o buy drugs like marijuana and co-caine, you need cash and a dealer. But a growing number of teens are finding it easier and cheaper to

obtain drugs simply by raiding their own medicine cabinets at home.

A trend among teen drug abusers is what’s known as “pharm” parties. At a pharm party, teens bring different pills they have in their medicine cabinets and then toss them into a bowl with everyone else’s pills. Then they reach in and grab a couple of pills. Though the results could be deadly, teens don’t care because all they are interested in is a high. The act is reckless and the results can be horrific, but of course, that is the point of a pharm party--to take a risk for the thrill of getting high.

It’s a trend with its own slang language. It’s easy for teens to understand and it also confuses parents and teachers. When teens are looking for pills, it’s called “pharming,” which is often done in their own medicine cabinets. A bowl of random pills can be referred to as “trail mix” and party-goers “graze” on pills when they want to feel a high. Teens attend pharm parties sometimes and don’t even realize it. They just swap a bunch of pills with friends and take them. In a survey through Drug-Free America, nearly one in five teens reported trying prescription medications to get high. (The survey included more than 7,300 junior high and high school students.)

The number of available prescription drugs is too great for one to keep track of, especially with the astronomical number of new drugs introduced each year. In another survey by Drug- Free America, 4.5 million American teens stated they have taken multiple pills at one time. The increasing trend of pharming can lead to serious complications, even death.

Teens are now even swapping their pharmaceutical drugs in schools by bringing in Ziploc bags and swapping with a friend. Although prescription drug use is not just emerging, parents have yet to realize the deadly combi-nations that these drugs offer. Some parents are naive and believe that this is not happening. Then there are the irresponsible ones who do know, yet do not see it as a problem because the drugs being taken by their children are not illegal drugs.

At Oswego High School, students are not only attending pharm parties, but also taking these prescription drugs by themselves just to obtain a high. “I tried Vicodin one time, I liked all the other prescription drugs I had used previously, so I figured why not,” stated junior Nick Farella. Another OHS student who wished to remain anonymous stated, “I’ve tried Xanax; it’s usually used as an anti-depressant but I just took it to get high.”

Although pharm parties are currently not extremely popular, with the rising use of prescription drugs, the attendance and frequency of these parties could rise. The OHS Farnham drug and alcohol counselor, Penny Morley, stated, “I

know there are students all over the coun- ty involved in pharm parties. However, I’m not sure of the number of students partaking in pharming in Oswego.” Although ‘pharm-ing’ is not a widespread trend in all counties of New York, it is growing popularity may lead to ‘pharm’ parties. The results of pharming could lead to many health problems including seizures, respiratory depres-sion, and cardiovascular failure. “It’s not about telling on your friends, it’s about potentially saving your friend’s life,” stated Morley.

Parents should keep track of their monthly medications and others that may be lying around in their medicine cabinets. Disposing of unneeded prescriptions can make it harder for teens to obtain them. Karen Carpenter-Palumbo the Commissioner of New York State Office of Alcohol and Sub-stance Abuse stated, “We need to implement strong safeguards in the fight against prescription drug abuse. I would encourage families to discuss the issue of prescription drug abuse and not assume that it can never happen in their home. Prevention is the first prescription to a healthy New York.” The state is trying to prevent drug abuse, and with the help of parents, it can be avoided.

TPill

PoP’n‘Pharm Parties’ Deadly & Dangerous

STory and PhoTo IlluSTraTIon by CaITlIn Sawyer

Volume 12 number 4 February 2009

Oswego High School’s Student Voice

Editorial

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

2

Editor-in-ChiefFred Maxon

Managing EditorEmily DiFabioLayout EditorStephen LiVoti

Chief PhotographerCaitlin SawyerArt Director

Brian RichmondBusiness Manager

Catie FurlettiSports EditorRyan GallowaySenior WriterHazal Pacaci

Entertainment EditorKailyn Gray

Clublicity EditorBrittany Ross

Alumni Editor Rachel Clark

PhotographersCarissa Benson, Emily Hoyt,

Monék CullenAd Representatives

Kijafa-Monée Berkley, Nick DunsmoreArt Staff

Heather Hanlon, Mary Losurdo Sports Writers

Joe Bucher, Jasmine DavisReporters

Kaylee Barkley, Mary Kate Torbitt, Blair Harvey, Mackenzie Oatman,

Katherine Robinson, Kaitlyn Scanlon, Liz Waterbury, Kathryn Whelsky,

Kimberlyn Bailey

Oswego High School’s Student Voice

The Buccaneer Bulletin, a member of the Empire State School Press Association, and The Quill and Scroll, is published periodically by the

students of the Oswego High School, 2 Buccaneer Blvd.; Oswego, New York 13126; (315) 341-2200.

It is intended as a vehicle to inform, educate, and entertain the student body.Printing services are provided by The

Palladium-Times. Opinions expressed are those of the students and do not necessarily reflect those of

the administration or the advisers.

Buccaneer Bulletin

AdvisersBill Reeser

Mike McCrobie

Drawing BoardDrawing Board

Cartoon by brian riChmond

… to Dennise Vazquez, an OHS senior who will be participating in the HYLI (Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute) in Albany in April. She is one of ten people chosen from the Central New York region to represent Hispanic students of Central New York.

… to waxing the floors throughout the school. It makes the school look better and cleaner.

… to the junior class that has persistently tried to do a variety of fun and interesting things for the student body, such as the Match.com fundraiser.

… to the adjusted bell schedule on January 20 to watch the Inauguration. This was an historic event, and we appreciate the ability to experience it.

… to the first-ever class of the Oswego High School athletic Hall of Fame: Helen Jermyn, Pete Sears, Elmer Akley, Brian Akley, Dave Garrow, Sally (Dowd) McCrobie, Robert Sheldon, Dave Powers, and the 1934 Buccaneer varsity basketball team.

… to the increase in disruptive behavior at OHS over the last month. Why, all of a sudden, are there more fights, more disrespect and less cooperation?

… to the new teachers having to go to mandatory workshop days. It is hard enough to get used to your teachers with our holidays, snow days, and vacations, but when teachers have to miss so many additional days for ‘workshops,’ it makes adjusting even harder.

Editorial 3

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

Incentives Send the Wrong MessageIn Our View . . .

Should parents and educators give incentives (money or other rewards) for academic or athletic

achievements?

Class of 2012

Jake SperinoI don’t think it’s a

good idea. I don’t think the schools have the funds for it and they should use it for repairs instead.

Alex Lafond I don’t think it

teaches the kids anything. It teaches them whenever they do something good they get money or rewards, which won’t happen all the time.

Zach SizemoreThey should do it

because those who are deserving and don’t have as much money should have a chance to go to college; the money they make can go towards college expenses.

Mrs. Anne BabcockI’m against it. I

think a lot of students today feel entitled to receiving awards for everything they do. The reward should be the accomplishment.

Class of 2010

OHS Staff

Class of 2011

Letter to the Editor

There is a new trend in education, and we’re not a fan of it at all. This new trend calls for schools to give money or incentive prizes to students who pass their classes or do well in school. While it sounds great to receive such rewards, we must ask: what is our society coming to?

We are very grateful that the Oswego City School District has not adopted this philosophy, as it would be costly and because such programs only feed the fires of mediocrity. There might even be tax increases to give five dollars to C students, while more electives get cut.

We cannot understand the thought processes behind this plan that other schools have adopted. Yes, it is very important for students to graduate, but we believe that a high school education, being a free service to students, should be something that students seek out, not something that the schools pay students to obtain. If a student doesn’t do his work, his consequences should be lower grades, not a reward payment. This policy appears to be bribery to get students to do their work. There is something seriously wrong with this idea.

