Volume 8 Number 8 June 13, 2005 The Student Voice Bulletins These graduates are listed alpha- betically, not by academic ranking. They are the ten top seniors academi- cally in the Class of 2005. Nicholas Cummins Alex Fernandes Rob Flanagan Tim Lloyd Moe Mancuso Lacey Morgan Erin Plasse Zach Smith Jacquelyn Stanley Allison Vanouse Jackie Stanley Editor-in-chief The end of the 2005 school year marks the end of over a century of com- bined service to OHS by four of its most established teachers. Mr. Jim Lynch, Mr. Frank Bevacqua, Mrs. Debbie Deeb, and Mr. David Shoemaker will all be retiring this month with plans to spend more time focusing on personal interests; but before they do, they have a few last thank yous and words of ad- vise to pass along. After 31 years of teaching, Mr. Jim Lynch is celebrating his final days on the job. Lynch is retiring after hav- ing taught classes in the technology de- partment at OHS for 25 years; includ- ing principles of design; design, draw- ing and production, and architecture. He has led the OHS “engineering team,” to a number of field competitions throughout the years. Lynch says he has found it extremely gratifying to see former students excell in technology. Lynch wants students to remember that, “There is always room to improve and make things better. You’re never done learning or becoming a better person,” he says. His immediate plans are to work for himself doing small carpentry jobs, and to spend time at his camp. He would like to thank all staff, faculty, and students for making his twenty-five years at OHS both enjoyable and fun. Mr. Frank Bevacqua has dedi- cated himself to Oswego High School for 32 years. Bevacqua teaches Glo- bal 10 and sports in america, and has also coached a wide variety of sports Moonlighting They work hard for the money: Teachers and their summer jobs Attention all seniors: the month of June is a very busy one for you. Here’s a brief listing of many of the upcoming events: June 15 •Senior Picnic, Thunder Island June 21 • Senior Baccalaureate Service, St. Paul’s Church, 7:00 p.m. June 23 •Graduation Rehearsal, Romney Field House, SUNY Oswego, 9:00 a.m. •Cap and gown pick up, OHS cafete- ria, 10:00 a.m. – noon. •Dinner Dance, DA Lodge, 7:00 p.m. June 25, •Graduation, Romney, 10:00 a.m. continued on page 13 Top 10 Graduating Scholars Named A busy two weeks Ahead for seniors Heads up proctors! A recent ABC news survey re- vealed that 74 perecnt of all high school students admitted to cheating on a test in the past year. Valedictorian Nick Cummins Walks the plank Page 6 Outstanding Senior athletes Are profiled Pages 8, 9 Check out the Senior pictures of OHS staff Page 13 Erin Reff Reporter As school winds down once again this year, many students are preparing for either a summer of friends and fun, a sum- mer of hardcore work, or even a little of both. For a lot of these students, though, especially seniors, their thoughts are cen- tered on that summer job and trying to squeeze in a little more cash to pad their pockets for their up-and-coming life as a freshman in college. How often have these students stopped to contemplate what happens to their educators over the brief, but pleas- ant, summer months? It is probable that even if the thought does cross the minds of the students, they most likely assume that teachers spend the entire year within the walls of OHS, let alone participate in some of the same activities their pupils do? But, in some cases, this is entirely the scenario. Mr. Christopher Mangano, a tech- nology teacher at OHS, is one of the few who does teach all year around. “Each summer I teach a Computer Aided Draft- ing and Design (CADD) class at the col- lege,” he said, “teaching at the college and teaching at the high school are very simi- lar except for the fact that the college kids actually want to be there, because they are paying to be there.” Mangano also said that this upcoming summer will be the first year that he does not return to his CADD classes. For once, he will ex- perience a true summer vacation just like many of his high school students. continued on page 2 OHS English teacher, Mr. Tom Frawley, paints houses during the summer. Four veteran Teachers say Goodbye to Oswego High
Transcript
Volume 8 Number 8June 13, 2005 The Student Voice
Bulletins
These graduates are listed alpha-betically, not by academic ranking.They are the ten top seniors academi-cally in the Class of 2005.
Nicholas CumminsAlex FernandesRob Flanagan
Tim LloydMoe MancusoLacey Morgan
Erin PlasseZach Smith
Jacquelyn StanleyAllison Vanouse
Jackie StanleyEditor-in-chief
The end of the 2005 school yearmarks the end of over a century of com-bined service to OHS by four of its mostestablished teachers. Mr. Jim Lynch,Mr. Frank Bevacqua, Mrs. DebbieDeeb, and Mr. David Shoemaker willall be retiring this month with plans tospend more time focusing on personalinterests; but before they do, they havea few last thank yous and words of ad-vise to pass along.
After 31 years of teaching, Mr.Jim Lynch is celebrating his final dayson the job. Lynch is retiring after hav-ing taught classes in the technology de-partment at OHS for 25 years; includ-ing principles of design; design, draw-ing and production, and architecture. Hehas led the OHS “engineering team,”to a number of field competitionsthroughout the years. Lynch says hehas found it extremely gratifying to seeformer students excell in technology.Lynch wants students to remember that,“There is always room to improve andmake things better. You’re never donelearning or becoming a better person,”he says. His immediate plans are towork for himself doing small carpentryjobs, and to spend time at his camp. Hewould like to thank all staff, faculty, andstudents for making his twenty-fiveyears at OHS both enjoyable and fun.
Mr. Frank Bevacqua has dedi-cated himself to Oswego High Schoolfor 32 years. Bevacqua teaches Glo-bal 10 and sports in america, and hasalso coached a wide variety of sports
Moonlighting
They work hard for the money:Teachers and their summer jobs
Attention all seniors: the monthof June is a very busy one for you.Here’s a brief listing of many of theupcoming events:
June 15•Senior Picnic, Thunder Island
June 21•Senior Baccalaureate Service, St.Paul’s Church, 7:00 p.m.
June 23•Graduation Rehearsal, Romney FieldHouse, SUNY Oswego, 9:00 a.m.•Cap and gown pick up, OHS cafete-ria, 10:00 a.m. – noon.•Dinner Dance, DA Lodge, 7:00 p.m.
June 25,•Graduation, Romney, 10:00 a.m.
continued on page 13
Top 10 GraduatingScholars Named
A busy two weeksAhead for seniors
Heads up proctors!A recent ABC news survey re-
vealed that 74 perecnt of all high schoolstudents admitted to cheating on a testin the past year.
ValedictorianNick CumminsWalks the plank
Page 6
OutstandingSenior athletesAre profiled
Pages 8, 9
Check out theSenior picturesof OHS staff
Page 13
Erin ReffReporter
As school winds down once againthis year, many students are preparing foreither a summer of friends and fun, a sum-mer of hardcore work, or even a little ofboth. For a lot of these students, though,especially seniors, their thoughts are cen-tered on that summer job and trying tosqueeze in a little more cash to pad theirpockets for their up-and-coming life as afreshman in college.
How often have these studentsstopped to contemplate what happens totheir educators over the brief, but pleas-ant, summer months? It is probable thateven if the thought does cross the mindsof the students, they most likely assumethat teachers spend the entire year withinthe walls of OHS, let alone participate in
some of the same activities their pupilsdo? But, in some cases, this is entirely thescenario.
Mr. Christopher Mangano, a tech-nology teacher at OHS, is one of the fewwho does teach all year around. “Eachsummer I teach a Computer Aided Draft-ing and Design (CADD) class at the col-lege,” he said, “teaching at the college andteaching at the high school are very simi-lar except for the fact that the college kidsactually want to be there, because theyare paying to be there.” Mangano alsosaid that this upcoming summer will bethe first year that he does not return tohis CADD classes. For once, he will ex-perience a true summer vacation just likemany of his high school students.
continued on page 2
OHS English teacher, Mr. Tom Frawley, paints houses during the summer.
Tom HollandSara PritchardPhotographerMorgan ArnoldSportswritersAllan Brown
Reporters/ColumnistsAmanda Sawyer
Emily DraperErin Reff
Katie FlynnKristen Kaplewicz
Mariah TaylorAdvisers
Bill ReeserMike McCrobie
The OHS Students’ Voice
The Buccaneer Bulletin, amember of the Empire State
School Press Association, andThe Quill and Scroll, is pub-
lished periodically by thestudents of the Oswego HighSchool, 2 Buccaneer Blvd.;Oswego, New York 13126;(315) 341-2200. Printingservices provided by The
Palladium-Times. Opinionsexpressed are those of the
students and do not necessarilyreflect those of the administra-
tion or the advisers.
