The Oracle
Edwin O. Smith High School
Volume XXXIV Issue II
1
Storrs, Connecticut
May 2013
Contemporary Issues Course at E.O. Smith
Goes to Hartford
By Patrick Cox
In the first semester of the 2012-2013 school year, Mr. Bowen’s
Contemporary Issues course took on a new approach to current
events and civic issues. Instead of papers explaining the complexities of world economics and global affairs from 20 years ago, students would study what’s going on currently in the world. Mr. Bowen used events from recent weeks to teach the class about matters in
today’s society. Topics included the presidential election, genocide
in Syria, the rising debt ceiling and the fiscal cliff. Students were
able to see firsthand what civic issues were out there and potentially
affecting people’s everyday lives.
E.O. Smith students and teachers with
Connecticut Secretary of State, Denise Merrill
During the first semester students were given the opportunity of
working on the Civic Life Project, a new class that was going to be
co-taught by Mr. Bowen and Ms. Lovejoy. Over the course of the
year students would have the opportunity to choose a civic issue of
their choice and create a documentary about said issue. Students
would spend the first half of the year researching and developing
ideas and a video treatment, while the second half would be spent
with Ms. Lovejoy filming and editing the film. Together JoJo Phillips, Lukas Harnish, Ishmael Rosas, Alex lee and
I, Patrick Cox were able to bring their different talents and knowledge to the project. After determining that they wanted to look at
partisanship and its effects on state legislation, they had to choose
a bill that would
show the political
divide.
On December
14th 2012, the tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary became
national news and
debates on gun
legislation rose up.
In the beginning it
seemed that party
Filming on location
lines were drawn
pg. 2 Girls 2 Girls Event
pg. 3 Dodgeball Action
pgs. 4-5 Arts & Leisure
T A B L E
o f
pgs. 6-7 More Arts & Leisure
pg. 8 The Great Gatsby Review
pg. 9 Commentary
and the new Gun Control Bill would be the secondary focus of the
documentary.
The students began tracking the new Gun Control Bill through the
Connecticut State Legislature, paying close attention to see if party
lines would be a large road block along the way. On February 14th
the students went to the State Capitol to film the gun control rally
and interview protestors, film B roll, and multiple state representatives from both party lines. This opportunity allowed them to hear
both sides of the argument and begin shaping the film’s narrative.
With gun control being such a hot topic in Connecticut, party
lines dissolved, and after only one hundred and twelve days, the
Connecticut gun control bill was put through. But soon after, a
similar bill was proposed in Washington D.C. to increase background checks on individuals who wanted to purchase guns online
or at gun shows. The bill failed due to senators voting along their
party lines.
After watching the bill pass at the state level and failing on the
national level, the students knew the documentary was not to serve
as a piece of propaganda, but to shed light on the legislative process
and how simple titles like ‘Democrat’ or ‘Republican’ can have a
huge effect on everyday lives.
In the end, making a documentary was a lot of work, from developing and writing a treatment, interviewing multiple individuals,
sequencing a storyline and going on Civic Life Project field trips
throughout the state. After months of work, E.O. Smith students,
along with four other schools, were given the opportunity to present the finished product at the State Capital to friends, family, State
Representative, Gregg Haddad and the Secretary of State, Denise
Merrill.
Promo for the film!
The students hope that you will join them on Tuesday June 4th at
7:30 p.m., in the Library Media Center for a screening of their film,
Standing Divided.
C O N T E N T S
pgs. 10-11 Kudos & Congrats
pgs. 12-13 More Kudos
pg. 14 Depot News
pg. 14 Latin in Italy
pgs. 15-16 Sports
2
Girls learn to ‘Rock’,
as they discuss real beauty and the power of self-image
By Ms. Riffle
On Thursday, May 9th, the twenty participants of the pilot program of Girls to Girls, or G2G, trekked over to the UCONN’s
Women’s Center for the last of the three workshops scheduled
for 2012-13. E.O. Smith students were thrilled to have beaten the
impending rain, and the room was abuzz, waiting for the twenty
students from the Bacon Academy to arrive. In they came, and the
most miraculous thing happened—students mingled between the
two schools and the collaborative spirit that was at the heart of the
group’s goals was realized. The forty high-school girls, and their
twenty mentors embarked on a day of sharing meaningful discussion around the topics of self-image, the importance of etiquette in
social media and a frank discussion on what ‘real beauty’ looked
rienced the framework of the first two workshops. But at the end
of the day, it was the students themselves who guided their own
learning, as they instinctively guided the discussions to topics that
were relevant and meaningful for them.
G2G hopes to continue their workshops next year, and in future
years, expand the program.
Ms. Riffle and Ms. Iacobellis confer
Gemilath Mama at the G2G Event
like. Students opened up, shared, laughed, cried and supported one
another in what many described as a ‘truly inspirational day’. By
the end of the day, mentors and mentees alike shared the word they
had written on a symbolic, commemorative rock in a circle. Words
like ‘proud’, ‘hopeful’, ‘inspired’, ‘sure-footed’ and ‘confident’
abounded, and everyone left the Women’s Center with big plans
for next year’s participants, or as Paige Willard proclaimed, “This
group is going to change the world!”
The change would only be possible with the vision and leadership of the triad of collaborators from E.O. Smith (Sheila Riffle
and Shannon Cartier), the Bacon Academy (Linda Iacobellis, of
former E.O. Smith Guidance fame!) and the UCONN Women’s
Inspirational, symbolic words
Center (Kathy Fischer). Mentors from the community, ranging
from teachers and guidance counselors, to lawyers, business
owners and doctors,
also made the program
possible. They helped
guide curriculum development, and shared and
participated in activities during the three
workshops. Throughout the year, the group
discussed the portrayal
of women in the media, the role of women
throughout history,
gender role identification from childhood to
adolescence and ended
on a more personal and
self-reflective note on
May 9th. It is safe to
say that the depth and
honesty of Thursday’s
All the girls and their mentors, with their rocks
discussions would not
have been possible
without having expe-
3
“Ready, Set, DODGEBALL!”
By Johnny Gustafson
Four Hundred and Twelve. That is the number of dollars which was
raised at the DECA Dodgeball Tournament in the E.O. Smith gym
on January 25th. DECA is a club that prepares emerging leaders for
marketing, finance, hospitality and management. The money they
helped raised will be donated to the fund aiding the mental health of
first responders at the Sandy Hook tragedy in mid-December.
Although this occasion went well, Ms. Biren is still looking for places that it could get better. The tournament went from 2:30 to 5:30 and
the time couldn’t be extended due to a freshman basketball game immediately following the tournament. Next time, there will be more
time to play. Ms. Biren’s reasoning behind this is that she wants the
games to be best 2 out of 3 and “the true winners will stand out.”
E.O. Smith students that missed this tournament and want to help
This event was quite a success. For past DECA dodgeball tournaments there were usually only 8 or 9 teams. However, this specific a great cause plus have some fun shouldn’t worry. There will be one
event more was successful, with 13 teams of 6 students. It was a dou- more this year in June for the same cause and yet again is sponsored
ble elimination tournament and most teams were filled with players by DECA.
with competitive natures. This time, the team known as “Got Froyo”
came out on top. They consisted of players from all different grades
including freshman Brandon Desautels and sophomore Johnny Nollet. They defeated “Poland Springs” in the heated championship
game. The bronze medal belongs to “Majority Over Minority”, a Junior/Senior team. Ms. Biren, who is a DECA affiliate and is credited
with putting this tournament together, says that “This was one of the
more competitive teams; they were really into the game.”
Matt Trudeau, member of an all freshman team prepares to
throw in this first round matchup.
Kyle Quenzer (left), Andre Wade (center), and Conner
Knecht (right), members of runner up team “Poland
Springs” scan the court.
