Area All-State

Area All-State

Ana Shore

Every year at the end of January, a select few music students travel to Ithaca College to rehearse and perform a concert. It starts out with hopeful musicians from all over New York sending applications into NYSSMA board members in October. These applications have all the scores of past solos on a particular instrument or voice part and the level of the difficulty of each solo. After about a month of deliberation, the board members inform music teachers of the students selected to participate. For Area All-State, the musicians are selected from their zone in the state, of which there are 15. Homer, part of Cortland County, is in Zone 3 with five other counties.

Last Friday and Saturday, nine Homer High School students traveled to Ithaca to participate. The choir members were Kate Halstead, Rachel Crompton, Ellie Anderson, David Fuller, and Bella Sprague. The band members were Michael Morse (percussion), Evan Ulrich (trombone), Kennedy George (euphonium), and Ana Shore (tuba). Both concerts on Saturday night were well received by the audience. Congratulations to all these musicians for their hard work!

Humans of Homer: Sam Robbins

Humans of Homer: Sam Robbins

Autumn Stevens

While sitting in class, slightly zoned out, I observed the people around me. There was this quiet girl that sat in the far corner. The more I thought of her and what I knew of her, I realized that I didn’t know much and that we had never had an actual conversation together. I’ve known of her since I was a freshman here at Homer High School, but I didn't really know anything other then how crazy talented she was at art. And with that, I decided to interview her for this article, hoping to learn something new about this girl, Sam Robbins.

I asked her a randomly selected question: Who is your favorite person? Without much thought towards it, she was quick to respond. “This is probably going to sound lame, but [my favorite person is] my mom. She’s independent, strong, caring, accepting...” Sam had many more kind adjectives to describe her mother. “No matter whatever is going on, she is always there to talk. She’s caring and very accepting of what you say.” I asked her if there was any specific memory that she was particularly fond of, “I can’t think of anything right now, just anytime I talk with her she’s always so kind-hearted about everything.”

Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup

Joe Settineri

The ice gets soft, the snow melts, and the green begins to appear. The time of year when the calendar says that it is still winter, but the weather screams spring. This change usually occurs in late April or early March, but can happen as soon as mid-February here in CNY. This year it looks as though we will get an early spring, as the groundhog predicted. Along with the new warm weather also comes the rising of the sap within the trees. The sugary substance acts as a nutrient and a catalyst in the growth of the buds, and eventually the leaves in the tree. Every tree has sap, it’s just the sugar maples that have the highest concentration of sugar.

Every year I usually tap trees around my house. I wait until mostly all-warm weather is in the forecast, but some commercial producers start much earlier. In this day and age, the practice of using buckets and spiles is outdated. The effort to manually empty and rehang the buckets is simply not efficient. However, I am stuck with the practice of lugging five gallon pals around my house every day. It it definitely a workout, and afterward your pants are sure to be soaked with the cold liquid. I tap about thirty trees every year, which often results in about four gallons of syrup. Every 30-40 gallons of sap are equivalent to about one gallon of syrup, which explain the small amount of the golden liquid and the high price at which it is sold at; sometimes Grade A syrup can go for over $120 a gallon.

The whole process is a lot of work, but the smell of the hot syrup after over twelve hours of boiling in my outside boiler makes the whole ordeal worth it. Also, since my family has pancakes every Sunday, it is certainly useful and tasty.

The White House War: South Carolina and Nevada Analysis

The White House War: South Carolina and Nevada Analysis

Reed Cleland

The week of February 14th to February 20th was one of the bloodiest weeks of fighting in the war for the White House. The battlegrounds shifted to South Carolina and Nevada, with Republicans and Democrats each competing for a respective victory.

While the actual South Carolina primary and the Nevada caucus occurred on February 20th, the Republican candidates were locked in a political struggle all week. Following a GOP debate on February 13th, the candidates made appearances at the GOP Town Hall on February 17th and 18th. They divided into two groups of three for each night, and candidates answered questions from audience members in the hopes of winning over more voters. Less than half an hour into Saturday’s primary, we saw businessman Donald Trump emerge triumphantly in first place, Marco Rubio snatch second place away from Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush’s tragic (but graceful) suspension. Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Dr. Ben Carson took third, fifth, and sixth places respectively.

