The winter pep rally

on January 6 succeeded in

revving up school spirit for

this year‘s winter sports.

Throughout the event the

Foran band played their in-

struments loudly to get the

crowd dancing and motivat-

ed while the cheerleading

team performed their routine

with many new flips and

tricks. History teacher, Mr.

Vitelli, presented this year‘s

athletes with his usual com-

manding announcer‘s voice,

which has come to be legend-

ary throughout Foran‘s pep

Winter Pep Rally! Darci Worroll

January 2012 Volume 3, Issue 5

The Foran Exchange

Inside this issue:

Winter Sports

2012

Temple Run

Reviews

Christmas Fire

Pep Rally

Snow

Troops

Common Time

rallies. Teams attempted to

put on a show for the

crowd, as well, holding their

teammates up in the air as

all of them were called to

the center of the gym.

Foran‘s pep rallies

energize the students for

the season‘s sports. Mr.

Troy, Spanish teacher, said

―they are to increase school

spirit for the upcoming win-

ter sports.‖ During pep ral-

lies students cheer and

scream. Every student

looks forward to a pep rally.

Mike Ezepchick, senior at

Foran, said ―it‘s fun and

you‘re missing class. It

makes me have school spir-

it and makes me love my

school more.‖ Hopefully

our school spirit will bring

the winter sport teams to

many wins this season.

Common time is a new feature to Foran‘s curriculum, occurring on Fridays

from 9:08- 9:38a.m. on the weeks we don‘t have advisory. Students may use the same

schedule for advisory as common time but the program is completely different. Erin

Callahan, senior, said ―I like common time more than advisory because it‘s a good

time for me to get work done.‖ Common time is a good time for students to catch up

on their school work.

When asked one thing that Mr. Barile would like common time to achieve,

he responded ―Common time will give students more time with their teachers and a

better opportunity to be engaged in school activities‖. Students can go visit teachers

to receive make up work or extra help. This is a good thing to take advantage of, as

it‘s often hard to find time to see a teacher. It will also be a good time for students

to make up tests instead of having to stay after school. Later on in the school year,

common time will be used for clubs to meet that wouldn‘t have the time to after

school, for students to peer tutor, and also for students to meet with guidance. Com-

mon time will continue to the end of the school year, and Mr. Barile, said ―common

time if successful will occur a few times a week.‖

New to Foran: Common Time Erika Demaio

Page 2 The Foran Exchange

Temple Run Craze

Louis Mark

The commonly asked ques-

tion around Foran lately has been,

―what‘s your high score? ―The new

craze sweeping the IPhone/ITouch

users is the wildly addicting game

Temple Run. In pretty much every

treasure hunting adventure movie

there‘s one specific scene in which the

hero finally gets his hands on the

treasure but then has to navigate a

maze of booby traps in order to get

out alive. Temple Run is this scene

and nothing else. The game uses the

touchscreen for its controls. Players

flick left and right at the right mo-

ment to make sharp turns, flick up to

jump over obstacles and flick down

to slide under threats. Meanwhile,

they can also tilt their device to move

the character left and right along the

pathway. When players fail to quick-

ly react to incoming obstacles, such as

tree branches and fire traps, they‘re

knocked down and attacked by the

rabid man eating monkeys. ―It‘s amaz-

ing‖ says Sophomore Paige Raucci. ―I

felt so accomplished once I reached a

million, now I have set my goals to ten

million.‖ Senior Hannah Konicki says,

―I just got into playing it; I just might

need a tutor because that‘s all I play

during study hall.‖ One of the cool fea-

tures with Temple Run is you have the

option of posting your score on Twit-

ter. This keeps the game interesting

because you don‘t have to just chal-

lenge yourself, you can challenge your

friends as well. So what‘s your high

score?

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 5

Girls Basketball Rebecca Amann

The Lady Lions started their season off with a record of 3-6 so far. The starting Varsity players for this years team

are, Captain Maggie Folsom, Kelly Quin, Jasmine Rodriquez, Alex Librandi, and Tinea Mcglophlin. Returning varsity coach

Scott Nails will be leading the Lions this year, as well as JV Coach Conrad, and Freshman Coach Casey Blake. Coach Nails

says, ―We have a different dynamic then last year, there's much more speed to our team this year.‖ The lions had a good run

last year making it in the Post Season, and beating Guilford in the first round of SCCs. The girls ended their season last sea-

son with a record of 11-12. Player Paige Raucci says, ―My hopes for our team this year is that we make it to post season

again and hopefully go farther than we did last season.‖

Foran plays Jonathan Law this year February 4th at 7:00 in our own home gym. Last year the ladies beat Law the

first game and lost the second. It was a close score in both games. Captain Maggie Folsom says, ―This year we have a lot more

speed and I think we are ready to break the Law, I‘m very confident in our team‖

New to the team this year is Varsity Sophomore Tinea Mcglophlin. Folsom says, ―We are very lucky to have her as

an addition to our team this year. She's very talented and fast.‖ Maggie Folsom, who is the senior captain this year has

played for four years, 3 on varsity. Bekah Derosa says ―she's a great captain she really inspires us to be the best we can be.‖

Sounds like the Lions have a great team this year. Everyone should keep an eye out for these speedy girls during their 2012

season.

