Homer High School Olympian: December 2016

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Homer’s Largest Red Ribbon

By Stephen C. Hyde

Homer’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is proud to host Homer’s 2016 Largest Red Ribbon in Honor of World AIDS day!

World AIDS Day is dedicated to spreading awareness of AIDS and HIV. It is meant to show respect for the 78 million people living with it, and the 35 million that have died from it. It has become a tradition at HHS to honor it every year by having people wear red clothing and participate in constructing a large ribbon on the football field.

SADD has been hosting Homer’s Largest Red Ribbon for the last six years. On the last school day before Christmas vacation, participants walk down to the HHS football field before classes begin. Everybody forms a large ribbon across the field. Every year, Mr. Michael Massenzio, HHS English teacher and photographer, photographs the ribbon for the SADD archives and the HHS Yearbook. It is a fun event to be involved in while still continuing to spread awareness of AIDS and HIV.

Homer’s Largest Red Ribbon is open to all students and staff who wish to be involved. The only requirements are to wear red and go to the football field on Friday, December 23rd, to be present in the schoolwide photograph. This article used statistics from the website UNAIDS.org, the official site for spreading awareness about AIDS. If you want to find out more about AIDS, look for SADD’s Potty Pages (located in HHS restrooms near you) or visit UNAIDS.org. Let’s show support for spreading AIDS and HIV awareness this Friday, December 23rd, on the HHS football field.

The National Shakespeare Competition Comes to HHS!

Reed Cleland

William Shakespeare has descended on Homer High School! For the first time ever, HHS will participate in the National Shakespeare Competition!

This is a national contest sponsored by the English-Speaking Union of the United States. It gives students the opportunity to fully appreciate the power of oral communication and language, as well as Shakespearean literature. Students with an interest in Shakespeare can test their powers of verbal communication by performing monologues in front of judges.

Students begin by participating in a schoolwide competition. They select a monologue of their choosing, with a requirement of twenty lines or fewer, and they proceed to perform the piece before the panel of judges. The trick is that no props or costumes are allowed during the student’s performance. This is to place an emphasis on the power of verbal tone and expression. Homer’s competition date has not yet been finalized, but it will be held before midterm week.

The winner of the schoolwide competition may proceed to the state-level contest. In New York, winning students will travel to Syracuse Stage in March. In this stage of the competition, they will perform the monologue from their school contest, as well as a Shakespearean sonnet of their choice.

Finally, the winner of the statewide competition will advance to the national event. This final stage of the competition is held every year in New York City. Finalists compete against each other in front of a panel of distinguished judges, and they have the opportunity to win scholarships and cash awards. The tentative dates for the 2017 finals are April 23rd-25th. To read about the competition in detail, visit the ESU website at http://www.esuus.org/esu/ or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

At this time, three Homer students have declared their entry into the competition. Drew Gustafson (senior), Julia Gustafson (junior), and Reed Cleland (junior) are long-time members of the HHS Shakespearean and Thespian Society. Each of them has extensive acting experience which includes dealing with Shakespeare’s often-perplexing language. HHS wishes each of them good-luck in the National Shakespeare Competition!

Seussical Rehearsals are Underway!

Brenden Haskins

Come one, come all

Whether you’re big or whether you’re small

You simply must come to our high school

The play we’re putting on is really very cool!

You’ll see Horton, and JoJo, and all of the Whos

So grab up a Seussaphone and shout out the news!

So if you’re in the mood to see something neat

Our wee little people on a flower simply cannot be beat

Come enjoy this most whimsical musical

The wonderful daffy world of Seussical!

Rehearsals for Seussical have begun! After many great auditions, the cast has been picked, the scripts have been handed out, and the long process of set building has started. The cast has been working very hard in order to put on a great performance. They remain dedicated to giving the audience a show that they will remember for years to come. This should be no challenge with the help of their wonderful director, Mrs. K.B McLaughlin. Mrs. McLaughlin was asked what she loved most about directing the HHS musicals.

Q: “What do you love about directing?”

A: “I just love theater, and I love the storytelling part of it… and it’s nice to see the kids in a different context.”

The cast of a soon-to-be wonderful performance of Seussical has something to say as well, especially two of the leading actors. Julia Gustafson (junior) plays the narrator of the story, The Cat in The Hat; she took the opportunity to answer a few of our questions. First, she answered the question of what she is hoping for in this production.

Q: “What are you looking forward to?”

A: “It’s going to be really fun having a lot of people involved”

Aside from discussing the large cast it takes to make a production like Seussical

come to life, we had also asked what keeps her interested in acting and entertaining people.

Q: “What do you keep coming back?”

A: “I like it because of the energy you get from it, and it’s really fun when you have the entire cast singing one song.”

The character of Horton, from the story Horton Hears a Who, is being portrayed by Chris Delage (junior). He told us why he continues to to do more musicals as well.

Q: “Why do you keep coming back?”

A: I like working with the cast and the directors, and the music is fun.”