The Nevada struggle was easier to comprehend. Hillary Clinton’s hard work to win the support of minority voters paid off and gave her the edge to beat her unconventional challenger, Bernie Sanders.  This was what happened on Saturday, but let’s look at these results in an objective, long-term analysis.With regards to Clinton, this was the win she needed in order to maintain her status as the establishment Democrat candidate. Thus far, Clinton has obtained a “victory” in Iowa (although some argue that the results in Iowa cannot be called a victory) and a crushing defeat in New Hampshire. Nevada gives Clinton a moment to breathe in the face of Sanders’ surging momentum. While Sanders has the support of college students and first-time voters, Clinton has backing from African-American and Latino voters; this proved to pay off for her in Nevada. Establishment Democrats will not remove their support for Clinton, at least for the time being.

The polls preceding the South Carolina primary never truly revealed a moment when the Trump campaign was in dire straits. Despite an apparently hostile crowd during the debate, the businessman’s grassroots campaign surged throughout the week. Never before has a candidate won both New Hampshire and South Carolina and failed at being his party’s nomination for the presidency.

The second-place contender is more uncertain; Cruz and Rubio battled most of the night for the second slot. Although Rubio received the endorsement of South Carolina’s governor, Nikki Haley, South Carolina was tailor-made for Ted Cruz due to its plentitude of evangelicals and conservatives. It should have guaranteed Cruz at least second place. As for Jeb Bush, the results proved that spending millions of dollars cannot guarantee any candidate a happy ending. Bush’s surrender ended the possibility of a Bush-Clinton rematch or even a third Bush president. It is unclear whom the Bush voters will now support. Both John Kasich and Dr. Ben Carson have refused to back down, Dr. Carson admitting that he has a responsibility to his loyal supporters.

So, what’s in the future? Clinton and Sanders will continue on to South Carolina, while Trump, Rubio, Cruz, Kasich, and Dr. Carson will battle in Nevada. Super Tuesday will emerge as the real test on March 1st. The war for the White House has deepened, but November 6th looms ever closer, and the stakes rise every day.    

Carnation Sale!

Carnation Sale

Skyler Powers

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and flowers are a staple gift for the holiday.  In recognition of this tradition, Student Government is holding a Carnation Sale.  Flowers will be for sale during all lunch periods on Wednesday, February 10th, and Thursday, February 11th.  The cost for a personal flower delivery is $1 and an anonymous delivery is $2.  The flowers will be delivered on Friday, February 12th.  This sale is the perfect opportunity to purchase the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for someone special, and for Student Government to earn money, so don’t forget to buy your carnations!

Teacher Feature: Mr. Hatch

Teacher Feature: Mr. Hatch

Alyson Witt

Throughout life we are given opportunities. Sometimes these opportunities are to experience certain things, and sometimes they are to meet extraordinary people. Often, these opportunities are missed, and our life then changes. I have personally been given many opportunities to both experience amazing things and meet amazing people. At Homer High School there's a brilliant group of teachers and staff, who provide many opportunities for their students to grow, learn, and achieve.
           In my first twenty weeks as a freshman at Homer, I've met many people, both students and teachers. Many of whom I will forget over the years, or perhaps just vaguely remember. But there's also a lot of people I will remember and who have contributed to my high school experience. One teacher that I know I will remember is Mr. Hatch. Mr. Hatch started off as just a normal English teacher, but as I've gotten to know him, I have found that he is much more. I've learned a lot from Mr. Hatch including respect and that you can balance both work at fun simultaneously. After I was able to interview him, I got to know more about him personally and his life outside of room 218.
           The first question I asked Mr. Hatch was, "How would you describe yourself?" After a smile and a laugh, he responded, "Google Brad Pitt," which shows his open and funny personality. A student of his, Kayla Nicholson, described Mr. Hatch as, "Outgoing, caring, and the owner of a good sense of humor." The second question I asked him was about his hobbies, and in response he told me about his passion for hockey (especially the Toronto Maple Leafs), how he likes playing guitar, and enjoys spending time with his kids. I also asked him where his favorite places to travel are, and where he'd like to travel in the future. He replied that he likes going to Lake Placid, and he enjoyed traveling to the British Isles on a school trip a few years back, but that his favorite place he has been is Homer, which he said with a smile. Lastly, I asked him if he was a member or an advisor of any other clubs or activities.  I learned that he is an advisor for Student and Government and outside of school he is a member of the Cornell Hockey Association. After interviewing Mr. Hatch, I learned many interesting things about him, that many of his students do not know. I also learned that not only is Mr. Hatch an excellent teacher and mentor, but also someone who easily connects with his students, which is a trait that's important in a good teacher and friend. Throughout the rest of this year (and those to come), I plan to see Mr. Hatch in greater admiration.

