Volume 134 Issue 4 November 16, 2012

T H E VIGOR NI A

By Michael Schermerhorn 14

WAGVV Proving Their Success (One Ace at a Time!)

Student Newspaper Since 1878

While many ring in the autumn season by going apple picking and catching the football game on television, the Worcester Academy Varsity Girls Volleyball team has been hard at work practicing and competing in matches on both weekdays and weekends. With a record of 13 wins and 6 losses, the team has had a long and tough but successfulseason. Coached by Ms. Tracey Martell and Ms. Alexis King, a new addition to the team as a first-time assistant coach, and led by captains Kailee Stovall 13 and Alisa White 13, the team competed against 15 different schools for 18 matches over the course of the last few months. Backed by an incredible coaching staff and great team leaders, Sasha Berisheva 14 described the season as great and emphasized the success as the team became much closer as a group being able to pull through on some hard-earned wins. Although some losses were disappointing, the team was motivated during practice to improve. And improve they did, as wins became more frequent over the course of the season against tough competitors like Deerfield Academy and the Pomfret School. This year, the girls got to work with a new assistant coach, the new Biology teacher at Worcester Academy, Alexis King. Ms. King described her experience with the team as, really amazing. I loved getting to know the girls. I was impressed by how inclusive they were and how much they seemed to gel as a team. They made it easy to come in as a first year coach. Ms. King was received incredibly well by the girls. Captain Kailee Stovall described her as completely transforming the team by beaming us snarky prep-schoolers with positive rays of sunshine and happiness from California. She was the catalyst for our winning attitude. Edlyn Zhang 13 continued to describe coach King as the teams main source of support: Coach King is always so full of excitement, enthusiasm, and team spirit. Its very difficult for a volleyball team to remain upbeat and communicative at all times, especially during a loss, but she always manages to pump us up and get our heads back in the game, she stated. Without the help from the two coaches and the two senior captains, Alisa White and Kailee Stovall, the team and the successful season would not have been the same. Lena Rosenblum 13 expressed the importance of the two captains by saying they have been great! Alisa and Kailee are really nice and encouraging. They are also two of the best players on our team. Kailee is so versatile with her positions, she can play anything, and Alisa is incredible at blocking to prevent the other team from scoring points. Without them, the team would not be where it is now. From a spectators point of view, the success of the season was obvious. Connor Gleason 13, one of the teams greatest supporters, noticed, as a fan, this has been a great season to watch. The seniors have led the team through the highs and lows of the season Turn to Volleyball Team on Page 4

Members of the team pose for a picture Photo Courtesy of Lena Rosenblum 13

By The Board of Monitors

BOM Brief: Back to Work

The Board of Monitors is back and better than ever. We were busy working and planning student wide events even before students returned to the hilltop in the beginning of September. Our primary goal for the year is to increase school spirit and community within the student body, and it seems our plan has been effective given the feedback from our first two major events. Just last month we hosted one of the most memorable pep rallies to ever take Worcester Academy during Oskee Fest. With noisemakers, face paint and a rowdy crowd of Hilltopper students, it was arguably the most successful pep rally in WA history. Following a successful Oskee Fest weekend, we knew that we had set high expectations for our next event. Next on our agenda was the annual Haunted House. A unanimous vote amongst the Board decided that the perfect location would be Dexter basement, given its chilling and spooky history. Ms. Callis and Mr. Haringa helped assemble the exhibition with their passion for horror and Halloween. In a few long nights, with the help of our advisor, Mr. Osorio, and other volunteers, the Board was able to construct a great event. In collaboration with the Pillars we created the ultimate Halloween Town festival, and our Haunted House was a great success, proven by the screams echoing throughout the campus. We have some down time until our next major event, but the Board will not be resting on our heels. We are already planning for Winter Carnival and other sports weekend events. It is our greatest hope that we can continue to endorse school spirit and excitement throughout the Worcester Academy community through some awesome events.

