TRITON HIGH SCHOOL Triton’s Student-Produced Newspaper June 3, 2014

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By Erin Holloran

Staff Writer Between clothing, gas, sports equipment, and the ever-

important round of Dunkin Donuts each morning, it can take a

lot of money to get the average Triton teen through the week.

In Massachusetts, the average cost [for a family] to run a

teen is $21,838 a year. This includes housing, food, clothing,

transportation, and other expenses. But what does the average

teen spend in a year?

Senior Jess Fish knows how much it costs to get through

the week, because she’s often spending her own money.

“I work at both Mad Martha’s Cafe on Plum Island and the

Black Cow in

Newburyport,”

said Fish. “It’s a

lot of time that I

have to spend

working, but it’s

worth it when I

get my paycheck.

Of course, though,

I usually spend

most of it on

food.”

The average

teen with a job

makes approxi-

mately $3,095 per

year. From there, there is a whole bunch of ways teens are will-

ing to spend their hard earned cash

Like Fish, many teenagers are willing to shell out their

money for food. In fact three of the Triton students interviewed

confessed just how much they’re willing to spend on food.

“I spend probably like $50 a week just on food,” said senior

Jessica Armstrong, laughing a bit shamefully. “I really like

food”.

Fellow senior Zoe Heckman was quick to defend Arm-

strong.

“She’s not the only one”, said Heckman. “I will easily

spend like $20 on food in a week”.

Another common, weekly expense for many students is

their morning run to Dunkin Donuts.

“I’ll spend like $10 to $15 a week in coffee,” said Arm-

strong.

Both Fish and Heckman quickly agreed.

“Yeah, I usually spend like $10 a week,” said Fish.

One price that varies week to week for teens is what’s spent

on gas. For those students who can drive, it can be a struggle to

keep that gas tank full.

“I usually fill my tank every two weeks, and usually it’s

like $35. So if I fill it during the week, it’s like $17”, said Fish.

While $17 may seem like a bit of money, some students are

spending even more.

“It costs me about $55 a week to fill my tank,” said Arm-

strong. “It can be such a pain to always put so much money

towards just one thing, every single week.”

On the other hand, some don’t spend anything on gas. “I

bike everywhere,” said Heckman.

Besides food, coffee, and gas, what else do students have to

spend their money on? For many, extra-curricular activities can

cost a large chunk of money.

“I’m probably spending like $1,150 on extra-curriculars

alone. And that’s just for cross country and track. It gets really

expensive after a while,” said Fish.

“I don’t do any school activities,” said Heckman. “But it

still costs me like $1,000 a year, between yoga, tai chi, and my

rock climbing membership. It all really adds up”.

After extra-curriculars are taken care of, there are still other

school related expenses to pay for.

“Prom”, was the biggest response when the three girls were

asked about expenses they are going to soon need to deal with.

But there are other things besides prom, for school, that cost

money. Field trips, yearbooks, and daily spending at the vend-

ing machines can slowly add up. Before students know it, that

nice paycheck they get can dwindle down to almost nothing.

Some teens attempt to save their money at times, while at

other times, they tend to buy a pricier item.

“I spent $120 on a pair of shoes last Wednsday,” said Fish.

“But they were really comfy, and I can now use them for work;

so I guess they’re worth it….I also put like half my paycheck

Senior Spending Upperclassmen detail their daily

expenses, from Dunkin’s to prom

Senior Week! A look at what’s on tap for seniors’ last days of school

By Eric Ninthala

Staff Writer

With school almost at an end and summer creep-

ing in, seniors are almost done.

However, before the seniors can finally walk

across that stage and earn their diploma on June 7,

they will go through a week of planned activities

known as “senior week.”

These activities will start on June 2 and include

the senior trip, honors banquet, the junior/senior

breakfast, and most importantly, the senior prom.

The first day of senior week will be a trip, when

12th graders will go to Six Flags theme park in Aga-

wam, Mass. There, they will enjoy their freedom at

the park from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., riding the Bizarro, the

Thunderbolt, the Cyclone... the choices are endless.

Why Six Flags?

“We (the class officers) looked at what had been

done in years past and decided based on what we

thought the class would enjoy the most,” said senior

Class Officer Sydney Rybycki. “There were a lot of

fun options but Six Flags was picked in the end.”

According to Rybycki, the other options included

Codzilla (a jet boat ride offered of the coast of Bos-

ton Harbor), a Red Sox game, whitewater rafting,

and a comedy show.