Milford Indians

Mike SaNogueira

Foran sports are on the rise as of recent years, and the students from

Foran High are contributing to the recent success of the Milford Indians. The

hockey team, as many know, is a combination of 3 schools: Foran, Platt Tech,

and Jonathan Law –which makes the Milford Indians hockey team. Six

games into the 2011/2012 season, the Indians are already only one win away

from reaching their win total from the previous year. They started off with a

bang sitting comfortably at 5-1, only three wins away from receiving a state

tournament berth. Senior captain, and previous assistant-captain his junior

year, John McLenithan stated, ―I‘m just thrilled that we started off the year

on such a roll. This is the first 5-1 start since my four years with the Indians,

and hopefully it‘ll be the first State Tournament year for me as well.‖

Some standout players who have helped guide the Indians to success

this year are: Craig Wargo, Zach White, Will Vitelli, and Matt White –all

Foran faithfuls themselves. Wargo is currently leading the state with 12

goals! ―Yeah, Craig‘s played well. He‘s starting to put it all together as a sen-

ior, and his offensive play will be a key factor to our success.‖ says long time

head coach Sal Follo, who‘s stepping into his 18th year in control of the Indi-

ans. The second highest on the team with goals is sophomore, and second year

starter, Zack White (six goals), who is followed by Will Vitelli, also a sopho-

more, with 5 goals. Zack‘s older brother Matt is a high ranked goalie in the

state who has only let in 13 goals on the season, after blocking which seems

like a million.

The regular season ends on the first of March, but the

Indians are looking to be entered in the State Tournament long

before that –the Indians only need a total of 8 wins on the season

to be entered.

Senior cap-

tain John

McLenithan,

right.

Senior cap-

tain Craig

Wargo, left.

Supposedly this

year on December 21st, the

world will end. This theory

has originated from the

Mayan calendar, as it is

said to end that day. Grace

Baldwin, senior, says, ―The

person that created the

calendar died and no one

else knew how to repeat it,

so it just ended,‖ which she

heard from the news. De-

scendants of the Mayans

have publicly stated that

the world is not going to

end; the calendar just

starts over.

However, some

people still believe this

myth. Mr. Woodbridge,

Latin teacher, feels, ―It's a

complete misunderstand-

ing. It's an example of the

media misusing and gar-

bling information to upset

the populous and sell

books.‖ Concerning the

apocalypse, Sam Leger,

senior, said, "The world

doesn't just end on a whim.

People have said it'll end

several times and it hasn't

yet." Generally at Foran,

the idea of the world com-

ing to an end this year is

ridiculous and just a myth.

Brian Darrow, senior,

sums it up saying, ―It's

preposterous, and it‘s pure

imagination. It's only the

human mind exaggerating

coincidence.‖

Other than being

the end of the Mayan Calen-

dar, 2012 may be the begin-

ning of a new era in which

humans may transform

physically or spiritually.

More theories include Earth

colliding with a black hole,

another planet, or an aster-

oid. Mr. Woodbridge

thinks, ―It will be a year

like any other; mankind will

be as stupid as it has been.‖

2012: The Beginning of the End Jaime Kader

Page 4 The Foran Exchange

For the second year in a row, we have started the New Year with a frightening number of dead bird corpses litter-

ing Beebe, Arkansas. Although the number of birds has decreased from thousands last year to about a hundred this year,

some worried citizens are saying this could be an early sign of the apocalypse. ―I don‘t believe this is a sign of the apoca-

lypse,‖ says Mr. Rollins. Others like Mr. Rollins believe an event like this could be due to things like climate change.

When studies were done on this strange phenomenon, scientists came to the conclusion that it was the large

amount of fireworks set off by the residents of Arkansas that startled the birds and sent them into a tailspin falling out of

the sky. This seemed like a logical explanation, until a ban on New Year‘s fireworks was put into effect in Arkansas, and

the birds still fell from the sky. People say that some law breaking rebels still set off fireworks, being the cause of the dying

birds but if so, why don‘t birds fall from the sky on the 4th of July? With more and more credibility being given to the apoc-

alypse theory, could this really be a sign of the world ending?

―I‘ve never heard of anything like this, birds just falling from the sky; that‘s mental,‖ says Jerry Gallagher, senior.

