Student Perspectives of AHS

 

 

AP Students (All pictures by: Abigail DesVergnes

 

Student Perspectives of AHS

By: Abigail DesVergnes

            North Attleboro RTM Coordinating Committee Chairman Bob Nerz recently made statements criticizing the Attleboro public school system. On North TV, Nerz argued against North Attleboro moving to a mayor-council system by underestimating the value of Attleboro High School (AHS).

P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility Is Developed Every Day) is a motivator for AHS students instilled by Principal Bill Runey. This mindset has transcended the school into a place of stellar accomplishments.

Junior Jaime McNary expressed her views on Blue Pride as, “the strongest sense of community at AHS.”  Students admire Runey’s encouraging work ethic and the communication he has with the students.

Junior Zoe Sternbach said, “I love the communication Mr. Runey has with the students in school and on Twitter. It allows us to stay updated on events within our school, allowing students to stay connected.”

A variety of different classes are offered to expand the students’ academic spectrum. From 11 advanced academic courses, to the Career Technical Education Program (CTE), to a variety of after school clubs, AHS has something to offer for everyone.

Senior and student president Wil Mckenzie said, “One thing I like about AHS is how diverse we are as a community. Everyone feels included, and no matter what, there’s a place for everyone.”

“A gateway to success and academic fulfillment,” is how junior AP student Sarah Carello described her experience at AHS. “I’m so grateful for the many opportunities this school has to offer,” she added.

AP junior Meghan Cooper said, “Attleboro High is the perfect environment to excel in and reach great heights. The AP program sets a high standard within our school and gives us the experience of what college courses will be like.”

AHS is not only excelling in their advanced academic courses but also offers a variety of high quality programs preparing students for their specific occupation of choice.

Junior electrical student Tyler Michienzi said, “I’m so grateful to be learning all of these amazing techniques that I’ll be able to carry out for the rest of my life. I would’ve never had these hands-on experiences if I was in a classroom environment.”

Not only are the CTE programs beneficial toward the students’ future careers but the shops open the doors to what life will be like after school.

“An immense amount of opportunities have been brought to me from culinary, showing me what the real world will be like,” said junior culinary student Noah Sweeney.  CTE teaches students the importance of teamwork and the benefits of collaborating with others.

AHS also has over 25 after school clubs. Students are given the opportunity to participate in any club they desire such as Answer for Cancer or Best Buddies; they can even create their own.

 Junior Alyssa Campbell started the poetry club at AHS. She said, “I’m very passionate about poetry and I really wanted to meet others who shared my passion. I’m grateful that our school allows anyone to expand their hobbies.” The club is even considering hosting a Poetry Slam in the spring.

            Teamwork is one of the major skills developed at AHS. Clubs bring students with the same interests together, crafting an environment of creativity and collaboration.

            “I’ve learned the true meaning of teamwork from the Drama Club. It’s been the best experience of my academic career. We are truly one big family,” said sophomore Collin Verilyea.

            Respect is a shared concept at AHS. As a community, people come from many different living circumstances. As a commonality, all students are figuring out who they are and AHS provides an encouraging workplace for students to thrive.

Freshman Natalie Johnson describes the school as, “… a place where it’s okay to be yourself.”

Electrical Students: (1-r) Garrett Gillard and Tyler Michienzi

Drama Club: (1-r) Natalie Johnson, Megan Laliberte, and Colin Verilyea

Culinary Students: (l-r) Noah Sweeney and Idalis Fernandez

 

Student Council, Best Buddies, and Sports: (1-r) Wil McKenzie, Emily Vieira, and Andrew Gingras

Searching for a Purpose

 

Mrs.Brittany Montagna (by:Teresa Turner)

 

Searching for a Purpose

By: Teresa Turner

Attleboro High School (AHS) welcomes science teacher Mrs. Brittany Montagna, who took over for Mr. Timothy Maynard, who retired last year as the earth science teacher. The most important thing, she wants students to know when they arrive in her class is that she respects all students as individuals.

As a professional dance teacher at age fourteen and traveling by fifteen, Montagna was invited to Los Angeles to dance. Upon arrival “there was no connection,” Montagna said, so she decided to become a teacher instead. After high school, she stopped dancing because she felt like she had “no purpose.”

After graduating from Bishop Feehan High School, she went to Dean College in Franklin, Mass. majoring in performing arts, with a focus on dance from 2008-2012 and then continued her education, earning a degree in secondary education from Grand Canyon University in 2014.

By twenty she had moved back to her hometown and was engaged to her childhood best friend, Matthew Montagna.

