NFL Draft Summary

by Devin Cloherty 

Each spring, all 32 NFL teams and their executives gather in New York City to pick the best and boldest prospects in college football.  Some players pan out, others bust, and a few even greatly exceed expectations.  Year after year, teams strive to find the man they can base their organization around.  More often than not, this savior is a quarterback, the hero of the gridiron.

                This year’s quarterback class featured a few elite quarterbacks, expected to make an instant impact, in addition to a few QB’s who have a ways to go before achieving NFL stardom.  The 3 biggest names in the draft were all picked in the first round of the draft; Blake Bortles to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnny Manziel to the Cleaveland Browns, and Teddy Bridgewater to the Minnesota Vikings.

                All three of these teams are in need of a franchise QB, and a serious turnaround.  Jacksonville is relying heavily on 3^rd overall pick Blake Bortles , the highest drafted QB this season.  In college, Bortles’s stats were not necessarily outrageous, but his film was more than impressive.  Blake had a knack for winning in college, backed up by his excellent passer rating, decision making, and ability to move both in and out of the pocket.  Most NFL analysts agree that Blake is far and away the most polished and NFL ready of the quarterback class, excellent news for woeful Jags fans coming off a four-win season and 6 year playoff draught.

                With the 22^nd pick in the draft, The Cleveland Browns selected the biggest name in college football, Johnny Manziel.  After just two seasons of stirring the pot on and off the field, Johnny Football declared himself draft eligible.  Manziel won a laundry list of awards his freshman year en route to smashing records for total offensive production.  Though a barrage of controversy swirled around Manziel between his freshman and sophomore years, he bounced back with ridiculous number in 2013.  In his sophomore season, he quietly threw for 37 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards, in addition to rushing for 9 touchdowns and 760 yards.  The Browns have played in postseason since 2002, but with the introduction of walking headline Johnny Manziel, things are looking up.

                The last of the three major QB’s in the draft was 32^nd overall pick, Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings.  Bridgewater has drawn criticism for his fragility and inconsistency, despite boasting a monstrous stat sheet and leading Louisville to 10 victories.  Bridgewater is arguably the most naturally gifted of the QB’s in the draft, noted for his spectacular arms strength and ability to avoid the pass rush and throw on the run.  Since Brett Favre’s retirement in the 2010, the Vikings have struggled valiantly to fill the void at Quarterback.  Only a year removed from the playoffs, the Vikings have the potential to threaten the NFC between Bridgewater and former MVP running back Adrian Peterson. 

                Over the next few rounds, the Raiders, Patriots, Texans, Cardinals, and Bengals all picked decent young prospects to compete for and deepen the quarterback position on their team.  Derek Carr and Tom Savage have a fighting chance to start for the Raiders and Texans respectively.  Even the QB’s picked in the later rounds could prove themselves in years to come.  Unexpected young stars pop up all the time.  Perhaps the next Tom Brady and Russell Wilson will show up in the NFL.  Only time will tell the impact of this year’s quarterback class will have on the NFL.

The Dystopian Craze

by Kylie Romano

The Hunger Games and Divergent have recently become some of the most successful book series and movie franchises.  They, along with a multitude of very successful— but not quite as popular—books, have brought dystopian fiction novels to the forefront of popular culture.  What makes these books so appealing to today’s teens?  The simple answer is that prevalent themes in stories of dystopian societies are directly relatable to American teenagers, while the stories themselves have enough action and creativity in their plotlines to remain interesting and exciting to readers. 

            Dystopian fiction tells the story of a corrupt society or government, and often focuses on one main character whose destiny it is to expose and overthrow this power.  This requires the character to have to break the mold of the society they grew up in.  Most stories end in an uprising of sorts against those corrupt ones in power by the protagonist and a relatively small group of followers made up of common people. 

High school students like freshman Hannah Bolster
can't get enough of Veronica Roth's Divergent.
Photo by Abby Gillis

Such a major part of high school is finding out who you are—your strengths, your weaknesses, what interests you.  Most students struggle with the conflict of being themselves while still “fitting in” with those around them.  Main characters that struggle to fit into their own society and is not sure of their role at first is directly relatable.  Characters that are able to find their role and fulfill it encourage readers that they can do the same.

Students in high school can often relate to an underdog as well.  Teachers, coaches, parents, and other adults are here to help and guide students.  However, at times rules feel restrictive.  Not being able to make all of one’s decisions can be frustrating.  This is especially true with older teens, who are close to college or jobs, where they will, for the most part, be responsible for making all of their decisions.  Characters who are not afraid to stand up and defy authority appeal to such students.

