Devin St. Pierre holds the title of Marshwood’s “Die Hard Hawk Fan”

By: Karissa Boesch

Far Right Devin St. Pierre #21

Devin St. Pierre, a senior at Marshwood High School, is not just a Marshwood sports fan, but he is Marshwood’s number one sports fan.

His love for sports started at a young age, and as he grew older his love for them still remained. Devin explained, “my mom said I used to play basketball for like two hours.” Devin then added, “from then on I’ve always loved sports.” Because of his love and passion for sports, the class of 2013 voted him for the senior superlative of “Die Hard Hawks Fan.”

When Devin received the news of his superlative, he explained that, “I was really excited because I really dedicate myself to the school.”  Mrs. Hannah Hare, a teacher at Marshwood, said “I think he is most deserving, given the work he’s done with the teams. He’s put in a lot of time and dedicates his time to the Marshwood sports.” Johanna Kashmere, a junior at MHS, stated, “It made me smile when I heard he got #1 Hawks fan. He truly deserves it.” The excitement of Devin getting an award like this is consistent around the school.

On and off the field, Devin is always supporting the teams and keeping a positive attitude. On the field, “regardless of how the team is doing, Devin never loses hope,” said junior football player, Tyler Gagnon. Another football player and Marshwood junior, Sam Woodman, stated, “[Devin] was always at practice when he could be and took his responsibilities seriously. He’s the waterboy but also as much as a teammate to me as anyone else.” In addition to working with the football team, Devin is also assists the varsity basketball and lacrosse teams.

When Devin was little he used to play rec. basketball and when he reached high school he switched to managing the teams. His reason was, “I know all the people and players and they’re fun to be around. I like to help out and I like the coaches. I just like the sports.” As manager, he fills up water bottles, informs the athletic trainer, Greg Abbott, if anyone is hurt, and organizes the equipment.

Devin will be graduating on June 7, 2013 with the rest of his senior class. Even though he will be leaving the school and moving on in life, he says that he will come back to show his support for Marshwood sports. He will always be remembered as one of the biggest fans Marshwood has had and the memories many made with him will live on at MHS.

Devin’s favorite memory was the “football season. We all didn’t know how Coach Rotsko was going to be, and we made it to the state championship.” A teammate recalls his favorite memory of Devin as “when he suited up for the senior night football game. It showed his love and devotion to the team. I saw how happy he really was.”

This spring season, Devin continues to show his Hawk pride managing the boys varsity lacrosse team. No matter the season he doesn’t stop what he loves to do.

6am Baseball Practices Bring Teams Closer Together and Hit Off the Season

By: Katie Leahy

Marshwood’s baseball teams, both junior varsity and varsity, swing into a strong start of the season with morning practices as early as 6am with dreaded activities before an already busy school day.

Marshwood senior, Matthew Brenner, on the varsity baseball team decided that it was time for the team to step it up. “We wanted to get some of the younger members ready and we wanted to get them in shape for the season” said Brenner. These practices, held in the morning, are open to all teams and are optional. Matt and his teammate, senior Maxwell McCoomb, feel that these practices are good for the whole team. Both Matt and Max said,“it helps us bond as a team early in the morning. We may not want to be there but we know that it will help us in the long run.”

Athletic director of Marshwood, Mr. Rich Buzzell, support the team’s work.  He said “I think it’s about the chemistry” when it comes to building the team’s bond during these practices. Mr. Buzzell also mentioned the pros of the practices.  He said “it gives kids more structure and discipline” and “they have more time- don’t have to worry about a team bumping them out.” For the future, Mr. Buzzell thinks it would be a good idea if the teams had practices split up between the morning and the afternoon, focusing on different areas of a workout. “If I had my choice I would do cardio in the morning,” he said. “After an hour and a half people lose focus, if you’re not mentally there, that’s when kids start getting hurt and they let their guard down,” he stated.

Marshwood junior, Peter Lajeunesse said, “our strength as a team is the chemistry we have as friends.” He, along with other players felt that they didn’t have any specific weaknesses, just a few areas that needed to be worked on as a team, like getting some of the younger players up to speed.

Fellow teammate and senior, Kyle Markham explained what these morning practices include. “We get there by like 5:30/5:45, [practice] starts at 6.  We do a warm-up complex.  2 of them actually” he said. It doesn’t end there, “we go to the lower parking lot and do sprints, stretch, agility mountain climbers, suicides in the parking lot, last complex, and finish around 6:50.” Not only do players attend these morning practices, but they also have to attend their mandatory afternoon/mid evening practices.

In the 2012 season the varsity team held a record of 14-2 in regular season, which became 14-3 in the playoffs when they lost the first game to Bonnie Eagle. Many teams have big goals on what the want to work on or what they could do better, but both Matt and Max state with determination, “we want to win a state championship.” This season is dedicated to honor Troy Pappas. Matt was close to Trpy and can explain how much the teams want to show “T-Pap” that this is HIS season.