This may be the first time many Americans are hearing of such a bizarre event

such as this, but over the past decade many strange occurrences like this one

have been taking place all over the world. For example, 20 tons of Herring was

washed ashore in Norway this year on New Year‘s Eve, and then suddenly van-

ished the next day. In 2011, millions of dead fish also washed ashore in Mary-

land, and 10,000 cows and buffalo mysteriously perished in Vietnam. In 2009

thousands of penguins died in Chile for an unknown reason. In the year 2005

around 1000 toads exploded in Germany, and thousands of giant squid washed

ashore in California, all according to the New York Times and the Huffington

Post.

So overall, this odd event could just be another massive animal genocide like the others in preceding

years, or an early sign of the apocalypse! This is just one question we will have to wait and watch for. ―Birds

falling out of the sky for no reason, that‘s a load of bologna,‖ says Aniber ―Big Burr‖ Moras, a cool new fresh-

man here at Foran. The only way to really know if this is true will be if we wake up on December 22, 2012!

No More Blackbirds Singing in the Dead of Night Joe Dunn

The Troops are Finally Home

Brittany Patton

Page 5 Volume 3, Issue 5

4,500 American lives lost, 32,000

wounded, and nearly $800 billion later, the

war in Iraq ended on December 14, 2011.

The war began with the invasion of Iraq on

March 20, 2003 by the United States under

the administration of President George W.

Bush and the United Kingdom under

Prime Minister Tony Blair. After a grueling

9 years, the 4,500 troops left are finally

arriving back to their families and lives.

Leon Panetta, the 23rd and current United

States Secretary of Defense, said, ―You will

leave with great pride — lasting pride. Se-

cure in knowing that your sacrifice has

helped the Iraqi people to begin a new

chapter in history.‖ That, he said, is ―a

tribute to everybody - everybody who

fought in that war, everybody who

spilled blood in that war, everybody who

was dedicated to making sure we could

a c h i e v e t h a t m i s s i o n . ‖

―I‘m glad the troops are coming back

home. It‘s about time,‖ said William

Gamble, senior. In agreement, Ashley

LaDore, also a senior, said, ―I‘m happy

about it because they‘ve been there for

too long.‖ Though struggles still may lie

ahead for many soldiers, they‘ve done

their part in protecting and fighting for

our country. And those who have lost

their lives doing so will forever be remem-

bered for their heroism.

Seniors Back at Foran Megan Polizzo

Every year, guidance must conduct a random survey for the state of Con-

necticut to check up the progress of graduated seniors. Normally, Mrs. Unger will

ask those students she can get in touch with if they would be interested in speaking

to the seniors at Foran. ―If they talk to students that have been through the experi-

ence they can give them a better idea of what to expect next year, and hopefully

have less of a challenge.‖ On Friday January 6th there was a sign-up only, senior

assembly. Seniors from last year‘s graduating class came to Foran and talked about

college life. They talked about what to expect as a whole. They talked a lot about

rooming and the social life and how to manage your time wisely. They shared in-

sight from their own lives and told seniors what they found worked best. The meet

and greet attendees got into small groups so it was more of a one on one experience.

The graduates could then answer more questions in this setting. There were about

70 seniors who attended and about 20 speakers. It is a very extraordinary experi-

ence that Mrs. Unger puts together every year to help ease the stress of graduating

seniors going off to college the following fall.

The goal of this assembly is for next year‘s freshman to be comfortable in

their new atmosphere, which for many can be very frightening. When students talk

to people who are closer to their own age they can be more comfortable and get a

better feel for what college life is like. They can ask more personal questions, things

that they probably wouldn‘t ask a teacher or parent. ―It was easier to ask questions

to someone I know rather than being in front of the whole class asking a teacher,‖

said Alyssa Puccilli. It is a great thing that Mrs. Unger arranges every year, and if

anyone would like the chance to come back and talk after they graduate then you

can speak with her. So seniors, volunteer, and juniors don‘t forget to

sign up next year!

This February, Foran High students will be

performing in the musical comedy

―Once Upon A Mattress.‖ The musical

is supposed to be the real story of the

famous fairytale ―The Princess and the

Pea.‖ In a medieval kingdom, the devi-

ous Queen Aggravain, played by senior

Delaney Cassidy, establishes a law for-

bidding anyone in the kingdom from

marrying until her son, Prince Daunt-

less, played by junior Steve Bagoly, is

married. Unfortunately, in order to

marry the Prince, a princess must past

one of the Queen‘s unfair tests. When

the Prince falls in love with Princess Winnifred, played

by freshman Hanna Gerlander, the Queen devises a

nearly impossible test to keep the Princess from marry-

“Once Upon A Mattress”

Kristen Feige

Page 6 The Foran Exchange

Grammy Season Brings Surprises and Changes to Legendary Awards Show Erin Reilly

As the New Year commences, the awards season is officially under-

way, bringing forth the Grammy Awards, the most highly regarded music

awards show in the United States, revered as favorably as the Academy

Awards and the Emmys. After much speculation regarding the nominees,

the list was released to the public, with pop singers Adele and Bruno Mars,

as well as indie-folk band Bon Iver, emerging as top contenders in the gen-

eral categories of Best Record, Album, and Song of the Year. For many mu-

sic lovers, these choices were completely expected and supported. However,

many others were surprised by the contenders.