Track & Field - New School Record

Track & Field - New School Record

Isabell Berthelsen

The Indoor Track and Field season has started, and at the team’s last meet a school record was broken. A relay team, consisting of Alsasce Sanders, Carolyne Yonta, Arielle Moheimani and Sophie Thomas, broke the school record in the 4x200 relay. The girls ran with a time of 1:54.45, and broke the old school record by a little less than one second. The old record was 1:55.31. The 4x200 is a hard race; according to Coach Schneider, the race requires small effort and a lot of natural ability. Coach Schneider also stated that he believes that the new record will be broken again this season.

There are a lot of runners on this year’s track and field team, which, according to Schneider, means “you must be bound to find some good ones” and he most definitely has found some good runners this season. A school record has been broken and runners have already qualified for the Championships, and Schneider hopes that even more will qualify as the season progresses. Coach Schneider wishes for a good last half of the season and hopes to see improvement by the season’s end.

Success at the Scholastic Writing Competition

Success at the Scholastic Writing Competition

Kennedy George

The Scholastics Art and Writing Awards award young, talented writers and artists on both the state and national level. This show, which has existed since 1923, allows authors and artists between seventh and twelfth grade to present their work to the public and gain recognition. This year, Homer Senior High School submitted many of its students writing pieces, and had an impressive award turnout. The following are the students who received formal recognition for their work; however, every student who submitted a piece, regardless of whether or not it received an award, worked extremely hard and the school is immensely proud of all of its students work.

Poetry:

Silver Key

- Samantha Shephard

- Samantha Shephard

Personal Essay/Memoir:

Honorable Mention:

- Jonah Lightaul

- Maddie Gallagher

- Victoria Shevchuk

Silver Key

- Meghan McGrath

Short Story:

Honorable Mention:

- Eden Dodge

- Tighe Gugerty

- Sarah Jensen

- Brenton Newcomb

- Joe Settineri

- Tim Swenson

Silver Key

- Tianna Brown

- Kennedy George

- Andrew Jacobi

- Alex Levitskiy

- Samantha Robbins

Gold Key

- Chandler Champion

Congratulations to all of these students! Also, a special congratulations must go out to Chandler Champion for being the only student to receive a Gold Key, which is the highest honor. Chandler’s short story will now move on to the national contest!

Work Cited

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: About Us. Scholastics Art and Writing Awards. Web. 6, February 2016.

A Little History of Homer

A Little History of Homer

Reed Cleland

For some, 1950 may seem like yesterday. However, for many people, including the generation currently attending Homer High School, time capsules are reminders of not only his-tory, but our-story.

During renovations for Homer High’s new gymnasium, construction workers found a time capsule dating from the school’s founding in 1950. The discovery was rather sudden, and the campus was swarmed by students who arrived in time to see the Superintendent, Nancy Ruscio, and board members uncover the lid of the hollowed cement block. The actual sorting took place the following Monday, as the box needed a particular moisture condition in order to be handled, but students and staff were given the opportunity for firsthand pictures

Monday afternoon found the Superintendent’s office swarming with members of the Student Government club, Senior Class Officers, Olympian representatives, Yearbook representatives, faculty, and Board members who were eager to delve into their school’s history. An inventory of the box’s contents was made:

Silver Certificate $1 with Signatures

St. Margaret’s Catholic Church Brochure

Homer Academy Catalogue (1942-1943)

The Cortland Phone Directory 1950-51

Homer Garden Club 1950 Brochure

Cortland Co. Home Bureau Program 1950-51

Parent-Teacher Association Program 1950-51

The Saving Health Among All Nations Program 1950-51

Homer Chapter No. 222 O.E.S.

