Photo Credit: Steve Aronson

Coming into the League Meet on May 15, the Westborough Boys’ Track Team was undefeated in their league dual meets.  At the League Meet, the Rangers were edged out by a mere 9 points by Nashoba Regional High School, but because Westborough had beaten Nashoba in a dual meet back in April, they share the title.

Westborough started out strong in the field events, especially in the throwing events.  In the shot put, Kurtis Sciba (Jr.) and Tom Kotosky (Sr.) went 2-3 to secure 14 points.  Wyatt Borchetta-Platt (So.) also threw well, placing eighth with a throw of 34′ 3.25”.  Sciba then came back to compete in the discus, throwing 111 feet to place fifth.  David Tubman (Sr.) and Guhan Krishnan (Sr.) threw 92′ 11” and 88′ 4”, respectively.  In the javelin, Joe Bretta (Jr.) and Steven Price (Jr.) had throws of 141′ 3” and 130′ 2”, which placed them second and sixth overall.  Charlie Burress threw 122′ 10” to finish ninth.

In the jumps, the Rangers captured 18 points with the help of David Klimavich (Jr.), Brett Robinson (Sr.), Sean VanDoren (Jr.), and Matt Wilichowski (Sr.).  Klimavich was the runner up in high jump, while Robinson placed sixth.  David Morency (Jr.) also competed in the high jump, clearing 5′ 2”.  VanDoren had a huge PR to place third in long jump.  Wilichowski was seventh, and Shreedhar Deshpande (So.) also PR’d on his way to finishing ninth.  In the triple jump, Wilichowski and VanDoren were fifth and sixth with jumps of 37’9” and 37′ 4.5”, respectively, while Morency placed eighth in the event.

The Rangers scored 15 points in the pole vault, thanks to Jamie Plowman (Jr.), Jack Chuma (Jr.), and Jason Silva (Jr.).  Plowman was second in 12′ 6”, and Chuma placed third at the same height.  Silva also had a great day, finishing in sixth at 11 feet.

Westborough’s balanced line-up continued into the running events.  The Rangers won the 4x100m relay, the 4x400m relay, and were second in the 4x800m relay.  The 4x400m team of Julian Binici (So.), Oren Dennett (So.), Ari Lazarine (Sr.), and Robinson won by about 8 seconds for a dominating finish to the meet.  One of the most exciting races of the meet came during the 4x100m, when Kevin Casey (So.) edged out the 2012 55m New England Champion by 0.002 seconds at the line.  He had combined with Aric Zhu (Fr.), Lazarine, and VanDoren to secure their spot at the top of the league in the event.

As for the sprinting events, Casey and Zhu qualified for the finals of the 100m.  In the finals, Casey placed third in 11.74 seconds, while Zhu placed seventh in 12.24 seconds.  In the finals of the 200m, VanDoren was fourth in 24.43 seconds.  In the 400m, Robinson, Binici, and Jake Pirdy (So.) placed first, second, and fifth, to capture 20 points.

In the hurdles, Wilichowski and Chuma led the way for the Rangers.  Wilichowski won the 110m hurdles by 0.04 seconds, and was third in the 400m hurdles.  Chuma also did well, finishing fifth in the 110m hurdles and fourth in the 400m hurdles.  Val Meleshkevich (Fr.) just missed qualifying for the 110m hurdles finals by 0.06 seconds, while Sam Poza (So.) was tenth in the 400m hurdles.

Brendan Anzures (Sr.), Michael Hiller (Sr.), and Mark Aronson (Sr.) finished 5-6-7 in the 800m.  Aronson also placed third in the 2 mile in 10:24.95, with Eric Latimer (Fr.) about 10 seconds behind him.  Nick Schur broke the 11 minute barrier, finishing in seventh place.  In the mile, Dennett and Robert MacElhaney (Jr.) earned 9 points for the team, placing second and sixth, respectively.  Dan McKay (So.) ran very well, completing the race in 5:09.37.

