Romney has been criticized recently for changing his position on various controversial issues. (Credit: CC/Flickr nmfbihop)

In recent weeks, the direction of the Republican primaries has become ever more clear. Michele Bachmann, John Huntsman and Rick Perry have all dropped out and only Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum remain.

Paul, a candidate promising to end all foreign aid and curl the United States back up into its isolationist shell while cutting an incredible five federal departments, has amazingly finished strong in both Iowa and New Hampshire, with respectable showings in South Carolina and Florida. Despite his political agenda, I admire Dr. Paul because he has remained loyal to his principles regardless of how absurd they seem.

Rick Santorum has also fared well apparently because he represents the “average American” born from a family of coal miners. Listening to Santorum compare gay marriage to a paper towel would seemingly scare away voters, but it hasn’t.

On the other hand, Gingrich seems to have dedicated his campaign to barraging Romney with negative advertisements. Judging by his finish in Florida, it doesn’t look like Newt’s strategy is working.

That brings us to the Grand Old Party’s front-runner: Mitt.

After winning in Iowa (at first, anyway), New Hampshire and Florida, Mitt has become the primary target for negative advertisements from other Republican candidates like Gingrich and Paul. Romney is criticized for his constantly changing political agenda – otherwise known as “flip-flopping.” Desperate to appeal to conservative voters, Romney has abandoned the moderate rhetoric that won him the gubernatorial election in Massachusetts in 2003.

For Pete’s sake, Mitt, we know you’re running for office, but you can’t just flip your position on every single issue to get people to like you. This ‘adaptive’ strategy should keep you, Mr. Romney, out of the oval office.

On our nation’s most controversial issues, Romney has repeatedly changed his position.

Let’s focus on abortion. During the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial race, Romney said in a debate: “I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose.” In a historically liberal state like Massachusetts, a statement like Romney’s would appeal to voters.

Romney clearly did not realize though, that he would run for president years later and that conservative Americans would not be pleased with his stance on abortion. In recent years, Romney has become an opponent of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case that allows women to have abortions.

Romney’s “Pro-Life Pledge” states, “I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother…I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade….”

To defend his changing opinion, Romney argues that abortion was a philosophical issue when he ran for governor, but when he became governor and was presented with real pro-choice legislature, he was forced to switch sides. This argument seems reasonable for a high school vice president but not quite for a governor of Massachusetts.

How can we believe that Romney will follow through with the promises he’s made during his presidential campaign?

Personally, I wouldn’t mind if Romney changed back to his previous political rhetoric like supporting abortion and gay rights and acknowledging the realities of global warming. What concerns me more is that Romney seems to lack principles. He has not maintained the same position throughout his political career, and there’s no evidence to show that he won’t continue to flip-flop.

Changing one’s position on a controversial topic isn’t necessarily a tragedy. However, Romney has done so on almost every issue (research for yourself). It seems he is willing to forgo any principles he had as a governor to win the nomination and eventually the general election in November.

For this reason, we cannot elect Mitt Romney.

Boys Basketball Coach Dennis Doherty graduated from Wayland High School in 1992. (Credit: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

Each year, Wayland High School employs over 50 coaches to try to lead our teams to state tournaments and hopefully even state titles. Coaches spend hours each day working with the athletes to help them improve their skills. Coaches and players can develop a special relationship with each other.

Often, one of the last things on a player’s mind while they are running sprints or doing push ups is their future in that sport. While they don’t think about it, chances are, some of our athletes will return to WHS to coach the team on which they once played. However, is the fact that we have alumni coaching our teams a good thing?

Right now, the large number of alumni coaches contributes tremendously to the success of our athletic teams here at WHS. We have numerous teams that qualify for the tournament and some which win championships. It would be hard to say that we don’t have a successful athletic program at the moment.

One of our most successful teams this year, boys soccer, has assistant coach Charles Goodhue, class of 2002, on the sidelines. Boys basketball has coach Dennis Doherty, class of 1992.

For both of these sports, these two coaches were on the last team that won a state championship. Goodhue led the team as a captain to the 2001 state championship and Doherty was the point guard on the 1992 championship team.

After taking time off, both of these coaches decided to return to Wayland to lead their new teams to similar fates.

One reason why I feel alumni coaches help is that they can form a special relationship with the players that most others cannot. Even though we just moved to a new building, alumni coaches understand the culture in Wayland. They can talk about problems and relate to issues that are specific to WHS.

Anyone involved in athletics knows that sports change. The speed of the game, the strategy and even the equipment used all progress each year. While one strategy might have worked last year, you can bet that it most likely won’t work this year. For these reasons, we have to be sure that our coaches stay up to date on their strategies.

You can be sure that the strategy that was dominant when alumni played would be a disaster if it were used today. Some might say that having alumni as coaches is detrimental to the success of our programs. They would say that using alumni wouldn’t allow new opinions into the system.

I disagree. Alumni can bring a new perspective and promote original strategies just as coaches new to the system do. Alumni coaches give us a distinct advantage that most schools don’t have.

(Photo Illustration: Elaine Hunt/WSPN)

This is the third in a three-part hipster guide designed to inform and instruct those looking for a lifestyle change or simply to become more knowledgeable about this new phenomenon. So, put a kettle of tea on the stove and read on.

You now know how to dress and converse like a hipster, so you’re probably eager to meet some of these mystical creatures. Be warned though – hipsters aren’t always the most friendly, so you may have to reach out to them first.

