WMHS Sports Monday Mashup

by Tyler Movsessian

Spring Sports are kicking off into high gear! Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis and Track are getting ready to take their teams to the next level. These teams are excited to start playing games starting this week and the seniors are going to make one last push to finish off their high school athletics career with a bang.

            Boys Track- The boys track team is back after their stellar indoor season. They won state relays for the third year in a row and they finally beat Lexington and Reading to take a Middlesex League Champions. Now, most athletes are back including all four captains as well as stars such as junior Dennis Peary, sophomore Matt DiMauro, and senior Elijah Mawejie. They take their talents outside with head coach Mike Fowle to win another championship. They have a tough meet against Lexington on April 7, which will play a big factor in the league champion.

            Girls Track- The girls track team is looking to improve their performances from last year. They were in contention for a league title but Lexington got the best of them. However, they will meet again this season and Woburn thinks that they will come out on top. Star athletes such as juniors Gina D’Addario, Kaycie Burke and Katie Murray return as well as indoor captains and seniors Adrianna Manzi and Alex DiMauro will join seniors Sam Young and Jaye Morgan to lead the team with new girls head coach Jacqui Barrett to victory. Here’s to topping Lexington and getting a league title!

            Boys Lacrosse- Lax is back and is looking to rebound from their early tournament exit last year. Senior captains Zack Tanner, Sam Ventresca, and Robbie Galvin are captains and will look to lead the team deep into the state tournament along with star players juniors Chris Morgan and Nick Fugazzoto. They are behind new head coach Mike Clifford. Look for the boys lacrosse team to be making headlines in the post season.

Girls Lacrosse- Additionally, girls lacrosse will be trying to improve on an average season last year. They will be led by senior captains Devin Parziale, Vanessa Carbone, and Shannon Walsh as well as coached by Maggie Meagher. They are looking to make the tournament this year and will be rebounding from a not great season in 2013. The seniors will be fighting to make the last year of lax memorable, with a winning season.   

Baseball- The baseball team is going to improve from their rough 2-14 season. Now they have a new coach in Joe Wells as well as star players and senior captains Adam Gately and Jared Kenney. They have a lot of young talent this year and hopefully the captains can begin to help rebuild and get this team in the right direction towards winning their first championship since 1978.

Softball- The softball team is looking better than ever. Captains and seniors Steph Kerrigan and Courtney Davis look to lead the team behind Coach Courtney Singsbury (Famous WMHS football coach Rocky Nelson’s daughter). They advanced into the tournament but ended up falling in the second round. Now they try to take their talent deeper and contend for a title.

Boys Tennis- The boys tennis team has had its struggles the past few years. Unfortunately, they have placed last for a few years now in the Middlesex League but, they were able to break their 40 match losing streak. Now, with captains senior Brandon Heath and senior Dylan Scott, they are hopeful that they can win a few more matches this year and not place last in the league. They have some talented underclassmen who can give them a boost along with new assistant coach Wyatt Towle. Look for the tennis team to be on the rise

Girls Tennis- The girls tennis team is ready to hit the court and make some headlines for themselves. They have captain LeAnn DiMauro (came up in the clutch in basketball) working with coach Steve Sullivan who also coached LeAnn in basketball. In 2013, the team did well, but this year they are really looking to strengthen their skills.

“We are so close, we are like a family” said junior player Bridget Lynch.

The girls tennis team is going to make a statement for themselves in the 2014 season.

Ultimate Frisbee- Woburn High has finally added a new sport. It also joins swimming as a co-ed sport, allowing both boys and girls to play. Junior Derek Medina is the founder and captain along with senior Andrew Murphy lead the team. They will be taking it more seriously this year, with Coach Shawn Murphy. They got in trouble a bit with conduct issues, but now that that is taken care of, they have real potential to become a well known WMHS sport.

Getting to know some notable Tanners

by Tyler Movsessian

Andrew Murphy

Andrew Murphy, is a three sport athlete who is known for his impressive golf skills and leadership, he was the lone captain on the basketball team this year and he is captaining on the second year of our newest club sport, ultimate Frisbee. Andrew Murphy is a highly respected athlete as he can do it all, no matter which season he is in.

Murphy has been golfing for the past two years and his golf skills are impressive. He was 6-0 to start the season. His contributions helped the golf team significantly as they finished 7-3, which is a good mark for a team that finished in the middle of the league last year looking to get back to their championship ways, as the golf team has the most championships out of all Woburn High teams.