WAGVS Kick Their Way Into Playoffs

By Meaghan Barry 15 This past weekend, the WA girls varsity soccer team having 8 wins, 1 loss, and 6 draws earned a spot in the quarterfinals of the NEPSAC Class A tournament. This years team entered the season with a big target on their backs coming off an undefeated season in 2011. First up for the lady Hilltoppers was a challenging game against Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, MA. The game ended in a tough fought scoreless tie. On Saturday WA dominated Cushing Academy with a decisive 6-0 victory at Morse Field. This put the Hilltoppers into the quarterfinals of the tournament with their next game on Wednesday afternoon against Nobles. The girls soccer team had to make the top eight in Class A in order to qualify for playoffs. Class A has the strongest teams amongst all of New Englands prep schools. Given last years record, they were the team to beat. Coach Adam Strogoff commented, It takes great effort for the team to rise to the challenge, but we have done well to be where we are. This is Coach Strogoffs eighth year coaching the WA girls varsity soccer. Coach Strogoff is very proud of his team and believes that they can compete with anyone. According to Strogoff, the team is very unified, noting, No individual thinks that she is above anyone on the team. Everybody works hard for each other, unselfishly. This season captains Marissa Endow and Maddy Ojerholm have successfully led the lady Hilltoppers. Regarding the upcoming playoff game Maddy says, Marissa and I are so excited to head into playoffs next week. Of course we are a bit nervous, but we know that our team has the skill and motivation to do well. The team will travel to play the Nobles Wednesday for the quarterfinals. If the Hilltoppers can out play Nobles they will get the opportunity to play in the semifinals at home. Make sure to cheer on the WAGVS team as they work to bring another championship banner to the school.
Carly Heman 14 Photo Courtesy of Matt Stevens 13

Sports

Scores Courtesy of Mrs. Williamson-Card

Arts

Artists of the Month

There are many creative students at WA . . .

By Hannah Barnes 14

By Linda Wu 14

By Meckila Britt 13

By Sarah Su 15

If you would like to be featured in next months spotlight, submit pictures to vigornia@worcesteracademy. org
Photos Courtesy of Kara Banson 13

Features
And Thats The Tea: It Could Be Worse
By Andrew Reiter 13 Columnist
Well I think for once in my life Ill be taking a detour from my usual criticisms and attempts at stirring the pot (I like attention okay?!), instead focusing on a new form of annoying people: marching up onto a soap box and preaching. Thanksgiving. Its a holiday that everyone in the whole wide world should celebrate. Its non-denominational, its fun (until your weird cousins come), and its all about sharing the love. But seriously, everyone has something to be thankful for, and its important to know what you have and why you should love yourself and those that surround you. Everywhere you go people have a tendency to complain. And dont get me wrong I love complaining, for instance just a few days ago on my tumblr I wrote, Im not going to be happy until there is a sequel to Super Princess Peach. Believe me, Im not saying its wrong to complain, after all I have tried so hard to never curl my lips and tell people theyre experiencing a first world problem, because excuse me but since when are starving African babies the only ones allowed to have issues? But even the starving African babies have things to be thankful for I suppose. Theyve got the sun in the morning and the moon at night, dont they? Trivializing what the less fortunate have isnt the point, but rather, helping people understand what they do have in their lives. People have got to realize that its what they have that counts. You can sit around all day saying how much you miss your pals who graduated last year, or your dog that died last March, but there are people and things all around you now that you have in your life. So why Volleyball Team Continued with their intensity and hard work. Some errors have plagued the team throughout the matches, but what really sticks out is how they have responded: they never hung their heads and always kept a positive energy on the floor. As most sports teams can identify with, the trials and tribulations of a season take hard work to overcome; making sure that the team is able to move on after losses and remain humble with big wins is something coaches and captains strive to achieve with their team. Coaches Martell and King have succeeded in all disciplines with the Worcester Academy Girls Varsity Volleyball Team. The success of this season acted as both a confidence booster and a motivating force driving the team to continue with their hard work. The team would like to thank the nine graduating seniors for contributing so much to the team and the success of the season: Alisa White, Kailee Stovall, Allison Aghjayan, Edlyn Zhang, Lena Rosenblum, Lauren Mili, Margaret Gardner, and managers Lindsay Park and Mami Onishi. Moving forward, the team has qualified to compete in the playoffs for the NEPSAC Class B championship. We couldnt be in a better position [going into playoffs] considering we are scheduled to play Cushing, whose mascot is a purple penguin. Ill let you marinate on that one, said ambitious captain Stovall. bother worrying about the things that you know that you cant have? Its much better to focus on the now and what youve got in your pocket or whos sitting next to you at the dinner table. Thats why we have Thanksgiving! Dont you think the Pilgrims missed their old houses and friends back in England? Or the friends they made on the Mayflower who froze to death or the children who got sick and died? They realized what they had , between them and the Indians they shared that and were happy as a clam with it all! Who cares who lost the presidential election? Weve got a president now we need to support! Your girlfriend dumped you for somebody else? There are other fish in the sea! Theyre out of Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell (I kid you not, this was actually allowed to happen once)? Well you can (grudgingly) try something new. I know its not good generally to assume things, but weve all got roofs over our heads, families and friends to lean on, and clean drinking water. Nobody has a perfect life, but theres always somebody out there whose life is less perfect. So for this Thanksgiving and every one after, dont forget who you are, what you have, where you come from, and everyone else whod be lucky to be in your shoes even when you think that pair is ugly. Anyways, if you take away anything at all from this article, other than the large amounts of parentheses used, I hope its this: Be nice to people, be grateful you even have an iPhone at all, give cans to the freshmen, and listen to your parents, and things could be worse. You could be a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dont forget who you are, what you have...and everyone else whod be lucky to be in your shoes, even if you think that pair is ugly.