Marshwood’s morning baseball practices is yet to be determined may be long gone and forgotten once the seniors graduate. It’s not that the practices aren’t helpful.  It really just depends on the players and how willing they are to be at the school so early to complete a rigorous work out.  Kyle Markham felt that maybe future teams would continue to push their limits.

If the team sees they are doing better this may encourage them to make changes in the way they prepare for a season. Support and dedication to the team is what they need, so come to the games and cheer them on! Number 7 would be proud.

Marshwood Teacher Michael Hannon Honored: Florida Tech Hall of Fame

By: Anthony Cota

The major goal of the Florida Tech Panthers has finally come 20 years later! The Florida Tech baseball team of 1992 has recently been honored into the Florida Tech Hall of Fame. Our very own Mr. Michael Hannon (#8) says that he is very proud, but, “it was a team achievement.” But why was they honored 20 years later?

Mr. Hannon explained that his team had, “done something that no Florida Tech baseball team had done before,” which was making it to the Division II World Series. Impressively, the 1992 team was, “one of the top teams in the 50-year history of Florida Tech baseball,” said the Florida Tech Hall of Fame website. Without a doubt, the team truly made history.

Hannon was a left fielder who also played third base, which are two difficult positions that require a lot of throwing. He was a part of the team throughout his entire college career from 1988 to 1992, but his baseball days began much earlier. It was his grandfather who got him into baseball while growing up.

Coached by Les Hall, the Panthers won the NCAA  Division II South Atlantic Region Championship which led them to the NCAA Tournament. Every member of the team contributed to the achievement as it was a, “total team effort.” To this date, that team still holds the best record for any Florida Tech baseball team - the very reason the team is being honored now.

Currently, Mr. Hannon is the coach of the varsity baseball team at Berwick Academy. Not only does he just coach and play baseball, he teaches a difficult subject in high school; math. All students find Mr. Hannon greatly helpful when it comes to math. Jacob Cheney, a junior who had Mr. Hannon as a freshman says that, “It was my best year for math because of Mr. Hannon.”

Being blown away is an understatement for the reaction to the achievements Mr. Hannon and his team has made. A certain surprise it was to have this happen 20 years later but certainly a mark on history that still makes is still with us today.

New Hampshire Faces Joining MHS Fall of 2015

By: Alexis Ross

Marshwood will be accepting new students in the fall of 2015. Currently attending school in the Somersworth District, the Rollinsford community have decided to cross the state line and send their students to Marswhood schools, grades 6 and up, for tuition. This means more money for Marshood and more opportunities for the students of Rollinsford.

Before making a decision about these students’ future, Noble, Somersworth, and Marshwood presented plans for the Rollinsford district. They visited the other two schools and reviewed their plans. “Based on their community, [Rollinsford] made a decision to go with [Marshwood] and they put it to a vote for the district,” said Mr. Joe Schwartzman. “They chose us.” The plans included information such as how many new students would be introduced to the school at a time, graduation requirements, tuition costs for the town to pay etc.

It costs approximately $8,700 annually to educate a student K-8 $10,500 annually 9-12 according to the school board website.  These are the prices Rollinsford would pay to send one single student to MSAD35 for one year. Marshwood gets more money and more students and in return, Rollinsford gets a new place to send their students. "By having the option to send their students to either school, it opens up the doors for more learning opportunities" said Courtney Rabideau, a senior at Somersworth High School, which Rollinsford students currently attend.

“Does more students mean bigger classes?” asked sophomore Ben Holmes ] of Marshwood High. “The district has a policy on class sizes. So if we needed to add classes, we'd add classes,” explained Mr. Schwartzman. More students could mean more teachers, classes, and class choices. Whatever it takes to adjust our school and make it more accepting for our new students! “They’re going to get Marshwood High School Diploma, so they have to meet our graduation requirements,” Schwartzman said.  So no worries! Marshwood students won't be expected to do any more or less than they’re already doing.

So don't be surprised to see lots of new faces in the fall of 2015. They're just new Rollinsford students who have chosen our school as their new destination for learning!

Marshwood Takes on Tennessee Williams in 82nd Annual One Act Competition

By: Kendra Halle

Maine’s Regional One Act Drama Festival for Class A schools was held on March 8th and 9th, 2013. The competition was fierce as Marshwood and other contenders performed in hopes of gaining a spot to states.

Marshwood’s performance consisted of three plays by Tennessee Williams which was titled 3 x TENN. “At Liberty,” “Talk to Me Like The Rain and Let Me Listen,” and “These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch” were Marshwoods focus in this year’s One Act Competition. Thorton Academy hosted regionals where Marshwood competed against Westbrook, Thorton and other Class A schools.