We cannot even fathom the problems that could arise from this policy. In addition to major tax hikes, loss of electives and an increase in laziness among teenagers, they will see this as a sign that if you don’t get paid for something, then it isn’t worth doing. To give money to students for doing what they should be doing, goes against everything that our society was built on. An education should be something that is sought out, not something that you’re paid for.

Some may argue that our Buc Bucks program

is no better than a payment-for-achievement program. While this falls under the umbrella of an incentive program, we feel as though this program only affects a small number of students at a time, and thus is not the wide-scale terror previously mentioned. Also, the Buc Bucks program aims mostly to encourage students to be more courteous and polite, rather than stressing grades. Thus, we do not perceive the Buc Bucks program as a true money-for-grades style incentive program.

While this is not an official policy of the OCSD, it is a practice of many Oswego parents. It is extremely sad to see parents have to give their sons or daughters money or gifts in return for doing well. Their reward for doing well should be a sense of accomplishment, and not $20 or a trip to the mall. We have to wonder if the practice of giving gifts for good grades is to ease their guilt as parents for raising unmotivated kids. Parents need to realize that this idea conditions their children to do just enough to get by--just enough to “get paid.”

We must also admonish those students who think that scraping by with no effort put forth is a good plan. You will grow to see the error of your ways and regret it. Don’t let yourself get into that rut now; don’t let yourself fall into the trap of achieving only for a reward. Let a good education be your reward.

Lastly, we must commend the students who do their best, the students who don’t settle for mediocrity and don’t expect anything in return other than a quality education. The idea that students need an incentive program to achieve good grades is ridiculous.

Dear Editor: They are a constant annoyance for people who need to get to class and they are always in the

way. From locker 1797 to locker 1810, everyday, in between all periods, you will notice a large gathering of students, our peers, who seemingly have not yet noticed or who do not care that they are clogging the hallways and preventing students from arriving to class at the appropriate time.

They stand around the hallway outside the library, sometimes lumping together on one side, blocking it like a clot blocks a vital artery or a detour snarls traffic on the highway. They talk, yell, share make-up and food, and do not care that they are causing stress and frustration to those who attempt to pass them by.

Teachers pass them by as best they can and give them dirty looks. The “mass” does not disperse if politely asked, and often replies with anger. Brushing past them in the attempt to move to class allows you to further hear their constant verbal barrage of vulgarities.

I wonder how they get away with it. Don’t they have to follow the same rules as everyone else? If I’m barely on time due to them, they must surely be late. Don’t they have to face consequences?

Personally, I’m sick of it and I know I’m not the only one. Brian Richmond

Class of ‘09

Blocking the Hallways an Everyday Occurrence

News/Feature

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

4

Incentive$ a Controversial Topic in EducationBy Rachel Clark Alumni Editor

American teens have been under-performing academically, as compared to their international counterparts, for decades. For an equal amount of time, educators have been searching for ways to help students score better on tests and achieve higher grades. Recently, many school districts have been ex-perimenting with a controversial tactic: paying students to raise their grades and test scores.

One such program, the National Math and Science Initiative’s AP Training & Incentive Pro-gram, was launched in Dallas in 1996 and has since grown to include seven states. Under this program, students are paid $100 for each passing grade at-tained on Advanced Placement tests. The program also pro-vides financial incentives and training to AP teachers, making the teaching staff more prepared to teach higher-level courses.

Another program, Project First Job, was implemented in Tucson, Ari-zona high schools in 2007. The plan, which is funded by Arizona nonprofit Youth Education Security, gives at-risk students the opportunity to earn $25 a week for attending all classes, avoiding disciplinary issues, and getting passing grades in their courses. Participating students can also receive bonuses for achieving a 3.0 grade-point average and perfect attendance.

Northeast Health Science Magnet High School in Macon, Georgia is trying a program somewhat similar to the BUCS program used here at OHS. According to principal Dr. Sam Scav-ella, students at Northeast are able to win prizes for a variety of academic achievements. Students who make straight A’s are invited to a Principal’s Honor Roll breakfast at the end of the semester, where they are entered to win a big prize. This year, it will be a 42” flat-screen television. Juniors and seniors who attend Saturday study sessions for the Georgia High School Graduation Test are also entered to win prizes, as are students who have perfect attendance.

Also in Georgia, a program called “Learn and Earn” pays low-income Atlanta students $8 an hour for at-

tending two-hour-long after-school study sessions twice a week. The fed-eral minimum wage is currently $6.55, meaning that these students are techni-cally making more to study after school than they would working at a fast-food restaurant. The creator of the program, Jackie Cushman of Atlanta nonprofit Learning Makes a Difference, told NPR that she hopes the money will get the kids into the classroom, but that, once there, they’ll start to enjoy learning.

For the most part, statistics show that while this approach may seem too

good to be true, it is actually quite effective. One eighth grade partici-pant in the Learn and Earn program mentioned during a focus group, “At first I didn’t like school, but now that I am bringing up my grades, I like school more and want to go to high school and college.”

Dr. Todd Coleman, a former stu-dent in an AP Training & Incentive Program participant district, said he was happy with his decision to take AP classes under the program. “All my AP teachers were excellent. I did not have a single bad teacher. You are so well prepared as a result. It gives you a head start in college, so you can pursue a double major like I did, or you don’t have to take as heavy a course load so you can take part in campus organizations and have more free time, more flexibility in college,” he told NMSI representatives. Cole-man went on, after high school, to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT.

Student testimonials are not the only evidence to prove that these pro-grams are working. Statistics show that test scores have risen steadily in participating districts. For example, in 10 Dallas schools that partici-pated in the AP Training & Incentive Program, the number of minority students who received passing grades

in math, science, and English AP tests increased from 79 the year the program was implemented to 664 in 2007. At Northeast High, the number of students on the principal’s honor roll have doubled since the introduc-tion of the Student Incentives Pro-gram three years ago. Scores on all sections of the graduation test have also increased, by ten to 27 percent, although Scavella stated that this was due to a combination of factors, not the incentives program alone.

Despite the apparent success of these incentives programs, controversy has arisen over the issue between education experts and high school stu-dents alike. Richard Lakes, a Georgia State University asso-ciate professor of educational policy, is strongly opposed to the Learn and Earn program. “This message really rein-forces that these low-income

kids are destined to a life of wage-earning,” he told NPR. “It reinforces that these children in particular are going to be servants of the middle and upper classes.”

Oswego High School math teach-er Mrs. Sarah Hill is opposed to such incentives programs, but for a dif-ferent reason. “When my kids were in school, they were expected to do well, so that they could do well later in life. This sets a bad precedent by rewarding students for things they will just be expected to do in the future,” Hill stated.

Junior Emily Mears concurs. “If you pay someone to get good grades, the only reason they’ll want good grades is for the money. They’ll have no drive for education,” she stated.

Sarah Miller, another junior and a member of the National Honor So-ciety, said, “I don’t think it’s a good way of motivating people.”

Freshman Emilie Benigno dis-agrees. “I think it’s fair. If you studied hard all year and got good grades, you deserve to be rewarded,” she said.

Harvard economist Roland Fryer, who is in charge of an incentives program in New York City, told USA Today, “I just thought that giving them some short-term incentives to do what’s in their long-term best in-terests would be a good way to go.”

Scavella’s reason for implement-ing his program is similar to Fryer’s logic. Scavella said the reason his program was launched is that the quality of a student’s future life will directly reflect the type of student he or she was in high school. He went on to state that becoming the person you want to be starts with a high school diploma, and therefore it is important to motivate students to do well at the high school level.

With the debate raging over the effectiveness of these programs, many students may wonder if there is a possibility of an incentives program being introduced at Oswego High School, which has been on New York State’s Schools In Need of Improve-ment list since the 2004-05 school year. Unfortunately for students who may be keen on the idea of incentives in addition to the BUCS program, Oswego Superintendent of Schools Mr. Bill Crist stated that while pro-viding larger-scale extrinsic rewards for success may be a “short-term fix” for academic underachievement, “in many cases, intrinsic rewards are re-ally more fulfilling in the long run.”

“If you pay someone to get good grades, the only reason they’ll want good grades is for the money.”

Emily MearsClass of 2010

Feature

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

OHS Students Witness Historic Event5

With the recent election of our new president, Ba-

rack Obama, a few of our peers made the pilgrimage to Washington, DC for the January 20 inauguration and saw history in the making. Their experiences will stay with them forever and the historic inaugura-tion day is something that they will share with their grandchildren someday.

Three OHS students who made the trek to Washington are senior Savannah Bell, junior Rachel Baxter, and sophomore Tom Drumm. Baxter and Bell belong to the Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC). This group does political activities and viewed Washington, DC. They also heard guest speakers. When Baxter and Bell were at the Inaugura-tion of President Obama, they heard former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Al Gore, and anti-apartheid activist Bishop Desmond Tutu. These speakers gave the members of CYLC a better understanding of how the electoral process worked and the transition of power from George W. Bush to Barack Obama.

Baxter stated, “I was able to witness history in the making.”

As we sat in our seventh period classes on January 20, many of us could not help but envy our classmates who witnessed the Inauguration first-hand. Bell stated, “I was stunned to see President Obama; I didn’t know what to think; I just tried to take it all in. It was exciting to be there and be a part of history.” The students from OHS were in a sea of millions of people (both Americans and foreigners) who got to see the first African American President of the United States. Baxter stated, “I’m an African American, and I really was looking forward to the possibility of having our first black president.”

While at the Inauguration, they heard the In-augural address that President Obama delivered, which stated, “My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you’ve bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.” “Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our found-ing documents.” These simple words that President Obama spoke with such clarity and conviction, gave hope to a nation which is in need of a change. This hope has come to many Americans in the form of President Barack Obama.

With President Obama being our first African American President, the country has truly changed since George Washington took the oath over 200 years ago. The same street, Pennsylvania Avenue, is where slaves were marched down to be sold to

new masters. The Inauguration of a new president symbolizes change to this country; when Lincoln was sworn in and allowed African Americans to walk in the inaugural parade, this show that the nation was on its way to have freedom for all who inhabited it. Then, in 1917 when Woodrow Wilson had women walk in that same parade for the very first time.

As President and Mrs. Obama were attending over 10 balls that were held in Washington, DC, Baxter and Bell both attended a ball that was put on by their organization, CYLC; this is where they got to hear Chris Daughtry perform.

Americans living all over the world followed the Presidential election of Barack Obama. Grace Maxon, Class of 2006 graduate recently spent time in Africa and was in Paris, France at the time of the Inauguration. She stated, “He was brought up a few times in Africa, but in Paris he is mentioned in every class we visited. The (French) kids are highly edu-cated in US politics. One English class I was in had every student write a speech as if they were a past president of the US. They were to write about their thoughts on Obama from that president’s standpoint. They did a great job. Some kids on the metro asked me who I voted for and said that it was a shame that so many people voted just for change and hardly knew the proposed policies.”

As people all over the world watched the inaugu-ration of President Obama, both Bell and Baxter got

to witness it with their own eyes. Bell stated, “After this experience I have a better sense of government and understanding our country. I have a greater sense of patriotism.”

By Emily DiFabioManaging Editor

Inaugural Facts

•Bill Clinton’s, January 20, 1997, inau-guration was the first inauguration to be broadcast live over the Internet.•In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade.•The theme “A New Birth of Freedom” commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.•$40 million to $45 million is the esti-mated cost of the 2009 inaugural parade, balls, opening ceremonies, and other expenses for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

AP Photo/ChuCk kennedy, PoolPresident Barack Obama, left, and his wife Michelle and daughters Sasha, right and Malia, are seen on the podium moments before Obama was sworn in as the 44th president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009.

Mostly students have hopes or dreams of becoming successful in life, and every day here at Oswego High School, students work diligently to pre-pare themselves for success. However, recent studies have correlated success not just to hard work or diligence, but to the length of your fingers.

Apparently, the longer your index finger is, the more testosterone you received in the womb of your mother as a fetus. A hormone called androgen is present nine weeks into pregnancy, which fulfills the amount of testoster-one and estrogen. Up until recently, the hormone exchange at this point of pregnancy has been only correlated with sexual orientation, but now, it is likely determining your future suc-cess.

So, if you quickly look down at your hands as you are reading this, compare your index finger’s length to your ring finger’s length. Typi-cally, in men, the index finger is a bit longer than the ring finger as opposed

to women, where it’s usually the op-posite.

According to ABC News, the study has been done and confirmed by a team of researchers at the Cambridge Universi-ty in England. One of their various studies concluded that the most successful stock traders at a London broker-age firm, were actually ex-posed to more testosterone

as fetuses. Be-cause of this, it is likely to assume they a r e m o r e con f iden t , a n d h a v e the ability to work quick-ly in very stressful en-vironments.

This is like a bizarre urban legend, but it truly has been re-searched, and it is not a meaningless difference of your fingers’ lengths. The most suc-cessful traders in this British study are earning nearly $6 million a year,

where mostly everyone is a male.Writing this as a female, it is kind

of a letdown in the fight to say women are better than men, however it is not to say women do not have this feature as well. It is very likely many do. If you do not possess the winning trait of your index finger’s length, do not be discouraged.

There is much more to the strategy of b e c o m i n g r i c h a n d s u c c e s s -ful in life. Of course, knowledge, judgment , and collabo-ration skills a r e s t i l l some of the most useful techniques in attaining suc-

cess. These are all the more

reason to contin-ue working hard

in school, even if you just realized your index finger is slightly longer than your ring finger.

Feature

February 2009

Analyze Your Hand to Predict Future Success6

Buccaneer Bulletin

By Liz WaterburyReporter

Studies show that the length of your fingers (ring finger and index finger) may predict everything from neurotic behavior to sexual orientation, from cancer to future career preferences.

If your index finger is longer than your ring finger:

AMONG women, these are homemakers, administrators, and health care professionals

HIGH scores for neuroticism among these types

EARLY breast cancer may be related to long index fingers

IF MALE more likely to be homosexual

IF MALE more likely to have an early heart attack

AS CHILDREN more emotional, tendency to complain of headaches, clingy, many fears or worries

LESS attention-seeking than those with long ring fingers

MORE likely to have allergies, eczema, asthma, hay fever

MORE likely to have schizophrenia

LOWER sperm counts- males likely to have fewer children than those with long fingersImage and sIdebar InFormatIon From

FIngerlengthdIgItratIo.wordpress.com

Clublicity

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

Clubs Keeping Busy During Winter Months 7

Spanish Club Spanish Club has just finished its

Yankee Candle fundraiser, selling over 500 candles. They are planning a visit to the Azteca Restaurant, for a tour to learn how to prepare traditional Span-ish food. Students in the Spanish Club are also interested in doing bi-weekly craft projects like tissue paper flowers. The annual restaurant field trip to Syra-cuse’s Mission Restaurant is planned for March or April.

The next, and probably the last, fundraiser for the club is going to be selling Gertrude Hawk Chocolate in March. Club members are also willing to do community service at Leighton School. Spanish Club meetings are held every other Thursday in Room 241. New members are always welcome.

Travel Club The Travel Club members have

been working on finalizing their pay-ments for the trip to Ireland shortly after graduation. They have just begun a Gertrude Hawk fundraiser to assist in defraying the cost. Soon, the club will be deciding on its 2010 destination. Members tell the advisers where they would like to travel, and the advisers present them with a 3-5 trip options with prices. After reviewing their op-tions, the club members take a vote. If you are interested in joining the Travel Club to help choose next year’s trip and to start fundraising in advance, the next meeting is February 4 in room 104 at 2:35. Gertrude Hawk orders will also be due then. For more information contact adviser Mrs. Lisa McPherson.

