February 2014

Volume LIX No. 3

Poetry 180
A Poem a Day...
Staff 3riter1 9ayla Mokus

Have you ever realized a difference in enthusias !hen your "nglish teacher infor s the class that you#ll $e $eginning a $ook of %oe s, as o%%osed to a novel& Honestly, ' think high school and the societal standards for education in ( erica are to $la e) *he thought of endlessly drilling into a %oe and its un+ derlying eaning has co %letely slaughtered the idea of %oetry to students) ( %oe is not eant to $e dissected after the read+ ing, $ut inter%reted) *hat is the true %ur%ose of %oetry, the thing that dra!s e in) Si %ly %ut, a %oe can ean a illion and one different things, yet !e are $eing taught to see a %oe in a cer+ tain light as a %art of an "nglish curriculu ) ,f course an author has his or her o!n eaning in each %oe , !hich is eant to $e inter%reted differently $y each read+ er) 'n a !ay, ' su%%ose it really de%ends on the soul of the indi+ vidual) Ho!ever this isn#t eant to $e a lecture on %oetry, $ut a $elief) ( little !hile ago, ' !as in Mr) -rennan#s roo for y eighth %eriod study hall, !aiting for hi to sign y %ass to the li$rary) ' noticed a $ook lying on a ta$le near his desk .Poetry 1/01 ( turning $ack to %oetry. selected and !ith an introduction $y -illy 2ollins) 't caught y eye so ' %icked it u%) 3ell for starters, ' !asn#t really sure !hat it eant $y .selected and !ith an o%ening $y -illy 2ollins.) '# not the ty%e to read an intro+ duction $ut to understand the $ook you needed to so ' %lanned on scanning it, %icking out the i %ortant stuff $ut ' actually started reading it, co %rehending !hat !as !ritten)

3hen -illy 2ollins finished this $ook he $egan a %ro+ gra , asking teachers of a high school to read one %oe to their class every single day fro an anthology, .Poetry 1/01 ( Poe a 4ay for ( erican High Schools.) 1/0 %oe s, 1/0 days of school5 get it& (ny!ay, he s%ecifically asked the to not ask for ela$oration on !hat they read, no class discussions, no forced thought) He also %ut a %oe in the introduction that he felt de+ scri$ed the ordeal that students go through !hen they are asked to read a %oe as a class and then atte %t to inter%ret it) ' under+ stand "nglish) *his %oe is !ritten in "nglish) ' have no idea !hat this %oe is saying) 6ro a students %oint of fe!, ' could not have e7%lained the thoughts that co e to y head after read+ ing a %oe $etter than that $ut '# sure '# not the only one) 't#s not everyday a $ook is !ritten on literature and still anages to have students thoughts in ind) *his $ook did) 'f you#re a student that struggles !ith %oetry in a classroo setting, ' suggest this $ook to you, every night $efore $ed, read a %oe out of the $ook) "ach %oe is !ritten $y a different author so it#s al!ays so ething ne! to think a$out at the end of every %oe ) (s far as teachers go, ' ost definitely reco end Mr) 2ollins8s %rogra to you, !atch ho! uch ore your students actually think !hen you#re not telling the !hat to think)

Inside This Edition

DECA Triumphs a !e"io#als Page 5 $ho %ille& !a'hael (orriso#) Page 6 A Dea&ly Disease* +e#iori is Page 7 $ha is a# ACL Tear) Page 8

Mattituck High School, Mattituck NY 11952

Page 1

Mattitalk
Staff
9yra Martin Editor-In-Chief 4oug Massey Assistant Editor <ika ,se%ashvili Assistant Editor

