October Edition
Letter from the Editors:
Welcome back Hilltopper fans! After a brutal return to a "normal" school year (can we bring back ending at 1:05?), we're back with a high-quality Hilltopper edition to lift your spirits. We know you were deeply missing us. At least now it's October! Here begins the Halloween season, and man do Needham folks go all out on decorations. October is also annoyingly the beginning of the Christmas season for teenagers (Alex is already tired of friends playing holiday music), and we beg you, please please please do not pull out holiday decorations until after Thanksgiving.
Anyway, back to our edition! Whether it be the political activism of Ben and Jerry's, an update on the tragic Starbucks shortage, or the mystery of the lost COVID years, these articles are perfect for you to fuel your procrastination.
xoxo,
Talia, Alex, and Bayley ♡
Courtesy of Simon Shoemaker
Fall Sports Update
By Evie Lockwood-Mullaney
The fall sports season for Needham High School is well underway, and the Rockets have been blasting off with some fantastic games. As of October 14th, the girls soccer team was at 7-3-1 on the season and were ranked 13th in the state by the MIAA. Their last game was a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Natick, but they have beaten fellow BSC teams including Weymouth and Newton North. Yesterday, they beat Wellesley 4-2 in a close home game.
Courtesy of Ben and Jerry's Instagram
The Politics of Ben and Jerry’s: Corporate Activism
By Evie Lockwood Mullaney
Ben and Jerry’s prides itself on being an example of corporate activism in a society that continuously values profit over policy. The decision by Ben and Jerry’s to risk profit in favor of sharing their stances on human rights issues paid off in propagating a greater amount of corporate activism among American companies.
Courtesy of Unesco.org
The Lost Years: COVID-19 and High School Students
By Rachel Talcoff
In March of 2020, Needham High students were told they would receive a two-week hiatus from demanding assignments and difficult exams due to concerns regarding COVID-19. The hiatus turned into a year and a half of nontraditional learning, leaving the nation with a set of peculiar students.
Courtesy of Simon Shoemaker
Needham vs. Braintree Football Photo Journal
By Simon Shoemaker
Courtesy of Alex Goodale
I Was Wrong
By Alex Goodale
When the school announced we would be switching to full in-person learning last spring, I believed the last six weeks of school were going to be miserable. Looking back, I realize my pessimistic attitude on the matter clouded my judgment, and I was unable to imagine that I would enjoy being back in school with everyone. And I was wrong.
Courtesy of 30seconds.com
Back to School Tips
By Hilly the Hilltopper
Miss me? I had a fabulous summer of sunbathing, camping, and sitting by campfires. But, say goodbye to summer as a new year of school rolls around. With the past year spent mostly hybrid, high schoolers are finally getting back into the swing of waking up and getting dressed. Every. Single. Morning. But, never fear, Hilly is here to make your transition back into full time high school easier with some super reliable and useful tips.
Courtesy of Inside Higher Ed
Live Laugh Love Supplemental Essays: The 10 Top Tips for College Admissions
By Talia Bloom
College admissions? Writing supplemental essays in the back of class? Needing to decide the next four years of our life at age 17? Really ideal situation most of us seniors are finding ourselves in. But honestly, the process is wayyy overhyped. It’s actually not that hard! As a senior who is really on top of things (I totally know where I want to apply and have started apps), I thought I would impart the Hilltopper’s wisdom for current and future seniors!
Courtesy of Towards Data Science
Movies Have Changed
By Nick George
There’s a magic to the theater experience that has kept audiences invested in this practice for about a century. Nevertheless, the fact is that the pandemic isn’t the only reason things are trending digital. Technology is ever-evolving, and at the end of the day, film is a business. If something can be made cheaper and faster for a digital platform, that’s the direction Hollywood will trend.
Courtesy of Sydney Baker
Medfield State Hospital
By Sydney Baker
Medfield State Hospital is a former mental asylum located beside a dense, beautiful forest, a river, and an almost endless rolling, green field that is scattered with field hockey and lacrosse nets, depending on the time of year. There is a bill being pushed within the local government to redevelop Medfield State and destroy some of the 44 buildings that had stood for over a century.
Courtesy of tmhspost.com
Needham High Traffic
By Sophia D’Amelio
One major issue is that many people are annoyed by and frustrated with the amount of traffic in the halls in-between classes. People do not seem to know where they are going, and if they do, they cannot move because other people are blocking their way. The clumps of people in the halls cause quite the disturbance.
Courtesy of Starbucks
Where's My Green Tea
By Alex Goodale
The Starbuck's shortage has been going on for months now, with the shortage of ingredients varying from store to store, region to region. But the Needham Starbucks is missing some necessary items that have to come back, and soon.
Courtesy of Speak Schmeak
The Case Against One-way Stairwells
By Kate Amsden
You’re running late. Whatever the reason, you run into the building with just minutes to spare. You are about to turn into the stairwell to go up to the 700s when you see a big sign on the wall that says “One way”. Now you realize that you have to walk all the way down the hall, go up a different staircase, only to walk right back to where the other staircase would have let you out. And now you’re late.
Courtesy of theprowlernews.org
The Case for One-ways
By Santiago Galan
Finally, after a year and a half of restrictions, Needham High is (mostly) back to normal. While overwhelmingly a good thing, this return to normalcy has brought back one unforgettable issue: congestion. For those of us here prior to COVID, the mad rush that occurs whenever a class ends is a familiar sight. A soultion? One-way staircases.
Courtesy of Medical News Today
Stem Cells: The End of Modern Disease?
By Matthew Weber
New biological technology has the potential to save millions of lives, cure cancer, prevent and undo the harm caused by Parkinson’s, Alzheimer's, and other degenerative diseases, This technology is called stem cells, and they have the potential to cure diseases that were previously deemed incurable. Despite their promising capability, stem cell technology faces ethical challenges from its development and promotion that have curtailed its use in modern medicine.
Courtesy of Deb Jacobs
TBTN Shines a Light
By Alex Goodale
For October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Take Back The Night Club at Needham High School and The Needham Domestic Violence Action Committee (DVAC) set up a visual display at Town Hall to bring the issue of domestic violence to the community’s attention.