October 2010

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Oswego High School’s Student Voice Volume 14 Number 1 October 2010 BuccaneerBulletin New Principal Stresses Teamwork Page 2 Haunted Oswego Pages 4 & 5 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MONÉK CULLEN Jacqueline Hondro ‘Walks the Plank’ Page 7 Athlete of the Month: MacKenzie Dunsmoor Page 8

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This is the October 2010 issue of the Buccaneer Bulletin, Oswego High School’s Student Voice.

Transcript of October 2010

Oswego High School’s Student Voice Volume 14 Number 1 October 2010

BuccaneerBulletin

New Principal Stresses TeamworkPage 2

Haunted OswegoPages 4 & 5

PhOtO IllustratION by MONék CulleN

Jacqueline Hondro ‘Walks the Plank’Page 7

Athlete of the Month: MacKenzie DunsmoorPage 8

Features

October 2010Buccaneer Bulletin

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OHS is in Good Hands With Hartwell

For the students of OHS, the words “new principal” have become an all-too-familiar phrase over the past couple of years. So, when over the summer, those words began traveling around once again, students were not really surprised, or excited.

• Who would step up and take on the role as a leader?

• Would our fourth new principal in four years do things any differently than the other three?

• Would it be an interim or permanent principal?

• Would the person be new to the district or a familiar face?

Those questions were all answered on Sept. 7 when the Board of Education appointed Mr. Brian Hartwell our principal.

Hartwell went to a small high school in Lyons, New York where he graduated and moved on to attend Le Moyne College. He played D1 baseball, hoping to continue his dream of being a New York Yankees’ catcher. When that wasn’t the p a t h where life

brought him, hecontinued into a career in what he’s passionate about, history.

Hartwell was first hired into the Oswego High School social studies department. After teaching global studies and SUPA Economics, he moved on to be the House 3 principal in the former “House Plan.”

There’s a world of difference between being the principal and a house principal. An assistant principal is assigned to deal with specific parts of OHS while the main principal deals with the school as a whole. From issues such as the appearance and image of the school, to the budget, every executive decision made in the high school is run through his office first. “What a difference fifty feet makes,” said Hartwell, commenting on how different his job is now just a few doors away from his old assistant principal’s office.

Hartwell would’ve never guessed ten years ago that he’d be in the position that he is today, but when the opportunity presented itself, he decided

that the time was right. He has many high hopes for OHS and its

potential.

The 2010 –’11 school year has high expectations, with both new policies and newly-enforced policies being put in place to create the best learning environment possible. “We have a lot of kids in this school who are doing the right thing. Ninety percent of the student body is doing everything right; it’s the (other)10 percent that we have to try to work on. The 10 referral system was created to solve the smaller problems that make up the big ones,” said Hartwell. After sitting down and looking at the statistics of the previous school years, the biggest issue was lateness. “We are really trying to stress being prompt for the students this year. The referral system gives students the opportunity to correct their problem before it becomes a bigger issue,” said Hartwell.

Hartwell is making his presence as the principal known. If students never noticed him in the building before, they are noticing him now. From walking around the halls and popping into classrooms, to speaking on the announcements, Hartwell has a feeling of enthusiasm around him. He

is personable and charismatic;

he is a leader. “Being a principal means you have to be passionate about doing what’s best for students,” said Hartwell. It’s also important to be a good listener, to be flexible, and to be able to cooperate with others to create the best solution available.

“What’s right isn’t always popular, and what’s popular isn’t always right,” Hartwell stated when he explained his firm belief in doing what’s best for the students and the school as a whole. “I truly believe that the sky is the limit with OHS because its students, parents, faculty, and staff are great, as well as the community surrounding it.”

Hartwell’s goal for this year is to prove that Oswego High School is truly a school of excellence. OHS continues to produce graduates who are greatly successful in their paths in life, and part of that is that they came from a high school that enabled them to achieve. OHS doesn’t take enough credit for what a great school it really is. Hartwell is ready to instill the confidence in OHS and build the reputation it deserves.

By Jasmine DavisReporter

“I truly believe that the sky is the limit with OHS because its students, parents, faculty, and staff are great, as well as the community surrounding it.”

Mr. Brian Hartwell, Principal

phOtO IllustratIOn by mOnek cullen

Editorial/Opinion

October 2010Buccaneer Bulletin

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Oswego High School’s Student Voice

The Buccaneer Bulletin, a member of the Empire State School Press Association, and

The Quill and Scroll, is published periodically by the students of the Oswego High School,

2 Buccaneer Blvd.; Oswego, New York 13126; (315) 341-2200.

It is intended as a vehicle to inform, educate, and entertain the student body.

Printing services are provided by The Palladium-Times. Opinions expressed are

those of the students and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration or the

advisers.

Buccaneer Bulletin

AdvisersBill Reeser

Mike McCrobie

StaffChristina BuckinghamShaughnessy Darrow

Jasmine DavisMackenzie OatmanKatherine RobinsonKatherine Whelsky

Faith Whitely

…To the Buccaneer blue and white flags hanging on Route 104 for the first week of school. Great school and community spirit for the opening of the school year!…To the murals in the hallway leading to the lunch room. They give the school some color and interest.…To the community-wide read Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.…To Jacqueline Hondro and Thomas James being selected for the U.S. Army All American Band.…To the following students who represented OHS at the Oswego County Academic Youth League competition on October 7: Katherine Scanlon, Rebecca Smith, Norman Berlin, Nikole Bonacorsi, Colin Morgan, Andrew DiVita, Meredith Moshier, Haley Annal, and Justine Harrington.

...To the photography/yearbook room (B3) being way too small! There’s barely enough room to walk with all the computers crowding the area designated for photography work.…To the game of “musical rooms” on the first day of school. Seniors felt like freshman running around trying to find their Alpha Homerooms, when they were perfectly fine just where they were last year. …To the mural in the band hall being painted over. A beautiful piece of art that was created over many years, was destroyed for no reason what so ever....To the excessive number of flies buzzing around the school, interrupting classes, and disturbing lessons.

It’s amazing what a children’s pastime like

kicking a pebble down a stretch of sidewalk can make a person realize. It’s often not until we’re alone that we start uncovering our most in-depth thoughts about our lives. Walking down the road, I tried each second to find the biggest pebble possible to launch across the cement, and I soon became conscious that each search led to me mistakenly losing my previous pebble. As this continued to happen, it led me to the realization that this game I was playing was my life. I was searching for a bigger pebble, a better one.

It’s like we don’t realize that the choices we make each day are made so that we can replace something old with something new and greater. We’ve grown up during a generation full of change and we seem to have developed the idea that we can always strive harder to find better than we already possess.

I’m not saying that we, as teens, shouldn’t have goals, but shouldn’t we at least learn to appreciate what we already have first? For a second, we need to step back and really think whether or not we should give up something that we know is great, for something that we only think could be better.

Pretty much every student in our school would

graduate and leave Oswego in a heartbeat if they could, but how bad do we really have it here? Our city is one that may not be glamorous, but when you think about it, our town is one of the greatest places to grow up. Many of us don’t realize the number of unique places in Oswego and how much we could actually end up missing this place when we journey on to new cities. Where else can we skip rocks while eating Rudy’s clams, go for a

swim out on flat rock, enjoy multiple feet of snow in the winter, or hang out with friends over hot drinks in the upper level of Coffee Connection?

Our school and town offer us so much that maybe we should take more time to become aware of that while we sit around criticizing how it could be better. There will be no more Buc pep

rallies or dances or high school football games and spirit weeks once were college bound. High school years are precious and we’re honestly lucky to be a part of a community that knows that and chooses to fuel the opportunities we are given at OHS.

It’s always so hard to see the positive right there in front of your face, until it’s gone.

Oswego is a little town, sure, but I’m proud to call it my home town and I’m sure that time apart from it when I go off to college next year will only make me appreciate my time as an Oswego Buccaneer more. You can’t grow as a person until you accept where your roots are and always will be.

By Christina BuckinghamColumnist

Small Town Provides Big Memories

“Our city is one that may not be glamorous, but when you think about it, our town is one of the greatest places to grow up.”

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Buccaneer Bulletin

Visiting Some of The Port City’s Infamous Haunts

buccaneerbulletin.wordpress.com

Gray RoadStories about Gray Road in

Minetto are among the most popular at Oswego High School. Students have been going there for years for a cheap thrill. Rumors say people have been murdered there, or have committed suicide there, or that the place is just plain haunted. OHS librarian Ms. Gina Iorio joined the CNY Ghost Hunters on a paranormal investigation of Gray Road in September. Iorio says she liked it because they’re trying to debunk the stories. “They don’t believe everything,” she stated. The group toured the road and Iorio stated nothing remarkably creepy happened, but if you talk to the right people, who have been there on the right night, you may get a different story.

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

Oswego LighthouseIn 1942, five young

members of the Oswego Coast Guard Station died at the Oswego lighthouse in an attempt to relieve the on-duty lighthouse keeper during a storm. An article in the International Lighthouse Magazine features this tragedy and the supposed “spirits” it left behind.

The article sites current Coast Guard members as saying “They would speak of putting a light bulb in a socket high above the floor, only to find it set down on the ground the next time they went there,” and “Sometimes they’d look out from the shore toward the lighthouse, across the churning lake, and it would seem a light was burning in a window.” PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

The Home Of Kaleb Allen

“I hate being in my house alone,” stated OHS sophomore, Kaleb Allen.

Allen has experienced more than one ghostly experience in his house of over four years including seeing dark figures in the basement, and ghosts in the hallways. “I looked down the hallway and a boy was standing there and I ran,” he said.

A paranormal medium who visited Kaleb’s house claimed to have found “spiritual hallways” in more than one of the bedrooms, and his four year old sister used to talk about playing with a young boy that the rest of the family couldn’t see.

By Mackenzie OatmanReporter

Tracy DeCann is an Oswego resident and founder of The Oswego Paranormal Research Society. DeCann has extensive experience in the military and is now pursuing an old hobby of hers by leading paranormal investigations around central New York. Below is a list of things you should consider if you want to try and conduct your own ghost investigation, whether sincerely or for fun.

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

• Bringatleasttwoflashlights,becausebatterieshavethetendencytherunoutinplacesthathavehighlevelsofEMF’sor“ElectricMagneticFrequencies,”akindofwavelengthassociatedwiththepresenceofparanormalentities.

• Alwaysgoghosthuntingwithatleastoneotherperson.Someoneshouldalwaysbethereincaseanemergencysituationarises.

• Tryusingacameratorecordquestionablevisualoccurrences.

• Bringbottledwater.“Yougetthirsty,”addedDeCann.

• Bringapencilandpapertowritedownanythingthathappensforlaterreference.

• Don’tplayaroundwithOuijaboards;they’resketchy.

Whatever you do, just be careful and respectful, urged DeCann, because “sometimes something will follow you home.”

October 2010

5Visiting Some of The Port City’s Infamous Haunts

buccaneerbulletin.wordpress.com

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Editor’s Note: Text by Mackenzie Oatman

Fort Ontario

One of Oswego’s most historical sites, Fort Ontario, is not only known for stories of the Revolutionary War, but stories of the ghosts that were supposedly left behind. Ghosts of the Northeast by David J. Pitkin is among a variety of books for sale at the fort’s gift shop. The book elaborates on ghostly lights that have been said to playfully move near people’s heads when they visit the fort at night. Stories link these lights back to a soldier who has acquired the name George Fykes over the years and whose presence has said to have been reappearing to unsuspecting victims since 1782. A “deep bone chilling cold” is supposed to be a signal of Fyke’s presence.

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

Frances M. Brown TheaterOswego Players Inc. has been utilizing the Frances

M. Brown Theater in the Oswego Civics Art Center for years. Norman Berlin, a senior at OHS and long-time member of Oswego Players has heard all the stories about the theater’s haunted basement. The stories vary, but they basically claim there is either a hobo or Native American living in the basement who has been causing weird things to happen for years. Things have been inexplicably moved on stage during performances.

There was also recent fire that “Could have been elec-trical, but could have also been the ghost,” stated Berlin.

Two different groups of paranormal investigators have visited the theater and taken some questionable photographs. “It’s kind of creepy downstairs sometimes. Sometimes you think you hear things,” stated Berlin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORMAN BERLIN

Tracy DeCann is an Oswego resident and founder of The Oswego Paranormal Research Society. DeCann has extensive experience in the military and is now pursuing an old hobby of hers by leading paranormal investigations around central New York. Below is a list of things you should consider if you want to try and conduct your own ghost investigation, whether sincerely or for fun.

PHOTO BY MACKENZIE OATMAN

• Bringatleasttwoflashlights,becausebatterieshavethetendencytherunoutinplacesthathavehighlevelsofEMF’sor“ElectricMagneticFrequencies,”akindofwavelengthassociatedwiththepresenceofparanormalentities.

