“My initial reaction when we found out we won was unreal considering the fact that we haven’t won in several years,” said Logan Murphy ’15.

Although boys have taken gold back home to the Staples track in recent years, the girls team has not won FCIAC first place in the past 23, according to captain Georgia Kursten ’13.

Track meets involve a combination of events from running different distances, to shot-put and javelin, high jumps and hurtles.

On Wednesday, individual girls set records in addition to the team’s first place win. “Hannah Debalsi ‘16 won both the 1600m and 3200m race, as well as crushing both FCIAC meet records,” said Kursten “[And] Tyler Scanlin ‘14 placed 2nd in the 800m race while also breaking the school record, our 4×800 placed 6th, 4×400 placed 2nd.

The boys’ team also pulled through with high rankings in events across the board. (See full scores and times here.)

“We knew going in that if we each did what we needed to do and stuck to the game plan we were going to be a hard team to beat,” said captain Patrick Nolan ’13 “It was great that everyone was able to come together and perform what they needed to in order to get the win over some really great and talented teams.”

“Darien was the defending FCIAC indoor and outdoor champion in track as well as the defending State Open Champion from this past indoor season,” said girls head coach Jesse McCray. “So, it was a great accomplishment for our team to win the Western Division and the FCIAC Championship [and beat Darien].”

According to Peter Elkind ’14, the boys also faced major competition from Danbury, Ridgefield, Darien and even the weather that day.

“The hot weather affected everyone however, making for a tough day and resulting in some slower times and less impressive performances,” said Elkind, “But we were still able to race, jump and throw as best we could in order to pull out a win for the second year in a row.”

Both teams took home this victory after months of training and hard work on the track.

According to team members, each team practices everyday – including Saturdays – for about one to two hours with a variety of workouts in running, lifting, extensive stretching and even Pilates and yoga.
In the end the hard work paid off with success for all. McCray said that the meet was very close at the end and came down to the last race of the night.

“It was all very exciting,” said Kursten “[Coach] JM even did a victory lap with us [when we won].”

“It was incredible run for all” added McCray.

If you like murder, mystery, or psychology with a dash of romance you’ll love Hysteria by Megan Miranda.

I would normally not choose a book dealing with a death, but a book about a girl, Mallory, murdering her boyfriend? That captures my attention.

The book focuses mainly on Mallory’s guilt over murdering her boyfriend, even though it was in self-defense. This plot line could have become tedious if the author hadn’t written in touches of real psychological symptoms of hysteria in Mallory’s guilt. But the fact that she’s kind of going insane and it is real psychological information really adds weight and intrigue to the book.

Hysteria begins a few months after the killing, and Mallory is still surrounded by people who are scared of her, who hate her, who want to hurt her. She’s soon sent off to boarding school to get away from the attacks, but from her view her parents, the people she expects to be there for her, getting rid of their psychopathic daughter.

The parents’ behavior really doesn’t add up even at the end of the book. They are afraid of her, but they claim their actions were for her protection and that all along they loved and trusted her. But locking their bedroom door and hiding the kitchen knives…? That’s not for her, that’s because they’re scared for their lives.

The only people who seem to support Mallory are her best friend Corrine, the most and Reid, a boy she had met several times over the years, but now becomes friends, and more, as the story progresses.

Now, I love a good romance, but it just does not make sense to me how she would want even a hint of a romantic relationship when she is barely coping with her severe guilt over killing her last love interest. Doesn’t make sense, but I did love Reid. Even if his affections seemed a bit misplaced.

The only other people she deals with are the actual insane ones in this story. At the boarding school, four students, all connected in odd ways mess with Mallory and her guilt. It is creepy. And I admit, I got a little scared during the book.

It was an extremely eerie book with sinister characters. And because they’re just teens you don’t expect them to be scary. But Mallory’s surrounded by sociopaths.

I really felt like I was with Mallory the entire story. I was in her head, I felt her pain and confusion. It was really well done, and for a girl who doesn’t usually like the darker story I was pulled in. I became very invested in what happened, and I’ve got to say, I was not disappointed.

What are 3 fun facts about yourself?

1) My favorite food is and always has been Kraft Mac & Cheese

2)  I write thrillers, but I’m pretty much scared of everything… including clowns

3) I worked in biotech and then as a high school teacher before becoming a writer.

