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Spring 2019 March Edition Tantasqua

TANTASQUA’S DRAMA CLUB PER-FORMS FOR THE WOMEN IN BUSI-NESS FUNDRAISER By Liza Flandreau Photograph by Liza Flandreau On March 7th, Woman In Business Inc. held their annual fundraiser in support of their scholarship fund. All proceeds of the event went to funding their scholarships. The dinner was held at The Sturbridge Host Hotel at six o’clock and included a dinner/dessert buffet and a performance. There were also raffle drawings that were donated by local business-es and members of WIB, and the evening fea-tured Adam Webster, the host of 98.9 Nash Icon, who served as the guest emcee for the night. Women in Business Inc. (WIB) sup-ports women by providing a network for them to share their knowledge in the business world. It provides educational opportunities as well as serves as a place to share information and experiences. Anyone, regardless of gen-der, employment status, or residence is able to become a member and serve on the board. Meetings are held at various times and venues around the Sturbridge area on the second Wednesday of every month. Every year, WIB awards four $500 scholarships to local high school seniors. The application and essay for Tantasqua students is available in the Guidance Office, and recipi-ents are announced in early June at WIB’s an-nual luncheon. “Over the last twenty-eight years, WIB has awarded over $40,000,” says Scholarship Fund Chair, Jennifer Jones. Re-cently, a fifth scholarship was added in honor of Judith Jaegar, the founder of WIB. It is pre-sented to the top candidate and comes with a $1000 award.

Along with fundraising, the event was also held in honor of four WIB members: Carol Porra, Irene Garand, Alexandra McNitt, and Judy Ferguson. For the first time, WIB decided to formally recognize member’s work and commitment in the com-munity. These outstanding women have tire-lessly worked to make a difference and set a standard of leadership, membership, and en-trepreneurship for the WIB community.

The performance of the evening was put on by Tantasqua’s Drama Club, advised by Ms. Briggs. “All in the Timing” is com-posed of five one-act plays: “Sure Thing”, directed by Abigail Trent, “Words, Words, Words”, directed by Alyssa Cameron and Olivia Hood, “The Universal Language”, di-rected by Andrew Gustavson and Grace Ahl-strand, “The Philadelphia”, directed by Kat Henry, and “Variations on the Death of Trot-sky”, directed by Alexis Carson and Hope Dolan. The first act, “Sure Thing”, starred Dan Distefano and Nadine Chidester as they portrayed the struggles of a first date, and the ‘do-overs’ that every man wishes he had. The second act was “The Universal Language”. It consisted of a con-professor, played by Rosie Fleming, who tricked a girl, Jenna Seery, to pay her for lessons in an outrageously comi-cal made-up language. The duo also dragged another girl, Sofia Agyare, into the scam. Next, Isabella Pabon, Alyson Lomme, and Ethan Brunelle starred in “The Philadelphia”. In this act, Lomme’s character found herself stuck in a “Philadelphia” – a place where everything is opposite. With the help of Pabon’s character, Lomme’s character is eventually able to skillfully trick Brunelle’s character into giving her what she wants. “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” illus-trated all of the different accounts of how

Trotsky, played by Manny Pabon, died. This performance also starred Cadence Boyce and Eian Jolin, Trotsky’s wife and supposed kill-er, respectively. The final act was, “Words, Words, Words”, which starred Ty Lacey, Ian Anderson, and Grace Yutzler. In an attempt to make a scientific discovery in this perfor-mance, scientists put three chimpanzees into captivity and give them typewriters. Their task is to rewrite Hamlet, but they mostly spend their time bantering and making snide remarks at their captors. The crowd seemed to enjoy the performance and showed their appreciation through a rousing applause. None of this could have been possible with-out Ben Anderson, Nichola Schullio, and Phoebe Thomas, all of whom served as an amazing Stage Crew.

Congratulations to all the performers for an amazing show, and also to the four women honored at the event. For information about how to apply for the scholarship next year, visit the Guidance Office, or www.wibsturbridge.org.

TANTASQUA MUSICIANS TAKE ON ALL-STATE

By Liam Metz

The All-State Musical Festival is an elite pro-gram for the best student musicians in Mas-sachusetts. This year the music program at Tantasqua was especially involved, as Mai Caslowitz, Matt Morales, Garret Webb, and Grace Ahlstrand joined their ranks.

To get into All-State, a student must first be accepted into Districts. Their audition score at Districts can then qualify them to receive an All-State audition. The trials are difficult and few people pass this process. What results is a few hundred of Massachu-setts’ best singers and musicians creating “some of the most beautiful music that [they’re] going to make in [their] life,” says Matt Morales.

The conference takes place over an intensive three-day-and-night process at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center in Bos-ton. Participants work rigorously over the course of the conference, but the hard work pays off when they create something truly special. Mai Caslowitz says it was “so differ-ent from anything else [she has] ever done,” but that she learned a lot of important tech-niques throughout her time there.