Leisure Hour Club 1950-51

Sennightly Literary Club 1950-51

Little York Garden Club 1950-51

Homer Lodge No. 850 10/14/50

Tioughnioga Encampment No. 208

American Legion Digest-Vol 1

Burns-McCauliffe Post 465 10/20/50

Homer Grange Membership 3 pgs.

Cortland Chamber of Commerce Membership

This is Cortland Book Homer Fire Dept. 2 articles

Fire Truck Picture

Notice of Annual Mtg.-Preble Garden Club 2 pgs

Washington Chapter No. 29 Membership List

Homer Lodge No. 352 11/10/50

Homer Baseball Club Banquet 10th Anniversary 1938-48

Community News Reviews 3/16/45, 2/16/45, 8/15/43, 5/15/45, 12/16/44, 6/16/43-8 pages Cortland Standard 11/8/50

The Post Standard 11/10/50

Syracuse Herald Journal 11/10/50

Signatures-Nancy Hale, Art Goodman, Helen Leonard, Shirley Knapp 10/5/51

Work Safely Cup

16” Reel-Ceremony to Place HS Cornerstone 2/3/51

The HCS News-10/23/50

Cortland Standard-1/27/45

Post Standard-1/27/45

Cortland Standard-2 pgs 1/27/45

Official Ballot

Freshman Room Signatures-2 pgs

Agriculture Room Signatures

Study Hall Signatures-3 pgs

Math Room Signatures-2 pgs

Art Room Signatures-2 pgs

Grade 8 Signatures-2 pgs

Social studies Senior Room Signatures-2 pgs

Eighth Grade F Signatures-2 pgs

Grade 7 K Signatures-3 pgs

Grade 7 Signatures-3 pgs

School Collectors Receipt

Laying of Cornerstones Program

Proposed budget 1950-51 15 pgs

Tax Notice

Proposed Buildings Brochure

The Bond Issue Brochure-9/20/49

The University of the State of NY-5/4/46

F. Eugene Williams Signature-Class of 1876

Books: The New York Red Book-1947; Cortland County Treasurer-1949; Latin For Americans-1950; New French Review Grammar-1935; Junior English in Action-Book Two-1937; Supervisors Journal-1949; The Arithmetic of Business-1939; Forty-Fourth Annual Report-1948; The World Almanac-1950; Literature and Life in England-1943; Challenges To American Youth-1950; Plane and Spherical Trigonometry-1945; Everyday Living-1946; First Year French-1949; Cortland, Homer and McGraw Directory-1949; Forty-Fourth Annual Report-1948; Odyssey-1945; Odyssey-1950

While sorting through the piles of artifacts, students, staff, and administrators listened to the 1950 audio recording of the ceremony to lay the HS cornerstone. The sense of unity that imbued the entire room was perfectly palpable. Common history has that effect on people: we can forget our differences for the moment and remember what it is that brings us together.

Semi-Formal 2016

Semi-Formal 2016

Tighe Gugerty

As the first half of the school year comes to a close, things may seem to be hectic. Midterms are just around the corner, teachers are piling on the work, and nature is piling on the snow. Yet amongst this, there is a disruption. The annual Semi-formal dance offers up a night for students to relax and just have fun. Now, as senior, I am too old to enjoy this night of dancing, but I can talk about my experiences.

As a freshman, I was alone. I had my eyes set on one girl and insisted on going with her. I turned down two offers from others just to have the chance to ask the lady of my fancy, but, never had the chance to ask. I waited too long and she was unceremoniously taken away from me before I had even the slightest chance of exposing my interest to her. This should be lesson one of the dance: don't wait to ask. If someone is really the apple of your eye, ask them to go with you. You will never go with them if you never ask them to.

