Embedded Files
Chris Herren Speaks to PHS
by Andrew Palmieri
Former NBA player Chris Herren came in to PHS to talk to students and faculty about his former drug addiction that ended his playing days in the NBA. Herren was a tremendous basketball player with 2,000 points scored on his high school team at Durfee and played very well at both Boston College and Fresno State. He averaged 15.1 points and 5.1 assists at Fresno State per game. During college was when drugs came into Herren's life. Herren played most of his college and pro days with the Celtics on opioids, a very addictive painkiller.
Herren was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and stated in his documentary Unguarded, “It was the healthiest year of my career.” With Denver knowing his drug history in college they kept a close eye on him. Having a curfew set for him when the team was on a road trip. By doing so many opioids he overdosed while playing professional basketball on the side of the road and went into rehab. After this, his basketball days were over. His message to the students was to think about the things you do before you do them.
Junior Cam Fryar said, “I thought the Chris Herren speech was very inspirational to lots of kids in the school that might be dealing with similar things that Herren went through.”
Drugs are a harmful thing and can change your life completely.
For a career, Herren gives motivational speeches. He goes out to different schools, work companies and professional teams to discuss his time on drugs and how detrimental they can be to your body.
Mrs. Kniffen, an English teacher here at PHS teaches the book Fall River Dreams which stars Herren.
Her reaction to the presentation was, “I liked how he talked about the first day versus the last day. When we think of addicts we only think of the last day. Not the first day with the choices you make.”
Cam Voelkel, a senior at PHS said, “I will never ever do. drugs ever.”
Herren talked about his life experiences on drugs but also how other students from different schools reached out to him on their own personal struggles with drugs or loved ones they care about that are battling with drugs or alcohol addiction. Herren would give them guidance for getting help or just someone to talk to about how drugs and alcohol changed their life.
If you're struggling and want someone to talk to please go to Chris Herren’s website ChrisHerren.com or call 844-443-7736.
Photo courtesy Herren Talks website.
Herren speaks at PHS March 6.
Prom Preview
by Grace Torrey
As we move into spring, prom is right around the corner. This year, prom is being held at the Quincy Marriott on Saturday May 18 from 6-10 pm. Promenade will be held a few hours before that; the time is to be determined. The promenade is where students will walk the red carpet to the buses in front of family and friends! They are expecting 400-450 students.
Tickets will be 90 dollars after the results of the google form came back at a close 60-50 win for the school buses. However, the Junior class is holding a popcorn fundraiser that may change the outcome of the bussing.
Ally Johnson, junior, said, "I'm most excited to take pictures and walk down the promenade with my boyfriend. I'm also excited for people to compliment me because my dress is really pretty."
Ava Aldopoulis, junior, was also asked about her opinions on prom and responded, "I'm really excited to dance with all of my friends."
Senior, Brenna Jenkins says, "I'm most excited for the pictures before prom."
Junior, Brandon Bedrosian says, "I'm really excited for the food because last year the cheesecake was really good. I'm also really excited to dance with my friends and have a good time with my girlfriend."
Prom is expected to have a great turnout this year, at a new location, with exciting additions like a photobooth and sundae bar for dessert.
Tickets will go on sale in the weeks leading up to prom and will be sold at school.
Photo courtesy of Ally Johnson
The Quincy Marriott is the site of this year's prom.
Pictured left to right: Will Johnson, Connor Walker, Gerald Ellison, Matt DelCore, Will McNamara and Tom Halloran.
March Madness
March Madness
by Owen Reardon
With college basketball's NCAA tournaments a hot topic, PHS ran its version of the madness with an after-school event. Pembroke's version of March Madness took place last month with three teams participating in the tournament. Everyone was given a chance to sign up the weeks prior throughout the day or during lunch and despite only three teams signing up the after-school event still went on and went pretty well.
These teams consisted mostly of seniors who signed up besides one team built of sophomores and juniors. The games took place after school and started with every team playing each other once to decide their place in the real tournament. After playing these two games the teams were now placed into a sudden death bracket to ultimately decide the winner.
Senior Connor Walker's team, who were the favorites going into the games, started the round-robin games 0-2 before turning things around in the sudden-death round and taking home the championship. They faced off against the other senior team in the first round before winning and playing the sophomores and juniors in a close game that would eventually crown them champions.