Each individual play within 3 x TENN performed by Marshwood are one of a kind. All were written by the same playwright but ended up being produced in different decades. As stated on the Samuel French website, “At Liberty” focuses on Gloria, a washed up actress with health problems, and Gloria's mother, who constantly worries about her daughters well being. “Talk to Me Like The Rain and Let Me Listen” features a nameless middle aged couple who converse about their problems of despair, and of course, the rain. While the previous two plays were more serene, “These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch” was quite jolting in that the characters were mysterious and often unsettling.

Schools in this competition focus on different plays, however, they do have to follow the same competition structure as everyone else. According to an article written last year by Tatum Schladenhauffen, Savannah Landis stated, "students have 55 minutes to strike the stage, they then have five minutes to get everything on stage for pre-show, followed by a 40 minute time slot for the actual performance and end it all with five minutes to remove all set pieces."

When all of the preparations are done and the play is finished, the final step is to have a panel of three judges critique the performance. The judges of the competition didn't quite seem to love the performance this year, placing Marshwood in sixth out of nine overall acts. However, the judges were "really happy to see a performance of Tennessee Williams and that the cast members did such a great job," stated director Mr. Josh Livingston.

“The audience responded well to the play,” exclaimed Marshwood senior Corrin Hoyt, who played Gladys in “These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch.” She stated, “the first two plays were more emotional and the closing play provided comic relief.” The variety within she show was great and it execution was just as good. Mr Josh Livingston commented,"we were able to explore plays of Tennessee Williams who was considered to be one of the great American playwrights.”

In the past Marshwood has done fairly well. They were the regional winner in 2009, where they moved onto the state competition. They were also the regional runner up in 2011. This year the cast was disappointed with where they placed but not with their performance. Marshwood senior Emma Leisentritt, who played the part of Martha in “At Liberty,” added, "I believe 3 x TENN was one of the best shows Marshwoods ever done, and I was happy to be a part of it."

This year Thorton Academy took first place in the regional competition and advanced to the state finals. “Their energy was good and they had a large cast,” exclaimed Emma Leisentritt. These thoughts seemed to reciprocate with the judges which definitely put Thorton in a good position to take first. States took place on March 22-23 where Bangor took first place. Next Year Marshwood hopes to make it to states and revive their once good fortune.

Police Explorers: A Positive for Teens and the Community

By: Ben Savage

The Police Explorers Program, new to Marshwood this year, has proven to have a lasting effect on the community. In its first year at Marshwood High School, the program has attracted nine students who have an interest in law enforcement.

Police Explorers is a nationwide program that was created by Boy Scouts of America. It gives students who are interested in law enforcement the insightful information needed to determine if they would like to pursue a career in law enforcement. The Police Explorers Program emphasizes integrity, leadership, character building, attention to details and other skills that give students the ability to be a positive asset in whatever career they choose.

At Marshwood High School, the Police Explorers are led by Community Resource Officer Candice Simeoni of the Eliot Police Department. The weekly meetings occur every Tuesday, from 2:30-4:30 at Marshwood High School. Meetings include technical, classroom, and physical training that are present in a law enforcement career. Students keep track of their physical achievements and are encouraged to improve over time.

Six members of the Police Explorers of Marshwood High recently attended a weekend event at the Police Explorer Training Academy in Portland, ME. This event included situational simulations that taught students of traffic violations, criminal investigations, bomb threat scenarios, and K9 training. Students took the role of police officer in all of these scenarios, and were scored based on their reactions. Members of the Explorers will also have the opportunity to attend the State of Maine Law Enforcement Explorer Academy in late June.

The Explorers Program “gives teenagers a positive image among the community by showing they are responsible and can do good things through community service activities,” said Marshwood High School’s Resource Officer, Mr. Jeff Upton.

Students and staff of Marshwood High School are happy to have such a program at their school, and to have such a positive effect on the community. Supporters of the Police Explorers hope for the program to grow, become self-sustaining and become a staple in the community in years to come.

Welcome Back, Mrs. LaBelle!

photo by Anna Karosis

By: Anna Karosis

Mrs. Amy LaBelle has rejoined our faculty as the head of guidance. She was a previous guidance counselor at Marshwood from 2003-2008. She was a much loved guidance counselor and many were devastated when she left, but she was prioritizing her family and spending more time with her children.

Mrs. LaBelle  has a son in college and a daughter in her sophomore year of high school. She returns to us, bringing many years of counselling expertise. Mrs. LaBelle attended Northeastern University and has a masters in education in school counseling. She is now the director of Marshwood’s guidance department.

Her job is to oversee the guidance department, while also meeting with Marshwood’s 45 career technical education students. She also organizes the SATs, schedules meetings, assigns deadlines for students with college essays, and completes schedules for next year. She expressed how much her students’ education is important to her, and that she wants them to know that she is always available. “I try to be responsive to [student] needs, and my door is always open,” she said.

