Volume 5 Issue 1Joseph A. Foran High SchoolOctober 2017

ManeStreet Mirror

Editorial ....... pages 2Columns .....................pages 3-4

News.....................page 5-6Entertainment .........................page 7

Sports ......................page 8

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The

Shea Phelan Sports Editor As the school year begins, new students are seen around school along with new teachers. With new staff and new students, it’s helpful to know some tips and tricks for getting the most out of the school year.

Ms. Lockhart , a second year science teacher specializing in Human Anat-omy, was new to the teach-ing world last year as well as the Foran science department.

Being a new teach-er to an unfamiliar high school, it can be scary. “At first I was nervous,” she said.

Griffin OndekStaff Writer With increased age comes increased responsibility. That being said, there also comes an increase in privileges. Being a senior grants students not only the exclusivity of sitting outside during lunch, but also the benefit of “senior priv” during study halls. If nothing about senior year excites you, you can at least look forward to senior privilege. Senior priv is an option for students who have a period one, two, seven or

eight study hall as a senior: you are allowed to come in late or leave early, respectively. Nick DeBiase, who has priv period eight, says, “I use my priv time to either get started on my homework or take a quick nap before my other friends get out of school.” Senior Hailey McGinnis says she uses her morning priv to, “Catch up on sleep. My schedule is pretty busy between work, school and

Lucas BurgardStaff Writer

Going to a new school is hard, but imagine going to a new school 4,000 miles away from home.

This is reality for junior Carmen Pozo and the multiple foreign exchange students who are currently attending Foran.

“It’s very different,” said Pozo. “In Spain, you are always in the same classroom with the same people, but different teachers come in for different classes.”

According to the Insti tute of International Education, 73,000 international students enrolled in American High Schools in 2013.

R o m a U b a l d i , sophomore, is Pozo’s host and has known her for three years. Pozo has come to the United States and stayed with Ubaldi for two summers but this is her first time staying for the academic year.

“It feels like I have a sister,” says Ubaldi. “I watch

out for her and help her out with school work because a lot of things about the curriculum are different than in Spain.”

Ubaldi also visited Pozo in Spain, last summer. “It was amazing,” she said “I want to live there.”

Pozo is currently a member of the varsity volleyball team: she has been playing volleyball in Spain for six years.

Although busy, but she does not complain. She even says that school is a lot easier here than it is in Spain.

Certainly the positive att i tude of Pozo and the international students doesn’t go unnoticed. “They are so eager, and positive, and open to trying new things,” says Spanish teacher Mrs. Convertino.

S t u d y i n g a b r o a d in high school is not very common here in the United States, however through various organizations such as CIEE, it is possible. The Council On International Educational Exchange provides certified high school study abroad

programs to 14 different destinations.

“ I r e c o m m e n d studying abroad. You can learn a lot of things, meet more people, and make new friends,” says Pozo.

O t h e r b e n e f i t s

Foreign Students at Foran Bring New Perspective

What to Expect in Your First Year

Getting A Late Start With Senior

Privilege

to studying abroad include great additional information for college applications or for resumes. It can also help strengthen language skills and immerse you into different cultures

M r s . C o n v e r t i n o strongly encourages studying

abroad. “I wish our kids would study abroad,” she says. “You can learn about people, cultures and languages.”

Mrs. Convertino had a student one year who studied abroad in Venezuela, and came back fluent in Spanish.

Although her nerves got in her way every once in a while, she knew that science was the direction she wanted to go in. “I always loved science and I always wanted to head into a career in science or medicine. My choice was public health.”

Lockhart added, “I found my favorite thing to do within that was to teach people. I was an EMT before I went into teaching. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be around that kind of intensity so I went down the career path of teaching.”

When Lockhart first came to Foran, she was hoping for a Human Anatomy class.

Volleyball celebrates a recent win. Read Britney Lynch’s full article on manestreetmirror.wordpress.com

Article continued on page 3

Article continued on page 5

On Wednsesday, September 20, 2017, Lucas Burgard took a photo of a display in Mrs. Sheppard’s room. Photo courtesy of Lucas Burgard.

Luckily for her, the full year elective class was offered to her last year because the teacher she filled in for used to teach Biology and Human Anatomy.

“Half way through the year I realized I had to build relationship with the students and gain their trust,” Lockhart said, adding that she realized very quickly that the Foran community was very welcoming and her advice to new teachers this year is: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It gets better as the year goes on.”

Caden Ondek , a sophomore, understood very

Page 2 Editorial October 2017THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Khadija Ashfaq, Co-Editor-In-Cheif, SeniorShannon Flynn, Co-Editor-In-Cheif, Senior

Eva Knudsen, Editor, SeniorShea Phelan, Editor, Senior

Nicholas Barrieau, Staff Writer, SeniorLindsey Brooks, Staff Writer, Senior

Madeline Buckley, Staff Writer, SeniorGianna Cruciani, Staff Writer, Senior

Quinn Lofthouse, Editor, SeniorMadeline Mitchell, Staff Writer, Senior

Griffin Ondek, Staff Writer, SeniorOlivia Ouellette, Editor, Senior

Caitlyn Roman, Staff Writer, SeniorLucas Burgard, Staff Writer, Sophomore

Jake Burwell, Staff Writer, SeniorAva Haig, Staff Writer, Junior

Anna Jani, Staff Writer, SophomoreRisha Kothari, Staff Writer, Sophomore

Andrew Labozzo, Staff Writer, SophomoreBritney Lynch, Staff Writer, JuniorNatasha Mora, Staff Writer, SeniorMalisha Ortiz, Staff Writer, Senior

Victoria Padilla, Staff Writer, SophomoreRobby Tierstein, Staff Writer, Senior

Mrs. Farrell, Advisor

Meet the News Crew! Provide a learning environment which fosters critical think-ing, collaboration, creativity, and communication to prepare

all students for the challenges of the 21st century.