Next up for the Rangers is the Central/Western Division I Meet at Fitchburg State University on May 25, which is a performance based meet, where athletes must achieve certain standards to compete.  From there, any athlete that qualifies on My 25 for the All-State Meet will compete on June 1.

Photo Credit: mysouthborough.com

We’ve all seen it: the video of 950 Algonquin students decked out in Tomahawk gear screaming their heads off in the hallways of Algonquin Regional High School while lip dubbing and dancing to “Good Time.”  (In case you haven’t, you won’t be able to watch it as the video has been taken down from YouTube for copyright infringement).

Immediately, one question popped up in Westborough students’ minds: “Why can’t we do something like that?”  While Westborough has responded with a Harlem Shake WHS video, I wanted to take the time to break down what the Algonquin Lip Dub is a symbol of, and why its works.

The first word that came to my mind when watching the Algonquin Lip Dub was “unity.”  While the video featured the different student groups at ARHS (football, cheerleading, track, wrestling, chemistry club, etc), this wasn’t the focal point of the video.  Instead, the video focused on putting all the groups together in one setting, as one student body. While each of the students are part of their individual club or team, they are first and foremost members of the Algonquin student body; they are all Tomahawks.

This brings us to the real purpose of a school mascot.  While a mascot is something that we write on our jerseys and cheer for at games, it is also designed to be a symbol that the entire student body unites under.  No matter who a student is, what class they are a member of, how athletic, how smart, how average, they are all a member of the student body.  At Westborough, we are all, whether we like it or not, Rangers.  This is the real message the video reinforces: the recognition that everyone in their student body is united under their mascot.

The Algonquin Lip Dub video was not a statement, it was a symbol of how the Tomahawks feel about their school.  It just so happens to be a symbol that acts as a self-reinforcing loop: the video makes the school more spirited and united which in turn catalyzes the creation of more videos and other symbols of spirit and unity like this, which in turn makes the school more spirited and united and so on and so on.

Whatever Westborough ends up doing to counter this symbol, it needs to send the right message.  School spirit is not a feeling of superiority over a rival school, it is pride in one’s own school.  Creating a video that says “We are doing this just to be better than Algonquin” is not an appropriate message to send.  Instead, a Westborough spirit video needs to give this message: “We are the Rangers, and we are proud of that.”

Mrs. D’Onofrio, a resident of Leominster, Massachusetts, loves her job as a science teacher.  She has two stepchildren, a son in ninth grade and a daughter in eleventh grade, and two dogs named Sadie and Cosmo.  She enjoys hiking and the outdoors, and also likes to sing.

Before receiving her undergraduate degree from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Mrs. D’Onofrio went to high school at the Notre Dame Academy in Worcester, where she participated in cross country.  She earned her graduate degree from the Antioch University of New England.  Once she finished college, she spent time in Seattle, Washington.  She began teaching at Westborough High School after spending six years teaching at Holy Name in Worcester.

As a teacher, she believes that it is better to be loved than feared because “it’s a point of life.”  She also feels that her parents have had the greatest influence on her, because they are “willing to grow and change and willing to right wrongs and help others.”  Mrs. D’Onofrio has certain expectations that she looks for and values in her students.  She believes that they must be genuine, hardworking, and always do their personal best, but she still appreciates students who have a sense of humor.  She believes that as a teacher, she does have high expectations, but she still enjoys teaching and is sincere, as she always tries to be fair and take into account the students’ personal lives as well.

Although she enjoys teaching, Mrs. D’Onofrio admits that her job requires her to make a time commitment outside of a regular school day.  She doesn’t like that as a high school teacher, she only sees each student for an hour a day, making it difficult to develop a close relationship with the student.  Despite her high expectations, students love that she is very practical, willing to answer questions, and easy to talk to.

