Deschanel’s career seems to have erupted practically over night, but many viewers may not know that the quirky actress has played supporting roles in multiple noteworthy movies including her stint as Buddy the Elf’s coworker turned wife in the hit Christmas movie “Elf.” Now though, Deschanel has stolen the spotlight all on her own.

“I didn’t know who Zooey Deschanel was before watching “New Girl” but she’s such a cool character,” said Alexis Teixeira ’13.

Leading up to her starring television role, Deschanel’s career continued on a steady incline as she acted in a supporting role in “Failure to Launch,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Most people remember Deschanel as the dorky yet also edgy best friend to the female protagonist, but very few were actually to pinpoint the actress’s name. In fact, Deschanel has said herself that many people know her as “the girl with the bangs.”

However, in 2008 Deschanel finally got her chance to be a leading lady opposite Jim Carrey in “Yes Man.” She scored another lead in the romantic comedy “[500] days of Summer” in 2009, but after that, it’s almost as if she fell off the map.

“I’ve always watched Zooey Deschanel in supporting roles and thought she was funny and different,” said Lily Zuckerman ’13, “I’m glad she finally landed a lead.”

Deschanel has been around, participating in nearly 40 different projects in various supporting roles, with the exception of her three leads. However, 2011 seemed to be Deschanel’s year to shine. She recently won a TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress as her portrayal of Jess in “New Girl,” and she was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Comedy for her new show.

Deschanel’s star power seems to be continually rising, her show has earned rave reviews and been nominated for multiple awards in its very first season. Although she has been nabbing supporting roles for nearly a decade, this so called “adorkable” star has taken Hollywood by storm.

Two words can aptly describe this turn of events: a travesty.

Collab is a non-traditional U.S. history course where students are constantly engaged in in-depth discussions and exposed to texts, such as “A Peoples’ History of the United States” by Howard Zinn, that open up students’ minds to new ideas about the history of the United States.

Fulton and Dancz have constantly pushed me to break the boundaries of my perceived limits, whether it is my quietness in class, or my ability to write essays. They have taught me that collaboration doesn’t just signify a combined English and History course.

It also means collaborating with the teachers, with other students, and even collaborating with the authors to interpret the idea and arguments of the books we read.

For me personally, collaboration means opening myself up to others, including my teachers.  They demand that we think, speak, contribute and debate with each other and with them. Before Collab, I’d never done that.

While I understand Fulton and Dancz want to move onto other things, that doesn’t mean the Collab course needs to be cut. Two other bright teachers should be given the same opportunity as Fulton and Dancz to touch the lives of students.

The mission statement of Staples says, “We strive to become a community of learners who treat each other with care and respect; we think critically, use contemporary literacy skills, and work to solve real-world problems.” Unlike other classes, Collab fulfills our school’s mission statement.

In Collab, I have never seen another student bullied, something I can’t say in other classes I have been in. Everyday we think critically about texts that we read, watch or listen to, and then reflect on them to understand what the texts means to us. In the eight months that I have been in Collab, my literacy skills have dramatically improved; I understand the depth of many of the books I read.

And finally, everyday we debate how to solve the issues that this world has to face in the next 50 years; whether it be racism, lobbying, economic injustice, or social injustice.

Not only has Collab made me a better student, but also it has made me a better person. Staples has an opportunity here to do the same for another year and years to come.

The ceremony began with Connie Zhou, Mistress of Ceremonies, announcing the new inductees. Students entered the room wearing the National Honor Society insignia of a blue and white flower. “It’s so nice to get acknowledgement for all the hard work, both academic and service wise, that my fellow inductees and I have put into our endeavors for the past three years,” said Jill Rappaport ’13, a new member to the society.

Once the inductees took their seats, Principal John Dodig took the platform. Dodig discussed how someone once referred to the Staples students as, “professional students,” with the bus representing the train and the report card as a paycheck. However, he made it clear that the students not only work hard, but also they enjoy what they’re doing and know how to have fun.

After the speech, Charlotte Weber ’12 and Tyler Jent ’13 provided musical entertainment and sang Lucky by Jason Mraz.

The four qualities associated with the National Honors Society – scholarship, service, leadership, and character – were highlighted during the ceremony.

Julia McNamee, the faculty speaker, spoke of an old cherished childhood friend that had recently passed away and had embodied the four tenets of the National Honors Society.