Most people would say that Murph’s forte is basketball. Head Coach Tom Sullivan appointed him captain, and it paid dividends to the basketball team. He lead the team to a 15-6 finish as well as winning a tournament game for the first time since 2009 and making an appearance in the quarterfinals. He finished the year with 15pts per game. In a previous article, Murphy had to say this about being captain of the basketball team

“Yea, being the only captain can be tough. The team is so close this year and like a second family, which makes being a captain easy as everyone gets along well,” stated Murphy

He also takes his leadership onto the turf with the ultimate Frisbee program. This program was just started last year and he goes down in WMHS history as one of the founders. There is a lot of talent on this team and Murphy will look to turn it around after a player got them in trouble with his poor sportsmanship. Now, with Coach Shawn Murphy. They will look to turn this around and Murphy will hope that the program continues to grow after he graduates.

Gina D’Addarrio

For those of you who don’t know her, this girl can run. She is a three season runner and is one of the best distance runners in the Middlesex league and perhaps in the state. Her dedication and leadership has shown throughout her career as she started as a freshman and improved every year. She has been rewarded for her leadership as a captain for cross country as well as indoor track (most likely outdoor as well). She will continue to run, for a long time and she is definitely an athlete to watch.

In cross country she is one of the top, this past year, she had a PB (personal best) of 18:09 in the three mile as well as a very impressive tenth place finish in states, she represented Woburn very well, as she was the only girl to make states. She is always pushing herself to the limit whether it’s in a practice or meet.  She can be seen leading the way of the top tier running group or in a race, or she can be seen in the weight room immediately after working on abs, which it is essential to have abs for a distance runner. No wonder she got captain and we will be seeing great things out of the 2014 girls cross country team.

Then, with just a few days off for Thanksgiving, she heads to the Joyce to do the same thing except instead of running up hills; she is speeding around turns at the William O’Connor track. She stays very consistent. The same thing can be said about her, with an impressive mile PB of 5:11, she shows the same leadership qualities as she does during the cross country season. She also got captain for indoor and she had this to say about being captain for two sports.

“I am super excited to be a captain of the cross country and track teams next year! I am confident that we can beat Lexington next year and be league champs. It’s not easy running all year round but I definitely love my teams and the attitudes the athletes bring to practice every day.

D’Addario won states and had a bit of a shaky performance in all-states, but that will only make her more determined for outdoor season. We can also expect great things out of her and the rest of the team for indoor,” stated D’Addario

D’Addario carries her determination into the warmer spring weather and on the outdoor track here at the high school. She has another fantastic mile PB and a high jump PB of 4’7” and she still has two more years left, and no one would be surprised to get those records even better. She will most likely be captain again and be a three sport captain, which is a huge accomplishment. As one of the best runners in the Massachusetts, when asked about her future, she wants to run beyond high school.

“I am definitely going to run in college for a division one or division two team. I haven’t decided where I want to go yet but some colleges are recruiting me like Harvard University, so I’m ecstatic about that!” exclaimed D’Addario.

Yes, even colleges like Harvard are recruiting her because not only can she run she is also one of the brightest in the junior class academically. Competing for Valedictorian, she is at the top of the class and she is clearly an all around young woman, who is very deserving of everything she has earned. Outdoor season started this week. Look for D’Addario to be making headlines very soon! 

With prom season approaching, be safe Tanners

The Class of 2012 gathers at WMHS for the promenade.
photo by Hao Mach

by Kate Sweeney

Prom season is officially among us. The walls of Woburn High are buzzing with students gushing over what their going to wear, who they’re going to go with and everything else that comes along with this hectic time of  year. While everyone’s busy carefully planning every little detail of prom one thing tends to slip their minds: safety. 

          In order to make sure all students have a fun and safe prom night it is essential that everyone pre-plans their night. Every time students go out they have to make decisions to keep themselves and their friends and classmates safe; prom shouldn’t be an exception. The LEARN club here at the high school was started after two Woburn Memorial High School students tragically died in impaired driving accidents. LEARN members have made it their mission is to ensure all students are educated on how to make smart decisions and are aware of all their options to “Arrive Alive”.

          Students should keep in mind prom is a school-sponsored event, all school rules apply and there will be severe consequences for students who brake any rules outlined in the student handbook. In saying that most dangerous decision making occurs after prom where there aren’t supervisors around to make sure everyone’s behaving. If students do make the choice to use then they should at least make sure they follow these steps to make sure everyone ends up home safely at the end of the nights.