When Mrs. D’Onofrio started teaching at Westborough High School, she was also coaching the Freshman Girls’ Basketball Team, and they never lost a game.  Since she has started teaching here, she has seen that our school expects a lot from students, requiring the teachers to “step up.”  She also thinks it’s great that the school offers a lot of classes, like cooking or engineering, that give useful and basic knowledge that teachers don’t cover in their regular classes.  She believes English and history are useful classes as well, since English lets students gain exposure to literature, and history makes us aware of how we came to be.  However, if she could teach any other subject, she would teach math, since it involves common sense and logic.

Mrs. D’Onofrio has been teaching for fourteen years, but even when she was in high school, she didn’t know that she’d one day be a science teacher.  She chose to teach the high school subject, because she liked the age group of the students, and she believed that it was a “boring” and “dry” subject, so she wanted to try to make it seem less so.  Now, she enjoys her job and loves the time that she spends in the classroom.

Photo Credit: Steve Aronson

A lot has changed for Westborough’s lacrosse program during the off-season.  The Rangers lost long-time head coach, Matt Nofsinger, along with many graduating seniors.  Dean Sudol, the Rangers’ leading scorer for the previous two seasons, and goalie Luke Freitas, are just two of the many harsh losses for the Rangers.  Despite the many losses, the Rangers picked up head coach Tom Baker, who has brought several teams to state championships and was a 2 sport All-American; Coach Baker, his assistant coaching staff, and an abundant amount of returning talent make the Rangers a force to be reckoned with in central Mass this year.

On April 2, Westborough faced off against Wachusett in the season opener.  Westborough started off the game strong and held the early lead throughout the rest of the game.  The Rangers had no trouble handling Wachusett in a game that ended 14-7 in the Westborough’s favor.  A key 5 goal contribution from Tony Cibelli (Sr.) was a major component in Westborough’s victory.   Sophomores Jake Foster and Jack Pierce, as well as juniors Mike Gallo and Connor Joyce, combined to score 8 goals, and were a part of Westborough’s high powered offense.

After winning this game, Westborough starts the season off 1-0; the team’s next game is away on Thursday, April 4, at 4:00 PM against Shrewsbury.

By Sarah Masters

Westborough High School faculty and students recently learned that the current Assistant Principal, Mr. Callaghan, has been selected as the new principal, effective July 1, 2013.

Mr. Callaghan is more than qualified for this position, especially considering his experience teaching here in Westborough for more than a decade. Since beginning his time here at WHS in 2000, Mr. Callaghan has fulfilled numerous roles, ranging from Athletic Director to AP Government teacher, before becoming an Assistant Principal in 2007. He is looking forward to the changes that he can bring to the school with his new position.

The most important goal that he has is establishing an atmosphere focused on teaching and learning. “I want to look at the teacher-student relationship on an individual level – and at the classroom level as well,” he explains. He is also looking to meet the needs of the school community, which he acknowledges he is already familiar with. “I’m looking forward to hearing from teachers, students, and the Westborough community,” he says, “in order to hear those needs and meet them.”

Mr. Callaghan will assume his new role at a critical time and will be looked to as a guide for Westborough during this time of transition. The state frameworks have changed recently and will be implemented soon, meaning that what students are taught and how they’re taught is being altered. Additionally, teacher supervision and evaluation will be extended to the full staff at WHS next school year.

His current role as Assistant Principal has provided him with a strong team foundation, both within Administration and the greater school community. According to Callaghan, the ability to “work collaboratively and work within a team” will be essential when looking to hire a replacement for him as Assistant Principal. The school committee is open to considering both internal and external candidates.  

Twelve of the Westborough High School Student Council members were selected, via an application process, to attend the annual 3-day Hyannis Conference run by the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils.

Among the hundreds in attendance, Westborough was represented by the following young women: seniors Maggie Sharma and Anna Skidmore, junior Addie Egan, sophomores Erin McCarthy, Gina Bates, Molly Stone, Meredith Wolpert, Delia Curtis, and Shayna Blackwell, and freshmen Darcy Rota, Kylie Fitzgerald, and Maddy Verver.