• Alwaysgoghosthuntingwithatleastoneotherperson.Someoneshouldalwaysbethereincaseanemergencysituationarises.

• Tryusingacameratorecordquestionablevisualoccurrences.

• Bringbottledwater.“Yougetthirsty,”addedDeCann.

• Bringapencilandpapertowritedownanythingthathappensforlaterreference.

• Don’tplayaroundwithOuijaboards;they’resketchy.

Whatever you do, just be careful and respectful, urged DeCann, because “sometimes something will follow you home.”

Features

October 2010Buccaneer Bulletin

Sniffling and Sneezing: Allergies Abound6

The summer ended sooner than

you had desired, and before you knew it; you were sitting awkwardly in the same uncomfortable school desk as the year before. Although everyone else’s faces reflect their excitement, you’re miserable. Your nose has been running like a faucet that won’t shut off, you’ve sneezed about 36 times today, and your constant sniffling is clearly aggravat-ing the student next to you. So, as you walk up to the front of the classroom to grab yet another handful of tissues, you admit your defeat. Welcome to the world of allergies.

Most people assume that the com-mon head cold is going around, but what people aren’t aware of is that fall is one of the easiest times for allergies to strike. According to WebMD, in the fall, large amounts of pollen are still lingering around in the air. When you breathe in the pollen, your immune system mistakes the particles as an at-tack from an illness-causing organism. Histamines produced by your antibod-ies are released into your bloodstream, triggering the obnoxiously itchy, watery eyes, the congestion, profuse

sneezing, and a runny nose. Ragweed is also an enormous cause for the fall allergy outburst. Fall is ragweed season, so even if ragweed is not pres-ent nearby, i t t ravels for mi les t h r o u g h the wind. Other than pollen, al-lergies can be caused b y m o l d a n d m i l -dew, dust mites, ani-mal dander and ha i r, c e r t a i n chemicals, and medi-cations.

A c -cording to WebMD, a recent poll revealed when allergies seem to affect people the most during the day. Forty-three percent of people who took the allergy survey said that their allergies were at their worst

when they first woke up in the morn-ing, 28 percent said that their allergies were most effected at the end of the day, 26 percent while they are out-

doors, and 3 percent said while e x e r c i s -ing.

S t u -den t s o f OHS are quick to share their own per-sonal ex-periences w i t h a l -l e r g i e s . Mat thew S h a w, a senior, is a f f e c t e d by both-e r s o m e a l l e r g y

symptoms constantly. “Being allergic to everything under the sun really is a pain in the butt.”

Shannon Pasco, senior, avoids her allergy symptoms before they

affect her first. “I absolutely dread allergy season and the only way I avoid it is by taking medication before the allergies get to me.”

Though you can’t “cure” your allergies, there are various ways to kick the symptoms before things get out of hand. Antihistamines, typi-cally known as Claritin, Benadryl, Zyrtec and Allegra are some of the most common ways of getting rid of allergies. According to MayoClinic.com, the most common forms of an-tihistamines are oral antihistamines and steroid-free nasal sprays con-taining an added decongestant and/or pain reliever, which are generally effective in relieving the sneezing, itchy throat, and eyes.

Other ways of getting rid of allergy symptoms include purchas-ing an air purifier for your home, trying a saline (salt-water) nasal spray to aid in fighting congestion, or even switching to allergen-free laundry detergents. The smallest way of fighting against fall allergies could have an extremely positive outcome, but if not, the school has yet to run out of tissues during the fall allergy season.

By Faith WhitelyReporter

Reality TV is an Addicting Indulgence I love Jersey Shore. If you “hate” Jersey Shore

you’re either lying or have never watched the show, and we all know you’ve watched the show.

Reality TV is good, and we’re not the first gen-eration to get caught up in it. Our grandparents were watching The Wheel of Fortune before we were even born, and our parents grew up with Candid’s Camera. There’s something undeniably entertaining about really simple people doing really simple stuff.

So why do some feel the need to constantly ridicule modern reality TV? This is why. Trying to answer pop quiz questions makes sense. Recording funny pranks makes sense. A free trip to Hawaii and a new convertible makes sense. Six people chilling out in a really nice house all day does not make sense. What are they doing there? Why don’t they have jobs? Why are their poofs so big? NO ONE KNOWS. Jersey Shore isn’t the only show like this. We’ve all seen The Real World, and The Hills. We’re familiar with all one hundred something versions of Flavor of Love and its sequels. They’re all the same thing when it comes down to it, a bunch of people in a house trying their hardest to get the viewers emotionally involved in their otherwise ridiculous program. On

some level I think we all know it’s ridiculous, but whether you’re yelling back at the TV or speechless that people actually act that way, you’ll find it hard to change the channel.