Mr. Ternullo went along on the trip, while also celebrating the ten year anniver-sary of when he went to All-State as a senior in high school, himself. He is beyond proud of the students who attended this year, be-cause “they have worked really hard for their achievements,” and he looks forward to see-ing what they will accomplish in the future. sure to think it through.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Arts & Entertainment (2, 3)

Sports (4)

News (5)

Opinion (6)

Reviews (7)

Alumni & College (8)

Staff Spotlight (9, 10)

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Pictured Above: Friends and family congratu-lating Irene Garand on being recognized.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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TANTASQUA SHOW CHOIRS TRAVEL TO NYC By Liza Flandreau Photograph by Mrs. Berthiaume

On Saturday, March 2nd, the Tantasqua Show Choirs went to the

Daniel Hand Connecticut Classic. “Encore” put on an outstanding performance and took home their first gold medal of the season. But this was not a typical competition trip for the group; after the show, they continued their trip and headed off to New York City.

A total of eighty-seven students and chaperones left the compe-tition at midnight and stayed at a hotel overnight to prepare for the day in the city. To begin their day in New York, they put on an im-promptu performance in the middle of Time Square, where they re-ceived a roaring applause from wowed bystanders.

Students then explored Time Square for an hour before meeting up at the Hard Rock Café for lunch. Lunch was followed by the origi-nal purpose of the trip: a Broadway musical.

“The Prom” is an inspiring story of how to overcome discrimi-nation and be one’s true self. This comical and beautiful musical had the audience crying and laughing within the same song, and opened viewer’s eyes to the world of LGBTQIA+ struggles. The group abso-lutely loved it and raved about it the entire drive home.

The Tantasqua Show Choirs would like to thank the administra-tion for making this incredible trip possible and hope that a similar trip will be possible for future years and members.

CLUB SPOTLIGHT: YEARBOOK By Liam Metz

Yearbook, a very important publication (The Tantasquan) at our school, has become a well-loved club that is also supported by a class during the school day. It thrives from the cooperation of both factions working together. The class collects numerous photographs and quotations, while the club works to put the entire book together. Mr. Barr, the teacher and advisor of both the class and the club, describes the yearbook as “a love letter to the school.” It is the archive of memories of a student’s adolescence, “that your future adult self will want to spend time with.”

Yearbook works to honestly capture every angle of Tantasqua. Its mission is not to exclusively photograph the students that people already know well, but to frame all individuals who walk the halls. “Yearbook’s pretty great because we can showcase all the students at Tantasqua, not just necessarily the popular kids,” stated editor-in-chief, Kathryn Henry. “[We] focus on what makes Tantasqua spe-cial.”

Everyone that works on the yearbook spends countless hours all year – especially Mr. Barr and Henry – trying to capture the spirit of Tantasqua. Someday we'll look back on their work and remember our roots. We will be grateful for the hard work they put into securing our memories.

CLUB SPOTLIGHT: YOUNG REPUBLICANS CLUB By Kathleen Mantalvanos

If you enjoy a good debate, Young

Republicans Club is definitely worth attending. This club usually meets every other Tuesday in room 4143 to discuss current event topics in a debate style. During Young Re-publicans Club, the time is usually spent conversing about ongoing is-sues in the world today. Meetings are also spent having the occasional passionate discussion about a controversial topic, which is always fol-lowed up with a civil debate. Many students enjoy the civil debates, because they help to better understand the opinions of others, while simultaneously helping to clear up any misconceptions about the top-ic.

This club has a wide variety of attendees; they have prominent members that attend almost all meetings, as well as some less fre-quent members. Young Republicans Club is very clear about what to expect when attending a meeting: The typical meeting consists of a debate topic, time to voice your own opinion freely, and the feeling that your opinion matters. Although the name of the group is Young Republicans Club, it is not limited to any specific topics, but rather opens itself to what the members are interested in talking about. Overall, the Young Republicans Club is a welcoming group where everyone respects each other’s opinion, while constantly discussing interesting and controversial topics.

Photograph by Mrs. Berthiaume Pictured Above: Eighty-seven Tantasqua students travel to New

York City to see the sights and a show.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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TANTASQUA SHOW CHOIR SPECTACULAR 2019 By Liza Flandreau On February 9th, 2019, the Tantasqua Show Choirs held their third annual Tantasqua Show Choir Spectacular. This competi-tion hosts local New England groups, as well as groups from as far as Pennsylvania. This year twelve choirs attended and were divided into three categories: a middle school division, a unisex division, and a small/large mixed division. The three Tantasqua choirs performed throughout the twelve hour day. During the first half of the festival, seven middle school and unisex groups performed their unique and intricate shows. Tantasqua’s “Maestros” kicked off the event with their show, which was themed “Munchkins”. The rest of the choirs then performed in the following order: Shepherd Hill’s "T-tones", Scranton High School’s "Glitter & Gold", Lowell High School’s "Soundsations", Webster Middle School’s "New Attitude", Randolph Community Middle School’s "Blue Flame", Dudley Middle School’s "Prestige", and Windsor Locks Mid-dle School’s "Power Company”. Tantasqua’s “Radiance” then wrapped up the performances with their show, which was themed “The Life of Marie Curie”. Awards con-cluded the morning show, where Scranton High School’s “Glitter & Gold” earned grand champions for the unisex division, and Dudley’s “Prestige” received it for the middle school division. The evening show began with a performance by Windsor Locks’ “Vocal Motion”. This was followed by the other five choirs in this division: Bartlett’s "Impressions", Everett’s "Pop Vox", Scranton High School’s "First Edition", Lowell’s "Sound Impressions", and Dan-iel Hand’s "VIBE". Tantasqua’s “Encore” performed their show of “Jeopardy”, which was followed by awards. Daniel Hand’s “Vibe” won grand champs for the small/large mixed division, and this concluded the entire day.