Joseph A. Foran High School Mission Statement

Eva KnudsenEntertainment Editor

There are so many Advanced Placement courses, aka APs, offered at Foran and it is heavily encouraged to take at least one during your high school career. The benefits of AP classes are getting prepared for college courses and chal-lenging yourself to become a better student. Students that have not experienced these higher level classes may want some helpful tips to excel, and to clear up any misconceptions about the courses.

Mrs. Dooley, the AP Language and Composition teacher, talks about the pac-ing of the class being different than any other classes because the exam date does not change, so it is crucial the students are able to learn all the material by the time of the exam. Mrs. Dooley mentioned a tip about time management when she said, “Homework assignments are not due every day, but that does not mean you should wait until the last minute to complete work.”

This is how students

Tips To Ace AP’sfall behind and become over-whelmed with advanced class-es. Not only does Mrs. Dooley have advice for students, but she also has some advice for AP teachers. She recommends that Advanced Placement teachers attend the Summer Institute training, as well as the AP An-nual Conference to help remind AP teachers about their classes and the test.

Gean DeGuzman, a senior, has had his fair share of AP classes. This year alone, DeGuzman is taking on six advanced placement courses: Physics II, Biology, Computer Science Principles, Calculus BC, Literature and Composi-tion, and Psychology.

He helped clear up some misconceptions about these classes when he said, “In my opinion the biggest miscon-ception about APs is that adding more than one AP class to your schedule will be too much to handle. I know many students limit themselves when deciding on what courses to take for the next year.”

As Mrs. Dooley said, DeGuzman mentioned that it re-

ally boils down to time manage-ment. DeGuzman says, “Many teachers at Foran understand how hard our schedules can be. If there are any problems with falling behind, teachers are more than willing to be accom-modating.”

He believes that com-munication with your teacher is essential in taking an AP.

Leah Teller, a senior, said, “A common misconcep-tion people have about APs are that the tests are impossible.” If you stay on track with the class and study more than one night for the exam then you will perform well.

Mrs. Dooley and De-Guzman said it best: time man-agement is a key factor when taking advanced placement classes. If you wait until the last minute for an assignment then it is easy to fall behind and be-come stressed. This creates the misconception that APs are too hard for some to handle, when in reality anyone can take one if they’re willing to put in the effort. With that said try some-thing new and sign yourself up for an AP course next year.

Gianna Cruciani Staff Writer At Foran, there are many opportunities for you to prepare yourself for your career. The Certified Nursing Assistant Program is no ex-ception. With this course, you can gain all the requirements to take the state CNA test. In the class, students learn all about the healthcare system and basic CNA requirements. A synopsis of the class is, as described by Ms. Magee Brown, “classroom teaching of the principles related to pa-tient care and all the systems of the human body and practical application of the principles.” In the fall, students travel to Golden Hill Nursing Home and care for patients. According to Ms. Magee-Brown, Foran and Law’s CNA teacher, she recommends tak-ing CNA because, “The clini-cal experience that you get, you’ve actually put hands on a patient and a lot of other students don’t get that oppor-tunity because it’s not at many high schools.” She also said that it is a really good opportu-nity for students to determine whether or not they want to pursue into the medical field. Chloe Impellizeri ,

a 2014 Foran graduate, is in her senior year of nursing at Southern Connecticut State University. Impellizeri took CNA as a senior in high school and said that, “It prepared me for nursing school because it’s exactly the same as our geriat-ric clinical, which is our first clinical. I had an advantage because I already knew how to provide personal care and take vitals.” Impellizeri also stated that, “CNA class is the reason I decided to go into nursing. I knew I wanted to do something medical field but I didn’t really consider nursing at that point.” Many students like the fact that this class is offered at school. Ryan Zhao, a per-spective radiologist and CNA student, said that, “I really like how even though we don’t go to a tech or a trade school, etc., we still have the opportunity to take a class that prepares us for the test and even the job.” There are few requirements for this program: you must be a senior or junior to sign up and you must be taking or have taken the Human Anatomy class offered at Foran. Accep-tance into the program is on a first-come-first serve basis, so if interested, it is best to sign up as early as possible.

Kyle Stewart, a Foran Senior, testing the CNA equiment during his class period on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. Photo Courtesy of Gianna Cruciani.

CNA: An Opportunity to Pursue

Page 3EditorialOctober 2017 THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Applying Yourself To College During High SchoolQuinn LofthouseEditorial Editor Although senior year may be dedicated to making it through to college, the process actually begins right from the start of freshman year. Freshman Year: This is the start of a student’s entire high school career. There are many little, but useful things for a freshman to do to start their journey towards senior year. One way to accomplish this is to join every club that you may be interested in. This can help you figure out what you are passionate about whether this is through joining a club dedicated to a specific field or even just a club focused on general volunteering.