Walker said, ”It was a great experience, loved playing, loved winning, beating down on the other teams.”
This was the common answer for everyone on this team and even Matt DelCore who also played on this team alongside Connor was asked the same question and said, “It was a great time, I enjoyed playing in it."
Senior Sam Hegerich, who was a player on one of the losing teams, said, “It was a great idea, I loved it, just wished more people signed up."
The first March Madness tournament was successful and wrapped up with the winners taking home prizes. Some of the rewards for their performance in the tournaments consisted of $50 Abbondanza and Juice Station gift cards.
There is potential for another March Madness tournament to take place again next year to crown new champs with the possibility of more teams participating. March Madness was a fun after-school experience for everyone who participated and could be fun for many others in the future for anyone who wants to participate. Everyone is encouraged to partake in March Madness as it is an experience everyone can enjoy whether they like basketball or not and can create a fun and enjoyable tournament for all involved
Image courtesy of Sean Robertson
Image by MayLo Hacks on Pintrest
Image from Playscripts
Springfest is the Best! Who Could Have Guessed?
by Kaden Callahan
For those unfamiliar, Springfest is a play held towards the end of the school year that consists of grades 9-12 creating their own unique plays and performing in competition for a spot on a plaque in front of the auditorium.
In years past, groups of seniors were assigned each a grade level to direct a 30 minute play. At the end of the final play, three secret judges were chosen to unbiasedly pick a winning play. This year, a group of seniors consisting of Sean Robertson, Dan McCarthy, and Devin Loud, will be directing one large play with grades 9-11 combined due to the lack of seniors who signed up for Springfest.
It is no surprise that Robertson is the director of this upcoming Springfest, as he has maintained his role as theatre president since last Springfest
Robertson said, "I encourage upcoming seniors to direct because it'll be much easier with more people...It's a fun experience. Exhilarating, perhaps."
Robertson is very passionate about theatre and enjoys directing. He has been involved in theatre for roughly 14 years, and three of those years were with Pembroke High School
Assistant director Dan McCarthy said, "100 percent, upcoming seniors should try to direct for Springfest because it's a unique opportunity, and it's useful to build experience if you're considering theatre as a career."
McCarthy added, "It's also important, in general, to learn how to manage a group of people such as the kids in theatre."
McCarthy is looking forward to attending University of Maine at Farmington in the fall for secondary education with a concentration of physical science. His ultimate goal is to become a high school level chemistry teacher at Pembroke High School.
He stated that, "Springfest was a perfect opportunity to work under pressure and manage high school students, which will help me in my future career."
According to McCarthy, technical director Devin Loud is more oriented on the functionality of the play. Without Loud, the play would go on in the dark due to his important task as the lighting tech.
McCarthy reported that Loud is, "Excited for the play. It seems that everyone involved is!"
Robertson is beyond excited for the Springfest performance on May 24th in the PHS auditorium. He encourages those who love theatre -and those who don't-to watch the performance! At this time, the cost of tickets is unknown, but the excitement will be worth the price.
First Ever
Bauer Award
by Pietra Silva
Bauer is the High School therapy dog who goes around spreading his positivity to students. The Bauer Award is earned by being kind, respectful, and much more. Junior Cam Fryar is the first student to win this award. Fryar received the award on March 18th. Many teachers left positive comments about Fryar and he replied, “I felt lucky and amazed that all the teachers had noticed me being nice to everyone but I did not feel like a different person or that I was above other people because of this award.”
Before receiving the award Fryar did not know much about what the award was.
Fryar said, “I knew that the award was awarded to the person who represented what a Pembroke graduate should look like but I did not know how to get it or who got it.”
Fryar also expressed how he felt when he won the award saying, “I felt very lucky and thankful that I was able to receive the award. I was not expecting it at all but was amazed and very happy and thankful that I had received the award and that teachers had noticed me being nice and kind to everyone and thought I was a good nominee for the award.”
When Fryar was younger he grew up around generous people, stating that his parents and step-parents have always taught him to be kind and generous to anyone he meets.
"I have always looked up to both my mom and dad and wanted to be just like them when I grew up, and having them be kind and generous to other people was an example for me that I wanted to set myself for.”
Fryar is the first student here at PHS to receive this award.
Junior Cam Fryar poses with Bauer the dog.
