals. Griffins walked out of the woods while Brennglass was being questioned, having gotten lost in the woods she slept overnight in some tall grass. Her reappearance didn’t calm some townsfolk, who spread rumors that the Jews released her because their scheme had been discovered. This led to the mayor, who decided to believe these rumors boycotting Jewish-owned businesses in Massena. Jewish community leaders called on chairman of the American Jewish Congress, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, to intervene. Wise asked the New York state governor, Al Smith, to speak out in defense of Massena’s Jewish community. While Smith couldn’t technically intervene, he would make sure the state troopers that were involved in the case's activities were thoroughly investigated. After everything was over, Mayor Hawes public apologized.
Shirley Vernick is the author of the book “The Blood Lie” which is a historical fiction book about Massena’s blood libel and describes what happens from the point of view of one of the Jewish teens in town. This character is based on the author's father. She said she wrote the book because of her dad, "telling me how terrified he and his family were when their dry goods store, Levine’s, was searched by state police, and how scared they were of the accusations/threats being thrown at them and the entire Jewish community." She said that most characters are based on real people from that time, but their names and other details are fictional. She was focused on making a compelling story that young audiences would like to read and inspiring readers to think and talk about possible responses to bigotry and rumor. She talked with people who lived through the incident, read several articles and a nonfiction book for her research, and also did online research to learn more about blood libels and antisemitism.
Photo credits to Shirley Vernick, and article credits to My Jewish learning: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-massena-blood-libel/
Boys Modified Baseball
Boys Modified Baseball
By: Nathaniel Addison & Michael Herrick
Modified baseball is one of J.W. Leary’s best sports, meaning that they are usually a super good team. Every year they have tryouts; this year was a bit different for all the returning 8th graders. Coach Zappia decided to set up something in the JR high gym for athletes to get prepared for tryouts. There were around 26 kids trying out for baseball, and he could only pick a max of 15 kids. At first Coach Zappia picked 16 athletes, but before the first game, two moved up to JV, bringing them down to 14 players. Then again before the first game, the JV coach moved up another player, Brody Miller.
The team played their first game against Malone. Usually, sports teams select captains, but for Modified Baseball there aren’t any captains. We interviewed two students on the baseball team, Brody Miller and Owen Nemier, asking them what qualities makes someone a team leader. Owen thinks that a team captain should “help people, treat people with respect, and to be a leader, not a follower.” Brody thinks that a good team leader should “actually be good, and you have to use that skill to guide people, and you have to be nice.”
"The first game against Malone came, we were missing one of our pitchers, but we managed to pull off win," Brody said. He continued, “We played good overall, but there was room for improvement. It was a good win.” Owen commented on the game also, “we played Good, I think we played good defense and overall had and overall had a good game.” When asked about our offense for that game, Owen remarked, “I feel like the start of the line up did better in this game than in the first game." I mean I had two strike outs that game. The start of the line up hit it hard and far.”
One of the team's first few games was against Canton. Canton is a team that has 9th graders, since they don’t have a JV program. When our team played them they supposedly brought only their 9th graders. We sadly lost 5-1. We made many errors and had 14 strikeouts. We asked Brody and Owen why they lost against Canton. Brody said “There were many errors, we kept overthrowing the ball, and the hitting was bad because nobody swung the bat.” Owen followed up, “They had good offense, they hit the ball, we had a lot of strike outs that game, and they did better on offense than us. Also their pitchers were accurate and they threw decently hard. If we straightened up with the errors, and laid off the strike outs, then we could have won. We played Canton recently again, but we couldn’t fix the errors, and we still struck out a bit, losing 12-3."
Photo credit: Amy Casiok
The Almost Picture Perfect Season
The Almost Picture Perfect Season
By Jacob Baillargeon
The Modified boys lacrosse is doing very good this year again. Their record was 9-1-1. I interviewed the coach and asked him what he thought about the team, "I thought the team was great and I wasn't sure who was going to lead us throughout the year and there were absences from certain players. But each game there were different players to setup and lead the team. We were a well-rounded team with senior players and new players."
They faced some challenging teams; the coach commented, "There will be many different challenges when facing different teams. This is the whole part of learning processes (of) lacrosse. Playing different teams presents other teams with different strengths and situations." The team is doing great and they aren't changing a single things so far.
The coach says "In terms of doing right and wrong you have to balance out the wrongs with the rights. And what I mean by that is for every time a team does wrong it's a chance for the coach to steer them in the right direction. And I will admit that the team this year didn't have as many wrong situations as I've seen with other teams."