This year’s competition was judged by arranger Jeremy Alfera, who judged overall show design. Heath Gemar, a freelance choreogra-pher, was a clinician along with Jared McElroy. Another freelance cho-reographer, Lexi Robson, judged choreography. Director Nick Prior, judged vocals, and Brandon Lewis was the Pit Band judge.

The Culinary Department from Tantasqua, as well as outside vendors, provided the competition with a delicious lunch and dinner. And the Tantasqua Music Association offered students and attendees snacks and refreshments throughout the day. “Duck Luck”, coined by senior Liam Metz, is Tantasqua’s take on candy grams, where rubber ducks could be purchased and delivered to performers with a personal note attached as a way to wish them luck throughout the day.

Directors Derek Ternullo and Julie Boyd, as well as all of the choirs, would like to thank everyone who came out to support them and their fellow New England show choirs. They hope that the competition continues to grow, and they look forward to seeing everyone next year.

*** To see full competition results, please go to https://www.showchoir.com

Photographs by Liza Flandreau

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SPORTS

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SWIM AND DIVING TEAMS TAKE ON THE STATES By Liza Flandreau Photograph by Mr. Lucas The swimming and diving teams had an amazing season this year. After an outstand-ing meet at Championships, the teams quali-fied for Sectionals. While there, every boy’s relay race qualified, which is a great accom-plishment for the team. Senior, Bryce Iller, qualified in every race that he competed in and even broke two records. These victories allowed them to move on to States where their season sadly ended, but not before Jo-nah Green placed fifth in the state for diving. Overall, captains Lauren Butler and Bella Antczak believe the teams had a very suc-cessful season. Parker Riley, a member of the swim team, is very proud of their season and is looking forward to next year, because “it will be a lot of fun to be a senior and make the experience exciting for all of the fresh-men!”

THE BOYS MAKE IT TO SEMI-FINALS By Kathleen Mantalvanos Photograph by Mr. Lucas After an amazing season, the Auburn/Tantasqua hockey team made it to the Playoffs. During the game against Algon-quin, the first period ended 0-0. After a nail-biting second period, Auburn/Tantasqua was up 2-1 as the third period started. With only three minutes left, Auburn/Tantasqua held out their defense and ended the game win-ning 3-2. This win entered them into the Dis-trict Semi-finals. During their regular season, they have had eleven wins, eight losses, and one tie. Despite the strategizing done by the team, they sadly lost the Semi-finals 3-1 to Wachusett; ultimately, this ended their sea-son.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE VAR-SITY BASKETBALL TEAMS By Liza Flandreau Photographs Provided by Lydia Boland It was a great season for both the Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity basketball; both teams made it all the way to Districts. After a trying game, the boys’ team lost to North-ampton, but the girls’ pulled through and beat Quabbin 44-30. Lydia Boland and Madi Varney played an amazing of-fense and scored 18 and 11 points respectively. They then moved on to Semi-finals, which was held on March 5th, at Western New England against Northampton. By the third quarter, the team was in the lead and played an amazing de-fense. After a close fourth quarter, sadly the Girls’ Varsity team lost 45-39. Regardless of the loss, Tantasqua fans congratu-late both of their teams on an amazing season, and wish them luck next year.

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NEWS

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FRESHMEN LEAP INTO SECOND SE-MESTER By Kathleen Mantalvanos

The freshman class of 2022 has had a fairly smooth transition into the second semester. Although many freshman students have had to adjust to new schedules, lunches, and teach-ers, most have been having a successful expe-rience. While the switch may be stressful to students – having gone from finals week to new classes – it can also be a good time for a change of scenery. Most students will say the switch has been decent overall, but unex-pected things such as unplanned schedule changes can contribute to it being stressful. Second semester has been less stressful for most freshman due to the fact that students now have a better understanding of what teachers expect of them as high schoolers. An-other thing that many freshman have deemed helpful to the successful transition is when new teachers are straightforward with their standards and it is easy to comprehend their concerns. Adapting to the switch has also been easier in the sense that freshmen now know their way around the school and under-stand how the block schedule works, after having experienced it throughout the first se-mester. For the incoming class of 2023, fresh-men suggest to be prepared coming into the first semester by asking upperclassmen for advice, having a good attitude, and not letting oneself get overwhelmed. According to select freshman, the hardest part of the transition to high school seemed to be the realization that no one was going to hold their hand; they are responsible for themselves. But now that the freshmen have completed their first semester, they have gotten used to the responsibilities. Overall, the freshmen look forward to the next three years of high school and hope the in-coming class has the same rewarding experi-ence that they have had so far.

SOCK IT TO ‘EM By Liza Flandreau Photograph by Liza Flandreau

During the week leading up to winter break, the Be Good to People Club put on their annu-al sock drive. Be Good to People, advised by Mrs. Norton, holds many drives throughout the year to provide for the less fortunate in our community. They also team up with the ele-mentary schools to be role models for stu-dents. This year, the sock drive benefitted the Greater Worcester Housing Connection and their affiliates, and the collected items were

distributed during winter break. The school-wide competition brought in a grand total of 550 pairs of socks; Mrs. Boshka’s D-block class won the collection com-petition with a total of 67 pairs alone. The Be Good to People Club would like to thank everyone who participat-ed in this won-derful drive, as it will help nu-merous people in need.