Another way to keep a positive track record for college is to maintain good grades. Although freshman year grades and classes may seem so miniscule, they play a partial, yet still important, roll in your cumulative GPA and transcript. Sophomore Year : Another important key to add to your journey is to figure out what subjects you are interested in. This can help guide you towards a possible major/ field of work. During this fall as well as the fall of freshman year, you will be taking the PSAT. Although these scores are not being submitted to colleges they are helpful by showing you where you may need to improve

in the specific sections. This feedback will be very useful when it comes time to study for the real SATs. Junior Year: During this year there are many options for classes, so it is an optimal idea to gear your schedule towards what you are truly interested in/ what you would like to major in.

“To find a good fitting major, they can do interest inventories such as, ‘Do What You Are’ on Naviance,” says guidance counselor, Mrs. Hughes. “It is also helpful to

ask their teachers what they majored in to give them some reference. It is also good to do a job shadow that they may be interested in.”

Signing up/ tutoring and or reviewing for the SAT and/or ACT test days are a good way to keep improving one’s score. This year it is also important to ask teachers for college recommendation letters for the coming senior fall and to compose a college resume. In the College and Career Center, Mrs. Wunder is available to help edit your resumes to make

them suitable for college/major. Senior Year: This is the final destination. By now all seniors who plan on attending college should be filling out the common app, looking at colleges, and making the last final touches on their resume.

Another important factor to college is the common app college essay for which there are many resources available at Foran High School to help.

“Some simple tips for writing a college essay is to figure out what is unique about

themselves and to focus on that,” says Ms. Dion, “This piece should be a reflection of who they are and what they want to major in.” Ms. Dion is available every Thursday and Friday in the Literacy Center as well as an English teacher who is there every period of every day to help edit essays.

This period of time has a lot of tasks so being timely is imperative to getting in everything for all the deadlines.

“The college process is stressful, but it’s so worth it in the end. What I can tell you is to start as soon as you can instead of waiting until the last minute before application deadlines. It’s so hard not to procrastinate, but that will definitely help with stress,” says Foran Alumni from the Class of 2017, Kyle Cohen. “Staying calm is easier said than done, but it’s totally possible. My best advice is to pace yourself with your applications. If you do them all too quickly without being diligent, you’ll look messy as an applicant.” Keeping cool but managing your time is the key to success. I t is important to be timely and thorough with applications but the most important tip is to stay calm. If you follow through in a well-balanced and organized manner throughout the four years of high school, then the college process should be a cake walk.

Minding Meditation Together Shannon FlynnCoeditor- in-Chief Over the summer many Foran students experi-enced a new way to de-stress, and this new method is not something everyone has tried before. In the training session leading up to freshman orien-tation, Natural Helpers were introduced to a new training all about being mindful and the skills needed to do so.These skills were based on med-itation, and the way to stay fo-cused by using it. Meditation is a go-to for your favorite celebrity and can become one for you too, while it may seem intimidating it really isn’t and you might be doing it without even knowing. Before turning a blind eye to this skill because of fears it isn’t something you can com-mit to, know that according to Mindful.org, “You don’t have to be a long-term expert meditator to reap benefits from medita-tion. The amygdala, the ‘fight or flight’ part of our brains, is less reactive after thirty or so hours over eight weeks of Mindful-ness-Based Stress Reduction practice.” This essentially clears up the rumor that you have to

practice this skill for decades before reaping any benefits. With professional help, all the natural helpers were able to take part in this introspec-tive activity by focusing their minds on one voice through two different meditation sessions. While this may not be the most common method ofww calm-ing your nerves, it has been proven to lower your heart rate and essentially calm you down. The stress of coming back to school, preparing for colleges, or just taking on the day can seem like too much, and if your favorite calming activity is a team sport or athletic activity, it cannot be done at any point

in your day, as meditation can. While some may be skeptical of meditating, the natural helpers who took part in the experience enjoyed it.Even the least flexible person in the room could participate. Participants learned to focus and think more clearly about each action: to take a few minutes to get comfortable and focus on what’s going on inside their body instead of around them. For 10 minutes the group was lead on a tour of their body, encouraged to focus on their forehead, breath-ing, stomach, legs, and toes.

MyFitnessPal.blog cartoon Monday Mindfulness article advo-cating for positive effects of a body scan. September 20, 2017.

quickly that coming to Fo-ran from middle school was very different.“The biggest adjustment was probably the challenge of staying on top of my work load and completing assign-ments on time,” he said.It took Ondek a little while to settle in and get use to the adjustment of eighth grade to freshman year. “There was a big difference from my eighth grade year to my freshman year as far as how much work was given weekly. The classes go by at a fast pace so if you fall behind, advancing and com-pleting work becomes very challenging. It is a hard hole to dig yourself out of.” Ondek can’t stress enough to freshmen how im-portant it is to stay on top of your work. He also encourages students to try out for sports. Ondek participates in football as a starter and participates in lacrosse. With high school sports compared to youth sports, the competition is more

aggressive and the sport it-self is taken more seriously. Ondek’s tip to freshmen is to try out for sports teams and to stay on top of their work. Another new face in school, freshman Jenna Cichowski, likes how dif-ferent the atmosphere is compared to eighth grade.“The biggest change would probably be the schedule changing every day. I was nervous at first but after orientation I felt a lot bet-ter because I kind of knew the school a little bit better.” Cichowski quickly re-alized that you have a lot more freedom in high school. “It’s a lot more laid back. I like hav-ing study halls, and having my phone made it easier to adjust to everything and being able to find my classes and stuff.” Cichowski adds that the older students have helped her find her way around and offered tips to make the year go a little more smoothly.