TV Club If you are in TV Club or you would

like to be, they are starting to record their first Primetime Sports games. The first game that they plan to record is a girls’ hockey game.

Members will purchase WBUC clothing to proudly display their club logo. If you would like to purchase clothing or be part of TV Club, contact Mr. Chris Mangano, adviser.

Poetry Club Some students might have joined

in on the fundraiser that was set up in the days before Christmas vacation-- the candy-cane sale, which let students buy candy-canes and send them to friends. You have the Poetry Club to thank for that fun alternative to traditional Christmas cards.

The Poetry Club puts on various fundraising activities throughout the year, all to replenish the club’s funds and help support the group of aspiring Poes and Lord Byrons that gather under Mrs. Carrie Patane’s supervision every Wednesday in room 101.

The club’s next fundraiser is the Valentine’s Day carnation sale; a saving grace for those of you who will no doubt forget to buy flowers or candy for your ‘significant other.’ Flowers will be available for purchase.

As well as the carnation sale, Poetry Club is also going to be putting

Foreign Exchange At the Foreign Exchange Club’s

recent meeting, members talked about the differences between the Oswego High School and their schools back in their home countries. A big difference they discussed was school discipline and how issues are being handled here compared to their home schools.

They haven’t had as many meetings as they would’ve liked to have due to the snow days.

NHS The National Honor Society is kick-

ing off its annual letter writing for St. Jude’s Hospital this month. It is a man-datory group fundraiser that collected over $7,800 last year. The National Honor Society is hoping to equal or surpass last year’s total.

National Honor Society members are continuing their individual service projects. Any interested parties who wish to have a National Honor Society member tutor or work at their com-munity events may contact adviser Mr. Mike McCrobie at mmccrobi@oswego.org for more information.

Juniors or sophomores interested in joining the National Honor Society are required to attend the mandatory candi-dates’ meeting on Friday March 6th at 2:40 in room 200. Candidates must have a 90 unweighted average and complete 20 hours of community service prior to submitting applications.

For more information, contact Mc-Crobie or get an information brochure from the display outside of room 105.

on a (slightly) Open Mic/Slam Night on April 24. The Mic Night will be open to those budding poets in the student population. Winners of each division during the night will each receive $50 as a prize and a thank you for participating in the project. All submissions for the Mic Night must be given to Patane in room 101 before 2:30 on April 11.

To be able to participate in the Mic Night, you must be pre-approved

by Mrs. Patane to read your poem, and you must bring your own copy of the poem. There is a three-minute time limit on readings. Readers are not allowed to use gestures, costumes, or props allowed to be used during the readings. If you plan on reading a ‘slam,’ you must have it memorized in order to perform it. If you’re interested in the Open Mic/Slam night, make sure to get your original poetic pieces in to Mrs. Patane before April 11.

Buccaneer Bulletin

Walking the Plank

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

8

Gosek is Professor Higgins in MusicalBuccaneer Bulletin: What

made you interested in musical theatre in the first place?

Jeremy Gosek: “My parents took me to see musicals and plays when I was a kid. I guess that started it.”

BB: What are some of your previous roles?

JG: “Recently I have been Conrad in Bye Bye Birdie, Jeffrey in Godspell, and Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast.”

BB: Are there any roles that you aspire to play?

JG: “I’d love to play Emile in South Pacific, the Baker in Into The Woods, Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing, and Peter in The Cherry Orchard.”

BB: What other activities are you a part of?

JG: “I’m in WBUC and Cham-ber Singers. I also play guitar.”

BB: What career are you interested in?

JG: “I think I want to go into film and television production.”

BB: If you were stranded on a desert island and you could bring three things, what would you bring?

JG: “My friends, a guitar, and

all 5 seasons of ‘The Office.’ ”

BB: If you could dine with any three people, living or dead, who would you choose?

JG: “Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, and Scarlett Johansson”

BB: What’s your favorite movie?

JG: “It changes a lot but right now it’s Almost Famous and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

BB: What is your favorite class?JG: “I enjoy a lot of my classes,

but my favorite would have to be Chamber Singers.

BB: What role do you have in My Fair Lady?”

JG: “Professor Henry Higgins.”

BB: Describe your character.JG: “He is an expert on phonet-

ics and a self-proclaimed life-long bachelor. He’s very egocentric and misogynistic, but witty at the same time. The play is about him teaching Eliza Doolittle how to speak properly and how to behave like a lady.”

BB: Are you anything like him, or can you relate to him?

JG: “I think we are very simi-lar in that we are both a little full of ourselves and think we are very witty.

However, I don’t think I’m quite as extreme as my character.”

BB: What is the most chal-lenging thing about playing Henry Higgins?

JG: “The hardest part for me is trying to make him likeable to the audience.”

BB: Do you ever get stage fright?

JG: “Not really, I get a little ner-vous before the curtain goes up, but I think that’s a good thing.”

BB: How do you cope with long practices and homework?

JG: “Not very well. I try to get as much done as possible in school so I have more free time after school.”

BB: What’s your favorite song?JG: “My favorite song to perform

is “Ordinary Man” which is really a lot of fun. I also, enjoy my big solilo-quy at the end of act two, “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

BB: What is it like being a lead with Danielle Posillipo?

JG: “A lot of fun, I didn’t know her well before this show, but I think we have good chemistry together and share the same sense of humor.”

BB: What is the hardest thing

about the musical?JG: “This year it’s memorizing

my massive amount of dialogue, but it changes from year to year.”

BB: What are the pros and cons of being a lead?

JG: “The pros are that you get a lot of stage time and have a lot of your own songs. The cons are that you have to put a lot more work in outside of re-hearsal and that you don’t get as much time to hang out.”

BB: How did you react when you found out that you were the lead?

JG: “It definitely put a skip in my step. I might have let out a little cheer.

BB: Beauty and the Beast vs. My Fair Lady?

JG: “They are very different shows, but I’d say I’m having more fun in this one.”

BB: What is your favorite play?JG: “I really like Chekhov, spe-

cifically Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard.

BB: Are there any embarrassing scenes in the play?

JG: “Not really; however, I do have to waltz with Danielle for a little bit center stage which makes me a little self-conscious.”

Walking the Plank

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

Posillipo Plays the Lead in My Fair Lady9

Buccaneer Bulletin: What is the musical about this year?

Danielle Posillipo: It is called My Fair Lady. It is about a girl who is poor and can’t speak English very well. She meets a guy named Henry Higgins who teaches her how to speak English beautifully and she improves her speech, but realizes he was only using her as a bet, and then they fall in love.

BB: Who do you play?DP: Eliza Doolittle.

BB: Are you anything like her?DP: She wears her emotions on her sleeve and

you can always tell what she is thinking by her facial expressions. I think I am opinionated as well.

BB: What is the most challenging thing about playing Eliza Doolittle?

DP: She talks a lot, and she has a lot of lines. I also have to speak in two different accents throughout the musical.

BB: Do you get stage fright?DP: Well, I’ve only done one show before and

I couldn’t see the audience, so I just pretend they aren’t there.

BB: What are you most nervous about?DP: I am most nervous about being prepared

for the performance night. There is just so much to learn, and not a lot of time to do it (and lots of snow days)!

BB: How do you cope with the long practices and homework?

DP: In the little spare time that you have you have to help each other along with homework, and

study halls help.

BB: Do you have a favorite song in the musical?

DP: “Wouldn’t it be Lovely” by Eliza.

BB: What is the hardest thing about the musical?

DP: Memorization and acting like a role model to the other people in the play. I always have a problem with being on time for things; everyone’s focus on me

BB: What is it like co-starring Jeremy?DP: Interesting. I didn’t know him very well

up until last year. I don’t think we liked each other a lot in freshman year and now we’re both working toward the same goal. Everyone is getting along pretty well now.