Now, she and her husband are expecting a child early in the new year, either a Mason or a Charlotte. Not yet on leave, Montagna still teaches with a “pregnancy brain, which is when you don’t realize you’ve said something,” she said.

Working while pregnant is “not difficult but a little uncomfortable,” and “relatively easy, because I love my job,” she said.

“I would make learning a more hands-on, creative, stress-free environment built around cooperative learning,” said Montagna. Before coming to AHS, she was a special education teacher at Seekonk Middle School.

Montagna claims that her favorite part of being a teacher is making connections with the students. “They teach me as much as I teach them,” said Montagna, adding, “Having to put grades on students’ capabilities is my least favorite part of being a teacher.” While Montagna believes that students shouldn’t have a grade, she believes that AHS is “taking the steps now which are leading the way to the changes that need to be made.”

Montagna is located in room 241B and teaches earth science and biology.

 

 

 

Favorite Festive Foods

 

 

Picture from: http://fchristmasf.hol.es/christmas-food/

 

By: Lydia Robinette

The students of Attleboro High School (AHS) have very diverse opinions about their favorite holiday foods. Some have extensive knowledge about their holiday food traditions, whereas others are just happy eating the food.

“I like the roast beef; the beef makes it special,” sophomore David Lallier said.

Many students from AHS come from different cultural backgrounds; naturally they eat a lot of various food dishes. Some foods appeared in almost every response, such as potatoes and ham. However, each is unique because each recipe is made with a variety of ingredients and spices.

“My family always has ham, that’s made with a Portuguese recipe, spicy potatoes, and rice pudding pie, all of which is a Portuguese tradition,” junior Michaela Xavier said.

Sophomore Amanda Rabau said, “We have pasta dishes. Grandma makes the pasta dishes and the ham. The food is very Irish with potato dishes and German sausage.”

Some of the AHS students have an entire Christmas feast. “We have chicken, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, lasagna, rice, beans, barbeque chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, and this real good double chocolate cake that my mom makes that is a well known tradition in our family,” sophomore Charles Jordan Tylar Henderson said.

Others focused on the sweet finale of the holiday dinner. Junior Bradlyn Mckettrick said, “Well every year we have this thing called Ice Box Cake, it’s basically just a normal cake with frosting, whipped cream, Oreo cookie crumble, and cherries, except it’s frozen and we eat it on the night before [Christmas] every year.”

While some families use old recipes passed down through generations, others try new ones collected from the internet. Sophomore Montanna Wortham said, “Well I guess my favorite is the potato casserole. My mom makes it but I think she got the idea from the internet.”

Some favorite food traditions don’t really have to do with the food as much as to fill a plate. Sophomore Evelyn Parenteau said, “We always have an epic battle to the death between the testosterone filled men in my family over the corner pieces of the lasagna.”

2015 Christmas Gift Guide

By: Jonathan Kermah & Prowo Kinkoue-Poufong

Festive Decoration (by: Jonathan Kermah)

 

It’s that time of the year again. Hanukkah has begun and Christmas and Kwanzaa are right around the corner. This time can often be confusing for finding the best gifts for loved ones. Here is a gift guide from the Eagle’s Eye staff members.

Key

Price range	Symbol
Under $25	$
$25-$50	$$
$50-$100	$$$
$100-250	$$$$
$250+	$$$$$

 

Surface Pro 4 is one of the top options for laptops this season.

 

Technology is always popular during the holiday season for teens, both male and female, but the cost of such gifts can often be pricey.

Laptops are a needed tool for teens and are great for helping with school work. It’s probably the number one request for anyone headed to college.

Price: $$$$$

Video games are always a fine item to choose. The most popular gaming consoles right now are the Xbox One and the Playstation 4. Games such as Halo 5, Call of Duty Black Ops III, Madden 16, Fallout 4, and NBA 2k16 are popular options this year for those who already have a console.

Price: Consoles $$$$$ Games $$$

NBA 2k16 is the perfect options for gamers who are also sports fans.

Less expensive options are books. Eagle’s Eye staff members recommend: the Divergent trilogy, the Legend series, and Confessions: The Paris Mysteries.

Price: $

Young Adult novel Divergent.

Teens are consumed by music. Although society is moving into a more digitalized age of music, albums are often pleasant gifts. They can be played in cars and downloaded to a computer or cell phone. Recently released notable albums include: Justin Bieber’s Purpose, Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams, and Logic’s The Incredible True.

Price: $

Justin Bieber’s album Purpose.

When looking for the perfect gift for those who use Apple products, purchasing a subscription to Apple Music is a great option. It provides endless music streaming to Apple users. The user can listen to any song in Apple’s database.

