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The Votes are In!
Announcing this year's Student Council Class Officers
Freshman Class Officers
Sophomore Class Officers
Junior Class Officers
Senior Class Officers
- courtesy STUCO
The senior lot before the storm.
Photo by Devin Anderlionis
PHS Traffic Troubles
PHS Traffic Troubles
by Devin Anderlionis and Laci Wilson
“Beating the Buses” is a trend here at Pembroke High School. Juniors park across the street from the school whereas the seniors are just a few steps away. Eager students ready to get home, to work, or even sports, try to get to their cars and leave before the buses can beat them to it. Separate lots, with one entrance/exit, and impatient young drivers does not make for a good mix.
Fourteen students were interviewed and aided in the conclusion that the route is unsafe, having either been in a close call, or having seen an accident play out, it all can become a recipe for disaster.
As possible remedies, some suggested combining junior and senior parking. When asked if the junior and senior class should be parking together, seniors Alyssa Chahed and Ava Desrochers said, “That would be a hard no."
On the contrary, junior Danny Abban expressed, “It would be good to combine them, it’s a long walk but they might as well be together.”
Crazy close calls were reported as well. Cole Christianson fell victim to an accident while trying to leave school early September saying, “It gets crazy out there and people just don't care to look.” Garret Bolan, Dylan Warrell, and Noah Petillo brought the potholes to our attention that can be a real danger to low cars.
After interviewing a comprehensive group of students, the consensus was the same; a second entrance/exit would be the most effective solution to the problem in order for student drivers, staff, busses, and parents to get home safely.
Students pay to park on campus and parents pay for bus transportation, but can safety be truly ensured given the PHS traffic puzzle?
Founder of the hat rule- Colby Chase
Photo by Olivia Goodman
Hats are Here
by Olivia Goodman
For years people have been hoping that one day they would get the freedom to wear hats to school. Thanks to senior student Colby Chase, that day has finally arrived. Students at PHS now have the ability to wear hats both outside and inside of school.
Recently Colby Chase was interviewed in regards to how he was able to set this rule into place. Colby said he pursued this rule all because of a civics project that he did in history class with Mrs. Almon his junior year.
“Kids wear hats everyday outside of school, why shouldn’t they be allowed to wear them inside too?” Colby stated.
Mrs. Almon liked the idea of his project and strongly encouraged him to set up a meeting with Principal Talbot, and that’s exactly what he did. In this meeting, Colby shared his ideas and research with Mr. Talbot. Soon after this meeting, Mr. Talbot took all of Colby’s research in front of the school board at a meeting where he presented Colby's hard work and ideas. The board unanimously voted in favor of inducting this new hat rule into the PHS student handbook.
But not everyone was a fan of this new rule. Colby told me how some teachers and faculty weren’t a very big fan of wearing hats in school.
Colby stated, “Some teachers believe that it is disrespectful to wear hats inside of schools because of the traditional rules of always taking your hat off while entering the building or when the flag is present in the room.”
But it is obvious that most people love this new rule, seeing dozens of kids walking into school wearing hats on the first day of school. Next time you see Colby Chase walking down the hallway make sure to thank him for this new rule!
School Fees Create Controversy
by Lily Noseworthy
Last year the School Committee voted to require a fee for joining multiple clubs at the high school. In addition, students who take Advanced Placement classes also have to pay for exams. Along with those fees, parking fees at PHS have also been a topic of discussion.
When the club fees were announced, students began to have negative feelings towards the decision. The cost to join a second club is $25 with a $50 cap per family regardless of the number of clubs students join. While a handful of clubs do not charge fees, most do.
Nora Smith, a junior who is a part of the Yearbook Club, explained that she feels as though it is not fair for students to have to pay for a school-run club. The Yearbook Club helps the school create a yearbook that covers school events throughout the year and she does not think she should have to pay for helping the school.
As for AP testing fees, many students have an issue with the cost. Patrick Norman, a junior taking AP Bio, shared his opinions on the cost: “If the tests did not cost $97 each, I would not have an issue with paying, however, almost $100 a test is ridiculous.”
Devin Anderlionis, a senior who takes AP class this year, said that she feels students should not have to pay for a test that they are required to take. “The fee associated with the test feels useless, especially if it's the whole class who needs to pay. We did not have to pay for MCAS,” said Anderlionis.
As for parking fees at the school, students are not happy with the charges. Colby Olson, a junior who recently got his license, said this about the $50 parking lot fee: “I should not have to pay $50 to park in my own school parking lot. Paying for my own car is already a hassle, and the charge for parking does not help. I don't even know where or who the money goes to."
Familiar Face: Mrs. Place to Return to PHS
by Olivia Goodman
After just a few short months of Ms. Place's retirement, she will be returning to PHS. Why might you ask? Mr. Gould announced to his classes that he will be absent for about 2 weeks on paternity leave, when his wife has their baby. He told his students that Ms. Places will be coming out of retirement and substituting while he is gone. Students were both shocked and excited.
Senior DeVanti Perry, a current student of Mr. Gould said, “I looked forward to taking a class with Mr. Gould because I have known him all throughout high school because of basketball.”
When DeVanti first heard the news of Mr. Gould’s temporary leave, he was both upset and excited. DeVanti was upset that he was leaving so soon into the school year but also excited for the new adventure that he and his family is going on.
Not only is DeVanti excited for Mr. Gould, but he is also excited to see Ms. Place back at PHS. DeVanti stated how he looks forward to seeing her again and is grateful for her to be jumping back into PHS only a few short months after her retirement.
A close friend of Ms. Place gave an inside scoop of how Ms. Place feels about coming back to teach temporarily. Mr. Almon explained how Ms. Place was excited to be back in the building and see all her fellow teachers that she hasn’t seen since last year. Ms. Place is looking forward to getting back and teaching her favorite course- US History I.
Bus Driver Shortage Causes Delays
by Eleonora Dous
Since September there have been delays for some students traveling to and from PHS. In fact, a bus driver shortage has caused near daily-delays in some students arriving to school on time. A letter dated September 20 -- from the Superintendent's Office to parents -- said the district's contracted transportation company, First Student, has an employee shortage, which has affected buses, including 3, 5, 9, and 17 at the high school.
Sophomore Vedder Surgi said that the bus shortage caused some changes in when he gets to school and arrives home.
Surgi said, “Yeah, we got home 20-30 minutes later," adding that he has also arrived late to school because of bus delays.
He added, "Bus changes have happened three times already this year."
"Sometimes the bus has gotten very crowded," he added.
To track buses, the district suggests using the bus tracking app FirstView, which provides live updates on bus routes.
Motivational Speaker Comes to PH
by Eleonora Dous
On September 21 motivational speaker Juan Bendana came to Pembroke High School to talk to students about key goals in life and how to achieve them.
According to Bendana's website (https://www.juanbendana.com/) he says he inspires students to build confidence through leadership and resilience. He helps students overcome challenges, build resilience and move towards the things they want in life.
He is one of the top youth speakers that helps students maximize their leadership abilities to create positive change-making students feel excited, motivated & engaged.
He does this because he wants to give advice he wishes he had heard when he was in school.
The speech was funded by the PHS PTO and PTAD (Pembroke Titans Against Drugs).
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