Another element that can be found in many dystopian fiction novels is that of love and relationships, whether between the character and their parents, friends, or girl/boyfriend.  Many characters go through major changes in their relationships with others.  This reflects the constantly shifting relationships of those in high school, especially those preparing to leave home.  Teenage readers are able to relate to the shifting feelings of the characters in the novels.

In reality, the popularity of dystopian novels among young readers is not surprising.  Most teens struggle to some degree with having to listen to or follow authority.  Many are unsure of what they want to do or who they wish to be.  Their relationships with those around them are shifting almost constantly.  Confident, rebellious protagonists with similar insecurities and feelings appeal to a wide variety of readers, but especially to teenage readers.

WMHS participates in all-school, one-take lib dub

Video Transcript:

by Margarita Forbes, Alexander Paladino, Michaela Zelandi and Laura Zakrewski

Woburn Memorial High School seniors alongside the rest of the classes are continuing a tradition begun by last year’s Yearbook club, the Lip Dub.

The event, commonly referred to as the Lip Dub, is a trend among high schools across the nation where select leaders in the school lip sync a song while other students cheer them on in a performance of school pride and spirit.

“The inspiration came from last year, actually, because last year, they [Class of 2013 Yearbook Staff] did a lib dub,” said senior Dylan Scott, who spearheaded the entire project.

However, this year’s Yearbook club want[ed] to take this year’s lib dub a step further by including the whole school and more pre-planning.

“This year we’re going to have the whole school involved, where last year they just had the seniors involved. And, we’re going to try to cover a lot more of the school this year so you get to see more of it as opposed to just a few areas they saw last year,” said Scott.

Fine Art Department Head and Yearbook Adviser, Susan Thifault discussed the planning that goes into a project like the lip dub.

“It took Mrs. Getherall probably about ten hours to make the maps upstairs—they’re all done on Auto CAD—and the stations. She had to go find every sixth period teacher and find out how many kids are in each class to designate where the stations would go, “ said Thifault.

The lip dub was filmed throughout Woburn High School on April 16, 2014 and is going to be revealed May 22, 2014. (Click here to see the actual Lip Dub)

Drafting Michael Sam: the NFL makes history

by Tyler Movsessian

Just eight picks before the NFL draft came to a close on Saturday, May 10, Rodger Godell, NFL Commissioner said, “with the 249 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select….. Michael Sam, Defensive End from Missouri University.”

This is when the NFL made history as Sam is now the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. Clearly, there are many good things that come from this, but there are many layers to this onion. Where do the Rams go from here? 

Just three months before the moment his name was called, the all-SEC defensive end from Missouri University came out as gay. He wanted to let the world know who he was and that he could be an accepted member of any NFL football team, no matter what his sexual orientation was.

It all happened in an interview with Chris Connelly from ESPN’s Outside the Lines. He told the media that he was gay. Then the media blew up. He got many positive responses from most fans, however some negative from anti-gay activists. Many NFL analysts (who remained anonymous) told Sports Illustrated that they expected Sam to fail at the NFL draft due to this announcement.

Later, after the Missouri Tigers defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2014 Cotton Bowl, Sam and other teammates were scheduled to receive the trophy at halftime of a Missouri basketball game. A group of about 15 anti-gay activists went to the game protested his appearance, however, the students protested back in support for Sam, numbering in the hundreds if not thousands.

Then in March, Sam went to the NFL combine where his draft stock fell. He was expected to be an early-round selection, but after a subpar performance in the combine it contributed to Sam dropping to a late-round pick.

Sam was selected with the 249 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Sam, who was not present at the draft, received a televised phone call from the team president informing him about his selection to the team. Sam was immediately in tears, to the point where he was unable to stand up, kissed his boyfriend, and hugged family and friends.

The media was all over the coverage of every angle of his selection and he may have been the most talked about seventh-round draft pick in NFL history. His Ram’s jersey was second in sales only behind first-round selection and Heisman trophy winner’s Johnny Manziel’s for the Cleveland Browns.

The reaction to his selection was mainly positive, including that from President Barack Obama.

“Congratulations Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation's journey…from the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are,” said Obama.

The Rams may have put themselves in a precarious position. Suppose they cut Sam from the team due to a subpar performance in the pre-season, will they be labeled as homophobic? Only time will tell. Sam believes that he can be in the NFL for just business and not be a distraction to the teams goals in the 2014 season. It will be interesting to watch for the next big Sam headline. 

Does the dress make the person?

by Erica Rabito

Woburn High has recently reiterated and clarified the dress code guidelines for its students to follow, and it has been highly discussed among students and faculty alike. Its many new rules include the banning of tank tops, shorts or skirts higher than mid-thigh, pajama pants, and, among many other articles of clothing, ones “that cause undue attention to be called to the wearer.”

            Although some outfits, such as those that promote drug use or those that are purposely offensive to others should certainly be frowned upon in schools, it seems unfair and oppressive to limit what a student can otherwise wear to school.

            Clothes, besides their obvious purpose, serve as a way for people to express themselves, and as a way for them to be comfortable in their own skin. If someone feels comfortable in a turtleneck and jeans, that is what they feel comfortable in, and that is ok. If someone feels comfortable in a miniskirt and a tank top, that is what they feel comfortable in, and that is ok. A person’s body does not need to be over-sexualized to the point of banning shorter shorts and skirts, and the person who is doing the over-sexualizing needs to be punished instead of the victim. Teens and people in general are very often uncomfortable about their appearances to begin with, and telling them that yet another thing about their appearance is wrong can only do more damage to their already fragile self-esteem.

            In addition to the harm that can be caused by limiting the clothes a person can wear, the restricted items of clothing are very clearly stated (and it is also clearly stated that these are not the limits of possible restrictions), but the reasons they are needed are not as clearly defined. “Because of health, safety and other reasons,” are what is given as an explanation, but it is difficult to see how either health or safety can be affected by what a person chooses to put on their bodies.

            Safety is the point that is the most troubling out of the two. Is the safety of the school the one in question, or is it that of the student wearing the banned clothes? If it is indeed the safety of the student that is in question, the method of dealing with this safety issue needs to be changed. Instead of telling a student to change what he or she is wearing to protect themselves, tell whomever that is going to harm them that it is not acceptable to do so. Punish the aggressor, not the victim.

            All and all, as stated in the list of banned clothing, “The clothes you wear make a statement about you.” Clothes are usually not chosen to offend, to disgust, or to provoke other people. They are chosen by the wearer as an expression of who they are, and how they want to be seen by the world. The way others view and judge what people choose to wear needs to be questioned, not whether or not the clothes are “inappropriate”. 

Goodbye high school, hello college

by Gabby Lucci

Today is the seniors' final day of school. It is crazy how fast time passes and we are finally leaving. Today when I walked into the school I saw a group of girls crying and guys surrounding them. The guys were trying to comfort them but they didn’t really understand why they were crying. Of course the guys are trying to be a lot tougher than they actually are. Everyone is taking us leaving pretty hard.

Mrs. Gillis read her final essay from high school to us today in class and it was pretty emotional. The journey that we have all been on throughout these four years of high school is over. We are done. It’s time to start a new journey in our long lives. Everyone will be taking different paths but the mixed emotions we are all feeling are the same. We want to leave and start something new but going to school is all we know.

Even though this is our final day of actual school we still have finals and senior week to go through. Prom is next Thursday and graduation still isn’t for a few more weeks. We will be seeing our underclassmen friends still and even though it’s sad to be leaving them, they will stay in our hearts. I have a lot of friends that aren’t seniors and every single one of them have been coming up to me and telling me they want me to fail so I cannot leave. It’s a sweet sentiment and I know they will all miss me and I’ll miss them. My friends were the only thing that even got me through high school and I will have to make all new ones in college.

I’m going to love my friends new and old all the same. These last few weeks of belonging to Woburn High are going to be bittersweet and I will love them. 

Woburn High gets a taste of Thai culture

by Julie O’Melia

Julie O'Melia hangs at Faneuil Hall out with her Thai counterpart Rika.
photo by Lauren McCarthy

It’s no secret that the students of Woburn High are outgoing and are always up to something new. Everywhere you look students are making the front page of The Daily Times for outstanding academic achievements, winning huge games and putting on amazing performances. Not only are students at Woburn High involved, they are also always up for a new adventure. That being said, this past April the students were lucky enough to take part in something worldly.

            The Thai-Student Exchange was set up through the Woburn Public School System with huge help from staff members such as Ken Blazka. The purpose of this “exchange” was for the students at Woburn High to get the opportunity meet students from the other side of the world, and learn from them. Approximately fifteen Thai students were assigned to various students that were to act as “ambassadors” from the Freshmen Mentoring program at the high school.  The exchange students followed their “ambassadors” around for the week and even got to spend some time with them outside of school. More students from Thailand were participating in an exchange just like the one at Woburn High, except at they were at the Joyce Middle School. All of this would lead up to a fun-filled field trip into Boston on Friday, and a special performance was put on at the end of the week. 

            The students were from all over Thailand and many had not met each other until they left for The United States. The students were traveling all over America and were to stay for the month. New York was first on their list, and Boston was the second stop. They thought it would be a great way to better their stay in America by giving the kids the opportunity to meet some new people.

            Those that were “ambassadors” thought the experience was amazing, and felt lucky to have been chosen to take part in it. Junior Shannon Busa was one of the Freshmen Mentors that was assigned a student, Jenny, who she bonded well with and will miss very much.

            “The experience was amazing. Jenny was so fun and outgoing. She taught me all about Thai culture and I’m glad that I was a part of this program,” exclaimed Busa. “I would love to do it again!”

            Not only were the students fun and outgoing, they were also extremely smart and courageous. One can hardly imagine how nerve-wracking it would be to travel to another part of the world with people you haven’t met before. The students brought a sense of optimism to Woburn High that they too could broaden their horizons as much as the Thai students.

            The real fun started at the end of the week when the students were brought into Boston for the day. History teacher Ken Blazka, gave the students a taste of Bostonian culture by visiting Bunker Hill and The Constitution.  After that it was time for lunch and exploring at Faneuil Hall. The Thai student’s fashion sense was impeccable, so they enjoyed strolling through the various shops such as Urban Outfitters and American Eagle.

            The most memorable moment of the whole experience had to be the Thai students performance at the very end of their stay in Woburn. They performed a self-choreographed traditional Thai dance for both the high school and middle school. The amount of effort put into the performance truly showed the compassion of the students, and their respect for everyone they meet.  Even those who weren’t part of the program felt that they benefitted from the experience as well. Junior Jackie Spolidoro personally loved the experience.

            “I thought it was really cool how they came all the way from Thailand to stay here. I talked to a few different girls in my classes and they were just so nice,” shared Spolidoro.

            To cap off the exchange the ambassadors and their students watched Frozen and ate pizza together before seeing them off. It was a sad goodbye because so many friendships were made. A lot was learned from each other, and so many memories were made. The Thai Student Exchange with Woburn High was truly a beautiful thing.

Avoiding the harmful rays of the sun

by Hanna Souhail

The weather is finally getting nice in New England and everyone wants to go outside and do their favorite activities.  Whether it is hiking, bike riding or playing a match of tennis, you will surely be outdoors soaking up the sun.  But wait!  Have you thought about how harmful the sun is to your body?  Of course, we should always protect ourselves from UV radiation, but during the spring and summer months, it becomes even more important.  Obviously, UV rays are strong all year long, but exposure is its greatest during spring and summer (May-August), because that is also the time of year when we spend most of our time in the great outdoors.  Although we enjoy all this relaxing, outdoor leisure time, take into consideration the harm we may potentially be putting are bodies at risk of, and learn some ways of how to protect against them.

            The sun causes plenty of skin changes, most of which we consider beautiful, such as bronzed skin.  But ultraviolet rays also cause skin damage.  For one, UV rays cause skin fibers called elastin to break down, which in the long term causes skin to stretch and sag.  You will also see some wrinkles soon!

            Aside from your newly earned wrinkles, skin can also become discolored.  Freckles and redness are sure to come along after being over exposed to the sun.  Although saggy, discolored skin is unpleasant, the sun can cause even worse problems.

            Consider the diseases and illnesses we put ourselves at risk for, just to achieve a nice summer glow.  UV radiation, especially from the sun, is the number one cause of skin cancers, melanoma being the deadliest.  Please, do not put yourself at risk of cancer to enjoy a nice day out in the sun.

            Even though cancer is at the severe end of the spectrum, there are also milder sicknesses which can occur.  Sun burns happen to almost everyone, especially those with fair skin.  However, your sun burn can be even more dangerous than you think.  Although you may believe you are red from the burn, you may actually have a more sever burn, called sun poisoning.  Symptoms of the poisoning include skin redness, swelling, dizziness, dehydration, nausea, and headaches.  Not fun, right?

