Theaters revisit a classic, Gone with the Wind

by Erica Rabito

Sunday, September 28 marked the return of Gone with the Wind to movie theaters for the first time in years. This triumphant return was prompted by the 75^th anniversary of the classic,  which was originally filmed in 1939. Last Sunday dozens of people, young and old, filed into theaters across the country to view one of the world’s most watched movies, along with others who love it as much as they do.

            Ever since its release 75 years ago, Gone with the Wind has been beloved by nearly everyone who has seen it. Set in the “old South” before and during the Civil War, this four hour epic tells the tale of the fiery and indomitable southern belle Scarlett O’Hara and her journey through love, hardship, and survival during one of the most turbulent times in American history.

            This woman’s life takes countless twists and turns throughout the movie. Her love for a man that can never love her and all of the challenges she is faced with on her own proves to be quite a conflict. After escaping a war-torn Atlanta she promises to herself that no matter what, she and her family will never have to be hungry again.

            Once she meets Rhett Butler, a suave, intelligent, and largely free-thinking man, they butt heads and bicker endlessly before becoming arguably the world’s most famous, though turbulent, romantic couple.

            Despite being filmed over seven decades ago, this plot holds up and is still as heart pounding and heart breaking as ever. In addition to the solid and enticing plot, the cinematography of this movie is equally breathtaking. One of the first movies filmed completely in Technicolor, this new technological advancement was fully taken advantage of. Everything from the fiery expanse of Atlanta to the sunsets at Scarlett’s beloved plantation, Tara, is as beautiful and diverse as the story.

            All of these aspects certainly add to the magic of this movie as a whole, with amazing performances by the actors, ranging from main characters to supporting roles is what truly make this film a work of art. Vivien Leigh starring as Scarlett and Clark Gable as Rhett, gave the the best performances of their careers.  Olivia de Havilland as the sweet, forgiving Melanie and Leslie Howard as the brave, honorable object o Scarlett’s affections impressed as well.

            Hattie McDaniel, who played the faithful yet very opinionated servant of the O’Hara family, made history in the cinematic world as the first African American woman to win an Academy Award.  However, she was not the only Oscar winner in the star-studded cast of Gone with the Wind. Vivien Leigh won for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Victor Fleming won for Best Director, and the film itself won Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards.

            Gone with the Wind truly holds the essence of what a movie should be. It is beautiful, heartbreaking, touching, empowering, and above all else, a masterpiece. Its last showing in theaters is on Wednesday, October 1, and everyone who is able should take the opportunity to see this work of art on the big screen, before it is gone again. This is a film truly deserves to be seen by all, and one that everyone deserves to see at least once in their lifetime. 

A movie poster for Gone with the Wind
photo by Employee(s) of MGM [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The unifying power of music

by Laura Zakrewski

Music is one of the greatest pleasures in life.  Almost everyone loves to listen to music, so it is often a common topic of conversation between students at Woburn Memorial High School.  Although there are many different styles of music to choose from, music as a whole brings us together as a class. 

            Modern pop is one of the most popular music genres among Woburn teenagers.  As soon as you reach the student parking lot, you’ll hear the sound of catchy pop tunes from Kiss 108.  Pop music is meant to be well-known, rhythmic, and repetitive so that listeners can easily sing along. The radio dominated songs are usually big hits with people at WMHS because they radiate an all-around, feel-good vibe.  Junior Janessa DeCata is a big fan of today’s pop music.

            “I love the music that is on the radio.  My favorite artist in the genre of pop is Ed Sheeran.  His songs are easy to listen to and his voice is really unique.  I don’t really like to listen to older music because I get sick of hearing the songs.  I prefer to move along with the beat of the music and find new radio songs to listen to,” explained DeCata. 

            On the other hand, many students also appreciate older styles of music from the influence of parents. Growing up, your mom and dad dictate what is played on the car radio and which music era you will grow up around.  That is why some students like to listen to classic oldies; because it is instilled in them from a very young age.  Junior Abbi Parker discusses her favorite style of music.

            “I actually listen to a lot of rock.  My dad got me into it when I was younger and I still love the sound.  Bands such as ACDC, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighters have music that makes me happy.  Smells like Teen Spirit will always be a hit in my book,” stated Parker. 

            The best station for oldies rock is on 105.7 where they constantly play rock bands such as the one’s Parker mentioned.  While rock may be a popular genre among students, R & B, soul and rap are also well loved styles of music. 