Teachers’ summer jobs far away from the classroomcontinued from page 1
Another teacher who stays closeto his profession is Oswego High’s veryown Mr. Fran Pappalardo. While hedoes not teach during the summer, thisChemistry instructor stays close to thesource by spending his summer monthsworking in an environmental testing lab.Sound fun? Perhaps if it’s somethingyou enjoy, it would be. No matter whatsomeone chooses to do through the sum-mer, if it is something that they enjoy, itcan be considered a vacation for them.
“I am a professional musician ac-tually – and although it is not a summerjob, per se, the summer allows me theopportunity to play more than the schoolyear does,” says Mr. William Palange,a music instructor in OHS. While somestudents use the summer to rock out intheir garage band, Palange is jazzing itup with The Bearcat Jazz Band, theCentral New York Jazz Orchestra, andthe Mario DeSantis Orchestra. He willbe performing a number of concerts thissummer with his three bands, as wellas playing in the Freefall Orchestra atHarborfest this July. If you’ve everwanted to see a teacher doing some-thing they are passionate about outsideof school, you won’t want to miss theseshows.
Some students have attended acamp every summer since they canremember. If this is the case, you havea lot in common with Special Educa-tion teacher Kirk Mulverhill. WhenMulverhill was fourteen, he gave up theopportunity to attend a Doobie Broth-ers concert to participate in a week offun with New York State DEC’s Envi-ronmental Education Youth SummerCamp Program. “I have never regret-ted missing the concert,” he admits. “Ihaven’t missed one summer at thecamp since then,” he said. After attend-ing camp, Mulverhill volunteered beforelanding a job in food service. Fromthere, he moved on to counseling, whicheventually led him to his current posi-tion: the Director of Camp Colby.Mulverhill stated, “The DEC camps give12-17 year old kids a chance to escapestandardized tests and Regents ex-ams.” It sounds like this camp helpsMulverhill have an escape from thepressures of school as well.
Some teachers take time to investin their personal businesses over thesummer. Photography teacher andyearbook advisor, Mr. Warren Shaw,owns a building on East First Streetwhere he rents space out to various
corporations and small busineses. “Thissummer I’m going to work on my build-ing,” he said. “I want to create spacefor more businesses.”
Mrs. Deborah Regan is a wed-ding photographer for J Deb HarborFraming Photography.
These teachers have chosen to dowhat they want and make money whiledoing it during their time away fromschool.
There are some teachers whohave summer jobs that more closelyrelate to that of their students. Anywaiters, waitresses, or cooks at upscalerestaurants would find a friend in Mathteacher Kurt D’Angelo, a cook atOswego’s local Press Box during thesummer.
Have you ever considered the factthat your teacher may work at theGolden Arches of McDonald’s just likeso many teenagers? Spanish teacher,Mrs. Jennifer Dempsey does just that.“It’s true,” she says, “I have a job dur-ing the summer at the FultonMcDonald’s.”
Many teachers have jobs similarto students. And what may come
across as more bizarre is that someteachers work together outside of schoolas well. This is true with three mem-bers of the OHS English Department.In the summer, instead of discussingnouns, verbs, and Shakespeare, Mr.Thomas Frawley, Mr. MichaelMcCrobie, and Mr. Michael Sullivanpaint houses together. “We paint the in-terior and exterior of homes,” explainedFrawley.
While many of our teachers atOHS enjoy a wide variety of jobsthroughout the summer, however simi-lar or different from those of their stu-dents, there are also some who merelyenjoy summer as their vacation fromwork and choose not to partake in an-other job.
Soon-to-be-retired technologyteacher Mr. James Lynch, stated whathis summer plans were: “The extent ofmy work this summer,” he explained,“will be to walk from the door of myhouse down to my mailbox at the endof the driveway.”Why? “How elsewould I receive my retirement check,”he asked with a smile on his face.
Page 3June 13, 2005 Columns
by Jackie Stanley and Tanya Swartz12:14 - Tanya: Ahh! Finally, it’s 7th period. I
have waited all day for journalism, I mean; it is why Iwake up in the morning. As I walk there, a little late,(after all I needed to get all my journalism stuff frommy locker) I glance into a classroom. What’s that Isee? Why, it’s Jackie Stanley! I’m about ready toyell at her to get to class; it’s the most important ofthe day, when I realize what she’s busy doing. She’scuring cancer! I guess that Mr. McCrobie will haveto wait a few more minutes to say his newest snidecomment. But that’s okay, if he didn’t have Jackie’sand my lateness to complain about, half of his brainwould dissolve.
12:15 - Jackie: I am completely out of breathwhen I finally arrive at journalism class, a fewseconds after the bell; though seconds might as wellbe hours for all the grief I get about it. It doesn’tmatter that I was busy doing community service, Mr.McCrobie has prepared another one of his “a trueleader would...” lectures that I will never hear theend of. I’ve accepted his claim that a true leaderwouldn’t be late, and am starting to feel a little badabout letting him and everyone else down, when Isee him collecting money from Mr. Reeser.Apparently, he’s actually profited from my“irresponsible behavior,” having made a bet that Iwould be late. No wonder I couldn’t make it ontime… ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy?Betting in school; now that’s a true leader for you.
12:18 - Tanya: As I sit down, I hearMr.McCrobie yelling at Kristen Kaplewicz for beinga good writer again. “You’re such a good writer,BUT YOU DON’T WRITE ANYTHING.” Thisimmediately sparks thoughts of Jake, so I ask him,“Jake, what do you actually do for four weeks whilewe write our stories, since you don’t write at all?”This enrages Brian, who sits in-between Jake andme. He yells at Jake because he’s mad about hislatest alumni story, which is apparently the worstthing he’s ever had to do.
12:19 - Jackie: I’ve logged on and gottenabout two minutes of work done, when the noiseeveryone is making starts to get to me. I search theroom hoping to find someone else who is actuallyworking on the paper. Finally, I see a word documentopen on Brian’s computer and I’m reassured. I walkover to him to pat him on the back, only to find thathe is not working on his story at all… he has copiedthe lyrics to Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart”onto his screen and is reading them over and over, asthe tears stream down his face. I quickly try toscurry away before he sees me, and I’ll have topretend to be concerned, but it’s too late. Brian turnsto me dramatically, and asks with a sniffle, “Jackie,have you ever been in love?” Everyone else has slidtheir chairs to the other side of the room, so that I amleft alone to listen to the sob stories. Thanks guys.
12:24 - Jackie: There is a meeting going on inthe corner between Ali and Mr. McCrobie so I
the victims to torture with his eighty-third sarcasticcomment of the day.
12:34 - Tanya: All is well in the world. Brianhas miraculously rebounded and has completelyforgotten about his endless love, who, fifteen minutesago, he couldn’t live without. No sooner have thetears dried than he is busy ranting about his utterdisgust that Regents students (pronounced withattitude) have found their ways into his honorsclasses! (The fact that they’ve been born at all angershim enough.) According to him, it’s because the worldis “way too humanist” and all kids today are bigbabies. Brian is right: there should be more kids whoare complete geniuses and never throw tantrums andfits and—wait a minute?
12:39 - Jackie: “Where the hell is TomHolland!” shouts McCrobie. Well, sure, he doesnothing but bother people when he is present in classanyway, but it’s the principle of the matter. Afterwe’ve called every room in the building looking forhim, we decide to send out a search party. MorganArnold along with the Flynn twins, Devin and Katie,jump out of their seats and say they’ll take one for theteam and go look for Tom. We’re all pretty surewhere Morgan and Devin go on these little journeys,but I still wonder what Katie does when the happycouple is off privately displaying their affection.(Sneaking off to bond in a janitor’s closet is totallyacceptable if it spares the class from PDA.)