Recipes
Submitted by Mahnoor Mian
Quick & Easy Stir Fry Chicken
Easy Chocolate Chip Recipe
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 pkg.McCormicks stir-fry chicken seasoning blend
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
2 eggs
Olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb. fresh or frozen stir fry vegetables
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Choose From: Red or green pepper, cut celery, pea pods, water
chestnuts, broccoli, mushrooms and cut carrots.
Cut chicken into strips. Heat several tablespoons oil in wok or stirfry pan. Add chicken, then sherry, salt and pepper as desired. Cook
until thicken heated thoroughly, chicken no longer pink inside.
In separate pan heat oil and add vegetables until crispy-tender. Set
chicken and vegetables aside.
Combine both McCormicks seasoning blend packages with 2/3 cup
water (1/3 cup for each package). Mix well.
Combine chicken and vegetables into 1 pan. Pour seasoning blend
over and bring to slow boil, simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve over
rice or chow mein noodles. Serves 4.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Pour the cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until well blended. Stir in the chocolate
chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 11 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are
golden. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before removing
to cool on wire racks.
4
Arts & Leisure
Theatrical Lightning Strikes Twice with E.O. Smith’s Drama Club Revival of
The Wise Men of Chelm
By Liam McLean
The E.O. Smith Drama Club has an enduring reputation for
top-notch theatrical productions (bolstered, of course, by radiant
reviews in The Oracle). This year, however, for the first time in its
storied, illustrious history, the school’s talented troupe of thespians
and its passionate director, Lenore Grunko, undertook the ambitious
and formidable task of re-mounting a previous year’s production
for a second run. The show? The Wise of Chelm, a zany vaudevillian theatrical interpretation of traditional Jewish folklore, centered
on a fictional nineteenth-century Polish town and the endearingly-idiotic assortment of fools who populate it, including the titular
trio: Pinchas, the absentminded rabbi, Mottel, his (relatively) practical counterpart, and Gimpel, their naïve and adventurous protégé.
Following this plucky group of nincompoops as they muddle
their way through a series of increasingly outrageous mishaps and
misadventures, the play proved a favorite at both the Connecticut
Drama Association Festival (where it won Best Costume Design)
and New England Drama Festival last year. It was this enthusiasm,
accompanied by an invitation to perform at a children’s theater
convention at Central Connecticut State University in November,
2012, that inspired Grunko to attempt to recreate the kooky cultural
comedy a second time.
This time around, the show featured new faces in some of the
most prominent roles: Aidan O’Brien, Liam McLean, and Ella
Wasserman-Smith replaced now-graduated Patrick Belanger,
Ryan Glista, and Melissa Jensen as Pinchas, Mottel, and Gimpel,
respectively, shouldering the three comic leads with the audacity
and aplomb characteristic of E.O. Smith performer. Megan Lambert embraced the role of the conniving stranger who exploits the
Chelmites’ ignorance, formerly played by Megan Gingras. Emma
John proved herself more than capable as Rifke, Pinchas’s wife,
her incessant nasally nagging measuring up to the standard set by
Lauren Dominique, who originated the role last year. Replacing
John as the show’s lovable rooster was Eliza Patterson, who crowed
with conviction and gusto. And Marc Trotochaud and Erica Maheu primped their beards and batted their wings with cherubesque
charm as the two story’s two angels, replacing Aidan O’Brien and
Liam McLean.
The drama club showcased their revived production at Central
Connecticut State University, Temple B’nai Israel in Willimantic,and Temple Beth Shalom in Chester, where they were proud
participants in a Chanukah celebration. No matter where they went,
the response was enthusiastic. The unanimous verdict? If The Wise
Men of Chelm is any example, theatrical lightning can strike twice.
Fine Arts: Works of Art by E.O. Smith Students
Spectacular Season for
5
E.O. Smith Drama Club
By Liam McLean
Though the Oracle’s extended hiatus may have left many diehard
readers wondering if the school had suddenly found itself suspended in a temporal vacuum in which all that was once newsworthy
had suddenly ceased to occur, rest assured that, though your premier source of E.O. Smith news may have stagnated, high school life
galumphed on- and nowhere was that galumphing more apparent
than in the E.O. Smith drama club. Upholding its strident commitment to giving you the lo-down on all of the unfailingly electric
productions this first-class coterie of thespians whips up, the Oracle
will now provide you with a lightning-fast recap of three productions over the past three months that left the school and community
smitten.
February glimpsed a stellar showcase of the drama club’s musical
excellence with the 1962 smash-hit satirical comedy How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. Grappling with a devastating winter storm, the drama club nevertheless managed to mount
the production successfully- a somewhat shaky opening night gave
way to two enthusiastically-received subsequent performances.
Frank Loesser’s farcical take on 1960s corporate mayhem features
a charismatic and ambitious window washer, Pierrepont Finch
willing to do whatever it takes to claw his way to the top of the
ranks in a major manufacturing firm, including ingratiating himself to crusty boss/closeted knitting aficionado J.B. Biggley (Mark
Trotochaud), struggling with taboo affections for the spunkily naïve
Rosemary Pilkington (Sarah Jensen) and bodacious dim-witted
bombshell Hedy LaRue (Caitlin Briody), and grappling with the
conniving Bud Frump (Aidan O’Brien), Mr. Biggley’s nephew and
an unctuous imp who will stop at nothing to derail Finch’s aspirations. E.O. Smith’s production of this Tony Award-winning spectacle radiated robust charm, and was replete with winsome choreography directed by director Lenore Grunko, guest choreographer
Mia Pomeranke, and E.O. Smith senior (and Finch himself) Kyle
Schoeplein.
In the immediate, lightning-charged aftermath of this madcap
production, the drama club launched into an equally zany oneact, Miss Nelson is Missing, which it presented at the Connecticut
Drama Association Festival at Old Saybrook High School on March
15th and 16th. Based on the beloved children’s classic, the kooky
production featured Sarah Jensen in the titular role, as an incompetent but well-intentioned elementary school teacher ill-equipped to
control her chronically rambunctious class. Confronting pressure
from the impending “big test”, she adopts the terrifying, tyrannical
alter ego Miss Viola Swamp, leading her students to embark on a
frantic quest to recover their endearingly-inept original instructor.
E.O. Smith’s production marked a return to the virtuosic puppetry
that had earned them acclaim at the festival last year-puppet master Andrew Periale provided a frankly heart-palpitation-inducing
Miss Swamp puppet, and the ghoulish teacher was portrayed by
the impressively-synchronized talents of Abby Kamphausen and
Maeve O’Brien. The show proved a favorite at the festival, earning
three technical awards (Outstanding Sound and Lighting Design,
Outstanding Timing, and Outstanding Special Effects), and three
acting awards for Kyle Schoeplein (the mischievous George), Liam
McLean (the buffoonish Principal Humleker), and Sarah Jensen, a
Theatrical Excellence Award (indicating third, fourth, or fifth placement), and the much-coveted People’s Choice Award.
Naturally, however, the famously-workaholic drama club had one
more production to squeeze in before the end of its 2012-2013
season: in fact, four productions of one-act plays directed by E.O.
Smith seniors and seasoned veterans of the club: two selections
from All in the Timing, directed by Caitlin Briody, Goodbye to
the Clown, directed by Sarah Jensen, Elvis of Nazareth, directed
by Aidan O’Brien, and Paradise Park, directed by Ella Wasserman-Smith. The suite of shows, performed on Friday, May 3rd,
and Saturday, May 4th, ran the gamut from absurdist variations on
the death of a Russian revolutionary, poignant explorations of the
nature of love and loss, farcical revisionist history complete with
that 1950s Nashville/biblical Nazareth crossover event you’ve always
wanted to see, and bizarre amusement-park existentialism. The
shows’ success demonstrated, as the senior-directed one-acts always
do, that the E.O. Smith Drama Club is at its best when its undeniably-talented student leaders take the reins, whether as actors, crew
members, or directors themselves, and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to producing a stellar work of theatrical art.
Cast of Miss Nelson is Missing
Congratulations to the 2013 CT Scholastic Art Award recipients from E.O. Smith:
Tom Giardina- Silver Key
Andrea Ricci- Gold Key
Andrea Ricci, Heather Cote -Best in Ceramics Class Silver Key
Silver Key Scholarship
Sara Dean- Silver Key
Brennan Yau, Jacob Gilbert- Honorable Mention
The 2013 Conn. Regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibition features
select work from 136 participating Conn. schools in grades 7- 12.
Selected from over 2000 total art entries, 611 works will be on exhibit at the University of Hartford. Connecticut Exhibition Site : the
Silpe Gallery , at Hartford Art School , University of Hartford, 200
Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford, 06117.
6
Arts & Leisure
continued
Six Great Performances in Three Months:
An Update on the EOS Music Department
By Josh Stern
The fall and winter of 2012/2013 have been both busy and
exciting for the E.O. Smith music department. The students
have adapted well to both the creation of new band lineups
and the arrival of the new chorus teacher, and the ensembles
have returned to the EOS stage—as well as a few other
stages—sounding as good as ever. The band and orchestra
had their first combined concert on November 6, 2012
(postponed five days due to Hurricane Sandy), and it was
highly successful despite the minor inconvenience of people
rushing to get home in time to watch the election returns.
However, the Wind Ensemble—the A-level band—did not get
much rest and relaxation after this concert, with their next gig
only nine days later.
This concert, a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project,
was organized by EOS senior and trombonist Luke Miniutti,
who has applied to West Point Military Academy. The
Chamber Singers opened the program with the National
Anthem (Mrs. Hanzlik’s first public appearance as EOS
choral director), and the wind ensemble played six pieces,
with Mr. Burgess and Luke addressing the audience between
numbers. Among the selections were three marches, one of
which was conducted by this semester’s band intern, Christina
Nadeau. Toward the end of the program, the band played
a salute to the armed forces—a medley of the five military
anthems interspersed with some other familiar musical
motifs. Veterans in the audience stood to be recognized
during the playing of their songs, and the medley moved to an
exhilarating close as Mr. Burgess cued the audience to start
clapping along with “Anchors Aweigh.” Word of the concert
clearly spread: the event was headlined on the front page of
The Daily Campus, the UConn newspaper.
On November 20 (delayed two weeks due to Hurricane
Sandy), the chorus had its first concert of the year, which was
a great success for both the students and their new conductor.
Mrs. Hanzlik fulfilled her role as conductor exquisitely,
and UConn music education major Justin Patton provided
excellent piano accompaniment. Chorus presidents Kyle
Schoeplein and Caitlin Briody were given the honors of
announcing each piece
The chorus opened with three compositions built around the
word “Alleluia,” one of which featured a three-part percussion
ensemble. The Men’s and Women’s Choirs and Chamber
Singers continued with their programs, which were followed
by the return of the full chorus to the stage. In addition to
performing a stunning rendition of “Music Down In My
Soul,” Moses Hogan’s adaptation of a spiritual, the chorus
kept the earlier theme going with the ever-popular Leonard
Cohen song “Hallelujah,” accompanied by pianist and EOS
vice principal Ms. Riffle. They ended the concert with the
Hallelujah Chorus as a preview of their upcoming production
of Handel’s Messiah.
The Messiah Sing, a tradition now in its fourth year, was
held on December 14 in UConn’s von der Mehden Recital
Hall, which has splendid acoustics. The EOS Chamber
(A-level) Orchestra, as well as a few band members, served as
backup musicians for the chorus, with Mr. Burgess conducting
the entire instrumental/vocal ensemble. The production also
featured guests from UConn, including the four soloists,
two of whom (Spencer Hamlin and Chuck Eaton), are EOS
alumni. Two numbers also featured a pair of baroque trumpet
players, one of whom was UConn’s Dr. Louis Hanzlik, the
husband of our new chorus teacher.
In keeping with tradition, audience members had the
opportunity to rent scores and sing along on the choruses of
the Messiah. The event was extremely well received and took
the collaboration between EOS and UConn to a new level.
Due to unfortunate timing, it took place on the same day as
the tragic shooting in Newtown. However, the themes of
the music and the opportunity to come together to produce
it undoubtedly gave a sense of comfort and inspiration to
everyone involved.
Three days later, E.O. Smith’s jazz and chamber programs
made their first appearance of the year. This concert was
held at St. Mark’s Chapel, an Episcopal church at the north
end of UConn, and it featured a variety of instrumental and
vocal ensembles. The Chamber Singers appeared at the
beginning, middle, and end of the program and blended voices
for a few beautiful holiday-themed songs, the first of which
was performed from the choir loft. Instrumental groups
filled the performance slots in between. The jazz ensemble
performed three big-band style songs, one of which featured
Gemilath Mama’s vocals, and a string trio, a brass quintet,
and a woodwind quintet shared a few numbers that they had
prepared on their own.
The music department rang in 2013 with a bang: the second
band/orchestra concert of the year took place on January 10
in von der Mehden. Ms. Nadeau and orchestra intern Andrew
Potts were both featured conductors in this concert. Also
notable was the inclusion of the symphony orchestra, which
comprises strings, wind instruments, and percussion. In their
first of two appearances this year, the Symphony Orchestra
delivered a lively and colorful rendition of the overture to
Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, and they closed the
program with the dancing-skeleton imagery of Saint-Saëns’s
chilling “Danse Macabre.”
Members of the music department look forward to the
upcoming semester, in which the ensembles will have the
opportunity to work with distinguished guests and perform in
UConn’s Jorgensen Auditorium as well as von der Mehden.
7
Chorus sings The Messiah
Mrs. Hanzlik and the chorus
Mr. Burgess and the band
8
The Great Gatsby:
An Overdone Dreamscape, Then a Beautiful Reverie
By Ellen Yang
Upon hearing that Baz Luhrmann, the Australian director of the
1920’s New York. The film transitioned into an exquisite, tense and
visually overindulgent films Moulin Rouge! and Australia (2008), subdued drama as it became caught up with the enchanting love of
would be creating a rendition of the classic American novel, The
Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and Gatsby, and the cracks in their past and
Great Gatsby, I knew that Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s symbolic text future. Immediately I was entranced by the elegant and tense emowould be represented in a drastically different fashion from the four tional conflicts of the actors as well as the authentic Fitzgerald alleother conservative adaptations of the book. Luhrmann’s knack for gory and romance. With the balance between the cinematic fashion
converting vintage plotlines like that of Romeo + Juliet into trendy and the powerful acting finally equalized, it was easy to take in the
and hip creations, as well as his conception of the highly theatrical narrative arc and to savor in the most wonderful lines of The Great
and unrealistic “red curtain” style of cinematography made him a no-Gatsby: “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal retorious graphic innovator. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald is probably assurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”
ten times more famous. Regarded as one of the greatest American Slowing down and drawing out such lovely images from the text
writers of the 20th century, and a noted member of the “Lost Gen- made the film something to be pondered and reveled in. The heart of
eration” – the battered cohort of World War I veteran-artists – Fitz- the film and novel blossomed in this section of the movie.
gerald found prodigious distinction with his celebrated 1926 The
The Great Gatsby was a novel that criticized all of the opulence on
Great Gatsby. A story of the American dream, the Long Island-based the surface. Luhrmann matched this with his lavish cinematographnovel centers around Midwesterner Nick Carraway and his entrance ic style. In a way, the first half of his film made a point – that such
into the luxurious world of his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby. The inordinate extravagance felt more empty and worthless than rich and
book explores the beautiful and horrifying aspects of the 1920’s: the exuberant (although I don’t believe that was Luhrmann’s intentionfollies of the rich, the concealed darkness of success, and the eternal al message). On the other hand, the second half of the movie was
gift of hope – all of the best ingredients for making a smoldering
a compelling, sentimental hour of fine acting and the unfurling of
2013 blockbuster.
