Robbie Rosen returns from Idol page 4

One senior’s life-saving CPR experience

page 5

Solid start for girls’ lacrosse

page 15

Budget cuts have caused the elimination of several assistant varsity coaches at Calhoun this spring. Though the whispers of the move started last year when the weight room was reduced to only one-third of its availability, both the baseball and soft ball teams are feeling the loss of a coach. The move leaves athletes and coaches won-dering how many other teams may fall victim to the fi nancial crunch. Across the state and the na-tion, schools are feeling the pres-sure of cutbacks, relinquishing cer-tain spending in order to keep other programs and positions running. Kennedy and Mepham High Schools also suf-fered the same loss to their varsity coaching staff s. “The cutbacks were made on teams where it wouldn’t impact the number of players on the team,” said Principal David Seinfeld. “For example, baseball keeps 18 kids with one coach and one assistant. The decisions from this point for-ward will be made as best as pos-

sible to not eliminate coaches if it will lessen the number of students who can participate. The want of the board and the superintendent is not to deny in any way student-athletes an opportunity to partici-pate in any given sport.” Teams such as girls’ lacrosse, which is able to keep their coach for the 2011 season, realize the im-

portance of hav-ing the extra au-thority fi gure on the fi eld. “We are very fortunate to still have Coach [Ju-lianna] LaLuna,” said junior Talia Charidah. “If Coach [James]Raucci isn’t there or we want to do more than one thing at once, we know that we can count on her to be there.” The Bellmore-

Merrick District is not taking the loss of these coaches lightly, but for the time being it is necessary for the budget. Hopes for the future are to change the current situation and get coaches back. That being said, if the budget crisis continues, both the number of players and the assistant coaches of other teams may be threatened. “The want of the board and the superintendent is not to deny student-athletes an opportunity

to participate in a given sport,” Mr. Seinfeld said. “Some sports by their nature have cuts; the deci-sions will be made as best as pos-sible to not eliminate coaches if it will lessen the number of students who can participate, but if need be, diffi cult decisions will have to be made.” As for a solution, the district has suggested a cut on head coaches’ salaries in order to accumulate the money to rehire an assistant. An-other option would be to rework the budget in order to fi t in the sal-aries of assistant coaches and fi nd

somewhere else where spending could be suspended. The problem with that, however, is that the bud-get would have to be cut in another department, which could possibly cause even more problems. Having a full coaching staff may be a luxury athletes took for granted in the past. It may now be a disadvantage for athletes to no longer have the assistant coach for guidance on the fi eld, or to make practice more effi cient. Unfortu-nately for the district, the economy is unstable and publicly funded education is taking a hit.

Senior John Eyerman

by Tessa Patt iSports Editor

St. Baldrick’s 2011

Matt Calo, Conor Murphy, Nick Haile, Dan Ma, David Freese, and Anthony Kustas took part in St. Baldrick’s.

(photo by Dana Reilly)

Assistant coaches cut from spring sports

(photo by Holly Lavelli)

2 Hoofbeats April 2011 NEWS

Calhoun’s annual “Batt le of the Classes” saw major changes this year, which were intended to make the event more popular and excit-ing for the student body. The driving force behind these changes – which included renam-ing the event “Class Night” and rescheduling it for a Thursday eve-ning – was Student Government, which worked with the adminis-tration to ensure that the event ran smoothly. The old event was held at night for many years, but then moved to the aft ernoon about fi ve years ago. “There were discussions be-tween myself, the offi cers, and members, and we all agreed that during the day there was a poor showing, and that the best idea would be to move it back to night time,” explained Ms. Tanya Di-Mambro, club advisor of Student Government. According to Ms. DiMambro, the offi cers created a PowerPoint presentation and pitched their ideas to the administration, articu-lating compelling reasons to move Class Night back to night time. Student Government cited the success that Kennedy and Me-pham High Schools have had in regards to student behavior when class night was held on a Thursday night. “Having it then curves students’ temptation, since they have school the next day and aft er-school sports,” explained Ms. DiMambro. “It gives them a reason to be pro-

ductive.” The former Batt le of the Classes consisted of two teams, Seniors and Freshmen vs. Juniors and Sophomores, competing against each other. The new and improved Class Night featured each grade level as a separate team, allowing four teams to batt le it out. “It was a litt le awkward for se-niors to work with freshmen, and it was agreed that it was bett er to just separate the classes,” said Ms. DiMambro. There were new games and ac-tivities incorporated into the event. The classes were asked to choose a theme, and create an original team dance and cheer, to promote class camaraderie. Class night also served as an opportunity to promote and raise funds for an organization called Challenge Day, which sends trained leaders to high schools to facilitate an extensive program that is designed to promote posi-tive change in students’ att itudes about diversity and acceptance. The Leadership Class plans to host its own “Challenge Day” for Calhoun, through this organiza-tion. The funds raised from those who att ended Class Night were put towards the Challenge Day fund. Student Government treasurer Stephanie Lucke said, “It was good to put the classes against each other in a positive way, since we raised money for a great cause for the school.” By all measures, Class Night was a success, with 225 students in att endance and $684 raised.

Classes batt le it outby Emily Wrynn

Editor-in-Chief

The pie eating contest is always a fan favorite at the Student Government event.(photo provided by Rachel Tyson)

The juniors, decked out in red, were well-represented at the fi rst-annual “Class Night.”(photo provided by Rachel Tyson)

Though many events were changed, the jousting event was a hit with the crowd.(photo provided by Rachel Tyson)

News April 2011 Hoofbeats 3

Gone to Uganda It’s now the third year Senior Experience has raised over $15,000 on behalf of the Invisible Children foundation. As a result, senior Erin Zseller has been chosen to go to Uganda this summer to meet stu-dents, assist building an elemen-tary school, and help the cause. The trip to Uganda, for which Zseller will miss both her senior prom and graduation, is an honor she is excited for. Zseller expressed she is really looking forward to “seeing what’s going on in Ugan-da, to live the life of a child and bring it back here to tell people about the experience.” It is clear learning about the In-

visible Children and the life of a Ugandan child has already made a big impact on her life. “[The Invisible Children] has given me a whole new outlook in that there’s something far out there for me to change,” she said. For Zseller, it’s diffi cult to de-termine what she’s most excited for during her trip - just the experi-ence of being in Uganda is thrilling enough, not to mention shadow-ing a student there for a day and going white-water raft ing on the Nile River. Zseller’s quite aware this is an opportunity of a life-time and was selected from many other applicants in Senior Experi-ence to take this incredible journey through writing a preliminary es-say with lett ers of recommenda-

tion, and then completing a fi nalist interview. Throughout the year Zseller has already raised over $600 alone for the Invisible Children, mostly through her own fundraiser she created in her internship with Eng-lish teacher Mrs. Irene Ritaccio, where she off ered extra credit to her students if they wrote an es-say describing an insecurity and handed it in along with a donation of $20. Erin graded all the papers herself. Her passion for helping those in need has always been a part of who she is. During her sophomore year with fellow students Ashley Cawley and Genevieve Goodheart, Zseller founded Club Darfur, with faculty advisor Mrs. Beth Borzone,

to raise awareness about the geno-cide there. Zseller urges all students, even those outside the realm of Senior Experience, to get involved and help the Invisible Children. She recommends “participating in do-nations we have, like the fashion show, and learn as much as you can to spread the information to let everyone else know.” Zseller plans to att end SUNY Cortland in the fall and has already spoken to Calhoun alumnus Ra-chel Hendrix, who participated in this same trip in 2009 and att ends Cortland herself, about starting an Invisible Children group there in order to spread information and raise more money for the worthy cause.