The second day of senior week is among the

most anticipated: Prom. However, first students must

report to graduation practice that morning, held in

the gym at 8. Later in the day is the Grand March at

4:30 p.m., but anyone going will have to be there by

4. Once the Grand March is over the party buses will

be taking the seniors and their dates to the Royal

Sonesta in Cambridge where they will party until

10:30. What’s interesting is that the seniors had the

chance to have prom at Fenway park, but that

changed due to not having enough seats and unpopu-

lar comments.

“I like that prom is going to be held in the Royal

Sonesta,” said Senior Jackie Gordon. “Fenway is too

small and the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge is way

more pretty.”

The third day will be the honors banquet for the

top 10 percent of the class. Each student involved in

the event can invite their family or friends and have

chosen a teacher to speak on their behalf. Then they

will spend the rest of the night eating and enjoying

each others’ company.

The last two days of school will each include

another graduation practice at 8 a.m. Yearbooks will

then be handed out and students will be able to go

around and get them signed. The last day, Friday,

June 6, will be an awards ceremony held in the high

school gym

starting

from 9 a.m.

to 10:45

a.m. There,

teachers

will be

handing out

awards to

achieving

students.

On Sat-

urday, June

7, seniors

will hold

their gradu-

ation cere-

mony. De-

pending on

the weather,

it will either

be held outside in the stadium or inside they gym

if there is rain. Music will be played, guests will

be introduced, and Superintendent Christopher

Farmer will deliver remarks. The salutatorian and

valedictorian of the senior class will also present

their speeches and then the class officers will give

their class gift to the school. Finally, diplomas

will be handed out to every member of the senior

class. Once finished, hats will be thrown, cheers

will echo, and memories will be made. The sen-

iors will now have finished high school and will

prepare for the next step in becoming an adult.

Local: On Monday May 26, the

Boston Red Sox ended their 10-

game losing streak by beating

the Atlanta Braves 8-6. The Red

Sox tied the 1998 Florida Mar-

lins record for the longest losing

streak by a defending World

Series Championship team.

(boston.com)

National: On Friday May

23, a 22-year-old man

killed six people and him-

self in Santa Barbara, Cali-

fornia. The murderer

claimed to be seeking retri-

bution for his lack of social

life. (CNN.com)

International: On April 15,

around 300 school girls were kid-

napped from their town in Nige-

ria. On May 26, Nigeria’s defense

chief claimed to know the loca-

tion of the girls, but that a rescue

is not imminent because it would

only put them in even more dan-

ger. (foxnews.com)

The Other Colbert Report, By Cedric Colbert

The exterior of senior prom venue,

the Royal Sonesta in Boston (photo

courtesy Royal Sonesta in Boston).

The Six Flags rollercoaster “Bizarro” will take

seniors for a ride during their class trip (photo

courtesy Six Flags New England).

A table

senior

prom

venue,

the Royal

Sonesta

(courtesy

photo).

Among routine

expenses for sen-

iors the cost of

gas and their

morning coffees.

(Photos courtesy

Dunkin Donuts

and Shell)

Triton High School page 2 June 3, 2014

By Christie McLaughlin

Staff Writer Before you go out and pick the cutest

puppy ever, it’s important to do your

homework. What breeds would make a

good first-time dog? What breeds are

best to have around small kids? Can you

cope with the energy some breeds have?

These are all questions potential owners

should consider before picking a dog.

Below is a list of the traits of some of

the most popular breeds at Triton as well

as what owners should expect.

Labs Labs are a diverse breed. They come in

black, brown, yellow and silver. They

are great with young kids if trained at a

young age. They are also good at hunt-

ing and are agile and easy to train. This

breed would be a great first-time dog

and in fact is the number one-owned dog

in America, according to Dogs 101, a

show on Animal Planet.

Jack Russell Terriers “JRT’s” are not known to be good dogs

with small children. They are jumpy and

hard to train. This breed needs an experi-

enced handler who can drain the seem-

ingly endless energy they have. These

pups are smart; they are dogs that con-

stantly need jobs to do. They grow bored

easily and will make up their own

games, which can lead to a shredded

couch or bed, according to head veteri-

narian at SRH Veterinary Clinic, Dr.

Helen Noble.

Basenjis The Basenji is a rare breed to see in this

area. They are a middle-sized dog that

cannot bark. Instead they make a loud

yodeling noise. Even though they can’t

bark they are one of the noisiest dogs.