a drama. Each calm, thoughtful moment brought the characters of
Initially, Luhrmann’s exorbitant style seemed to drown the sub- Gatsby to life, and Fitzgerald’s tantalizing words reinforced the penstance of Gatsby. The first half of the film was filled with over- sive and poignant feelings you might have garnered when you read
extended artifice: a collage of clips of the Roaring Twenties that the novel in freshman year. With a $51.1 million box office weekend,
were obviously cut
I would say that
and pasted from
many others felt the
non-Luhrmann
charisma of Luhrmoving pictures,
mann’s The Great
uncomfortably fast
Gatsby – though
movement of actors
whether because
from extravagant
of the modern
place to extravagant
visual stunts or the
place, chaotic and
timeless, beautiful
melodramatic scene
words and complechanges, several
mentary acting of
party scenes that
Fitzgerald’s disilwere borderline
lusioned American
cartoonish, anachdream – is up for
ronistic Jay-Z party
you to decide.
music, and drifting
dialogue that felt
rushed and highly impersonal. A
typical Hollywood
music soundtrack
ran over the toofast scenes, filled
Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby in the new release of The Great Gatsby
with unnecessary
dramatic pomp and
circumstance much too early on in the film. I was also dissatisfied
with the compositional storytelling; Nick’s institutionalization felt
like a superfluous framing device. Most of all, actual moments of
acting and character interaction were completely lost to the rush of
the aesthetically dense panoramas and succulent pictorial details.
The unnatural, visually-perfect world of Gatsby was a clear mark of
Baz Luhrmann’s “red curtain” cinema style, and I felt like Fitzgerald’s work had suffered and suffocated in the ocean of insane and
contrived cinematic techniques. In the words of L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan, “Luhrmann is a filmmaker who has increasingly
made a fetish of excess and a religion of artificiality. He and his team
pile on the spectacle and the glitter until we are gasping for air.”
However, the second half of the movie made me swallow my dislike
almost entirely. With the arrival of Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio),
Luhrmann’s bombastic flair backed off and allowed the well-casted
actors to work their magic in the now-toned down fantasy world of
Commentary
9
In Praise of the SAT
By Surath Fernando
As I have learned from the positively enlightened folks who grade
the SAT essay, the size of one’s words is largely indicative of the
quality of one’s writing. Subsequently, after this sentence, I shall
use no word shorter than five letters in length to demonstrate the
efficacy of such a method, as well as its utter lack of propensity for
breeding hyperbolic remarks (and this is certainly not owing to any
personal bitterness on my behalf).
Those which desire intelligence should follow these paths. Otherwise these shall, hardly unlike atrophic limbs, render themselves
doomed miscreants, laughable fools, etcetera. Other ungodly
attempts towards seizing those intelligent sparks deplorably manifest themselves within forms scarcely unlike those demons against
which we’ve’n warned. Paths formerly forged daren’t entirely
disappear; they’ve proven themselves better alternatives versus
presently unexplored options. Subsequently, examinations formerly titled Scholastic Aptitude Tests abundantly exhibit merit-measuring means, because these exams demand formulaic writing
(obedience thereto coupled therewith) through requiring twenty-minute writing sections’ completions (time-lacking mathematics
sections accompany these; however, thoughts scarcely unlike these
belong elsewhere). Indeed, tasks barely unlike those necessitate
ideas’ regurgitation – their clear, thought-out expression needing
greater intervals themselves. Preventing unwise thoughts’ voicing
often proves fundamental towards maintaining functioning, rebellion-quashing societies: formerly Scholastic Aptitude Tests found
redemption herein.
E.O. Smith Clubs Succeed in Competition
The E.O. Smith Math Team
E.O. Smith Quiz Bowl Team
By Mr. Bocchicchio and Mr. Kern
By Mr. Pirrie
The EO Smith Math Team placed 6th at the New England Annual
Math Competition on Friday, April 26, 2013 in Canton, Massachusetts.
This is our highest placing at this competition in over 15 years.
This meet consists of the best competition in the entire region.
The teams that placed in the top five were Boston-area schools
with much larger student populations.
We also were the #1 ranked Connecticut team at the meet, beating
schools like Greenwich, Glastonbury, Hall, Fairfield Warde, Simsbury, New Canaan, Westhill, and Ridgefield.
The following students were key to the success of the team, not to
mention they came to compete on their school vacation. The (*)
students will also be representing the State of Connecticut at the
national math competition held at Penn State in June. There were
selected as members of the All-State Math Team.
Jessica Hyde (Captain) *
Paula Chen
Jisoo Shin
Rachel Son
Jonathan Huang *
Richard Cao *
Mira Gordin
Harry Shin *
At the first ever New England Regional NAQT championship, E.
O. Smith competed against 14 other teams and came away with
an 11-2 record to tie for second place. In a very close match, the
eventual champion (Lexington MA) came from behind to beat our
team by just 5 points on the absolute last question of the game, for
a final score of 255 – 250 (this is the equivalent of a buzzer beater
in the NCAAs). We will be going back to the national championships this year in Atlanta GA. Please congratulate the players when
you see them—Saman Azimi (who scored 59.2 points per game
to become the top overall scorer for the whole tournament), Ben
Watson, Darius Javidi, and last but certainly not least Chris Choi,
who saved the day during a critical match, getting the win for his
team by answering a final tie-breaking question. All the players did
extremely well and are deserving of high praise indeed.
Update: The quiz bowl team went to Atlanta over Memorial Day
weekend, determined to emerge triumphant. They fought hard
and had many “clutch” moments, bringing several of their games
to successful conclusions. Unfortunately, the competition this
year was rather tough. Our record was a well-fought 4 – 6. This of
course in no way diminishes the efforts of the team throughout
the year—we remain proud of our second place finish at the New
England Regional Championships. Congratulate Saman Azimi,
Prayush Singh, Ben Watson and Darius Javidi when you see them
for a good showing at nationals and an excellent year of quiz bowl.
10
Kudos &
Congratulations to new and graduating
World Language Honor Society members
On April 16th, 38 new members were inducted to our World
Language Honor Societies. The language honor society members
offer local and global community services, fundraise and provide
tutoring for our French, Latin, German, and Spanish students. We
congratulate our new membersGabriel Cash, Kennedy Bailey, Caitlin Robertson, Kaitlyn Lyons,
Adeline Bray, Kate Phillips, Rebecca Woods, Leah Petrone,
Eliza Patterson, Doris Jenkins, Samantha Moriarty, Katya Morozov,
Lucas McLean, Grace Lee, Maddie Briere, Chris Briere, Rachel Son,
Jong Woo Hong, Siobhan Dale, Eric Barrett, Kelsey Rich,
Claire Coffey, Samantha LeBlond, Raman Mama,
Vanessa Fitzcordoba, Bryanna Ye, Stepheh Nieh, Richard Kao,
Cassandra Schmitt, John Nollet, Lisa Wilson, Cassidy Cottle,
Ruby Hayes, Ian Minearo, Michaela England, Hannah Goodwin,
Anysia Lee, Miranda Sommer
We also would like to thank our graduating seniors for their
contributions to our E. O. Smith community and wish them well in
their future endeavors.
Saman Azimi, Ethan Baker, Shannon Bailey, Giulia Bambara,
Sean Barry, Alexander Barrett, Yustyna Bobak, Tristan BockHughes, Caitlin Briody, Carolyn Brown, Caroline Casey,
Suzanne Cayer, Paula Chen, Laura Chrobak, Miranda Cilfone,
Brianna DeVivo, Stephanie Diamond, Felicity Emerson,
Abby Firmin, Carly Fox, Sam Gallmeyer, Maye Henning,
Melissa Higley, Seongjoo Hong, Anna Hoyle, Jessica Hyde,
Sarah Jensen, Laura Jones, Alicia Kelley, Kelsey King, Chloe Levin,
Cindy Lin, Ethan Lippert, Wei Jia Ma, Mahnoor Mian, Ruth Nieh,
Martin Porebski, Christopher Raymond, Gabriel Rodriguez,
Jesse Rogers, Christian Schirmer, Kyle Schoeplein, Austin Scigliano
Gina Sinsigallo, Ella Wasserman-Smith, Brooke Warinsky,
Claire Westa, Ellen Yang, Ziqi Yao, William Zhang
Newly inducted World Language Honor Society Members
The Drama Club attended the Connecticut Drama Association Festival at Old Saybrook High School on March 15th and 16th and came
away with the following awards.