by Philippa BoyesEditor-in-Chief

Shaved to save for cancer Raising over $50,000, Calhoun hosted its 5th annual St. Baldrick’s event, bringing the school’s total to $250,000 raised for research to fi ght children’s cancer. Opening up the event was junior and American Idol fi nalist, Robbie Rosen, who sang the National An-them. Over 150 boys shaved their heads and about 55 girls donated eight inches of their hair to the Locks of Love foundation. “This is one of the best events that we have at Calhoun, and to-

morrow is the best to see everyone with their shaved heads,” said so-cial studies teacher Brian Moeller. One male Calhoun staff mem-ber, Mr. Schwab, had enough hair to donate to Locks of Love. “I’m nervous, but excited. It’s for a good cause,” he said while wait-ing in line to make the cut. Other donors expressed their nerves, but were ultimately satis-fi ed with the selfl essness of the act they were about to do. It takes a lot of courage to chop off eight inches of your hair, but for a young child with cancer to be able to walk around with hair on their head

and a sense of pride is absolutely amazing. Junior Jessica Ruggiero said, “I’m nervous, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” The event was a success, draw-ing in hundreds of spectators, representatives from local news-papers, a spokeswoman for MSG Varsity, and hundreds of people willing to help the cause. Ms. Alana Baard’s cosmetology students shaved heads, alongside many professionals who donated their time and skill to giving the haircuts. One stylist, Nicole De-Marco, said, “I’m very proud to be part of this event. It is my second year doing it, and I hope to be a part of future events for this foun-dation.” Between the numerous loca-tions that gave generous donations for the raffl es and the hundreds of community members that came out to show their support, together this year’s St. Baldrick’s event was

a huge success. Math teacher Mrs. Julianna LaLuna, who helped run the night’s events, was satisfi ed with how the evening went. “Being a part of this is an amaz-ing experience. Watching all the girls get their hair cut and donate is a fulfi lling feeling.”

by Alex FoleyStaff Writer

Erin Zseller

heads to Africa

Freshman Jessie Foley is all smiles aft er donating her hair to charity.(photo by Alex Foley)

David Sack and Nick Haile show off their new haircuts.(photo by Alex Foley)

Sophomore Maggie Cavanaugh(photo by Alex Foley)

4 Hoofbeats April 2011 NEWS

Singing in front of 26 million viewers one week, writing AP es-says the next. This is the life of American Idol fi nalist and average Calhoun junior, Robbie Rosen. Rosen returned home from the competition aft er making it through several rounds and mak-ing a name for himself in the music business. Aft er plowing through Holly-wood Week and being selected as one of the top 24 fi nalists, Rosen was left out of the fi nal 12 choices. However, the community was on the edge of their couch cushions as Rosen was selected by the judges in the suspenseful wild card round for which he sang Elton John’s “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.” Although the performance didn’t secure him a spot in the top 12, it certainly did not go un-noticed. Countless publications proclaimed that the 16-year-old

had been denied a spot that he had earned and devout fans were heart broken across the country and on the Internet. Rolling Stone even published an article about Rosen titled “Robbie gets Robbed,” calling his farewell performance “earth-shatt ering.” The judges also raved about the young talent saying, “The Robbie we love is back,” making their fi nal decision to send him home only more confusing to viewers. Refl ecting on his experience, Rosen said he was “happy to go out on a high note,” calling it his “favorite performance” through-

out his Idol journey. Rosen’s Idol debut certainly was not his fi rst time on stage. While most kids were learning to ride a bike, Rosen was entertain-ing crowds and catching the eye of professionals in the music indus-try. He recalls his fi rst talent show at only 8 years old in Bohemia. Litt le did he know that despite having to restart his performance because his piano was facing the wrong way, his rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings” would catch the eye of his future manager and agent who would go on to help him start his musical career. Since that small talent show, Rosen has grown into a seasoned musician and credits much of his learning experiences to his Idol journey. “The show has gott en me so much exposure” Rosen said. “I’m really grateful.” Aft er returning home from California, Rosen’s music career has only gott en more exciting. He was featured during a New York

Islanders game where he helped raise funds and awareness for the Sophia’s Cure Foundation, a char-ity that supports Spinal Muscular Atrophy (also known as SMA). Before singing his original song “Make it Through,” which he had writt en for the cause, Rosen had an opportunity to meet with fans where he signed autographs and took pictures with the countless number of people who waited in line for a chance to meet him. He is also scheduled to perform at other local events. Rosen said he stills tunes in ev-ery week to American Idol to watch

his friends perform. Rosen formed a friendship with another young Idol contestant, Thia Megia, who he claimed is “almost like a litt le sister. Our moms have even be-come friends.” As for his bet for this year’s Idol winner he said, “It’s impossible to choose. They’re all so unique and everyone has their own specifi c genre that they’re great at.” For now, Rosen continues to make his transition back into regu-lar school life and continues to be a member of the Varsity baseball

team. One thing he might have to get used to is fan recognition, whether at an away baseball game or around school. Rosen recalled having come home one day to fi nd his neigh-bor’s friends waiting for him to sign autographs and take pictures. “It’s cool having people recog-nize me while I’m out,” he said. With high school graduation a year away, Rosen said he isn’t quite sure about colleges, but would love to go to a school where he could further pursue his musical career.

Robbie Rosen comes homeby Ashley McGetrick

Staff Writer

Rosen, 16, impressed the judges and made it through to Hollywood week.(with permission from americanidol.com)

Rosen (bott om right) said he formed good friendships with the other fi nalists.(with permission from americanidol.com)

The New York Islanders invited Rosen to sing the National Anthem at a recent game.(photo by Nicole Simmons)

News April 2011 Hoofbeats 5

If you asked me if I would ever have to use CPR, a skill I learned about three years ago, I would have said no. CPR was just something I thought would be a great skill to know. But my life came crashing down when my father had a heart att ack on February 3. The skill I prayed I would never have to use was the one thing that I had to do

when my father stop breathing. CPR, Cardiopulmonary Resusci-tation, if you want to be technical, is an emergency procedure that is used on an individual who is in cardiac arrest (heart att ack). Ef-fective bystander CPR, provided immediately aft er sudden cardiac arrest, can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival. Anyone could fall victim to a heart att ack. It’s a scary thought but it’s an unfortunate reality. It is im-portant for adults to have a stress

test and see how well their heart is working. If your doctor sees that your heart is not working up to its full potential, he or she might tell you to have an angioplasty proce-dure done. This procedure will al-low a cardiologist to see if there is a blockage in an artery and if so, they will put a stent in right there. My father was told to have this done in 2010, but he put it off , say-ing that he didn’t want to have to take off from work. As a result he had a heart att ack. He had three ar-teries blocked and had two stents put in. If my father had these stents put in a year ago most likely this whole situation could have been prevented. With the economy in a down-ward spiral, people cling to their jobs in fear they could easily be re-placed. That’s what my dad feared, but he learned the hard way that one’s health comes before any job. The performance of CPR on an individual is not an impossible to learn. Studies have shown that children as young as 9 years old can learn and retain CPR skills. It’s a quick, easy, pain-free class that allows a person to learn a mean-ingful skill that could save another person’s life. A person learns the basics of CPR; the compressions and breaths, on both an adult and on infants. One learns how to per-form the Heimlich on a person who is choking. The knowledge-able instructors make you want to ask questions and they appreci-ate the participation. If a person wants to take a CPR class there are always classes being off ered at a local fi re house or through a hospi-tal. I took a class through PAL soc-cer refereeing three years ago and I got recertifi ed through a class of-fered at Calhoun.