RECOGNIZING THE STUDENTS OF THE QUARTER By Alexandra Mrotek Photograph by Liza Flandreau

The Student of the Quarter breakfast takes place each quarter and recognizes hard-working Tantasqua stu-dents who have shown significant im-provement or effort. At the end of each quarter, all rec-ognized stu-

dents and their parents are invited to attend a breakfast that takes place during the begin-ning of A-block. This breakfast celebrates their improvement and encourages students to keep up the hard work. Mr. Dobrowolski explains the process of choosing a student as being “based on a student's personal growth and development as determined by classroom teachers, guidance counselors, and school administrators.” Each faculty member is en-couraged to subjectively select one student each quarter. The criteria for Student of the Quarter does not include having the highest grade in the class, but instead is based off of improvement. Even if a student has a low grade in a class, if they demonstrate substan-tial effort and are able to bring their grade up, they may be considered. The selection crite-ria is broad, but it may include noteworthy improvement in the areas of attendance, homework completion, grades, or attitude and motivation. The Student of the Quarter program “looks to acknowledge hard work and perseverance,” according to Mr. Do-browolski. It shows students that their hard work is being recognized, even if they don’t have one of the highest grades, and as long as students demonstrate effort and improve overall, they may even be considered for the selection of the next Student of the Quarter.

FRESHMAN AWARD CEREMONY By Liza Flandreau Photographs by Liza Flandreau

On February 1st, 2019, the annual Freshman

Award Ceremony took place in the high school auditorium. The ceremony is held in order to recognize the hard work that various freshman students have put in during their first semester in high school. Teachers nomi-nate their students under four categories: Most Involved, Most Improved, Most Help-ful/Dependable, and Most Service to School and Community. Students who have multiple nominations receive the status of “Super Freshman” because their leadership skills go above and beyond. Following the ceremony there was a reception in the cafeteria where the students enjoyed refreshments of cookies and brownies. Thank you to Mrs. Flanagan and Mr. Dobrowolski, as well as the rest of the faculty, for creating such a smooth transi-tion for the freshman class every year.

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OPINION

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STANDARDIZED TESTING: IS IT WORTH IT? By Erika Madden

With every student across America pouring time, effort, and money into studying for standardized tests, the question is often raised: Do they even accurately portray a student’s comprehension of a topic? In all hon-esty, I don’t believe so. Standardized tests tend to give a very narrow window of opportunity for a student to demonstrate that they under-stand the topic at hand, and with so much pres-sure to do well on standardized tests, one can understand how it is easy to fail when they could have succeeded under different circum-stances.

Teachers tend to cram information into student’s brains, forcing them to retain large amounts of information in a limited amount of time so that they can pass these tests. Teaching with a focus on these tests doesn’t necessarily do a good job of educating kids or preparing them for the future. This growing frustration grows deep for many, as there is a sense of ur-gency put on students to learn topics well and fast. Over the past few years, I have spent many hours of the night trying to cram infor-mation into my head so that I could pass these tests, and I know many others have done the same.

Other than the pressure to do well, there is little to no motivation to put effort into stud-ying for these tests either, as students often do not see how this information could be applied to the real world. It’s a monotonous and stress-ful cycle that America forces its students into; one that often doesn’t even properly portray genuine comprehension of a subject, either. Looking at other countries such as Finland – which has the world’s top education system right now – they do not have standardized test-ing. Assessments are used to see how much a student has grown and learned, but nothing more. A student’s comprehension of a subject can be measured better through how they per-form in the class, rather than through a score they receive on a standardized test.

IS THE CHOCO-LATE BAR WORTH THE CHILD LABOR? By Alexandra Mrotek Have you ever walked into a spe-cialty chocolate shop thinking you’d get yourself a treat, only to be shocked by the prices? You might walk right out, think-ing you’d never pay five dollars for a chocolate bar when you could just go to your local gro-cery store and get a similarly sized bar for a fifth of the price. It can’t taste that much better; can it? Well, what you might not know is that the price does not just depend upon taste. There’s a reason that big brands like Hershey, Nestlé, and Mars can sell their chocolate for so

little money. It’s because they can make it for less money by using inexpensive ingredients.

Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are grown and exported primarily from Western Africa in countries such as Ivory Coast and Ghana. Recently, some organiza-tions have been able to expose the wide-spread use of child labor, and sometimes child slavery, on the cacao farms in West Af-rica. The documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate, which can be found on YouTube, shows a group of people that go undercover in the chocolate industry. It shows that in the poor country of Mali, many children are tak-en and smuggled to work on the cacao plan-tations where they are forced to work as child slaves to produce cacao, which is then used to make chocolate. In 2001, the Harkin-Engel Protocol was signed by American chocolate companies to put an end to child labor in the chocolate industry, and initially all business owners denied any use of child labor on ca-cao plantations. But as the video later showed, child labor was prevalent on many Ivory Coast plantations. The filmmakers found out firsthand that the child slaves on the plantations were often aged between elev-en- and fifteen-years-old; although, there were some as young as seven, who had been tricked by smugglers to come to the planta-tion often without their parents’ knowledge. Each child worker was bought for 230 euros (260 US dollars) and were never paid. These children were treated like slaves; they would be beaten if they worked slowly or refused to work, and they didn’t go to school. Often-times, they were even unable to speak the native language. The work is dangerous – especially for kids – wielding machetes, car-rying heavy loads, and working with pesti-cides. This is clearly a huge problem that is being ignored by major chocolate companies who continue to buy cocoa that is produced this way and deny having any responsibility for how it is grown. Yet, they continue to take advantage of its cheap prices.