          The most important step is pre-planning, have a plan for the night before you zip up your dress or button up your tux and walk out the door. Pre-planning includes knowing where your going, what you're doing, and how you're going to get there. You and your friends need to decide on a designated driver, someone who is 100 percent sober for the entire night, not someone who has consumed the least or is impaired in anyway. It’s a good idea to have a back up driver too, just in case anything goes wrong. 

Another good tool to have is a call list. This is a few people, maybe an aunt, uncle, neighbor, grandparent, or family friend, someone who you could call no matter what to pick you up if you were ever stuck in a bad situation.

Often, the last people most teens want to have to call when they’re in a situation involving drugs or alcohol is their parents. They’re afraid of getting in trouble or disappointing their parents, but calling your parents is one of the smartest things you can do. No parents want to get a call from the police or a hospital saying something bad happened to their child. They would rather you call them. They were all young once too, they’ll understand. Being in trouble for a while is better then being seriously injured, or dying because you got in a car with an impaired driver.

          Proms a rite of passage for high school students; it’s supposed to be one of the best nights of your life. It’s one of the few nights the entire grade comes together as one, everybody looks gorgeous and spends the night with all their friends dancing, eating, taking pictures. You don’t want to look back at prom as a painful memory and grieve a tragedy because everyone didn’t take the time to make a plan or make smart decisions.

Take the time, make a plan, and stay safe so you can look back one day and remember Prom as one of the greatest nights of your high school career. 

Senior year from a student’s perspective

by Megan Clark

Senior year provides a great deal of stress, but also great opportunities.
photo by Alyssa Kenney

The summer entering senior year can be both nerve-wracking and exhilarating simultaneously.  You choose your final courses as a high school student and you begin to look at all of the dream schools that you pretend you can afford.  Although senior year consists of many “lasts” and is your final year before you head off to college, it isn’t all that bad if you try to make the most of the time that you have remaining.

            To fully enjoy your time as a senior, you need to take advantage of all of the opportunities you have to make memories.  Whether that be being one of the people who helps get the crowd pumped up for the annual Pep Rally or go to every football, hockey and basketball game possible, you are bound to make some pretty unforgettable memories.  One thing that I wish I had realized earlier in my senior year is that no matter how much homework you have to do that weekend or how tired you are from constantly trying to manage homework, sports, a job, and your sleep, never trade a night out with your closest friends for a night doing homework.  Although maintaining your grades to impress schools is a very important piece of your senior year, so are the front rows at the sporting events.  Which are you really going to remember, that one time you wrote a six page lab report on a Saturday night, or that night when you left the homework on the kitchen table and went out with your closest friends?

            Like I said, making unforgettable memories is an important part of senior year but it is essential to still get good grades.  Believe it or not, colleges will look at every grade that you have received throughout high school, so if you are a freshman or sophomore reading this and you don’t think that your grades matter to colleges, think again.  Colleges look at everything you do, sports and clubs included, to help make the decision of whether or not you are a well rounded student.  Getting involved at Woburn High or any high school for that fact, is a great way to get schools to recognize you, and it also looks better if you are involved, especially if you don’t have the best grades in the world.

            When you are transitioning from junior to senior year, you begin to look at colleges and start thinking conservatively about where you will flourish and how much the schools cost, which can be pretty scary.  As a new senior, I wish that I knew all the tricks that I know now.  One thing that you absolutely need to do as a senior is to go to your guidance counselor.  They are there to help you and getting to know your guidance counselor will help them get to know where you would fit in best or what major would be a good one for you to study.  Also, take the time to look online, specifically collegeboard.org, at all of your prospective schools.  Most colleges have interactive tours online and even if they don’t, it never hurts to go and visit.  Getting to know the campus and seeing the dorms is a great way to help decide which colleges to apply to, and it also helps you see what the “college life” is really like.

            Senior year is by far the most stressful year of high school.  Between applying to college, maintaining your grades, applying for scholarships while balancing sports and clubs, students can be put under a lot of pressure.  It’s hard to manage all of these things and it may ensue many long nights of homework and writing, but really try not to stress yourself out about it.  Most of the time, thinking about how much you have to get done will stress you out more than the actual work will. 