I always felt I had a quiet and simple life. Like any other teenage girl’s life, nothing major happened, and I certainly never thrived to be the center of att ention or Miss Pop-ular. But that changed when the doc-tors and nurses at LIJ hospital felt I could be an example for others to show how such a basic skill like CPR among all the medical tech-nology we have today could mean the diff erence between life and death. So I agreed to participate in a press conference they were hold-ing at the hospital. I felt it was the least thing I could for all they did for me and my family. This press conference was featured on many TV news stations and there was a front page article writt en about me and my father in Newsday. The truth is that I never wanted any of it. The thing I wanted the most I al-ready had: my dad alive. That was the best thing I could ever want. It’s crazy to think it has been over a month and my dad is back at work. It now seems like only a nightmare, but my family and I will be scarred for life. I have com-ments about what I did. People think of me as the hero in this whole experience but I never saw myself as the hero in this situation. I was not lucky enough to have my father regain consciousness while I performed CPR. It was the Merrick Fire Department and the medical staff at LIJ . Yes, I was the one who keep the blood fl owing when he was down, but without those amazing people I don’t know where my dad would be right now. I hope others learn from my ex-perience, take CPR, and have the strength to do whatever you have to, to keep someone alive.

Students who take a CPR class, shown above, learn to do compressions and breaths on dummies - a skill no one hopes to ever have to use.(photos by Kayla Babbush)

Kayla Babbush, a student at Kennedy High School, performs CPR on a dummy.(photo provided by Kayla Babbush)

by Colleen OggeriStaff Writer

How to save a life Senior recallsamazing rescue

6 Hoofbeats April 2011 Colture

What ever happened to dating? Someone has to say it: What ever happened to dating? Now by dating, I mean going out to places with someone you like and gett ing to know them at said places. I know that asking a guy to go out to dinner or a movie isn’t the scariest thing in the world, but it’s defi nitely awkward. Dates in general are awkward, because hardly anyone dates any-more. Facebook doesn’t have a re-lationship status that says “dating” and therefore, we limit ourselves to either being “single” (and pos-sibly together with someone who you don’t want to advertise on the world wide web) or being “in a re-lationship” (serious, committ ed, in

it for the long haul). And let’s be real, no one truth-fully uses the “it’s complicated” option, even though almost every high school romantic experience is, in fact, so, so complicated. Still, if you ask any given girl if she’d like to go on a date with someone who she’s not really ac-quainted with but is interested in, she’ll say yes. Or, at least, I would say yes. My peers, not so much. It seems as though the idea of going on the most casual of coff ee dates is equivalent to torture. “Girls are not seeking casual dating because they’re needy and annoying. They want the relation-ship, they want the guy, and it won’t happen unless they throw themselves in headfi rst,” said se-nior Ashley Lowerre.

Indeed, times have changed. No more Sandy and Danny in the drive-in movie theater (but how great would it be if there still was a drive-in movie theater?). I personally love the relation-ship timeline that took place back in the ‘50s: admire from afar, fl irt at locker, ask the person out to din-ner. And here’s where the most im-portant part is: kiss if the date goes well, never see the person again if the date is a fail. If the date goes well, there can be many more dates, and then the couple decides to “go steady.” You never have to see the person again if it’s a terrible experience. Bad dates strengthen a person’s dignity. Nowadays, teens lack dignity and dating experience. The two go hand in hand, and when girls complain that they know no gen-tlemen, they are the ones to blame. They enable guys to never become gentlemen by way of an anti-dat-ing att itude that our society has hammered into their heads. Thus, the relationship cycle continues. I say we reintroduce a Sadie

Hawkins att itude to our teenage society; re-empowering girls to go aft er what they want with their words (as opposed to inappropri-ate outfi ts that undoubtedly speak for themselves) is a wonderful goal to have. It allows for both guys and girls to not rely on forced hookups that might lead to the potential for dinner dates and movie dates. And those who have an “It’s complicated” situation, well, good luck. Maybe one day our world will recognize you and your sig-nifi cant other for who you are and give you a real Facebook relation-ship status, like “It’s only serious when we’re alone, but we pretend we’re just friends around other people.” All I know is that dating would revive the woeful teenage roman-tic department. So for God’s sake, before you graduate and move on to the love-jungle that is college and the real world, ask the person you’ve been admiring in your stats class out to coff ee. What’s the worst that could hap-pen?

by Amanda GlickmanStaff Writer

Though this is not what Facebook off ers, the “relationship status” doesn’t help many.

Colture April 2011 Hoofbeats 7

Now this is a story all about how my life got fl ipped, turned upside down. And I’d like to take a min-ute - just sit right there. I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air. [Cue the music]. Just an estimated guess that 75 percent of the student population could tell you what came next. Hint: in West Philadelphia… Now let’s look at today. How many can hum the “Lost” theme song? Right now, off the top of your head. No? That’s alright, shake it off . What about “Grey’s Anato-my”? “Mad Men”? Fine, we’ll go a litt le more preteen: “Greek.” Re-ally? Nothing? That’s because the beloved era of a quick ditt y while introducing the show is coming to a close. Say your goodbyes and the Kaddish, ladies and gents, the theme song is dying out. What makes a good theme song? It’s easy to remember. It gets stuck in your head. It could be simply that it’s something you always associate with the show, no mater what, á la “I’ll Be There For You” (Friends, duh). And yes, ex-ecutives fi gure why waste time on

a theme song when there’s more time for either programming, or, even bett er, revenue brought in by commercials. But the beauty of that intro montage and song really isn’t something to be given up so easily. The theme song doesn’t only

bring people together, but it gets you excited. You could be reading in your bedroom, and downstairs you hear “Hangin’ out down the street” and you know to run down to catch “That 70’s Show.” A theme

song can become iconic, it can mark a great show even before you see it. Seriously. “Big Bang Theory” anyone? Basically, a theme song is saying “hi, I’m a book, please judge me by my cover.” Frankly, the theme song is go-ing extinct. Now, even new shows

are starting with a quick 5-beat in-tro instead of cutt ing a song down when it hits its fi ft h season: see Mr. Sunshine. Honestly. Does that even qualify as a theme? The extinction of the theme song

is just another mark of this genera-tion. Think about it. We live in the age of Twitt er: 140 characters to ex-press your thought. The age of the soundbite - 30 seconds to impact a population. We thrive in drive-thrus rather than sitt ing down to enjoy each other’s company, in BBM because even texting’s too slow (or we’re just creepers who need to know when our message was read, either way). In a world where everything’s fast (you’re still in college? Come on, you did APs, graduate in three and a half years) the theme song is just another casualty. There’s no inclination the theme song is going to be reborn anytime soon. And maybe that’s just the ebb and fl ow of Hollywood. Keep it fresh, keep it new. Always reinvent yourself, no one likes the old you. Perhaps the theme song represents a diff erent time, and we just have to let it go like we’ve let go to two-dimen-sional cartoons and the original judges on Idol. All I know is it’s going to be a sad day when I turn on the televi-sion and can’t sing along to the fi rst 30 seconds of “Phineas and Ferb.”