12:43 - Tanya: Speaking of happy couples, Iget up to throw my usual pile of gum wrappersaway and I see something weird movingunderneath the computer tables. “WOAH”, Iscream, “JoBeth, Chris, what are you two doingunder there?” Completely ignored, I run away andhope the lights turn off. As I make my way back
continued on page 13
assume it’s about ads for the paper and walk over tosee if I can help. McCrobie shoots me a look to kill.Apparently, not only can’t you walk through his softballpractices, but you can’t even walk through his practiceplanning sessions. (The rule is that any place, evenpublic property, where he utters the word “softball”immediately becomes sacred territory, onto which noperson who is not obsessed with the boring sport maystep.) Ali is sent off to conduct official softball business,(and probably to get lunch and hit a few parked Pepsitrucks,) while I continue to work on things that actuallypertain to The Buc Bulletin.
12:26 - Tanya: While finally getting boredenough to open a blank word document to actuallywork on my story, I glance over and see Mary Hoeferand Sara Pritchard looking at dresses/shoes/clothing/pictures. This is much more exciting than trying toactually work on something. Then, Kevin Kern startstapping my shoulder to show me something reallybizarre he found on the Internet. Although it’s plentyinteresting, I’m kind of weirded out by his insaneknowledge of unimportant facts, so I move on to talkingabout the best team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox,with sports guys Mike Tyo and Allan-Michael Brown.The two of them are busy pouring over stats onmlb.com, while Kevin, realizing no one cares aboutDisney World as much as he does, moves on to hissomehow-journalism related scholarship applications.
12:30 - Jackie: There is about 30 seconds ofsilence in which no one is gossiping or creating a scene;everyone seems to be doing his work! I’m so gratefulfor the quiet that I really don’t care what they’re doingat this point, as long as I can concentrate. Seeing merelish in the moment, though, McCrobie can’t resistruining it; I feel a girls’ lacrosse joke coming on. Inwalks lax coach Mr. Chuck Rowlee for his daily visit,and it’s like Christmas morning for McCrobie—double
Most of The Buc Bulletin staff at High School Press Day in May. Despite their shenanigans, theyreceived a Gold award for producing the top newspaper, as well as several individual awards.
Their class is dysfunctional, and they wouldn’t have it any other way
Page 4 Buccaneer BulletinColumns
What’s yourfavorite OHSmemory?
Mary Barry“In 11th gradewhen we walkedaround Oswegoand picked uptrash.”
Rob Baldwin“Watching a girlfall down a flightof stairs duringPowerderpuffcheers.”
Steve Quonce“Playing in JazzBand.”
FrankSorranno
“EngineeringClasses.”
Editor’s Note: With four yearsof high school experience behindhim, Kevin Kern feels qualified toanswer any questions incomingfreshmen can throw his way. So inthe spirit of “Dear Abby” here is“Dear High Schooler.”
Q: “Is high school hard?” ~Signed: Sleepless in Scriba
A: High school is by no meanshard. If you groove toyour own beat you willbe fine. The timelessadage has alwayssaid; “You don’t getanywhere if you don’twork hard. Because,if you don’t workhard, you’re in thesame place you werewhen you started.”
Yes, aspects of high school will behard, I won’t lie to you. Don’t expectto walk through your Regents’ with a100 if you don’t study or at least payattention all year. Don’t expect any-thing to be given to you either. Per-haps the rudest awakening frommiddle and elementary school is thefact that you are on your own—a bit.You’re going into high school now, sostop worrying, and begin shaping theperson you will be for the rest of yourlife.
Q: “What is the best way tomake friends and become “popu-lar?” ~ Signed: Ima D. Iva
A: Well Ms. D.Iva, I’ll try mybest with this one. Above all things,the best way to find out who your truefriends are is to be yourself. Youshould not have to try and pull peopleto you. People should be attracted toyou. If you act like yourself, and justkeep on keepin’ it on, you will garnersome friends while you’re at OHS.Sure there are cliques and “gangs”(sorry, but I have to qualify the “G-unit” as a clique), but sooner or latereveryone gets involved in everyoneelse’s business. By the time you area senior, the walls of immaturity (for
the most part) are broken down. Youall should learn fast, that friends areeasier to gain than lose. So stay true toyourself.
Q: “What’s the best way to skipclass?” ~ Signed: L. “Ike” Toskip
A: Well there is no real good wayto skip class. I guess I would adviseyou not to do it all together. With DeputyDan out there along with the amazingdisappearing Mr. Anderson, you will un-doubtedly get caught, that is, of course,unless you just stay home and have yourparents write you an excuse. But weall know that good kids wouldnever………… next question.
Q: “How do I get to the thirdfloor?” ~Signed: G. Ullablefreshmen
A: Wake up! If any of your stillbelieve this one…. You need to see thenurse. ASAP.
Q: What are those I.D. Cardthingys? ~ L. Ostsophomore
A: Ah, the legendary I.D. Cardsof my childhood. OK, I.D.’s are theadministration’s attempt to turn all ofus into a number instead of a name. Imean sure—they have your name onthe front, but on the back, there is schooldistrict information. But according to thedatabases, I am still 535205. So, basi-cally they are your human brandingtags! AHHH!! No, just kidding. Theyare there so a hall monitor or teacherwho doesn’t know you can identify you.They are basically a piece of plastic youneed to have on you. Don’t complain,just do it. It will make your life, andeveryone else’s lives easier.
Q: “I’ve heard the hall moni-tors are really aliens that eat yoursoul if you’re out of class!” ~ Signed:I.O. Vereact
A: No! Stop! Calm down! Youare getting yourself all in a tizzy fornothing. Like Mr. Sullivan says” It’stime to hunker down.” So listen up, thisis a crash course in hallway travel—the easy way. The hall monitors are not“hall monsters.” They are all really nice.I would advise everyone to get hallmonitor friends. So don’t worry aboutthem. But if you are ever in need to get
through the halls with no pass, here’show to navigate successfully. If youwalk with purpose, and don’t look atanything except the hall ahead of you—no one will say a word! If you looklike you are on a “mission,” then youare, and keep it that way.
Q: “How is gym? Do we haveto change? And who is this god theycall McCaul?” ~Anonymous
A: It’s just like middle school,yes change (and PLEASE CLEANYOUR CLOTHES maybe once ayear? Please?), and Mr. McCaul ismost likely the premier physical edu-cation teacher of all time. He has(please excuse the pun) “raised thebar” for physical education teachers.He is amazing. Here is the secret tofiguring him out—You will notice hewears the same exact style ofcoaches’ shorts every day—no theyare not dirty. He has numerous pairsof the same shorts, just different col-ors. Some of us have even dubbedthem “mood shorts.” It seems as if hisshorts change with his mood. Whenhe is on an off day, his shorts are red,with the fire that only a gym teachercan muster. On calm days, a nice deepblue or muted grey can be seen. Forgym days of excitement, the green andblack are broken out. This is truly un-canny. For all you who have nevernoticed this, check it out.
And that, is a crash course in highschool, OHS style. Basically my finalmessage to everyone is keep yourhead up. Don’t look back. Never giveup on anything. Even if a teacher tellsyou otherwise (like if you havesenioritis and “someone” tells you thatyou won’t be able to produce any qual-ity work the rest of the semester). Betrue to yourself, and have fun in highschool. These truly are the times ofour lives. We live, we learn, we try tolove, and finally we graduate. It is aone track force of life. Congratulationsto the class of 2005, and to everyoneelse coming in, good luck. With workand determination, you can make it.
Advice on the secrets of OHS success
KevinKern
Page 5June 13, 2005 Column
Remembering that special teacher that made it funThroughout our many years here
in the Oswego City School District, wehave encountered many different per-
sonalities as far asteachers go. Some, wecouldn’t stand, some wereally didn’t notice. But,every now and then, wefound a teacher who in-fluenced us. And notjust influenced us, butmade who we are.They helped mold usinto the human beings
that we have become.In sixth grade, my teacher was
Mr. Joseph Oleyourryk. I took a par-ticular liking to him because he startedoff telling us corny jokes. He told usthat his girlfriend was outside playingtennis. When we looked, and there wasno one there, Mr. Oleyourryk said,“What, you can’t see Annette outthere?” His humor got me instantly.
But it was more than his humorthat captured me. Mr. O (as we oftencalled him) taught me things no one hadever bothered to tell me. The most im-portant thing he taught me was that
being the best should not be a top pri-ority. It sounds corny, I know. But thatlesson is something I returned mythoughts to every time I strived to domy best and yet fell short. He toldme that being my best is what is im-portant.