The

Editors
Corner
2014) No! that the Ne! Year has arrived, '8 finally starting to %rocess that in Iust a fe! onths ' !ill $e finished !ith high school forever B;D '8 torn $et!een e7tre e e7cite+ ent and a$solute terror) -ecause co e Gune, the class of 201@ !ill no longer have the safe haven of Mattituck High School to %rotect us) 3e !ill $e launched into the Kreal !orld,8 and that !orld isn8t looking too good right no!) Pro$le after %ro$le has arisen in our %olitical syste ) *he en and !o en in 2on+ gress no longer see to care !hether anything gets done, as long as they $lock the other %ar+ ty8s e $ers fro acco %lishing anything) *hey !ere !illing to $ring the govern ent to a screeching halt !ith the shutdo!n in ,cto$er, furloughing /00,000 citizens and taking a L2@ $illion toll our econo y) Such da age !as foreseea$le, yet 2ongress B!ho still got %aid dur+ ing the shutdo!n, $y the !ayD chose to inflict it rather than cross %arty lines to co %ro ise) More recently, 2hris 2hristie, the governor fro Ne! Gersey, a an !ho any thought !ould $ring the t!o %arties together as our ne7t %resident, !as accused of causing traffic Ia s to Kget $ack at8 a ayor !ho did not su%%ort hi ) Many !ere inconvenienced, and at least one death !as re%orted to $e related) 'nstead of $ridging the ga% $et!een Je%u$licans and 4e o+ crats, =overnor 2hristie clogged the $ridge) (nd it8s not Iust our %olitical syste that8s a ess) ,ur environ ent is deteriorating $y the day !ith over%o%ulation, ha$itat loss and glo$al cli ate change) *he !orld %o%ulation is currently esti ated at nearly E)2 $illion and that nu $er continues to rise) More %eo%le eans ore aterials and resources usedMand that eans ore !aste) <andfills are overflo!ing yet there8s no sign of slo!ing) So, '8 not es%ecially confident a$out the !orld that !e8re inheriting) -ut rather than gro!ing ore and ore de%ressed, though, '8 trying to think of it as a challenge) May$e our generation !ill $e the ones to fi7 it) (nd it8s not all $ad) *here8s al!ays sno! days and televi+ sion %re iers and the %ros%ect of s%ring;

+ a.. $ri ers*

"lly -ergen 9aylee -ergen Hayley -erry (idan 2arter Fev 2arter Helen 2hen 2harley 2laudio Maisy 2laudio Meghan 4aly 2lay 4avis =!yneth 6oley 4avid 6olk 9yle 6reuden$erg GacHuelin =onzalez 2aroline 9eil (nna 9o!alski Molly 9o!alski Hallie 9uIa!ski Hayley Martin =reg Messinger 9ayla Mokus Mc9enzi Mur%hy Susie Nickerson Jyan Jeilly Nicole Scartozzi 9i $erly Scheer

~Kyra

c?o Mattituck High School P),) -o7 1@A/ Mattituck, NY 11952 *el) BCA1D 2E/-/@E1 attitalk: ufsd)co E&i orial ,oli'y "ditorials reflect the o%inions of the "ditorial -oard and not neces+ sarily those of the ad inistration staff, or -oard of the "ducation of the Mattituck -2utchogue >)6)S)4) Le ers o he E&i or 'f you !ould like to e7%ress your o%inion in the Mattitalk %lease !rite to the address a$ove) <etters should include an address and a %hone nu $er and ay $e edited) Sha!n Petretti, ,ri#'ipal Susan Mc=inn, A&-isor 2011-2012, *he Mattitalk
Page 2

Mattitalk is al!ays looking for ne! !riters) Have a ne!s story you !ant to share& Send all articles to Mattitalk: ufsd)co Pieces can range fro school ne!s, !orld ne!s, o%inion, revie!s, etc) Ho%e to see your article in the ne7t edition;

*he

Electoral College or Not?