 Hysteria was very different from what you normally see on YA shelves. You usually don’t see a book with a main character dealing with murder and the guilt from it. What inspired you to write such a unique story?

First of all, I should probably confess that I’ve always been drawn to the darker stories…they were my favorite stories to read growing up, and they still are. As for this book, I had the character of Mallory in my head before I had a story for her. I gave myself a writing prompt, which was, in this case, the first line of the book (“My mother hid the knife block”), and just started free-writing to see where it would take me. I developed this idea of a girl who had done a “very bad thing” and was being haunted because of it… but then I got carried away with research into the idea of haunting. And that, for me, became the inspiration for the book. It was about all the things that could haunt, in all the ways they could do so. So, yes, it’s definitely a story dealing with murder and guilt, but for me, it’s also a story about memories and friendship and the way the mind works, which fascinates me.

 The added touch of psychology, like hysteria as the title suggests, was very cool. It was one of those details that as a reader I love to see. Do you have an interest in psychology or was it something you researched because it fit the book?

I have a strong interest in the connection between the psychological and the physical—the way psychological things can manifest in physical ways. But I hadn’t done much research on it before the book. I started reading scientific journals on the subject while I was writing, and I read as many case-studies as possible. That said, this book is purely a fictional “what if”

 What made you leave the world of science to become a writer? Do you think that because of your background in science it’s always going to be an aspect in your books?

I’ve always loved both science and writing, and I do think there will probably always be some aspect of science in my books, because even though I’m not in that world anymore, it’s still a passion of mine. Moving from science to writing was a gradual process. I left biotech when I moved to the states, and saw it as an opportunity to try something I’d always wanted to do, which was teaching high school science. Then I had kids of my own and became a stay-at-home-mom. It wasn’t until my youngest turned one and was sleeping through the night that I told myself to take a real shot at writing, since it was something I loved to do.

 Colleen was an amazing friend, completely loyal and always there for Mallory. I definitely wish I could have a friend like her. Was she inspired by someone you know?

Oh, I wish I did too! Colleen is my favorite character I’ve ever written. She’s not based on anyone in particular, but she definitely has a few traits from people I knew growing up. Mostly, I wanted to have this friendship be the most important relationship in the book, and to have it reflect the intensity of the type of relationship of people who’ve grown up together, know everything about each other, and spend so much time together that they start to see themselves either as a reflection or comparison to the other. I think Mallory and Colleen have such a rare, powerful, and intense friendship, but they also both have difficulty figuring out who they are without the other when they’re separated.

 What’s next for you?

My next book comes out in early 2014, and it’s a sequel/companion to my first book (Fracture). It takes place about 9 months after the events in Fracture and is told from a different character’s perspective. It’s about the idea that a place can become cursed, and all the ways people come to believe that, or come to use that… and it’s a thriller.

The resolution was voted on by the BSA’s national council of 1,400 people, and over 60% voted in favor of the resolution. “No youth may be denied membership … on the basis of sexual orientation,” the resolution reads. However, the resolution lets stand the BSA’s policy prohibiting gay scout leaders.

The resolution will take effect January 1.

This resolution comes after much controversy about whether or not to admit gay scouts, with the issue attracting national attention. Ultimately, however, the resolution passed, with the BSA chief executive, Wayne Brock, calling it “compassionate, caring and kind.”

In liberal Westport, troop 36 had let an openly gay scout remain in its troop, despite the BSA’s national policy. He has since gone on to college and is now an Eagle Scout. The Yankee Council, which oversees Westport Boy Scouts, has supported gay scouts and opposed the previous national policy, according to Dan Woog, the author of “Friends and Family: True Stories of Gay America’s Straight Allies.”

“As an organization that seeks to instill morality in youth, it is important that the scouts fully accept all people and work to teach tolerance,” said Zach Effman ’15, a member of troop 36.

Woog agreed that the BSA was correct to admit gay scouts, calling the BSA’s decision to do so “long overdue.”

Effman called the resolution “an important step towards full equality for gay members of the scouting movement.” He did have one criticism of the resolution, though. “The BSA … needs to extend this new policy to adult leaders,” he said.

Woog agreed. “Think of the mixed message that sends: it’s okay to be gay as a kid, but as soon as you become an adult, you’re not worthy of respect,” he said.

“I think it’s ironic that it’s okay to be a gay Marine or soldier but not okay to be a gay Boy Scout leader,” Woog added.