Continued From Page 1

What to Expect...

Lauren Yuilawan, senior, logging on to her Common Application account to being her college jour-ney on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

October 2017NEWSPage 4 THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Risha KothariStaff Writer On July 26, at 8:55 AM, President Donald J. Trump instituted the policy that transgenders will not be able to serve in the military, via Twitter. Chaos broke out im-mediately after Trump’s an-nouncement. People are fight-ing back. Protesters took to the streets of New York, Washing-ton DC, and San Francisco. In his tweets, Trump said, “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow…...Transgender in-dividuals to serve in any ca-pacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelm-ing…...victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the mili-tary would entail. Thank you’’. Trump’s tweets received more than 45,000 retweets and ap-proximately 142,000 likes. In a recent survey, conducted by Rasmussen Reports, most Republicans agree with Trump’s statement. Around 64% of Republicans agree with this announcement.

According to Mr. Tupka, a teacher in the social stud-ies and history department, this can affect everyone in the United States. “For a sub-set of the population who has been directly impacted by this, there will be huge changes, including the potential loss of their employment as military members. I would not be sur-prised to see this issue before the Supreme Court within the next few years.” Regarding the effects on the military, Tupka says that there wouldn’t be any sudden change to our military’s ability to protect our nation, and adds that, “It is impossible to really deter-mine the long term impacts

of this action on the military. According to research done by UCLA, there are over 15,000 transgender individuals in the military. Many of these indi-viduals are in highly skilled areas, such as intelligence, which makes them very im-portant to national security.” The Obama admin-istration worked hard to pre-serve the right of transgender individuals, and try to de-crease discrimination against these people. On a similar agenda, Obama allowed stu-dents to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender affinities, mention-ing a federal law that protects students from discrimination.

Hannah Kupson, a sophomore at Foran, is support-ive of the LGBTQ community. She is going to be a member of Foran’s GSA club (Gay-Straight Alliances) for her sec-ond year. Kupson said, “Every-one deserves the same rights and can’t be denied that… this time, the target is transgenders, next time, it can be some other minority group.” Kupson says that she has close friends that are transgender. “It’s sad that Trump is saying that these people are being restricted.” Kupson isn’t the only one who is against Trump’s announcement. Celebrities are also fighting against this and are supporting those who are affected. Miley Cyrus, posts a picture on Instagram, saying,

“I am heart broken today…..please don’t erase our progress! We’ve come so far…” Demi Lovato also makes her voice heard by saying on a tweet, “I just want to tell the transgender community that I love you and you ARE supported no matter what. #ProtectTransTroops”. Kupson also add-ed, “No matter what gender, they should have the right to defend their country, be-cause that is their home.”Trumps’s team stands firm behind him including U. S. Energy secretary, Rick Per-ry, who says, “The idea that the American people need to be paying for these types of operations to change your sex is not very wise from a standpoint of economics.”

Fighting for the Right to Fight: Transgenders Fighting in the Military

There is a new district-wide retake policy in Milford this year. The policy has been contro-versial for several years. The Parent-Stu-dent Handbook of 2017-18 states that any student who scores below 70 on an as-sessment may consider a retake. This option be-comes available once the student completes an action plan explaining how they will increase their mastery of the skills and content.Students are expected to demonstrate their new un-derstanding of the mate-rial before the retake, and they will not be awarded a grade higher than 70. There is only one retake al-lowed per marking period for each course. Students cannot retake a midterm or final. The plan of action and the actual retake must take place within five days of the original grade going into ef-fect and student notification. The differences between this policy and the previous policy are the scores received in order to retake a test, and the score that a student can reach on the new assessment. In the past, a retake was permit-ted if the score was be-low an 83; the new score was able to reach a 100. Many students are excited for this new poli-cy. Senior Julia Kopstein stated, “I think that a policy

where people can retake a test or quiz and get a 100 is unfair to people who studied the first time, so the change is probably a good thing.”Kopstein also mentioned that this policy will teach students, especially under-classmen, that it is important to work hard the first time. Junior Mike Gior-dano is indifferent to the change in policy. Gior-dano has used the retake policy in the past and it has helped him out a lot.“It has helped me out be-cause every once in a while I just am having a bad day and then I bomb a test. With the retake policy I am able to have anoth-er shot to fix my grade.”Giordano also said he thinks this policy is bet-ter than no retakes so he will take what he can get. What many stu-dents seem to be upset about is not how the policy changed, but the fact that it continues to change.Sophomore Anna Lee Melton said, “I don’t mind the changes that were made for retakes. I think that it will push students to do their best. But I do find it con-fusing to keep up with the changes. Especially since we don’t always realize them.” Kopstein, Giordano and Melton all agreed that it is better to have the option to retake a test no matter what the policy than it is to not be able to retake any tests.