Theatrical Excellence - PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Lighting- Go Saskia and Lucas!! (Thanks to Christian for so much help too!), Timing -You know this is crucial!
Special Effects- Was this for Viola or our clever transitions? I’m going to say Viola!
Acting honorable mentions- Sarah Jensen (Miss Nelson) and Kyle Schoeplein (George Jorgenson, Jr.-YO!)
All Connecticut Cast for Acting- Liam McLean (Mr. Humlecker)We are proud of our wins!Congratulations to the CAST and CREW of
Miss Nelson is Missing!
Please congratulate Jonas Burkhard and Tim Nolan for their 2nd place finish at Connecticut History Day. They competed in the Group
Documentary category with an entry entitled “A Country Held Hostage: The CIA in Iran 1953.” They are eligible to compete at the National
History Day competition in June!
Congratulations to Coach Sondra Reid and the Winter Cheerleading team (Sam Krivicky, Aimee Chicoine, Zesmery Flores, Madeline
Rawson and Bryalis Torres-Serrano) for their first place finish at the New England Cheerleading Association Top Gun Stunt Competition
held at East Haven High School. Terrific job ladies.
E.O. Smith senior, Sara Green, was featured at UConn’s Poetic Release Grand Slam, on Thursday, February 20, in the Student Union Theater. Every poet entitled to participate in this event has placed as a finalist (top two) in previous Poetic Release slams. Sara Green was the
only high school student in this grand slam competition!
Please congratulate Jamie Bernier, Crystal Mastrangelo, Caitlin Paul, Ashley Nickle, and Cayla Sanetrik. Their efforts at the Tile Fundraiser for the Mansfield Community Playground Project helped to raise over $900 for the playground! Special thanks to Best Buddies and
Heidi Zabilansky for partnering with MCPP on this event. We’ve got some great kids here at EO!
Congrats
11
Latin V Award Winners with Mrs. Archibald
E.O. Smith Latin Students with a Plethura of Awards on Exams
Name
National Latin Exam
Latin I
Hannah Godfrey
Latin II
Olivia Baker
Maya Barton-Zucherman
Lucas Bladen
Laura Blum
Patrick Briody
Christopher Choi
Bishop Clark
Owen Elphick
Miriam Gordin
Jonathan Huang
Abby Kamphausen
Asha Kanadia
Robert Kao
Ronald LaMonica
Xinyu Lin
Hannah Lowe
Saskia Martinez
Annie Morrison
Victoria Salai
Emily Sandall
Jonathan Shaiken
Maya Shieber
Olivia Shumbo
Joyce Zhou
Latin III
Alyssa Bailey
Eric Barrett
Codi Bierce
Erica Blum
Christopher Briere
Maddie Briere
Harrison Hall
Eric Hong
Grace Lee
Daniel Melody
JoJo Phillips
Ashim Ranjeet
Sarah Sawtelle
Rachel Son
Paige Woods
Latin IV
Alyssa Coulter
Kaela Drzewiecki
Katie Javaruski
Mehnaz Madraswalla
Kevin Moynihan
Meghan Powers
Lucia Pratto
Ben Watson
Latin V
Saman Azimi
Alex Barrett
Sara Dean
Felicity Emerson
Maye Henning
Cindy Lin
Maria Rozman
Marc Trotochaud
Liz Vaughan
Ellen Yang
Ziqi Yao
William Zhang
State Latin Exam
Medusa Myth Exam
cum dignitate
Cum laude
Magna cum laude
maxima cum laude
summa cum laude
summa cum laude
magna cum laude
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summa cum laude
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magna cum laude
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magna cum laude
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cum dignitate
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summa cum laude
summa cum laude
corona laurea
corona laurea
corona olivae
corona olivae
corona laurea
corona olivae
corona laurea
corona olivae
12
More Kudos &
Ellen Yang Wins U.S. Department of State NSLI-Y Scholarship
to Study Language Abroad
Ellen Yang, a senior at E.O. Smith High School, has been awarded one
of approximately 625 National Security Language Initiative for Youth
(NSLI-Y) scholarships for 2013-2014. The NSLI-Y program is funded by
the U.S. Department of State and provides merit-based scholarships for
eligible high school students to learn less commonly-taught languages in
summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs. NSLI-Y offers
overseas study opportunities in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian,
Russian, and Turkish. The NSLI-Y scholarship enables Ellen to take a
gap year before attending college to study Russian in Kazan, Russia for
nine months. The scholarship covers all program costs for participants
including domestic and international travel; tuition and related academic
preparation; language testing; educational and cultural activities focused
on language learning; orientations; meals; and accommodations, usually
with a host family.
and violinist in the EO Smith Chamber Orchestra, also looks forward to
the many opportunities to sing and perform Russian music while abroad
(Borodin is her favorite)! Moreover, Ellen has always loved to travel, so
studying abroad as an NSLI-Y scholar will be the perfect path for her.
Ellen looks forward to growing in her personal independence, cultivating
her linguistic skills, bonding with her host family, assimilating into the
local community, reinforcing her pathway into international diplomacy,
learning a few new dance moves, and supporting EO Smith students to
take a risk and study abroad!
Launched as part of a U.S. government initiative in 2006, NSLI-Y seeks
to increase Americans’ capacity to engage with native speakers of critical
languages by providing formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment. Educational and cultural activities are
designed to promote language learning and build mutual understanding
and long-lasting relationships. The goals of the NSLI-Y program include
sparking a life-long interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance
international dialogue in the private, academic or government sectors, and
build upon the foundations developed through person-to-person relationships while abroad.
Through her participation in the program, Ellen will serve as a citizen
diplomat while developing the skills necessary to be a leader in the global
community. NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, American Cultural
Exchange Service, Americans Promoting Study Abroad, AMIDEAST,
iEARN-USA, Legacy International, and Russian American Foundation.
Applications for 2014-2015 NSLI-Y programs are expected to be available at www.nsliforyouth.org in the early fall. For information about U.S.
Department of State-sponsored exchange programs visit www.exchanges.
state.gov.
Ellen Yang first discovered her love for Russian by chance; the STARTALK Discover Russian Summer Course came to the same program
which her mother, a Mandarin language teacher, was also teaching at.
Ellen joined the class and for two brief weeks explored all there was
to know about Russia, the Cyrillic tongue and the Slavic culture. She
quickly fell for the refreshingly new and different language and thus
began teaching Russian to herself through Byki, Youtube and her Russian
friends. Ellen’s ethnically bilingual heritage as well as her scholarly background at EO Smith gave her a strong foundation for learning languages;
four years of intense grammar and translation-based Latin courses with
Mrs. Archibald prepared Ellen for the difficulties of any new language.
Her desire to learn the Russian language notwithstanding, Ellen’s excitement towards the nation’s culture was aggrandized by her three year
long involvement on the UConn Ballroom Dance Team. Russia is known
as the world capital for producing ballroom champions, so the NSLI-Y
scholarship, beyond its great academic opportunities, offers a wonderful gateway for Ellen to continue and improve on a highly competitive
hobby. Ellen, as an avid choral singer for the EO Smith Chamber Singers
E.O. Smith Senior, Ellen Yang
Congrats
By Richard Kao
13
Northeast Regional Science Bowl
Through what two particles is most of the energy released by a
star like our Sun? Answer: photons and neutrinos. On March 9th,
sixty-four teams from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,
Vermont, New Hampshire, and parts of New York answered questions like the one above in biology, chemistry, physics, math, earth
& space, and energy at the 8th annual Northeast Regional Science
Bowl.