The ceremony concluded with David Haswell ’12 reading the name each new member. The inductees were awarded pins from the 2011 members of the National Honor Society. Lindsey Graber ’13 said, “It was great to be recognized for my hard work. It’s an honor to be a part of the National Honors Society.”

In an interview on Good Morning America that appeared on ABC news, President Barack Obama said, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

With the statistics previously stated and as a person who strongly believes in equality, I could not agree with our president more.  And I am only disgusted to hear that on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, North Carolina passed Amendment One, a constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage in their state.

It is overwhelming to hear that an entire state does not allow innocent people to live freely.  I want you to take a minute and think about what color hair, eyes, and skin you were born with.  I want you to think about what kind of bone structure you have, how many freckles you have, and how tall or short you are.  When you were growing in your mother’ stomach for nine months, you were not able to say, “Hey Mom, I want brown hair please instead of blonde,” because these are physical characteristics that you had no control over choosing.

Now think about your future and if someone hated you or did not treat you equally because you were born with these inevitable characteristics. When you look forward into your life, do you see a wedding ceremony with your friends and family?  Do you see a ring on your ring finger that reminds you of the day when you said, “I do” to the one you love?  Do you see yourself growing old with someone?  The option of this future should never be banned to anyone.

“The Declaration of Independence stated that everyone should be granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” said Jamie Yarmoff ’12. “I think the last part of that is violated by Amendment One. It’s heinous that people are voting on someone’s right to marriage. I don’t think it’s necessary or appropriate.”

“Our president just said that he thinks same sex couples should get married, and I can’t say that I disagree. I strongly believe that this should be the case, especially when North Carolina citizens have the right to marry their own first cousins.”

With so much on the line for those who identify as LGBTQ, it makes me even angrier that voters who have helped make our society unequal do not even know what they are voting on. According to Herndon Graddick, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who was recently quoted in the Advocate when speaking on this issue, “North Carolina’s media failed to educate its audience about the potential far-reaching consequences of this amendment, and as a result, polls show as many as 60% of voters didn’t know the extent of what they were voting on.”

Although Westport is far from North Carolina and is much more accepting of the LGBTQ community, we are still extremely impacted by Amendment One.  Amendment One is an unfortunate wake up call, a reminder that hate and homophobia still exist in our society.  It is a reminder that the LGBTQ community and alliances of this community are not done fighting for their rights.

“Its just sad that in a time where so much is being done to move forward with the gay rights movement, we’re still facing minor setbacks like this,” said an anonymous high school student who is a part of the LGBTQ community.

“And it also just makes me really sad because you know there are people who live in North Carolina and states who don’t approve of gay marriage who wont have the same rights as we do strictly because of ignorance.”

Throughout high school I have met and built relationships with people who identify as LGBTQ, and just like my friends who identify as straight, they are wonderful people.  Sexual preference does not and has not done any harm to our society. It is Amendment One that is doing the harm.

Friday night, the final game was played in the second round of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, which had one of the local favorites, the one-seed New York Rangers, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will meet the other popular team amongst Westporters, the six-seed New Jersey Devils, for a chance to compete for the league championship, better known as the Stanley Cup.

Out West, the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings advanced to their respective conference finals, where they will take on the surging three-seed Phoenix Coyotes, who up until recently were a threat to relocate.

However, this year’s playoffs have had many other story lines, good and bad, other than just wins and losses.

Martin Brodeur, the longtime goalie of the Devils, became the first at his position in NHL history to appear in a playoff game as a teenager and at the age of 40 (or older). Marty, as he is commonly referred to, also has three assists so far in the tournament.

Along the way, the Kings have taken out the one-seed Vancouver Canucks and the two-seed St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference, once again proving that an underdog can succeed in the world of sports. And currently, the Staples Center in LA is the host to three playoff teams in two sports: the Lakers and Clippers of the NBA as well as the Kings.

For Phoenix, their strong play as been overshadowed by a particularly dark moment. In the first round, forward Raffi Torres, notorious for playing dirty, left his feet on a check while targeting the head of the Chicago Blackhawk’s Marian Hossa, resulting in a 25-game suspension that could potentially carry over into next season. This was the third largest ban in league history.