Retaking the Policy Madeline MitchellStaff Writer Anna Jani

Staff Writer

Summer 2017 fea-tured a series of unsettling stories. Pyeongyang, capi-tal city of communist enemy North Korea, broke global news with its two successful tests of intercontinental bal-listic missile (ICBM) use that brought the US into range for the first time in history. President Trump stated, “They [North Korea] will be met with fire and fury..like the world has never seen.” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, one of Trump’s allies, also said the United Nations should “in-crease the pressure” on North Korea. And for good reason. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, has ordered Pyeong-yang to conduct more missile tests into the Pacific Ocean and shows no indication of stopping ICBM activity. The US, along with its close allies South Korea and Japan, are doing every-thing they can to keep their cit-izens safe from North Korea’s influence and fatal threats to their societies. The Pentagon has stationed 28,500 troops in South Korea and has trained them with the South Korean and Japanese military to know exactly how to react if North Korea makes the first move. Caroline Galaburri, a sophomore, said, “All I can say is that [Kim Jong-Un] is literally crazy…[what happens if they] nuke us: USA calls on

NATO, which is at least 14 countries, including powerful ones like Britain. Calling will mean USA & NATO vs. North Korea and North Korea alone.” Iris Chen, a freshman, agrees. “I think Kim Jong-Un is a bad leader,” she said. “He has a bad influence on people.”Weaponry success wasn’t the only piece of disturbing news. Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, went to visit North Korea almost two years ago and was arrested for remov-ing a communist propaganda poster. He received a 15-year sentence of hard labor for “an-ti-communism conspiracy”.When he was finally returned to the US by the North Korean government in June 2017, clear evidence of brutal torture on the American student commit-ted by North Korean officials was present. Otto was “unable to speak, unable to see, and unable to react to verbal com-mands,” as reported by his fam-ily. He died from his injuries on

June 19, 2017 at 2:20pm EST.Quentin Pincus, a junior, was appalled at North Korea’s ac-tions on foreigners. “That shows the US that North Ko-rea has no mercy for Ameri-cans,” he said. “It just shows they will do anything to us.”Following the murder of Mr. Warmbier, the American fed-eral government issued a travel ban on all US passport carriers to North Korea. “The US can-not and should not tolerate the murder of its citizens by hos-tile powers,” said Senator John McCain, exposing North Korea for causing the student’s death.Max Chang, a senior, sides with the government’s deci-sion. “While I understand how people may be frustrated over the sudden severity of the ban, I think it’s a step in the right place in showing North Korea that we will have no ties con-nected to them if they con-tinue to test for nuclear weap-ons,” he said, highlighting North Korea’s radical ideas.

Teens Upset by Actions in North Korea

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John and Heather Profetto

President Trump’s tweets on his new policy of the transgender ban in the military on July 26, 2017

Caitlyn Jenner tweeting the reminder that Trump made a prom-ise to stand for the LGBTQ community, hours after Trump’s

tweet.

Page 5NEWSOCTOBER 2017 THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Catching yourself nodding off in class? Accord-ing to the National Sleep Foun-dation, only 15% of teenage students get at least 8.5 hours of sleep on school nights. High schoolers have very busy agendas, which include homework, sports, clubs and jobs. It is challeng-ing for high school students to keep up with these obliga-tions while maintaining 8 to 9 hours of sleep at night. Nev-ertheless, experts say that the proper amount of sleep is cru-cial to maintain a healthy life. Freshmen may expe-rience a concerning amount of sleep loss, as the workload between middle school and high school heavily increases. Freshman Shayna Turner said, “I’ve noticed a difference in the amount of sleep I’ve gotten (this year compared to last year). I defi-nitely got a little more sleep in middle school. Because of honor classes, sports,

and clubs, it’s hard to bal-ance my time while getting the proper amount of sleep.” But for many, sleep deprivation doesn’t stop fresh-man year. It seems to pro-gressively get worse when becoming an upperclassman, as the workload increases. Isabelle Connelly, a junior at Foran, manages to maintain a job and partici-pate in multiple sports. With all of these commitments, she can understand the significant loss of sleep a high school student can face if they do not manage their time wisely. Connelly said, “Time management is key. I think students should use a plan-ner so they can keep track of when their assignments are due. Using my plan-ner actually helps me a lot.” Unfortunately, work-load is not the only cause of sleep deprivation. Technology use in the form of apps and other social media platforms are also negatively impact-ing students’ sleep cycles. All screens, most commonly cell phone or laptop

screens, are known to keep peo-ple awake due to the blue light they give off. This blue light halts the production of melato-nin, a hormone that signals our brain when it’s time for bed.Linda Bespuda, Foran’s school nurse, stresses, “Limit screen time before bed and be consistent with your sleep schedule. Sleeping until noon every weekend and then getting limited sleep on weekdays will throw your sleep cycle off.” So how can you catch more zzzz’s and suffer less in-somnia? The National Sleep Foundation offers some sug-gestions on the matter. Stu-dents are encouraged to not eat for several hours before bed, in order to prepare their bodies for sleep. It’s also rec-ommended not to save home-work for last minute, as this causes unnecessary stress.Finally, taking naps can be ex-tremely beneficial. However, naps should not be too long or taken too close to bedtime.Although getting the proper amount of sleep as a high school student may seem tough, it is absolutely achievable.