These chocolate companies overlook the fact that the cocoa they are buying is made through child labor practices, simply because it saves them money. Some high quality chocolate bars are more expensive because they use beans guaranteed to be har-vested, without slave labor, from places like Central America. Are you able to overlook that there are an unknown number of children who are working hard as slaves on planta-tions far away from their families to save yourself a couple of dollars each time you want chocolate? It may be hard to know where the chocolate you’re eating originally comes from and whether or not it was pro-duced by a legal plantation that pays all their workers fairly, but that doesn’t make it any less important. There are serious problems and injustices in the chocolate industry that many people know nothing about, but once you become informed, you can’t forget or just ignore it. So next time you think you’re getting a good deal on the chocolate you buy, take a second to think about what had to hap-pen in order to get the price so low, and if you’re willing to support the child labor that

exists behind the extra couple bucks you get to save.

VIDEO GAMES TELL A STORY BET-TER THAN MOVIES DO By Gabriel Roberts

A lot of people in the world are under the im-

pression that video games are nothing but an addictive hobby that people waste their mon-ey on. But this opinion seems to be extreme and often false for many reasons. In order to prove it, two games in particular come to mind: Spider-Man and Red Dead Redemption 2.

When most people hear the words vid-eo game they probably think of either Call of Duty or one of the many Mario games, but there is a whole world of beautiful stories that many haven’t even experienced. Of all the Marvel characters with movies out there, Spider-Man raises almost the most money (right behind Iron Man). Now imagine being him; imagine instead of sitting through a movie that was filmed and scripted and will always play out the same, you instead get to control the story. You got to be the hero. That’s what video games like this one allow you to do. There is a story, but you get to cre-ate and manipulate it almost however you want. You get to choose how Spider-Man does certain things; you are Spider-Man. Peo-ple often get attached to characters in a way they never thought they could when they play a video game, because unlike with a movie, they get to become the main character, and there’s a reason for this, too. Video games are created in a way that make the player think like the character they are playing as. And while Spider-Man did this well, I don’t think any game has done it as well as Red Dead Redemption 2. There has never been a game as immer-sive as this one. When people play this game they are playing out one of the greatest West-erns of all time. The storytelling and the at-tachments they feel towards these characters are real. So when something bad happens, they feel it. I don’t often cry during movies, but I have cried twice while playing two dif-ferent video games this year, because they are just that well done. There is something to be said about the effort that goes into making a game. Every scene in Red Dead Redemp-tion 2, including riding horses, was actually created with actors on a set in motion capture suits. Don’t downplay what video games are capable of, because they undeniably can tell a story better than a movie.

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REVIEWS

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ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIE: SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE By Gabriel Roberts

On December 9th, 2017 a trailer was released on Sony’s YouTube channel

called, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Offi-cial Teaser Trailer. It looked very interest-ing, featuring a new animation style that has never really been used in film before. The trail-er didn’t show much in regards to the plot of the story; although it was shocking to learn that the trailer was released a full year before the movie was released. That being said, it was definitely worth the wait. It is one of the great-est movies of all time. The fact that the movie won an Oscar speaks for itself, because it truly is a masterpiece and a brilliant spectacle to watch. The story revolves around a character named Miles Morales who lives in a universe where there is only one Spider-Man: the be-loved Peter Parker. Miles’ world is turned up-side down when he is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains the powers of the already ex-isting Spider-Man, plus a few more. Miles ends up alone and confused about the changes he is going through, until Wilson Fisk activates a machine that tears holes into different dimen-sions and multiple versions of Spider-people all converge in one universe. Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man Noir, Penny Parker, and Spider Ham become a team and work to-gether while guiding Miles along the way.

This movie is a rollercoaster of heartfelt moments that will make audience members laugh, cry, and especially think. Though it is an action movie, it also has the overall message of being oneself. It's one the most well-written, well-thought-out, and well-executed ideas and movies of all time; definitely well-deserving of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

MOVIE: AQUAMAN By Gabriel Roberts DC has had more losses than victories when it comes to its films. Not to undermine the amazing success that was Wonder Woman, but more often than not, it is safe to assume their movies aren’t going to be amaz-ing. Man of Steel was too dark, Batman vs Su-perman was depressing, Suicide Squad is laughable, not to mention Justice League. But out of left field came a movie that I, along with most of the general audience, absolutely loved: Aquaman. This movie has some of the most beautiful visual effects. While the story seems played out and the humor falls flat at times, it is made up for in its amazing cast and their out-standing performances. It breaks away from the darkness of previous DC movies and em-braces its comic book feel. I felt like an excited little kid reliving his childhood while watching parts of this movie. In contrast to DC’s past failures, this movie is definitely worth seeing.