Before you take to the streets with your cat in tow, just know that you won’t find many hipsters in Wayland. If you want to find a plethora of them, head to a city. Minnesota was recently named the most hipster state, but luckily for us, Massachusetts came in a strong fourth. That is not to say, however, that everyone who lives here is a hipster, so you must be able to spot one at 100 paces.

The key to hipster spotting is knowing where to look.

Where to find hipsters:

• Used bookstores. Hipsters like classic literature and vintage things. Now combine the two and you get vintage literature, a hipster’s dream.
• Riding fixed-gear bikes. In simple terms, a fixed-gear bike has one gear that is attached directly to the back wheel. The pedals of the bike are constantly in motion, and it has no brakes so you must peddle backwards to stop. To some, this may seem dangerous and impractical, but to hipsters, they’re the pinnacle of urban trendiness.
• Used and vintage clothing stores. Maintaining their look is no easy task. Hipsters must stay on the cutting edge of 80′s fashion.
• Farmers markets. This is where the line between “hipster” and “hippie” becomes a little blurred.
• Any music store that sells vinyl records.
• Protests. Hipsters love fighting for their rights, whether it be their freedom to speak against the government or their freedom to wear non-prescription glasses.
• Indie band concerts. Usually, one would go to these concerts with friends. Hipsters don’t believe that anyone could ever possibly share their taste in music, so they have two options for these events. They can either go alone or go with friends and act sullen and complain about how the band has become too mainstream.
• Urban Outfitters
• Coffee shops, both in front of and behind the counter. Many hipsters have liberal arts degrees, making it hard for them to find jobs in the current economy. Coffee shops are just cool enough for them to work at, and they include discounted caffeine. Coffee shops also often have free WiFi, which is key for hipsters trying to maintain their online presence.
• Indie and foreign film festivals. The thing these two types of movies have in common is that they require more sophistication and intelligence to understand than the average movie. Whether hipsters understand them or not is a different matter.
• Taking “artsy” pictures of nature and of themselves, using either vintage or professional-looking cameras. Slap some sepia on that photo and there you go, a new tumblr post.

Finding hipsters in their natural habitat is no small feat, but if you know their usual haunts, you’ll be one with the hipsters in no time.

Do you have your over-sized glasses? Your cat sweater? Your iPhone? There is only so much preparation one can do. Now you have no other choice but to seek out these hipsters and try to win their affection. Catch the next train into Boston and put your new-found hipster knowledge to the test!

Guidance counselor Jim Griffin died on Sunday, January 15, 2012 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. (Photo illustration: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

Arts & Entertainment editor Oliver Levin reflects on his personal interactions with Mr. Griffin and his impact.

My first memory of Mr. Griffin came when I was only ten-years-old.

My sister had made the freshman basketball team, and Mr. Griffin was the coach. One day after a practice, I was in the gym picking up my sister when Mr. Griffin introduced himself to me.

“Hi,” he exclaimed with pure enthusiasm. Even though I was an awkward-looking fifth grader, Mr. Griffin seemed genuinely happy to meet me. A friendly conversation quickly led to Mr. Griffin and me shooting around together. I can remember thinking how cool it was that an adult like Mr. Griffin actually had an interest in a twerp like me.

On Sunday night, when I learned the news of Mr. Griffin’s death, I recalled this first experience with him. Then an unexpected feeling hit me: guilt. But why? It was cancer that had killed him, nothing I did. But the more I remembered our interactions, the more I understood my guilt.

Throughout my childhood I would often see Mr. Griffin around town. We saw each other at basketball games, high school events, even occasionally in a store. Every time we saw each other, the same enthusiastic and caring man greeted me with a warm smile and nice “hello.” He was always interested in every aspect of my life, and he seemed to look forward to my arrival at the high school.

Once I got to high school, I saw Mr. Griffin everywhere, as it is impossible not to run into people at WHS. Whenever he saw me, Mr. Griffin had the same simple “hello” that always improved my day. It was this simple act that often got a smile out of me, which was tough to do during some of those stressful days of high school.

So it was among these memories that I discovered why I had felt so guilty. I had never done for Mr. Griffin what he had done for me. I had never made him feel special like he had for me. I had never gone out of my way to say hello to him, or to check in on how he was doing. These thoughts sickened me and led to a restless Sunday night.

But it was on Monday morning, when I read Mr. Tutwiler’s email to Wayland High School families regarding Mr. Griffin’s death, that I understood guilt was the wrong emotion to be feeling.

Instead of dwelling on what I should have done, I must focus on what I can do. I can be more like Mr. Griffin. I can try to reach out to others like he did. I can say that simple “hello” to not just my friends, but all Wayland students, regardless of looks, attitude or personality. Just like Mr. Griffin did.

So even with the devastation of his death, Mr. Griffin still inspires me. He still challenges me to be the better man he saw in me and that I now see in myself. His death is sad, but his influence will live on. I’d like to thank Mr. Griffin for always seeing the best in me.

To submit your own reflection or memory, send it to WSPN via email or comment below.

Conductor Benjamin Zander was dismissed from his post at NEC after nearly forty years of service. (Credit: CC Flickr Katrina Kokosova)

On Thursday January 12, New England Conservatory President Tony Woodcock released an “urgent message” stating that Benjamin Zander is “no longer with the institution” – a euphemism for ‘Zander was fired.’

Zander was the beloved conductor of my orchestra, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPO), and the artistic director at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, a private school affiliated with New England Conservatory (NEC).

After transforming the culture at NEC and Walnut Hill, Zander was allegedly fired because he allowed Peter Benjamin, a registered level two sex offender, the opportunity to continue his career as a videographer after serving time in prison and undergoing therapy.