by Philippa BoyesEditor-in-Chief

Video killed the theme song

For any high school student, seeing a Facebook album with the name “Juniors 2011 <333” or “Soph Part II” is as common as gett ing an annoying invitation to a look-who’s-viewing-your-profi le event. It seems as if the grade is ob-sessed with documenting their every move. Seniors hear it most. Any event, even the most mun-dane, has the ability to be captured by an obsessive friend whose sole excuse is “senior year!” Justin Timberlake portraying controversial Internet entrepre-neur Sean Parker epitomized this generation in The Social Network. “People don’t just go to parties now, they go to parties with their cameras.” It’s true. Students aren’t trying to remember the good times. Maybe it’s 45 percent preparing for future nostalgia. Maybe. The remaining 55 percent is pure narcissism. Let’s focus on how cute and fun and awkward we are. For this genera-tion, or perhaps it’s just the age of adolescence, it’s not whether you had “the best time ever” or made

a high school memory with your friends, it’s whether you had a camera there to document it. Do we take the pictures just to have them on Facebook? Stud-ies have shown Facebook lowers people’s self-esteem; no one likes logging on Sunday morning see-ing their friends all at a party they weren’t invited to. Sure, there’s something there. Having the clev-er album, sharing and re-living the night before with friends the next day. Bring able to share experience with all your supposed “friends” over and over. That said, let’s cut the lies. Be-ing tagged in photos make you feel cool. And yes, there’s nothing wrong with that. Enjoy. Go for it. Woo, notifi cations. But, what if, and bare with me here folks: what if you’re missing more by taking the pictures? So focused on looking good, posing, just making sure every person gets to take the funny pic with what-ever sign is “so funny” because it sounds dirty. When the camera’s out, you can miss the pure fun of just hanging out, the fun that’s just for you and your closest friends. Clichés were made for a rea-

son. Smell the roses, live in the mo-ment, whatever you want to say. Sometimes it’s good to stop wor-rying about gett ing a new profi le picture, or even worrying about re-membering high school years. Lit-

tle known fact: you’re going to re-member high school whether you document it or not. Generations of people have been able to recall their “glory days” just fi ne without the help of tagged pictures.

Cut the tag out of picturesby Philippa Boyes

Editor-in-Chief

(photo courtesy of MCT)

8 Hoofbeats April 2011 Colture

A guilty pleasure is something you feel ashamed or embarrassed of enjoying and don’t want anyone to know about. Fortunately for me, I have no shame. So here’s a list of my guilty pleasures. Laugh away. The Real Housewives - Wheth-er I’m watching Real Housewives of Georgia, New York, Beverley Hills, or Miami (my new fa-vorite), I’m entranced by just how dumb these women are. Seeing how other people live has al-ways been interest-ing to me and on this show, there is plenty of drama to entertain. It’s like these women never left high school. With all the talking be-hind each other’s backs, silent treatments, cat fi ghts, and cliques, it’s like the mid-life crisis version of Mean Girls. And I just can’t get enough, neither can America as the fran-chise boasts millions of fans and led to several book deals, spin-off s, and countless tabloid covers. Wendy’s chocolate frosties - Thanks to my dad and his parent-ing skills, ever since I was litt le, whenever he wants to talk to me about something serious he tells me to hop in his truck, and we

are go for a ride. Somehow in the time he manages to imprison me in the car, it is enough time to get me to spill everything I am think-ing about and fi x it all. A part of this father-daughter therapy ses-sion has always included a stop at Wendy’s. Looking past the fact that nowadays I try to never eat fast food, I sit in my seat and let him order two chocolate frosties. When

I was litt le I couldn’t wait for this part of the process and I’d ask

for the biggest size; now, although I cringe at the thought of all

those empty calories, I sett le for the .99 cent small. Aft er all, it is tradition. Grocery shop-ping - There is some-thing therapeutic about walking around a gro-cery store. When I was younger it used to make me feel grown up, and I would put my doll in the shopping cart and pre-tend I was a mother shop-

ping for her family, pick-ing up things like Lucky Charms and Chips Ahoy. Now, I go with my mom to pick out healthier foods instead of the sugary cere-als and cookies I used to pull off the shelves. Shopping and fi nding bargains is so relaxing, and know-ing that I’m making healthy choic-es makes it even bett er. Sure, you can call me an old lady (my family

does), but for some reason I fi nd this enjoyable. My mom, the loud mouth Italian that she is, is an ex-cellent cook and recently her skills have begun to rub off on me. I en-joy preparing my own fresh food and picking everything out at the grocer is a big part of the process. Tom Jones music - Yes, I know he is as old as dirt, but I admit it, I love Tom Jones. On long rides up-state, my family and I used to belt his lyrics out as loud as we could to pass the time. We had every word of every one of his songs memo-rized, and now I catch myself sing-ing through “Daughter of Dark-ness” while doing my homework. Tom Jones may be 70 years old, but he still has a great voice and the ladies love him (well 60 year olds and I do). Sure I may be made fun for liking this oldie but, excuse me, Justin Bieber ain’t got noth-ing on my Tommy J. TLC’s “What Not to Wear” - I look around some-times and all I want to do is give everyone

a makeover. So in order to satisfy this desire, I watch What Not to Wear. The people that are chosen for this show are priceless; it looks like they make it their mission to look the worst they possible can. The part that annoys me, though, is that these people, who don’t care at all about the way they look, end up gett ing a $5,000 shop-ping spree. Honestly? They should give the money to someone who could actually get something out of it like me (duh); or donate it to a charity perhaps? Despite how much this boils my blood, I still love to watch the show. I get point-ers from fashion experts, Stacy and

by Elise GabrieleStaff Writer

(photo by Elise Gabriele)

Guilty pleasures

Grocery shopping can be therapeutic to some, especially when you can make smart, healthy choices like fruits and vegetables.

(see GUILTY on page 9)

Colture April 2011 Hoofbeats 9

(photos by Holly Lavelli)

Senior Experience hosted its annual Fashion Show, raising money and awareness for the Invisible Children organization. Seniors and teachers, like Mr. Saul Weiner, Mrs. Keryn Thien-achariya, and Mr. Andrew Frank-lin (above), modeled casual wear, active wear, and formal wear before a crowded audience.