BOOK: THE TIME KEEPER By Liza Flandreau

The Time Keeper, much like other books by Mitch Albom, strives to show readers a new perspective on life. This specific book focus-es on time – having too much and wanting less, or having too little and wanting more. The book begins with the mystical and fic-tional tale of how time originally came to be, and the dangers and consequences that come along with it. Through the stories of two vast-ly different characters, readers come to under-stand how much time truly affects their lives in the smallest or largest of ways. Everyday is meant to be precious and therefore there is a purpose for the limited, or extensive, number of days we receive. Although there are some religious components that could turn readers away, the story is not geared towards religion and it does not overpower the story as a whole. It seems that Albom’s goal in writing this book is to remind people that life is pre-cious and each day matters and has a purpose, whether we recognize it or not.

BOOK: EVEN IF I FALL By Erika Madden

Even If I Fall, by Abigail John-son, is an emotional book that tells the story of a family left broken after a shocking murder. Brooke Covington has spent the

past year trying to understand the tragedy that destroyed her once tight-knit family. Before, Brooke and her siblings – Jason and Laura – were incredibly close, spending time explor-ing their small town together in Texas. Be-fore? Brooke had hopes of being a profession-al ice skater with the support of her family. Now? Brooke knows she can no longer leave her family to pursue her dream. Jason is gone, and Laura hardly ever leaves her room. Brooke feels like she is the only one trying to keep her family from falling apart completely, but she is also affected by her brother’s mis-takes. Likewise, she feels as though she has no right to mourn her brother, who is only an hour away in prison, whereas the family of Calvin, the boy Jason murdered, will never see him again. Ostracized by their whole town, Brooke feels that even though her brother was the one who committed the crime, she and the rest of her family are paying for it. Just when she thinks no one in her town can understand how she feels, she meets Heath, Calvin’s younger brother, and they form an unlikely connection.

In this heartfelt contemporary YA nov-el, author Abigail Johnson creates a fascinat-ing story and characters. It presented a unique point of view that instantly grabs the reader’s attention. While a little slow-paced at times, overall it combines mystery, romance, and a truly heartbreaking story in a book that the reader will not want to put down. It is a beau-tiful story of family, love, friendship, hope, and learning how to overcome unexpected challenges.

BOOK: BEARTOWN By Liam Metz

Beartown is unlike any book that you have read. As it is a translation from Swedish writer, Fredrik Backman, there is always the chance that certain ele-ments have been lost in its translation to English. That being said, it is still an impactful novel that will be nearly im-possible to put down. Backman has written many books featuring individually quirky characters and their struggles, but this is his first novel focusing on an entire cast of peo-ple. He doesn’t hold back. Instead of start-ing with a single character, he creates per-sonas for an entire town from the beginning. The rural setting of Beartown has a gradually failing economy, but a steadfast resolve from its hardship-scarred citizens. People from Beartown are tough as nails, and the one thing that they all bond over is hockey; it is the last thing truly holding the town together. This sport is the last hope for money and sponsors to return to the town; a last hope to improve the chronically failing town. Even without a love of sports, this book made me want to see a hockey game, simply because of the camara-derie that the book offers from the sport.

Prepare to fall in love with Backman’s magically spun and unique characters. Get ready for a town that you can’t help loving as much as you hate. Get ready for a crime so horrible that it rips a town apart. Get ready for Beartown.

BOOK: MONSTER: A SCARY GOOD BOOK By Erika Madden Michael Grant extends his Gone series with a new nov-el: Monster. This book takes place a few years after the Perdido Beach Anomaly, and follows the plot lines of

debut characters as well as those from the original series – such as Dekka Talent. Dekka and a few other characters, including Shade Darby, Cruz Martinez Rojas, and Tom Peaks, are exposed to an entirely new threat as peo-ple begin to mutate into alien-like creatures with unimaginable superpowers. This book stirs up a sense of nostalgia as it brings old characters into the spotlight while also wel-coming new ones. The combination of the two creates a perfect blend of former and newer plots. This fast-paced book will not fail to keep readers on their toes for the entirety of the read, as there are constant heart-stopping twists throughout the novel. Ending on a cliff-hanger, this book is sure to grab the attention of anyone who enjoyed Grant’s previous ac-tion-packed series and will leave readers wanting more.

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ALUMNI & COLLEGE

If you’re interested in writing for The Tomahawk, please contact us at grossfeldn@tantasqua.org

ONWARD AND UPWARD: WHERE SENIORS ARE HEADED AFTER GRADUATION By Liam Metz Photographs by Liam Metz

It’s officially the countdown to graduation. In a few months sen-iors will be leaving, high school will be over, and they will take their first steps toward reality. For many of them, although not all, this means college. Some people are more prepared than others, but it seems that most graduating seniors are still at least a little unsure about what truly comes next. Here are the perspectives of four of Tan-tasqua’s current seniors:

Jade Menard

Jade Menard knew where she wanted to go from the very the beginning. As soon as she was accepted to Worcester State University there was no need for her to apply anywhere else. The small school that’s close to home was the best place for her to major in Speech Pa-thology and minor in Psychology (although this is still under consider-ation). Even though Menard seems to have everything in place, she’s still nervous about the social aspect of college. “My whole life is gon-na change like that,” says Menard, whilst snapping her fingers. Leav-ing all her friends and a town that she has lived in for the majority of her life is not a simple switch. She will say goodbye to a busy high school schedule as she heads off toward the freedom of Worcester State. Rather than being nervous though, she is hopeful. Finding new friends and joining new organizations and clubs is as nerve-wracking as starting junior high was originally, but Menard is excited to branch out and try new things. She is not giving up her passions though; she wants to keep up with dance, but also is interested in dabbling in pho-tography. After college, Menard is very excited to explore the “self-rewarding career[s]” that speech pathology will open up for her.