This aforementioned apprehension left me dateless and demoralized. Yet once I was actually at the dance, being alone actually made my time even better. I was in good company with the others going stag and I was free to dance like crazy. I turned into a dancing machine, tearing up the dance floor and making every taken date want to be with me. Though it may seem like a grim prospect, going alone may reward you with the best time you could have.

The next year, I went with a friend as friends. This seemed to strike the perfect balance as I could let loose and didn't have to worry about what my date thought. I didn’t feel any of the pressure I would have had I taken my crush. So once again in my eternal dance wisdom, taking a friend is always an excellent option. Don't worry if you can't take your dream date because eventually your will wake up from this dream.

This advice only comes from my experiences. It is not to say that going the conventional route of taking your crush is bad but rather that alternate options provide a just as good, or even better, experience. Besides the date dilemma, don’t do anything you would regret. This is two sided;  I implore you, readers, to not do anything illegal but don’t be afraid to let loose.  

Species Spotlight: Temminck’s Tragopan

Species Spotlight: Temminck’s Tragopan

Alex Levitskiy

This week’s featured species is the Temminck’s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii).  This species is one of five tragopans, which can be generally classified as a pheasant.  The Temminck’s Tragopan males are overall a brilliant orange color which becomes gradually more red tinted towards the tail.  The breast underside and sides are marked with gray teardrop-shaped markings.  The back region is spotted with white dots that are outlined in black.  The dappling persists up to the tail, which is black.  The face of males has black feathers and bright blue skin.  The skin can actually inflate into a lappet, or bib, which consists of the bright red markings along the outer edges and darker blue skin in the middle dotted with the base coloring of lighter blue.  In addition to the lappet, the male also has blue, fleshy horns.  The lappet and horns are seen during the male’s frontal breeding display.  The hens are quite drab in comparison to the males.  Overall, they are brown with black and white markings.  Care must be taken to not mix up Temminck’s Tragopan hens with hens of other tragopan species, since tragopan hens closely resemble each other.  

Temminck’s Tragopans are a good tragopan to begin with if one wishes to eventually breed the other tragopan species.  They lay well, are great parents, and can be quite productive.  Temminck’s Tragopans tame down very easily, and this makes them all the more enjoyable to raise.  Furthermore, they are the most readily available and cheapest tragopan to acquire.  Since they are native to the eastern Himalaya Mountains they take the cold very well, making them a great bird for an aviculturist who is unable to provide the necessary heat for tropical species.  I love this species, and I am sure pheasant enthusiasts who wish to add this species to their collection will love them as well.

Photo Credit: Alex Levitskiy

Temminck’s Tragopan Male

Temminck’s Tragopan Hen

Inter Districts Wrap-Up

Inter Districts Wrap-Up

Molly Burhans

Homer’s Youth and Government program takes a trip to McQuaid Jesuit School in Rochester every year for an Inter-District Conference. This conference is designed to prepare students for the state conference in Albany in March, and every year it does not disappoint. The students that are a part of the Judicial Branch finalize their briefs, compare their arguments, and run through their case as many times as possible. The run-throughs are organized so that you never go against the same person twice, and ideally, you are against someone from another district; this allows you to gain a better understanding of your case. According to Chief Justice, Tighe Gugerty, the Judicial Branch was very successful. The Legislative branch also performed extremely well, and got a taste of what it’s like to be in Albany presenting a bill.  The President of our club, Jordan Laundry, commended our work at Inter Districts and is looking forward to seeing what we achieve at the state conference.

District 6, which includes Homer, is currently very influential due to the fact that one of our own members, Andrew Jacobi, is Governor, and Kennedy George is Public Defender. This past summer we also had many students invited to CONA, which is a national conference for exceptional members of Youth and Government. Though many of our leaders will be graduating this year, we have a lot of promising talent to look forward to. We have junior, Joey Esposito running for Public Defender, sophomore, Beth Gilbert, running for Chief Justice, and sophomore, Chris Delage, running for Speaker of Assembly Liberty. Overall, Inter Districts was a major success and the state conference will undoubtedly go just as smoothly.