At noon, the E.O. Smith A Team stood in first place after winning
all five morning matches in their division. In the afternoon double
elimination rounds, E.O. Smith easily won the first two matches,
defeating Hamden B 118-16 and Greenwich A 90-48. In their next
match, E.O. lost to fourth place-standing Glastonbury A 54-76,
dropping down to the loser’s bracket. But, after their first loss, E.O.
breezed past Lyme-Old Lyme 126-32 and then Newtown 86-54.
Now, the worst case scenario was that E.O. would finish in third
place.
E.O. Smith has made it to the semifinals and the audience is
watching the final matches in the lecture hall. In the semifinals,
they beat Glastonbury B 106-12, advancing to the finals. The opponent was their former defeater, Glastonbury A.
At first, E.O. started off by winning point after point. Then, after
Robert Kao gave “water and carbon dioxide” as an answer to a multiple choice question where the given answer was “carbon dioxide
and water”, the moderator made the questionable decision to not
accept Robert’s answer. Glastonbury was awarded 4 points as a
result of the interrupt. Also, because the moderator announced the
answer to that question before Glastonbury had a chance to answer, the next toss-up was given to Glastonbury only. They got the
correct answer and the subsequent bonus, earning them another 14
points. At the half, E.O. was down 36-44.
In the second half, E.O. had a good start, taking a 58-44 lead.
However, in the last few minutes of the match, Glastonbury began
making a comeback. They correctly answered three straight tossups, bringing the score to 58-56. Their bonus question was the final
question of the match. Answer correctly and Glastonbury will receive 10 points and win the match. The audience was sitting on the
edge of their seats. The E.O. Smith teammates crossed their fingers.
Glastonbury team captain gives the final answer and the moderator
confirms that… the answer is correct, making the final score 58-66
and leaving the EO Smith students in disappointment. At the end
of the tournament, E.O. Smith finishes in second place. Glastonbury A takes first place and will go to the National Science Bowl in
Washington D.C. from April 25-29.
Congratulations to all students who participated in the science
bowl. The students of each team and their grades were:
E.O. Smith A: Robert Kao, 9, Prayush Singh, 12, Harrison Hall, 10,
Ronald LaMonica, 10, Eric Barrett, 10
E.O. Smith B: Richard Kao, 10, Rachel Son, 10, Erick Bora, 10, Zewen Tan, 9, Ethan Wang, 9
E.O. Smith C: Anysia Lee, 10, Miranda, Sommer, 10, Alice Hu, 9,
Amber Oh, 9, Sam Li, 10
E.O. Smith student qualifies for U.S. Physics Team
Submitted by Dr. Bent
Robert Kao is a bronze medalist in the competition to be a member of the US Physics Team to compete in the 2013 International
Physics Olympiad. To have made the team, Robert would have
to had been a gold medalist. The competition is sponsored by the
American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics.
The competition for the team is based on two tests. The first test
was taken in February, and Robert was in the top 400 out of 3000
students nationwide who took the test. This qualified him for the
semifinal test that was given at the end of March. Robert was in the
top 45 % who took that test which qualified him as a bronze medalist. An excellent showing for a freshman!
The students who made the team will go to the University of
Maryland at the end of May for two weeks of intensive training.
During the summer, they will represent the U.S. in international
competition.
Robert Kao
Depot News
14
By Amber Barr
On April 30th, a group of 12 educators from the Netherlands
visited the Depot Campus. They are part of a group that has been
exploring Big Picture Learning in the United States since 2004,
and how to apply the model in different educational settings. Since
that time, there have been Big Picture Learning schools established
in the Netherlands, but they have a continued interest in learning
more about the programs in the U.S.
Last year, a smaller group of Dutch visited the Depot Campus
with Elliot Washor, one of the co-founders of Big Picture Learning.
Both Elliot the group were impressed with the Depot, and this year
they came back with more people! At the Depot, we are proud to
have entered our 5th year as a part of E.O. Smith, having served
over 70 students in that span, with over 100 mentors in the community offering internships to our students.
School has made to students.
They sent us a kind thank you note, and their principal made this
statement: “Our group did really enjoy the visit at your school.
Last year Elliot Washor suggested the visit to your school for
the first time, so we could see more methods of using BPL. My
colsleague Bart came with the group in 2012. After the visit he
told me we really should keep your school in our program, because
of your excellent work with the students. The visit to the Depot
deepens our understanding of the practice and variety in using Big
Picture Learning. So thank you very much for you hospitality.”
When the Dutch arrived a few of us (the students) took groups of
educators to tour our school. During this tour they commented on
the artwork that we have displayed. They enjoyed the creativity
radiating from all of us. After the tour the educators gave us some
background information on who they are and what they wanted to
get out of visiting the Depot.
We decided to tell them a little bit of our stories and why we came
to the Depot. Some students mentioned grades, attendance and behavior as reasons why we chose to be here. The Depot has changed
all of us for the better and we wanted the Dutch to understand this.
We spoke to them about our internships, and how our viewpoint
of school and attendance has improved since coming here. They
seemed to be very impressed with the differences a Big Picture
Photo by Megan Shain
Latin Travels to Italy
Here’s the trip to Italy favorites from Latin V:
In Venice it was the Doges palace in St. Marc’s Square and the
Adriatic. In Florence, Giotto’s bell tower, the David and the Duomo. In Rome , the Vatican museum, along with the imminent papal
election, St. Peter’s dome, the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, and
the catacombs. In Pompeii, the lost exit and the House of Caecilius. In Sorrento , the Amalfi Drive and the boat to Capri.
And the food? Gelato, Chocolate waffles, the pasta, butter, and
bread diet, cappucini, food in the Jewish ghetto in Rome.
We can’t not mention the balcony serenades, the blue waters and
orange coral, citrus trees everywhere, Roman political rallies.
Our angel was our bus driver Sergio, the gladiator of the highway;
who had a wild taste in music and convinced the boys to pick up a
parked car and move it out of his way. Our nemesis was the passport control officers in Germany, those dreaded Germans.
Essentially, twenty-four Latin students traveled to Italy in February,
joined by Latin students from Cheshire HS to visit many ancient
sites. We’ve been waiting since 6th grade. It was worth the wait.
In front of the Arch of Constantine in Rome
In front of the House of Caecilius in Pompeii
Sports
15
Basketball: From High Chairs to High School
By Carder Chatey
For many children growing up, a Styrofoam ball and a plastic Fisher
Price hoop is as far as basketball goes in their lives. As they grow
older it stands only as a game, to entertain and swoon as they catch
a glimpse of an NBA game switching through the television channels on a Friday night. But for many kids basketball is a demanding
passion that can help shape and develop them as people as well as
players. It can consume hours of your time as you strive to get better
and improve on every aspect of your game. It has shaped me into
the person that I am today.
As a senior at E.O. Smith high school I have a lot of fond memories
and achievements as I look back at my basketball career. There are
feelings of great victory and the sorrow of tough losses, but through
all there is a feeling of pride. As I was able to grow and bond with
my team throughout each season I became aware that each team we
played against had a similar bond with each other. Every night that
we stepped on the court to play a game, we were there to represent
our school and the players in ourselves.
Competing against other players can be aggressive at times but
there is an unacknowledged bond that is formed between two teams
as they attempt to score on and defend against one another for all 32
minutes. I have grown so much respect for the talented players that
I played with and against throughout the state of Connecticut. This
has made me understand that every team has their own story that
makes them who they are.
When I was in 7th grade, the coach of my travel team, Brent Theriault coached our Northeastern Connecticut team. Growing up playing street ball in Hartford, he had a vision of improving us through
struggles and challenges. He would take us into inner city areas
like Hartford, New Haven, and the Bronx and force us to compete
against the best players in the region. As a team of strictly Caucasians, we were way out of our element and when we would participate in these tournaments our team would seldom win a game.