Another thing I thank Mr. O foris his mediation. My three closestfriends were in my class. The fourof us constantly fought; it became al-most a daily conflict. It got to a pointwhere Mr. O couldn’t handle it any-more. One day, he took us out intothe lunchroom. He said, “I’m sick ofall this bickering. In three years, noneof you will be close friends anymore.And then you’ll look back and wishyou didn’t waste all this time fight-ing, when you should be makingmemories.”
He was right, and we realized,nothing we were fighting about mat-tered. Or, it wouldn’t in a couple ofyears, anyway. We stopped fightingso much after that. We started doingmore things like going out to the mov-ies together, getting something to eat,and going shopping. We took a lot of
KatieFlynn
pictures; that was Mr. O’s doing also.Today, I look back at those pictures andit always makes me laugh. We were soyoung and naïve.
Mr. O made learning fun for us. Iremember watching Ben-Hur at the endof the year. Nobody was looking for-ward to watching it; especially inschool. Mr. O knew how much wewould hate it, so he allowed us to com-bine with the class next door so wecould be with our friends. He also al-lowed us to bring in candy and snacksfor the movie if we wanted to. It madethe movie much more enjoyable. Hetaught us about things he knew weren’t
in the sixth grade curriculum becausehe felt they were things we deservedto know.
When I think of adults or teach-ers who influenced me, I could namequite a few. But only one name sticksout in my head the most. Mr. JosephOleyourryk is an understanding, intelli-gent, funny human being. He loves chil-dren and he was proud to show it off.Even though I haven’t been able to seehim since he retired a few years ago, Iwill never forget his face. His lessonsand advice are things I hope to passonto my own children someday.
Page 6 Buccaneer BulletinWalking the Plank
Top-ranked graduate, Nick Cummins, ‘walks the plank’Editor’s Note: Each issue, we ask a notableOHS personality to “Walk the Plank” in aquestion-and-answer format. This month,Webmaster JoBeth Dunsmoor sat down withsenior class valedictorian Nick Cummins.
JoBeth Dunsmoor conducted this interview; photos by Morgan Arnold. “Walking the Plank” is a regular feature of The Buccaneer Bulletin.
BB: What advice can you give to students whoalso strive for academic achievement?
NC: Just take it one day at a time, and don’tget ahead of yourself.
BB: What colleges did you apply to?NC: University of Rochester, RIT, Univer-
sity of Chicago, Brandeis, Yale, Columbia, andCornell.
BB: Where will you be attending college/howdid you choose this college?
NC: I’m going to Columbia University inNew York City, because it was always a dreamof mine to go there and the area is awesome.
BB: What teacher do you feel influenced yoursuccess the most?
NC: Mrs. Ranous, because she helped mediscover my love for science.
BB: It is popular these days for students to com-pletely fill their schedule, sometimes not even leavingroom for a lunch. Do you recommend this? Wereyour schedules always so demanding?
NC: Definitely not. I had a lunch everyyear, and study halls here and there. It’s goodto have a break.
BB: What’s your favorite breakfast food?NC: Belgian waffles with peanut butter on
top. So good.
BB: What’s your favorite class?NC: Chemistry, because I really got into
the subject and Mrs. Ranous is an awesometeacher.
BB: What’s your worst fear?NC: Helplessness.
BB: If you could change one thing about OHS,what would it be?
NC: I wish we had more school spirit here;we need it.
BB: What is your theme song?NC: “Headstrong” by Trapt, definitely. It’s
awesome.
BB: Who is your dream date?NC: Halle Berry. She seems very real and
has an incredible smile.
BB: Where do you see yourself in ten years?NC: Probably locked up in an underground
lab working on some secret project.
BB: What would you choose for your last mealand who would you eat it with and why?
NC: If it was my last meal, I’d eat it withmy family and friends I guess, and I’d definitelyeat Wolfgang Pack’s barbeque chicken pizza. Ohmy God, so good.
BB: If you could be any superhero, who wouldyou be and why?
NC: I’d be Professor X because I’d wantto read people’s minds.
BB: How would you describe yourself?NC: Hardworking, optimistic, and maybe
a little crazy.
BB: What person is most influential to you?NC: I don’t think I can pick just one, I’ve
been influenced by so many people in my lifethat that decision would be impossible.
BB: If you could own any car in the world, whatwould it be and why?
NC: A Prowler, they’re really fast and havean awesome look.
BB: If you could live anywhere in the world,where would it be and why?
NC: Anywhere on a beach, maybe Florida
or Hawaii.
BB: What is in your CD player now?NC: Trapt. They’re the best alternative
rock band ever.
BB: What are some of your favorite song lyr-ics?
NC: “Someday I hope you get the chance,to live like you were dyin’,” from Tim McGraw’ssong “Live Like You Were Dyin.’”
BB: What are your thoughts waking up?NC: I wish I could go back to sleep…
BB: Are you a morning person or a night owl?NC: Neither, honestly. I’m a middle of the
day kind of guy.
BB: What will your major be in college?NC: Physics and/or chemistry.
BB: What will you take away from OHS?NC: A sense of who I am and where I’m
going, and what I want out of life.
BB: What’s your favorite OHS memory?NC: It would have to be either tricking
Ryan Tonkin into jumping out of Mr. Runeari’swindow and then locking him out in 9th grade,or watching Scott Sarkissian run face first into asliding glass door on the senior trip.
BB: What was the highlight of your senior year?NC: Definitely senior trip, not much can
top that.
BB: What was the low point of your high schoolcareer?
NC: I don’t think there was a low point, Ihad my ups and downs but overall high schoolwasn’t that bad.
BB: Who would you like to thank for gettingyou to graduation day?
NC: My parents, for motivating me evenwhen I didn’t want to be motivated.
Page 7June 13, 2005 Walking the Plank
Getting to know salutatorian Maureen ‘Moe’ Mancuso
JoBeth Dunsmoor conducted this interview; photos by JoBeth Dunsmoor. “Walking the Plank” is a regular feature of The Buccaneer Bulletin.
Editor’s Note: Each issue, we ask a notable OHS personality to “Walk thePlank” in a question-and-answer format. This month, Webmaster JoBethDunsmoor sat down with senior class salutatorian Moe Mancuso.
BB: What advice can you give to students who also strive for academicachievement?
MM: Do your own work, give a little effort, and ask questions!
BB: What colleges did you apply to?MM: I applied to SUNY Geneseo, Nazareth College, and LeMoyne
College.
BB: Where will you be attending college and how did you choose this col-lege?
MM: I am going to SUNY Geneseo because I really liked the cam-pus, and they have a program with Upstate so hopefully I can go thereafter Geneseo.
BB: What teachers do you feel had an influence on your success?MM: There are many teachers who have had an influence…especially
my teachers in my junior and senior years.
BB: It is popular these days for students to completely fill their schedule,not even leaving room for a lunch. Do you recommend this? Were your sched-ules always so demanding?
MM: No! You can’t go all day without a break. My schedules had alunch and many times a study hall too.
BB: What’s your favorite breakfast food?MM: A toasted cinnamon and sugar bagel from the Bagel Shop.
BB: What’s your favorite class?MM: My favorite class has always been math…but this year New
Vision (Health) has been fun too.
BB: What’s your worst fear?MM: People laughing at me!
BB: If you could change one thing about OHS, what would it be?MM: I would make the halls a little bigger.
BB: What is your theme song?MM: Never thought about this before…I have no idea.
BB: Where do you see yourself in ten years?MM: In ten years, I hope to have a doctorate in physical therapy
and be working in a rehab facility.
BB: What would you choose for your last meal and who would you eat itwith and why?
MM: It would be Taco Bell and some ice cream with my friends...that might be fun.
BB: If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?MM: Umm…I would be Elastigirl from The Incredibles because she
was pretty cool.
BB: How would you describe yourself?MM: Very sarcastic!
BB: What person is most influential to you?MM: I think that my classmates were most influential because they
too were determined to do well in school.
BB: If you could own any car in the world, what would it be and why?MM: How about a black BMW? Why not?
BB: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?MM: I would like to live someplace that is sunny everyday, but not
too hot, because then I could be outside all the time.
BB: What is in your CD player right now?MM: A CD with a bunch of different songs on it.
BB: What are some of your favorite song lyrics?MM: Let’s see…haha…I like “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys!