One of the greatest things that teenagers don’t know how to do is manage their time.  In our generation today, we have some of the greatest distractions, such as social networking sites as well as television, smart phones, video games, and the internet.  For many of us, we end up tweeting about our stresses of school rather than actually putting the phone down and attempting to begin our many essays and worksheets.  So next time you have a big project to do, try turning the phone off or going to the library to get all of your schoolwork done in one sitting.  Trust me it’s much better than staying up until 3 A.M. to finish it.

            Many students complain about how horrible high school is, but to be honest, it isn’t all that bad if you make the most of your time.  Rather than staying in and stressing yourself out about your hours of work, try going out and just having fun.  It is okay to put the schoolwork aside sometimes if it means making memories that you will carry with you forever.  Also, take advantage of all that high school has to offer you because once you start college, you will have all new friends, teachers and environment.  Enjoy your high school years while you can because the stressful senior year comes quicker than you think.

Don’t depress the facts of depression

by Fran Armstrong

Depression is large problem plaguing many high school students today. In fact, if you look around a typical honors classroom, you would be surprised at how many students are actually dealing with depression. Teenagers hide it well, but the tougher the classes that students take, the more likely they are to be depressed.

Depression is a huge issue in our school system today, but many parents pass it off as normal. Untreated depression can become severe, and even result in suicide. The longer you let depression stay, the harder it is to ward away. Most people who have not dealt with depression think that once it stops, it is gone forever, but in reality, once you get depressed, you will have to fight it the rest of your life.

Many students in advanced placement classes are put under such pressure from their parents that they slide into a deep depression when no one is looking. The happiest and most upbeat kids are usually the ones you would least expect to be depressed, but often are. Looking at the student body, the valedictorian, the extremely energetic mascot or the socialite who is striving for Harvard may be among students who are depressed.

Depression is a secret topic that many high school students prefer to keep to themselves in fear of being judged by their peers. Several of my own friends that I have known almost all of my life have recently revealed that they are clinically depressed and take medication to help with their depression. They have been going to therapy for several years and keeping it a secret from their friends. When I found out, the only emotion I felt was genuine surprise. Within the last month, I have found out that at least four of my fellow classmates are currently battling depression.

The most important question that parents should be asking is, “How do I realize that my child is depressed?” A few of the tell tale signs are: losing interest in activities that were once enjoyable, lack of or increased appetite, losing or gaining weight without trying, crying and sleeping more frequently, a drop in grades, and seeming withdrawn or irritable. If your child shows any of these signs, make sure to talk to them and introduce them to a therapist or school councilor that they can talk to. 

The Spartan Race: Would you pass the test of ultimate fitness?

by Tyler Movsessian

I have run two Spartan Races in the past year. A Spartan Race is an intense military style endurance obstacle course race which has mud, fire, and water. I have done the Killington and Fenway races which were both the Spartan Sprint, the starter race for Spartan Races.

 In the Killington Race the first mile was not too bad at all, as we only had to jump over a few starter walls and there was a lot of space to open up and run, which was a mistake as I failed to conserve my energy for later parts of the race. Then we got to the foot of a ski slope called the Devil’s Fiddle where we were required to climb from the bottom up to the very top. I raced with a few of my dad’s workers but had passed them early on. I looked behind me to see if they were close and all I saw were hundreds of people slowly dragging up the mountain, like zombies. 

After we had to go down the mountain and threw the woods where we got to the second half of the course where we encountered obstacle after obstacle. We had walls to jump over, monkey bars, crawl through mud under barbed wire that was only about 9 inches from the ground. All the competitors had to get covered in mud from head to toe, and finish the race like that.

Then there was the Hercules’ Hoist, where we had to lift up a 100 pound bucket of cement using a rope and pulley system. I failed that obstacle as well as the spear throw, where we were given a spear and had to hit a board with hay on it that was about 20 yards away. Because of this I was required to do 60 burpees (30 at each failed obstacle) before moving on. Then I had to traverse a rock climbing wall which was easy for me, as a rock climb regularly, and then we had to run down a small slope for about a quarter of a mile until we faced the gladiators, two large men with joust sticks, guarding the finish line. I got past them and finished the race in 1:57:12, about 40 minutes ahead of my dad’s coworkers. At the end, I felt very accomplished and tired, but I was proud of myself for finishing, especially faster than about 50% of the competitors.

