Join the discussion.

Inklings News

Join the discussion.

Inklings News

Join the discussion.

Inklings News

Varsity Girls Soccer Displays Controversial Pep at Rally

On Friday, September 20, at the annual Staples homecoming pep rally, the large crowd was stunned silent when the varsity girls soccer team shocked the school with a controversial display of pep.

Rather than displaying the traditional choreographed dance in the center of the field, the senior players walked the length of the field pulling leashes looped around the necks of some of the freshmen players, who crawled on their hands and knees.

Their performance was received in a variety of ways. Some interpreted it as a harmless joke, while others saw it as either a form of hazing, or an offensive display of sexism.

“I heard about their idea before it happened at the pep rally. I knew it was a joke, but I didn’t find it very funny,” Shannon Cardoza ‘15 said.

A member of the JV girls soccer team, who has asked to remain anonymous, agrees that the actions of the varsity team were distasteful. “It was hazing. It kind of gave the impression that they thought seniors were better than everyone else. Watching as a younger player, it was very upsetting,” she said.

Not all students feel this way. Some believe that the issue has been blown out of proportion, and that the administration, which is  considering disciplinary action against players, is overreacting.

Elizabeth Colwell ’14 does not believe that the actions of the players should be considered hazing. “Anything people can criticize in this school, they will. If it had been the boys on the football team, it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Colwell said.

While students seem to have mixed opinions on the issue, faculty members interviewed unanimously agree that the actions of the girls were inappropriate.

Principal Dodig explained that although some students may have found the performance funny, the adults have a different perspective on what occurred. “These are not bad people, just bad decisions,” Dodig said “It wasn’t bank robbery, but in a school with such strong prevention of bullying, it was counter to everything we believe, on and off the field.”

Other faculty members agreed, including Social Studies teacher Sara Pinchback. “It showed that these particular girls lacked an understanding of their own history as women,” Pinchback said.

“It was just disappointing,” said fellow Social Studies teacher Cathy Schager.

According to Assistant Principal Rich Franzis, the athletic department is handling the issue and will ultimately decide what if any repercussions players will face.

Marty Lisevick, the Staples Athletic Director, said he has already conducted meetings with the players who were involved with the incident, as well as their head Coach Heather Driscoll.

“I am in middle of an investigation, so nothing is concrete yet, but disciplinary action is definitely forthcoming,” Lisevick said.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Claire Quigley, Opinions Editor

Claire Quigley ’14  is an opinions editor on  Inklings Newspaper. She has many hobbies that include dance, lacrosse, and is an active member of many clubs. Claire’s main focus for the past three years has been giving back to both her own community, and others as well. She has been apart of her church’s youth club for almost  three years with many of her friends. This past summer, she had the amazing opportunity to help the less fortunate in the Dominican Republic. Claire and her youth group helped build houses, and teach many children who do not have the opportunity for an education speak English. “Those 10 days changed my life, I felt great each and every day because I knew I was making a difference.” said Quigley ’14. Aside from traveling to the Dominican, Claire and her youth group have also helped locally around Connecticut. She has helped build gardens, feed the homeless, and raise money for causes she believes in. She has put in many hours towards her youth group, and truly believes they are helping the world one project at a time. Besides Claire being a part of her youth group outside of school, she also enjoys writing both outside and inside school. This year Claire will be finishing her third year on Inklings and is excited to write many articles for both the paper and the web. Claire’s favorite article she wrote was “Where do I upload my Pictures?

Elizabeth Camche, Business Manager

Most students see Inklings as a source of news and entertainment, a way to keep up with the school. Elizabeth Camche ’14 sees it as a business. As the one and only business manager, Camche deals with everything from subscriptions to ads to budget.

It’s all a bit more than she expected.

“I really did not know what I was getting into,” Camche said.

She applied for the position after watching last year’s two managers, figuring it couldn’t be all that hard. Turns out, it’s a lot for one student to handle. “I guess they thought it was a one-person job. It’s not,” Camche said.

Despite all the hours she puts in as business manager, Camche still found time to write a hilariously honest piece on what a Mean Girl she was in middle school.

She’s eager for an assistant who will free up some more time for writing, although at least she has learned something from her experience:

“Inklings actually has a lot of money. Underratedly,” Camche said.

Hannah Foley, Editor-in-Chief

Hannah Foley ’14 has many talents, but when combined together, she is unstoppable. As a major contributor to Inklings newspaper as Editor-in-Chief, WWPT radio, Staples’ award winning radio show, and Good Morning Staples, she is truly a triple threat. Each alone are impressive enough, but Foley is able to manage them all together.

It all started with journalism as a freshman, when her class joined forces with the television production class. She immediately began hosting at Good Morning Staples, where she can still be seen to this day. She later found herself as a part of the news department for WWPT, and the rest is history.

Foley has continued to impress, winning a John Drury Radio Award for second in the nation for a feature news story she wrote and read on WWPT.

Although each is unique, Foley feels that her participation in the individual organizations benefits the others. “Since they all have a base in journalism, they all require that you master different skills and those skills can be applied across the board,” explains Foley.

One of Foley’s proudest articles written for Inklings is a column  about her experience living in Brooklyn during the 9/11 attack.

But the thing that introduced it all to her still holds a special place in her heart.

“I love layout, I love eating food at layout, and I love the moments that happen at layout,” Foley says. “When I look back at high school, I’m not going to remember that test I took. I’m going to remember sitting at the table with my staff eating Roly Poly’s, laughing while Ms. McNamee and Mr. Rexford make jokes.”

Comments (0)

All Inklings News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *