Knitting is not just for old ladies anymore. The Knitting Club is one of the most recent clubs at WHS to form. The club meets every Wednesday in A328 from 2:15-3:15.
In Knitting Club, members knit many different things, from scarfs to sweaters, all while sipping tea and enjoying pleasant conversation. It is a very ‘civilized’ club.

New members are always welcome, and previous experience is not required! The members are more than happy to teach the novice knitter.

Junior Thera Slayton, who is one of the club’s founders says, “It’s wicked fun and it’s a great place to get to know people better who share your hobby.”

On learning to knit, Junior Lobna Ben Neticha comments, “At first, it’s not that hard, and then you get used to it and then it’s really easy.”

“When one sits down to knit, a relaxing mood permeates the air. With the repetitious stroke of every needle, one settles into a calm state of mind,” Junior Angie Belculfine poetically states.

A study showed that the repetitive movements in knitting can lower your heart rate and blood pressure to create a relaxed state, similar to the one achieved through doing yoga or tai chi, due to the repetitive movements. It is a fantastic way for today’s stressed out teens to relax.

source

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/352591/study_knitting_elicits_relaxation_response.html

By Maggie Mahoney

The word is out – there is a new club starting at Westborough High: Dumbledore’s Army. Tara Slysz, Ellen Donahue, and Molly Mahoney are the seniors who are bringing Dumbledore’s Army to WHS. It’s meant for anyone who has read or watched the Harry Potter series, or anyone who just wants to have fun.

This is the first year the club exists, but from the positive feedback they have been receiving, they expect many people to join. Mahoney estimates, “More precisely somewhere between sixteen and fifty people.”

There will be numerous activities that take place during the club including poster making, mask decorating, wands, movie nights and “naturally Quidditch, the wizard sport,” states Donahue. Everyone who joins the club will be sorted on their first day.

The three came up with this idea because they saw a sign in Mr. Perryman’s room, that had a list of names from the Harry Potter books of the wizards who joined Dumbledore’s Army, but a cl ub was not actually in existence at the time. They started the club because they wanted to share their love of Harry Potter, the real Dumbledore’s Army, and to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If the club is a success, the next step would be expanding and doing something for the community.

How is the news of this club spreading? “Strictly word of mouth,” say the founders. There is also a Facebook group supporting Dumbledore’s Army for anyone who is interested to join. Once the club begins, posters will start appearing around the school.

The founders of the club will be graduating this year but there are juniors who have shown interest in continuing the club next year.

They founders conclude with “ A message we would like to tell everyone is: if you are looking for a club that you are into, if you think you might have fun, you are welcome to join; you don’t have to have read or watched all of the Harry Potter books and movies. It’s really just about coming together and having a good time…in the wizarding world.”

The club’s first meeting was on Wednesday, November 10th in Professor Flitwick’s room, a.k.a Mr. Perryman’s room. Dumbledore’s Army will meet every Wednesday subsequently.

By Andrea Skinner

On October 14 the Community Cooking club hosted their second annual pie bake-off. The pie bake-off is the main fundraiser for the Community Cooking club so they have the funds to buy ingredients to prepare food for the homeless. 

There was a contest and the faculty baked pies to compete for prizes. The teachers dropped off pies in the morning and their pies were judged by Mrs. Libbey, a former WHS librarian, and Mrs. Smith, former WHS cooking teacher. Teachers competed to win in two different categories- Apple pie and Other pies.

Dr. Miriam Meyer, the Special Education department head, baked the winning pie in the Apple pie category. It had a delicious tender, flaky crust. The filling had a lovely blend of apples, which were perfectly cooked. The spice in the filling was delicious and not overpowering.

Mrs. Rourke-Dupuis, who is an art teacher, baked a fabulous Extreme Chocolate pie. It was described as “sinful” and a “chocolate lover’s pie” by the judges. It had a unique brownie crust and chocolate filling. It won in the Other Pies category.

The winners were given gift baskets generously donated by the two Starbucks locations in Westborough.

There were a total of 13 delicious pies entered by the faculty. All the pies were auctioned off by Mr. Anderson in about 15 minutes. The cooking club earned more than $700! Mr. Gallagher paid $250 for Mrs. Libbey’s famous apple pie. The fundraiser was a complete success!