            Old school R & B is a style of music that influenced many rap artists of today. Ray Charles, Diana Ross, and Mariah Carey are all singers that shaped the R & B industry. Respect by Aretha Franklin is even considered to be one of the greatest songs of this genre. 

            Country music is another style that Woburn students embrace.  Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Miranda Lambert are just a few of the many country artists that make up the genre.  Country concerts are known as some of the biggest summer stadium shows around.

            It is impossible to discuss every genre of music in one article; there are just far too many. However, it is clear that no matter what songs are on your iPod, music is something that can connect you closer to those around you.    

            

The return of fall television

by Michaela Zelandi      
The one silver lining to school getting back in session may be the fact that this means television’s most beloved shows are gearing up again for their new seasons.  Therefore, students now have even more reasons to procrastinate. Nobody can resist the temptation of a brand new episode on their favorite television show, just waiting to be watched on the DVR.

The CW has a new superhero TV show premiering on Tuesday, October 7, exciting fans of the comic book hero the Flash, everywhere.  This new show, “The Flash”, is a spin-off of another popular CW superhero show, “Arrow”.  “The Flash” is supposedly more upbeat and comical than “Arrow” and stars Grant Gustin as Barry Allen as well as former Disney child star Danielle Panabaker.  Superhero fan and junior Jake Marquis offers his opinion of the upcoming series.        

             “Basically his superhero ability is that he is super-fast, so he’s running all the time, yet they put him in a leather suit.  It’s ridiculous, but the show has promise,” explained Marquis.

                Not only are “Arrow” and its spinoff premiering in October, but also “The Vampire Diaries” and its spin-off, “The Originals”.  “The Vampire Diaries” is due back for its fifth season on October 2 and “The Originals” for its second season on October 3.  Warning: Spoiler alerts ahead.  “The Vampire Diaries” is set up for quite an interesting season, with Alaric back and Damon gone.  Senior Louis Walusimbi is looking forward to all the shows mentioned above.

               “The best parts of the season by far, are the returning TV shows.  I can’t wait to watch ‘Supernatural’, ‘The Originals’, ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’.  ‘The Vampire Diaries’ was pretty weak last season, but I’m still going to watch and hope it gets off to a better start and continues strong,” exclaimed Walusimbi.

              As Walusimbi stated, the fan favorite, “Supernatural” is coming back on October 7 for its tenth season.  The fans of this show are obviously very dedicated and are anticipating a new twist at the end of season nine, which they can’t wait to find out about.

             Junior Mollie Fraser, a “Supernatural” mega fan, gives her thoughts on the upcoming season. Once again: Spoilers ahead!

            “The hiatus was more like a hellatus to me, because I was so anxious to see how the new season is going to turn out.  All my favorite shows, especially ‘Supernatural’, ended on cliffhangers.  With Dean as a demon now, the entire show is going to be completely different than any other previous season, which makes me nervous for his character, but also curious too,” explained Fraser. 

           Another show coming back that is surely thrilling fans everywhere is, of course “The Walking Dead”, whose new season premieres on October 12.  With a new rumor surfacing about the show, followers of the show like Marquis are ready for the upcoming season.

         “I am super excited that ‘The Walking Dead’ is coming back, especially since a rumor dropped that Daryl Dixon may not be straight.  He’s a major character that isn’t the ‘stereotypical gay’, so I feel like this could be major step in not only character development, but also equality,” stated Marquis.
         Other shows that people everywhere are anxiously awaiting for include “American Horror Story: Freak Show” on October 8,(with producer Ryan Murphy stating that he is worried that this season will be too scary for viewers), “Grimm” on October 24, “2 Broke Girls” on October 27 and “Bob’s Burgers” on October 5. 

Don’t dis my ability: changing society’s perception on people with disabilities

Emily O'Mahoney displays the new handicap logo.
photo by Jack O'Mahoney

by Emily Crampton

As Chapter President of Best Buddies at Woburn Memorial High School, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Best Buddies Leadership Conference in 2013, where I met some of my now closest friends. There is truly nothing like spending a weekend surrounded by people who are passionate about the same thing you are, and, for me, that happened to be Best Buddies and the Disability Rights Movement.

            Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that matches students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in one-to-one friendships with students without those disabilities. Their mission is to “establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” This club helps integrate students with disabilities into the community, and helps them form friendships that they may not otherwise have. Throughout the school year, Best Buddies hosts monthly events for its members, including holding a Halloween Dance, attending Best Buddies Massachusetts Prom and spreading awareness about the Spread the Word to End the Word movement, which is a movement dedicated to stopping the use of the word “retard” or “retarded” as it is degrading to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Similarly, the Disability Rights Movement’s mission is to empower people with disabilities and to ensure that they have equal opportunities presented to those without disabilities.

            While I was at the Best Buddies Leadership Conference in Indiana, I became very close friends with people who shared my passion for Best Buddies. One of the most remarkable people I met was Kayla O’Mahoney. When I met O’Mahoney, she was going into her senior year at Maynard High School in Massachusetts, and was Chapter President of her high school’s Best Buddies Chapter. She quickly became one of my best friends. Her passion for Best Buddies inspired me, and it was great to have someone to collaborate with for ideas for our chapters.

            As a senior at Maynard High School, O’Mahoney had to complete a senior project and knew she wanted it to be about how people with disabilities are perceived in our society. O’Mahoney shared her ideas on society’s view of people with disabilities.

            “The prevalence of disabilities in nearing a quarter of our population. This is not the time to deny and neglect that statistic; it is time to accept it and accept what makes people different,” said O’Mahoney.

            When O’Mahoney’s grandfather sent her a Boston Globe article about the Accessible Icon Project, she knew that it was perfect for her senior project. She took the new handicap logo, in which the person in the wheelchair is slanted forward to show action and to emphasize person before wheelchair, and went to her town leaders to see if she could put the new logo in local parking lots. After she got permission, she paid $85 for 10 stickers with the new logo which she placed in her high school parking lot. O’Mahoney explained her goal for her senior project.

            “My goal in carrying out the implantation of the Accessible Icon Project is not to be politically correct. It is to help change society’s perspective on differences. It is to shift society’s perspective towards the idea that we all have ‘different’ abilities, not disabilities,” explained O’Mahoney.

            O’Mahoney is now at Ursinus College, but still wants to continue spreading the Accessible Icon Project throughout her community here as well as at Ursinus. She is changing the view of society that people with disabilities are “less” than those without them, which is a truly remarkable thing. She continues to inspire me with her passion, and I am very glad I met her through Best Buddies. 

Caffeine: once you start it's hard to stop

Caffeine can impact teens in unknown ways.
Photo by Sylvar via Instagram/CC

by Mairead O'Riordan

Everybody, at one point in his or her life, knows the feeling of sleeping through the alarm.  While they are scurrying to get ready for their busy day, they might not realize that they forget to make a coffee or tea until they start to experience some of the side effects.  The most common symptoms that can occur from missing your daily dose of caffeine are a headache and sleepiness.

            If a person forgets to take their daily dose of caffeine, his or her body will start experiencing the uncomfortable side effects.  Caffeine withdrawal is now recognized as a disorder because caffeine can be as addictive as drugs.  The body starts to depend on the caffeine in a mild way but it does not harm the body nearly as much as more addictive drugs would.  Once a people start working caffeine into their daily routines, their bodies becomes used to the ways in which it helps them become more alert.  This makes it hard work it out of their lives.

            Many young kids start consuming caffeine on a regular basis whether it is from soda, energy drinks, or coffee and tea, making it hard for them to cut it out of their life.  Kids today start consuming caffeine when they have to stay up late to finish an assignment and end up not getting a lot of sleep.

           What people don't actually know about caffeine is it is actually doing the opposite of what they want it to do.  They think consuming caffeine will keep them alert throughout their day, but the more caffeine that is consumed throughout the day, the more health problems can occur.  Too much caffeine intake can actually cause anxiety, dizziness and insomnia.  Also, if a person is just consuming caffeine then it can cause acid reflex and heart burn to occur.  The biggest problem that can occur with too much caffeine is dehydration.  Dehydration, in most cases, may cause a person to get a headache, but someone who does not know they are dehydrated might think they need to have more caffeine, and, as a result, making their symptoms worse.

            People, especially young kids, who are addicted to caffeine, should start to consume less of it each day until they do not depend on it anymore.  Water is the best drink to have throughout the day because it keeps you hydrated and also keeps you alert just like caffeine does.  Depending on how much caffeine a person has a day, their detox may last a few days or a few weeks; but, eliminating it from your everyday life will be worth it in the long run.  Nobody should have to depend on caffeine, and, when it is completely gone from someone's life he or she will feel so much better without it!