BB: Do you know what you’re going to wear in the musical?

DP: A big sparkly dress, high waisted skirts, and lots of hats.

BB: What is the best thing about being the lead in the musical?

DP: I get to be the star and that’s kind of cool. It’s really the whole atmosphere; it doesn’t matter what part you’re playing. Even the people you don’t see make a difference and everyone has to have his part right.

BB: How did you react?DP: I had to ask someone if it was true and I

thought it was a dream and I thought I had to go to school and see whether I made it.

BB: How long have you been in chorus/acting?

DP: I’ve been in Chamber Singers since my sophomore year every since elementary school.

BB: What got you started in singing?DP: I could sing before I could talk. I hummed

tunes even before I could make words. It’s just good that we have a program for music.

BB: Favorite singer or inspiration? DP: I listen to a lot of music, mostly rock,

anybody who can make the lyrics of the songs mean something while still making their music sound good.

BB: Beauty and the Beast vs. My Fair Lady?DP: Magical happy vs. real life. If you spend

enough time with the play, it kind of grows on you anyway, so it almost doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

BB: Any embarrassing moments?DP: I have to act really girly and sing a song

saying I could have danced all night and that’s kind of weird for me, because I usually don’t break into song and sing such happy music like that.

Editor’s Note: “Walking the Plank” is a regular feature of The Buccaneer Bulletin. This month’s installment was compiled by Emily DiFabio and Katherine Robinson. All photos were taken by Caitlin Sawyer.

If you know of a student or a staff member you’d like to see walk the plank, contact Emily DiFabio at edifabio@oswego.org

Every once in a while, there is a film that just deserves to be awarded an Oscar, but doesn’t even receive a nomination. Not only is this a cinematic tragedy, but it happens all too often. This is especially true for a lesser-known film called The Fall.

Directed by Tarsem Singh, The Fall was based on the 1981 Bulgarian movie Yo Ho Ho and stars Lee Pace as an out-of-work silent film stunt man Roy Walker in 1920’s Los Angeles, who, after a potentially life, and career, threatening injury, is bedridden. During his stay at a small hospital, he meets Alexandria, portrayed by Catinca Untaru, a young Romanian girl who has also suffered an injury—albeit less life threatening—while picking oranges with her family. They meet one day, and he begins to enchant her with a story about Alexander the Great. After the brief story is over, and Alexandria must return to her room, Walker tells her to return the next day to hear another enchanting tale.

She does, and his new story involves revenge, romance, action and brief comedy to make an epic story about the quest of five heroes: an ex-slave, seeking revenge for his killed brother; an Italian explosives expert, hoping to avenge the loss of his former life after he is exiled; Charles Darwin and his sidekick Wallace the monkey, on a quest to find a beautiful rare butterfly—alive—after someone had sent them a dead one; an Indian whose wife was taken away by an evil man who, when she rebuked his advances, forced her to spend the rest of her days running in a maze, finally forcing her to jump to her death; and, lastly, a masked man called the Black Bandit whose brother was killed after years of exile. They all have a common enemy: Governor Odious. They are joined by a mystic, and set off on a globe

trotting adventure that takes them to Paris, Rome, Egypt and India in hopes of finding—and killing—their common enemy.

In exchange for the story continuing, Alexandria is asked to steal morphine for an increasingly suicidal Walker. The entire movie is set either in Alexandria’s imagination and or in the hospital. Alexandria imagines many of the people she knows in real life as the characters in the story, with Walker being the Black Bandit and a nurse at the hospital being his love interest. Eventually, Alexandria herself becomes a part of the story, becoming the Black Bandit’s pint-sized accomplice.

The Fall’s dialogue certainly isn’t witty, but it has the ability, when coupled with the superb acting of Pace and Untaru, to tug at the viewer’s heart strings. The movie is an emotional crescendo and if the point of a film, any film, is to trick the viewers into believing that they are seeing something that is real, a real interaction between two people, then The Fall can certainly wear the Trompe-l’œil (fool-the-eye) merit badge with honor.

The viewer feels for the characters-- Walker is flawed, with suicidal tendencies, and even if you can’t relate to what he’s feeling,

Pace’s portrayal of the out-of-work, lonely and injured stuntman makes it automatically relatable. He doesn’t play suicidal like most other actors, but rather creates an emotional cocktail of grief, remorse, anger and hope that, when coupled with Walker’s mixed morals, creates a character that is fully developed and entirely

believable. Untaru perfectly mixes hurt--both physical and emotional-- confused, sad, angry and happy, in some scenes, and this makes it so that each line, no matter what its about,

comes off with the prefect tone.

This is not a Best Picture worthy film, but I have to say that this movie should have been nominated for Best Cinematography, Costume Design, and Best Supporting Actress for Untaru. Untaru’s performance is even

more stunning when you realize that, before she was cast, she knew no English, and that many of her lines were loosely scripted. Each line is delivered with such conviction and such realism that you believe that she really is stealing morphine in exchange for stories from an out-of-work actor. It is not often that drama

is improvised, and even when it is, it is not nearly half as believable as The Fall. She will definitely be someone to watch for in upcoming years.

Critics have given this film mixed reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, saying “Tarsem’s ‘The Fall’ is a mad folly, an extravagant visual orgy, a free-fall from reality into uncharted realms. Surely it is one of the wildest indulgences a director has ever granted himself. Tarsem, for two decades a leading director of music videos and TV commercials, spent millions of his own money to finance ‘The Fall,’ filmed it for four years in 28 countries and has made a movie that you might want to see for no other reason than because it exists. There will never be another like it…. ‘The Fall’ is beautiful for its own sake. And there is the sweet charm of the young Romanian actress Catinca Untaru, who may have

been dubbed for all I know, but speaks with the innocence of childhood, working her way through tangles of words. She regards with equal wonder the reality she lives in, and the fantasy she pretends to. ” Ebert placed it seventh on his top ten list of best films of 2008.

However, not all critics were positive. Nathan Lee of the New York Times stated “The details of this saga, a threadbare patchwork of postcard exoticism, turgid characterizations, stilted duels and lackluster spectacle, are projected via the imagination of a little girl cognizant, it would seem, of the full repertory of high-gloss, empty-headed pictorialism deployed by corporate advertising.”

The Fall is, like Ebert said, just one of those films that everyone should see, simply because of its unbelievable visuals and the emotional story of remorse, redemption, and adventure.

Entertainment

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

10

The Fall Visually Stunning, EmotionalHollywood

Fred Maxon

Fred Maxon

Untaru perfectly mixes hurt--both physical and emotional-- confused, sad, angry and happy, in some scenes, and this makes it so that each line, no matter what its about, comes off with the prefect tone.

Photo courtesy oF allmoviePhotos.comLee Pace (left) and Catinca Untaru (right) star in The Fall, a movie that perfectly mixes adventure, emotion, and stunning visuals.

Features

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

11

Love is in the Air--And in the Movies!

Editors Note: Story and page layout by Kaitlyn Scanlon. Key to Heart Rating Scale: 5 hearts- excellent, 4 hearts- good, 3 hearts- fair

Casablanca (1942)♥♥♥♥♥ Casablanca is a classic love story about love in the midst of war. Rick Blaine (Humphrey

Bogart) is an ex-freedom fighter who runs a nightclub in Casablanca during the early part of World War II. Rick’s café becomes a haven for refugees looking to purchase illegal letters of transit which will allow them to escape to America. Then, Rick is approached by a famous rebel, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) because he and his wife want to escape to America. To Rick’s surprise, Victor’s wife is Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick’s one true love who deserted him when the Nazis in-vaded Pairs. This coincidental meeting has gained the movie’s tagline, “They had a date with fate in Casablanca.”

The Notebook (2004)♥♥♥♥♥ The Notebook is the love story of our time.

Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) was a working boy who fell in love with Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) while she and her family were visiting his town for the summer. No one can forget his life-threatening date proposal and the intense on-screen chemistry, plus their heart-shattering break-up just before Allie had to leave town. A year went by and Allie never received any letters or saw Noah. She became a vol-unteer nurse and cared for the soldiers. She looked at everyone of them as Noah. That’s when she met her fiancé. Then she and Noah’s love got a second chance when she saw the “dream house” he built for her in the newspaper and received the letters that he wrote, one each day for a year, that she’d never gotten. The notebook’s message is true for all generations, “Behind every great love is a great story.”

Titanic (1997)♥♥♥♥♥ There has never been a ship as magnificent

and glorious as the Titanic. Its beauty and size capti-vated people. This is where the story of Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonard DiCaprio) begins. Their love and compassion for one another is off-limits and dangerous. They are from dif-ferent social class and Rose is engaged to Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). They pursue each other and fall madly in love, just as the ship hits a glacier and is sinking. They must fight to stay alive and together.

Romeo and Juliet (1968)♥♥♥ Romeo and Juliet is a tale of forbidden love

between the children the Montagues and the Capu-lets, two opposing families. As almost everyone knows, it the tale of two star–crossed lovers whose relationship was doomed from the start. In the 1968 movie, Olivia Hussey plays Juliet and Leon-ard Whiting stars as Romeo. The story shows how far two teenagers in love will go to be together.

Ghost (1990) ♥♥♥♥ While out late one evening, New York couple

Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) are confronted by a robber. After submitting to his de-mands, Sam is murdered anyway. He then finds him-self a spirit, invisible to the living world, wandering without hope until he finds another spirit in the subway (Vincent Schiavelli) who gives him some pointers on how to co-exist.

Step by step, Sam learns that his friend and co-worker Carl (Tony Goldwyn) plotted to kill him. The mugging was just a cover-up. Carl is also plan-ning to kill Molly, and Sam has to find a way to save her. He gets help from a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), because she can hear and see him. The movie blends so many genres together, with some comedy, action, horror and romance.

Gone with the Wind (1939)♥♥♥ Gone with the Wind is a classic and timeless

tale of a love-hate romance. The story is set in the South during and after the Civil War, from the per-spective of Scarlett O’Hara (Vivian Leigh). Scarlett is a Southern beauty, who lives on a large plantation in Georgia. She is only concerned with her many suitors and Ashley Wilkes, the man she fantasizes over and wants to marry. Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) ends up marrying his cousin, Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). Scarlett marries numerous times, but only in spite of Ashley or because she needs money to keep her family’s plantation up. All along, she has been pin-ing for Ashley. Scarlett and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) eventually marry, but it’s not until Melanie dies and she sees Ashley crying that she realizes that she never could have meant anything to Ashley, and that she had loved something that never really existed. After discovering this, Scarlett goes back to Rhett realizing she has loved him the whole time As Rhett walks out the door, despite her pleads, but she wouldn’t give up. “After all, tomorrow is another day.”

West Side Story (1961) ♥♥♥♥

West Side Story is a romantic tragedy that has close ties to Romeo and Juliet, but is more modern. It takes place in the tenements of New York City and their love is forbidden due to racial issues. The story opens with the bitter hatred and rivalry between two street gangs, the Jets (American teens) and the Sharks (Puerto Rican immigrants). While in the process of setting up a “win it all” rumble, the co-founder of the Jets, Tony (Richard Beymer) falls in love with Maria (Natalie Wood), the sister of Bernardo (George Cha-kiri) the Sharks’ leader. Not only is the movie filled with love and action, it is a musical with wonderful and entertaining dance pieces and musical numbers.

Pride and Prejudice(2005)♥♥♥♥ Pride and Prejudice is set in Britain during

the close of the 18th century. The Bennets have five daughters and desire to see that they are married off. In this era, marrying a rich man was the most a woman could hope for, except for Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) who was not driven by wealth to marry, and declined many offers. Then, Charles Bingley (Simon Woods) a young, wealthy bachelor, moves into a nearby estate. Eager to see if a match can be made, the Bennets bring their daughters Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Jane (Rosamund Pike) to a ball thrown by their new neigh-bor to see if sparks will fly. At the ball, Elizabeth and Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), Charles’ egocentric best friend, met. They continually cross paths and although they dislike one another, they can’t stop thinking of each other. Elizabeth discovers that the one person she cannot stand, is the one man she may not be able to resist.

A Walk to Remember(2002)♥♥♥♥ Cocky, rebellious and popular, Landon Carter

(Shane West) had everything anyone could ever want-- until he and his friends played a trick on a boy who wanted to join their clique. They convince the boy to jump from a tower into a small pond and he gets hurt. Landon’s friends bolt, but he stays to pull the kid out of the water, but when Landon’s making his escape, he gets caught. For punishment, he must tutor a kid on Saturdays, help the janitors and be in his school play. While doing this, his path crosses with Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), a nice, conservative, Christian girl. They fall in love and soon after, he discovers that she has leukemia. Jamie has a list of things she wants to do before she dies and Landon helps her. He’s her miracle. “Our love is like the wind, I can’t see, it but I can feel it.”

If Only (2004) ♥♥♥♥ If Only, is a love story with a second chance. After Ian Wyndham (Paul Nicholls) and Sa-mantha Andrews (Jennifer Love Hewitt) have

a fight, and nearly break up, Samantha dies in a car accident before Ian can express his true feelings to her and why he has been holding back his love for so long. Just when he thinks it’s too late, he gets another chance to love Samantha, and possibly save her. Ian is able to relive the day she died. He uses the day to let Samantha do everything she’s been wanting to do and to love her. He does everything in his power to make her happy and let her know how much he caresHe loved her like there was no tomorrow. But will it be enough to save her?

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Alumni

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

12

O s w e g o a l u m n a Rebecca Madden is now on the staff of the Watertown Daily Times.

High school is a place of indecision and ambiguity. Most students have no solid plans as to what they truly want to do for the rest of their lives, and the few who think they might have an idea, will probably change their minds a few times before settling on a career that, according to statistics, they are more than likely to be dissatisfied with. OHS alumna Rebecca Madden is a different story--she was dead set on a career in journalism by the time she graduated from high school, and she is enjoying her dream career today, six years after graduation.

Madden was initially introduced to journalism in Mr. Michael McCrobie’s tenth-grade English class. She attributes her success in journalism to McCrobie, who has served as the adviser for the Buccaneer Bulletin since 1982. “He had joked with me that I’d make a great English teacher someday. I give credit to him for getting me interested in journalism because when I told him me teaching English wasn’t an option, he said I should give his journalism class a try the following semester. I did, and got hooked,” she recounted.

Madden’s high school journalism career was marked with many accom-plishments. She initially signed on as a staff writer, then rose to the position of Clublicity Editor and eventually Co-Editor-in-Chief. She won numer-ous awards along the way, including a first-place sports story, best editorial, best news feature, and best coverage of September 11, an award she shared with a classmate.

Madden did not consider her high school journalism experience to be posi-tive simply because of her prestigious achievements. The class also provided a valuable learning experience. “It helped me learn how to structure stories, work with others and meet deadlines,” she explained. In addition, it helped her create memories and relationships she still treasures today. “Once in a blue

moon I’ll e-mail Mr. McCrobie, and I still correspond with Joanna Thorpe, who was Co-Editor-in-Chief with me. It’s hard to forget people you had fun with in high school,” she said.

Outside of the journalism class-room, Madden was very involved in academics. “I wasn’t a straight-A stu-dent, but tried to be,” she recalled. “I definitely had my nose in books, and liked--yes, liked--doing work.” Her brother, current Board of Education vice president Sean Madden, agreed, saying that she tended to take school seriously and put forth effort to study. Other than that, Rebecca says that she “joined Key Club for a while, but wasn’t really active in it. Journalism pretty much was, and is, my life.”