Clinton, and I laugh at the clothes people pick out. What could be bett er than that? Library books - Pardon me, Kindle commercial, but, no, you did not amaze me with your tech-nology savvy, glare-free screen because I would prefer to read a torn, ripped up, old library book over using a cold, smooth Kindle or iPad any day. Reading from what is essentially a handheld computer just doesn’t seem as relaxing as cuddling up and cracking open a worn out, dis-tinctly smelling library book. Part

of the reading experience is being eager to turn the next page; sorry, but scrolling to the next section is just so anti-climactic. Flipping the pages and holding the book in your hands is calming and it just proves that there are some things that technology can’t make bett er. Sitt ing on the porch - I am a self-professed 70-year-old wom-an inside of a 17 year old’s body. I enjoy sitt ing on my front porch, drinking coff ee, and just watching my surroundings. It sounds anti-social, and some-times I can be, but in the summer-time when there is a lightening

storm, there is nothing I would rather be doing. I guess I get this trait from my mom because I would always fi nd her drinking coff ee on the porch, every morning when I was litt le. As I got older, I began to join her and now some-times I’m up and out on the porch before she even wakes up. Doing math homework - In math, no matt er how easy or dif-fi cult the course, there is always an answer to the questions. For me, I always have to have things in or-der and checked off . So being able to cross out, re-write, and ultimately put a box around my answer, puts me at ease. I guess I just like to be able to

have things in my control but I’m horrible at memorizing, so classes that make me rely on problem solving or applying specifi c ideas are ideal for me. Truthfully, I’d rather not have to do any home-work (obviously) but if I had to choose, math homework is best. Scrapbooking - Once again, my inner grandma comes shinning through. There is something about how meticulous scrapbooks are that interests me, made from cut-outs of magazines and catalogues, and all having a particular theme. Whenever I’m bored I think up what I would put in a scrapbook; the only problem is I never actu-ally get around to it.

Guilty pleasures(continued from page 8)

There is a sense of accomplishment and comfort when fi nishing off a math assignment.(photo by Elise Gabriele)

Seniors show their fashion

Forget the Kindle, reading books from the library enhances the experience.(photo by Sarah Greco)

10 Hoofbeats April 2011 Editorial

Television is an SAT realityShould a student that is smart

enough to get an 800 on the math section know enough

about popular culture to write an essay about reality TV? Defi nitely. The March SAT caused an out-cry from the media and people as to whether or not it was fair that the College Board asked a main-stream media question on a test that is supposed to measure how smart a student is, not how much TV they watch. Students that are competing for scores to get them into Harvard or Stanford should know something about what is going on in our world. Reality TV is so prevalent in our society that if you can think of it, it is probably a reality show. People tune in to watch “Must Love Cats” on Animal Planet or a show about cutt ing coupons on TLC. The SAT has every right to bring popular culture into its test. It’s part of our society and a well-

rounded student should know that. Does Yale really want stu-dents so one-dimensional that they spend their time reading ancient novels and never wake up to learn what’s happening in this century? The question addressed whether or not reality TV was harmful or benefi cial to our society. Nowhere did it say that you had to use examples from last week’s episode of Survivor in your essay. The smart kid baffl ed by this question could have used their lack of knowledge about reality TV in support of why it is harm-ful. A student that has never seen Jersey Shore can use that to their advantage and show how they are smarter for it. Students with limited TV expo-sure or who don’t own TVs at all (apparently those people are still out there) were incensed about the “new” essay. Most all of us know

Snooki and “The Situation” even if we don’t tune in. Why? Because if you open up to Page Six, there is a prett y decent chance that one of the cast members is gett ing arrest-ed or put out a new book. In this case, being a news rat and stay-

ing away from TV doesn’t take away from how

much you can know about this es-say topic. There are current, prevalent novels that play on the idea of reality TV. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, plays on the idea of taking reality TV too far. So if this so-called “ideal student” kept up with their reading, they would have at least a couple of para-graphs to write about. What angered many that the student that wouldn’t normally do as well on this essay is now able to get a higher grade than the valedictorian who never watched

The Biggest Loser. Think about this for a second. The average Joe Cal-houn still has to answer the other 49 questions in the writing section (which aff ects his or her writing score). The essay can only do so much if an average a student gets a 492 on the writing section. At the same time, Joe Calhoun could spend all night watching reality TV instead of doing home-work or playing a sport, and it still doesn’t change his or her writing ability. Even though someone knows the information to fi ll the two pag-es, it doesn’t mean they know how to do it well. When it comes down to it, a smart, well-rounded kid should know something about popular culture, and Joe Calhoun, despite watching reality TV non-stop, is still going to end up with a simi-lar grade he would have received without a TV-based question.

Staff Editorial

Staff Members: Asia Brown, Michele Carroll, Julie Ciccone, Cor-tina Florez, Bria Forbes, Elise Gabriele, Jake Garber, Sara Gerber, Amanda Glickman, Arooj Iqbal, Holly Lavelli, Ashley Lowerre, Shannon Matzen, Ashley McGetrick, Aidan Meade, Colleen Og-geri, Dana Reilly, Rachel Saff ord, Nicole Simmons, Kushhali Singh, Sarika Singh, Nina Thomas, Kate Valerio, Jocelyn Yu

Hoofb eats is the offi cial student newspaper of Calhoun High School. Hoofb eats serves to inform its readers of news and events, and as a forum for the students of Calhoun to express their ideas and opinions. Hoofb eats accepts lett ers to the editor, but reserves the right to edit or refuse the publication of submissions. Lett ers should be sent to the school or placed in the Hoofb eats mailbox. All lett ers must be signed and include a contact number for the writer. Some visual material courtesy of the Ameri-can Society of News Editors High School Newspaper Service. The paper also accepts advertisements for a fee, but reserves the right to refuse advertisements for any or no reason. The views expressed in Hoofb eats do not necessarily refl ect the opinion of the administrators, teachers, editors, or faculty adviser.

Editors-in-Chief Philippa Boyes Emily Wrynn News Editor Kara Iskenderian Sports Editors Rachel Tyson Tessa Patt i Editorial Editor Leah Sobel Colture Editor Julia Martinez Photography Editor Tatianna Flores Faculty Adviser Jason Boland

Hoofb eatsSanford H. Calhoun High School

1786 State StreetMerrick, NY 11566

(516) 992-1300e-mail: hoofb eatseditor@yahoo.com

Volume 53 No. 4 April 2011

Recognized by Columbia University, ASPA, NYPA, LIPA, and Newsday for journalistic excellence

My mom’s on Facebook

Our parent’s generation has be-come intoxicated and driven by the technology they grew up with-out. They are being consuming by the defi ning advancements of our day and age. This has spilled over to Face-book where gett ing a friend re-quest from a family member is a nightmare to many teens. Even though I don’t feel that having my mom on Facebook is a problem, most teenagers fi nd it annoying and aggravating. This is understandable. Teens feel that Facebook is their escape; a place where they can talk to friends without spying parents. It’s funny though because my mom is more addicted to Facebook than me. It seems that she puts her whole life story on Facebook for the world to see and comment on. She can not go a day without checking to see what everyone is up to and stalk people’s pictures. It’s an interesting sight to see: a person who completely hated technology is now att ached to such a minute program. It makes a person wonder what about tech-nology makes it so appealing and addictive that without it we won’t know how to function? On the contrary, I could go weeks with out checking it and I am really not interesting in seeing what other people are doing every minute of the day. I don’t need

someone commenting on what I did or “like” my picture to feel im-portant. People feel that they need someone to comment on their sta-tus to know they are doing what is “right” in our teenage society. Yes, my mom is on Facebook, but unlike many kids I don’t mind. My mom has not tried to friend request me or even att empt to see my wall. She made a page to talk to her friends and reconnect with people from high school that she lost contact with over the years. She did not have a secret agenda to spy on what I am “really” doing in my spare time. Personally, I have nothing to hide. I don’t drink or smoke or have a secret life that my parents don’t know about. Don’t get me wrong, like any other teenager I keep secrets from my parents and don’t tell them everything, but they trust me to do the right thing. So they don’t dig into my personal life and I keep them informed. It’s a good balance. For those who might not be in the same, this problem can be eas-ily solved. Facebook off ers a set-ting that allows you to block peo-ple from seeing your page. So just block your mom from seeing your wall and wall posts or change your privacy sett ing to private. This will prevent your mom from trying to check up on what you are doing. Besides, you might want to re-consider what you are posting or saying if you’re that worried your mom is on Facebook.