Woodcock and New England Conservatory’s decision to dismiss Zander was unfair not only to Zander, but also to the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the rest of the NEC community.

Perhaps the best way to describe Benjamin is as a “background figure.” He did not record every rehearsal, only our concerts in Jordan Hall. Legally, NEC felt obligated to take action against him.

However, he posed no danger to any orchestra members. I never saw anybody in any contact with him. Zander’s decision to hire Benjamin, while somewhat imprudent because Zander failed to inform the administration of Benjamin’s past, did not jeopardize student musicians. It certainly did not warrant Zander’s dismissal.

Zander was also fired just eight days before a concert packed with extraordinarily complicated music. Our orchestra will now be under the direction of two able conductors, Hugh Wolff and David Loebel, each conducting two pieces. Under these circumstances, though, our ability to perform at the same level we did with Zander is questionable.

Why did Woodcock decide to fire Zander immediately? Was he a threat to the school or the students? No, he was not.

In his letter to YPO, Zander wrote, “I believe that terminating my services as soon as possible had become a priority [to Tony Woodcock].”

If Zander was correct, which I think he was, then we can draw one conclusion: Woodcock was more invested in settling some sort of personal vendetta than in YPO and the student body at NEC and Walnut Hill. His decision was selfish.

Finally, what I find the most astonishing aspect of this ordeal is NEC’s treatment of Zander, despite his contributions to the school over the course of 40 years. Zander attracted students and teachers to the school. He fundraised and donated his own money for incredible orchestra tours like the one to Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic that I was a part of last summer. He even convinced rock legend Sting to attend one of our rehearsals.

After Saturday’s rehearsal, the second since Zander’s firing, I spoke with a musician who had been a member of the orchestra for four years. She told me she was unsure if she could continue to play in YPO without Zander. Zander brought these remarkably talented musicians back to NEC each year. He was an invaluable member of the NEC community, and he was banished from the conservatory in an abrupt and unfair manner.

Zander was a leader at NEC. His philosophy, detailed in his book The Art of Possibility, urged people to always maintain a positive outlook and avoid the “downward spiral” of pessimism. Zander made a living through speeches to corporate executives around the world about the importance of classical music and “the art of possibility.” He inspired YPO’s musicians and anyone else who had heard him speak or conduct.

While I was checking my luggage at Logan Airport before flying to Europe with YPO, the attendant recognized Zander several booths down from me.

He told me, “I know that man! He’s Ben Zander, right? I’ve seen his talks on YouTube – he’s amazing.”

Zander influenced people everywhere, and his personality is truly unique. He will be dearly missed at New England Conservatory.

(Photo Illustration: Elaine Hunt/WSPN)

This is the second in a three-part hipster guide designed to inform and instruct those looking for a lifestyle change or simply to become more knowledgeable about this new phenomenon. So, put a kettle of tea on the stove and read on.

At this point, your beard is probably on its way to becoming full and you have probably raided your grandma’s old clothes more than she’d like to know. You’ve made it past the first step, but you’re not out of the woods quite yet. (Though, as a hipster, you probably like being in the woods.)

Being a hipster is about more than just looking like one. You’ve got to be able to act the part too.

This post is to keep you from blowing your cover when talking to a fellow hipster. Sure, you can make up some “hipster-esque” lines when talking to your friends and parents, but the moment of truth comes when conversing with another hipster. They can tell you’re a fake the moment you mention you mostly like music from the radio.

But fear not, all hipsters generally like the same things. Here are a variety of things hipsters love to talk about and do. If acting like you only speak French doesn’t work, this list should keep you afloat while conversing with your fellow hipsters.

• Classic literature. Having read these books is not a requirement by any means, however. Just be able to say, “Yes, John Steinbeck is a genius.” Your fellow hipsters will nod wisely, and you’ll be off the hook.
• Living in the city. This does not require, however, actually living in the city. You must simply have a desire to live there.
• Getting a liberal arts degree.
• Being questionably ironic. Most things hipsters do are attempts to be ironic, from the clothes they wear to the tattoos they get. While wearing their grandmother’s old Christmas cat sweater, sometimes they think, “Do I really like this sweater? Or am I just mocking it?” The line often becomes blurred. Whether you like the sweater or not, be sure to play it off as ironic. If there is no other explanation, hipsters always approve of irony.
• Cats
• Music that you haven’t heard of. Most of the bands hipsters like are unsigned and indie. This is hard to maintain, though, because inevitably someone else in the world has heard of the same band. Here is an example of a potential problem you could face: your friend just downloaded an Animal Collective song and wants you to listen to it. Here are a few ways you could respond:
  -“They’re so mainstream.” or
  -“They sold out.” or
  -“I liked them before they were famous.” or
  -“Yeah, I’ve moved on to some much more obscure bands; there’s no way you’ve heard of them.”
• Recycling
• Not washing your hair. It’s far too conventional, and by skipping the shampoo, they are getting back to nature. However, if one is wont to washing one’s hair, one must use all-natural, vegan hair products.
• Being vegan.
• Not wearing labels, and by default not labeling yourself.
• Tattoos that a normal, reasonable person would never dream of getting. For example, a slice of pizza on your upper arm, a quote from a book across your chest or a crow on your forearm.
• Social media, including but not limited to Google+, Tumblr and Twitter.

Now you’re dressed and conversing like a hipster. Only one thing is missing, and that is other hipsters. The next blog will address where and how to find hipsters, so you can put your new style and knowledge to the test.