Time for a C a!ge"
Staff 3riter1 Maisy 2laudio ,ne of the ost dis%uted issues in the history of the >nit+ ed States, is the Huestion of !hether the "lectoral 2ollege is a corru%t syste or not) 4id you kno! that the Presidential "lec+ tion is N,* decided $y Po%ular Note& *he "lectoral 2ollege Syste !as originally %ut into %lace as a co %ro ise) 3hen the >nited States !as founded, the Olittle statesP Blo! %o%ulation1 J', 3Y, S4, 4<, et ceteraD !anted eHual re%resentation in the elec+ tions as $ig states B2(, *Q, NY, 6<, et ceteraD) *hus the syste , !ith 5A/ votes to go around, !as created) Ho! does it !ork& 3ith the e7ce%tion of Maine and Ne+ $raska, the !inner of the %o%ular vote takes all electoral votes fro that state) 'n the t!o e7ce%tion states, the votes are given to the candidates $ased on %ro%ortional votes) 3inner takes t!o electoral votes and then the rest are divided $ased on congres+ sional district) 6or instance, if one candidate !on the state $ut not a certain district, he does not get the votes fro that %articular area) *o $e the President, a candidate ust receive 2E0 electoral votes) *he syste see s to $e rather si %le and fair so !hat is the $ig deal& 't8s !orked for 2AE years, !hy change no!& 2000 Presidential "lection1 =ore v) -ush) ,$viously =eorge 3) -ush $eca e the President, $ut he did that !ithout !inning the %o%ular vote) *his has ha%%ened only four ti es in our history1 1/2@, 1/EC) 1///, and 2000) No! that !e have a little $ackgroundM)*he argu ent surrounding !hat is vie!ed as the ost dangerous %olitical insti+ tution in ( erica is that unless you live in a $attleground state your vote doesn8t atter in the !hole sche e of things) 3hat does this ean& -attleground or s!ing states are the ones in !hich $oth %arties have a reasona$le chance of !inning) 6or the rest of the , there8s really no variation5 2alifornia and Ne! York al ost al!ays go 4e ocratic B$lueD and *e7as goes Je%u$lican BredD in elections) Many voters in these states do not feel their vote is $eing counted if they do not follo! the Onor P in their state) ,nly 5E)/R of voters cast their $allot in 2012) 3hy& *he "lectoral 2ollege) Many are fed u% !ith the syste ) 4ue to the u%roar, eight states in addition to the 4istrict of 2olu $ia have %assed the Na+ tional Po%ular Note 'nterstate 2o %act BNPN'2D) *he NPN'2 reHuires that e $er states give their electoral votes to the !in+ ner of the national %o%ular vote rather than the !inner of their state %o%ular vote) NPN'2 can only take effect if 50R B2E0D of electoral votes are controlled $y states that voted NPN'2 into la! - a total of 1A/ ore electoral votes are needed) So !ill the >nited States get a ne! syste of elections& ,nly ti e !ill tell)

News

Sleep Deprived
6or ost of us, getting u% at si7 in the orning is a daily struggle) (s the years %rogress, our !orkload Iust kee%s on in+ creasing) (nd it see s as if our $edti e kee%s getting %ushed further $ack) 3hen !e !ere kids, adults al!ays told us that it is very i %ortant to receive the reco ended eight hours of slee% each night) -ut honestly, ' can8t even re e $er the last ti e ' sle%t for ore than si7 hours on a school night) Medical research actually indicates that teenagers tend to have a natural slee%ing %attern that results in going to slee% late and !aking u% late) 6ro the $eginning of %u$erty until the late teens, our slee%ing schedule is fro 11 %) ) until / a) ) -ut naturally inclined or not, ost of us are so e7hausted $y the end of the day that !e !ould give anything to $e aslee% $y ten) Ho!ever, !e often have so uch ti e consu ing ho e!ork after school that !e end u% going to slee% late any!ay) (nd since !e do not have the lu7ury of slee%ing in until eight every orning, !e !ake u% feeling tired and disgruntled) So ho! do !e fi7 this %ro$le that any high school stu+ dents face& 3ould starting school t!o hours later than usual solve all of our %ro$le s& 3ell, !e can all agree that an e7tra t!o hours of slee% !ould definitely not $e detri ental to any stu+

igh Schoolers
dent) (t si7 in the orning, !e8re all still dro!sy and !ishing to $e $ack in our $eds) 'n fact, research sho!s that a$out t!enty %ercent of students actually fall aslee% in their first %eriod class) Most of us are usually a$le to function $etter later on in the day) *herefore, a delayed start ti e co $ined !ith the e7tra t!o hours of slee% !ould result in ore alert and a!ake students) So %erha%s not as any %eo%le !ould $e dozing off during first %e+ riod) -ut of course there are al!ays set$acks to any idea) 6or in+ stance, the ele entary students !ould $e a aIor issue) *hey !ould have to either start school $efore us, or even later than us) (nd the after school s%orts !ould need to $e considered as !ell) *he $otto line is, any students are not receiving an adeHuate a ount of slee% each night) 3hen !e are slee% de+ %rived, our ood is not the only thing $eing har ed) -eing slee%y during class leads us to %ay ore attention to kee%ing our eyes o%en rather than focusing on !hat the teacher is saying) (ll !e need to do is take a look at our grades to realize that lack of slee% can often hurt our acade ic %erfor ance) 3hich is ironic considering that !e stay u% all night slaving over school!ork for a certain class, $ut then !e end u% getting !orse grades $ecause !e didn8t get enough slee%) ' guess !e can never !in)