by Colleen OggeriStaff Writer

Editorial April 2011 Hoofbeats 11

When listening to songs on the radio and watching shows dedi-cated to music, there is one fi gure notably missing despite his fame just two years ago: Chris Brown. The evening before the Gram-mys in February 2009, Chris Brown got into an altercation in which he assaulted his then girlfriend, Rihanna. Immediately following word of this assault, both Double

Mint Gum and Got Milk? pulled ads featuring the entertainer from the media. Radio stations refused to play his music for months, and music channels wouldn’t air any of his videos. His album, Graffi ti, was even held back from some Wal-Mart store shelves. Why is Brown being blacklisted from the media while a train wreck like Charlie Sheen isn’t? Between trashing a hotel room, drug and alcohol abuse, allegedly abusing women and being an irre-

sponsible fa-ther, it would seem logical for the media and the pub-lic to com-pletely black-list Sheen. Instead, he is being praised and forgiven. The ratings for his show, Two and a Half Men, have remained in the Top 10 over the last six months. Being paid $1.8 million per episode,

he was the highest paid actor in the business despite his antics. Sheen now has over 3 million followers on Twitt er and every video that is shot of him becomes viral and is all over the news by the next morning. Obviously, their actions can’t be condoned, and as a woman I feel they should both be punished. If their actions share similarities, then so should the way the public and the media treats them. So why is this happening? Is it because Brown is being portrayed as “the angry black man” and this is the reason why he can’t be for-given? Why aren’t more people jumping off the Sheen bandwag-on? I would hate to think this is a black/white issue, but it is a fair question to ask. Two years aft er his arrest (with community service complete) Chris Brown is still absent from the media, and his record sales have been disappointing. Only recently have the songs “Deuces” and “Yeah 3x” from his “F.A.M.E.” album received adequate airplay, but the event calendar on his web-site has been empty up until the last two months. Brown did not help his im-age with his recent appearance on “Good Morning America” to pro-

mote his new album F.A.M.E. He became upset aft er being inquired about his altercation with Rihan-na, aft er previously stating that he didn’t want that to be a part of his interview. Backstage he broke a window and threw a water cooler, which only led to more negative publicity surrounding the R&B singer, perpetuating the violent persona that his name is now as-sociated with. But why isn’t that persona go-ing away? Is it because Rihanna is also famous and more att ention is placed on her as a victim versus the unknown victims of Sheen’s rampages? Does her star status automati-cally make Brown more of an ene-my to us all since her name is more recognizable? Brown is being unfairly treated, though he has fans with the desire to see him succeed despite his past actions. He isn’t the only celebrity who has behaved in a way that has harmed and/or off ended others, but he seems to be one of the few suff ering while others are prosper-ing. If the media is trying to protect the children and teenagers from bad infl uences by blacklisting cer-tain celebrities, then why isn’t it done across the board?

by Asia BrownStaff Writer

Blacklist a double standard?

For my entire senior year, I’ve been preoccupied with the future, whether it be near (prom! gradu-ation!) or far (college! career paths! serious relationships!). The fu-ture has consumed my brain and sucked out any regard for the pres-ent and the past. The job of a senior, essentially, is to make new memories and refl ect on the ones already made. While I strive to focus on the present, I can look back on the past and smile. I’m smiling at a few things circa freshman year, a time when high school was this shiny, new world of promise and wonder:• The day I “cut” class fresh-man year because our sub never showed up during bio lab. As a freshman, it seemed like the crime of the century. A few of us hesi-tantly walked out of the classroom

and paced around the third fl oor, devising a strategy to get out of the building successfully and casually. Ed (I now know his name aft er all these years), the man who guards the Broadway doors, undoubtedly didn’t know us, yet we were still paranoid and crazy and thought that he’d have “Freshmen Vision” and be all “Where do you think you people are going?” One of my friends was busy planning the perfect, brisk and fast-but-not-rushing walking pace, and the other was afraid that his mom might see us out and about on Merrick Ave. I decided to step up and with a deep breath and the att itude of a sophomore, I busted out those doors without any eye-contact with Ed. And I waited for the others to follow. Then, we sprinted to Dunkin’ Donuts like prisoners on the lam; it was the best iced coff ee I’ve ever had.

A fresh look at old times

by Amanda GlickmanStaff Writer

(see FRESH on page 13)

12 Hoofbeats April 2011 Editorial

Unlocking the GatesIt’s a gateway to trouble

for studentsRelax, people:

it’s just a sidewalk

Calhoun has various locations for people to hangout. The cafete-rias, the lobby, the parking lot, the gym, and the Gates. What makes the Gates so diff erent than the rest? Absolutely nothing. As a past gate frequenter once said, “It’s a damn sidewalk.” When talking about the Gates, most people minds think, “That’s where the trouble makers go; I’d never go there, smokers only.” Well guess what, you’re wrong. Just because someone chooses to hang out in an area thought of to be a stomping ground for trouble does not mean they are going to be the cause of it. Who gives you the right to judge a book by its cover? Let me tell you something, ‘The Gates’ are nothing but gates, end of story. Sure, people have asked, why do people have to go hangout there? To that, I would respond: why do you hang out in the lobby? Why do you hang out in the gym? Before expressing how you feel about who’s doing what, think about what you’re truly say-ing and who you may be aff ecting in the process. Senior Kristen Miro said, “Oth-ers defi nitely perceive the gates as bad. All the ‘bad’ kids go there. That’s not the case at all. I know I lost friends once I started going;

they thought I was a horrible per-son. And at fi rst it bothered me. Now looking back on it, if people want to judge let them judge, I’m not ashamed to go outside to the gates,” she said. Senior Eliana Parisis added, “People perceive the gates as the place where the bad kids hangout. It’s the dumbest thing. It’s not a cult for crying out loud. It’s a regu-lar sidewalk near school property where you see kids passing by or hanging out. OK, so some kids smoke. Do you have to just be at the gates to smoke? No. You can smoke anywhere. I, myself, do not smoke. These are just average kids being kids.” If students gathering at the gates was such a huge problem, wouldn’t the administration have done something about it? It’s not like the administration is shy about taking action with other things like students hanging around the win-dow sill near the gym or gathering in the main lobby aft er school. Humans are calculators in a way. Calculating everyone’s ev-ery movement. We are so quick to judge, to determine, and to analyze. Some people are prone to speak their minds, but others need to create a fi lter. Be the one to stop the judgment. Be the one who makes the diff erence. Be the one, to step out on the sidewalk and make some new friends.

“Oh, look, there are all your friends!” shouts my mom as she drops me off late to school (again). First of all, Mom, I don’t have friends, and second, I didn’t think you viewed me as a smoking, school-cutt ing, hacky sacker. We all know where they are, we all know what type of kids hang out there, and I’m sure a lot of parents have joked about it, not just mine. When it’s the middle of third period and a group of people are hanging out at the Gates smok-ing, it’s kind of hard not to make a judgment. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m making a judgment. I’m not here to put down everyone who goes out there, or to sign you all up for some sort of rehabilitation program. I’m lett ing you all know just how it looks. You all look ri-diculous. There is no reason to welcome everyone to our school in a big cloud of smoke - especially when it’s 8 a.m. and you’re on your fourth cigarett e of the day. There are just so many things wrong with this. In case you guys missed this lesson in school, cigarett es are go-ing to blacken your lungs and give you lung cancer. It literally says it in big lett ers on the label. Second, the way you are gett ing the cigarett es is probably illegal. Who sells cigarett es to these kids anyway? I don’t see the appeal of fi ve to 10 extra minutes outside, off of school property, in the cold. If you get to school on time, you have about 10 to 15 minutes with all of your friends inside the school, where it’s (kind of) warm. Not only are you just barely off of school property when this happens, but you’re on somebody else’s property. Imagine it was your house where that group of rowdy, loud, smok-ing teenagers gather in front of ev-ery day. Imagine that it was your house constantly being the drop-ping ground for cigarett e butt s, empty Arizona cans, and crum-pled up failing grade school pa-pers. Right now, I bet a lot of kids just don’t really care about where they leave their trash, and if it’s not their own house or someone’s house they know, it just doesn’t

matt er at all. It’s not like these are the only ones you’re disrespecting, think about the teachers. You leave their class for ten minutes to go smoke. Then when you come back, no matt er how sneaky you think you are in hiding it, you’re not. “I hate having to sit next to someone in class who smells like smoke” said senior Samantha Tor-rett a. Indeed, it’s that, or the red face, or the red eyes, which ev-eryone can see or smell when you walk back into the classroom, that give it away. Now here comes the concession: I get that not all of you guys go out there to smoke. I understand that for a select few of you, it really is just a place to be social and hang out with your friends. But even if you don’t smoke, you’re still do-ing everything else wrong with the situation. What image are you giv-ing off to the parent or teacher that drives by and sees fi ve other kids around you who are smoking? Un-less it’s your off period, you could be cutt ing class, and you are com-ing into classrooms late and smell-ing like smoke. Even worse, you are giving the front of a school a bad look. This whole situation is just wrong and disrespectful on so many levels. It not only causes problems for teachers and the administration, it looks bad for you and for the school as a whole.

by Ashley LowerreContributing Writer

Pt./Counterpoint:

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by Kristen GuaneriContributing Writer

(photo by Kristen Guaneri)

Some see the Gates as an area for kids to hang out and cause trouble; others see it as a meeting place for friends.

Editorial April 2011 Hoofbeats 13

I am well aware that I didn’t att end the parking meetings in the beginning of the school year and for that I’m aware the consequence was outside school parking. Howev-er, the fact that parking surrounding the school is limited to two hour park-ing is ridiculous. I’m sure there are many students like me who didn’t believe they would be gett ing a car during senior year. So when the meetings were held, I didn’t bother to att end. Be-cause of this, I am now left to leave my brand new car outside of the lot, unsupervised, and possibly in risk of gett ing a ticket. The school doesn’t allow students to leave

from periods 1 through 3 - and that is two hours and 15 minutes in itself. Police offi cers patrolling this area can ticket any cars parked in these areas during the 7:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. time frame and all

the spots within walk-ing distance to the school are limited to two hour parking, making it unfair to anyone who missed those two meetings at the beginning of the year. “Students who missed the parking meetings at the beginning of the year can have their parents talk to an administrator, but even so, parking is

never guaranteed,” said the att en-dance offi ce secretary Mrs. Jose-phine Berlise. Another concern is that with reckless teens whipping turns and

speeding, leaving my car alone while I go to my classes leaves me with an uneasy feeling. Take it from a person who has had fi ve cars keyed within the past few years, the fear is overwhelming and I can’t help but to think that someone could possibly key or hit my car with-out witnesses. The argument stands between the school sys-tem and the criminal system. Which of these authorities are you more willing to get in trouble with? If you are late to class because you couldn’t fi nd a spot your grades will be aff ected. If you park in a two hour spot, you might get a ticket. The people living on these residential areas right outside of the school were very well aware they purchased a home next to a

high school. Living next to any largely populated building comes with sacrifi ces and inconveniences and theses residents know they live next to a high school. We are here to get an education but when push comes to shove I’d person-

ally rather be 20 minutes late to class as opposed to paying an 80 dollar ticket. Here is the solution. Meetings for school parking should be held in the middle of the school year in addition to the meetings held at the beginning of the school year. Students

who didn’t have cars in the begin-ning of the year are excluded from these parking meetings because why would they att end these meetings if they’re not expecting to get a car?

Paranoid about parkingby Stephanie Falci

Contributing Writer

Fresh look(continued from page 11)• The 2008 talent show and how I made a fool of myself in the gross-est outfi t I could ever have de-vised, in an att empt to be cool and vintage (bell-bott om jeans with rips in them, brown pleather plat-forms from Payless that showed too much because the jeans were an awkward length, a super-long green blouse that was pulled over the jeans, creating awkward lumpiness where the pockets, but-ton, and fl y were, and large ear-rings that I could not pull off yet (big earrings are my thing, but you have to have the right att itude for them. Shreds of self-doubt = not ready for big earrings). I don’t remember my perfor-mance (“Real Love” by Mary J. Blige, with my friend Chris on gui-

tar —I was att empting ghett o-folk-fab), because all I can recall is how stressed I was that I would look okay, and then how terrifying the pictures were once they made their way onto Facebook. They remain untagged to this day, but I know exactly where to look for them if I need a laugh.• The time that it was Valentine’s Day and this guy (a junior!) asked me to be his Valentine in the East Cafeteria aft er school. On a sunny, February day, a few drama guys grabbed me and nudged me to-ward the cafeteria, literally push-ing me through the side doors. There was the junior guy, standing against that wall with the painting of the Pegasuses (Pegasi?), holding a plastic bag with a clearly-visible heart-shaped box object in it. We

had spoken a during rehearsal, and maybe even fl irted a tiny bit (but really, what constitutes fl irt-ing freshman year? Incorporating “hahaha” into texts in place of “LOL”?). But I was not expecting any sort of…progress! This was progress! This was a TeenNick TV moment that I might never expe-rience again. So aft er he handed me the box and popped the ques-tion, I accepted. And kissed him. And as this was happening, two obnoxiously-nosy drama seniors wandered through the cafeteria, sharing iPod ear-buds and sing-ing “Spring Awakening.” They walked out the door next to us, only to reveal about 5 or 6 other people listening in to see what was going on. So we walked out, hand-in-hand, as a drama mob formed, trying to get all the juicy details of the cafeteria proposition. That was the moment I found out that

the Calhoun art and drama wing is the absolute worst place to have any sort of privacy. It’s also the mo-ment that I felt like I had become part of the family. These early memories merely scratch the surface of my time at Houn. I could (and will, in my future memoir/musical/documen-tary) go on and on until each and every story throughout the four grades, both epic and incredibly mundane, are recorded forever. But for now, it ends here. I’m well-aware that my fellow seniors’ memories are diff erent than mine, we’ve all made our own. There are the things that I’ve missed but oth-ers have reveled in: football vic-tories, math team meets, kickline competitions, Model UN trips, laz-ertag wars. Whatever the case, it’s inevi-table: high school is unforgett able. The looking back lasts forever.