"Lens by the Lake" by Sean Robertson
"Metro Mist" by Abigail Peterson
"Catch!" by Sean Robertson
Students Win Silver Keys
by Cameron Landolfi
Two pieces from this year's Scholastic Art & Writing competition run by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers organization, “Catch!” and “Lens by the Lake” both won Silver Keys. Both of these pieces were created by senior Sean Robertson. And an honorable mention, “Metro Mist” was given to sophomore Abigail Peterson.
Robertson has been taking art classes for years and is even the main editor for the yearbook. Ms. Lazarus states, “His photography is just really outstanding. He makes sure to be super specific to the focal point. All his works are in focus to make sure you can see all the details in his shot. There is no motion blur, there is no fuzz, everything is sharp. That allows his work to stand out from others.”
Robertson reveals that he is inspired in the moment for his pieces, “I feel like I am inspired in the moment, by things that are already there. The photo of the glasses, for example, was already resting by the lake when I captured it.” He was also pleasantly surprised by the two silver keys he received since he originally received honorable mentions, “originally, I won two honorable mentions for my photographs, but the people running the awards went below the quota for Silver Keys. You can imagine my shock and excitement when I saw I won the Silver Keys, it's like a flight being overbooked and being upgraded to first class.”
Peterson has taken art classes for years and years as well and is likely to continue. Ms. Lazarus states, “She is very skilled. She is super conscientious and very detail oriented. She’ll go back and edit those photos two or three times before she is satisfied with the final results." For her piece “she adjusted it to be a black and white photo so that it would have a more dramatic effect.” Her piece “Metro Mist” is inspired by a rainy day in Boston.
Peterson stated, “Looking at the part of the city I was in, I thought that the different graffiti on the buildings, different cars, and the lights seemed interesting and could almost tell a story about the people who were there." Peterson states that she was pleasantly surprised by the honorable mention and that finding out the results after a couple weeks was exciting.
Anyone can be an artist and anyone can enter the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Robertson states, “I was taking the photo of Charlie while practicing a mode on the camera, which is to say that you do not have to be an extremely experienced photographer to take good photos. The photo of the glasses was taken on my phone, so anyone can do it!”
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards started in 1923 and ever since then they have been letting teens all over the nation show off their skills and creativity. They accept art from teens in the seventh to twelfth grade. Teens are allowed to apply in 28 different categories of art and writing, giving them lots of choices and opportunities. Students are also allowed to submit as many pieces as they please. Students that win will have their work shown online and will also receive certificates for their awards. Any works that receive silver or gold will be presented in an exhibit in the Boston museum of fine art.
New Coaches at PHS
by Jaelyn Resil
For this upcoming spring sports season PHS Athletics welcomes both Varsity Girls Lacrosse and Varsity Softball coaches, Abigail Moynihan and Brittney Noons.
The girls lacrosse coach Moynihan played four years of varsity lacrosse for Apponequet Regional High School in Massachusetts, as well as attending 4 years at Stonehill where she played lacrosse. Moynihan was very excited when this coaching job was presented to her.
“I accepted this coaching position because it presented an opportunity for me to give back to the game that has enriched my life in so many ways. Following my recent graduation, I wasn’t prepared to bid farewell to my life of lacrosse. I derive great fulfillment in sharing my knowledge, skillset, and passion for the sport with our younger generations. Empowering these young female athletes to compete and grow within the game is something I look forward to everyday!”
With this coaching job she is hoping that the girls are able to prove to everyone watching that they are capable of doing many things this season, as well whatever they put their minds to.
“I’m confident that if we play with purpose and intent, everything will fall into place.” Over the course of the season she is hoping that she will be able to watch these players grow not only as lacrosse players but as the young women they are.
As the season is approaching very fast she is hoping to prove that the girls on this team are capable of doing many things, and she knows that they will have a lot of exciting games over the course of the season.
“Specifically, our most exciting matches could be against Barnstable, East Bridgewater, and Plymouth South for our Senior Night.” Be sure to watch these amazing girls and all that they accomplish this season!
Softball coach Noons was very excited to come back to coaching after she took a year off from coaching softball at Bridgewater State University. Before her coaching career started she played at Dighton-Rehoboth High School, and then went on to play at the University of Delaware.