            In Fenway, I wouldn’t even consider it a Spartan Sprint; it would be better to call it a Spartan Time Trial because there was no mud, which in my opinion, does not make it a full experience. It was still a challenging course, but not nearly as challenging as Vermont. We did a lot of stairs and a lot of snaking in between the bleachers of Fenway Park. It was more like a marine style work out as we did 40 jump rope, 30 medicine ball slams and we climbed a rope, much like one in middle school gym class. I was able to stick the spear throw, something I was very proud of, and I got to run right by the other competitors who were required to do burpees for missing the target. I also had to do 60 burpees for once again failing the Hercules’ Hoist, an obstacle that I have made so little progress on that I have accepted the fact that I will probably never successfully complete it. I also failed the rowing machine obstacle where we had to use a rowing machine to accumulate 500 meters of rowing. I was still about 150 meters away after the two minutes was up an on my number countdown screen a little graphic popped up and said “Burpees for You!” and I had to get off the machine and do more reps of the horrendous exercise. At the end of each race, I felt completely spent but accomplished. Both were such a great experience because I had fun, made some new friends along the way and got an amazing adventure.

            I am totally hooked on obstacle course racing and I am doing the Super Hero Scramble in June as well as all three levels of Spartan Racing which includes another Sprint as well as a Super and a Beast and that will earn me a ‘Trifecta’ which is the biggest achievement in Spartan Racing, earned by completing all three levels of Spartan Racing in one year.

            If you don’t mind getting dirty and enjoy an adventure where you will earn a finisher medal, a t-shirt, stories to tell, bragging rights, and lots of scrapes and bruises, then a Spartan Race is for you. Go to spartanrace.com for event dates and other additional information

Lights, Camera, Action: The Oscars are Hollywood's chance to shine

by Nicolette Manzi

The greatest singers of music have already had their day under the stars and it is now time for the next big industry of pop culture to have their time in the sun. The Oscars host the biggest night for movies, allowing for every actor and actress to have their moment in the spotlight. The Oscars aired last Sunday night, which marked the 86th Academy Awards. This memorable event was filled with gorgeous gowns and great movies. With the host being the hilarious Ellen DeGeneres, the night was sure to be a hit right from the start.

        The night began with the infamous Red Carpet event, with every actor and actress dressed to the nines. There was the splash of red from Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams in a flowing navy dress and Matthew McConaughey looking damper in a white suit. The stars were ready for a stunning night.

        To begin, the nominees for best picture were filled with creditable movies and the battle to win best picture were sure to be tough. The best picture nominees were American Hustle, Captain Philips, Dallas Buyer Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and The Wolf of Wall Street. 12 Years a Slave won best picture.

        DeGeneres started the night off with her typically infectious humor. Throughout the night she walked through the crowd interacting with the audience. She even gave Bradley Cooper lottery tickets and ordered pizza for everyone in the audience. DeGeneres’s efforts to involve the crowd made this year’s Oscars truly unique.

        The nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role also consisted of many talented actors who have been known for their movies over the years. Christian Bale, Bruce Nern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Matthew McConaughey were all nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role.  McConaughey won Best Actor in a leading role.

        The women in the category for Best Actress in a Leading Role were also widespread and talented.  Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep were all nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role.  Blanchett won Best Actress in a Leading Role.

        The Academy Awards recognizes not only main actors and actresses but supporting roles as well. A few notable names on the list were Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jonah Hill. Jared Leto from Dallas Buyer Club won Best Supporting Actor and Lupita Nyong'o from 12 years a Slave won Best Supporting Actress.

        Now, many people may wonder how certain movies get nominated and picked to win an Oscar. Well, the people who nominated these movies are not some random people on the streets, but members of the Academy. These members have to watch movies produced for the year and nominated which ones they think are the best.

The nomination process is based on more than just a movie being good, but an intense list that credits the movie artistic merits and the technicality of the film. Once all the votes are in the nominees are listed and the Academy ultimately decides who wins the Oscar. With everything considered, winning an Oscar is very hard to do, due to the fact that the people on the Academy truly know what it takes to make a flawless movie.

        Now, the Oscars isn’t just blockbuster movies and A-list actors but also many other things such as Best Animated Feature,  Best Costume Design, Best Directing, and Best Foreign Language Film.

        The diversity and range of talent awarded at the Oscars is truly outstanding. The categories that range from talented actors and actresses to the unique process behind the Oscars, all contribute to making the Oscars one of the most unique nights in Hollywood.