Sleep Loss: An Issue for Some in High School

Several different health classes are offered at Foran High School, but one of them stands out more than the rest: substance abuse. Substance abuse is a class that occurs one day in a cycle during a student’s study hall. It teaches about the dangers of substance abuse, what happens to the human body when there is alcohol or drugs in your system, in-cluding what happens if there is an excess amount of these drugs in the body. The class includes how to prevent/get out of dangerous situations in which one may be pressured or influenced into taking illegal substances. As stated by Dru-gAbuse.com, “Economic esti-mates indicate consequences from drug abuse (including alcohol, tobacco, prescription, and illicit drugs) approach 20% of our federal budget.” Some believe that the class should be more in depth than the other health classes to teach each grade level the things in the world that can possibly harm them. Mrs. Mikucki teaches substance abuse and she believes every student ev-ery year should be taking for a half semester. “Many kids may not have an issue with drugs themselves but they will have some contact with

someone who may have a drug problem and the education they receive will give them the tools needed to deal with these issues. Health class and What’s New in Health meet the requirement for that year.” G l a y m e r Cardona, a senior, has not had substance abuse class yet. Having a full year study hall, he has substance abuse in his second semester. “I didn’t want to take it, but I guess you have to,” he said. “Well throughout the time we’re in school you learn to not do any bad stuff with drugs and alcohol. Antonio Brown, sophomore, on the other hand, never had substance abuse class before but will take it.“Yeah, I would take a substance abuse class because it sounds interest-ing,” Brown says, “It seems like a class worth taking.” Senior, Louise Fer-nandez, is currently taking health where substance abuse topics are discussed. “ I did not have the chance to take substance abuse class with Mrs. Mikucki but I am taking Health with Ms. Hart. I think it’s important to know about relevant issues and you learn how to deal with negative con-sequences with drugs and how to make better decisions.”

Ava HaigStaff Writer

Hannah Turner demonstrates how tired she feel at any given point during the school day due to the lack of sleep she may get at home. Taken September

7th 2017. Photo courtesy of Ava Haig.

Natasha MoraStaff writer

and sports so it’s nice to have time to go home and relax. I don't think other grades should have priv. I think be-ing here for four years, you should get privileges that other grades don't. Everyone will eventually be a senior.”DeBiase added, “I think if other grades had priv it would kind of lose its worth. Al-lowing seniors to leave early or come in late should stay as a perk for seniors only.” Senior priv isn't given to all students. Mrs. Jacobsen, school counselor reiterates, “ We do not ad-just schedules to accomodate for senior privilege.” There are requirements to obtain and maintain your privileges. In order to get approved for priv, you need to apply. On the front of the application, the requirements for main-taining priv are as follows:• Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA throughout the year.• Behave appropri-ately and have no out-of-school or in-school suspen-sions, and no more than one extended detention.• Maintain a good at-tendance record. He or she must not cut a class or study hall; accrue no more than eight (8) unexcused absences per semester, and no more than five (5) tardies per semester.

Getting A Late Start with Priv

Continued from Page 1

Griffin OndekStaff Writer

Substance Abuse Class Reinforces Decision Making

Skills

Page 6 Entertainment October 2017THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Michael P. Lynch

Attorney -at- Law

(203) 878- 4669 Lynch, Trembicki (203 876-0644 Fax & Boyntonmlynch@ltmblaw.com 63 Cherry Street Milford, CT 06460

Jake BurwellStaff Writer With the start of the school year upon us, clubs and sports are in full swing as they fill their rosters with new athletes and members. Clubs were on display at Foran’s third annual club fair, which was held on Sept. 12 and 13 during common time for two days so all Foran students, new and old, could browse clubs that Foran has to offer. Over 35 clubs were represented with club mem-bers and club officers in atten-dance to give even more insight and information to interested students. Michael Shannon, member of the Foran Innovative Thinkers, has worked very hard in setting up the fair. He was the lead student from FIT in charge of the fair. He and other mem-bers were very excited for the third running of the showcase. Shannon says, “It ex-poses students to all the clubs Foran has to offer, allowing everyone to become involved in the school community.” FIT members and school administrators were pleased with the outcome of the

event. “Every year it gets bet-ter and better,” says Shannon. For the new school year there were a few new ad-ditions to the lineup of clubs. Model United Nations was one of the more popular addi-tions. Foran offers a MUN so-cial studies class as an elective

that many students have taken and enjoyed. While enrolled in the class, students attend two MUN conferences; one at Fairfield University and one at Yale. Club President Max Chang was one of the students who really thrived in the class and started the club in 2017.

The club was a hit, soon after it was established members went on a trip to Choate Rosemary Hall for their MUN conference. None of this would be happening if it wasn't for Mrs. Gilman, who graciously took on the role of club advi-sor. “I think Mrs. Gilman saw

the passion that some of the kids who took the class had for MUN and wanted to see the passion grow,” says Chang. Without the club there would be no way for students who already took the class to continue to attending conferenc-es. “The club has big plans for this school year,” says Chang. The officers, Mrs. Gil-man, and other members are planning a trip to the United Nations in New York City for their own MUN conference, which brings students together from throughout the world.Catie Stiffler is a prime ex-ample of a student who took Mrs. Gilman's MUN class and loved it. She is also a mem-ber of the club and looks for-ward to the NY conference.“My favorite part of the experience was the di-versity,” says Catie. She met two girls she still keeps in touch with to this day, one from Mexico and one from Costa Rica.“The friendships created and the memories I made left a big impact on my high school career,” Catie says.