The girls hard at work during practice Photo Courtesy of Lena Rosenblum 13

On Campus
Word on the Street: What is your favorite Thanksgiving food and why?
By Gianna Anderson 14 and Abrielle Peltier 14

Apple pie cause I like desserts and its Mr. Himottus favorite. - Keelan Baldwin 16

Cranberry sauce, not from a canit has to be real cranberries. Its my favorite because its really tangy. I like sour things, and my mom makes the best in the world. - Ms. Getchell Im from Germany so Im probably the wrong person to ask . . . but turkey I guess. - Cecil Woebeker 13

Pumpkin pie with Cool Whip because it is something I have eaten every year since I was a kid so it has become like a tradition. - Ramon Torres 13

Pecan pie because my mom makes the best. - Anna Gaudet 15

The first thing that comes to mind is mashed potatoes because they are good, and I dont like turkey. - Daria Cenedella 14

Photos Courtesy of Gianna Anderson 14 and Abrielle Peltier 14

Ten Questions: Ms. Callis

By Daria Cenedella 14 Columnist Ms. Callis is a new English teacher at WA, who previously taught at Alvirne High School in Hudson, NH for four years. At WA, she feels the presence of community. The faculty and students were very welcoming and seemed happy to be at WA, and it left me with a really good feeling about the educational possibilities on campus. Having sung in both co-ed and all-female a capella groups at college, as well as playing violin, Ms. Callis was appointed as the advisor to the Hillpoppas. In addition, she will coach downhill skiing this winter with Ms. Getchell. Ms. Callis is motivated and dedicated to making her experience at WA memorable. Q: If you were a jigsaw puzzle how many pieces would you have? A: One million. Q: Would you rather forget who you were or who everyone else was? A:I think Id rather forget everyone else because if you know and understand yourself as a person, you can always build relationships. When you forget who you are and whats important to you, the relationships you build arent always as valuable. Id rather have the chance to rebuild relationships that I lost than rebuild myself based on others perceptions. Q: What would you eat for your last meal? A: My two favorite things would be really really good chinese food and stuffed grape leaves with lemon saucebut not at the same time! One or the other, but I cant decide between the two. Q: NSync or Backstreet Boys? A: NSync, definitely. Because of Justin Timberlake. Q: Do you believe the world is going to end December 21st? If not, when and how? A: No; however, the end of the world does not concern me because I have lots of days left to live, and if the world ends we wont know anyway so why should it matter? Q: What is the most embarrassing song you have on your ipod? A: Anything that is myself singing (recordings of my friend and myself