Given her rising success in the past year, many believe that Adele

will have the most success, paralleling that of Lady Antebellum at 2011‘s

Grammys. ―I really like Adele‘s music, especially her latest album,‖ says

Yasmine Joobeur, senior. ―I would be happy if she won Best Record of the

Year.‖ However, the prospect of the less likely nominees becoming victori-

ous must be taken seriously as well, judging from last year‘s surprising Best

New Artist, Esperanza Spalding, and Arcade Fire‘s triumph as Best Album

of the Year.

With the buzz regarding these popular categories, the vast changes

made to the awards this year were lost on many. For the 2012 Award show,

the National Academy of Recording Arts and Scientists made the decision

to eliminate 31 categories from the nominations list, feeing that it will make

certain awards more competitive. From those eliminated are the more ob-

scure Roots genres such as Hawaiian and Zydeco/Cajun Music. Others were

condensed into one genre, including many R&B and Classical

Music categories. These changes will limit the awards to 78

music categories and will permanently change the effects of

the biggest night in music.

ing her son. Can the Princess pass the test? Go to the

show to find out! Mallory Marin, who will

be playing the Jester, says, ―Everyone has

been working very hard this year and

we‘re really excited about the show.‖ Mrs.

Shearer, one of the musical‘s moderators,

says, ―It‘s a tremendous show filled with

new and returning talent. We‘ve taken the

entire program to a whole new level and

we‘re very excited.‖ The musical will be

held in the school‘s auditorium on Febru-

ary 11th and 12th at 7 on both nights.

Tickets can be purchased in school for $7

from Mrs. Shearer or a Drama Club mem-

ber or at the door for $10. Go see ―Once Upon A Mat-

tress‖!

Volume 3, Issue 4 Page 7

Kickoff of the 2012 Presidential Election

Kathryn Amenta

The 2012 presidential election is finally under-

way, starting off with the Iowa Caucus. Although the exit

polls showed Texas Representative Ron Paul winning

with 33.6% of the votes, Mitt Romney, former governor of

Massachusetts, was the ultimate winner with only an eight

vote lead against former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick San-

torum. Both candidates had 24.5% of the votes; however,

Mitt Romney won with 30,015 votes over Rick Santo-

rum‘s 30,007 votes. Newt Gingrich came in fourth place

behind Ron Paul, while Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman,

and Jon Huntsman came in fifth, sixth, and seventh

place. Soon after the Iowa Caucus was over, Michelle

Bachman announced that she would no longer be cam-

paigning for presidency.

The New Hampshire primary was also a historic

event this year. Mitt Romney became the first Republican

to win both the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire pri-

mary. Ron Paul, who is popular among the young voters,

came in second place. George Noyes, teacher at Joseph A.

Foran High School and democrat, said that out of all of

the Republican candidates, Jon Huntsman is his favorite

because ―he did a good job as the governor of Utah and

has a good forward thinking and internationalist perspec-

tive.‖ However, he believes that it is most likely that Mitt

Romney will be the Republican candidate for president.

Mr. Noyes also stated that he would be voting for Presi-

dent Obama this election, but if Mitt Romney wins, he

would still make a ―fine president.‖

As of right now, the three top candidates are Mitt

Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney is

opposed to same sex marriages and civil unions; however,

he does support some domestic partnership rights and sup-

ports state level laws banning discrimination against gays

and lesbians in the workplace. He also strongly opposes

Obama‘s healthcare plan, but supported Obama‘s decision

to increase troop levels in Afghanistan. Ron Paul also op-

poses Obama‘s healthcare plan. He believes that the sys-

tem is flawed by forcing everyone to become a client of

insurance policies, even those who don‘t want to or need

to participate. As for national defense, Ron Paul believes

in America first, meaning securing our borders and safely

bringing our troops back home. Ron Paul has also stated

that homosexuals should be allowed to marry in states

that legalize the practice. Rick Santorum is an extreme

conservative, who strongly opposes gay rights and abor-

tion. He said that if he is elected president, he would at-

tempt to roll back any gay marriages that have already

occurred, making them invalid. He also strongly opposes

Obama‘s health care plan and opposed Obama‘s decision

to bring home the troops in Iraq in late 2011.

When asking Ashley Gluhanich, senior at Joseph

A. Foran high school, who is planning to register as a re-

publican, who her favorite candidate is, she said ―Ron

Paul. I like his anti war stance and how he never changes

his opinion about anything. He sticks to his beliefs and

sticks to the constitution, which will make him a great

president.‖

Although it seems that Mitt Romney has the po-

sition of the Republican candidate in the bag, there is still

time for things to change. However, with Santorum‘s vic-

tory in the Iowa Caucus the message is clear that every

vote counts, so to all you seniors who are turning eighteen,

it is important to get out there and vote! You have the

power to determine who could be the next leader of our

nation!

The Foran Exchange Volume 3, Issue 5

Let the debates begin: does

David Fincher‘s take on the wildly

popular The Girl With the Dragon

Tattoo do proper justice to the

source material? Does it equal, sur-

pass, or pale in comparison to the

2009 Swedish film adaptation of

the novel? Which actress was able

to capture Lisbeth Salander‘s atti-

tude best – Mara or Rapace – as she

is arguably the most memorable

and interesting character? Or were

both performances of equal merit?

For those uninitiated into

the cult that has come to surround

the literary (and subsequent films)

phenomenon known as The Millen-

nium Trilogy, The Girl With the

Dragon Tattoo is a challenging and

expertly plotted thriller. The story

commences with the plight of Mika-

el Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist

certain that his career is all but

over. Feeling that he has nothing

else to lose, he accepts an unusual

task from the eccentric head of one

of Sweden‘s most profitable corpo-

rations, a man by the name of Hen-

rik Vanger. Blomkvist must at-

tempt to uncover the truth behind

the disappearance, and supposed

murder, of Vanger‘s niece. The task

is essentially impossible, as the girl

has been missing for the past forty

years. Blomkvist enlists the help of

the eponymous Girl with the Drag-

on Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander. Sa-

lander, an introverted and intimi-

dating prodigy, has a background

working for one of Sweden‘s top

security companies.

Blomkvist is sure that

her extensive skills

will be instrumental in

solving the decades old case. The two

soon discover a web of disquieting

and appalling truths of immeasurable

horror, risking their lives in the pro-

c e s s .

The American Dragon Tattoo, though

at times is a shot-for-shot recreation

of the Swedish original, is in many

ways a completely separate piece.

David Fincher is one of the most tal-

ented directors of our time, known for

his unique and memorable take on

the ―thriller‖ genre. With this in

mind, it would seem that The Girl

With the Dragon Tattoo is in capable

hands. Fincher‘s take on the film is

slick and stylish, beautifully shot and

edited, sound tracked with the pro-

pulsive and domineering score of

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But

the look of the film alone does not

―make‖ a movie, and therefore is not

the only factor to consider while re-

viewing the picture. Those who have

only seen the Swedish film and then

traveled to the cinema to view the

Americans‘ take will quickly take

note of a number of differences in plot

between the two pictures. This is not

a mistake on the Americans‘ part; in

actuality, Fincher‘s Dragon Tattoo

holds closer in terms of plot to Stieg

L a r s s o n ‘ s o r i g i n a l n o v e l .

Though a more stylish look

and adherence to original plot seem to

be a recipe for success, one also needs

to take into consideration what really

draws a crowd in this picture: the

characters. The actors in both the

Swedish original and the American

remake all do an excellent job, but

play their roles in sharply contrasting

ways. In the American film, newcom-

er Rooney Mara portrays the Girl

With the Dragon Tattoo, a role that is sure

to make her career. Mara‘s Lisbeth is

threatening and strong, while at the same

time remaining distant and vulnerable in a

hostile world. This is a worthy and compel-

ling performance and it surpasses Noomi

Rapace‘s Lisbeth in the original Swedish

film series. Senior Kate Perry says, ―I

think both actress captured Lisbeth‘s mute

hostility, but Rooney Mara conveyed the

fragility and trauma that makes Lisbeth so

compelling in the book. Rapace‘s perfor-

mance was less nuanced.‖ Rapace‘s Sa-

lander, though also well done, seems too

m a n l y a n d u n d e r d e v e l o p e d .

Both the American and Swedish

takes on Stieg Larsson‘s bestseller are wor-

thy adaptations. These films approach the

source material in two completely con-

trasting ways and both mange to do it

well. However, on the whole David

Fincher‘s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

was a better adaptation through expert

acting and provocative visuals.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Amy Hardt

The Hunger Games is the first

book of a bestselling trilogy written by Su-

zanne Collins. The setting is in an unidenti-

fied time period in the future in a country

called Panem, where North America once

was. Panem consists of 13 districts and a

wealthy Capitol. 74 years ago, the districts

rebelled against the Capitol and lost. As a

punishment, the Capitol randomly selects

one boy and one girl from each district from

the ages of 12-18 to participate in the annu-

al ―Hunger Games,‖ a televised event in

which the participants, or ―tributes,‖ fight

to the death for the Capitol‘s entertain-

ment. The story follows 16 year old Katniss

Everdeen, who volunteered for her younger

sister Prim when she was selected for the

74th annual Hunger Games as the female

tribute of District 12. Throughout the nov-

el, Suzanne Collins describes the hardships

Katniss faces, including surviving the Capi-

tol‘s cruel Hunger Games, sorting her feel-

ings towards Gale, her long-time friend

back at District 12, and Peeta, the male

tribute from District 12, and understanding

the cruelty and power of her corrupt gov-

ernment.

Though Katniss survives the Hun-

ger Games with the help of her male trib-

ute, Peeta and their District 12 mentor,

Haymitch, she learns that she is much

more than just a player of the Hunger

Games. In fact, the Hunger Games, in a

sense, aren‘t quite over for her yet.

I found this book to be very com-

pelling in various different ways. I found

that ideas in this novel can be closely tied

to ideas to our modern society, such as cor-

ruption in governments all around the

world. The book has a very strong element

of the moral standards of a human being.

As well as that, it follows Katniss‘s often

changing feelings towards many different

things.

As I said earlier, The Hunger

Games is the first book of three. The second

book, Catching Fire, and the third, Mock-

ingjay, focus mainly on rebellion of the

districts. All three books were phenomenal.

The Hunger Games movie is coming out in

March.

The Hunger Games Brooke Phelan

Page 9 Volume 3, Issue 5

At 5 A.M. Christmas morning a fire raged on in the Badger

household. The family awoke with the house ablaze and the mother was

the only person to make it out alive. Her mother, father, and three chil-

dren Lily, age 10, and 7 year old twins Sarah and Grace were all killed in

the fire. The cause of the fire was smoldering embers that had been re-

moved from the fire place so Santa could come down the chimney. The

embers were not properly disposed of, but instead they were left in a

room in the house. The grandfather tried to help one child out of the

house but he succumbed to smoke inhalation and trauma from falling

through the rafters of the house. Kaitlin Mee, a senior, says, ―It is such a

tragedy. I felt very sad when I first heard the news of what had hap-

pened. The family is in my thoughts and prayers.‖ A couple of weeks

later, a service was held for them in Manhattan. The moth-

er and father both made a speech about the love they will

always have for their daughters as they said their final

goodbyes.

A Christmas Tragedy Ryan Hayden

The NFL playoffs are back and better than ever before. This year brings more excitement than most previous years in the

playoffs. Many teams that have watched the playoffs from their beloved homes now have a chance to participate in the highly

competitive part of the season. Teams that had been under .500 have made the playoffs; some have even won their division for

the first time in a decade. These teams consist of the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, and Cincinnati Ben-

gals. All these teams were not even expected to reach the playoffs this season, but that‘s the crazy thing about sports: they are

unpredictable.

January 7th Saturday Night Football the Detroit Lions squared off against the New Orleans Saints. The Lions‘ post

season was cut short after losing to the Saints with a final score of 45-28. The Texans continue their miracle season with a com-

manding win over the Bengals 31-10, also on January 7th. The Broncos upset the Steelers in overtime victory by an 80 yard pass

play, which stunned everyone on January 8th.

The teams that are consistent with making the playoffs are the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ra-

vens, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New England Patriots. However, when Den-

ver continued their season traveling to Fox bureau, Mass. and were blown out 45-10 by the Patriots January 14th. The Falcons

were also sent home due to the Giants demolishing them with a score of 24-2 on the 8th. As the playoffs continue it seems to get

more interesting as days go by. The Giants even upset the defending world champion Green Bay Packers on January 15 th with a

commanding win of 37-20. As the New Orleans Saints continued on with their season, they lost in the divisional round to San

Francisco with .09 seconds left in the game with an ending score of 36-32 on January 14th. The Ravens‘ impenetrable defense

gave the Texans a rough time and contributed with a 20-13 win on January 15,th thus ending Texans marvelous run in the post

season.

As the intensity of the playoffs rises every week, students at FHS had a lot to say about the NFL playoffs. Students

were asked about their predictions about the playoffs a few days before they began. Mac Young, an FHS student, had a lot to

say about the playoffs. Mac started off by saying, ―The Biggest upset will be the Lions beating the Saints in the wild card. I also

feel as if the Falcons are the team that is under the radar and can go far in the playoffs.‖ Mac also stated, ―The AFC conference is

more intense than the NFC conference because the teams are more equally matched rather than the NFC. I feel as if the Green

Bay Packers will win the super bowl again.‖ Ashley LaDore, another FHS student, had a lot to say about the playoffs also. Ash-

ley explained, ―The Steelers will beat the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card easily. The team that is under the radar is the New

York Giants; I think they can go to the Super Bowl.‖ Ashley had more comments by saying, ―The NFC is more competitive than

the AFC because teams have better records than the AFC do. The team I think that will win the Super Bowl will be the Balti-

more Ravens because defense wins championships.‖

Finally, after weeks of anticipation, the Super Bowl came on February 5. As it turned out, the teams in the Super Bowl

were those that people previously thought didn‘t have a chance to reach the Super bowl. The New York Giants shocked the

world by getting back to the Super Bowl against the same team they defeated four years ago: The New England Patriots. In the

end, history repeated itself with the Giants on top once again with an ending score of 21 -17 and Eli Manning taking the Super

Bowl MVP trophy back home to New York. See the February newspaper for more details.

