Pembroke High Fan Section for "Teal Out Night"

Photo by Marty Ward

On Thursday, September 29th, Pembroke High School hosted "Teal Out Night" during their home football game in honor of Mrs. Amy Motta, who passed away from cancer the week prior. 'Teal Night' was a theme night hosted by PHS, where students and community members gathered at the high school football game sporting their best teal/Hawaiian outfits to honor Mrs. Motta. Mrs. Motta was a PHS art teacher whom everyone knew and loved. 

Mrs. Motta was celebrated and remembered by so many throughout the Pembroke Community. Her memory shined incandescently throughout stands of students, family members, and friends, as many people gathered in the bleachers in their teal and Hawaiian colors to commemorate Mrs. Motta and her impact on the Pembroke Community. Mrs. Motta was born and raised in Pembroke and lived here her whole life, where she continued to raise her three boys. She was also a coach for multiple different Pembroke sports teams, including the track and cross country team, and numerous soccer teams for both girls and boys. 

Mr. Phillips, the athletic director at PHS, was the primary organizer of Mrs. Motta/ Teal Night. His goal for the night was to create an event where the community could unite and support one another during a tough time. There were some concerns over the day that the game fell on- a Thursday compared to the regularly scheduled Friday games- as conflicts with other sports games, practices, and events could arise. However, they did not seem to be a factor, as the stands were still jam-packed with excesses of teal and Hawaiian colors throughout the crowd. 

“Mrs. Motta was a school teacher, but also a member of the Pembroke community, so I wanted to get the whole community together for it.” Phillips quoted. Despite the weather being far from optimal, the night overall went smoothly- just as Mr. Phillips had intended it to go. 

PHS football player Jayden Leonard believed that, from the field, the night went well with many respectful fans throughout the crowd. “Everybody was respectful during the moment of silence.” 

Mr. Morris spoke before the game, further improving the night’s outcome. “Mr. Morris did a very good job of listing the impacts she had on the town and her family before the game and made the night perfect and a good way to commemorate her and what she did for the school and our community.” To commemorate the night, and the memory of a beloved teacher and member of the Pembroke community, all of the players on the football team were given stickers to put on their helmets that can be worn throughout the season. 

Quarterback Owen Pace is pictured above.

Photo by Marty Ward

Phone Pockets, aka "Phone Jail" as seen in room 204. 

Photo By Cam Fryar 

by Cam Fryar

Pembroke High School has seen a dramatic increase in the number of phones taken into “phone jail” for class periods. “Phone Jail” is a classroom policy some teachers have implemented throughout the school . They confiscate their students' phones in a phone pocket at the beginning of class and leave them until the end of that class. 

Math teacher Mrs. Infascelli, who has taught at PHS for numerous years, has never implemented this “phone jail” until this 2024-2025 school year. Infascelli was asked what made her change her mind the other day. 

According to her, “Students are using them [phones] for games as more games come out.” With Fantasy Football season in full swing, students are prioritizing that over schoolwork. Because of the slight decline in academic prioritization,  Infascelli now takes students' phones before the start of class and makes them put them in pockets in the front of the room. 

Not all teachers have implemented this policy, however, as Mr. Consolati, who has taught at this school for more than 20 years, still has yet to convert to the “phone jail” times. When asked why Mr. Conso does not use a phone jail, he responded that he believes the maturity of the students he teaches is high enough that he does not need to have to take their phones. 

“Students will learn that if they are distracted and on their phone, they will pay for it concerning their grade.” Due to his lack of “phone jail” usage,  Conso was asked if he thought phones were as big of a distraction as teachers believed them to be; His response deemed a firm ‘yes’, stating that phones have become a social distraction and that if students see a text they want to answer it as fast as possible. This can cause a lot of problems for a student's discipline. Although Mr. Consolati does not use a “phone jail” in his classroom, he still believes that phones are as big of a distraction as other teachers believe them to be. 