Mrs. Amanda-Jane Remick, previous librarian and current in-school suspension teacher, said that she has known Mrs. LaBelle for 9 years. Mrs. Remick seems to know Mrs. LaBelle on a personal level, and was absolutely heartbroken when she left in 2008. “I was devastated. I felt like I had lost a friend,” she explained.

A lot of career tech students are finding it hard to transition to having a new guidance counselor halfway through their senior year, and trying to get comfortable with somebody that they don’t know well. Mrs. Remick explained that, “students find it difficult to change guidance counselors, and these students have had several changes already. However, I know they are going to love her.”

Mrs. Jeanne Houde, guidance secretary, has known Mrs. LaBelle since 2003, and she had a very similar answer. “I have spoken to several [students] that had to make the switch, and they were able to get right in. They can still see their previous counselors, and also talk to a counselor that always has her best interest in her students.”

As happy as all of these staff members are to see Mrs. LaBelle back, they were also crushed to see Mrs. Jen Webb go. “It was like one of my friends was leaving. I’m still friends with her on Facebook, and we email almost every day. I still get choked up when I talk about it,” said Mrs. Houde. Mrs. Gagnon, Marshwood school nurse, also felt this way. “I was very sad to see Mrs. Webb leave because she was here when I first started to work at Marshwood High School,” explained Mrs. Gagnon.  

Is Mrs. LaBelle a positive addition to Marshwood? Mrs. Remick said with excitement, “I am totally thrilled to see her return to the Marshwood Community!”  I think it is very safe to say that everyone is sad to see Mrs. Webb go, but also happy for her to further her life in a higher education setting.  We’re happy to see Mrs. LaBelle come back and join the Marshwood family once again!

Students are able to connect with Mrs. LaBelle and may need a brief time period of adjustment from being separated from a previous counselor. With Mrs LaBelle can assure that we are all well taken care of.  If you haven’t met Mrs. LaBelle yet, be sure to stop into guidance to say hello.

Disco Makes a Debut at Marshwood

By: Kendra Halle

Get Down and Boogie! Disco Inferno, the hit 1970's musical, has been chosen for this year’s spring show at Marshwood High School.

According to the play’s script, the scene is set in Boston during 1976 and stars Jack, “a young and impressionable wannabe superstar,” who makes a deal with the devil to get fame, money, and the life he'd always dreamed of. As Jack loses sight of who he once was, Jane, “his devoted girlfriend/fiance,” slips away from him. Jack realizes the only thing that matters is the love of his life and his selfishness is causing him to lose her.

“The cast members are all like a big family,” commented Marshwood senior Chase Fisher, who plays the role of Kathy in Disco Inferno. Chase has appeared in twelve musicals including Oliver, Ragged Child, and The Wizard of Oz. Spring musicals allow only high school students to participate compared with the district-wide musical put on in the fall. The spring musicals usually have a relatively similar sized cast, however, in this year’s production there are only twenty-eight students, all of which intend to work hard to make this Disco dream come alive.

Bethany Ames, a senior at Marshwood who aids in the lighting of the show stated, “Disco Inferno is a wonderful production that incorporates great music and historical features of the time!" It ushers in a retro era that reminds us of how the 1970's once was. The storyline "is deep enough for audiences to connect with," said Marshwood senior Leighton Magoon whose character is Tom, Jack’s "nerdy best friend."

Musical Director, Ms. Tanya West, who is looking forward to Disco Inferno and all it has to offer, exclaimed, "it's going to be a lot of fun and have high energy!"

This musical brings hit songs like "Celebration," "Crocodile Rock," and “Ballroom Blitz," back from more than three decades ago to “keep you on your feet and get you singing along with the old 70’s hits,” commented Chase Fisher.

The cast is working hard to make this a great show. Opening night is Friday, March 29th at 7pm. It also plays on March 30th, April 5th, and 6th at 7pm. The cost for the show is $8.00 when pre-ordered or $10.00 at the door. Disco Inferno is definitely a hit musical celebration that you don't want to miss.

Victory for Marshwood High School Wrestling Team

By: Anthony Cota

Anxious with sweat dripping down their faces, hearts racing, the Marshwood High School wrestling team took the Maine wrestling states the weekend of February 16, 2013 in Sanford, Maine. All the hard work came down to that one day where wrestlers around the state finally faced each other for the status of the top wrestlers.

Students of Marshwood High School who took first are: Tyler Davidson (12), Nick Janes (12), Trevor Smith (12), Jackson Howarth (11), Cody Hughes (10) and Brett Gary (10). The rank that the students achieve are measured by points, meaning that multiple, students can take the position.

After having storm nemo delay states a week, Coach Matt Rix of the Marshwood Wrestling Team said that it was, “totally different.” He said before the team was ready for states but now, “we have to be motivated before states.” Coach Matt Rix runs his practices with the purpose of making them fun. Coach Rix says that he tries to, “stay positive,” and to, “stay upbeat.” Wrestling is a long and difficult sport that requires commitment, which is tough for Coach Rix because he, “can’t make a tough sport easy.”