(Photo Illustration: Elaine Hunt/WSPN)

This is the first in a three-part hipster guide designed to inform and instruct those looking for a lifestyle change or simply to become more knowledgeable about this new phenomenon. So, put a kettle of tea on the stove and read on.

It’s 2012 and the hipster epidemic has struck. Everyone either knows a hipster, hates hipsters or wants to become a hipster. But the perfect balance of wit, plaid and facial hair can only be accomplished by those with a fierce dedication.

Above all else, you must remember the most important rule of being a hipster: never admit to being one.
Even though you’ve secretly striven to be one for years. Even though you’re so excited because your cool friend finally called you a hipster. Even though you bought your glasses praying someone would say they make you look like one. If someone continuously accuses you of being a hipster, the best response is to simply say, “I don’t like to label myself.”

A large part of being a hipster is outward appearance. With that being said, the first step in becoming a hipster is knowing how to dress like one.

Dressing like a hipster:

For ladies:

• Large, thick-rimmed glasses
• High-waisted shorts
• Corduroys
• Ironic shirts, sweaters, jackets, etc.
• 80′s and 90′s clothing and accessories
• Gold chunky jewelry
• Colorful spandex
• Toms or moccasins
• Forehead headbands

For gentlemen:

• Large, thick-rimmed glasses
• Extremely tight pants
• Cut-off jean shorts
• Flannel button ups
• Zip-up hoodies, particularly American Apparel style
• Ironic t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, etc.
• Deep v-neck t-shirts
• Ironic moustaches, especially handlebars, and/or beards and long, shaggy hair
• Vans or Converse

Keep in mind that your hipster outfit will change depending on the season and your tolerance for cold weather.

Where to shop:

• Your attic! Your mom thought her gruesome 80′s dress would never surface again, but suddenly it’s the perfect compliment to your new lace tights.
• Thrift shops (Savers, Goodwill, etc.)
• Urban Outfitters. Hipsters love things that cost a fraction of their original price, and things that cost ten times as much as they should. Who would pay $70 for a cat sweater? A hipster!
• American Apparel. This goes for both male and female hipsters.
• Your elementary and middle school wardrobe. When you packed away that Pokémon shirt you wore every day in fourth grade you thought that would be the end of it. Now, however, it’s the perfect “ironic” shirt, made even better by the fact that it’s a few sizes too small. The Charmander appliqué says, “I’m still young, but old and mature enough to look back at my childhood in an ironic way.”

A few other hipster accessories:

• iPhone and any other Apple product
• Large, professional looking, vintage camera
• Anything with Native American print
• Fixed gear bike
• Androgynous haircut

Dressing like a hipster, although a vital part of becoming one, is only part of the battle. Check back next week to learn about what hipsters like.

Student Learning Centers (SLCs) in the new school offer freedom to students. (Credit: Caitlyn Pineault/WSPN)

When I first heard that our eight-building campus was being condensed into two two-story buildings, I was disappointed. Despite the leaves that are tracked into the hallways and crushed into the carpets during the fall, the bitter cold and snow in the winter and the rain and mud of spring, I love the layout of our old school.

What I love most is the unique sense of freedom the open campus gives the student body. With so many buildings, students never feel trapped. Walking from building to building is always refreshing and clears the mind after a first block class. It’s a perfect five-minute break. Going outside to sit on the back hill with your English class hardly feels like school. It’s not like I come to school at 7:30 and say goodbye to the blue sky and sun for the next six and a half hours.

Then there are the frees. One whole hour when you can do homework, meet with teachers, eat or chat with friends in the Commons, the media center or at a picnic table. No one checking over your shoulder, marking you present or getting in your way. Students have more freedom because they are not constrained to one building, but can wander between eight.

At first, moving into a more traditional high school appeared to be an end to these freedoms. No more walking outside between each classes. No more frees where students can walk around campus. But after an impromptu tour of the new facilities with Principal Tutwiler, I’ll admit that I may have passed judgment too soon.

Spatially yes, the new school may make students feel more restricted because of the building layout. However, many attempts have been made to ease this feeling. Although we won’t be traveling outside in between classes anymore, the new school has many large windows, allowing natural light to filter into the buildings. Hallways are wider. On the second floor, the hallways have skylights to let extra light in.

If that’s not enough, the courtyard between the academic building and the administrative/arts building is not a far walk. Free blocks are not being altered from how they are currently being run.

The media center and the Commons are the two most common places where students who have frees pass their time on the current campus. This will probably remain true in the new school. The library was designed to be a place of collaboration. There are fewer study carrels and more tables. My favorite additions are the plush armchairs located near the back window looking into the woods.

The new school also introduces a new area for students to work during frees: Student Learning Centers (SLCs). Similar to mini teacher lounges, these four centers are spread throughout each wing of the school. SLCs will include armchairs and computers available for student use. These SLCs extend student freedoms by giving them more options of where to hang out during frees.

With regard to the open campus policy, the administration is not planning on making any changes to the current rules. That’s one more freedom that will remain unchanged by the move to the new school.

Some students have also expressed concern about restrictions on their cellphone use. The current policy says no cellphone use in academic buildings, thus still allowing students to use phones outside walking from class to class or in the Commons. In the new school, students will spend most of their time in the academic building and, according to the current policy, will be unable to use their phones. The administration is aware of this issue and is in the process of reviewing the policy.

Unforeseen issues will probably arise due to the move. It’s going to take a bit of time and patience for a new routine to develop, but with the faculty and the student body’s cooperation I have no doubt that a routine that satisfies both parties will emerge.

Switching schools will be a huge change, but losing their freedom is one thing students don’t have to worry about.