14 Hoofbeats April 2011 Sports

Armed and ready for the future, the girls’ varsity soft ball team is on the rise.

Aft er several years in last place, the Lady Colts have put together quality wins against opponents they have not beaten for many sea-sons. Posting a 10-5 win against Valley Steam Central, the girls sent

a message to the rest of Conference II that they are a team to be taken seriously. “Our program is growing and defi nitely gett ing bett er,” said sophomore Gianna Saladino. “Last year we were good, and this year we have even more talent.” The team features three seniors, including Julia Ross and co-cap-tains Jessica Livingston and Ashley Lowerre. In addition, two eighth grade students, Lauren Trimarco and Allison Abbene, made the team in spring train-ing and have already proven their worth. Trimarco pitched a one-hitt er in a non-conference 14-0 win against Freeport High School and is leading the team in home runs. “I have wanted to play on Cal-houn varsity since last year, so be-ing on the team now was my goal,” Trimarco said. “I get along really well with everyone and have close friends on the team. We hang out together and bond as a team.” With tough losses to Herricks and Hicksville, the Colts fi nd themselves batt ling in every game. “We really wanted to win those games, but hopefully we can

beat those teams the second time around,” said Livingston, who is fi nishing her fi ft h year on varsity. The nucleus of the team is young, with three sophomores and one freshman, Lauren Savarese. Last year, sophomores Saladino and catcher Marisa Marcigliano won post-season honors, along with Livingston. For the fi rst time in memory, the team’s pitching rotation is deep, boasting four capable starters in Livingston, Trimarco, Savarese, and Saladino. “In the years to come we are go-ing to evolve and get even bett er,” Saladino said.Sophomore Gianna Saladino gets ready for the pitch in a recent practice.

(photo by Nicole Simmons)

by Philippa BoyesEditor-in-Chief

Soft ball program on the rise

Spring in their steps

The boys’ lacrosse team, warming up here in practice, started the year with a 2-2 conference record (3-5 overall). (photo by Holly Lavelli)

Eighth grader Allison Abbene turns a double play.(photo by Nicole Simmons)

Sports April 2011 Hoofbeats 15

Varsity girls’ lacrosse is off to a solid start, with a record of 2-2 in a tough conference. Senior Diandra Hanna scored fi ve goals on the road against El-mont, as the Lady Colts won a non-conference batt le, 20-7. Cal-houn’s overall record is 3-7. Hanna, who signed to play Division I lacrosse at Quinnipiac University, also scored four goals against Hicksville. Hanna is wrap-ping up her fi ft h year on varsity, starting her career as an eighth grader. “It’s been a good fi ve years,” Hanna said. “I’m excited to take the next step in my lacrosse ca-reer.” Head Coach James Raucci and Assistant Coach Julianna LaLuna have been working with the girls

on their skills on the fi eld, over-coming weaknesses. Ms. LaLuna helps the girls with their endur-ance and agility training. With the combination of these two teachers and their dedication to the girls the team hopes they will be able to show off their talent. As Talia Charidah said, “I think that the team chemistry we have will make a huge impact on our play for the bett er.” This is a positive outlook be-cause many of the girls have one specifi c goal: to get to the turf. This, of course, is a reference to the turf fi elds where the Final Four playoff s are held. In years past the girls have had some tough competition and this season is no diff erent. Some schools challenging the Lady Colts in Conference I are Massapequa, Baldwin, Port Washington, and Farmingdale. Solid in net has been the trio of senior Kasey Solotoff , junior Kelly Gallo and sophomore Haylee Solo-mon. Gallo said, “As long as mentally we stay together, we can physical-ly compete with these teams. We have the chance to have a really great season.”

Ellie Rosenblum, Meghan O’Sullivan, and Ava Fitzgerald are the three senior captains who have been on varsity since they were freshmen. They help with the meshing of the team chemistry. “All three captains have taken on a leadership role and will lead this team to do great things,“ Gallo said.

Fitzgerald is tops on the team in goals scored with Hanna, scor-ing three against Hicksville, two against Plainedge, and a whop-ping six goals in a 14-12 win against East Meadow. The Colts had a winning confer-ence record until suff ering a 16-6 loss to Baldwin High School. The lost dropped the girls to fi ft h place.

In the loss, Jessica Silverman and Leah Sanders both scored two goals. Hanna also picked up an-other goal. However, there are still many games left to play and Han-na believes the team can go deep into the post-season. “If we keep working as hard as we do, we can make it far in the playoff s,” she said.

Lady Colts set high goalsLady Colts set high goalsby Dana Reilly

Staff Writer

Senior Ava Fitzgerald, one of the three senior captains, scored three goals against Hicksville High School.(photo by Holly Lavelli)

“As long as mentally we stay together, we can physically compete with these teams. We have the chance to have a really great season.”

- Kelly GalloJunior

The Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs batt led their way through the play-off s, making it all the way to the New York State fi nals before see-ing their season end. The Bulldogs faced tough com-petition throughout the tourna-ment and came out on top to face St. Francis in the state fi nals. As the Bulldogs entered the fi nals, ju-nior Pat Bedell described it as “a

game that started off with so much emotion. We knew it was probably the biggest game any of us would play in our entire lives. “Although we were all dead tired and banged up,” Bedell said, ”we were focused and ready.” The boys played well through-out the game, but ultimately lost the game, 4-3. These boys have a lot to be proud of. While their season has come to an end, play-ers like junior Dan Hulse remain optimistic. “I’m looking forward

to another great season and hope-fully we can bring home the state championship next year.” Their success met on the ice was matched by achievements in other areas as well. The Bulldogs en-gaged in multiple events for char-ity, including raising money for companion dogs for veterans. The team worked in conjunction with the Merrick Lions club, a leading charitable organization, to raise money for local organizations. They even played a game of sled hockey against the Long Island Rough Riders, a physically chal-lenged team, to help raise money. Upon fi nding out they were heading for the state competition the team found themselves raising money not just for other causes but for themselves as well. In order to att end the trip, the team sold shirts and even held a raffl e event and a comedy night at a local establishment. Despite their success, another confl ict the team faces is playing in anonymity. Since the team proudly represents all three schools, there is no one big group of them in any

school. They also do not play on any of the three campuses, making fan support harder to come by. Senior Jake Barber admitt ed, “We haven’t done a great job about gett ing the news out, so we, too ,are at fault.” He added “If you asked students from Calhoun, I bet half of them don’t know the team even exists.” Actions are now being taken to change this situation. Accord-ing to Assistant Principal Nicole Hollings, banners are going to be erected at all three schools and at the hockey rink in the coming year.The administration also sent out one e-mail aft er the team’s success at states, informing all of those on the Calhoun e-mail list about the team’s journey and placement in the tournament. The administration has also expressed how proud they were of the Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs and their many accomplishments this season. “I think it’s so exciting that a team so young, in its existence, is able to achieve so much – it is just so amazing,” Ms. Hollings said.

Icing the competitionIcing the competitionDistrict hockey team fi nishes 2nd in states, looks to the futureDistrict hockey team fi nishes 2nd in states, looks to the future

Junior Nick Abbene, No. 13, heads up the ice for the Bulldogs.

Making their pitch

Freshman Lauren Savarese delivers a strike against Bell-more JFK, for the soft ball team. See page 14 for more.

(photo by Danielle Losee)

(photo by Victoria Santorelli)

by Rachel TysonSports Editor