T e #i$io%& Cy$le of 'lee(

Staff 3riter1 <ika ,se%ashvili

Page A

Pro!oting a Scienti"ic #ind

),ol%tio! ,&. Creatio!i&m
Staff 3riters1 2lay 4avis and Helen 2hen Hu ans have a history of curiosity) Since the Neolithic Jevolution, !e have advanced as a s%ecies, seeking to find an+ s!ers to funda ental Huestions) Ho! does life e7ist and func+ tion& 3hy are !e here& 3hat !as the $eginning of the universe like& (sking these Huestions is innate, and a driving force $ehind the success of our s%ecies today) Historically, our e7%lanations have varied) 2ultures that develo%ed in isolation of each other have created different yths to ans!er the great Huestions) *he native Ha!aiian %eo%les $elieved that O!hen the earth first $e+ ca e hot and the heavens churned and the sun !as dark, land e erged fro the sli e of the sea) *he dee%est darkness of cav+ erns, a ale, and the oonless darkness of night, a fe ale, gave $irth to the si %le life for s of the sea) *he coral that $uilds is+ lands !as $orn, and the gru$, the sea cucu $er, the sea urchin, the $arnacle, the usselMand other shellfish)P ,ur ancestors have tirelessly gathered evidence, for ed ideas, and created theo+ ries that e7%lain the greatest ysteries of life) 'n odern history, our ethods of o$servation have i %roved) 3e look $eyond !hat can $e seen !ith the naked eye, and use the scientific eth+ od to e7%lore, and validate ideas) 3e have icrosco%es that can see the s allest %articles, and telesco%es that can see the farthest gala7ies) 3e have co %uters that can run detailed si ulators and s%ectro%hoto eters that can analyze su$stances on a detailed lev+ el) *oday, !e have ore infor ation than our ancestors had) Hu an %rogress has e7%anded our vie! of the universe and changed our %ers%ective of it) 3e have for ed the ost accurate ans!ers to these Huestions using the infor ation !e have availa+ $le) Since the rise of organized society, our understanding of the natural !orld su%ersedes itself each day) ,ur kno!ledge today is greater than it !as t!o days ago, and it is still gro!ing) 4es%ite our clear understanding of any natural %heno + enon, any %oliticians continue to argue that outdated creation yths should $e taught in science classroo s) *his is an issue $ecause creationis lacks the evidence $ased rigor of a scientific theory) Science classes should teach evidence-$ased curriculu that is !ell su%%orted $y the odern understanding of na+ ture) Ho!ever, any %u$lic schools continue to teach the 2hris+ tian creation yth) 6unded %u$licly, *e7as charter %rogra s are the leading su%%orters of the creationist ove ent) Here, the largest charter %rogra teaches evolution as an un%roven theory in $iology classes, under ining evidence-$ased science) *his curriculu is dangerous $ecause it fails to %re%are students for a

Science

future in science, and refuses to ackno!ledge the $ody of evi+ dence that akes evolution a steadfast OtruthP in the scientific co unity) *oday, evolution is not a scientific controversy) 't is !ell understood, !ell studied, and !ell taught in any schools around the !orld) 't is outdated to teach other ideologies in tan+ de !ith evolution $ecause they are unnecessary, and no longer %art of our understanding of the !orld) Fack 9o%%lin is a 20-year-old O%olitical activist, Iournal+ ist, and television %ersonalityP !ho is $est kno!n for his ca + %aign against the teaching of creationis in %u$lic schools) (t the age of 1E, he ridiculed the <ouisiana Science "ducation (ct Ba legislation that %er its teachers to use creationist te7t$ooksD and started the ove ent to kee% creationis out of science class+ roo s) *ea ing u% !ith <ouisiana State Senator 9aren 2arter Peterson, 9o%%lin has introduced t!o $ills to re%eal the creation+ is la!) 'n addition, 9o%%lin has gathered the su%%ort of E9 No+ $el laureate scientists for his re%eal efforts) 9o%%lin argued that the Sco%es *rial had occurred /9 years ago and in 19/E, the Su+ %re e 2ourt ruled the teaching of creationis unconstitutional in )*+ar*& ,. Ag%illar*) 9o%%lin has targeted the unconstitutionali+ ty of school vouchers that s%onsor creationist classes in religious %rivate schools) 'n fact, Jes%onsive "d, *e7as8 largest charter %rogra that currently has ore than 1E,000 students enrolled, s%ends ore than L/2 illion annually in ta7%ayer oney to fund its creationist curriculu ) >ndou$tedly, 9o%%lin8s efforts has faced any o%%osition varying fro Steve Moore Bon Jeal *i e !ith -ill MaherD to state legislators) Yet, 9o%%lin found the cour+ age to s%eak u% and ca %aign at a national scale $ecause he O$elieveSsT in it 100 %ercent)P 4es%ite societal vie!s that !e are an irres%onsi$le and ignorant generation, !e have so e of the greatest inds the earth has ever seen) 3hile 2ongress is arguing over the legiti acy of evolution, cli ate change, vaccines, and other evidence-$ased science, !e are sharing our as%irations and ins%iring others to ake a difference) 3e are never too young to change the !orld) Goin Fack 9o%%lin and any other young activists in their ca + %aign to %ositively influence the !orld) O*oo any of SourT %eers have this attitude that they need to dress nicely, sit Huietly, and !ait until !e are adults to change things) *his attitude ust change) S,urT generation needs to s%eak out for !hat !e $e+ lieve)P