And for the Rangers, they return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1997, led by probable Vezina Trophy (the award for the best goalie during the regular season) and possible Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) and Conn Smythe Trophy (postseason MVP) winner Henrik Lundqvist, who so far this year has lived up to his nickname, “King Henrik.”

“The Rangers will go as far as Henrik Lundqvist will take them,” Jake Chernok ’13 said. “And right now, he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career.”

Making the task tougher for the Rangers is American star Brandon Dubinsky’s lower body injury, which caused him to miss the entire second round against the Washington Capitals; his current status is day-to-day. Conversely, the Devils are astoundingly healthy, with Ilya Kovalchuk and Ryan Carter overcoming injuries sustained earlier in the playoffs.

“Phoenix is taking this one all the way,” Will Englehart ’14 predicted. He expects Phoenix to beat the Rangers in the finals; “Throw some of that coyote fire at those weak Rangers,” Englehart said, directed towards Phoenix’s squad.

Luke Foreman ’14 also predicted that the Coyotes would make it to the finals. However, he sees the Devils eventually being crowned champs.

“Brodeur has so much experience, and the team as a whole has been playing very well as of late,” he said.

Now, I am a Devils fan, but throwing all bias aside, I do expect them to beat the Rangers and move onto the finals.

However, I also expect the Los Angeles Kings’ Cinderella story to continue, not only against Phoenix, but against New Jersey as well. The biggest reason is their goaltender, Jonathan Quick. Yes, Lundqvist and Brodeur have been good, but statistically, Quick has been the best in these playoffs, leading all remaining goalies in win percentage, goals against per game, and save percentage.

And I’m sure Los Angeles will be rocking and rolling if the Kings do, as I predict, make it to and then proceed to win the Stanley Cup.

I hate their pretentious pinstripes. I hate John Sterling’s irritating homerun calls; not every ball Alex Rodriguez hits is an A-Bomb, and it’s not clever after the billionth time. I hate them all, strutting around Yankee Stadium acting like they own the league.

I was born in New York, so I’ve heard people say that I am betraying my home team. But that is not even slightly true.

Shea Stadium was my first home away from home.

Shea was the classic, old, royal blue origin of the New York Mets, the first team I ever loved. When I was smaller, there was nothing like munching on a hot dog smothered in ketchup while Mike Piazza smashed one over the fence and the “Home Run Apple” appeared to tumultuous applause.

Despite New York being the closest area that houses major sports teams, only a few students reading this will understand what I’m talking about.

Because there are so many teams living in the Big Apple, there has always been a divide between different fans in Staples.

Yankees fans hate Mets fans, and Mets fans hate Yankees fans. Rangers fans would like to punch Islanders fans in the face, and Islanders fans want to scream every time they hear the “Potvin Sucks” chant ringing through Nassau Coliseum.

“I’m a Yankees fan, and my best friend is a Mets fan. So usually when they play each other, she comes to me crying because the Yankees won,” said Savannah Donohue ’13. “Let’s just say I win a lot of bets.”

There’s nothing like a good ol’ Subway Series to set a couple of friends on edge.

(Also, as of right now, the Yankees have a worse record. Just saying).

Don’t get me wrong; I’ll still like you if I discover your dark, navy blue and white-clad allegiance. But I might like you a little less.

And now that the Jets are moving to New York as well, I have a whole new team to hate and a whole new reason to scream my love for the Giants to the world. I was so proud when they won the Super Bowl. Seriously, I cried. Eli Manning is like my child.

Not only is there a huge amount of New York teams, but Connecticut residents also find many others to cheer for: the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Celtics. Without in-state teams of our own, we need to choose different teams to root for.

For me, my Mets devotion was passed down to me from my father. My best friend and I adopted the Giants when we recently got into football. But it’s different for everyone.

That’s one of the great things about having such a wide array of fans in Staples; each person has their very own obsession and their very own story.

It’s easy to love a team with the highest payroll in baseball, but that’s beside the point.

As much as I hate them, I respect Yankee fans. I respect Jets fans. I respect any fan that sticks by their team’s side, through thick and thin. I respect people that carry their adoration from when they were kids for the rest of their lives.

Sports has a way of bringing people together, whether it’s cheering for the same team on the same couch with a bowl of chips in hand, or it’s teasing each other and trying to come up with the best put-downs.

To each their own. But I’ll be waiting in Citi Field for the Mets’ next World Series ring; ready to welcome each of you Yankee fans back from the dark side.