Check out the rest of the stories in this In-Depth report, “Examining the culture shift in the new school.”

(Credit: Matthew Gutschenritter/WSPN)

Episode three of Chitchat with Doug and Matt stresses the importance of kindness during the holiday season. Doug and Matt welcome guest Christina Barakov to give some advice on how not to swear.

Click play to listen to the podcast.

Because the current facility is soon to be demolished, less focus has been put on getting rid of graffiti says Lucas Boegehold. (Photo Illustration: Jonathan Chen/WSPN)

Throughout the school, there are many simple things, from door knobs to sinks, that simply don’t work. Increasing amounts of graffiti have been ignored as well, and profane images and words are taking bathrooms by force.

To some extent, the lack of repairs makes sense. Why fix something that is going to be demolished in a few short months? Nevertheless, it is still demoralizing to watch your school fall apart right underneath your very fingertips.

Just two years ago, one would have never known the true amount of graffiti being drawn. Due to the swift movement of the janitors, the underworld of Wayland High School graffiti artists was one that was stifled and kept under tight control. Now, this same underworld has begun to flourish, from odd scrawls that can be found on every wall, to strange hieroglyphics sketched into desk tops.

The language building has probably suffered the most damage.

One of the doors on the side facing the Commons sticks to its frame and requires more than the shove an average high school student wants to give. Most kids learn quickly to give it the extra push, but even the most experienced upperclassmen sometimes run into it and embarrass themselves.

One of the doors that faces the large courtyard between the language, history, and science buildings seems to be locked all the time from the inside. On the next set of double doors, one of them lost its handle and is thus physically impossible to open when entering. No one seems to know where it went, but I think I might have seen it sticking out of the perpetually clogged toilet in the language building on Monday.

Even the bell system has been laid to rest, leaving students sitting in the depths of the library to get carried away in their studies and miss their next four classes. One student was found curled up in a ball sleeping the next morning in the library because his life had no structure without the bells.

The dilapidation of our school has had many different effects on students, and has revealed a previously unseen underbelly of Wayland High School culture. Along with the old school, the problems with the utilities of our alma mater will disappear. Later this year, we will start on a new page in a new school, and vandalism will return to the depths of creative thought, where it belongs. But for now, “embrace” the art or shun it: it’s your choice.

(Photo Illustration: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

We all have those nights when the amount of time we spend on our homework surpasses the number of hours we spend actually sleeping. We beat ourselves up for procrastinating on that biology presentation, curse our English teacher for giving us a “small essay” due the next day and damn our math, history and french teachers for giving us tests, projects and homework all at the same time.

But that’s just the way school is, and those piles of homework are there for a reason, right?

Well, sort of. According to guidelines endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA), schools should be following the “10 minute rule” created by Harris Cooper of Duke University, the country’s leading homework researcher.

The “10 minute rule” states that students should be doing 10 minutes of homework per night, per grade level. For example, second graders should complete 20 minutes of homework per night, fifth graders should do 50 minutes per night and so on.

Cooper’s rule also states that by the time a child of any age reaches two hours of homework, they stop effectively taking in the material, and the homework will not affect their achievement. The average American high school student does two to four hours of homework a night, so according to Cooper’s rule, high school students could be anywhere between 12th to 24th grade.

Obviously something is wrong here. We shouldn’t be taking on more than we are capable of, but why is homework such an issue all of a sudden?

According to a 2004 national survey of 2,900 American children conducted by the University of Michigan, the amount of time spent on homework is up 51% since 1981. With the leap in homework, William Crain, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at City College of New York and the author of Reclaiming Childhood, said that the average high school student is glued to his or her desk for almost seven hours a day, has two to four hours of homework each night, and in total is working 45 to 55 hours a week.

So who’s to blame for why we sit at our desks night after night, feeling our brains melt into the back of our skulls as we reach our third hour of what Harris Cooper dubs, “counterproductive homework?”

As easy as it is to say that our teachers are the ones to blame because they are handing out the homework, that is not necessarily correct. True, maybe some teachers favor ten page papers more than others, but the real answer for why we have so much homework is a little thing called top down pressure.

In 2001, The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was established, requiring states to create assessments in basic skills in order to receive federal funding for their schools. NCLB supports standards-based education reform, which is based on the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education.

Since NCLB, there’s been a huge push for high test scores, which means covering everything from the ancient Sumerians to historians’ predictions for the future in only 180 days. Add the fact that schools for educators don’t offer “Assigning Homework 101,” and teachers are figuring this out on their own.

“Today’s educators are getting pressure from state school boards to cover more material and in greater depth – all without a corresponding expansion of the school day,” said Harris Cooper. “Students are spending homework time learning extra material rather than reviewing the day’s lessons.”

However, the thing that our country needs to understand is that the challenge of achieving high test scores and managing education can’t be met with an abundant amount of homework.

According to Etta Kralovec and John Buell, educators and co-authors of the book, The End of Homework, homework also doesn’t allow teachers to see how a student is progressing. A student may struggle and make many mistakes without the teacher being able to pinpoint the problem or even notice that the student has made an error in the first place. This ultimately hurts the student’s learning process and grades. Also, studies and statistics show that countries with lesser amounts of homework, such as Japan, Denmark and the Czech Republic, report higher test scores than the countries that assign the most homework.

Luckily, as the homework issue has become more prominent, there have been some shifts in ideals, and some schools are making progressive changes to their homework policies. Mason-Rice School in Newton, MA now follows Harris Cooper’s “10 minute rule” to keep a handle on nightly assignments.

