BY JOCELYN

Imagine you are a Japanese student, you are really desperate for your crush to give romantic attention to you, but suddenly you find out about an urban legend in the school and you think of trying it out. After you do the trick you meet a ghost in the process and your life goes upside down. That is the premise of Toilet-Bound Hanako Kun, one of my favorite book series. A 25 book long supernatural book series (soon to be 26) created by the duo of Aidalro. It was first created in 2015 and is continuing to this day, and it got a two season anime adaptation starting in 2020. 

I have only fully read 6 out of the 25 books at the time I’m writing this, and so far it is great. The animation is really gorgeous and unique. It gives the story a lot of life, and it blesses my eyes every time. Speaking of the story, I really like it so far, as someone who really likes Japanese urban legends and sometimes romance by themselves, mixing them together made it a match made in heaven. 

The characters are pretty good, sure there are some forgettable ones, but there are also some really memorable ones. My favorite characters are the two main leads. Nene Yashiro is a shy girl who is one of the main leads, and I really relate to her because as a hopeless romantic it is nice to see hopeless romantics being depicted in media. Aname Yugi or Hanako is the other main lead, and I also relate to him, too. He’s a trickster and a little goober, but also has a serious side to him,  too. Their relationship together is so sweet and adorable and is my favorite part of the story. 

Overall I love this series so far. There are no disturbing moments in the book, but if you are sensitive to themes  related to death or suggestive jokes then please don’t read or watch it, but if you can handle all of that ,and you like a mix of romance and supernatural then this series is for you. (You won’t find it in the school library, but you can get the 25 books that were released on amazon for at most $10.)      

BY RAINA 

In a recent move Trump has thrown Ukraine under the bus. Earlier this week President Zelensky traveled to Washington to have a meeting about the  signing of a proposed critical minerals agreement. This agreement would have made it so the US gains 50 percent of the untapped materials (Lithium, Graphite, Uranium, and Titanium) in Ukraine. While there Zelensky refused the idea,and with the refusal Trump got mad. Trump later said that they won't be revisiting the proposal.

That disagreement later escalated into a tense face to face disagreement.Trump then said that Zelensky was “ Gambling with WW3.” Trump then also said that Zelensky was a “Dictator without elections.” Trump then publicly shamed Ukraine and their army for continuing to strike Russian diesel refineries. 

What will be the outcome of this disagreement? Well there are some different ideas circulating:

• A sidelined peace deal

• A compromise in Oslo with a “ New Negotiator"

• European Security Independence and U.S. Disengagement

• Or something totally different!

Now that you have heard the facts…. What do you think will happen? Above: 93 UN member nations supported a resolution for peace in Ukraine in 2025. 

BY CHLOE

You might have heard about journalism or Ms. Hanrahan. I interviewed Ms. Hanrahan and Mr McCormick here is what I got from Ms Hanrahan: “Why did you want to teach journalism?” “Because  I love it.  I used to be a journalist.” 

I asked Mr Mccormick, “What do you think of your wife doing journalism?”

He said, “We met though being reporters at the Valley News. I've heard a lot of students  talk about how much they like this class. I think she has done a really nice job of making this a place where students and come and work here  and have fun and have a product that they can show other people. The newspaper helps us be a community.” 

I also asked Ms Hanarahan about teaching 8th grade english.  “It's different from journalism. I think it's going well.” I asked Ms Hanrahan what she thinks of this first group of kids in the first quarter.

“What do you think of this group of kids doing journalism?”

“This is the best crop of journalists I've ever had,” she said.  “I think you guys have a lot of good skills in drawing and interviewing.” 

BY JOCELYN

After one or two months, the second quarter is finally upon us. This will mean that people get different electives until the third quarter does the same. 

The second quarter will officially start on November 2nd, 2026, and will end on January, 15th, 2027. 

One student named Hazel said, “ I am excited but it's going to be a challenge to transition to new classes.” 

That means people who are new to the school are going to face some new challenges about the classes. The only ones that are gonna change are blocks C and E. There are also some other additions like 7th grade students in core classes are going to be shuffled so they could meet other students easily, and also clubs are going to be prominent later too.  

BY LYLA

Do you feel tired every morning when you walk into school? Or find yourself unable to focus in class because of your eyes shutting? Well, so do I. My alarm goes off every morning at 6:00 am and I get ready for school, still half-asleep. During my first block, I start feeling like I’m going to fall asleep. School starting so early does WAY more harm than good. This is why I think it should start at 9:00 instead of 8:00

It is recommended for adolescents to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night, but according to UCLA health, “By age 14, only 23% of teens are sleeping 8 or more hours every night.” You may argue that middle schoolers should just “go to bed earlier,” but if you’re a student athlete, that can be very hard to do. I don’t get home until around 6:00-6:30 every day, and it can be even later if I have a game. If we don’t get enough sleep, how are we expected to focus in class? If school started just an hour later, it would make a big difference.

Not only does lack of sleep affect our academics, but also our athletic performance. When I’m tired and don’t feel well rested, I perform much worse. You are also more prone to injury because your muscles are weakened. I personally think school should start later for many reasons, but what do you think?