Senior Elliott Allen, who took third place at states, describes wrestling as a, “love-hate sport.” Elliott has been wrestling since 7th grade and this year he feels optimistic. He enjoys wrestling with regards to school because it gets him into a routine with schoolwork. Elliott changed his diet before states by eating, “light, depending on your weight.” Although making weight is important for states, Elliott doesn’t necessary starve himself because he must remain healthy for states.

Wrestlers who took first place at states had the opportunity to compete at New Englands. Although Marshwood High School didn’t win New Englands, junior Cody Hughes took third place out of every wrestler, in his weight group, in New England. Seniors of the Marshwood Wrestling Team who will continue to college next year will wrestle for the college teams. Hopefully getting them into a routine that they love.

Students, staff and coaches at Marshwood were yet again thrilled with Marshwood Wrestling Team’s win at Maine States. It is our hope that the wrestlers can keep it up for the future.

Marshwood Hopes to Promote Wellness Throughout Student Body

By: Karissa Boesch

On May 31th, 2013 Marshwood usually has classes preparing students for finals, but instead, this year student government is trying to incorporate a Wellness Day.  It will eliminate classes and offer fun wellness activities for students.

Spring Fling was a day devoted to enjoying fun games, friends, and writing memories in each other's yearbooks. For the second year in a row Spring Fling is not on the agenda for Marshwood, however student government wants the student body to will spend a day learning about living a healthy lifestyle.

Last year, in a past interview with principal  Paul Mehlhorn, he stated that, “over the last several years the Spring Fling event has not been well attended.  The department heads, along with many faculty, expressed that we could use the time more wisely in preparing for end of year exams.”

Spring Fling is missed by many of the students at Marshwood. Haley Horton, a junior at Marshwood, said that, “I wish we still had the opportunity to sign yearbooks in a fun way that got us out of classes and outside. I enjoyed spending time with seniors because it was the last time I’d get to see them.” The purpose of creating a Wellness Day is to educate the school in a fun, new way.  

Hannah Bossi, the chairman of the Student Government Wellness Committee, stated that, “wellness is an important concept to learn about and apply it to your everyday life and to be able to use it inside school and outside of school.” Wellness Day will do this by scheduling activities for students to take part in and people from the community can attend to spread their thoughts of wellness to everybody. Hannah mentioned the activities are meant to “promote wellness in general.”

On this day students will partake in a variety of activities. The first half of the day will include a rotation of four different activities. Wellness Day will conclude with signing yearbooks and an Appreciation Assembly. According to a document written by the Wellness Day Committee, “The Appreciation Assembly would be similar to an event that happened a couple of years ago... this would be an opportunity to recognize the achievements of the students at Marshwood.”

The Wellness Committee has divided the term “health” and wellness into three different categories: social health, mental health, and physical health. The activities will all fit into one of these three categories. Some ideas that have been brainstormed by the student government group are: team building, relaxation, zumba, yoga, dodgeball, and guest speakers talking about bullying and teen relationships.

Mrs. Susan Gagnon, the school’s nurse, thinks that the day will work “if the students are committed to make it happen.” Years back when she taught eighth grade, she was the organizer of a Health Day, similar to what the high school Student Government is trying to organize now. “There is a lot for the students to learn and need to be aware of, and that it is important to maintain a well being in life,” said Mrs.Gagnon. The previous “wellness” days that she conducted were successful and benefited the kids, which is what she hopes will also happen this spring at MHS. In Newmarket, New Hampshire a similar event has taken place.

Newmarket High School conducted a Wellness Day and found it a success to their student body. They had many organizations attend including, but not limited to: Nutrition Matters, Loving Health Center, Seacoast Power Yoga, and the UNH Nutrition Program. Two speakers who spoke to the kids were Olympic Athlete, Manuela Lutze and UNH speakers Bureau Dr. Mary Westfall. Marshwood hopes to find such success as well.

Although the plans for Wellness Day are still in process, the intentions and steps to having one are in place with a tentative date of May 31st. Student Government is pulling together the last few strings to make this day a reality. There will be an informational meeting on March 13, 2013 at 2:30 in the Marshwood High School’s learning center regarding helping with activities relating to wellness.

Marshwood High School Bumps Up Security

By: Alexis Ross

Marshwood High School security changes took effect after the 2013 February vacation. There is increased security to keep the school safe against danger.

Due to the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, New England schools have stepped it up in terms of security. Schools are working on improving the type of things that prevent people from walking right into our schools and doing harm to staff and students. Increasing school security "should have happened sooner," said Mr. Joe Schwartzman, Marshwood Vice-Principal.

The Marshwood High School Crisis Management Team gets together on a regular basis and comes up with solutions to plans for fire drills and code purples. This year, one topic of discussion was security changes to minimize unwanted people in our school building. By doing so the team wants to make Marshwood a safer place.

