February Poem of the Month!

Walt Whitman (1819–1892).  Leaves of Grass.  1900. 

180. When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer 

WHEN I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;	5
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

Taste Test: Bagels!!!

Bagels. Everyone loves bagels. Whether you are like me and eat 5-6 bagels a week or you live under a rock and only eat 1-2 a week, we all love them. Warm or room temperature, with cream cheese, butter or plain, bagels are a satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner food. A lot of companies produce bagels, some specialize in it, and others merely make it on the side. I have had a lot of bagels in my time from a lot of different places. And I was curious as to which one was the best. I chose three popular bagel shops in or near Melrose and tested them out. To keep everything even and fair, I tested plain bagels with plain cream cheese from every shop.

First up: Brueggers. Located on Main Street, Melrose, this bagel shop offers many bagels as well as sandwiches and salads. I ordered a plain bagel as usual with plain cream cheese. The bagel was slightly warm because it was fresh that morning. The bagel itself was warm and soft on the inside but perfectly crunchy on the outside. The plain cream cheese compliments the bagel nicely and over all the combination is very nice.

Second, I tested Finagle-a-bagel. Their bagels are slightly larger than the ones at Brueggers, but not as thick. The products were complimentary as well. The overall package is good. Not absolutely amazing but good. The cafe offers other bagel like foods, like sandwiches and salads.

Third, I tested Bagel World. Their bagels are very good. Much like the others, they are well complimented by their cream cheese. The bagels are of average size and are filling for a meal.

By now you can probably tell which bagel I liked most. Out of convenience, being located right in Melrose, and because of the great taste, Brueggers, to me, is the best bagel!!

By: Elisa Lemack

Drama Club's Competition Show

The drama club at Melrose High School is entering a competition that brings together schools from all over the state. They must perform a 40 minute play of their choice which is separate from the 5 minutes at the beginning to set up and take down the set.

Mr. Daly, a history teacher at MHS is the head of our school’s production and even wrote the play that will be performed. “It is an original piece called ‘Hide and Seek’. It is a show that I actually wrote in high school and preformed my senior year. Four years ago we did re-writes to it and this year students came to me after reading the play and asked if we could perform it again.” Mr. Daly was inspired to write the play when a student in his freshmen year art class passed away from a drunk-driving accident.

The play tells the story of Kate, a girl who is coming to terms with a recent drunk driving accident she was in, that killed her best friend Sarah. It also shows how other girls in the school are dealing with it. “The students felt like it was something that still spoke to the generation. We did some re-writes to it, taking the 90’s out of it and now taking the 2000’s out of it. It includes reoccurring themes that are relatable for high school students,” says Daly.

Francesca Rizzo a cast member describes the play as “really moving; it shows what it is like behind the scenes at the high school. It includes a lot of problems kids go through like depression, anxiety and stress. I feel like at the high school level we all have some form of those things and if we don’t, then we know someone who does.” Rizzo plays the role of Abby, a close friend of Sarah’s. “She is very blunt with everything; it almost is like she doesn’t have a filter, but she is very understanding .”

The competition works by having a bunch of schools competing at different sites and at the end, 3 from each site are picked to move on to the next round. The only rules are that the play cannot be a musical and can only be performed by high school students.

“We get up as early as 5:30 to get on the bus and go to the location we are performing at. The first show starts around 9am and basically every hour there is a new play. Afterwards there is a dinner, dancing and awards. We go home around 11pm." Daly explains. 

By: Laura Lombardi

Featured Student: Paris Peterson

Paris Peterson is a junior at Melrose High who has recently entered a short film contest with a three minute film about the common fire hazards which happen in everyone's households. The video includes acting from his friends and some easy steps anyone should take to prevent house fires. Paris entered this contest after his TV teacher made it an assignment to make a fire safety video, and encouraged the students to enter the contest held by the State Department of Fire Services. Prizes for the contest include gift cards and other benefits for the high school's TV production. Even before entering the contest, Paris always had an interest in film making. "It's definitely something I've been looking into ever since I started acting in student films. There's a lot of freedom in the field. Something I'm attracted to," Paris says.

His involvement with film making started when he was a kid living in South Boston, improvising skits with his siblings and filming them. Paris also enjoyed acting in the skits, so he began theatre. When he moved to Melrose in third grade, him and his brother, Dakota, started making skate videos. Paris's involvement with theatre and film making has had a huge influence on working on his own material. Not only does Paris enjoy film making, he also enjoys acting in his friends' films. Acting in these films for colleges led Paris to begin making films himself. Paris says that "taking the knowledge from that and TV class have driven me in a new direction of thinking cinematically. Experience can only lead to improvement." In addition to his brother Dakota, who is currently in college for ion, Paris's uncle and cousins are in the filmmaking business. After the competition is over, Paris is going to Iceland with friends this summer and hopes to make a short film while there. "Regardless of me winning, bringing audiences something meaningful through film is what I plan to do for quite some time."