Like the JRT, they have endless energy

and are escape artists. If there is a way to

escape, the Basenji will most likely

know about it. They are not a breed for

an inexperienced handler. Some experi-

enced owners underestimate how much

trouble a Basenji can be. Dogs 101 says

that if properly trained, the breed

thrives with older children and a lot of

space to run (in a fenced in yard).

Pit-Bulls Even though the reputation they have is

horrible, the pit-bull is one of the best

breeds to have with small kids, accord-

ing to Dogs 101. They are known to be

one of the best “nanny” dogs; they are

an easy dog to train. They are eager to

please and one of the top ten pets in

America.

Great Danes Great Danes are one of the biggest dogs

in the world. They are great with kids of

all sizes and are known for trying to sit

on their owners laps even though they

are the same size as the owner. Great

Danes are also called the “gentle gi-

ants.” They can make a great first-time

dog for young kids. Dogs 101 suggests

that young kids should get help from

their parents or older sibling due to the

dog’s size.

Dog breeds and their names, from top left: a JRT mix named Zazu; Zazu with a

Rhodesian Ridgeback named Rayna; A Sheltie called Nala; Zazu with a Lab mix

named Casey; Zazu with Naomi (a human); Rayna alone (Christie McLaughlin)

Picking the best pet for you Our senior dog expert examines the best breeds

for first-time owners, students, and families

Shelties Owner of a sheltie, James McLaughlin

says that “shelties are a smaller version

of the famous Collie. They are small,

but they are fast and just as smart as

their bigger cousins. They are good

with families with older children be-

cause they are natural herding dogs and

like to nip at heels to corral people to-

gether.”

Pugs Their pushed in faces, snoring, and

backwards breathing may make some

people go crazy. According to Dogs

101, the pug is a smaller dog that will

do well in almost any family. They’re

good with kids and love to be lazy and

follow you around the house.

Beagles Beagles are another noisy breed. Origi-

nally bred for chasing foxes; the beagle

is a small bulky dog that loves to run

and make noise. Dogs 101 says you’ll

always know when someone is close to

your house because beagles will raise

the alarm. They are good first-time

dogs if you don’t mind the noise.

Chihuahuas Probably one of the smallest animals on

earth, the Chihuahua is a noisy bundle

of energy. They are good with kids but

tend to be very territorial. According to

Animal Planet’s Dogs 101, training

them at a young age is a must if you

want the dog to be good with people

outside of the family. They also think

they are big dogs, so if you see a Chi-

huahua barking at a Great Dane, it’s

because the Chihuahua thinks he or she

is the “big dog.”

Not all dogs live up to breed standards.

It is possible to get a calm JRT, a Lab

that bites or a Basenji that doesn’t

cause trouble. All you can do is choose

wisely. Get the breed that fits your life-

style, don’t just buy a dog because it’s

cute. Even cute can have a cost.

Where are seniors going to college?

Senior of the Week:

Dalton Tzitzon

By Kelly Herrick

Staff Writer Senior Dalton Tzitzon has been ac-

cepted to the college that he has loved

since he was a child. “I am going to Sy-

racuse University in upstate New York,”

said Tzitzon.

A sports enthusiast, he says, “I’m in

Falk College, which is Syracuse’s sports

management.”

“Syracuse,” he explained, “is really

known for networking. It would give me

By Christie McLaughlin

Staff Writer Zazu is a one-and-a-half-year-

old Jack Russell, Pit Bull, Basenji

mix. He was adopted by senior

Christie McLaughlin after he was

found on the streets in St. Thomas

when he was only six weeks old.

“My Facebook friends are prob-

ably sick of seeing his picture post-

ed almost every day,” said

McLaughlin.

One of Zazu's best friends is a

115– lb Ridgeback named Rayna.

Even though she tramples him, he

loves being around her.

The other best friend is a nine-

month old baby named Zeke. Zeke

loves it when Zazu licks his hands

and face. Zazu is never rough with

him, and lets Zeke pull his ears and

fur.

He loves being with people. If

he had the choice, he would choose

people over other dogs, most of the

time.

Pet of the Week:

The image below is based on a list where

seniors at Triton have reported they will

be attending college in the coming fall.

Congratulations seniors!

Image created by Erin Holloran using

tagxedo.com software. Special thanks to

Mrs. Diane Shealy for providing senior

college information to the Triton Voice.

The Triton Voice staff

would like to say…

Congratulations

Seniors! Keep tabs on us back

home by logging onto

the high school web site

and clicking newspaper

editions under “Latest

News.”