Teacher Feature: Mr.Graves

Teacher Feature: Mr.Graves

Alyson Witt

Many people remember their high school years as the best years of their life. They remember their peers, teammates, and what brought them to be who they are now. They remember the late nights studying, and the teachers that helped them through the many obstacles of high school. As high school students, much of our time is spent around our teachers, but overtime they become more than just teachers; they become mentors and friends. Most students only know one side of their teachers, their career. But like everyone, they are so much more. If you take the time to get to know more about your teachers, you can realize common interests and can see them in greater admiration.

So far in my high school career, I have met many of the amazing teachers and staff at Homer High School; however, one teacher who has really grabbed my attention is the science teacher Mr.Graves, who has not only become my teacher, but also my coach and friend. I have gotten to know Mr.Graves as an excellent teacher, caring coach, and enthusiastic outdoorsman. After talking with Mr.Graves I learned many more facts about him. In addition to being a teacher, Mr. graves contributes to both the school and community by coaching cross country, JV boy’s basketball, and building houses and hunting camps. Mr. Graves also plays in the friday night adult soccer league, and enjoys playing pickup basketball. In addition to woodwork, athletics and teaching Mr. Graves is also an avid hunter, traveler, and outdoorsman. Graves hunts with both bow and gun, and enjoys fishing, especially in the Alpine Lakes of both the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades. Graves also enjoys traveling to the Western U.S. to backpack and camp. He likes traveling to various places in Canada  because of the vast natural diversity they have to offer. Graves also mentioned that over the summer, he enjoys visiting the beach, and relaxing at backyard barbecues and bonfires. After taking the time to get to know Mr.Graves in more detail, I have realized that he is more than just an excellent teacher and coach, but also a mentor who I will remember after my years as a student at Homer High School.

What to Love About Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

What to Love About Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Skyler Powers

The seventh installment in the Star Wars franchise has been released after ten long years since the final movie of the second trilogy.  Diehard fans and newcomers alike have been lining up around the world to see if the introductory film of the third trilogy lives up to the glory of George Lucas’s famous original trilogy.  Luckily, JJ Abrams didn’t disappoint and this film continues to break box office records around the world as it passes the likes of Titanic, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Jurassic World.  Now, it is poised to defeat Avatar, which is currently the highest grossing film of all time.

Statistics aside, this movie has several things going for it.  First of all, the acting is great.  There is not a single bad performance in this film.  The returning characters, which include Princess Leia and Han Solo, are still great, and so are the newcomers, which include Rey, Finn, and Poe.  Everything is believable and the actors do a great job at conveying emotions, whether it’s happiness, sadness, or humor.  

The new characters are refreshing and satisfactory.  While the other films’ protagonists were mainly males, this episode introduces one of the first main female protagonists in the franchise, Rey, which is a true reflection of how our society has evolved.  Finn, a rogue stormtrooper, provides some great cinematic depth as he struggles with what he wants to do.  Poe, while he has a rather small role, brings some charm to the screen, and he is a very likeable character.

With this being the beginning of a new trilogy, it is rather easy to follow the plot, even for newcomers.  Just knowing the basics of the Star Wars cinematic universe should ensure easy viewing, but even people with no previous knowledge should be able to follow the plot as well.   

Now it’s time to talk about the main antagonist, Kylo Ren.  I personally thought he was a better villain that darth Vader, which is a bold statement.  He wasn’t better at being bad or even more intimidating, he was just more believable.  He was conflicted and at war with himself.  He wasn’t just some inhuman individual in a scary outfit put in the movie just to be the bad guy.  Kylo Ren was obviously human under his evil persona, which I really loved.  

Lastly, the action sequences and soundtrack were phenomenal.  Instead of continuing with the over-the-top, unrealistic action from the second trilogy, this film went back to the classic, and superior, hand-to-hand combat from the original trilogy.  It was much more intense and realistic.  The soundtrack did include the original theme song, but it had other musical elements which were also great.  

In the end, this film had many great aspects to it.  It returned to its roots and was aided by great visuals, great action, great characters, and great acting.  Even if the plot structure doesn’t go anywhere new, it is still solid and it did everything that franchise fans wanted it to do.  It was an incredibly wellmade film and it is definitely one of the best, if not the best, of the year.  I loved it, and I can’t wait for the upcoming two films in the trilogy.