Kaylee Fife

Kaylee Fife isn’t positive about where she is going yet. She ap-plied early action to Suffolk University to get an idea of what other schools to which she would have to apply. She was accepted to Suf-folk with a spectacular financial aid package, and since Suffolk was one of her top schools she continued to reach for more competitive schools. She applied to Northeastern, UMass Amherst, and Boston University and is waiting to hear back from them in March. Boston University is another top school that she will have to decide between if she gets in. Going to school in Boston is important to Fife. Wherever she ends up, she will major in chemistry. She dreams of someday be-coming a teacher, although not necessarily a chemistry teacher. That

being said, she will follow in the path of her grandfather who was also an educator. She wouldn’t mind doing some lab work before teaching in elementary or secondary education, though.

Jasper Roche

Jasper Roche has a very specific plan for after high school, but his process getting there has not gone exactly as planned. Jasper missed both of his scheduled SAT dates, and unfortunately, after these two dates it was too late. So Jasper will be spending a single semester at Quinsigamond before transferring to Fitchburg State University. This will allow him to complete the prerequisite courses, and receive the final credits that are needed for Fitchburg. Roche ap-preciates that this plan will save him a lot of money in the long run. Once he is enrolled at Fitchburg, he will major in writing and minor in one of the few game design programs at a public university in New England. Jasper has managed to turned his unfortunate situation around and now has a plan that will lead to an intended career with skills in writing and game design.

Noah Vega Noah Vega is going straight into the US Air Force. Joining the military has been a dream of his since he was a child, but it wasn’t until last summer that he decided on the Air Force and enlisted. Ve-ga is very excited to leave Massachusetts and experience new things and places, while simultaneously starting his career. He is looking forward to learning everything he can and making the most out of his career choice. For now, he is focusing on this step in his path, but he does think that he will go to college after leaving the Air Force – alt-hough he is not sure where. He plans to live in the moment and is “looking forward to what is going to occur in the near future for [him].”

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

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MRS. LORI STATTENFIELD By Liza Flandreau Mrs. Stattenfield is no stranger to Tantasqua High School. She has been working here as a history teacher for ten years, and for five of those years she has served as head of the History Department. Mrs. Statten-field has been on the path to teaching since she was young. Being the firstborn in her family, “[she] loved to be in charge and wanted to fol-low [her] grandmother who was a history teacher.” She also has a strong love for helping people and connecting with them through learn-ing their stories while simultaneously sharing hers – something she has been doing for many years, even before coming to Tantasqua. Mrs. Stattenfield was a teacher for three years before she joined the community here. She attended Colby College, where she majored in history with a focus in Russian studies. She then went on to Wake For-est University, where she received her master’s degree in Secondary Education. Throughout her teaching career, Mrs. Stattenfield has taught a variety of courses: AP US History, Conflicts and Coexistence, US History 1 & 2, World History, Criminology, and also a current events course. Although she doesn’t have a favorite course, her favorite part about teaching is coming up with new and exciting ways to teach. She also enjoys having the opportunity to discuss world and current events with the teenagers with whom she works. She is very passionate about helping students become aware of the world outside of high school and goes above and beyond to make it interesting and engaging for her stu-dents. Although Mrs. Stattenfield would never dream of having a dif-ferent job, if she were to pick a different subject to teach, she would choose English. Working with students on their writing skills is another love of hers. She is also very intrigued by what “makes people tick, and [she] believe[s] that books can reveal that about a person.” Thankfully, through some of the research papers in her unit plans, she is able to ful-fill this aspect of teaching. Besides being in the classroom, Mrs. Stattenfield dedicates her time in the school building to History Club and Humanity Scholars. Outside of school – if she ever has free time – she can be found reading historical fiction, walking with her dog, or either skiing or spending time by the pool – depending on the season. Mrs. Stattenfield is very happy at Tantasqua and looks forward to another ten years.

WELCOMING MR. BRANDON BERNARD By Kathleen Mantalvanos

This year in the Technical Division of Tantasqua High School, a new teacher, Mr. Bernard, was able to contribute his unique skills and knowledge to the hospitality program. Mr. Bernard started his career by attending David Prouty High School and then continued his education at Worcester State University. He loves his job and enjoys the hospitality field for what it provides: a flexible work schedule, seeing regular customers, and the stability it offers.

The transition to joining the Tech Division has been a smooth one, and Mr. Bernard is very thankful to his colleagues for their help in his successful transition. He also emphasizes that he loves his job because of the people he works with and the stu-dents in his classes. Out of school, Mr. Bernard enjoys cooking for and spending time with his friends and family, as well as read-ing, going to concerts, camping, and spending time at the beach.