“I think the sky is the limit with this team. We have a lot of raw talent and great leadership. My goal as a coach is always to build a program where student athletes feel confident and like they got the most out of their time being a student athlete. I hope to help them become the best version of themselves as possible. My goal for this team is to compete at the top of our conference and compete as far as we can in the state tournament, and have a lot of fun while we are reaching those goals.”
Noons is very excited to get to know this group of individuals. She is excited to see this team reach new heights by pushing themselves to new standards. Every chance that the team is able to step out on the field and compete is very exciting for Noons. She has learned that it can be anyone's game on any day. Having close games, and the games with a lot on the line with a lot of pressure are going to be some of the most exciting games.
Coach Moynihan
Coach Noons
Photo courtesy of Ally Johnson
Grace Walsh
New Athletic Trainer Begins
by Drew Peck
PHS athletic trainer Josh Lucas is leaving to pursue his career as a senior assistant athletic trainer for football at Howard University in Washington D.C. Lucas describes his experience at PHS as transformative as he has greatly improved as an athletic trainer and person. He has influenced many student-athletes whether or not they came to him for an injury. PHS will miss him and we wish him the best of luck in his soon-to-be near future.
Pembroke High School has hired Grace Walsh as the new athletic trainer. Titan Times recently interviewed Walsh.
Q. What are your expectations as a new athletic trainer?
I expect that the athletes will feel comfortable around me and also be able to fill Josh’s role
Q. What experience do you have in athletic training?
I majored in athletic training at Colby Sawyer College, was involved in clinical rotations at St. Anslems for football, and was a women's soccer coach.
Q. Do you feel nervous at all?
I feel anxious to be by myself but I'm mostly excited because it's a new experience for me and I get to see new faces.
College Acceptances
by Connor Walker
Some seniors have made their big decisions: where they are going to college in the fall. Below are a few of those
William McNamara is committed to Assumption University to play football. McNamara plans on studying criminology and says he chose Assumption due to the beautiful campus.
Evan O'Brien is going to the University of Miami of Ohio. O’Brien claims that he is going to study Business while there. O’Brien says what persuaded him to go to Miami of Ohio is the beautiful campus.
Sam Hegerich is going to the University of Lynn down in Florida. Hegerich said that he will be studying either finance or sports management. Hegerich said, “I do not like it here in Massachusetts and want to leave as soon as possible and Lynn is a really good option due to it being in Florida and it having a beautiful campus."
Katey Sullivan is going to James Madison University. Sullivan said that she plans on majoring in Marketing. Sullivan said, “I am going there because it has a really nice campus and is ranked #8 in dining food."
Brenna Jenkins is going to she said that she is going to Providence College and plans on majoring in finance. Jenkins said, “I love Rhode Island, it's a very pretty and small campus, it's close to home, and I love the balance between academics and student life."
Photo courtesy of Robyn Hegerich
Senior Project Begins
Senior Project is an opportunity for students in Term 4 of their final year of high school. Students can pick a volunteering job opportunity to do during the school day and spend the final term of their high school career working. The Titan Times interviewed seniors to understand why they wanted to do senior project and what it entails.
Maria Cantino is going to an elementary school to help out there for her project. She said, “I’m very excited to start senior project.Pembroke High School has helped me grow into a great person and I can’t wait to go to the elementary school and share my knowledge."
The elementary schools are a popular place that seniors pick as part of a new program was offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which offers paid internships where students work at a middle or elementary school. At the schools seniors can act as a sub or a helper to the teacher. They will get experience teaching and dealing with younger kids. The children at the schools will have young students to look up to.
Students participate in senior project to use skills they have learned in high school to experience what a job may be like in the future for them. Rose Waluk is going to be running a social media account for Eden Salon in Pembroke using skills that she learned in business classes here at Pembroke.
“Since I have been young I have really enjoyed hands-on learning to gain skills. With senior project I get to apply things I have learned in my Marketing classes at Pembroke High School to an internship at Eden Salon running their social media account.” This project is an amazing opportunity for students to understand what a real job takes and prepare them for their future. There are many different reasons that seniors chose to do the project during term 4.
“Getting a taste of what my full time job could entail in the future is really what excited me to do senior project,” Waluk says.
NHS Collects School Supplies
by Titan Times Staff
For the month of March, National Honor Society students have collected school supplies and new backpacks for local Massachusetts students in need though our School on Wheels Backpack Drive. As of now, three bins of supplies have been collected.
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