Price: $$

Concert tickets are a way to go above and beyond when shopping for a music fan. It is recommended to buy more than one ticket for the person so they can bring a friend.

Price: $$$-$$$$

Sneakers are always a highly sought after gift around Christmas time. With the upcoming releases of high anticipated sneakers like the Yeezy 750 Boost, Air Jordan VIII Retro “Chrome, and Nike Air Foamposite Pro “Pearl,” sneakers may not be a bad choice.
Price: $$$$-$$$$$

 

Air Jordan VIII Retro “Chrome” to be released Dec. 18.

While on the topic of fashion, clothes can be an exceptional gift. For some, a sweater is something to look forward to as a way to be stylish and stay warm during the winter months. When purchasing clothes as a gift, do not guess at the size. There’s nothing worse than receiving clothing that doesn’t fit. Find out the correct sizes before shopping or simply by a gift certificate to their favorite clothing store.

Price: $-$$$$$

Just as with males, there are many gift choices possible for the ladies. Simply buying a special variety of Lindt chocolates can be a terrific idea.

Price $-$$

Fashion is usually a popular pick and what’s popular in fashion are duck boots. More items include North Face jackets, and Michael Kors’ accessories.

Price $$$-$$$$

It’s no question that some males can be passionate when it comes to their sports. When going in that direction, check out jerseys, tickets or memorabilia.

Price: $$-$$$$$

When in doubt, buy gift cards. It’s often seen as lazy to purchase a gift card, but they are safe. Instead of buying something that the receiver may not want, gift cards from many stores are options. Whether it is fast food, a retail store, or even movie passes, gift cards can never go wrong. The stocking is the perfect spot to place a gift card.

Stockings are often seen as a minor part of gift giving on Christmas, but for many it is an important tradition. Candy and fruit are pretty much a given in stockings but there are other things to consider.

Although they may not be for everybody, small stuffed animals are suitable for the right person. Whether it is for a younger family member or that special someone, stuffed animals are a cute gift to receive.

For some, school supplies are the perfect thing to find in a stocking on Christmas morning. Pens, markers and other tools are useful gifts, especially for the artistic and writing types.

Don’t to be afraid to fill the stockings with toiletries. Although it may seem boring, they are things people need. Deodorant, razors, shaving cream, and cologne aren’t bad options for males. For females consider makeup, lotions and/or perfume.

 

Blue Pride Night 2015

By: Keegan Douglass

Photo By: Keegan Douglass

On Nov. 19, 2015, Attleboro High School (AHS) held its annual Blue Pride Night, where eighth graders and uninvolved students visited to see all the clubs and sports and what they have to offer. All the clubs, from Football to Band, were present that night. Students asked questions and requested information about to joining the clubs.

“The eighth graders were shy, yet intrigued,” said senior Wil Mackenzie, adding, “This event really shows that AHS is an accepting environment. It has something for everyone.”

Every section of the building was packed with students. Eighth graders arrived both with and without their parents to check out what AHS offers. Even recent AHS alumni came back to visit and talk with some of the current clubs members and advisors.

“The atmosphere was truly inspiring,” said science teacher Mr. Bill Reily.

AHS Principal Mr. Bill Runey believes it was an overall success. “I feel that the night reflects very positively on our AHS community, as it is clear that there is something for almost everyone. Clubs, theater, music, the arts, and athletics are all well represented,” he said, adding, “We are considering beginning the night with a presentation given to the parents and students that will reflect AHS before they venture out to see the clubs and activities.”

The teachers put immense amounts of thought and effort into this event. In particular, history teacher Ms. Colleen Nestlen went from table to table checking up on all the various clubs. She was responsible for coordinating the entire event and making sure that all was orderly throughout the night.

“The hard part was the overall communication with all the different groups,” said Nestlen, adding, “Everyone seemed to get back to me about scheduling concerns the last week before the event was actually held.

“Despite the difficulties, it was a great number of people who participated. Not only were the eighth graders discussing clubs, but I found that a lot of the students were actually talking to the upper-classmen about academics. This shows that the incoming freshmen are going to be just as hard-working as the class of 2016.”

Even the students who attended the event simply by “whim” found that it was enjoyable and worth their time. “I wasn’t there because I had a particular club to lead,” said junior Grace Harvey, “but I really enjoyed the energy being put off by all of the club members and the eighth graders. This event really does show how great AHS really is.”

Each year this event is held at AHS for incoming freshmen. It is the perfect way for eighth graders to begin discovering the extracurricular activities in the high school.