BY HAZEL

Raina was asked some random questions so you can get to know her. 

If you woke up as an animal tomorrow, what would you do first? What animal? I would want to be a cat, and I would go under my couch.

Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not? 

I kind of do, I don't like that I do, but I feel like they’re real.

What movie would you want to live in for 24 hours?  The first movie of the Twilight series.

If you had to wear the exact same Halloween costume every single day for a year, what would you pick? I would do “comfortable” which is sweatshirt and sweatpants.

What is your favorite class? (Not based on the teacher) why? Global studies and Spanish, global studies because I like history and writing, and Spanish just because I like it.

What is your favorite part of being a theater kid? My favorite part is the community, I love having people understand what you say, and doesn't have to make sense because they still get it. And the costumes. I love the costumes.

BY RAINA

The people are outraged and in shock. The Trump administration is considering a land trade deal selling part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

Yosemite National Park is nearly 1,200 square miles of vast mountainous beauty. Yosemite National Park was established as a national park on October 1st 1890. Yosemite National Park runs on and along the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, and is internationally known for its granite cliffs,waterfalls, and lots of biodiversity.

Moving on to the issue that I am actually writing about, Trump is debating whether to trade a quarter mile of Yosemite National park to a private buyer. So I decided to interview Kat Robbins who works closely with Marsh Billing National Historical Park.

“First-today I am NOT speaking as a National Park Employee…I have worked in close partnership with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park since 2010.  I help coordinate youth programs (internships, work crews, camps), teacher professional development, and school visits to the park.”

Kat said: “National parks were created for ALL PEOPLE, not a few wealthy individuals who align with any current administration.” I think this is such a meaningful and thoughtful sentence. It truly shows that lots of people have strong feelings about this topic. I asked Kat for some more background about what is preventing this from happening, here is what she said:

“According to the General Mining Act of 1872 and the Antiquities Act of 1906, the federal government cannot sell lands. Under the 1916 Organic Act and the 1978 Redwood Amendment, it is declared that CONSERVATION is the primary purpose of NPS lands. It would require congressional action to approve this trade. There would also need to be a thorough environmental review process and a period of open public comment.” There are many steps to take before this “trade” can happen, but as we have seen before, steps can become strides overnight. That's not a good thing.

I asked Eloisa what her biggest concern was while talking about this issue. “My biggest concern is that if something like this can happen in California, what is stopping it from happening here?” So I asked Kat for a response.

“We have seen this administration blatantly ignore law and Congress is doing little to keep them in check, so, really, there is little to stop this type of action from occurring. The Northeast has a much smaller percentage of public lands than the west (less than 2% compared to 30-80%) with relatively little profit to be gained from extraction of natural resources, so there is less to worry about on that front locally, but we still must stay aware and informed.”

Lastly I wanted to know what to do to stop this event and other events like this from happening. You can stay informed. The National Parks Conservation Association is a good source. You can Write to Secretary of the Interior Doug Bergam. And you can Sign a petition on change.org to oppose the sale of Yosemite (Find the link on the hive digital copy or just search Change.org) I signed, now it's your turn.

BY SHAYNA

If you’ve ever ridden Moe’s bus, then you know that she is known as the party bus driver, and that she is the best bus driver ever.

Unlike other bus drivers, Moe plays her own music, and there aren’t standard rules. She’s not as strict as other bus drivers, and sometimes she lets students DJ. Kids have to behave to get good music, and, according to Moe, “There’s got to be a song for everybody on the playlist. Nothing offensive.” Last year Moe had country music on Mondays, Taylor Swift Tuesdays, Anything Wednesdays, Throwback Thursdays, and Fridays were for rap. She said, “I always try to sneak songs in that kids don’t know to try to broaden their horizons a little bit.”

I asked Moe if she’d ever had any famous people ride her bus and she said,  “Not yet. I’m secretly hoping I can get Noah Kahan on my bus.”  

Another thing that makes Moe different is that she doesn’t drive a regular bus route. Moe got into bus driving because the field hockey coach, Leanne Tapley, “asked me if I would get my bus license because she needed someone to drive her to games.” Now Moe says, “I drive for a ton of schools. Field trips. Weddings. And if someone calls out sick.” 

I asked Moe what she liked about bus driving and she said, “I love the students. And I love driving all over the state and bringing kids new places. Believe it or not, a lot of Vermont kids don’t get to see Vermont. My best friend in high school had never been out of the state." 

Then I asked what she liked to do when she was not bus driving and she said “I have several jobs. I clean houses, I dogsit, I work with a disabled boy. I work. I don’t take days off." I asked which job is her favorite and she said,“Driving the school bus is the favorite for sure.”

One of Moe’s many talents is that she was a competitive eater. I asked if she could tell me more about it and she said, “I had to pay for my own college and I wanted to travel… so I was driving across the country and I pulled in to get gas, and there was a restaurant there serving steak. It looked really delicious, and there was a board advertising an eating contest at 2 pm.” And “Not only did I eat one steak, but I ate 10 more, and I out-ate everybody at the restaurant. Everybody was surprised because I was really tiny.” 