Page @

School
DEC$ Mattit%$k #i$torio%& at -egio!al&
Staff 3riter1 <ika ,se%ashvili ,n Ganuary /th 201@, the 4"2( e $ers attended the regional co %etition) 3e ca e ho e !ith AE total tro%hies; Many of our e $ers are no! looking for!ard to the u%co ing state co %etition in March) 2ongratulations to all of those !ho !on or received honora$le ention) <ist of *ro%hy 3inners1 1s ,la'e T!/,01 $INNE!+* Uuick Serve Jestaurant Manage ent1 9evin Sch!artz Pu$lic Service -roadcast (dvertising B*N (dD1 " ily 2ia aricone 3holesale Selling1 Gose%h Nadel 2#& ,la'e T!/,01 $INNE!+* Princi%les of Marketing1 (ntonina <entini -usiness <a! V "thics *ea "vent1 2lay 4avis and Meghan 4aly 4ecision MakingHu an Jesources1 2harley 2laudio 3r& ,la'e T!/,01 $INNE!+* Pu$lic S%eaking"7te %oraneous1 Maisy 2laudio T!/,01 $INNE!+* -usiness Manage ent V (d inistration1 <ika ,se%ashvili Princi%les of 6inance1 "rik ,lsen, 'an Nish Princi%les of Hos%itality V *ouris 1 Sean =a $aiani, Javen Ganoski Princi%les of Marketing1 Ged 4onikyan, 4aniel Parks -usiness <a! V "thics1 Steven -aird, Fev 2arter Hos%itality Services1 Marisa Sannino, Nick Nitolano Marketing 2o unications1 2harles Hicko7, 2hristo%her Mehalakes (ccounting (%%lications1 9yle 6reuden$erg -usiness 6inance1 Gaco$ -ranker 6ood Marketing1 4a!n Jochon Hotel V <odging Manage ent1 *ho as -ehr Hu an Jesources Manage ent1 Sarah She%%ard Marketing Manage ent1 2hristine -ie$er Uuick Serve Jestaurant Manage ent1 Michael ,8Jouke Jestaurant V 6ood Services Manage ent1 2ollette 9ody 4ecision MakingMarketing1 9evin 4iffley, 2hristian Montgo ery Pu$lic S%eaking-"7te %oraneous1 2olleen 9elly Pu$lic S%eaking-Pre%ared1 *errence Mc9inney Sales 4e onstration1 9evin 3illia s Pu$lic Service Nisual (dvertising1 Madison 9ent Nisual (dvertising1 Jiley Savercool, Sarah Pfennig 0/N/!A2LE (ENTI/N* Hos%itality Services Manage ent *ea 1 2hristo%her SledIeski and 9aylee -ergen (uto o$ile Services Marketing1 "shi -aldano -usiness Services Marketing1 -en Her$ert Hotel V <odging Marketing1 Sarah 6ogarty

Page 5

C%lt%re
#%rder #ystery
T e Ca&e of -a$ el Morri&o!
Staff 3riter1 Gackie =onzalez

Jachel Morrison, a dol%hin trainer in a local aHuariu !as found dead on Ganuary A1st in the Iellyfish tank) *he ti e of death is esti ated to $e $et!een E100PM-9100PM on Ganuary A0th) *he cause of death !as revealed to $e dro!ning5 ho!ever, due to nu erous $ruises found on her head, it see s likely that she !as knocked unconscious and du %ed into the tank) ,nly three %eo%le !ere at the aHuariu during the ti e of her death !ithout an ali$i) 6irst, the Ianitor, 2arl S ith, a an !ho Jachel Morrison had !itnessed stealing oney fro the aHuariu and !as scheduled to $e !orking during the ti e of her death) Second, Jachel#s $oyfriend, Nick *ho as, !ho !itness+ es sa! e7iting the aHuariu at around 9115PM, shortly after the esti ated ti e of death of his girlfriend) 6riends of Jachel also re%orted that he see ed to have an unsta$le and rocky relation+ shi% !ith her) 6inally, Jachel#s $oss, <ia Gones, !ho Jachel caught dealing drugs in the aHuariu ) He !as also the last %erson kno!n to have seen Jachel alive) 3ho killed Jachel Morrison& /.f yo% t i!k yo% k!o+ t e a!&+er0 go to Mr&. M$1i!! i! -oom .! t e la&t m%r*er my&tery4 Jo$ert killed Henry $ecause he !anted to ensure that his $usiness career !ould not $e ruined) 228 +it t e a!&+er a!* try to +i! a (ri2e3/ *he day $efore he left he %laced a fe! envelo%es laced !ith cya+ nide along the adhesive B%art you lick to close the envelo%eD on Henry#s desk) Henry licked the envelo%e and !ithin a fe! hours !as dead) Jo$ert then !ent u% to his lake house to create an ali$i for hi self) 2ongratulations to all !ho guessed correctly;

Cartoon o" the #onth .m(ro,eme!t i! a '!a(

2artoonist1 4avid 6olk

Page C

&aiting "or Edi'le $rrange!ents

T e 5e,er-)!*i!g 'tret$ for College -e&%lt&
Staff 3riter1 Mayra =onzalez So, the fact of the atter is that if ' do not talk a$out (%ril 15 , or at least !rite a$out it, ' feel like ' !ill not $e a$le to func+ tion %ro%erly until that day co es) ' tried to sit do!n and create a %lan of attack for this essay $ut the only thing ' could think a$out !as the $lack cloud of doo sday as ' like to call it) 'n order for you to fully understand y struggles !ith the fifteenth of (%ril, ' have to e7%lain to you !hy it is such a horri$le day Band !hy col+ leges are horri$le tooD) 't all started so e ti e during the first fe! onths of school) ' sent in y a%%lications to y schools of y choice, sent y S(* scores, (2* scores, re-took the S(*s, $lah $lah $lah) No! '8ve $een !aiting for !hat feels like t!elve and a half eter+ nities) ' ean ho! long does it take to decide on !hether or not you !ant so eone at your school& 4ays& 3eeks& Months& Years& May$e they Iust ad it %eo%le and ho%e for the $est in so e cases) *hen one day, they see that one of their alu s have gone on to $eco e %resident of the >nited States and they %roud+ ly declare, O3e really did a good Io$ !ith that one;P -ut ho! uch !ould it hurt for the to Iust ake a decision and then in+ for you right a!ay if you are acce%ted or not) Such as a little note that states, O*hank you for your ti e, $ut !e are sad to in+ for you that you have not $een acce%ted to such and such school) 9ind regards) Ho%e you enIoy your edi$le arrange ents)P Yeah, you should get an edi$le arrange ents !ith a reIec+ tion letter) ,r at least so e sort of consolation %rize that eans so ething along the lines of, O3o! kid, you really %ut it on the line a%%lying here) You %ro$a$ly kne! your chances of $eing ac+ ce%ted !ere %retty lo! and the !aiting %eriod !as %ro$a$ly so ething akin to hell $ut you a%%lied any!ay and that takes
th

