Combined Forces = Friendly Outreach

By Dorothy England

Mrs. Sintros, with the help and assistance of Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Shaefer, Ms. Underwood and Mrs. Moskal, has combined Peer Outreach and Friends of Rachel groups from last year into one. She believes that a teacher is not only there to instruct, but also to facilitate a supportive and healthy environment. Mrs. Sintros is hoping to support students to get along with others in their community. She also wants to provide them with a safe and positive climate. Mrs. Sintros choose to combine the groups to increase the numbers of member. Also, both groups are similar in their goals and approaches to treating others with genuine kindness. It goes much deeper than that though; combined, both the community and school will be benefited. With the help of fundraisers and assemblies, a more positive environment will be created for everyone.

Last year, this was fulfilled. 'Make a Wish' Foundation and 'Save Darfur' were only some of the projects completed in the Middle school and High school last year. Some goals Mrs. Sintros hopes to achieve this year include mixing social groups, such as athletes and artists, studious and musical students together. This she hopes will create a friendly atmosphere where those who feel like they may not belong can participate in. As Mrs. Sintros mentioned, the sky is the limit. Bowling and movie nights can be organized for anyone and everyone to participate in. Thus, friends can be made; even a big brother/sister sort of approach can be established.

Excited for the coming year and the various possibilities this group can fulfill, Mrs. Sintros encourages students to reach out to others who may feel like they don't fit in. She wants people to be comfortable in saying hello to a new face and introducing themself. Mrs. Sintros mentioned that when she was in high school, there wasn't a Peer Outreach group, but there was a Social Awareness group at the past school she taught at, of which she was an advisor. At her college, the motto was 'men and women for others'. Obviously, Mrs. Sintros knows her stuff and is well suited for leading this group.

The first kickoff meeting will be Friday, October 3rd, at 7:30 in the morning, room 202. All students, grades 9-12 are welcomed to attend; middle school has their own group. Students will be permitted to include their own input and ideas for the group to do. So all who are able and willing should come. Who knows you could make a new friend in the process; the smallest interaction can make the biggest difference.

Making a Racquet

by Maddie Durant

You may have walked into school on Wednesday, and noticed three boys dressed in tennis clothes. Or maybe you noticed that our usually empty tennis court was a bit busy that afternoon. Or you noticed nothing at all, and have no idea what I’m talking about. Fact is: Hopkinton’s tennis team had their first practice on Wednesday.
Of course, ‘team’ and ‘practice’ are the operative words here, but there were four young men out playing tennis on Wednesday. Players Ben Dalzell, Sam Hayden and Ben Spaulding, with Coach Max Sink, held their first practice out on the tennis courts, with all intentions of having a good time getting out and doing something. As they played, people started to show up. I love tennis, and followed them right to the courts. We were soon joined by numerous JV boys’ soccer players, and a few others. Racquets were passed around, and everyone who wanted to got a chance to play. A few even went or called home to get their own racquets.
After a short warm-up, the guys had their first game. Ben and Ben versus whoever had the racquets on the other side of the court. The key rule of the game: there are no rules. If the ball was moving and in reach of someone’s racquet, then it was still in play. In the end, our tennis team won. But seeing how it was half the team versus the other half, everyone won. It was all in good fun.

Tennis is a great way to get out and do something. Whether you never held a racquet in your life, or you’ve been taking lessons and playing with siblings since you were little, anyone can come out and practice with the Hopkinton tennis team. It’s not about how good you are, or

whether the ball lands within the lines every time, it’s about having fun. So if you want to come

to the next practice, listen to the morning announcements; practices will be announced over the intercom. Bring your racquet, bring some tennis balls, maybe bring some food to share and go

play some tennis!

Peace Club

by Caitlyn Madore



Peace Club was started for Hopkinton High students to increase awareness of world, historical and current events and to brainstorm ideas to educate the public through peace rallies, conferences, and hopefully Hawk Talks this year. Coming up on October 17 is an event that many members will attend called the New England-Wide Rally Against Wars will take place in Boston. They also annually participate in planning and attending Gimme Shelter that will raise awareness for the homeless.

Co-presidents Margreta York and Jessie Pennell both encourage all to join no matter their views. When asked about participating members, Margreta York said, "[members] generally have a mutual belief that peace is the most positive solution, though everyone has different views on how to achieve this. It's most interesting for us to have new members every year so that we can have different inputs to balance our views on all topics we cover.” If anybody is interested in joining, meetings will start within the next few weeks of school at the first congregational church in Hopkinton around 7:00pm.

Back to School Club Feature

by Cristina White

Interact

Community service is what Interact is all about. Interact is a club run by Madame Harb,which meets every other Thursday at 7:15am. Senior Emma Brown said, "Any of the service projects that we do are available to everyone, with the exception of going to Honduras." The trip to Honduras is strictly for the members who have been on Interact for 2+ years. "In order to retain your status as a member, you are required to participate in at least three of the projects we do every year," says Brown. Recycling is the most important project. Members come in on the designated morning and recycle all of the paper items in the classrooms. If you believe you are a person who enjoys helping others through Community service projects, join Interact.

Drama Club

Everyone has their choice of extracurricular activities after school, whether its going to soccer, putting on some ballet shoes, or going to a piano lesson. Others find joy in what happens under the lights of a stage. Hopkinton High School's Drama department performed two major shows last year. 'Bang, Bang, You're Dead', and 'Flapper the Musical'. Sophomore Gabrielle Lui said "Drama was a lot more laid back than I had expected." While putting on a show can be stressful, these students found a way to go around the stress and relax. "I loved it," said Lui, "Everyone makes you feel so welcomed. I would definitely suggest it to others." If you like to be under a spotlight or just enjoy acting, singing, or dancing, give the Drama club a try.