To address the concerns, new additions have been made such as door buzzers and a new outdoor camera.  Also the doors outside will lock at 7:30 sharp.  "It was only a matter of time before all schools had to follow the same procedures" Schwartzman said. In a letter to the Marshwood community, Marshwood Principal, Mr. Paul Mehlhorn said, “these adjustments will impact the flexibility and freedoms we take for granted, but it will improve the level of safety necessary given the many incidents school communities across our nation have experienced.”

“I think it’s smart to lock the doors between 8-2 but aside from that... we have enough cameras," junior Olivia King said.  On the other hand sophomore Abigail Carson disagrees and thinks that these changes are unneeded until something happens that proves otherwise. Abigail said "I feel like it’s just a waste of money.” Junior Allyson Martel said  "I find [being buzzed in] more difficult for people that have vocational or come in late."  

Now that the changes have been made, students will be expected to buzz in if they arrive after 7:30am or if they need to get into the building up to 4:30pm for the safety of the school and its students. If needed more changes will be made to make Marshwood HIgh School a safer place, the Crisis Management Team will be sure to address them.

Hawk’s First Book Fair: Books Find Way Into Bookworms’ Hands

By: Katie Leahy

Marshwood High School has never held a book fair before 2013. Scholastics Book Fairs were held in elementary and middle school.  These were often a big event of the school year. February 2013 was the first time that our librarian had decided to try out a book fair, an experimental attempt to spark students’ interest in reading.

Marshwood librarian Mrs. Carolyn Mauger, who is new to our school but has worked in the district for many years, thought this year would be the perfect opportunity to take a risk and try something new.

In the past, raising money for the school has always been a challenge. Once we come up with one idea, we always need people to support the idea and volunteers. It’s hard to find students who are willing to take the time out of their busy schedules to help set up for events, talk with their friends to spark interest, and actually attend the events. Once all of these attempts succeed, that is when we have an event worth our time.  This is what happened this year with the book fair.  

Mrs. Mauger felt that the library was lacking something. “I came in and wanted certain books added to the collection,” she stated. What better way to raise money for new books for the school than to sell new books to students? Even though she wasn’t sure how it would go, she smiled and said “I thought I’d give it a try!”

Even though sales were not as high as a typically elementary or middle school book fair, Mrs. Mauger said she was “pleasantly surprised” by the sales of the first ever book fair at a high school reading level.  “We sold a little over one thousand dollars worth of books and received six hundred dollars worth of books for our library,” Mrs. Mauger said excitedly.

On another side, sophomore Amanda Rovnak wasn’t as excited about the book fair. She felt that, “no kids can go because of the time it is at, due to sports and activities,” which seemed like a common reason for those who were unable to stop by the book fair. Offering class time, like in middle school, would allow students to browse.  “I’m not sure if students would take the time out of their day to go,” Amanda said.

A more positive side to the book fair came from sophomores Conor Nuhic and Ashley McGourty. They said that “the prices were good.” They appreciated the prices, selection, and the fact that they could see books that the library didn’t offer.  Some changes they thought, could be moving the location to the learning center, and making more announcements,  next year there could be“flyers all over the school so everyone can see it.” Conor and Ashley suggested there be a bigger variety and maybe a chance to purchase audio books.

As for the future of  Marshwood book fairs,  if enough student interest sparks there could be more book fairs in our future.  The point of a book fair is to raise money and also get students excited to read.  If you are an interested reader, don’t let your words be unheard: speak up! See Mrs. Mauger in the library.

Another State Title Sends Marshwood Back to the Nation’s Capital

By: John McPherson

Marshwood is confident as their team prepares for their 5th consecutive trip to Washington, D.C., for the We the People National Competition as six-time state champions. The school took their 5th straight title on March 4, 2013 after defeating McAuley High School in the state final, according to Fosters. The 26th annual National Finals, held on campus of the George Mason University and hearing rooms on Capitol Hill, will take place April 26th through the 29, 2013.

According to their website, the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Program was founded in 1987 and serves as the “culminating event of the We the People high school program.” Throughout the years, over 30 million students and 90,000 educators have been involved.

Marshwood has participated in the We the People program since 2004. Within these 9 years Mr. Matt Sanzone, the team’s coach and history teacher at MHS, has led his team to 6 state titles.

“I think this is a really good team this year,” said Sanzone. “We got a good group of students who are really committed to it. That’s what it takes; if you’re really committed and you’re willing to put in the extra time, then you can be successful.”

The Cabinet describes the competition as “set up like a congressional hearing, and each team is divided up into six units, each composed of three or more students. Each unit focuses on a particular area of Constitutional interest, from the philosophical foundations of the American political system to current challenges to American Constitutional democracy.”

Shane Odiorne, a group competitor and senior at Marshwood High School, described their team’s practicing techniques for preparation of this year’s Nationals.  He said they “constructed three, four minute responses which [they] wrote down on notes cards, rehearsed as a team and then prepared by answering questions based on those three initial responses.”