Still, Effman thinks progress is being made. “I think the entire country is moving towards treating people the same regardless of their sexual orientation. The new BSA policy is definitely a reflection of the national trend,” he said.

And there’s no way around it.

Seventeen summers ago in 1996, all the cicadas laid their eggs and now they are finally hatching. Once they do so, the evil creatures will mate, lay their new eggs and die a couple weeks later to ensure that they ruin people’s summers again in 2030.

Although running around with a fly swatter won’t stop them, there are some measures that you can take to try and prevent them from ruining your life.

1. Wear Earplugs

If you see these little creatures and think, “They’re the size of my pinky finger, they can’t keep me up all night!” you are 100% wrong. Their mating noises can excel 120 decibels of sound, that’s louder than a snowmobile. No matter how ashamed you are to have styrofoam sticking out of your ears, it will be worth it to get some beauty sleep.

2. Secure your house

Be prepared to find a couple cicadas laying dead on your countertops, floors, and furniture. One way to reduce the number, however, is to put screens on your windows and close all vents that lead outside.

3. Worry about mosquitoes instead

We’re all used to getting bitten by mosquitoes in the summer, and that can be far worse. Just think positive, and remember that you are used to seeing bugs flying around your home.

4. Don’t sweat.

If the ancient Egyptians could live through the locust plague, you can survive cicadas. In fact, they are actually harmless to humans, besides causing them to get grossed out.

5.  Go on vacation

There’s no better way to avoid cicadas than to travel far, far away from them. Since they will mainly be infesting the Northeast, congratulate yourself on finishing the school year and go on a relaxing vacation.

Hopefully they won’t be as bad as they were made out to be in the 10 plagues, and remember that it will all be over before you know it.

Oh yeah, my legs.

They seem to be permanently glued to the chair. Heat has fused them to the  uncomfortable reminder that I am not done with school for the year. After moments of struggling, I finally pry my skin from the chair and run from the all-encompassing heat to…more heat.

Even though outside there is still a chill in the air, these days I dress in shorts and a tank top merely because the classrooms are desertlike. At the start of second semester, Dodig notified us that the air conditioning would be turned on May 20^th. At the time, that seemed like a reasonable date.

Now, I have no recollection of anything I learn throughout the day. All I think about is the overwhelming heat. The Social Studies classroom is essentially an oven and I am the turkey roasting inside. My brain is cooked like giblets.

Even when freed from the confining heat in the classrooms, I find walking through the hallways not much better. There,  the walls seem to close in on the pack of students attempting to walk to class, despite their heat exhaustion.

But sometimes the heavens grant us a gift, in the form of a classroom the temperature of a freezer. My Spanish classroom is one of these gracious gifts. I walk in everyday and smile at the cool air against my skin. After a long day of being trapped in the heat, I welcome the coolness with open arms.

It is shocking to think one classroom could soar above body temperature and another plunge all the way down to polar degrees. Staples High School has somehow figured out how to defy the odds of a heating and cooling system to make some rooms extraordinarily heated and others frightfully chilly.

“When I was younger, I used to watch ‘The Wild Wild West’ religiously,” Ferrante said. “In one of the episodes, there was a Confederate ghost who went back to Gettysburg to seek revenge, and I just thought that this place was fantastic.”

And there his dream began.

Although the book that resulted from his inspiration is a lot of fun, readers can also expect to learn from the novel.

“I wanted to teach my readers a little history, but I’m not going to hit them over the head with it,” Ferrante said.

In the story, the main character, TJ, travels to Gettysburg to visit his cousin Luanne. To his surprise, his cousin is no longer the nerdy girl that he remembers. TJ’s best friend, Bortnicker, ends up joining the two as they try to solve a ghost mystery without getting caught by Luanne’s park ranger father.

Ferrante hopes his book will appeal to teens.

“All of the characters are made up of bits and pieces of my students, and that is why I think they will be able to relate to them,” said Ferrante.

Luckily for fans of the novel, the adventure doesn’t stop after the last page. A sequel, “Secrets of the Pirate House,” is coming out this September.

Since the movie opened Friday, May 10, there has been much discussion on whether or not Luhrmann and his cast filled Fitzgerald’s shoes.

Jordyn Patterson ’14 loved the novel and its complex characters but had a small criticism of the movie.