Of course, it is not all fun and games for these talented actors. Many of them have to put down their homework at times while rehearsing. The tech crew also has a lot of work to do with the set building, managing the lights, and keeping everything in order. For those of you who are contemplating whether to see the show in March, you would be in for a terrific and extremely entertaining musical. Join the cast on the 3rd and 4th of March, as they tell the story of Seussical!

First PSAT Results of the Year Are In!

Sydney Neuman

As a high-school student, there is a “laundry list” of thing to do. It is hard to balance everything! A large mark on this list is the SAT. It is no surprise that there are a lot of people in the world who want education, especially since diplomas appear to come hand-in-hand with success nowadays.

Higher learning institutions (colleges) will commonly use SAT scores to narrow down their applicant pool. Thus, SAT scores are very important. There is no such thing as over-preparation, especially in today’s fast-paced world. With that in mind, the PSAT was created.

This practice version of the test proves helpful in a cornucopia of aspects. First, it allows the student to experience the long, timed test within a realistic setting. Second, it allows the student to grasp the type of material tested on the actual exam. Third, it provides an analysis on the exam. In other words, the student will be able to see which portions of the test they struggled with and need more practice for. Without a doubt, it is a useful tool worth to be utilized for the all-important SAT.

As many are aware, there is an alternative to the SAT. It is called the ACT. The differences between the two tests are surprisingly large. Not only are there more questions per section, but the sections on the ACT are in a different format than on the SAT. For example, there is an additional “science” section near the end of the exam. Many argue, however, that this is just another reading and analysis section. There is no methodology; some skillsets are better suited to the ACT than the SAT or vice versa. Which one is personally best for you?

It is a big decision, and it should not be taken lightly. Yet, as with all life decisions, approach it one step at a time. Partake in some practice exams and determine which test is best for you. After this, study, practice, and give it your best shot! Nothing in life is worth participating in with minimized effort or half-intent. Being successful may not mean getting a perfect score or even going to college, but if it does, you should not walk into the testing room while feeling unconfident. The many Homer High School students that took the PSAT recently had this in mind. What was on your mind?

Underclassmen Host Fundraiser at Moe’s!

Catarina Kruman

On Tuesday, November 13th, Homer High School underclassmen hosted a successful fundraiser at Moe’s Southwest Grill in Cortland!

Moe’s is part of the Mexican chain restaurant that has exploded in the eastern half of the United States. This new location has been seeing a lot of action and was a huge hit with Cortland families. Sophomore and freshmen class leaders saw this as a great opportunity to collaborate with a local business and fundraise money for their annual semi-formal.

From 6-8 pm, all receipts that were collected were be added together so that the underclassman would derive a percentage of the money spent. While Mrs. Whitney and the underclassmen officers sat at a booth, customers gave their receipts to them to support the cause.

It was a very busy night for both Moe’s and the officers: restaurant employees were saying “Welcome to Moe’s” all evening as people continued to enter the restaurant. The night was a success for both parties. Moe’s got plenty of business and the underclassmen raised a large sum of money. The total amount of money raised was over a few hundred dollars, all of which will go to support the Homer High School semi-formal.

Homer’s First Trivia Night

Marleah Dentes

Homer’s first trivia night, put on by Student Government, was a well-attended and entertaining event!

Many Student Government members spent several weeks making questions and organizing the game. The categories included memes/Internet culture, movies/TV, academics, music, and miscellaneous. The memes/Internet culture category was the most popular amongst the contestants by far.

The event was held in the school library and festive decorations were hung. The panel of Student Government members went down the line and asked a question from each category. Each team had thirty seconds to answer on whiteboards and received ten points for a correct answer. In the last fifteen minutes, the teams had twenty seconds for questions worth twenty points. There was an intermission at 8 pm so that the teams could take a break and enjoy lots of food and music.

The six teams who participated were the F’Art Party, The Makeshift Ukuladies, SADD, The Olympians, Team One, and The Bean Team. The F’Art Party won, but all of the groups proved to be very knowledgeable in all the subjects.

The most important aspect of the night was its charitable cause: all of the proceeds made were given to a charity of the winners’ choice. Student Government also matched that amount and added it to the donation.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

FBLA Sponsors Pajama Book Program

Marleah Dentes

The Future Business Leaders of America are collecting pajamas and books to aid children-in-need!

The club is sponsoring the annual pajama program; this is a nonprofit program that provides children with new pajamas and books, especially to those who live in group homes, shelters, foster care, and orphanages. Many classrooms across the country have contributed hundreds of thousands of pajamas to the program. The Scholastics Reading Club has donated even more new books.

The goal of the pajama program is to ensure that every child feels loved and secure with a peaceful sleep. The program believes that a positive and productive day is impossible without this. Pajamas and books can have a huge impact on the amount of energy and spirit that the child has the next day. They expand creativity and imagination, which the program believes is an important step in creating better lives.