School

guts)P 'omet i!g that at least co ends you on your a$ility to Iust acce%t the fact that there is a chance of reIection and Iust go+ ing for it any!ay) -ut no) Nothing) ,r at least that8s !hat '8ve heard) Nothing) -ecause, as of no!, ' have received neither a re+ Iection, nor an acce%tance letter) *he lovely %eo%le at all y schools !ill infor their a%%licants !hether they have $een ac+ ce%ted or reIected $y (%ril 15th) 3hich is !hat $rought e here) 't8s o$viously still a fe! onths until ' find out if ' have $een ad itted to one of y to% schools) So, for no! ' guess '8ll have to suck it u% try not to think a$out it so uch, $ecause !hen ' think a$out it is !hen ' get nervous and start dou$ting yself and Huestioning !hether ' ade the right decision in a%%lying to these schools) *hat is a$out the ti e !hen ' start to %lay OHey GudeP $y the -eatles or O-ohe ian Jha%sodyP $y Uueen $ecause it8s the only thing that can cal e do!n at this %oint) -ut ' feel like ' really needed to !rite this do!n a!* have so eone read it) -ecause !hat good !ill it do if '8 the only one !ho can read this& ' think that this is a to%ic that should at least $e discussed !hen schools do their !hole s%iel a$out a%%lying to college) Sure S(*s are i %ortant and so is a great %ersonal state ent, $ut !hy does no one ever talk a$out the !aiting %eriod& Ho! nerveracking it is, and ho! uch you !ill dou$t yourself during the %rocess) -ecause no atter ho! confident you are, there is still that sliver of dou$t, that little voice that lives in the recesses of your ind that !his%ers to you every night Oyou8re in over your head)P -ut at least '8ll have y edi$le arrange ents)

Editors Note( Senioritis

A 1ro+i!g )(i*emi$
"ditor1 4oug Massey

(s ' $egan to %rocrastinate on !riting y article for the Mattitalk, the deadline loo ed closer) 't da!ned on e as ' racked y $rain for so ething to !rite a$out, that ' have suc+ cu $ed) ' have fallen gravely ill, as have any of y class ates) Senioritis has $egun to set in) (t the $eginning of the year ' had thought that ' !ould $e i une to the effects of this cri%%ling illness) Yet as ' !rite this ' realize that it is $ecause of this sick+ ness that ' have !aited as long as %ossi$le to !rite this article) Senioritis is a cri%%ling disease that strikes high school seniors, side effects include laziness, an e7cessive !earing of track %ants, old tee-shirts, s!eat%ants, athletic shorts, and s!eat+ shirts) ,ther side effects include a lack of studying, shar% rise in a$sences, and a dis issive attitude) *here is only one kno!n cure ' !rite this as a %iece of advice to y fello! seniors !ho to this disease, graduation) have not yet succu $ed to this illness, as !ell as to the younger students) ' i %lore you to aintain your !ell-$eing for as long as %ossi$le $efore giving in to this disease) *his illness has already $egun to affect y %erfor ance in school) (nd ' si %ly !rite this so it !ill not affect y %eers in the sa e adverse !ay) ' ho%e that you kee% this in ind as you finish senior year so that you do !ell in your final onths of high school)
Page E