Raymond Park School in Indianapolis, IN wrote a policy instructing teachers to “assign homework only when you feel the assignment is valuable” and that “a night off is better than homework which serves no worthwhile purpose.” Other schools, such as Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, CA, have even considered eliminating homework altogether.

The bottom line is, homework has evolved into an unhealthy way of life for American students. Somewhere along the road, homework became a safety net for teachers to cover extra material that they are impossibly expected to teach us. It became a way to put us all at ease, convincing ourselves that our education programs are succeeding because they have been meeting the state standardized bar. But now, it’s time to face the facts. Homework has a time, place and use, but like anything else, there can be too much of a good thing. It’s time to start a homework revolution.

The class of 2014 enjoys their Sophomore Semi. (Credit: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

The dust has cleared after this year’s Sophomore Semi and the class of 2014 made it out alive, despite the stress leading up to the event.

Until a few years ago, having a date was not a priority. The Class of 2014 took it a step further and made bringing a date to Semi as important as it is for Prom.

This year, sophomores employed clever strategies to ask their dates, just as juniors typically do for Prom. For example, some sophomores chose to ask their dates from across the Commons by writing, “Semi?” on a piece of paper instead of a simple face to face, “Will you go with me?”

In past years, Semi has taken place in early November and would have happened weeks ago. This year though, it was in early December. Sophomores began asking for dates in the early weeks of the school year, as early as three months prior to the event.

The fact that students asked dates so much earlier just shows that getting a date has become much more important in their eyes. Many high school students thought that it would be embarrassing or awkward to go alone when in reality, it was quite the opposite. Semi used to be a time for the class to bond. It was rare if someone had a date, but now, finding a date is stressful.

If the pressure of the asking itself wasn’t enough, timing the “proposal” was just as nerve-wracking. The worst scenario imaginable was if you asked too late, and the person you wanted to go with already had a date, but it was also a bad idea to ask too early. This left most people to wonder, “When is the best time to ask?”

As questions like, “Will I be turned down?” and “Is there anyone left?” arose, more pressure mounted on students. There was also the problem of whether a girl could ask a guy. It’s completely OK for a girl to ask a guy. Just because it doesn’t happen as often doesn’t mean it should be against the rules.

Attire for the big night also left sophomores anxious. Luckily for guys, it was easy to pick between a grey and black suit. Girls, on the other hand, had to find the perfect dress. This process can be very stressful, not to mention costly. Some girls even went to the extreme of ordering up to seven dresses online from various stores and then deciding.

The class of 2014 was stressed, but it wasn’t worth worrying about. Whether or not you had a date or whether he or she was the one you wanted to go with, it’s no big deal. Your date was really only there to take pictures with. The rest of the night, you could dance and hang out with your friends. It didn’t even matter what dress or suit you wear. As long as you had fun with your class then you probably had a great time. In the end, that’s all that really matters.

The college process often becomes dizzying for students amid a mass of information and pressure. (Photo illustration: Caitlin O'Keefe/WSPN)

Talk of the mounting pressures on our community is becoming increasingly common, and GPA total is a familiar and sorrowful lament echoing in the halls of Wayland High School. There appears to be a common theory that only the best grades are worthy of the prestigious institutions that we are conditioned to attend.

Once I was even cut off mid-sentence and informed I would never be admitted into Brown with my GPA of 3 point – well, they’ll never know what the next digit is because apparently that ‘3’ killed my chances of any long term success in life.

So, to you fellow “underachievers” (AKA, anyone who has ever gotten a point off on a test), I am here to tell you there is nothing to worry about! Did Steve Jobs give up when he nearly ran Apple into the ground? Did Thomas Edison give up the lightbulb concept after 10,000 prototypes? Did the Red Sox give up on a World Series title after 86 years?

If you said “no” then you are correct! Feel free to give yourself a 100%, an A, a pat on the back, a gold star, a smiley face, a sticker and a hearty slice of your favorite dessert. Failure is simply a part of life. The goal is to learn from your struggles, not wallow in the sadness they create.

Unfortunately, people are wallowing in the sadness they create.

A popular tactic to avoid the painful sting of a B on our English report card is to rush to Sparknotes to give us the ideas necessary to round out our Catcher in the Rye essay. It doesn’t matter that we don’t actually learn and synthesize the material, right? It’s obviously more important to get an A than to be a critically thinking and effective citizen of the world.

Or maybe, making mistakes can teach us the quickest route to fix a problem. And one failure does not define anyone’s entire life. Does the referee condemn the Patriots to a loss if they’re losing to another team, say the Bills, 24-13, with only 5 minutes left on the clock?  Of course not!  Tom Brady simply leads the team on a charge to claim victory 25-24. By the way, it’s his first game back from an injured knee, which was a challenge to overcome in and of itself.

Whoever told you that there was only one type of success is the one who should get an F. After all, colleges don’t use a checklist titled “The Ideal Student” to choose who they accept. Yes, the varsity soccer captain who lives down the street, who sang in a cappella, played the trombone, started a club, and traveled to South America to build houses got into Harvard, but that doesn’t mean you have to do exactly what he did to get into a perfectly good school.

Nowadays, colleges are looking for kids who are passionate about what they do. A simple laundry list of favorable activities won’t get you into college, but the story your application tells about you as a unique individual will. They don’t want any specific type of student, but a student who loves what they do, whatever they do. Amherst college admissions officers also say that a passionate application stands out over one that just goes through the motions.

“Is it important to be involved? Definitely. But, is it better to do something you’re passionate about? Yes.” said Amherst. Admissions departments don’t favor well-rounded multi-activity students to focused, one-passion students.