            If any of these have already happened to you, remove yourself from the sun.  If not, here are ways to protect yourself from any future outbreaks.  First of all, wear sunscreen, at least SPF 30, but if you can, make the SPF even higher.  Search for sunscreens which are labeled “broad-spectrum,” so you know that you will be protected against both UVA and UVB rays.

            Limit your sun exposure.  Although we can burn from being in the sun for only a short amount of time, the longer we stay, the higher our risk becomes of suffering from any of the above symptoms or illnesses.

            Wear protective clothing.  Hats, visors and sunglasses protect both our faces and eyes from sun exposure.  While at the beach, throw on a cover up while lounging or strolling.  The more clothing we have on, the lower our risk becomes.

            So, although we all enjoy our fun in the sun, we need to take the time to prepare ourselves from the dangerous exposures.  Apply sunscreen before heading out to do any outdoor activity, whether it be going to the beach or having a picnic.  Throw sunglasses and a long sleeve shirt into your bag on the way out the door.  The more precautions we take, the less likely we will suffer, and the more fun we will have.

Bibliography:

"Sun Poisoning: Symptoms and Treatment." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

"Sun Exposure, Skin Cancer, and Other Sun Damage." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Apr.       2014.

Your future is in your hands

by Meghan Quinn

The secrets of Palmistry are revealed in this picture.
Photo by Jana from FreePeople.com/CC 

Have you ever wondered what your future would be like? Or maybe your calling in life, or your personality type? The key to all of your troubles might be in the palm of your hands, literally. Of course you use your hands for everything under the sun, but have you ever actually stopped and wondered what all those freaky little lines are for? They must have a purpose.

            From the tip of your middle finger all the way down to the beginning of your wrist holds a secret meaning. This art is otherwise known as Palmistry. Palmistry has been around for thousands of years and has been used by fortune tellers to tell the future.

            Long lanky fingers, or short sausage stubs are all welcome to the Palmistry party. If you have long fingers it means you are detail-oriented, full of ideas, think things through, and tend to be critical. Having short fingers means that you look at the big picture and are more of a realist. The index finger is the most important finger in palm reading. The index finger helps describe a person’s self-image. A long index finger indicates a natural born leader with some high standards. Shorter index fingers signify lower self-esteem and trouble expressing feelings.

            So, let’s get down to the reason why you clicked on this—the palm lines, the meaning of life stuff. Obviously your palm lines are not going to give you the insight to create a golden pathway through life, but they may help you understand yourself a little bit better.

            There are three crucial lines that most palm readers generate towards. When palm reading the dominant hand is usually the one chosen. If you’re a right handed person it would be that one or vice versa. The dominant hand represents your present and past life, while the less dominant hand represents your life ahead.

            The heart line can be found around the top of a person’s palm. It represents love and attraction, along with your emotional living. If you find your heart line under your index finger, you are content with your own love life. If it is found below your middle finger, you are usually most selfish when in love. You fall in love easily if your heart line is found between you index finger and middle finger. A short love line means you might be interested in other things than finding romance in your life. If you wear your heart on your sleeve chances are your heart line is long.

            The second most important line is known as the head line. The head line is located just below the heart line. This line stands for the human mind and the way to works. If you don’t crave the challenge of something fairly difficult and intellectual or you’re not a creative person blame your head line. A curvy head line means you are creative. If it is straight it means you are more practical. If you love psychical accomplishment you must have a short line. A clear and focused thinker? Why of course your head line is long. A wavy line means you have a short attention span; if you have taken various breaks while reading this, don’t even look at your palm, you have a wavy line.

            The third line is called your life line. But don’t worry, if it’s short it doesn’t mean you are going to die. It just symbolizes a person’s well-being. This line is located at the edge of your palm slightly above the thumb and winds its way down to your wrist. If your life line is close to your thumb, you’ve been cursed with low energy and sleepiness. A wide and curvy life line indicates lots of energy. If you have been wondering why you are cautious in relationships, blame your straight life line. A long and defined line stands for inner strength and vitality. Careful, if you have a short and shallow one, you may be manipulated easily.

            Palm reading or Palmistry is not meant to determine the outflow of your entire life, but can be something fun to do. Compare it to that childhood game of mash; did you ever end up even talking to the person you got paired with? Nobody ever knows for sure what the future holds for themselves. Who knows, maybe your palms are the answer to your prayers and maybe they are not.

Bibliography

Linsao, Katy. "How to Read Your Fingers.” 7 Steps (with Pictures). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Hall, Alissa. "Timeless Spirit Magazine." Timeless Spirit Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014