Madden’s favorite classes in high school were mostly English-related. One of her favorite teachers was Mrs. Gretchen Fronk. “She was patient and kind, and helped me get a couple of po-ems published in an advanced writer’s class book,” Madden remembers. Her other favorite teacher was Ms. Karin Button, who she describes as being the best Spanish teacher she ever had. “When teachers really take the time to show students they really want them to learn, and that student excels in some-thing they didn’t think they could, it’s rewarding to the student. I went from not remembering much of the foreign language at my old school to taking three years of Spanish classes at Oswego High School,” Madden said.

After graduating from OHS, Mad-

den went on to SUNY Oswego, a school she chose for its affordability, as she had to pay for college on her own. She majored in journalism and minored in history. “I never changed majors, and knew exactly what I wanted to be,” she stated. Of her college experience, Mad-den said, “I loved college. Bigger class-rooms. More to learn. I like to believe I helped encourage the Arabic language program start there. Although it didn’t start until my senior year, I was able to take that for a year, and I’d like to find

somewhere that I can continue studying the language.”

Today, Madden resides in Adams Center, NY and is the health and social service agencies reporter for the Wa-tertown Daily Times, which means that she is responsible for covering hospitals and other medical services in Jefferson County, as well as non-profit agencies

in the area. “As far as the non-profit agencies go, the people who lead the agencies and the communities they support are what give me the best stories,” Madden stated. “I may

have a blank slate at the beginning of the week, but there’s rarely a day when I don’t have a story.

When she is not at work, Madden spends most of her time with her fiancé, who she will be marrying in the sum-mer of 2010, and their ten-month-old daughter, Brooke Anne. Of being a working mother, Madden said, “It’s hard balancing a full-time reporting job and being a mother, but you have to make it work. One minute your daughter learns to wave good-bye, and the next she’s

walking and talking, and you just want to enjoy all of that.”

Occasionally, Madden also spends time with co-workers, playing cards and watching movies. One of her favorite movies is All the President’s Men, a film she saw for the first time in high school journalism class. She also enjoys watching “all of those bad reality tele-vision shows, and then of course news programs…. You can’t get away from that when you’re a journalist at heart.”

All in all, despite the frenzied pace, Madden is extremely satisfied with how her life has turned out, and it is “right on target” with her goals from high school. Brother Sean said, “I always knew that she would be doing what she wanted, and someday I see her doing bigger things.”

If you would like to live a fulfill-ing life like Madden has enjoyed, she has some advice: “Hard work pays off, whether it be at a good job as a cos-metologist from those BOCES courses you took, a job in a local union, or something after years of college.”

It sounds simple, but it seems to have worked quite well for this OHS graduate.

By Rachel ClarkAlumni Editor

Former OHS Journalist Follows Her Dream

photo courtesy oF rebecca maddenFormer Buccaneer Bulletin editor Rebecca Madden poses with her daughter, Brooke Anne.

“Journalism pretty much was, and is, my life.”

Rebecca MaddenReporter, Watertown Daily Times

It might sound a little bit weird to hear that relationships among people differ from country to country since we are all humans, but they really do. Culture, lifestyles, values, even the way people talk and greet each other is really different. When you are away from your homeland like me, after a while, you start thinking in a different way. It does not really matter how patriotic you are or how much you love your nation and country, you just adapt yourself to think differently. I believe it is both good and bad (though I haven’t really experienced the bad side of it yet). It’s good because you get the chance to see things in a more productive way and through another point of view, but you also have to keep in mind that you are going to hear from other people who are from your own nation that you act differently or that you find it strange to practice some of your own traditions. I know, however, that there are a lot of people who wish ‘they were me.”

Relationships among people are really important in my homeland of Turkey. Because of its location, Turkey has always interacted with other nations and countries. Also, hosting many civilizations in Anatolia, where Turkey is now, during the history, the Turkish nation has developed this strong sense of intimacy and hospitality. Today, Turks are known for their hospitality.

Turks enjoy any kind of get-togethers and guests are always welcome. When hosting a guest, there are some traditions or habits that Turks practice. In cities, Turks mostly live in apartments, and having a house like the houses in America is considered a luxury that requires a lot of money. The cities are crowded, so the apartments are usually close to each

other. However, in smaller towns, it is possible to have your own house. I think it would not be wrong to give Oswego and New York City as comparative examples. It is pretty unusual just to walk in to somebody’s house without ringing the bell or at least knocking on the door. Opening the door for the guests, serving some food and drinks, especially tea, making them feel home and comfortable is important. Here in America, usually you are the “help-yourself person,” but in Turkey, it is just the opposite. It is considered rude even to make the guest get his own water or cup of coffee. Turkish coffee is generally what is offered to the guest after meals.

In schools, since students don’t switch their rooms for classes, they are with their classmates during the day and the school year, so this helps making real friends and having unforgettable memories. That is why being in high school is considered a unique experience. When you start college, you have lots of responsibilities and you start worrying more about earning money or your career.

Before high school, you are just a kid. But high school is when you start being a young adult and not worrying that much about the future. In Turkey, high school is when you usually meet your best friends and develop intimate, warm friendships that last even later in your life.

One of the Turkish traditions is the family friends gathering. Getting together with the other family members or relatives once in a while is really common. Here in America usually family members have different schedules. Sometimes when parents are home, kids are not. When kids are home, parents are not. So it is kind of hard to find a time when everybody is home. Schools and districts offer a lot of activities and most people join these activities no matter how old they are. I can say that Americans

are always busy, which is, I think, a lot better than just sitting at home and killing time without doing anything. But to be honest with you, it would not be far from the truth to say that I miss having big dinners more often with my own family. Days like Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving when Americans get together with their families are not really special occasions in Turkey, that’s what we usually do.

Dates are another thing that I would like to mention since we have Valentine’s Day coming up. How we celebrate Valentine’s Day is not really different. Couples exchange gifts, men usually buy flowers or chocolate for their wife or girlfriend and malls are decorated with roses and red ornaments.

However, some people think that Valentine’s Day is just an easier way for companies to make more money. I know the story about Valentine’s Day, but I believe it is more

important to be nice to your partner and make him/her happy all the time, rather than just on Valentine’s Day.

Turkish men are more protective of their girlfriends or wives. When you go out for dinner with a Turkish boy, they are the ones who usually pay for everything. When entering a restaurant or a place like that, holding the door and chair for the girl is another common practice. Giving your coat to your girlfriend when it is cold is considered polite behavior. Starting to date another person soon after you break up with your partner is not really a good thing, however it is not always the bad news either.

In this column I wanted to discuss the relationships in Turkey, but I also want to say that I really like being here and I am enjoying my time as much as possible. I also know that it is going to be harder to adjust back to everything when I get back to Turkey.

Happy Valentines Day!

Column

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

13

Relationships in America Different from Turkey A Foreign

Perspective

Hazal Pacaci

Turks enjoy any kind of get-togethers and guests are always welcome.

Set aside your opinions about

cheerleading for a minute. Love it, hate it, whatever. The point is, Oswego High School cheerleading is considered a legitimate varsity athletic team with both players and coaches, yet almost every day we find ourselves being kicked out of our practice area for a different sport, recently for sports that aren’t even in season right now.

I understand that some teams like to get a jump-start on their season with optional practices, and in the interest of supporting excellence in athletics here at OHS, I think it’s a really great idea. However, the fact that those practices are leading to the cheerleading teams getting kicked out of gym space while we’re still in season, in my opinion, is pretty inconsiderate.

Sure, we can and have moved our mats from the gyms into the cafeteria to practice when we have no other option, and we can do the majority of our activities in there, but when it comes to throwing girls in the air,

the low ceiling prohibits us from ever practicing those skills. That’s like asking the basketball team to practice on the football field. Talk all you want about how you think our cheerleading team might not be as good as it used to be, but how are we supposed to be able to bring back that reputation and impress everyone with more complicated stunts and risky high tosses if we’re kicked out of the only place we can really practice them?