“I think the movie was too long,” said Patterson. “They changed a few things from the book, but overall they stayed pretty true to the plot in the movie. It was filmed in a really cool way; the set was amazing and the flapper dresses were gorgeous; the movie almost had a futuristic feel even though it is set in the 1920s.”

Julia Saveliff ’16 preferred the film to the novel because of the sensory experience it brought.

“The actors were all perfect for their parts, and the music was amazing,” said Saveliff.

The new film stars heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan and also encompasses songs from a soundtrack filled with popular artists including: Kanye West and Jay Z, Fergie, Lana Del Ray, Florence and the Machine and more.

Jill Rappaport ’13 explained how her favorite part of the movie was that she got to see the story come to life and see how Luhrmann made each scene elegant and glamorous.

“It was cool to see how the director pictured certain things,” said Rappaport “I never pictured the Buchanan’s house to look how it did in the movie.

Although she generally prefers books to the movie versions of them, Patterson said, “The book is always better, but I enjoyed watching it come to life on screen.”

If Staples High School students sought to rate the school, they might not come to the same conclusion, or to any conclusion at all about how it compares to others.

U.S. News used a three step process to create their rankings.

Step 1: The first step determined whether each school’s students were performing better than statistically expected for the average student in the state. We started by looking at reading and math results for all students on each state’s high school proficiency tests.

We then factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students (who tend to score lower) enrolled at the school to identify the schools that were performing better than statistical expectations.

• Step 2: For those schools that made it past this first step, the second step determined whether the school’s least-advantaged students (black, Hispanic and low-income) were performing better than average for similar students in the state.

We compared each school’s math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students with the statewide results for these student groups and then selected schools that were performing better than this state average.

• Step 3: Schools that made it through the first two steps became eligible to be judged nationally on the final step – college-readiness performance – using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data as the benchmarks for success, depending on which program was largest at the school.

Needless to say, Staples students are not privy to this information.

But even if they were, they probably wouldn’t use it. These statistics, to most, have little meaning, and less relevance. Those who attend Staples every day for four years, who know the fastest way from the cafeteria to their first period calculus class, who can explain how the lunch waves work, who spend free periods in a learning center, have no idea how they compare to the average student in their demographic.

No, Staples students would focus on their own experiences: of stimulating conversations with passionate teachers, of studying test banks instead of understanding material, of cheering for the football team under the lights, or of sitting in the freshmen “ghetto” during lunch.

It would be these things, things that students actually know, that they would use to rank their own school.

Something else students at Staples don’t actually know? How their school compares to others, because, once again, they are Staples students. Why would they know about the math proficiency levels in Darien, the school who was ranked #1 in the state.

Why should they?

If Darien students were worse at math, it wouldn’t make Staples students any better.  If everyone were worse at math, Staples might be ranked #1 instead of Darien, but its students still wouldn’t be any better at math.

Staples’ rank, as determined by U.S. News or by anyone else, is defined only relatively. Staples High School, and each high school, defines itself.

The meeting’s primary focus was a presentation by Director of Secondary Education Lisbeth Comm, Director of Human Resources Marge Cion and co-founder of the Teacher’s College of Columbia University’s Studies in Education Innovation program Deb Sawch about the global collaboration element of the 2025 initiative, a district-wide attempt to better equip Westport students for success in the 21st century. The presentation centered on Westport’s planned collaboration with the Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore next year.

“Both Westport and Hwa Chong hope to develop global citizens and global leaders. We have much to learn from each other,” said Comm.

Potential collaborations between the Westport school district and Hwa Chong include student and teacher exchanges and joint curricular efforts. Earlier this school year, 15 Staples students received an email describing the possibility of studying abroad in Singapore.

Additionally, Sawch discussed how elementary school students are benefitting from the 2025 curriculum, which emphasizes persuasive writing at a young age.

“They’re learning collaboration, critical thinking, communication skills—all in the first grade,” said Sawch.
After the presentation on 2025 ended, the BOE spent the rest of the meeting discussing potential projects to explore before the beginning of the next school year.

Board member Michael Gordon suggested taking a look at the school system in Madison, Conn., which is not following the Common Core to protest a new law that ties teacher evaluations to standardized test scores.

The BOE also discussed looking into neighboring Wilton’s approach to school start times. Unlike in Westport, middle and high schools in Wilton have a later start time than elementary schools.