The deficit was almost always double digits. It was during these
experiences that I realized that there was a higher level of basketball
outside of our quiet corner of the state.
The year before I started high school I was invited by Coach
Theriault to go down to Virginia to compete in a National AAU
Tournament. Though the roster was thrown together about a week
before we left, I will never forget the group of players with whom I
went. All of a sudden the tables had turned and I found myself on a
team where I was the only white player. Though I was nervous about
adjusting to this new team, it made me realize that even though I’m
from the rural town of Ashford, I had the same hunger and passion
to compete in the game of basketball as these kids from different
cities across the state. This realization made me feel more similar to
my new teammates than different.
However in our down time I learned about the true struggles that
they faced in their lives. My closest friend from that trip, Raheem
Robinson, lost his brother in a drive-by shooting only two days
before he was supposed to go play Division 1 Basketball at Michigan
State on a full scholarship. Raheem began to tear up as he explained
how it affected his family, especially his mom, and how all he ever
wanted his brother to do was succeed and be happy. Basketball is
Raheem’s vent as he feels he is closer to his brother when he is on
the court. Raheem even writes his brothers initials on every pair of
basketball shoes he wears in his honor.
Meaningful stories such as this, as well as the passing of Coach
Theriault only months after the Virginia Tournament, are what give
me such a strong interest to learn the lives of basketball players
around me. In order to understand more about the athletes I have
been playing against all of my life, I reached out to select players
who also made All-Conference and All-State during this past 201213 season.
Kyle Rodegher, and All-State player from RHAM High School says,
“I think the strongest aspect of my game is my ability to change
the course of a game, and to get my teammates to believe in themselves.” He too stressed his struggle of adjusting his game to the
AAU level of play.
Each player faces their own difficulties throughout their basketball
careers. Mitchell Foster from EO Smith says “My biggest challenge
is that I’ve had to dramatically improve my work ethic. When I was
younger I was good enough where I didn’t have to try in practice
and work on my skills, everything came naturally. However varsity
High School ball is a little bit different. Nothing gets handed to you.”
Jaime Baez of East Hartford high school can relate, as he struggled
growing up being coached by a female, Katie Dacosta. “Nobody
took us seriously until we gave them hell and won the game.”
While reading through the responses of the players who replied, I
was very humbled and intrigued. Being given the opportunity to get
a glimpse into the lives and childhood of these great athletes showed
me that I’m not a whole lot different than many of them. However
then I received a response from someone that made me speechless.
One of the questions I asked was about the biggest struggle the
athlete faced with basketball throughout high school. Daylon Ore
from Hartford Public, who I have played against for four years, said
“The biggest challenge of my basketball career was trying to recover
from a gunshot wound. It made a big impact on my life I thought
my career would be over and my life flashed before my eyes. In
order for me to keep playing basketball I had to get up and work out
to get myself back in shape and that’s what I did. It took a couple of
months to get myself back in shape but I did it and I’m thankful that
I had friends and coaches to help me get through the pain.”
As I read these words I am in disbelief. To know that last season
he had to recover from a gunshot wound and he still returned to
score nearly twenty points on us this year. If I had never asked him,
I would have never known. To go on further and read that he first
started playing basketball with a crate as the hoop at the age of 6 was
just astonishing. I learned that there are a lot of things we dint know
about the players we play with every day and though not everyone
becomes a basketball superstar, their passion and triumph over
struggle for the love of basketball is what matters.
Behind every face there is a story. Every basketball player has
memories, both good and bad but what is important is the lessons
that we take from them. Jaime Baez, for example, states “One life
lesson that I learned through basketball was that you need all five
players on the same page to be great.. Also hard work beats talent
when talent doesn’t want to work hard!” Many coaches and older
player will help mold us into the players we are but there will be
tasks that we face that test our determination and passion. The life
lessons that are made from basketball are so valuable and teach so
much beyond the sport.
It is important to learn as much as we can but also to give back
and teach those coming after us. “I would tell young players to keep
on playing and do the little things that get you better. Its and easy
game to quit or slack off so keep working hard,” says Taylor Fortin
of Tolland High School.
As I became the leader on the floor during my senior year season,
I was able to gain a new appreciation for the game of basketball.
Through all the scoring, wins, and great game atmosphere, one of
the best feelings was just playing the game I love and being part of
the rich diversity that is competitive high school basketball.
16
Sports
The Highpoints and ‘Low points’ of E.O. Smith Boys’ Basketball Over the Years
By Thomas Pelletier
12 Dec 1958 - First game of basketball played by University High School (EOSmith)...Opponent was Rockville High School...UHS(EOS) won 61 - 50; high
scorer was Dave Estridge w/ 19 points...No players on the team had any varsity
experience...This was the first school athletic competition using the Edwin O
Smith name and ‘Panther’ mascot...Throughout the rest of the school year, University High and Smith High were interchangeable
23 Feb 1959 -First tournament game for EOSmith(#14 in Class B)basketball...
beating #18 Housatonic Regional 51 - 40...game was played at Simsbury High
School...game was a play-down to get to 16 teams
27 Feb 1959 -Played #6 North Haven High School at Terryville High School in the
first round of the state Class B Tournament; losing 51 - 61...finished the season
12 - 6
Feb 1963-26 Dec 1964
-23 game losing streak broken on a last second shot by
John Fitzgerald to beat Killingly High School 42 - 40 at EOS
1975-76 - First post-season appearance in 17 years with a record of 12 - 6...
Ranked #14, played #19 Stamford Catholic at Sheehan High School on 26 Feb
1976; losing 74 - 78
Dec 1978 - Tri-Conference Invitational Christmas Tournament Champions
1978-79 - Most successful team to date...21 - 4(4 - 1 post-season)...ECC league
champions...beat 3-time state champs Middletown in the quarter-finals only to
lose to Masuk in the semis 57 - 61...Received the Howard B. Dickenman Sportsmanship Award from the Eastern Connecticut District Board #8 of Approved
Basketball Officials
1959 - 1979 - 21 Seasons.....3 winning seasons.....5 Head Coaches.....3 Post-Season
Appearances(8 games).....127 wins/216 losses(.370 win % ) .....(missing records for
1960, 1961, 1962 and half of 1963)....1 Conference Championship....5 - 3 overall
in post-season games
Head Coaches:
1959 - 1964
Dr. Dana Clark
1965 - 1969
Fran Bacon
1970 - 1972
Al Nichols
1973 - 1977
Jim Parmelee
1978 &1979
Al Sokaitis
1980 - 2013
Ron Pires
1979 - 80 - Final Record: 13 - 8.....Lost to Waterford in 1st round of Class M State
Tournament 44 - 46
1980 - 81 - Final Record: 11 - 10.....Lost to Montville in 1st round of Class M
State Tournament 53 - 56
1983 - 84 - Final Record: 4 - 17.....Lost to New London in 1st round ECC Playoffs
26 - 33
1985 - 86 - Final Record: 8 - 12.....Lost to Lyman Hall in 1st round of Class M
State Tournament 49 - 80
1986 - 87 - Final Record: 11 - 10.....Lost to Avon in 1st round of Class M State
Tournament 58 - 73
1987 - 88 - Final Record: 21 - 5.....Beat Ellington, Windsor Locks and Avon(#1)
to be NCCC Tournament champs..... lost to St. Paul in the quarter-final of the
Class M State Tournament 53 - 58
28 Dec 1989 - 1st Northeast Holiday Tournament Champions... Beat RHAM 8050
1989 - 90 - Final Record: 17 - 5.....Lost to Somers in 1st round of NCCC Tournament 60 - 68.....Lost to Jonathon Law 51 - 81 in the 2nd round of the Class M
State Tournament
28 Dec 1990 - 2nd Northeast Holiday Tournament Champions... Beat RHAM 65
- 54
1990 - 91 - Final Record: 25 - 1.....First undefeated regular season at EOS.....