BB: What are your thoughts when you first wake up?MM: Do I have time to go back to sleep?
BB: Are you a morning person or a night owl?MM: Usually a night owl.
BB: What will your major be in college?MM: Physical therapy.
BB: What will you take away from OHS?MM: A good education and lots of memories!
Page 10 Buccaneer BulletinColumns
Even the cynics are graduating with mixed emotions
What wasthe high-light of yourhigh schoolcareer?
MeghanRose
“Senior trip.”
SarahPeddle
“Finally figur-ing out col-lege plans soI can get outof here.”
BrandonHolliday
“My friendsand all thepeople I’vemet.”
Are these really the best years ofour lives? This is the ultimate questionwe ask ourselves and the statement our
(apparently depressed)elders tell us. Is thisreally it? The gut reac-tion, at least mine, is, ifthis is true, why not killourselves now? Myreal question is, whatwas all this, what is allthis (high school that is)for? What is the realvalue? Because truly,
high school, and public education in gen-eral was made intended to prepare ‘us’for the real world- sending us out ableto get jobs. McDonald’s, here wecome! But in today’s reality, all it pre-pares us for is more education whetherin particular skills or in the academicarena. So, besides a stepping-stone tobetter things, why do we do it?
We basically do it because wehave to. However, in the ideas of soci-ety, the persistence of government andthe pressure our parents and teachers,we have evolved into ‘ourselves’. Highschool is like a blank piece of paper.You have so many expectations of whatyou will create on this paper, whetherwith words or a drawing, but it nevercomes out as intended, and I do notthink high school is anything like wethought it would be.
In order to organize my thoughtsor what we learned or experienced dur-ing high school, I will use an acrosticpoem.
H-Horror. You know when peopletell you things about people that youreally didn’t want to know. Like youfind out who did what this weekend withwho and it makes you want to vomit.Then you walk through the halls andsee them and want to vomit, again. Wewill probably never know so much aboutcomplete strangers (or people we walkby in hallways or on streets) so enjoy it,or try to keep your lunch down, whilewe have the chance.
I-Idiotic. We walk through thehalls, day by day, and year by year, and
see people doing things that makeIDIOT splash across the screen in ourminds. Whether it is seeing someone‘suck face,’ seeing someone fight, see-ing someone read, or seeing someoneeat a glue stick, we all think someone isan idiot. Years later, I’m sure we willall tell the more ridiculous stories thathappened, or some really stupid state-ment someone said. We all have sto-ries, and when it comes right down toit, the idiots are what make high schoolbearable, even humorous.
G-Grateful. Although we like tocomplain about OHS, whether we liketo admit it or not, we also need to rec-ognize that we are thankful. There isat least one class you enjoyed in highschool. We have to thank those teach-ers who let us enjoy school, for the sub-ject, for their advice and for their con-stant tolerance of us. (THANK YOU:to all my teachers. I recognize the factthat if I were you I would have slappedme in the face.) And if not because ofthe teacher, then because of the bodiesof cells around you. We can all thinkof that one class that was not only com-pletely pointless, but the teacher wasinsane too; that we suffered through andmanaged to make friends with peoplewe would have probably never met ortalked to otherwise. (Not specificallyany class I had/have) Those are theclasses we will remember.
H- Heightened. Heightened asin our thoughts of how important highschool actually is in the broad schemethat is our life. How many interviews
Dave Pelkey“ M e e t i n gDave Wild.”
with people do you read where theystate how cool, smart and popular theywere in high school? I’m sure BillGates wasn’t Mr. ‘Cool.’ And come tothink of it a lot of super rich (not thatthat necessarily implies success) didn’teven graduate high school. So maybewe should stop doing our homework andcoming to class to try to fail out. Thenwe can become rich and be on Driven.
And school…S-Stunning- There will always be
the person (or persons) that you believed
was the best looking person you hadever seen in your life. You may noteven talk to them but you will alwaysremember passing them in the hallwaysand your thoughts of ‘Gsdjhaksjfh’;namely, there are no words for thisperson’s amazing ness.
C- Calumniator. (Meaning foe orenemy). We have learned a lot fromour enemies and we will probably re-member them more than some of ourfriends. Everyone has enemies in highschool. It’s part of the fun. (Or maybethat’s just me) But at some point, thinkback to why you ‘hate’ this person (orthese people). Can you even remem-ber? Is it a legitimate reason, or is itabsolutely ridiculous? We will have todeal with people who we don’t like un-til forever; they aren’t going to disap-pear like the enemies now will whenwe leave (hopefully). Having enemiesand dealing with their upsetting exist-ence shapes us a lot more than we think.
H- Humdrum. Okay, it was hardto find another H word. (Although I
TanyaSwartz
There is something, even for the mostcynical, really sad about it being over.Whether it’s the fact that we won’t see or talkto most of our friends till Christmas, orwhether it is the frightening reality that we areentering the ‘real world.’
am sure you are thinking of the same,four letter H word I am thinking of).Meaning dull, I think we can all admitthat the days became a little anticlimac-tic and repetitive. Perhaps this is actu-ally a good thing, making us all a littlebit more creative.
O-Over. Finally. We can moveon, move out, stay here, and not haveto get up before 7 am on weekdays.There is something, even for the mostcynical, really sad about it being over.Whether it’s the fact that we won’t seeor talk to most of our friends till Christ-mas, or whether is the frightening real-ity that we are entering the ‘real world’.
O- Oswego. More than anythingelse in the entire world (okay, perhapsthere are a few things that are moreimportant) I want to leave Oswego.But no matter how you look at it; thereis at least some, nostalgia for this town.Especially if you were born and raisedhere (and if you weren’t don’t bring itup, it sparks insane murderous jealouslyamong your native counterparts).Whether it’s your backyard, orWal*Mart, there is somewhere you willmiss about this place.
L-Long. This was probably fourof the longest years of our lives (thusfar). And certainly, at least hopefully,not the very best years of our lives.Sure, everything was ‘paid for’ by ourparents (food, etc). But are we thatafraid of responsibility that the someof the ‘easiest’ years of our lives arethe best. We now get to move on andmove whenever, basically, we want to.Once we are out on our own, we can,and certainly should, change our envi-ronment when we really really don’tlike it.
And to think I was trying to makethis positive. All I’m saying (and whyyou should listen to me, or have evengotten this far in the column is beyondme) is not to let these be the best yearsof your life. Yes, they are a part ofour life, but this was not it. High schoolis not a reality so much as a memorynow, emotionally vivid yet mentallyvoid.
Page 11June 13, 2005 News
This list was compiled by BrianBalduzzi, Alumni Editor, with the help ofMrs. Moreau and the Career Center.