They gave Moe a prize check for $250. That led to a lot more eating contests, and Moe now has high eating awards in Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana. “It's kind of a circuit,” Moe said.  “Once you compete for one place and the word got out that there was this little 19 year old out-eating all the men, they got very excited to have me around.” 

I asked if there was any eating contest that she would not compete in and she said “The one I could never do is a hot dog eating contest. I don't know why. It’s a very high skill thing to be able to handle the bread and the meat at the same time. They just shovel it in. I have been invited to hot dog contests, but always failed. I really specialize in steak, ribs, and chicken.”

Then I asked if there were any other contests that she was in besides those and she said, “I did a pie eating contest once. “Really the meat was my claim to fame.” Moe also won a watermelon seed spitting contest in Bridgwater when she was only 7. 

I asked if she had anything else she wanted to tell me and she said “I really like when students say Hello to me. And I really love it when I’m in public and they yell my name at me... I secretly want to get every student to say Hi to me by the end of the year.” So say Hello to Moe!

BY LYLA

Rosie is one of our new students attending our middle school from Cavendish, Vermont. Last year, she did online school. She is in eighth grade and plays many sports, such as: hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. I interviewed her about how a new school is going for her so far and this is what she said:

L: How is the school year going for you so far?

R: It’s going great.
L: What did you like about online school and what do you like about in person school? Overall, which one do you prefer?
R: Online school I could finish all my work on my own time. In person school is more in person and active. Overall, I prefer in person school.
L: What is your favorite class and why?
R: Probably like gardens and greenhouses because it’s a really fun experience.

L: Who is your favorite teacher?

R: Mr. Loots
L: Right now, you’re playing soccer. How is that going?
R: It is going great. I love it.
L: So far, what would you rate the school year out of ten?
R: An 8.

BY JOCELYN

Recently the 7th graders went on a field trip to  “Farm and Wilderness” in Plymouth.  Reviews of the trip are heavily mixed according to students. Like one student said, "I thought the trip was okay, I thought the trip could've been better if we did more stuff but other than that it was fine.”

To me I thought it was all right. I had fun playing nine square and infection tag. I had fun talking with my friends while I was there, and the food was decent, but also the bathrooms were absolutely atrocious, and the cabins could be improved. 

Overall, It was a nice six out of ten for me. I didn’t hate the trip, but I also don’t have a strong admiration for it.

BY ISAAC

In Woodstock Union Middle School High School last year’s global/social studies teacher switched to gym from coteaching with last year's middle school gym teacher. Mr.McCormick was a global studies teacher that loved to help with gym, then this year had the chance to fully teach gym. As he said, “I started the first 12 years as a social studies teacher then joined some gym classes, after that I started an extra gym elective and then last year then an opening for a gym teacher opened up for me.”

Also he started teaching because he said, “My family were teachers like my mom, grandmother and grandfather. Then my wife Ms.Hanrahan started to teach.” He also loves global studies and the gym because he can run around in the gym. He also said “I am sad that I switched from social studies to gym but also I love gym because I can run around and do the same things in gym as social studies.”

He likes wellness because he can go to the gym and stay in class like other classes don’t do. He also has fun teaching middle school because of the high energy and if the class has too little energy he rather would like too much energy. His favorite subjects when he was in school were social studies and history.

BY JOCELYN

  The October play is a show called “The old man and the moon.” It’s about an old man who finds out that his wife is missing, and goes on an adventure. Along the way, he meets a bunch of different characters during his journey. It is a fantasy action with pirates. 

The actors of the show range from seventh grade to senior year in high school. The play takes place in the Yoh auditorium in the WUMSHS. The reason they did this is because it has been a tradition for years on end. 

What makes this play special? you might ask. Well, it’s because–and I quote from the director Marcia Bender– “it is a combination of music, shadow puppets, and acting all rolled into one.”  

The play will be performed October 16th and 17th at 7 p.m., and October 18th at 2 p.m.

BY MAXWELL

The school year is just starting and the gym is getting hot. I talked to the gym teacher/wellness teacher. Mr. McCormick explained that if the gym had air conditioning it wouldn't work very well, because the space is so large, it wouldn't make a big difference.

I also talked to a few students to hear about what they had to say about air conditioning in the gym. I got some of their opinions. Chloe said, “Gyms should have air conditioning because it's annoying and the school already doesn't have good air conditioning, so if the gym had any it would help a lot for regular gym classes and practices.” Isaac said, “It feels very hot and sweaty and gyms should have air conditioning  ‘cause you're running around all the time.”

BY SHAYNA

This year school principals have banned energy drinks in our district. According to Rachel, our school nurse, this is because  “They cause health risks.” 

One 7th grader said, “I think it is helpful. I'm actually trying to stop because it doesn't help your attention span.” 

The energy drinks include Alani, Monster, Celsius and others. Rachel said that the kids are trying to drink all natural healthy energy drinks but they are not actually good for you. Rachel suggested that the kids should drink water instead of the bad energy drinks.