NCCC Champions.....Ranked #1 in the state for most of the season..Beat Ellington for the NCCC Tournament Championship..Received a ‘bye’ in the 1st round
of the Class M State Tournament.... lost to South Catholic at Manchester in the
semi-final 63 - 71
28 Jan 1991 - Jeffrey Calhoun is 1st EOSmith player to reach 1000 career points....
Finished career with 1349 total points
28 Dec1991 - 3rd Northeast Holiday Tournament Champions...Beat Coventry 67
- 54
1991 - 92 - Final Record: 20 - 5.....Beat Somers 66 - 55 for NCCC Tournament
Championship.....Lost to New London at NFA in quarter-final of Class M State
Tournament 55 - 68
29 Dec 1992 - 4th Northeast Holiday Tournament Champions....Beat Coventry
69 - 36
1992 - 93 - Final Record: 23 - 4.....NCCC League Champions.....Lost to Tolland
at Somers 62 - 68 in 2nd round NCCC Tournament.....Ranked #3 in the state, lost
to the #5 St. Thomas Aquinas 48 - 63 in the Class M State Tournament Finals at
CCSU
2 Mar 1993 - Ian Dombroski is 2nd EOS player to reach 1000 career Points....
scored on a 2 point goal in the 2nd quarter of a game against Tolland in the
NCCC Tournament....finished career with 1135 total points
1993 - 94 - Final Record: 26 - 1.....Undefeated regular season.....NCCC League
Champions....NCCC Tournament Champions beating Somers 78 - 64.....Ranked
#1 in the Class L Tournament, received a ‘bye’ in the first round..... lost in the
finals to Middletown at CCSU 54 - 82
22 Feb 1994 - Thomas Greaser is the 3rd EOS player to reach 1000 Career
points.....scored on a 2 point goal during the 3rd quarter of a game against Ellington....finished career with 1191 total points
1994 - 95 - Final Record: 20 - 4.....NCCC Tournament Champions beating
Granby 65 - 52...Ranked #3 in the Class L State Tournament, received a 1st round
‘bye’...Lost to Bassick in the 2nd round 66 - 71
1995 - 96 - Final Record: 19 - 4....NCCC League Champions.....Lost to Canton in
the 2nd round of the NCCC Tournament....Ranked #3 in the Class L State Tournament, lost on the second round to St. Joseph 60 - 64
27 Feb 1996 - Matthew Tiberio is the 4th EOS player to reach 1000 career
points....scored on a 2 point goal during the 3rd quarter of the NCCC Tournament semi-
final against Canton....finished with 1068 total points
11 Mar 1996 - Charles Ratcliff is the 5th EOS player to reach 1000 career points.....
scored on a 2 point goal during the 2nd quarter of his last career game against
Josephs....finished with 1006 total points
1996 - 97 - Final Record: 18 - 7.....Lost to Somers 54 - 65 in NCCC Tournament
Final.....Ranked #9 in the Class L State Tournament, lost in the 2nd round to
Bloomfield 84 - 90 in 3 overtimes
1997 - 98 - Final Record: 12 - 11....Lost to Avon 48 - 51 in the 2nd round of the
NCCC Tournament.....Ranked #17 in the Class L State Tournament, Lost to Ledyard 51 - 56 in the 1st round
1998 - 99 - Final Record: 23 - 3....NCCC League Champions.....NCCC Tournament Champions beating Tolland 48 - 41.....Ranked #4 in the Class L State Tournament with a 1st round ‘bye’, lost to #1 Holy Cross 32 - 42 in the semi-finals
1999 - 2000 - Final Record: 9 - 12....Lost to Crosby 59 - 62 in 1st round of the
Class L State Tournament
2000 - 01 - Final Record: 14 - 7....Lost to Branford 46 - 55 in 1st round of the
Class L State Tournament
2001 - 02 - Final Record: 9 - 12....Lost to Harding 46 - 60 in 1st round of the
Class LL State Tournament
2002 - 03 - Final Record: 19 - 5....Lost to Bristol Central 49 - 72 in the 2nd round
of the CCC Tournament....Ranked #5 in the Class L State Tournament, lost to
Harding 50 - 53 in the 2nd round
2003 - 04 - Final Record: 18 - 6....CCC East Conference Champions....Lost in the
CCC Tournament Semi-final to New Britain 48 - 50....Ranked #12 in the Division
1 State Tournament lost to Crosby 56 - 61 in the quarter-final
11 March 2004 - Michael Evanovich is the 6th EOS player to reach 1000
points; scored on his final 2 point goal of the game against Bloomfield in the State
Tournament.... finished with 1013 career points
2004 - 05 - Final Record: 9 - 13....Lost to Sports and Medical Sciences Academy
51 - 56 in the 1st round of the Division III State Tournament
2005 - 06 -Final Record: 14 - 10....CCC East Conference Champions....lost to
Hartford Public in the CCC Tournament semi-final....lost to Stratford 50 - 54 in
the Division II State Tournament
2006 - 07 - Final Record: 17 - 8.... CCC East Conference Champions....lost to
Maloney 51 - 56 in the 2nd round of the CCC Tournament....lost to Weaver in the
quarter-final of the Class L State Tournament 55 - 62
2007 - 08 - Final Record: 16 - 9....CCC East Conference Champions....lost to
Buckley 70 - 79 in the semi-final of the CCC Tournament....Ranked #12 in the
Class L State Tournament, lost to Lyman Hall 42 - 43 in the semi-final at CCSU
26 Feb 2008 - Ryan Olander is the 7th EOS player to reach 1000 career points....
scored on a free throw in the last quarter of the CCC Tournament semi-final
against Buckley.... finished with 1088 career points
2008 - 09 - Final Record: 10 - 12....lost to the #1 team in the Class L Tournament,
Trinity Catholic39 - 61 in the 1st round
3 April 2009 - Received Howard B. Dickenman Sportsmanship Award from IIABO Eastern Connecticut District Board #8 of Approved Basketball Officials
2009 - 10 - Final Record: 19 - 4....CCC East Conference Champions....lost to
Windsor 58 - 74 in the semi-final of the CCC Tournament....Ranked #4 in the
Class L State Tournament, lost to #13 Kennedy 46 - 58
17 Feb 2010 - Tyler Olander is the 8th EOS player to reach 1000 career points....
scored on 2 point goal in the 3rd quarter of a game against Fermi....finished
career with 1136 points
2010 - 11 - Final Record: 16 - 7....lost in 1st round of CCC Tournament to
Glastonbury 41 - 47....Ranked #8 in the Class L State Tournament, lost to #9 Bassick 42 - 80 in the 2nd round
2011 - 12 - Final Record: 8 - 13....lost to Wilby 43 - 57 in the 1st round of the
Class L State Tournament
2012 - 13 - Final Record: 12 - 11....lost to Bloomfield 42 - 54 in the 1st round of
the CCC Tournament....Lost to #1 Trinity Catholic in the Class L State Tournament 55 - 75
1980 - 2013 - 1 Head Coach....34 seasons....23 winning seasons ....30 post-season
appearances(102 games) Overall Record - 486 wins/290 losses(.626 win %)
.....10 Conference Championships....6 Conference Tournament Championships ....2 State Tournament Runners-up...58 - 44 overall in post-season games(.568
win %) ....Qualified for Conference Tournament 20 seasons ....Qualified for State
Tournament 29 seasons....7 seasons w/ 20 or more wins.....64 game Home win
streak (12/90 - 3/95)5 years........66 game Home conference(NCCC) win streak
(1/90 - 3/95)5 1/2 years
ECC(1980-1984) Overall Record: 42 - 61(.407)
NCCC(1985-1999) Overall Record: 255 - 100(.718)
CCC(2000-2013) Overall Record: 190 - 129(.595)