Honestly, look at it from a different perspective. If it were spring and the cheerleading team walked into the gym and asked the lacrosse team to leave so that we could prepare for our tryouts in June, how well do you think that would go over? It wouldn’t, so why should it be okay for the same exact thing to happen to us?

I don’t care if the fact that we’re not a sports team somehow makes us less important. The fact of the matter is that we are a recognized student athletic activity within the school, a recognized varsity team nonetheless, and we deserve the same respect and consideration as all other varsity teams.

Not only are we displaced by way of practice space, but our time available for practice is cut as well. For another OHS sports team? Oh no, for Oswego Men’s City League basketball. This is an organization

that isn’t even affiliated with Oswego High School athletics. Now that’s ridiculous. Once again, try to view it from the perspective of another varsity team. What if the football team was forced to cut their practice time by an hour to make room for Pop Warner? Try that, and I’m sure you’d have a virtual riot on your hands.

This isn’t just me acting like a whiny cheerleader trying to turn focus from real sports to our activity. I couldn’t care less how you view my activity; that’s not what I’m trying to draw attention to. The fact of the matter is, it’s not fair to tell us we can’t practice in a proper environment, when every other OHS winter sports team has an adequate practice area. Like I said, if this were happening to any other athletic team here, people would lose their minds.

Time and space are limited, that’s understood. It’s also understood that the cheerleading team isn’t the only program with practice time conflicts. For things to run smoothly for all

athletic teams especially on days when conflicts are inevitable and cross-over booking with gym space must occur, everyone has to give a little. The cheerleading team is willing to compromise, and so should all other athletic teams here at OHS.

All we ask for is half a gym to be able to roll out our mats and properly practice our activity. While we understand that it is a complicated and stressful process trying to allot practice space to all sports teams, we as members of the organization simply request that the needs of all Oswego High School athletic teams be given gym space based on the season that their activity is normally played in, and their general need for a gym.

It seems unfair to me that a team whose season is currently in session is coming second to a team whose season hasn’t even begun yet. For Oswego athletics to truly be as great as we strive for them to be, support should be shown for all our recognized athletic teams.

Sports

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

14

Gym Space Tough to Come by for CheerleadersShades of

GrayKailyn Gray

Celebrity Look-a-Like

McClelland or Devendorf?If you know anyone at OHS that has a celebrity look-alike, contact Jasmine

Davis at jdavis3@oswego.org. Above, Brett McClelland (right) OHS senior, and Eric Devendorf (left) Syracuse University basketball player.

Devendorf or McClelland?

Sports

February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin

15

Coach Reed Earns One-Hundredth VictoryBy Joe BucherSports Writer

Girls’ varsity basketball coach Mr. Phil Reed earned his 100th victory when the Lady Buccaneers visited the Henninger Black Knights on January 9. In just his sixth season as head coach, his record stood at 100-26 following the match-up against the Lady Knights, and has since tacked on several more wins. Reed has led his teams to league titles and Sectional final appearances the last three seasons.

Reed characterized his coaching style as demand-ing. “I have high expectations for my players,” he stat-ed. He went so far as to say his style is similar to Bobby Knight the Hall of Fame college basketball coach as far as the intensity that he brings to the game.

Reed says the most rewarding part of coaching is watching the players develop. “It’s like an extension of teaching,” he stated. Reed stresses to his teams that “hard work and commitment pay off.” Anyone who watches the Lady Bucs in action can see that Reed always has his players prepared and they work hard on both ends of the floor.

Reed has coached various sports for 30 years in-cluding soccer, wrestling, and track. As far as Reed’s future on the sidelines, he said he might like to try his hand as an assistant at the college level. Two hundred wins is not a goal of Reed’s, but neither was winning 100. “It was just something that happened,” he said.

Mr. Phil Reed instructs his players during the recent first-place showdown with CNS at Powers Gymnasium. Reed notched his 100th coaching victory earlier this season against Henninger.

Photo by mary kate torbitt

Oswego High School’s Student Voice Volume 12 Number 4 February 2009Buccaneer Bulletin Sports

DRake BecksteD “He’s not part dolphin, or fish, or amphibian. He doesn’t have gills

or flippers or fins. Then again, if you sort of squint your eyes and the light is just right…”

--Visa commercial discussing Michael Phelps.Drake Douglas Becksted is the Michael Phelps of Oswego High School.

Becksted is a freshman on the boys’ varsity swim team. He’s already broken two records and placed in the top tenth in the nation in the U.S.A. Swim 13-14 year old division.

Becksted specializes in short distances in the water. He competes in the 100 fly, 100 free, 50 free, and the 200 free. For those of us who aren’t familiar with swimming; the butterfly stroke (fly for short) is a stroke swum with both arms moving simultaneously. During the freestyle (free for short), swimmers are allowed to use any stroke they want. Most swimmers use the traditional front-crawl because it’s the fastest technique. Becksted’s personal favorite is the 100 free. He said, “It’s a bit longer than 50, but you still have to push as hard as you can. There’s a little room for mistakes in the 100, unlike in the 50 where the race is practically over as soon as you begin, but you have to swim it to the best of your ability no matter what.” Becksted has already broken two school records, including the 50 free (22.09 seconds) and the 100 fly (53.7 seconds). He is also first in Section III for the 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 50 freestyle.

Becksted has been swimming for only five years. He started when he was nine in the beginning of fourth grade and loved it immediately. Becksted has been swimming for U.S.A. Swim, a swim organization outside of school. U.S.A. Swim is made up of mostly club teams that compete at a much higher level than a normal varsity team. According to Becksted, “U.S.A. is a completely different league of swimming; there are boys my age and younger setting times that most varsity teams have never reached.” The times recorded at the U.S.A. Swim meets are ranked nationally.

As far as his current varsity season, “So far it’s been an excellent season; our team has done great so far. As teammates, we’re always there for each other, we’ve got each other’s backs. My teammates are always cheering each other

on and helping each other reach our goals,” Becksted said. He said that he concentrates more on his personal events for U.S.A Swimming, but for the varsity team, he knows it’s about winning the entire meet, so it’s a group effort. “Every meet has been very important to me, but I’d have to say the best one was on January 6. I broke the 100 fly record and it was also my grandmother’s birthday, so I feel it was for her,” said Becksted. As far also goals for next year, he hopes to break more records and improve on all his times.

Swimming is a very important part of Becksted’s life. “Swimming, for me, is to have something outside of just academics, something that sets me apart. Swimming is something that I immediately excelled at. My family and friends thoroughly support me and I believe that I’ve found my niche in it.” An important part of his motivation to swim is to earn a college scholarship. “Swim-ming is not just something that I love to do. I know that by continually working hard at it, it will provide me opportunities for the future,” said Becksted.

Becksted said his favorite part of swimming is when he’s competing in an event, and reaches the end to look at the times. “When you see you’ve reached your goal, won the race, or even broken records, it’s completely gratify-ing. It’s thrilling knowing you’ve done the best you can do, knowing all your

hard work and determination haven’t gone in vain.” Mention the Olympics and a smile comes to his face,

“Of course going to the Olympics would be amazing, and it’s definitely a goal of mine, but there’s a long way for me

to go in the next two years to even consider it. It would be a lot of hard work, but being at the 2012 Olympics would be a life-changing experience.”

Although Becksted is only a freshman, he has already advanced far in his swimming career. His hard work and determination have brought him to the top, breaking records and placing first, but his passion and love of the sport is what keeps him in the pool during most of his free time.

Oswego High School Athlete of the Month

Photo IllustratIoN by steVe lIVotI

Photo by CaItlIN sawyerstory by JasmINe DaVIs