The first time I watched The Real Housewives of New Jersey I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, and if you haven’t seen the show, believe me when I say it’s the most painful thing you’ll ever watch. Still, beneath all the hair pulling and finger pointing, I couldn’t help but feel it resonated with situations I’ve really experienced. Those situations we “know are ridiculous” and yet still fool ourselves into believing are legitimate. The arguments and fights lacked all and any substance. They would bring up the same problems over and over again, just to instigate one another, and yet the women on the show were so drawn up in it that not only was it believable, but made sense. Everyone has gotten into an argument that is so idiotic and ill-conceived that you have to stop and review how you even got into the mess. These shows aren’t “so bad they’re good,” but rather “so true they’re good.”

At first glance the “six people stuck in a house,” thing seems irrelevant and unrealistic, but it’s really just a knock off of The Breakfast Club,

which is really just a knock off of high school. You get to know everyone, but you don’t really know them, you know them in the way you need to know them, that is, as “the jock, the princess, the loner, the basket case, the geek.” We’ve all had the concept of not labeling people shoved down our throats for years now, and admittedly, the actual labels have begun to disappear, but the concept is still there. We can’t wrap our brain around all the multi-faceted people around us, so we make them simple, it’s part of the Oswego High School social contract, and we’ve all signed our names. Soon, everyone you know is “this kind of person” or “that kind of person,” and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Our lives are busy enough as it is without actually having to get to know everyone.

From Jeopardy to Jersey Shore, the fact that simple people doing simple things is simply en-tertaining does not change. This is what we under-stand and love, and in many ways, this is who we are. I couldn’t agree less with those who try and blame our social habits on the media. Reality TV is just a dramatic representation of the way most of us really are, but now we can watch it from our living room couch while we eat ice cream out of the carton.

By Mackenzie OatmanReporter

phOtO cOurtesy Of GOOGle ImaGes

Walking the Plank

Buccaneer Bulletin

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OHS Drum Major Marches the October Plank

Buc Bulletin: What is your full name?Jacqueline Hondro: Jacqueline Hondro.

BB: What year in high school are you? JH: I am a senior.

BB: What activities do you participate in outside of school?JH: I dance; I’m in NHS, New Visions health, Girl Scouting, Marching Band, and Winter Guard.

BB: How many years have you been in Marching Band?JH: Four years.

BB: Why did you join Marching Band?JH: I joined because I watched my older cousins who were in Marching Band perform at a competition and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to be just like him.

BB: What instrument do you play and for how long have you been playing it?JH: I play the flute and piccolo. I have been playing flute for 8 years and piccolo for two.

BB: What is your role in the marching band this year?JH: I am the drum major of the Oswego High School Marching Buccaneers.

BB: What does the drum major do?JH: The drum major keeps tempo, is a leader for fel-low members, and does random tasks. Some of these tasks are helping others with music and carrying the long ranger (a speaker and metronome) to the field.

BB:What is the greatest challenge in being drum major? JH: It was an adjustment that took time. I am in control of a lot now, rather than being just another

face in the crowd.

BB: How is marching band different than band classes in school?JH: There is so much more going on, we have a drumline, pit, and a color guard. Everyone is very independent. Listening is very important.

BB: How many kids are in marching band this season?JH: About 95 kids.

BB: What do you enjoy the most about marching band?JH: Definitely the friendships that are made and kept throughout the years.

BB: Defy the stereotypes about marching band.JH: We work very hard, just like any other school activity. It is a great experience and you learn life lessons throughout the years that you don’t develop in other programs.

BB: How long is the marching band season?JH: We started July 20 and we end October 31.

BB:What is your favorite memory as a marching buccaneer?JH: Hearing and seeing the crowd at the New York State Field Band Conference Championship at the Carrier Dome my freshman year.

BB: If you could change one thing about Marching Band what would it be?JH: I would have the band stay at the football games for the whole time playing stands music, rather than leaving after half time.

BB: Do you have any band rituals or quirks?JH: If and when the flutes drop their flutes they have to sing “I’m a little tea pot” infront of the entire flute section.

BB: This one time... at band camp...JH: Brian Thompson WAS spider man!