Dave BurgerStefanie BurgessDanielle CarterAmanda ColeRyan ColemanSarah Crucitti
Melissa DawsonBen Driskell
Stephanie FaliseSamantha Ferguson
Devin FlynnKatie FlynnKara ForbesGina Garcia
Brad GoeweyRobert GreeneyAlecia LosurdoAustin Marks
Patrick McConnellDanielle Mulcahey
Jill MulcaheyCiera Nelson
Ashley O’NeilTravis Quonce
Steve PetrieSteve Pomerville
Shawn ReganNoah Sweeting
Clarkson UniversityBridgette DoranJames HollandNicholas Miles
Coastal Carolina UniversityThomas Schrader
College of Environmental Scienceand Forestry
Nathan Brady
Columbia UniversityNicholas Cummins
Crouse School of NursingAlexa Fantom
Culinary Institute of AmericaJeffery Deloff
Daemen CollegeSarah Ferlito
D’Youville UniversityMorgan Arnold
Finger Lakes Community CollegeJeremy DonohueMatthew Gentile
Florida Institute of TechnologyThomas Blodgett
Sean Joyce
Full SailNicholas Ferrara
Ryan RussellKevin Tonkin
Georgetown UniversityJacquelyn Stanley
Georgia State UniversityKarli Klein
Great Basin CollegeSaleena Goglio
Hamilton CollegeTimothy LloydGarrett Morgan
Herkimer Community CollegeMichael CuletonMark Donovan
Jenna EarlNicole Haynes
Michelle HibbertAshlee HinckleyBrian Johnson
Brian McCrobieAndrew Stein
Hofstra UniversitySarah BameBrad Guilds
Sara Pritchard
Hudson Valley Community CollegeTina HausworthBrittany Holliday
Ithaca CollegeMary HoeferKatie Schultz
ITT Technical InstituteJosh Baum
Ryan Brown
Jefferson Community CollegeAleisha Bennett
Danielle Thompson
Johnson & Wales UniversityTravis Potter
Thomas Sullivan
Junior HockeyMark Talamo
LeMoyne CollegeRobert Baldwin
Stephanie BristolAndy LarsonSara Pelkey
Justine RavasEd Tucker
Loyola University of New OrleansAlysse Dowdle
Lynchburg CollegeKathleen Payne
MarinesMark Bauer
Marist CollegeAshley CowdenJake Rotunno
McGill UniversityMeera Bhardwaj
Medaille UniversityShala Reifinger
Mohawk Valley CommunityCollegePatrick Gates
Kara McLaughlin
Monroe Community CollegeShane Alton
Matthew BaileyJoshua Bolton
Katie BreenJoseph Burns
Thomas HollandAmber Mahoney
Liz MillerShane MurrayAlexis Taylor
NavyRyan Farley
Joshua Stiles
Nazareth CollegeMaggie Brown
Madeline DonovanEric Germain
Ashley GessnerChristina Losurdo
Ali McGrathKyle Potter
New England Culinary InstituteChristopher Ferguson
New Jersey Institute of TechnologyRobert Ahart
Niagara Community CollegeAftin Devney
Niagara UniversityMegan Donovan
Crystal FlackSharon Plank
North Carolina State UniversityPatrick Donovan
Northeastern UniversityTimothy Sollenberger
Onondaga Community CollegeJonathan Ashline
Rob MyhillSteve QuonceDevin Rookey
Paul Smith CollegeNick Rose
Pratt at Munson-Williams-ProctorMaggie Henry
Rennselaer Polytechnic InstituteRoy Marshall
Robert Wesleyan CollegeLindsay CurrierShawn Taylor
continued on page 15
College is next for these members of the senior class
Page 12 Buccaneer Bulletin Columns
Thirteen years, so many memories, so-long Oswego High School
SENIORS, your future is now. There is so muchout there – college, careers, YOUR INDEPENDENCE.Please, don’t forget where you came from.
Remember your elementarydays? Learning to spell four let-ter words (i.e. girl, star, and bear),timed multiplication quizzes, thelunch room, and thinking sixthgrade meant being king of theworld. How about middle school?There was real homework, travelingsports teams, new faces, and just wait-ing to get to high school.
Here you are. Freshmen yearseemed like yesterday, yet it’s easy to
deny – you’re “grown up” now. You can vote, give blood,be drafted, sign your own name on the dotted line, anddrive your own car. Everything is rolling in the right di-rection and your fate seems to be sealed for anotherfew years. At last! A time to relax, a calm before no
storm - It is your senior year summer…. There you go.There will be good times, a last trip with close
friends to concert, a job to get some last minute cash,just hoping you’re ready for what’s next. There will be
book buying, debt counting, and parents complaining –but you’ve made it. So what to do now?
This month, go back to your elementary schooland say goodbye to a teacher who never got to sharethe fruits of their labors with you. Live for memories.Write a thank you to that math teacher that never letyou quit, or to a best friend you lost touch with over theyears past.
HUG YOUR MOM. People have come-and-gonein your eighteen years. In all your life, she has been
there for you providing guidance that, whether or notyou’ll admit it, has influenced your life in more waysthan you can grasp. Shop with an aunt, go fishing withyour uncle, play catch with your dad, take your siblings
go-cart racing, and send flowers to yourgrandparents. Indulge yourself in their his-tory; they gave you the future.
Remember those classmatesaround you who have been there sinceyour first memory. Many of these you may
never see their faces again, never hear their names, seefaces, or shake their hands again. Don’t lose the chanceto enjoy a final nostalgic moment.
Life goes on, and so do the rifts between us all.Savor the time you have, mend your differences withothers. Sign every yearbook as if it was your bestfriend’s. Finally, when you meet what destiny has instore for you, come home. Follow the path before youwith wisdom and unwavering passion, and you will ac-complish your greatest dreams.
When I look back at Kindergar-ten, the things I remember mostclearly are: a scheduled nap-time
every day, beinggraded for coloringand counting to onehundred. Art classconsisted of fingerpainting, and in musicwe could singchildren’s songs out oftune. We had recesson the playgroundevery day and had asandbox in our
classroom which always proved to bea distraction from what we werereally supposed to be doing. Backthen, the biggest lesson to learn washow to share your toys with yourclassmates. One of the biggestchallenges we were given wascoloring within the lines, but it wasn’ttoo big a deal if you couldn’t. All youhad to know about math was one plusone is equal to two.
There was not one of us whohad any worries about what wewanted to be when we grew up. Wedidn’t really care what college wewent to or what diploma we wouldreceive upon graduating. We werecarefree and just wanted to go outsideand race the entire class to the swingset. Our minds had yet to be cor-rupted with learning standards andRegents exams. In fact, the only thingwe worried about was how we weregoing to fit our coat, backpack, anditem for show-and-tell in our “cubbies.
I remember graduating fromKindergarten back in ‘93 at Saint
Mary’s, wearing a little blue gradua-tion cap on my head made of blueconstruction paper and a tassel madeof yarn. Our parents sat in thebasement of Hopkins Hall with us onthat tiny stage, (but then it felt sobig). At that moment in time, I wasas happy as could be and it was themost important moment in my life.My classmates and I were so excitedto be moving on to first grade in thefall.
My first day in first grade I hadno idea where I was going sinceduring the summer I had decided toswitch from Saint Mary’s to LeightonElementary. Luckily my neighbor andbest friend, Tiffany, was in my classand sat next to me, being the onlyperson I knew. Second grade broughtwriting books with Mrs. Barnes, andhaving my own, slightly more difficultspelling list.
Fourth grade introduced the“Scholar Dollar” system with Mrs.McKeever and me refusing to learnmultiplication.
In fifth grade we wrote a playabout the solar system with our firstgrade reading buddies. Through theyears there were Arts Festivals,chorus concerts, kickball tournamentsin the playground, and sledding downLeighton Hill. Halloween broughtcostume contests and Christmas,“Secret Santa.”
Then in sixth grade cameanother graduation ceremony, withour parents in uncomfortable foldingchairs sitting behind us and the fourthand fifth graders at Leighton Elemen-tary sitting impatiently and fidgeting
in the bleachers behind them. Wewaited for what felt like hours whilethey called all of our names, althoughthere were only about one hundred ofus at the most. Once again it felt likethe most important moment in ourlives when we walked down the aislebetween those folding chairs to getour “diploma” and certificates.
Middle school brought dances,first boyfriends, trying to fit in andlockers that we could barely fit ourbackpacks into. The top compart-ments smacked the person who stoodnext to you in the head if you weren’tcareful.
Eighth grade ended with anaward ceremony, not a graduationbecause “you won’t really graduateuntil you are finished with highschool,” and a dance which felt likeprom, except only eighth grade style.
Then the class of 2005 enteredthe high school with our freshman“Be an OHS winner, not an OHSwhiner” t-shirts which we wereharassed greatly for, and lockers thatI couldn’t open for the life of me, fordays. Two days later we encounteredSeptember 11, which shaped ourentire high school career and mademany of us grow up more within afew hours than we had in years.Football games, chorus concerts, theyearly high school musicals, andRegents exams followed over thenext four years, bringing us to thepoint where we are now.
With only days left until wegraduate, many of us will reflect overour school years, remembering all ofthe good times and bad times that we
shared together, our triumphs anddefeats, our ups and downs. We willhear talk in the hallways about thecolleges that we will be attending inthe fall and how we will walk acrossthat stage in a real cap and gown, notthe paper one from kindergarten.
We will give our final farewellsto Oswego High School, promisingthat we will come back and visit oncein a while to catch up with teachersand friends. We will leave behind ourlockers, leaving the people next to usthe permission to harass the newfreshman who inhabits it in the fall.Then we are gone, leaving everythingopen to a new generation of peoplewho will replace us, as we are off tocollege, the military, or the workforce.
I would like to wish all of myfellow classmates good luck inwhatever they decide to do in theirlives. Make new friends in college,but don’t forget the ones here thatyou had your entire lives here in goodold Oswego. I hope that you all go offto do great things in your lifetime andlive your lives to the fullest.