FBLA hopes to give these gifts to children in our community. Brand-new pajamas in all sizes (newborn to young adults) and books appropriate for kids age ten-and-under are the only guidelines. They can be dropped off in Ms. Calkins’ Room (#202) by December 16th. For every book and pajama set donated, you will be entered into a drawing for a $30 gift card at the location of your choice.

This is a very meaningful donation since many children in our community have never received anything new before. Some of the children have never even had a pair of pajamas. These pajamas and books could be the only things that they get all year!

Students Learn about Middle East Politics from SUNY Professor

Neil Malakar

On November 17th, Homer High School was lucky enough to host a guest speaker in the library during fifth, sixth, and seventh periods. Professor Alexandru Balas gave a presentation on geopolitical affairs in the Middle East, particularly Syria and its relationship with neighboring states like Iraq.

Each of the period-long talks focused on the rise and inevitable fall of the Islamic State, also known as IS, ISIS, or ISIL. Answering various students’ questions, he went into detail on other related matters, such as how to stop IS, the illegal trade of looted antiquities, and the reasons for western military intervention in the Middle East.

Professor Balas is the recently appointed head of the James M. Clark Center for International Education at SUNY Cortland. His teaching experience includes positions held at Loyola University, the University of Vermont, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as the Human Rights Center and Center for Executive and Professional Education at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. He also coordinates SUNY Cortland’s International Studies Program and teaches courses there. He joined the faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor of International Studies.

Homer Wins the NYSPHSAA Award of Excellence!

Skyler Powers

Homer Senior High School was recently lucky enough to receive the prestigious Award of Excellence from the NYSPHSAA, or the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. This organization presents awards to different public schools in New York State at the end of each sports season. These awards include the Scholar-Athlete Award, which is awarded to a team where 75% or more of the students on the roster have a GPA of 90.00% or higher, the School of Distinction Award, and the Award of Excellence, which our school won.

The Award of Excellence is awarded to a school whose student-athletes show an exemplary display of sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity. Homer Senior High School defeated all odds and beat out every other public school in the state. This award is an honor for our school, and everyone involved in sports should be proud. Congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, athletic program, and the entire community!

HHS Gets Hit with First Snowstorm of the Year!

Skyler Powers

Students from throughout Central New York were ecstatic on Monday, November 21st because many schools had their first snow day. The luck did not end there for Homer students, however. Homer’s Superintendent, Ms. Nancy Ruscio, made the following Tuesday a snow day as well. This gave students and teachers of Homer an entire week off for Thanksgiving!

These closings were caused by an early-season snowstorm that ripped across New York State two weeks ago. It was the first large snow storm of the school year. Prior to the storm’s arrival, everyone was talking about it. Students and teachers alike had their fingers crossed for a snow day. Homer’s lucky second day can be explained by one technicality. On Tuesday morning, Cayuga County still had a traffic advisory in place. Since Homer school buses could not enter Cayuga County on their routes, the district closed down.

Nearly two feet of snow was dumped in Cortland County by the time the storm passed. According to an article by The Cortland Voice, “The National Weather Service recorded 14 inches in Cortland as of 12 a.m. Tuesday, though snowfall continued through Tuesday morning” (Blanchard 5). Meteorologist Brian Donegan, however, “measured 19 inches of snow in his backyard in Cortland” (Blanchard 5). These statistics, however, seem minuscule when compared to the area that received the most snow from the storm. According to the same article, “The highest recorded snowfall in New York State was 54.5 inches in the town of Redfield, in Oswego County” (Blanchard 6). With such significant figures so early in the season, this winter could possibly be a very rough and snowy ride. According to an article by syracuse.com, Syracuse received 71.6 inches of snow last year; this was significantly less than the average of 103.6 inches. Even with such low numbers, Syracuse won the title of snowiest city in the country. As seen in Redfield, snowfall statistics for this year are already approaching the totals from last year, and the snow season has hardly started.

While the two snow days were momentary victories for Homer students and staff, it could come back to haunt them. The district allows a maximum of five snow days. If the district has more than five snow days, it must compensate by lengthening the school year. This can be done by adding days onto the end of the year or taking away days that were originally planned to be days-off. These two snow days were highly appreciated by Homer students because it produced a week-long Thanksgiving vacation. The fact that two out of five snow days have been used, however, is concerning because it is only November. Homer is bound to receive a lot more snow before winter ends. Whether or not the district can make it through the winter with three remaining snow days is uncertain. It will depend on what the rest of the winter has in store.

Works Cited:

Blanchard, Peter. “Cortland snowstorm lasted 51 straight hours; 19 inches of snow measured.”

The Cortland Voice, http://cortlandvoice.com/2016/11/22/cortland-snowstorm-51-hours-19-inches/. Accessed 28 November 2016.

Coin, Glenn. “Syracuse, a snowfall slacker this year, still climbs to No. 1 in US.”

syracuse.com, http://www.syracuse.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/03/syracuse_a_snowfall_underachiever_this_year_but_still_tops_in_us.html. Accessed 28 November 2016.