By: Megan Wolley

Battle of the Bands results are in!

The results are in for the Virtual Battle of the Bands competition at Melrose High School: Lilah Drafts-Johnson took the gold for her original song “Of Wood & Stone”. The young musician, who had over 2,400 views on YouTube, made it to the second round of the competition in a close second to the runner-ups, Jump The Ship. When it came down to the school wide vote, however, Lilah came out on top.

“‘Of Wood & Stone’ was one of the [songs] that came very quickly to me” explains Lilah when asked about the song she performed “it probably took me about half an hour to write lyrics initially”. The young artist writes a lot and says that music will always be a part of her life.

Unlike most people however, Lilah loves to perform. “I really enjoy sharing my music and getting feedback”. Writing a song is something that comes easier to some than to others, but performing is a whole different talent. Being comfortable onstage requires confidence and that can carry you far.

The Virtual Battle of the Bands will return next year with a whole new competition, new acts and new songs; until next year, rock out MHS.

By: Maddie Forsberg 

Mock Trial

            For over fifteen years Mock Trial has been a club at Melrose High. Recently, this nation-wide competition in which students argue real-life cases in front of a judge in a courthouse has increased in popularity.

            Melrose High’s mock trial team is competing in region nine of the Mock Trial competition. They play against neighboring districts and 140 cities and towns in Massachusetts. In these competitions Melrose competed against Everett High, Lynn Classical, Lynn English, Lynn Vocational, Malden Catholic, Malden High, Medford High, Revere High, and Winthrop High. “It’s like March Madness: broken up into brackets,” says Mr. Alperen, a Melrose High English teacher and the coach of Melrose High’s mock trial team.

            The trials are created by real lawyers and officials, and were real cases at one point. The cases presented by the mock trial teams are heard in front of real judges.

            Mr. Alperen explained how this year is a “civil case” and the “burden of proof lies on the plaintiff. These cases are tougher to prove.”

            Mr. Alperen described how television gives the audiences the illusion that cases are solved easily. “However, it’s very complicated with a lot of procedures.” Mr. Alperen claims that it is very rewarding when “your team wins a case because you’ve worked so hard.”

            There are thirteen students at Melrose High on the mock trial team this year: Matt Cornelius, Jack Eccles, Marco Garofalo, Claire Halderman, Olivia Izzi, Emma Leyne, Connor Locke, Connor Meade, Antonia Penta, Mike Polcari, Aidan Swan, Ian Swan, and Lily Tucci. Ian Swan and Jack Eccles are the captains. The students practice their parts at least two hours a week.

            The Melrose High mock trial team had a scrimmage at BC High Saturday, December 14^th. There was no official scoring, but Mr. Alperen believes BC High outscored Melrose High.

            “We found our strengths and we definitely have stars in the making.” Mr. Alperen said.

            Melrose’s first meet against Everett on January 23rd at the Lynn courthouse ended in a loss, but the team claimed a victory against Revere on January 27^th. The team faced Winthrop on February 3^rd, but lost after the judge gave Winthrop the win.

            “That’s called ‘subjective ruling,’ and the judge felt [Winthrop] went more smoothly.” Mr. Alperen said.

            The reason the judge felt this way was mainly because Melrose had a last minute change in position due to an illness. Connor Locke took over for Emma Leyne. Mr. Alperen said the case was exceptional because the meet resulted in a tie even with the last minute changes.

             “Most of these trials seem to favor one side over the other and this year they favored the side of the plaintiff.” Mr. Alperen said, explaining how Melrose beat Revere. “Not only did we win on points, but we argued a better case.”

            Melrose completed the preliminary round with a score of 1-2, and Melrose did not advance into the next round.

            “We definitely established ourselves as an affordable ‘firm’.” Mr. Alperen said.

             By: Christian Hashem

Guide to Netflix: The Carrie Diaries

Taking place in 1984, “The Carrie Diaries” is the story of 17 year old Carrie Bradshaw falling in love with Manhattan. Based off of the novel written by Candice Bushnell, the series is a prequel to the beloved “Sex and The City”, although viewers do not need to see “Sex in the City” to be able to follow it. Developed by Amy B. Harris and airing on The CW in 2012, Season one of the light hearted drama can be found on Netflix, while season two is currently airing. The pilot starts off by introducing viewers to Carrie's hectic home life on her first day of junior year. Her father, Tom, is now a single dad raising Carrie and her rebellious sister, Dorritt, after their mother recently passed away. School was difficult for Carrie with all the pitiful looks she was receiving, but she had three friends to rely on for support. Her friends West, Mouse, and Maggie all have their own side stories during the series, as well. But it starts off first with Carrie, AnnaSophia Robb, taking an internship at a law firm in the city; leading her away from her small suburban Connecticut town, her family, and her first love, Sebastian Kydd, played by Austin Butler.

By: Olivia Terranova