Currently Mr. Bernard does not run any after school ac-tivities, but he is very open to the idea of starting something up in the future. Although Mr. Bernard could not see himself teaching an-ything else, if he had to teach a different class he would be open to teaching an English course and also getting his culinary arts license. Mr. Bernard has offered a lot to Tantasqua regarding his teachings, such as helping with the hospitality portion of the Cornerstone Cafe, catering various events, and the recent win of Worcester’s Best Chef competition. Mr. Bernard says he is very blessed to be a part of the Tech Division and to stand beside the wonderful Chef Popp and Chef Lariviere.

Photograph by Liza Flandreau

Photograph by Liza Flandreau Photograph by Kathleen Mantalvanos

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

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MR. PAUL KRISTENSEN By Liza Flandreau Mr. Kristensen is a fairly new addition to the Tantasqua community, and we are more than happy to have him. While this is only his sec-ond year teaching in the English Department, he has been a teacher for much longer than this. He taught in Arkansas for five years, as well as New Hampshire, Humboldt State University in California, Holliston, North Andover, and most recently Springfield, before coming to Tantasqua. Mr. K. took a year off after high school to work, but then attended the University of Vermont where he re-ceived both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He wasn’t always planning to teach English, though. He orig-inally planned to teach Marine Biology, but realized that every day he had those classes, he would sleep through his alarm; whereas he would always be up, ready, and excited for his English classes. Through an internship in middle school for a kindergarten class, Mr. K. realized his love for helping people understand things that con-fuse them; this very quickly became his favorite part of teaching. He has a passion for watching students understand a new concept or gain a new perspective on a previous idea. Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Kristensen has taught many courses including AP Language and Composition, Creative Writing, Multicultural Literature, AP Literature and Composition, and a course focused in science fiction and fantasy. That being said, if he were to teach another subject, he would be most interested in teaching sociology. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Kristensen is involved in the Dungeons and Dragons Club here at Tantasqua, as well as, the new co-advisor for the Anti-Defamation League Club. He spends most of his time with his family, which includes his seven-year-old daughter, twelve-year-old son, wife, and his rescue dog. Besides this, he also enjoys reading, playing video games, and is a huge sports fan. He is currently obsessed with watching Liverpool, and he absolutely hates the Patriots – despite growing up in Vermont. Mr. Kristensen is thankful for his smooth transition into Tan-tasqua and is looking forward to his future here moving forward.

MS. LISA CARON By Liam Metz Lisa Caron is the person that will wish students a good night as they leave the school after sports or clubs. Her laugh echoes on the first floor where she works as a custodian. She’s been at Tantasqua for six years now, but has had an eventful life before joining the community here. Caron was born in Ware, Massachusetts at Mary Lane Hospital. She spent her childhood attending school in North Brookfield, before learning a trade at Pathfinder. She learned sewing and hairdressing be-fore she returned to North Brookfield to graduate. After graduation, Ca-ron went to school to become a master barber. After getting married when she was twenty-one, she spent nearly a decade running a barber-shop from her home. During those years, she gave birth to her two old-est daughters, Erika and Kristen, and then to her youngest son, Travis. Shortly after the birth of Travis, she gave up being a full-time barber due to developing carpal tunnel. But that loss was nothing com-pared to the joy of being a stay-at-home mom, according to Caron. “I loved it,” she said, reminiscing about the time. After being a barber, Caron worked part-time jobs from home. When the economy dipped at the beginning of the century, Caron and her family decided to open a restaurant, and the Dreamers Bar and Grill was born. The Caron family had ten wonderful years at their restaurant in Barre, MA. There was a full menu and bar with live entertainment every weekend. It was a lively place, but the real entertainment came from Caron herself. “I’m a KJ,” exclaimed Caron, “which is a karaoke jockey… I can sing!” On weekdays Caron would host rousing karaoke sessions. Although the business was fun, the stress of the restaurant weighed on Caron and her husband. The constant maintenance required was the deciding factor to lease out the property to new restaurant own-ers. “It was fun while it lasted, but you get burnt out,” said Caron. J & J Family Restaurant carries on the legacy of the Dreamers. To this day, Caron still enjoys running into old faces from the restaurant. Caron has been many things over the years: a master barber, a wife, a mother, a karaoke jockey, and a restaurant manager. Most re-cently she has become a grandmother of three beautiful grandchildren – Owen, Kingston, and Nolan – whom she loves dearly. The three will soon become four any day now, as one of her children is currently ex-pecting. Caron lives in Brookfield with her husband and hopes to retire at Tantasqua. Students are thankful for the spirited laugh bouncing through the first floor as well as Caron’s smile they see as they leave Tantasqua each day.

Photograph by Nicholas Capurso

Photograph by Liza Flandreau Photograph by Liam Metz

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If you’re interested in writing for The Tomahawk, please contact us at grossfeldn@tantasqua.org

Content Co-Editors Liam Metz

Alexandra Mrotek

Syntax Editor-in-Chief Liza Flandreau

Contributing Writers

Liza Flandreau Erika Madden

Kathleen Mantalvanos Liam Metz

Alexandra Mrotek Gabriel Roberts

Photographers

Nicholas Capurso Liza Flandreau

Kathleen Mantalvanos Liam Metz

Advisor/Layout

Ms. Nikki Grossfeld

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