If you want to see one of their games, you can check the schedule at the link below. For more info look the MCS website.
https://massenacentralschool.rschoolteams.com/page/2970
Photo credit: Krista Francis
2022 Girls' Modified Lacrosse Season
2022 Girls' Modified Lacrosse Season
By Jocelyn White
This year the Modified Girls lacrosse team had a record of 9-2-0, only losing to the team Salmon River. The team struggled finding a goalie, but Reese Faucher and Makenzie Maurer stepped up this season to play in nets with Makenzie in nets for the first half of the season, and Reese for the second half. The coach, Mr.Letham, commented about the season, “This team worked together very well. This was evident with how well we did with our record and numerous girls, but we needed to work on our focus. Having the lead in the game for most of the season and possessing the ball so long, we struggled defensively. Defense was not engaged in the game until late when we would lose focus because we were ahead by so much.”
Midfielder Joie-Lynn Jabut says one of the hardest games they played this year was the SLP (Saranac Lake Placid) game. Being down the whole game, Massena had a major comeback scoring five goals with less than eight minutes left, fighting until the last second and winning 11-10. Joie-Lynn remarked, “Coming together in the end as a team to win after being down 5 goals with 8 minutes left was very rewarding and well deserving.”
Sometimes in sports, athletes end up in positions they didn't realize they were going to play and this proved true this year for a couple of our players. As previously noted, the team had a hard time trying to find the person to play goalie. Makenzie Maurer stepped up to the play and offered to play for the first half of the season. This is what she has to say about the experience playing goalie and how she felt about this year's season,” This was my first time ever playing goalie, at first it was really hard after I got scored on but after awhile I would forget about the goal and continue with the game. I think this year we did really well especially with the amount of girls we had. We always tried our best no matter the conditions we had to deal with.”
Photo Credit: Miss Ashley
Magic at TTSD
Magic at TTSD
By Allandra Kellogg
In late 2019, it was announced competition members of Tap To Toe Studio of Dance (TTSD) would be going on a Disney trip in 2021. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, it was postponed to May 2022. With excitement bubbling over, TTSD company and family traveled by plane, deporting from Syracuse on Friday, May 27th. Everyone worked hard preparing for the trip and we were all anxious to perform. Here is a snapshot of what goes into getting ready for these big events!
Let's start off with the process of preparing for this Disney trip, recitals, and competitions. Some classes are required in order to take the whole dance season, such as technique, art and dance, and flex and stretch. These classes help to prepare by stretching and practicing special tricks in the dances. Though technique class is very important, often towards the end of the year when we perform, we use that time to run our dances. When we dance we are always given constructive criticism through corrections or little details in the dance we have to focus on improving. Jordan DuBray, a student on the team says, “When I practice I always remember the corrections I got in class and apply them when practicing.”
Running the dances comes with fun activities also, including stop and start and elimination. These are where we not only get to practice corrections, but we also want to apply them so we don't have to keep doing the dance over and over again or be the last one dancing.
It’s not every year we get to go to Disney; usually we have two competitions each year. Dance competition is where dancers perform the dance on stage and compete against other dancers. Disney was a completely different experience. Taylor Oldenburgh, a mini on the team, remarked about the Disney experience, “It was awesome!” During this trip we got to perform on a stage in Disney Springs, then afterwards participate in a workshop where we got to experience what it was like auditioning to become a Disney cast member. Joining the competition team is completely worth it and the girls on other teams are always kind and nobody hesitates to help out: Need help with your bun? They’ve got it! Plus you may even get a chance to dance at Disney!
Photo credit: Jordan Dubray
Green Team's Great Gardens
Green Team's Great Gardens
By Jordan Dubray
As some of you may have noticed, there have been plants in front of our school for many weeks now. This is a project that Mrs. Goodrich started. Last school year, she, along with Mrs. Ashley and Mrs. Jarrett, applied for a grant. They were awarded with money to pay for the supplies. This also paid for the planters on wheels, which Mr. Robert built, and they may also use the money to plant an outdoor garden. This would be used during summer school and when school starts up for the 2022-2023 school year.
The Green Team has been working on this project. They meet once every two weeks to take care of the plants and brainstorm new ideas. These students are also currently having a plant sale. They are selling tomatoes, sweet peppers, herb gardens, spider plants, and aloe plants which were all planted by the Green Team. When interviewing Kristy Summers, she informed me that she and the Green Team’s main responsibility was to water the plants. She also said that she really likes how the Green Team comes together and works together on this project.
Mrs. Goodrich plans to do something similar next year with the large planter boxes in front of the school. She also said that they may plant flowers in these big boxes, but she also has more ideas to pursue for next year such as field trips for the Green Team to go on. The students like the Green Team and hope it continues for years to come. “It's such a fun way to add a little bit more greenery to our school and help unite our school community! I also think that it's such a fun way to learn about how to plant plants and how to take care of them!” Kristy commented.
The Green Team certainly has added some color to the school.
Photo Credits: Ms. Charleson
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