And now the time has comewhere I am forced to give my finalfarewell to the Class of ’05, andevery other student in OHS with theIrish Blessing.“May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be at your back. May the sun be warm on your face. May the rain fall soft upon yourfields. And until we meet again,May God hold you - Hold you in thepalm of his hand”Goodbye… and I’m out… Peace.
AmandaSawyer
ChrisBattles
Some advice to the seniors from a mere underclassman
“Follow the path before you with wisdom.”
Page 13June 13, 2005 Features/Columns
Before They Were Our Stars: Teachers’ Senior Pics
How in the world does this group produce an award-winning paper?
continued from page 1in the district as well. While at OHS, hehas most enjoyed his interaction withclubs, teams, and students, and says thatbeing able to deliver a good lesson andhelping students find answers to toughquestions is extremely gratifying. In thefuture this teacher and coach plans totravel extensively and open a small busi-ness with his daughter Kristen. In leaving, Bevacqua adds, “It hasbeen a privilege to work here . . . I justhope I have had a small positive influ-ence on some of my students. That is alla teacher can expect.” Mrs. Debbie Deeb is retiring at theend of this school year after having spent
her entire 33 years of teaching here atOHS. Throughout that time, Deeb hastaught nearly all levels of English classes,and most recently has taught AmericanLit and SUPA English. One of her lega-cies at OHS is the creation of The Writ-ing Center in 1995. Deeb acknowledgesthat the best part of teaching has beenworking with students and teachers, orwhat she calls “the people part” of thejob. After retirement, Deeb hopes tospend her new-found spare time read-ing, writing, traveling, and being with fam-ily. Her hobbies also include gardeningand landscaping; if she does choose towork again in the future, she says she’llbe perfectly happy with a job at OntarioOrchards. Deeb jokingly confesses, “I’ll
As times change, people change. How do you think your senior picture will llook ten or twenty years from now? Pictured here are some of the facesthat we, as OHS students see everyday. But, do we recognize these famliar faces? These are the senior portraits of some OHS teachers and staffmembers. How many can you recognize? (Look in the bottom right corner of page 15 for the answers.)
continued from page 3to my seat, I see that there are actuallypeople working. Joani Bristol, EmilyDraper, Mariah Taylor, and Erin Reff areall sitting diligently working on journalism.That’s impressive. Or maybe they’re justreally good at faking it. I’m not surewhich would actually be moreextraordinary. Meanwhile, McCrobie hasbecome busy admiring his pierced ear inthe computer screen.
12:45 - Jackie: The usual debatehas arisen about where Jake got hisaccent, when I discover that the newsstory that was planned for page one isnowhere to be found. It’s like AmandaSawyer has sensed that someonerealized her story is missing becauseshe’s left the room again. Damn; and Iwas so looking forward to hearing thenewest excuse, too! I really enjoyed that
more concerned with saving it thansaving her layout. The paper may needto be finished tomorrow, but she’s got tobe beautiful today.
12:56 – Tanya: Considering it’spast 12:45 this makes it time to leave. Isit for a moment pondering why Isigned up for this class to begin with.When I realize Jake, Brian andMcCrobie are in a fight and my earsinstantly start to bleed. That’s my cue.
12:57 - Jackie: I reflect on ourbehavior and wonder how we’vemanaged to produce a paper at all.By the time class is over I am at a lossfor words… all I can really think of tosay to this group of lunatics is, “Keep upthe good work!” No one hears me, ofcourse, because they’ve all left already,but oh well, the paper’s put to bed.
last one, when she swore every personshe had planned to interview died in afreak confrontation with a bull.
12:50 - Tanya: It’s almost theend of class. This is when Mr.McCrobie gets bored. “Tanya… what’sthe fifth commandment? Where’s mymoney.” I respond with a quick “spent.”Background check: One day, whensomeone was giving me crap about thefamily being religious (yet again),McCrobie made a bet with me aboutwhat the 5th commandment is. (It’shonor your father and mother). Hedidn’t believe me, so we checked onlinesources…1…2…. 3 proved me right.He still didn’t believe me, so I ran downto the library, stole the “T” encyclopedia,proved him wrong, and was paid 5dollars. Then, after he’d typed somepapers on Word saying I was wrong, he
called me a liar and insisted I pay himback. Whatever.
12:54 - Jackie: Morgan andDevin are back, without Tom, andMorgan’s hair is all messed up. Nocomment. Ali is back too, and is amusingeveryone with a reenactment anddiagram of her latest minor car accident.Everything seems to be relatively inorder (as much as it ever will be). Justwhen I think we’ve made it through theentire class without a serious crisis,everyone’s computers malfunction andnoone’s work will save. The creepysmirk that Jake always wears on hisface transforms into a look of sheerhorror.. “SAVE TO THE C-DRIVE,SAVE TO THE C-DRIVE!!” he isrunning around the room yelling, as if anyof us even know what the C-drive is.Sara dropped her lip gloss again and is
miss (OHS), but not the paperwork.”Mr. David Shoemaker says he is
“closing this chapter” of his life whenhe retires from teaching at the end ofthis year. Shoemaker has taught for 29years, 25 of which he’s spent at OHS.Prior to his teaching career he spent 4years in the Navy serving at the SouthPole and Vietnam. Shoemaker hastaught engineering classes, wood shop,drafting, small engines, metal shop, anddigital electronics. He has also donatedhis time to Model Aircraft Club, whichhe hopes to continue advising even afterhe retires.
Shoemaker says he will continuedoing machine shop work independently,where he’ll build museum-quality small
model-engines. Also, “Shoe” plans to in-crease his time spent raising horses onthe farm he runs with his daughter. Hisfavorite part of teaching has been work-ing with “interesting students of all lev-els and abilities.” He says he’ll miss thatteacher-student interaction, and also that,in general, he has found that at OHS,“most people are just really nice.”
With their final farewells takencare of, these four veterans will teachthe last classes of their careers on June15. After decades of enthusiasticallylending their knowledge, guidance, andexpertise to students and other teach-ers, they will finally have some well-earned retirement time to spend onthemselves for a change.
Retirees Lynch, Bevacqua, Shoemaker, and Deeb on life after OHS
Page 14 Buccaneer BulletinColumns
Our four years at OHS was not just another teen movie!
What wouldyou changeabout OHSif you couldfor futurestudents?
SamFerguson
“I wouldallowstudents tosit in front oftheir lockersduring andafterschool.”
JustinMinotti
“I wouldmake thebagels in thecafeteriabigger.”
AmandaGabrielle
“I wouldhave theattendancepolicychanged.”
Tim Stitt“I wouldmakelanguageand mathelectives.”
Dear Oswego HighSchool: I accept the fact thatI had to sacrifice four years in
high school forwhatever itwas I didwrong. What Idid waswrong, but Ithink you’recrazy to makeme write acolumn, tellingyou who I
think I am. What do youcare? You see me as youwant to see me, in thesimplest terms, in the mostconvenient definitions. Yousee me as: a brain, an athlete,a basket case, “princess”, anda criminal. Correct? That’sthe way I saw myself fresh-men year. I was brainwashed.
It’s easy to look at thelast four years and runscreaming down the hall,flailing your arms towards theescape of high school, yet Ifind myself reflective of whoI was and what I’ve become.I had typical expectations ofhigh school prior to gettingshoved in my first locker.Unfortunately, these pros-pects looked dim as the lightsin most of our classrooms. Iwas raised on melodramatic,often satirical high schoolmovies starring actressessuch as Molly Ringwald, whoI insist is still stuck in a highschool somewhere in Idahowith “Napoleon Dynamite”.These movies providedfictitious “wonder years” ofhigh school for me that it hasyet to live up to. Maybe wewere Better off Dead.
As I am about to walkacross the stage at graduationtowards a new stage in mylife, I decided to watch all the
movies that are supposed tohave given me a detailedanalysis of the higher learn-ing we call “high school.” Istarted with SixteenCandles, a popular comedyidealizing Molly Ringwald’spathetic existence as anactress. What if all youwanted out of high schoolwas that “one person”? Theyare the reason why you
joined Student Council tohave a conversation starter,why you lied to your parentsto go to a party. They areyour reason for getting up inthe morning, the reason whyyou are who you are. Asunrealistic as it sounds, Iknow people who have doneit, their own foolish fumblethrough fifty-two pick-up forthe King or Queen of (Our)Hearts. We need this, ourfirst harsh realization as towhy love is sometimes calleda “crush.” High school wouldnot have been the samewithout this person, I wouldnot have been the samewithout this person.