Nick BarrieauStaff Writer With the rise and con-tinual improvement of tech-nology comes a higher risk of danger. Since the turn of the 21st century, one problem in particular has been growing more of a threat by the day: arti-ficial intelligence. According to the Merriam Webster Diction-ary, Artificial Intelligence is, “The capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.” Many important figures such as world leaders, physicists, and entrepreneurs have warned of the dangers artificial intelligence can bring to mankind if we aren’t careful. What’s even more concern-ing however is after years of countless warnings the effects are starting to be seen. World leaders are vying to put their country on the map as the leader in artificial intelligence and A.I. experiments are beginning to have questionable outcomes. With increased intel-ligence, comes an elevated level of danger. If A.I. were able to gain awareness and intelligence comparable to humankind, and labeled us as a threat to their survival it would spell game over for the human race. Many people in the tech industry believe that without

safe research, A.I. could be-come hostile. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has taken a firm stand against unsafe A.I. development for years. Ac-cording to Metro.com, Musk recently made statements such as, “North Korea should be low on our list of concerns for civilizational existential risk,” and, “Competition for A.I. supe-riority at the national level will most likely cause World War 3.” Foran senior, Jon Carroll said, “Artificial intelligence really spooks me” when asked how he felt on the topic. According to Time.com, others such as Stephen Hawking said, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” and,

“It would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” If these theories become true, hu-manity must push it’s hardest to ensure A.I. is developed safely. On the other end of the spectrum, there are many others who disagree with Musk and Hawking. Facebook CEO and Co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg tweeted about the situation say-ing, “I think people who are naysayers and try to drum up these doomsday scenarios — I just, I don’t understand it. It’s really negative and in some ways I actually think it is pretty irresponsible.” According to

Foxnews.com, Facebook had to shut down an A.I. experiment on July 31, 2017 when two chatbots developed their own language to communicate with each other. Some world leaders also agree with the develop-ment of artificial intelligence to give their nation an advan-tage over others. Vladimir Putin recently said, “Artificial intelligence is the future not only of Russia but of all of mankind. There are huge op-portunities, but also threats that are difficult to foresee today. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.” (CNN.com)

Hopefully, artificial intelligence is handled safely to ensure that no repercussions come back to haunt humans in the future. Whether or not A.I.

can actually pose a threat has been argued by many people, however the underlying fact of the matter is that you can never be too safe. For more on everything tech related be sure to check out Nick’s Tech Talk in future issues.

Nick’s Tech Talk: The Very Real Threat of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelli-gence:

“The capability of a machine to imitate intelli-

gent human be-havior.”

Foran students gather and browse clubs on display at the third annual fair on September 12 in the courtyard. Photo courtesy of Jake Burwell.

Model UN Fares Well at Club Fair

Elon Musk is leading the initiative to warn about the many dan-gers of artificial intelligence. Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail.

October 2017 Entertainment Page 7THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Malisha OrtizStaff Writer

Before you know it, shorts, ripped jeans, and crop tops will become obsolete. Students will be ushering in the new season with warm hues, sweaters, and boots. Fall is the time for a new school year, as well as a new wardrobe. Many express themselves best dur-ing fall trends. “I have to say I enjoy fall because I really like boots and you could just style a lot more things because you don’t have to worry about overheating and stuff,” says Stephanie Lopez, a senior.

There are a lot of op-tions with fall trends and more of the old fashion trends are coming back into play. This school year students are starting to put more of their own taste while also bringing some of the old styles back by wearing mom jeans and boy jeans. These looks give off a 70s feminine vibe. “I will tell you the trends that I think are coming back like Boho (bohemian) and more of the 70’s style. I love seeing those trends coming back. I’m very attracted to the 70’s fash-ion and I see a lot of that coming back,” says Ms. Pangu, child development teacher.

Fall Fashion: The Love of Falls Trends

Fall trends boost the confidence of others. There are a lot more options, which is beneficial since being comfort-able is a necessity. “I really like wearing different type of boots and booties that have like a little bit of heel to them but not too much, also skinny jeans, I love skinny jeans,” Lopez states.

Who says fashion has to be expensive? You can find cute outfits and pieces that would definitely look good for a low cost. Since there are a lot of Back-to-School sales, you won’t have to break your pockets finding trendy outfits for fall. Some people prefer to wear more fashionable clothing without having to blow so much money. “I’m definitely not somebody that has a big budget at all. I actually love consign-ment thrift stuff because I think you can find a lot of stuff that is more unique because I don’t like to wear whatever anybody else is wearing,” Pangu states.

You don’t need to buy the most expensive clothing in the fall. It’s possible to find clothes that fit your style and are in your budget range. So many people love the fall trends

and there are going to be more trends added to this season over the years due to the unique in-dividuals and their own original taste in clothing. Trends change just as fast as the seasons do, so it’s hard to keep up! We’re just going to have to wait and see what’s in store for these next few years in fall fashion.

Ms. Pangu, child development teacher at Foran High School,gives insight about fall trends and the significance of the seasons. Photo taken Wednesday September 20, 2017 Milford Connecticut. Photo

courtesy of Malisha Ortiz.

Ms. Pangu poses by the “learning is in the struggle”

which represents that following certain trends can be a strug-gle. Photo taken Wednesday September 20, 2017 Milford,

Connecticut. Photo courtesy of Malisha Ortiz.

Veterans Day preparation has begun - Students in Mrs. Plude’s Advanced Drawing class are designing this year’s banner. Write a

poem that could be

read on Nov. 9th about Veterans.