News

Ms. Callis grading a students English essay Photo Courtesy of Alexandra DelloStritto 14 goofing off). We wrote songsthat was my first foray into the musicwriting world and very personal. Q: Would you rather be the worst player on the best team, or the best player on the worst team? A: Id rather be in the middle of the pack, on any team, because it still provides a chance to challenge yourself, to grow, and to learn. Q: If you had a time machine to go to any time period, which would you go to? A: The first thing that came to my mind was Victorian England because of the literature of that period; I would have loved to have been a groundbreaking female author even though it was not typical to the time. These womens attitudes were very stick-it-to-the-man and they were challenging the culture, which I liked. Q: If you could only wear one piece of clothing for the rest of your life what would it be? A: A black dress. Q: Cake or pie? A: Cake. With very little frosting.

By Jack Chase 15

The Eyes of God: An Unexpected Tale of Fantasy

God. They share a similar setting, as the story is depicted in the past and in a far land. Both are written for broad audiences because of the range of genres they cover. These creations explore the struggle the good people experience as they resist the temptations of the evil Empire. The main characters seek to reestablish the glory of their past people. The Eyes of God features unbalanced relationships, leaders gone mad and immortality. I highly recommend it to any type of reader. It is intense and you will not be able to put the book down. The Eyes of God incorporates everything I look for in a novel. I am a heavy reader, and from the day I started this book, it has remained my favorite!

Are you interested in romance, action, history, or fantasy? If so, you should consider reading The Eyes of God by John Marco. This book is about a prince, Akeela, who wants to change the world. As he thinks about his future rule, Akeela decides he wants to build the Great Library. The book takes place in the Middle Ages, and, although it starts off realistic, it evolves into a mythical tale where crippled people battle an army of nomadic brutes. John Marco constantly plays with the readers emotions, as there are aspects of tragedy, romance, and of course exhilarating fight scenes. Star War fans will easily be able to see the commonalities between both works and gain an appreciation for The Eyes of

The Eyes of God features unbalanced relationships, leaders gone mad and immortality.

By The Pillars

Team Honor Takes the Scavenger Hunt

Entertainment

On Wednesday November 14th, the eighth graders got to experience a day in the Upper School during the annual Step Up Day. For part of the day, the Pillars divided the eighth graders into groups and led them on a scavenger hunt across campus. Their tasks included finding certain classrooms, meeting Upper School students, and taking a picture with Mrs. Wales. The group that completed the tasks in the least amount of time was the winner. Team Honor lead by Pillars Roxanne Anderson 13, Dustin Lin 14 and Katie Hebert 13 took the prize for fastest team. Congratulations to the winners: Kailey Boltruczyk, Meghan Panagrahi, Anna Wales, Loch Baillie, John Nichols-Daly, Pepe Romeo, Jonny Wolf, and Ben Goldsberry.

Team Honor takes a picture with freshmen class dean, Mrs. Wales Photo Courtesy of Mrs. McCarthy

Thanksgiving Word Search

Charity Family Potatoes Vacation Cornucopia November Pumpkin Cranberry Pie Turkey

On Campus

Poll: Beverages, Music, and Movies!*

Which movie will you see over break?
46% 24% 21% 10% Skyfall The Perks of Being a Wallflower Lincoln Taken 2

Which new album are you most excited about?

*Results are out of 100 responses

Vigornia Staff November 15, 2012

Writers Editors-in-Chief Shona Allen 13 Kara Banson 13 Alexandra DelloStritto 14 Gianna Anderson 14 Meaghan Barry 15 Daria Cenedella 14 Jack Chase 15 Gabi DiBenedetto 13 Abrielle Peltier 14 Andrew Reiter 13 Michael Schermerhorn 14 Adviser Christina Webb Photographers Matthew Stevens 13 Megan Li 15 Nicole Mills 15 Sumedha Mitra 15