On a similar note, Isuffered through “Pretty inPink” with the infamous bestfriend love. The oppositegender best friend is aninfamous cliché in high schooldramas, but I’ve been on theoffering side. I firmly believea guy and a girl can nevertruly be “just friends,” despiteopposing claims. It’s notpossible in high schools that
are filled more with hormonesthan students. The best friendsuffers through late nightsplaying board games with theother’s parents, the 2:00 amannoying phone calls, thetortuous double dates, and thetears over not being namedProm Queen. They have beenthrough everything high schoolcan offer two friends, practi-cally nothing, but enough to
stimulate hormonal rushes tothe “heart” of love. Beforewe leave, tell that one personhow much they meant to you,no matter when they meantthe most to you. Life is allabout chances, the chance ofsuccess withoutacknowledgement of a fact isstatistically zero.
What about the peoplewho have Never BeenKissed? The people some ofus strut past everyday, neverrealizing their personalsufferings, like how I sat homelast Friday night with myparents playing Parcheesiand… These are the peoplewho categorize and stereotypeour high school’s “in-crowd.”These are people we long toparty with, but later hearpractical jokes and blackmailstories about on Mondaymornings. What if high schoolwas all about being “popular”?Not to sound cliché, but thereis a “bigger world” out therebeyond Prom courts, hockeygames, and “sucking face.”This movie taught me quite
simply, “when you get there[the real world], it won’tmatter if you were promqueen or the quarterback orthe biggest nerd in school.What matters is that you don’tregret who you were, whoyou are…” Not a bad lessonfor a hyped up teenagemelodramatic comedy. Thiscolumn began with a bet,similar to She’s All That: Who
will miss highschool first? Mypartner-in-cynicism and Icompeted towrite the bestsarcastic andbitter “farewellto high school”
column. I guess I lost, butgained something moreimportant: an identity.
In the past year, I’velearned that it is normal, evenexpected of us, to fulfill thesestereotypes of a typical Fridaynight with friends and en-emies. I even respect thesepeople for enjoying the fewyears we have as teenagers,the only time to indulge in“teenage debauchery.” To therest of you, including myself,make the most of the time youhave. Don’t be afraid to say hito the cute girl who sits behindyou in math, talk about alecture was with the cool guyin your economics class, or tellsomeone how much yourespect them. As I look back,there are a lot of things I wishI had told people, conversa-tions I was never able to getthe courage to have, people Inever had the opportunity tomeet. Don’t have any regretswhen you walk across thestage at graduation.
This column began witha purpose, to finish and
explore high school with thehelp of stereotypes. It endswithout a purpose andstretched longer than I thoughtnecessary. In a way, doesn’tthat resemble high school?We’re just as confused whenwe end as when we began,and it took us four long yearsto realize that it doesn’t matterhow we began, only wherewe are now. We leavewanting to be remembered;we want to leave a messagefor those left behind. Mymessage is honest and true,and quite out of character:Enjoy high school. Enjoy yourlast years of freedom, your“moments” (yes, I’ve hadsome), your feuding friends,the last adults who care aboutyou, the “best years of yourlife.”
In Dead Poet’s Society,a classic teenage drama,Robin William’s characterquotes Herrick, “Gather theerosebuds while thee may, Oldtime is still a-flying…”. This ismy message for you, thesenior class. I hope you allmade the most of the time youhad because I didn’t. To therest of the student population,realize the opportunities youhave, however meager theymight seem. In conclusion:
Dear Oswego High School:
You see our class as youwant to see us: in the simplestterms, in the most convenientdefinitions. But what wefound out is that each one ofus is a brain, and an athlete,and a basket case, a princess,and a criminal. Does thatanswer your question?
Sincerely yours,The Senior Class.
BrianBalduzzi
Don’t have any regrets when you walkacross the stage at graduation.
Page 15June 13, 2005 News
continued from page 11Rochester Institute of Technology
Alex AngelinaJustin Baum
Colin Blake-ButlerShaun Boyer
Dan BradshawBrittany Graham
Tony KnoppLaura MandanasAmanda QuirkSeana ScanlonTom SchneiderChristine Stone
Saint Michael’s CollegeKelley Callahan
Saint Rose CollegeAmy Smith
Seminole/Florida StatePamela Scholla
Simmons Institute of MortuaryServiceRyan Baldwin
Sparten College of Aeronautics &Technology
Darrell MoreauDerrick Moreau
Saint John Fisher CollegeErika Kocher
Megan MacDonaldMeghan Rose
Saint Joseph’s School of NursingAshley Murphy
Saint Lawrence UniversityShannon Buckley
Stevens Institute of TechnologyEric Smith
SUNY AlbanyDavid DemlingKevin Cullinan
Chelsea Kaye-BidingerRachel McCormick
SUNY BinghamtonTyler FernaaysCory JohnsonEvan Thomas
Before They Were Our StarsAnswers from page 13Teachers’ senior pictures (left to right):Mr. Mark Fierro, Ms. Cheryl Irwin, Mr.Shawn Caroccio, Mrs. Cindy Fatiga, andMrs. Mary Beth Fierro
Post-graduation Plans
Class of 2005 chooses colleges, universities near and far
Page 16 Buccaneer BulletinSports
Recalling four years of OHS sports memoriesFreshman Year
2001-2002The Buccaneer varsity baseball
team started the season 0-3, but won11 of its last 12 games to pull theirrecord to 11-4, earning them a berth inthe sectionals. Some of their key play-ers were catcher Brandon Delaney, hit-ters Steve Gioia, Tom Wild, TomFarrell, and the stellar pitching staff.Head coach Tom Frawley Sr. led theBucs into sectionals, where they wontheir first game against B-Ville, but fellto CNS in the second round.
Sophomore Year2002-2003
The Oswego High School lost
four outstanding senior athletes tograduation, all four of whom signed onto strong colleges. Lacrosse player MattMcNamara, a four-year vet of the var-sity lacrosse team signed a letter of in-tent with the Binghamton Bearcats, astrong Division I lacrosse school. Bas-ketball player Ashley Wallace, also afour-year OHS starter and an EmpireState Games key player, signed a letterof intent to Pace University, a DivisionII school. Golfer Maggie Lester, a five-year varsity player signed a letter of in-tent to play on the Penn State golf team,a Division I school. Representing girls’lacrosse was Lindsay Saternow, an all-league player who signed with St.Bonaventure.
Senior Anthony Lazzaro is joined by parents Mark and Karen on SeniorNight for the Buccaneer hockey team in February.
Junior Year2003-2004
The girls’ varsity soccer team wona sectional final overtime marathonagainst rival Liverpool to become Sec-tion III champions. Led by Goalie AliCanale, the Bucs beat Liverpool in athrilling shootout after 80 minutes ofregulation play and four overtimes.When the game went down to penaltykicks, Tricia Reed, Erin Baker, CourtneyHocking, Brooke Sherman, and Shan-non Farden represented the Bucs, andpulled out a victory, advancing their teamto Regional play, where they lost 1-0 toShenendehowa.
Senior Year2004-2005
The Oswego Buccaneer hockeyteam had a spectacular season thisyear, finishing the season in the NYSDivision I Quarterfinals with a recordof 19-2-4. Seniors on the team includedNate Brady, Josh Flett, Mike Friel, BrianJohnson, Sean Joyce, Anthony Lazarro,Tim Lloyd, Brian McCrobie, Nick Miles,Ryan Pratt, Pat Ryan, Eric Smith, FrankSoranno, Doug Parkhurstand MarkTalamo.
Another highlight from the 2004-05 winter season was the acceptanceof a full volleyball scholarship to Syra-cuse University by senior-three sportstandout Emily Kaier.
The boys’ swim team won itsleague while breaking Liverpool’s winstreak of consecutive meets.
The girls’ volleyball team of coachRon Ahart continued to earn a reputa-tion as one of the strongest programs inSection III.
Senior Emily Kaier signs her letter-of-intent to Syracuse University withher parents Geri and Bob looking on.