The Bentley University admissions office won’t even entertain the idea of admitting kids based on the number of activities they’ve chosen. They say it’s simply “not accurate.”

“There’s no specific activity we’re looking for,” said the Bentley University admissions office. “We’re looking for the most diverse campus you can [get]. It doesn’t matter what activity you do, just that it’s unique to you. We want to see the real you.”

See? You are accepted based on what you can contribute to that specific community – not the C you got on your Bio midterm.

The bottom line is, you need to understand that your future doesn’t ride on one form of success. Be yourself, and you’ll find yourself where you need to be.

This report is part of the in-depth story, College applications consume seniors.

(Photo Illustration: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for the community that I live in. Wayland has shown perseverance in the face of hardship and is a gracious community that gives back to people in need. Recently, Mr.Griffin, one of WHS’s guidance counselors, was diagnosed with cancer, and our community has come together to help support him and his family through letters, emails, meals and cards.

The Middlesex Savings Bank established  the Jim Griffin Family Support Trust, so people can directly contribute to help Mr. Griffin in their own way.

One of his high school basketball players, Isabelle Farrell said, “He is really focused on knowing everything about your game and he pays attention to detail with each player.”

Needless to say, Mr.Griffin cares about his students, and the students have responded with their own efforts to help him fight his battle.

This past weekend at the Sudbury Fieldhouse, some of our Wayland High School students participated in Free Throws for Jim.  Family and friends pledged money for every shot the students made.

Earlier this fall, the field hockey team played in a game to raise money and continues to  sell “Strength-JG” bracelets for Mr.Griffin.

“He always knows exactly the right thing to say to make me feel better. I really couldn’t ask for a better mentor,” said Bailey MacAfee, one of the field hockey players who helped organize the fundraiser game.

The bounty of support for Mr.Griffin from the Wayland community is inexpressible.  However, this isn’t the first time our community has responded to adversity.

This summer The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund was created to honor the life of Lauren Astley. The foundation promotes dynamic educational programs, particularly those involved in the development of healthy teen relationships, the arts and community service.

To honor Lauren, the  Wayland girls volleyball team raised close to $10,000 this past October for the memorial fund.

Monday night, the a capella groups performed in the Little Theater, and donations were collected for both the Lauren Astley and the Jim Griffin Fund. Astley’s former a capella group, the Muses, also began to sell their CD, from which half of the proceeds will go Astley’s memorial fund.

In 2003, Wayland Angels was started by Jean Seiden and Pam Washek, who had battled cancer and were touched by the support the community showed them during their illness.  They created Wayland Angels, now called Neighbor Brigade, to give people the support that they need from their community during their struggle. Since then, the organization has spread to 23 neighborhoods.

Soon after 9/11/2001, Karen Kiefer and Juliette Fay, two Wayland residents, started Spread the Bread to say thank you to local heroes who are policemen and firemen. Spread the Bread was established not only to help deserving people but to create an initiative for kids and teenagers to get involved in volunteer work.

For the tenth anniversary of Spread the Bread, McKenna Kiefer wanted to honor Astley, so she thought of selling T-shirts. The proceeds from the T-shirt sale went to Lauren’s fund.

Kiefer said, “Lauren helped many charities, and although Spread the Bread was not one of them, we wanted to spread her message.”

It is this support that makes me so very thankful that I live in this community.

Our community gives back, we support each other, and we never back down.

For this I am thankful.  Happy Thanksgiving!

(Courtesy: Cathy Radmer)

After seeing Alison Grimm at the Edge of the World, I left the theater more confused than when I entered it. However, the confusion only added to the show’s entertainment.

Alison (played by senior Iliana Smalanksas), a teenager, spends the play drifting between reality and her own imagination. Alison’s mother Bonnie (played by senior Julia Lopriore), her boyfriend Ricky (played by senior Greg Seage) and her doctor (played by senior Jonah Greenawalt) interact with Alison in reality.

At the same time, literary characters like Jean Louise “Scout” Finch (played by senior Kate Fiske), Nancy Drew (played by Junior Carley McKee) and Holden Caulfield (played by junior Jesse Vogel) dominate her mental world.

Throughout the play, Alison is searching for her “book”, a book that supposedly contains everything she has ever done and ever will do. The idea that Alison’s whole existence is based in her “book” blew my mind, and made the entire play seem dreamlike.

Much of the play felt psychedelic because it was told through lights, music, dancing and singing. Many of the literary characters enjoy dancing together and acting quite foolish. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around what was reality and what wasn’t.

I never knew what was next, which made this play unique. It seemed as if none of Alison Grimm’s problems were being resolved, they just mounted on top of each other. By the end of the play, I felt bewildered.

The play had many sources entertainment, one being comedy. Both senior Debbie Ng and senior Gabriel Sehringer brought humor to the stage as they demonstrated the wackiness of their characters. Ng’s character, Mrs. Valerie, exploded into random Chinese tangents whenever Alison didn’t practice her flute and Sehringer’s character, Mayor Major, was an awkward mumbling man who seemed lost in his own world.

Overall, the play blew my mind, and I see it as a fitting end to the plays in the Little Theater. I can’t wait to see what the spring musical will bring.

(Photo illustration: Jake Adelman/WSPN)

For some, class elections are no more than another bell two day at the end of the year, but for those running for a class officer position, it’s a day filled with excitement and nerves.

A couple weeks ago, the volleyball team headed to Boston Latin School for an away game. Apart from getting lost on the way there, we also got locked out of the building. But once we finally got into the building, the first thing I noticed were the posters.