While in Washington D.C. students also spend time outside the courtrooms touring the nation’s capital, and meeting with other members of congress. The team has started fundraising as the trip is costly, and only a little more than a month remains for preparation before taking on national competition. The hearings, which are public to all spectators, begin April 26th and continue through the 29th.

Boys Varsity Basketball at Playoffs

By: Shane Mix

Marshwood boys basketball went into the 2013 playoffs strong minded. Having a slow start to the regular season, the team was able to pick it up towards the end winning the last 7 regular season games.   

Having a season record of 9 wins and 9 losses, the players prepared mentally and physically to go far in the playoff games. Last season the team beat Sanford and had the chance to play at the Portland Expo against Bonny Eagle.  They lost the game to this challenging team 39 to 57.

This year, Marshwood played Sanford in the regular season, which was great competition.   This led to a home win of Marshwood 65 Sanford 60. In the playoffs, Marshwood played Sanford on February 12, 2013 to figure out who would go to the Portland Expo to play against South Portland.

Brady Innes, starting center for the Marshwood Hawks, believes his team had great potential coming into these playoff games.  If the team could execute offensive and defensive plays the playoffs would go well.

Brady said, “my role is to score inside and rebound.  We have a lot of depth at the guard position with guys like Danny Vieno and Brady Dodge who have played well throughout the season.” If you’ve been to a game, you’ve seen this team in action and what they're really made of.  “I have complete faith in my teammates that we can compete with anyone on any day” said Brady Innes.

Although the team lost the February 12th game, varsity players believed that they deserved to win more than anything. In the short end to the season, the Sanford Spartans nipped the host Marshwood Hawks 52-49 in Tuesday's league test, according to maxpreps both teams put up a fight for the win of that playoff game. Towards the end Sanford coming close to losing their lead, Marshwood forced to foul to spare them some time to create a strategy to win this game or even bring this into overtime. Marshwood left with minimum time on the clock, unable to get a shot that could possibly tie the game causing Marshwood to lose drastically.

Seeing Coach Zamarki’s expression of the final result of the playoff game, he was still proud of how far his team has come. A battle for who wanted that game came out an upset for Marshwood knowing how hard the players wanted to win that game to have the chance to play at the Portland Expo. Marshwood understanding how difficult these teams have become over the past few years, they know what to expect in next years season to better themselves and improve. Losing a couple of high skilled varsity players, Marshwood will have to show how good they can actually be if they work hard at it to achieve big. To watch the varsity play next year will an excitement to watch whos ready to battle to be number one in our region

Coach Zamarki always thinks highly of his varsity basketball team. Wanting them to succeed every year to give Marshwood a great reputation. Before season and during season the team has work out sessions to perfect all the players abilities as highly as they can perform. It all depends on how hard the players want to better themselves to be a part of the team. To be strong, great shooter, defender, fast, dribbling skills are all the key examples to what makes a great basketball player which these players have the potential of to make Marshwood basketball highly looked upon.

Marshwood HOLD Explores Pinkham Notch and Scales Mt. Washington

Photo Courtesy of Mr. Scott Patch

 By: Zac Wengert

Over the weekend of November 16-18, 2012, the members and leaders of the Marshwood  Club went to Pinkham Notch, NH and tackled Mt. Washington.

The Hawks Outdoor Leadership Development (HOLD) trip was created and organized by Marshwood P.E. and Health teacher, Mr. Scott Patch. The purpose of the HOLD is to have fun and go on hikes in the local region while learning leadership skills. The 20 students in the HOLD range from boys to girls, freshman to senior, experienced hikers and non-experienced ones, and everyone in between.

Pinkham Notch is a lodge on the base of Mt. Washington and the Tuckerman Ravine. Pinkham Notch was established in the 1920’s. It has countless trails for hiking, snowshoeing, climbing, and skiing. For anyone looking for more details about Pinkham Notch, please visit their site. (Joe Dodge Lodge)  

Mr. Patch was thrilled to find out that the students were interested to going to Pinkham Notch. “I’m extremely excited for the turnout that we had,” Patch said, “We went from having 6-8 people interested to having 15-18 signed up.” Patch is hoping for this to became at least a once a year occurrence for HOLD.

One of club member who participated in the 3 day weekend trip at the Joe Dodge Lodge, was Marshwood junior, and experienced hiker, Calvin Butler. “We played a lot of games on the trails that talked about leadership,” Butler said, “It seemed like everyone improved in different ways.”

The Pinkham Notch Trip was not about just going on a hike and having fun. Mr. Patch made it clear that the trip was a weekend for “leadership development.” Because the members took part in the trip they are now eligible to become student mentors for the 5th grade Pinkham Notch trip in the spring.

Mr. Patch came up with the idea of using high school students as mentors when he volunteered to be a chaperone for his son’s 5th grade field trip to Pinkham Notch three years ago. When they returned from their trip, Patch was motivated to create an outdoor club that could eventually mentor younger students in the district.