The topic is “why is it important

to celebrate Veterans

Day”

CartoonConcept and illustration:

Bonnie ChinThe cartoon represents how students feel when

they take a multiple choice test and get a lot

of the same answer, which makes them question if they have done well or

not.

$ NEWS QUIZ: $

1. What is an interest inventory you can find on Na-viance to figure out your major? 2. Who are the captains of Girls and Boys XC team? 3. What grade do you have to earn in order to take a retake? 4. Who was the female science teacher that was new to the school last year? 5. What are the requirements for senior privelege? (Give one) 6. Who is the leader of North Korea? 7. Who is the advisor for Model UN? 8. How many foreign exchange students are at Foran?

Want to win money?Please complete and cut and hand in to Mrs.

Farrell in 255 by Oct. 10th for a chance at a $25 Visa gift card. One entry per person.

Page 8 SPORTS October 2017THE MIRROR FORAN HS

Captains Gear Up For Fall SeasonMaddie BuckleyStaff Writer

With fall sports under-way, captains are getting ready to lead their teams to victory, whether it be in the pool, or on the field. It’s time to meet your fall captains.

Boys’ Soccer:Caleb Tondora, grade 11, third year on the team. “My favorite part is playing a sport with a lot of my close friends. Our goals are to make the state tournament.” Evan Miller, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part is playing with a team that is fully com-mitted and has each other’s backs. Our goal is to play in November and play in the state tournament”Glaymer Cardona, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part about being on the team is when we’re winning, especially against law (5-1). Our goal as a team is to be in the state finals.”

Girls’ Soccer:Maddie Mitchell, 12th grade, fourth year on the team. “Our team chemistry is really strong. That was something that the seniors last year made sure we had and it really helped us during the season because we all wanted to work hard for each other. Nobody wanted to let anyone down. We won as a team and lost as a team.”Mikayla Duhaime , 12th grade, fourth year on the team. “My favorite part about being on the team is the friendships that we create and having a place to go to, to relieve stress and play the game we love. Something that we strive for is working with intensity and effort day in and day out, but most importantly working for one another. It doesn’t matter whether you are JV or varsity,

we are one team and one team united.”

Volleyball:Erin Suech, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part is working hard and being with my friends to be the best team we can be. The chemistry we have off the court translates to on the court and makes it fun and com-petitive and to lead our girls not only as a teammate but as a friend. Also, I want to do our best to win our division for the fifth year in a row.”Leah Teller, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My friends are my favorite part. The goal is to be division champs for the fifth year in a row and make it to at least the second round of states.”

Football:Zac Cleary, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“Our goal is to make playoffs and be overall good leaders to the younger kids that they can look up to.”Mark Wootton, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.

“The best part is under the lights on Friday nights, the feeling when running onto the field before games through the band and seeing the student section.”Matt Kennedy, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part of being on the team is being able to connect with all of the grades and move as a unit. My goal this season is to make everyone the best player they can be.”Jared Hubler, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part of the season is playing with my boys every day regardless of our record. My goals as a captain is to lead the team to make states in our final season”Matt Cruz, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part on being on the football team is definitely just being part of the team and being able to come together as far as brothers and as a family and going out every day during practice and playing your best during games. Our goal is to gain team chemistry for every-

one to know what they’re doing and do our best during practices and games.”

Girls’ Swimming and Diving:

Ava Corsi, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part is the friend-ship and bonds we make with each other. We have an awe-some balance of having fun and working hard. My goals as a captain are to motivate the team and to be someone they can talk to when they have problems, swimming related or not.”Gaby Tunucci, 12th grade, fourth year on the team. “My favorite part about being on the team is getting to meet new people and being a part of something bigger than myself. My goals for this season are to inspire and encourage new swimmers, and to have fun and enjoy my last year!”Emily Sportini, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part about being on the swim team is creating such a close bond and watching everyone improve as the season progresses.”Emma Longley, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part of the team

is always connecting with all the girls in different ways. My goals as a captain are to encour-age every swimmer/diver to keep working hard and show them that their own goals are possible.”

Girls’ Cross Country:Julia Harrington, 12th grade, fourth year on the team.“My favorite part about the team is probably the meets, and my goals for the team this season as a captain is to work together to see everyone build each other up to get better so that everyone will have an ex-cellent season.”Maggie Cummings , 11th grade, third year on the team. “My favorite part of being on the team is feeling good because I’m in shape and more impor-tantly having us all encouraging each other and having a lot of fun. My goals as captain are to help everyone improve both as a runner and as a good sportsman, and that includes cheering for your own team as well as the opponents.”

Boys’ Cross Country:Kevin Prenetta, 11th grade, third year on the team.“As a team I’d like to make it to the state meet and as a captain I’d like to win the state meet.”

From left to right, Gaby Tunucci, Emily Sportini, Ava Corsi, Mi-kayla Duhaime, Emma Longley, Maddie Mitchell, Erin Suech,

Leah Teller, Julia Harrington, and Maggie Cummings taken on September 14, 2017. Photo Courtesy of Maddie Buckley.

From left to right, Caleb Tondora, Kevin Prenetta, Matt Cruz, Zac Cleary, Jared Hubler, Mark Wootton, Glaymer Cardona,

Matt Kennedy, and Evan Miller. Taken on September 14, 2017. Photo Courtesy of Maddie Mitchell.

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