Culture Fest: Told Through Tweets

Mr. HHS — The Greatest Show of the Year!

By Kylie Potter
Staff Writer

On Thursday night, Hammond seniors competed for the title of Mr. HHS, performing a variety of entertaining and hilarious skits that definitely made a memorable impression on the audience and broke the record for the longest-running Mr. HHS to date.

The show was eventually narrowed down to four final contestants: Armin “Hammer” Najafabadi, escorted by “Sydyeeyee” Monthe, Nick “fil-a” Zuelsdorf, escorted by “Sha(kira) Hips Don’t Lie”  Bennett, Jason “Schweddy Balls” Walls, escorted by Kel “Si Se Puede” Fuentes, and Ryan “Peanut Butter and” Ridgell-y, escorted by Kate “Take Me to the Tailgate” Lastova.

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Kunal Thapar performs his “Single Ladies” dance, accompanied by Kira Bennett (left) and Seun Aina (right).

After many spectacular performances and laughs from the crowd, senior Armin Najafabadi won the title of Mr. HHS, accompanied by his escort Sydney Monthe.

Hammond students are still reflecting on the memorable performances they witnessed last night by the seniors, discussing their favorite skits and the funniest moments of the show.

“[My favorite part was] all the seniors dancing [and] all the choreography that went into Mr. HHS,” states senior Ty Walburger. Meanwhile, junior Isabelle Dyson states that her favorite part was “probably Ryan’s rose ceremony or the ‘deep sea creatures’ at the aquarium.”

Ms. Filipiak says that her favorite part of the show was “probably Armin and the roller skates because of his head twitching,” while senior Madison Pisone recalls that her favorite skit was the “Movie theater skit… I thought it was very clever and the twist at the end made it funny.”

Mr. Osborne, who took part in judging Mr. HHS, remarks on how well-done Kunal Thapar’s dancing was. “I think he really knocked the ‘Single Ladies’ dance out of the park.”

Overall, students and parents seemed to really enjoy the show and the seniors successfully managed to conduct a memorable performance that no one at Hammond is likely to forget.

Hammond Student Profile: Violinist Claire O’Rourke

By Alexis Kujawa
Staff Writer

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Claire plans to pursue orchestra outside of high school once she graduates.

Claire O’Rourke, freshman, is in the orchestra and art club here at Hammond. She has been in orchestra since 3rd grade playing violin, drawing since 5th grade, and writing since 7th grade. When she thinks back on her decision to randomly choose the violin in third grade, she states that, “My dad owns a viola, so I actually have no idea why I didn’t just choose that.”

When orchestra first began “in the old days, when musicians got together to play, they used whatever instruments were around,” (History of the Orchestra). But now, with modern day music and instruments, it is fashioned in a more beautiful way. The 1900s became an important era for the evolution of orchestra because  “the 20th century has been a century of freedom and experimentation with the orchestra. It has also been a time of superstar conductors, as the conductor has more and more responsibility and visibility,” (History of the Orchestra).

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Hammond Student Profile: Tony Terrasa

By Kristina Dombek
Staff Writer

Achieving first in the class is one of the most honorable titles one can achieve after their high school career. The class of 2017’s valedictorian is Tony Terassa who, for some years, achieved a 5.0 weighted GPA. This means that during those years he only had Honors, G/T, or AP level courses.

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Tony Terassa performs on his saxaphone at Turf Valley for a Hammond Jazz Combo. Photo Credit: Twitter

If any students are looking to achieve first in their class, some advice Tony would give would be “do all of your work. You definitely learn from doing your homework and don’t settle for turning something in that you’re not proud of.” This may seem obvious, but according to Tony, this is the main way to achieving this honor, so people should not look past this easy step. Although he has not always wanted to be valedictorian, he has always shot for A’s. According to an article on www.campusexplorer.com, “many schools rank students purely by GPA. But how this key measurement is determined is an open question. Some schools give you bonus points for taking harder classes – potentially giving an advantage to students who enroll in AP and other advanced classes.”

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School Lunch May be Getting a Little Saltier

School lunch could be changing drastically. An article published by CNN on March 14, 2017, discusses the possibility of Republican lawmakers under the Trump administration repealing one of previous First Lady Michelle Obama’s main accomplishments: the healthy school lunch legislation. This legislation was enacted throughout school systems beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, causing upset among disgruntled schoolchildren and Republicans alike. The School Nutrition Association has proposed that these regulations be cut back, and many believe that the current administration under President Trump is likely to act upon these proposals.

Students at Hammond were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the Trump administration taking action against Michelle Obama’s healthy school lunch legislation:

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“The justifications for repealing it is only to save money and it’s at the expense of the students’ health. On the one hand you want them to choose but at the same time if there are no options then you’re not doing them any better.”

-Tony Terrasa 12th

 

 

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Everybody Rejoice for Hammond Theatre’s Wiz!

By Kevin Baker
Editor-in-Chief

Once in a while, a show comes along that redefines what it means to be a spectacle.  From March 3-11, that show was The Wiz, Hammond Theatre’s stellar showcase of talent that caused cheers and tears for its plentiful audiences for a record six shows in the Hammond community.

The Wiz is always meant to be a celebration of diverse America, with funk and soul influences, and Hammond’s production (led by director Lauren Tobiason) was no exception.  Over 100 students participated on-and-offstage, and the fresh blood seen in the Theatre department was revelatory.

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The Meme-idemic Takes Over the Youth

By: Laura vanHasselt
Staff Writer

The widespread use of memes has impacted the internet for years. Memes, or humorous pictures that are copied and spread rapidly by internet users, have given people a reason to use websites like Twitter and Instagram more often. Memes have grown throughout the years, going from pictures with written-in captions to now all sorts of interpretations. The overwhelming amount of technology that the population owns has given everyone an outlet to publish everything they find humorous and receive gratification from others. The presence of memes has not only relieved tension but also sparked some controversy over the years.

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