Mr. Patch is hoping for this trip to become an annual event. He is hoping for the club to go beyond hiking but to become a club that does kayaking or snowshoeing. Mr. Patch anticipates that the student interest level will increase as more trips are planned. He hopes for it to be upgraded to a full Outdoors Club, rather than just being hiking.

The students who participated in this trip now have earned the opportunity help with young fifth graders at Marshwood Great Works School. Both Mr. Patch and the students are excited for the new possibilities that have presented themselves through this experience. For any students that are interested in joining the HOLD, talk to Mr. Patch in B205. 


Mr. Patch would also like to give a special thanks to the Pumpkin-man Triathlon for donating a $250 donation to the trip!

Marshwood Just Keeps Swimming

By: Meghan Lewis

Splash into Marshwood by joining the swim team. The Marshwood Hawks are apart of the Massabesic team this winter and you can be a part of it.

It’s not too late to join the team; the season started on November 19th, but because of Thanksgiving practices will begin on November 26th. Practices are everyday after school, and the team swims at the Sanford YMCA next to the Sanford High School.

Although the practices are at the Sanford YMCA Marshwood is associated with Massabesic “inter-scholastically, which means that their coaches are our coaches, and we have practice and go to meets with them, but we have our own uniforms and compete as Marshwood swimmers.” said co-captain of the swim team Madison Waterman, senior at Marshwood High School. Even though Marshwood is considered there own team Marshwood and Massabesic share the same coach, coach Christian Niven with assistance from Mrs. Chamberlain.

Although students swim as a “Marshwood” team they are not considered to be official because “the school board requires any new sports team to support themselves for at least 3 years before they will consider adding it to the roster, in order to ensure that the program is a serious investment,” said Madison Waterman. Rich Buzzell, athletic director of Marshwood High School, gives us insight on why there wasn’t a team in previous years saying “We have never had the interest at a level where we could support having a full team.  It has been a late blooming sport here in our district and can be pretty expensive to support and maintain.

Marshwood joined the Massabesic team because it’s “the closest MPA school for us in our league”  say’s Mr. Buzzell.The team is reaching out to those who want to see the sport grow at Marshwood especially those who are freshmen and sophomores primarily because they want“the program to continue after Ben Hebert and I leave,” explained Madison. “Also, with more people, we will get more attention from administration and possibly get aid or formal recognition.”

Although there are no official requirements to tryout for the team you have to be able to have “a basic ability to swim all four strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Academically, athletes need a C [average] or better,” says Madison Waterman. Because Marshwood is giving them transportation and all fees “the expectation is that they abide by all rules between both schools,” says Mr.Buzzell.

If you want more information about the swim team see Ben Hebert, Mike Remick, Natalee Davis, or Madison Waterman. 

Interact Club Raising a “Can” Do Attitude Around Marshwood High School

Photo by Kim Mills

By: Kim Mills

The holiday season is upon us, but for some, it isn’t a time of cheer if they aren’t sure where their next meal will come from. This is why the Marshwood Interact Club is stepping up to encourage students to lend a hand.

“There’s a huge need right now in the community, and a lot of folks are hungry,” said Mrs. Lisa Greenblatt, a faculty advisor for Interact Club. From early November to the beginning of December, there will be boxes in each advisory for the collection of canned goods and other necessities. The food drive is connected to Interact’s purpose, which is, “to be community service based,” said Rosie Alleva, a junior at Marshwood High School and member of Interact Club.

The original date for the food drive has been extended until December 13th to allow for a greater turnout of items. This year, help is especially needed. Dick Bogh, who coordinates the collection of food for the Lions Club, says that, “there are a number of families in Eliot that aren’t able to provide for Christmas.” He has been involved for the past 25 years.

Once items are collected, they are brought to the First Congregational Church and bundled into baskets by volunteers from Boy Scouts and the Lions Club. This process is all part of Project Share, an organization started after World War II originally for veterans that was later extended to all in need, said Bogh.

The food drive well fits into the Marshwood community. “There are various economic standards in the community we live, [and] this is a chance to show [our students’] love and concern,” said Bogh. He emphasized the importance of the can drive and how the organization extremely needs the help of Marshwood High School students to give what they can.

Alleva, Bogh, and Greenblatt all agreed that the holiday season brings about a greater need for donations as many people don’t have the money to purchase basic necessities. However, it’s not just food that’s needed. Besides non perishables, “common household items, including toothpaste, shampoo, diapers, and soap,” among countless essentials are all welcome, said Greenblatt.

The advisory that collects the most non-perishable items will win the choice between a bagel and juice breakfast or a breakfast pizza. However, the rewards of food aren’t the only reason students are collecting items. As Greenblatt said, “the belief that it’s important for students to learn how to be active members of the community,” is why the food drive was started at Marshwood in the first place.