Sports
No ,onger Invinci'le
T e '$ie!$e 6e i!* a! AC7 Tear
Staff 3riter1 9yle 6reuden$erg *een athletes occasionally have thoughts of invinci$ility) 3hile !e are not una!are of the %ossi$ility of getting hurt, it si %ly see s to $e a foreign con+ ce%t, an unthinka$le %ro$le -until it ha%%ens to you) (ll it takes is one fall and your %ers%ective changes entirely) *his Se%te $er ' $eca e a %art of the 150,000 yearly that tear their anterior cruciate liga ent B(2<D, the aIority $eing !o en) *he o ent of y accident, it !as al ost i %ossi$le to %rocess !hat !as going on around e as a illion thoughts rushed through y ind) ,nce ' heard the sna%, id-fall, ' kne! ' !asn8t getting u% in good health) ' !as scared to $end y knee fearful of the %ossi$ility that ' couldn8t) (fter another, si ilar fall, ' !ent to the doctor) 3hen ' !as told ' tore y (2<, it see ed unreal) -ut doctor, ' can run; ' can %lay; (re you sure it8s torn& He !as sure) My o and ' frantically scheduled y surgery, and took do!n notes for everything that needed to $e organized) ' delved into research i e+ diately5 it !as co forting to kno! ' !as not alone) ' found i easura$le ne!s%a%er articles, agazines and stories Iust like ine5 teenage girl8s athlet+ ic careers %ut on hold $ecause of a %esky little tendon in the knee) Uuickly ' discovered that girls are any!here fro four to ten ti es ore likely than $oys to tear their (2<) (s it turns out ' a in the %ri e age range for knee %ro$le s) Jight at the end of %u$erty, so e!here around 151E, girls $eco e uch ore susce%ti$le to tearing their (2<) Motions neces+ sary for to tear an (2<, !hich ty%ically takes a force of a$out 2,000 ne!tons) So e research %oints to the anato y of fe ales to $e the key reason girls are ore susce%ti$le to (2< tears, and knee inIuries in general, %articu+ larly in the !ay fe ale athletes land and %ivot) No, fe ales are not Oless ath+ leticP than ales, si %ly oriented differently) (dditional results of studies sho! that $ecause !o en have a !ider %elvis, the thigh$ones co e do!n on a shar%er angle to!ards the shin $one and !ider hi%s tend to %lace greater %ressure on the inside of the knee) (n (2< tear is one of the ost co on s%orts inIuries for athletes) *he !eeks after surgery that ' s%ent on the couch, ' !atched a lot of foot$all, and !as so eti es ore interested in the inIuries occurring than the actual ga e) 3ith this inIury $eco ing so co on, there are %reventative easures out there, $ut they aren8t as !idely used as they should $e) So !hat ha%%ens after surgery& ' Huestioned !hether ' !ould ever $e as strong and in sha%e as ' !as $efore y inIury) <uckily, research, surgery, and reha$ilitation have a co e a long !ay) *!enty years ago a torn (2< ight have eant an athlete !ould never %lay co %etitive s%orts again, !hile no! athletes can return al ost at full ca%acity) Ho!ever, after one tear, you are ore susce%ti$le to another, %articularly !ith the return to co %etitive s%orts) Jecovery fro surgery is trying and de anding) *raditionally in s%orts an athlete can s%eed their %rogress $y !orking harder, %ushing through the %ain) (fter an (2< reconstruction, that is not an o%tion) ' !ent to Physical *hera%y for three !eeks $efore ' even kne! y (2< !as torn, and y goal there !as to !ork as hard as ' could, to get $ack to nor al faster) 9no!ing that Band kno!ing eD, y Physical *hera%ist Scott 2zuIko e7%lained to e that, Oslo! and steady is the $est !ay to recover)P -ut s%eaking fro e7%erience, the i %ortant thing for !o en is %re+ vention) Jisk for teenage girls truly needs to $e $etter kno!n) -efore y inIu+ ry ' had never kno!n %revention for (2< inIuries !as so ething ' could Band shouldD take %art in) (nd !hile coaches are a!are of the necessity, %layers need to $e as !ell) *eenage athletes ulti ately need to realize that invinci$il+ ity is i %ossi$le)

)nce *o% &restle+ Everything Else 'eco!es Easy

Staff 3riter1 9aylee -ergen

(ny one !ho !restles for Mattituck, or even kno!s a !restler, could attest to the validity of the title) 3hile continuous+ ly %roving their talent at $oth dual eets and tourna ents, Mattituck !restlers are aking a na e for the selves, one atch at a ti e) (fter $eating tea s like <ong!ood, and !inning an entire tourna ent in u%state Ne! York, the !restlers8 hard !ork is $eginning to %ay off) Yet even calling their training, Khard !ork8 is a aIor un+ derstate ent) 3hile enduring long %eriods of thirst and hunger and aintaining the %ro%er !eight to certify in a set !eight class, the !restlers sho! u% to %ractice every day ready to go) *hey run at least three iles a day $efore even starting %ractice) (fter this they s%ra!l, lift !eights and do %lenty of %ush-u%s and other such drills) Many are returning !restlers, and, are thus, %re%ared for this intensity) Yet there are also any ne!co ers, even eighth graders, !ho are %roving their talent and dedication !ith every %ractice) *he tea has talent across the lineu%, including any seniors --o$$y -ecker, Jyan -ergen, -rian Pelan, Goe Peroni, Sal <overde, 2hristian (ngelson and 6ranky Sierra) *hree of these sa e seniors !ere finalists at last year8s county cha %ion+ shi%s, -rian Pelan, Sal <overde and -o$$y -ecker)

3ith each dual eet and atch the !restlers !in, their confidence !ill continue to gro!, and it8s safe to say so !ill the intensity of their %ractices and %e% talks $y 2oach 4olson) 3ith the !restlers8 %assion and co it ent, their future at counties and states is $right) No atter ho! thirsty or hungry they ay $e, their hunger to !in !ill al!ays $e greater)

Page /