From a student’s perspective, the “phone jail” is an unnecessary step for teachers to take to get students off their phones. From senior Jayden Leonard’s perspective, “It is beneficial but not fair, not fair because the students who go on their phone all day should have a phone jail, but students who do their work and are not prioritizing their phones should not have to use it.” The “phone jail” is a- for the most part- influential way of keeping distracted students off their phones, however for the students who only go on them after their work is completed, some deem the policy unfair. Leonard believes that it is not necessary because a student's phone is their property,  and they should be allowed to possess it. Over the years more and more teachers have implemented this policy, as a result of the amount of students continuing to be on their phones during class. 

Freshman Colin Gresham agrees with Leonard, stating he believes that the phone jail is unfair and unnecessary for students. Gresham similarly does not agree with this policy, stating that, for high school students, it is not necessary to take their phones.

“I think that they should be able to go on their phone if you are sitting there doing nothing during spare time at school you should be able to go on your phone."

by Lily Rioux

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a senator for the day? 

Mr Gould’s Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics class was given the opportunity to experience what being a member of Congress entails; One that has not been available for the past five years. 

Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate hosted Pembroke High School students, creating a mock senate, where students modeled senators for the day. Gould stated that it broadly connected to topics of climate change and energy policy, where students voted on bills and amendments based on what State they represented. 

“I have been trying to get [it] every year, because it is such a popular program, that I haven't had any luck,” said Gould
The field trip was deemed immensely popular with students, Including senior Emma Quigley. Students were given states and political parties to discuss their “views” on climate change during the mock senate meeting.

After working with other students within committee groups to pass bills and amendments, the group was taken to the UMASS BOSTON dining hall for a college dining experience. 

“It was good!” Quigley stated, later speaking on the enjoyability of her time as an Ohio Senator. 

Gould looks forward to doing this trip in the coming years, as it gives great insight into the Congressional inner workings of government, especially for Massachusetts residents. 

Edward M. Kennedy institute for the US Senate

Photo by Meet Boston

by Colin Gresham

     In the current school year, 2024-25, incoming freshmen are not allowed to enroll in study halls for the first time in PHS history. 

Does this decision positively or negatively impact students? Many freshmen have complained about not having a study and taking more electives instead. Why the change?

     According to Principal Talbot, “We want all students to have a more “well run” schedule that will help them out with college admissions.” When students apply for college it will show that they took electives instead of a study.

     The school wants students to be able to take a variety of classes that they may have never thought of taking or learning about before. There have been rumors of taking away study halls for sophomores as well.

     According to Mr Talbot,  “There is no plan to take away study from any other grades, maybe sophomores in the future but juniors and seniors will definitely have a study.” How students spend their time in their study is completely up to them.

     Senior Cam Fryar was asked what would happen if he suddenly lost his study? He said, “I’d probably make some type of argument that studies are important for juniors and seniors as an athlete. I think it is a great time to get work done.” 

     Freshman Neil Ward said, “I don’t know what it is like to have a study but I’d enjoy it as a time to get my homework done.”

     With this new change for freshmen, students could learn new things or meet new people taking an elective instead of a study.

by Arden Bliss

Over the past year, three new classes were added to the Pathway program at PHS. The new Pathways included music, global citizenship & learning, and information technology. The Pathways program allows students to explore many different career options and gives students real world experience before graduating high school.

 Mrs. Gates, the school’s Pathway coordinator, says that the Pathways program gives students the opportunity to learn hands-on and that she recommends every student to try out the program. She said, “It is a great opportunity to gain skills in high school that will give you a competitive edge for the future.” 

There are many different classes that are offered to students. These classes are Biomedical, Business & Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Engineering, Music, Digital Arts, Information Technology, Global Citizenship & Learning. Students who take these classes will be able to learn more about the industries and how to do certain tasks that they would need to know in order to get a job in their chosen field. Seniors in the program will be able to apply for internships and certifications. 

In total, 267 students in PHS are registered in the Pathways program and 61% of Freshmen are currently enrolled in the program. 

Mrs. Gates stated, “Currently, there is no plan to add additional pathways. The goal is to focus on the existing 8 pathways to make sure they are successful before we add more options.” 

She also said that if a Pathway were to be added in the future, she would be interested in adding an Education Pathway to help students who have interest in teaching or a career in education.