BB: Your favorite band?JH: Nickelback.

BB: Favorite color?JH: Green.

BB: Favorite food?JH: Mashed potatoes.

BB: Favorite dessert? JH: Hot fudge brownie ala mode.

BB: If you were stranded on a desert island who would you bring?JH: My mom, Jenna Hotchkiss, and Susan B. Anthony.

BB: What would you bring?JH: My ipod and my pillow.

October 2010

Editor’s note: “Walking The Plank” is a regular question-and-answer feature of The Buccaneer Bulletin. If you know a student or staff member who you would like to see walk the plank, contact Katherine Robinson at [email protected]

Oswego High School Marching Band Drum Major Jacqueline Hondro answered questions for this month’s Buccaneer Bulletin “Walking the Plank” feature.

Oswego High School’s Student Voice Volume 14 Number 1 October 2010Buccaneer Bulletin Sports

By Jasmine DavisSports Writer

Oswego High School Athlete of the Month MacKenzie Dunsmoor

photo illustration By Jasmine Davis

The Buccaneer Bulletin’s Athlete of the Month, MacKenzie Dunsmoor plays every second of a soccer game like it’s

her last. She leaves everything out on the field and never accepts defeat. She plays with passion and aggression, ready to take on anything to defend the goal. “My favorite part of the game is the last overtime, when the stakes are high because that’s when you are really tested,” said Dunsmoor. She plays to win, there’s no doubt about that.

For Dunsmoor, life is like a balancing act. She wears many hats at OHS, including being the senior class president, yearbook editor, and a dedicated member of various clubs. Even with all of her homework, meetings, and responsibilities, she still finds time to be a captain of the varsity soccer team. Dunsmoor has been playing soccer for ten years, and this is her third year on varsity. In her senior year, she is the lone senior on the team. On senior night Dunsmoor’s name will be the only one called, as she is the single girl from the Class of ’11 who stuck with the game until the end.

Dunsmoor is leading her team a key player this season. “On the field, she anchors our defense and has played almost every minute of every game. She is the vocal and physical leader of a young group of defenders. Her efforts have already

led to three shutout wins for the Lady Bucs. MacKenzie plays the game with no fears; she is willing to sacrifice her body and challenge the other teams’ best players, she has no back-down in her,” said girls’ varsity soccer Brian

Greene. Dunsmoor’s co-captain and junior, Kaitlyn Armstrong reiterated Greene’s praise, “Mackenzie is the only senior on the team and she is a true leader. She is fully dedicated to playing soccer and she works hard every

day. She is someone on the team that everyone can look up to, on and off the field.” Dunsmoor’s soccer career in filled with many memorable moments of heart-wrenching games and

team bonding at Oswegatchie. “The most important soccer game I’ve been in was against FM my sopho-more year. It was a huge upset when we beat them. I didn’t play a lot, but it was cool to be a part of

something so overwhelming,” said Dunsmoor. In previous years, the girls’ varsity soccer team has been very close. From all dressing up

on Halloween like their coach, to riding in an RV to the away boys’ varsity football games, the team has done things as a group. “My favorite time was when we all dressed up as dead

CBA players (an upcoming opponent) when we came to school for Halloween one year,” said Dunsmoor.

Looking back on when she first started on varsity, Dunsmoor says the player she’s looked up to the most is Britt Howard, OHS graduate of 2009. “Britt is the person who taught me to be aggressive and how to speak up. She always encouraged me when I was down,” said Dunsmoor. Having a role model is important when playing a sport because it gives the athlete someone to look up to, someone to strive to be like. Howard was the older girl Dunsmoor looked up to on the team; she guided her to become the athlete

and leader she is today. “Kenz has always looked up to me throughout the years…She is a great friend and a great athlete. She is the type of person who tries

100 percent at all times. If she makes a mistake, she will bust her butt to get back and fix it. All her teammates should look up to her because she is a true

leader with all her dedication and heart,” said Howard. For Dunsmoor’s senior year, the soccer team has a lot of re-

building to do. After losing eleven seniors last year, the team has many new faces. As a captain, Dunsmoor hopes to push the girls in the right direction to become a more solid team.

“MacKenzie has a lot on her plate this year. She is the lone senior on this team, and I expect her to provide strong leadership to a young team that needs a positive role model,” said Greene.

Dunsmoor and her teammates hope to im-prove every game and make it to sectionals this year.