The conference consisted of two incredible key note speakers, four student-lead workshops, two dances, the 2013-2014 MASC executive board elections, and four general sessions.  The energy throughout the conference was electrifying- the entire student body would dance on tables during lunch, have sing-alongs on the shuttle busses, and participate in intense catch-phrase tournaments in the hotel hallways.

The conference not only functioned as a time for the representatives to have fun and meet new people, but it also posed a great opportunity to exchange ideas with other councils, learn about leadership,  and to take time to reflect on their personal leadership skills.

They were able to squeeze much into their time at Hyannis, but they all left with a sense of wanting more.  It is this itch to experience more that will drive them to transfer the aspects they loved about their experience at Hyannis to the WHS Student Council.

On the heels of Ms. Greer, the new chorus director, another new face has graced the D-wing halls this year in the form of Tim MacDonald.  Coming to Westborough as a band and orchestra student teacher, Mr. MacDonald, a senior in music education at the University of New Hampshire, has been working with Mr. Lefebvre and the high school bands for the past two months.

When deciding where he wanted to student teach, Mr. MacDonald knew he wanted to go somewhere near his home in Norwood, MA.   He then looked at the top public music programs in the state, eventually settling on Westborough because, after meeting Mr. Lefebvre and the three drum majors (Jackie Andrews, Mike Ferraro, and Hannah Schur), he said, “this was a place I could learn a lot.  There seemed to be a real community, a real family aspect.  The level of music making that goes on here is rare.”

The two people that originally set Mr. MacDonald on the path to becoming a music teacher were his trumpet teacher, Mr. Ron Christianson, and Paul Alberta, a notable figure in the Massachusetts music scene as one of the founders of the MICCA music festival that some of WHS’ groups attend every year.  At Norwood High School, Mr. Alberta would work with the jazz band over February vacation in four hour, daily rehearsals.  

Mr. MacDonald got to know him when he was playing lead trumpet; it was on Mr. Alberta’s suggestion that Mr. MacDonald began studying with Mr. Christiansen.  Mr. Alberta played an inspirational role in Mr. MacDonald’s decision to pursue music education: “His way of being passionate about every note, every phrase was just nothing like I’d ever witnessed.  He made me passionate about music and made me realize there’s so much more to it than playing notes on the page and so I just kind of decided I wanted to do the same thing he did, wanted to have that kind of impact on people.”  This set him on the path to a music education degree at UNH, but when he arrived on campus, he was unsure if he had made the right decision.

Unsure, that is, until he met two figures that both inspired and solidified his decision to become a music teacher.  The first, Dr. Andrew Boysen Jr., was Mr. MacDonald’s band director, conducting professor, and advisor.  Mr. MacDonald took his two required semesters of conducting with him, but loved his classes so much that he took two more: an additional conducting class and a graduate level course on the history of the wind band repertoire.  

The second, Bill Kempster, was another one of Mr. MacDonald’s conducting professors, but also a choral and orchestral director at the university.  Mr. Kempster is known for his in-your-face, brutal honesty in rehearsal, but this form of passion did not deter Mr. MacDonald.  In fact, Mr. MacDonald learned most of what he knows about teaching and conducting orchestras from Mr. Kempster.

While Mr. MacDonald has a lot of passion and intensity for music and music performance, he also has fun both conducting and playing.  His fondest band memory was a band rehearsal in high school when a fellow trumpet player came back from the bathroom, forgot that his trumpet was on his seat, and sat on it.  The band director looked up and shouted, “What was that?” The kid, smiling, pulled out the flattened trumpet, and said, “Oh look, a sword!”

Mr. MacDonald is set to graduate on May 18 this year and hopes to get a job teaching band or orchestra at the middle or high school level.

On Monday, March 18 at 5:38 pm Westborough Compliments joined Facebook and began friending every WHS student they could find. I do not find it an overstatement to say the school will never be the same.