Playoffs Are Here! Nicholas Elliot

Page 10 The Foran Exchange

Page 11 The Foran Exchange

It is a new year, and winter is upon us, meaning that the 2012 college football bowl season has begun. Over the

past four weeks, 35 bowl games have been played in 15 different states, spanning from December 17th to January 9th. The-

se games are played between two teams that earn bid to the bowl based on their overall record and place in their conference.

With the exception of the national championship, these bowls are inter-conference matchups; They are a battle of the elite,

and are anticipated for the action they produce.

The bowl season kicked off with The Temple Owls defeating the Wyoming Cowboys 37-15 in the New Mexico Bowl

on December 17th. The next two were very close both decided by less than a field goal, when the Ohio Bobcats Defeated the

Utah State Aggies 24-23 in the Idaho Potato Bowl, and the Louisiana- Lafayette Ragin‘ Cajuns overcame the San Diego

State Aztecs 32-30 in the New Orleans Bowl. These games were early action in what was to become a wild season. The 7th

ranked team in the nation, Boise State, completed yet another one- loss season as they routed Arizona State in the Las Ve-

gas Bowl on December 22nd. Rutgers became the first team from the northeast to win a bowl this season when they defeat-

ed Iowa State 27-13 in the second annual Pinstripe Bowl, which is played at Yankee Stadium every year. Utah won the

first overtime game of the year on the 31st of December when they defeated

Georgia Tech 30-27 in the Sun Bowl. Defending Champions Auburn won

their third consecutive bowl game when they beat Virginia 42-24 in the Chick-

Fil-A Bowl, also on the 31st. To ring in the new year, 7 bowl games were

played on January 2nd. The Houston Cougars defeated the Penn State Nit-

tany Lions 30-14 in the TicketCity Bowl to finish off their record breaking

season. In the Outback Bowl, an over- time thriller ensued as the Michigan

State Spartans came away with a win against the Georgia Bulldogs 33-30.

The first two games of the BCS Bowl series were also played on the 2nd. In

the 97th Rose Bowl, known as the ―granddaddy of them all‖, The Ore-

gon Ducks won their first ever BCS Bowl game, rebounding from last

year‘s loss to Auburn in the Nation Championship. They were able to

defeat the Badgers of Wisconsin 45-38 in an offensive shootout. Later on that

evening, the 3rd ranked Cowboys of Ok- lahoma State won a hard fought

match that went into overtime against Stanford. They earned their first ever BCS win 41-38. The third BCS game, the All-

state Sugar Bowl, was held on January third, and was the fourth game of the bowl season to enter overtime. In the end,

Michigan was able to knock off Virginia Tech 23-20. Perhaps the most astonishing of all the bowl games was the Discover

Orange Bowl, held January 4th. West Virginia won 70-33 against Clemson, breaking a series of records, including the high-

est score in a bowl game and the most points in a quarter of a bowl game (35). The Final Bowl game was the BCS National

Championship game, held January 9th, and played between #1 Louisiana State and #2 Alabama. This matchup was con-

sidered controversial, as these teams had already played during the regular season, with LSU winning. Nevertheless, the

game was played, and Alabama came away with the win 21-0, scoring mostly field goals, and making the game the first title

game where a team was shutout.

The student body and faculty had mixed feelings about this year‘s bowl season. History teacher Mr. Williams said

that he watched about 6-7 bowls this year. ―The most exiting bowl this year was the Outback bowl,‖ he said. ―How could

you not get into it? It was a classic big 10-SEC matchup.‖ Mr. Williams, who is an avid Ohio State fan, said that his favor-

ite bowl to watch was the Gator bowl, played between the Buckeyes, and Florida. ―Even though Ohio State lost, this game

marks the end of an era for Ohio State, and the beginning of a new one‖, he noted. Most of this season had left Ohio State

with an interim coach, after longtime coach Jim Tressel resigned this year following scandal. When asked about the Nation-

al Championship game, Mr. Williams explained that he was not pleased. ―It was a snoozer,‖ he exclaimed. ―I had no inter-

est in it. LSU looked very sloppy.‖ Overall however, he seemed generally pleased with the outcome of this year‘s games. As

far as a student reaction, freshman Josh Mixie was generally impressed with the bowl games this season. ―It was a good

season and fun to watch‖ He said. When asked about his favorite bowl to watch, he said the Rose Bowl, due to

the action packed scoring drives in the game. This bowl season may have just been another one of its kind, but

what a year it was.