Westborough Compliments is a Facebook account WHS students can message compliments about another WHS student to, which the owner of the account will then post as a status update with the compliment receiver tagged in the post.

While I have seen other [Town/School Name] Compliments pages before, this is the first time something like it has come to the WHS Facebook community. The response has been incredible.

With the snow day on Tuesday, there were a large number of WHS students on Facebook throughout the day, giving Westborough Compliments the perfect launching off point. What has truly amazed me is that people are willing to hand out compliments without first receiving one; they are willing to give before they get. This is the core of why Westborough Compliments is a wonderful addition to the WHS community.

Compliments are one of the single most underutilized resources in the world. The fact is everyone is always trying to be the best person they can, but we are rarely recognized for it. Receiving earnest compliments like the ones on Westborough Compliments reminds the receiver that people appreciate them for being who they are and thanking them for the positive influence they are. Compliments are not like awards or prizes, where there is only one winner; compliments can come in tens or hundreds but still give the same, fuzzy, warm feeling to the receiver.

The best part about compliments is that when one receives them, they suddenly feel the need to give five back. This is not out of obligation, but comes from the warm feeling we have about people and the world when we are complemented. In this way, Westborough Compliments is a self-reinforcing loop: the more people are complimented the more they want to send compliments which results in more compliments. Because compliments can only cause positive energy, Westborough Compliments is a positive, self-reinforcing feedback loop. This means it is here and it is here to stay, which is a good thing.

As long as the input of compliments to Westborough Compliments’s message box does not slow, it will stick around. The ultimate goal of Westborough Compliments is simply to make people happy and right now it is the carrier of this happiness. While this is a great stepping stone, we should not satisfy ourselves with an anonymous Facebook page to spread happiness throughout the school.

I pose you this question: when was the last time you complimented someone, anyone, face-to-face? True, face-to-face compliments like these are increasingly rare occurrences, which is beyond unfortunate. As Westborough Compliments has proven, WHS is thirsty, parched for this kind of positive, peer support. While it is great to have that carrier now, we should be aiming to move away from a Facebook account and into complimenting each other more, face-to-face. When we are not afraid to walk up to someone we have rarely or never talked to, give them an earnest, heartfelt compliment, and expect nothing in return, when Westborough Compliments is not even necessary anymore, then it will have completed its mission: making WHS a happier, better place to be.

By: Kimberly Woodcock

Over February break, the Westborough Girls’ Varsity Basketball team hosted their 11th annual WHS Invitational tournament. This promoted and raised money for the awareness of breast cancer, and benefiting Play 4Kay. This establishment collaborates with the Women’s College Basketball Association, and the V foundation. People come from far away towns to watch this competitive tournament, which features teams from different parts of Massachusetts including Westborough, Holy Name, Quaboag, and Algonquin.

Entering as the last seed behind other rigorous competition, Westborough knew that they would have to put up a fight, especially against undefeated (18-0) Quaboag. Dominating from the beginning, our girls clinched the game by nearly 20 points. All around resilient performances by Amy Wilichowski (Jr.) and Tori Flahive (Jr.) kept these girls well ahead of their competitor.

Coming off such a strong win, Algonquin seemed like fair competition to Kittredge’s squad. Westborough was unable to pull through, even with a rowdy crowd getting everybody pumped. The game was played at a level of high intensity, even so that Wilichowski received a technical after an intentional shove. Players say it could have been a poor performance by the referees, but Westborough just hasn’t had the ability to pull through this year against the town rival, Algonquin.

Regional school, Algonquin, couldn’t keep up the winning streak. After a solid game against Westborough, they were put back into their place by Holy Name, who ended up clinching the number one spot in the tournament. With a strong performance by their guards, Holy Name has been able to win this annual competition for the second year in a row, an achievement no other team has been able to make. As for the Rangers, they have to face Holy Name this Friday night in their first district game, which will be a highly competitive match.