Action Packed College Bowl Season Scores Touchdown Joe Mixie

Philosophy Day at Foran High School

Ms. Kathy Bonetti: Philosophy Day Facilitator

Page 12 The Foran Exchange

What is the purpose of life?

Are the decisions you make your own? Or are they predetermined from times past?

Does a God exist?

Is there validity to ‘Good vs. Evil’?

Do we have a mind? A soul? Both?

Tough questions -- on any given day -- but the students of Foran High School and several invited guests were up

for the challenge during the school‘s 3rd Annual Philosophy Day held on Wednesday, Feb. 1st.

Designed as an extension of the Introduction to Philosophy class, the community-style forum brought students,

teachers, parents, grandparents and several other members of the community together to share their thoughts on a wide

variety of life‘s big questions. While students have deliberated many major philosophical issues over the past several

weeks, they realized that perhaps their views were limited since all of their discussions were from a student‘s perspective.

With nearly a dozen adults joining the tabletop discussions during Philosophy Day, everyone enjoyed the renewed depth

and breadth of the dialogue.

Teacher Paul Turtola organized this year‘s event and was very

pleased with the discussion taking place. ―As a teacher, I can introduce

the prominent philosophers of the past – and my students can learn the

basic themes of each one. We can have discussions in class about promi-

nent issues. But to be able to apply the things the students have learned

in this type of forum is fantastic.‖

Four tabletop discussions were conducted at a time, each lasting

45 minutes. At the conclusion of the session, participants then rotated to

a new table – with a new question to ponder.

At one tabletop discussion, a lively conversation took place

while tackling the question of ‗planning‘ vs. ‗the unexpected‘ when going through life and how that impacts the decisions

we make.

Several students felt that while routine is a good thing, a mar-

ginal amount of unplanned time is a necessity in life. They felt that

extreme ‗planners‘ may find themselves disappointed most of the time

when they do not reach their planned expectations. A wonderful off-

shoot of this discussion was the consideration of ‗going with the flow‘

rather than creating one‘s own path and the level of self-awareness a

person has. Interesting stuff.

Another table of participants pondered the concept of ‗an

idea‘ and whether there was, indeed, original thought or if people are

just re-engineering ideas of the past. Formal concepts from past philos-

ophers such as the existence of universal energy and the theory of form made their way into the conversation, as well as

the existence of the mind and the soul. Really interesting stuff.

Mr. Turtola reported the Philosophy Day continues to get better and better every year. He hopes that

the program continues to gain strength – and even offered that perhaps there could be a combined Foran/

Jonathan Law Philosophy Day program in the future, to give yet another perspective on philosophical issues.

Congratulations to everyone who made this program such a success. We‘ll see you next year!

Page 13 The Foran Exchange

February 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29

Upcoming February Events & Varsity Sports:

2/1—Half day; Boys basketball

home @ 7 vs. North Haven; Girls

basketball away @ 7 vs. North

Haven; Hockey home @ 6 vs.

BCL

2/2—Gymnastics home @ 7 vs.

Law

2/3—Boys basketball away @ 7

vs. Law; Boys swimming away @

6 vs. Seymour; Indoor track

SCC‘s @ 4

2/4—Girls basketball home @ 7

vs. Law; Hockey home @ 1 vs.

Fitch/East Lyme; Gymnastics

away @ 2 vs. Branford/Hamden;

Wrestling home @ 10 (Quad

meet)

2/7—Boys basketball home @ 7

vs. Guilford; Girls basketball

away @ 7 vs. Hand; Boys swim-

ming home @ 6 vs. Shelton

2/8—Wrestling home @ 6:30 vs.

Cheshire

2/10—Boys basketball away @ 7

vs. Amity; Gymnastics SCC‘s

away @ 5 @ Law

2/13—Girls basketball away @ 7

vs. East Haven

2/14—Valentine‘s day; Boys

swimming away @ 4 vs. Sheehan

2/17—Boys basketball away @ 7

vs. Fairfield Prep

2/18—February Break begins

2/20—Boys basketball home @ 7

vs. East Haven

2/21—Boys swimming away @ 4

vs. North Haven/North Branford

2/26—February Break ends

Journalists:

Rebecca Amann

Kathryn Amenta

Erika DeMaio

Joe Dunn

Nick Elliot

Kristen Feige

James Givens

Amy Hardt

Ryan Hayden

Jaime Kader

Louis Mark

Joe Mixie

Michelle Paoletta

Brittany Patton

Megan Polizzo

Michael SaNogueira

Darci Worroll

Editor:

Erin Reilly

Design Editor:

Brooke Phelan

The Foran Exchange