“VOTE FOR EMILY FOR CLASS OF 2012 PRESIDENT” banners streamed across the hallways and “Vote for John” signs overtook every inch of door available.

When I asked my friend from Boston Latin about the election posters afterwards, she said that considering the approximately 500 kids in each grade, class elections were a pretty big deal. This got me thinking, would it actually be a good thing for class elections to be so extravagant at Wayland High School?

Yes and no.

First of all, I think it could be a great idea because it could encourage more dedicated people to run for an officer or representative position, increasing grade participation in class affairs. At least for the Class of 2013, we’re always looking for new ideas from the grade. Trust me, you guys are brilliant. Cotillion, spirit day shirts, keep those great ideas coming!

But then again, there might be some downsides to having a huge election campaign. First of all, it does seem a little over the top. I mean, posters covering every inch of the walls? Imagine walking in to the ME building one day and seeing a giant neon pink poster stretching above the lockers from one end of the hallway to the other; it’s a little much.

Also, I can only hope that it doesn’t turn into a battleground on election day. With so many people running for positions, it could cause chaos and confusion, both for the candidates and voters. And while one of Wayland High School’s top election strategies in the past has been to bribe voters with food, I can only imagine the kind of deals made with voters at these larger elections.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are schools out there with students who don’t even know that they have a form of student government offered at their school. I hope that will never be the case at WHS.

Being the Class President of 2013, I like to think that everyone is deeply concerned with behind the scenes planning for our class’s events, but that’s simply not the case. At the very least, I can hope that everyone reads our updates and has a general idea of what we’re working on.

Considering both extremes of election day, I think that Wayland has a pretty good system. The candidates are respectful of one another, bribes aren’t taken too seriously, and it’s not overly competitive. Election day shouldn’t be a day to stress out or ignore, it should be a day filled with excitement where people can express their opinions and be judged fair and square in front of their peers.

This report is part of the in-depth story, Behind the scenes of class government planning.

With the necessity of student government in question, WSPN asked students whether or not they take elections seriously and their feelings on the importance of our student governments.

This report is part of the in-depth story, Behind the scenes of class government planning.

(Credit: Matthew Gutschenritter/WSPN)

Episode two of chitchat with Doug and Matt brings more tips on how to survive high school, including staying hydrated and smelling nice. Enjoy.

Click play to listen to the podcast.

(Credit: Matthew Gutschenritter/WSPN)

Click play to listen to the podcast.

In the movie Drive, director Nicholas Winding Refn’s sophisticated twist on the action-flick genre is a visual treat that will engage audiences with its stunning visuals and sudden escalations of violence. Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver by day, and a get-away driver by night, who gets entangled in the criminal underworld and has to fight (and drive) his way out.

WSPN contributors Annelise Cohen and Jacob Sussman sat down to discuss the film.

Senior Annelise Cohen: I loved this movie. It was entertaining and very dramatic, creating a great atmosphere throughout the film. The only negative aspect of the movie was its cliché plot, but it didn’t ruin the film.

Junior Jacob Sussman: I agree that the plot wasn’t particularly interesting. Screenwriter Hossein Amini manages to squeeze a few precious drops of originality from the overused source material, but the narrative of “Drive” mainly functions as a vehicle to transport the audience from point A to point B. It’s Refn’s directing abilities that make this a journey worth traveling.

Cohen: The images were beautiful to watch. Even scenes of Ryan Gosling’s character driving were absorbing. There were scenes where you could feel the tension resonating out of the screen, especially in the first thrilling action scene, where we saw Gosling’s skills as a driver. The visuals and the retro soundtrack worked together perfectly too.

Sussman: We agree the film looked gorgeous. Still, Refn should learn to let his films breathe a little, especially in terms of acting. The characters seemed suffocated by the predetermined frames and artificial lighting, an unfortunate byproduct of Refn’s visual perfectionism. Of course, Gosling and Mulligan’s painfully awkward smiling didn’t help the film’s realism.

Cohen: See, I loved Gosling’s smiles. He had these subtle nuances that are only expressed in his face. He’s a great communicator of emotion without speaking.

Sussman: I guess Ryan Goslings’s charm didn’t work on me.

Cohen: The acting aside, the characters themselves were fairly standard, but had enough depth to keep the movie interesting. The characters didn’t always do what I expected they would in a typical action drama. Gosling in particular had to deal with a host of moral dilemmas.

Sussman: More like contradictions. “Drive” may be attempting a high brow approach to the action film, but it still adopted some of the narrative pitfalls of the genre, like the lead actor/hero being excused from all moral judgment. Despite that, I enjoyed several of the supporting characters. At first they appeared to be cliches, but they gradually branched off from the initial archetype into more complex and fully realized personalities.

Cohen: What did you think about some of the “action-movie” qualities? I thought it made it exciting to watch. The extreme violence gave the film a feeling of suspense. Certain scenes had me jumping out of my seat.

Sussman: The action-heavy second act was what made the movie for me. I particularly loved this movie for using violence in such an effective manner. A lot of directors dowse their films with blood for cheap thrills, but Refn was a minimalist until it counted, letting go of all censorship for jaw dropping effect. One scene contrasted a display of angelic sensuality with 10 seconds of curb stomping, a powerful example of the cinematic potential of violence when used correctly. Hollywood could learn a lot from this approach.

Cohen: This movie is definitely not for anyone who can’t appreciate a good curb stomping, or a shotgun to the head, but it was not needlessly violent. I would highly recommend it to anyone who can handle the gore. And any hardcore Ryan Gosling fans will certainly be happy.

Conlcusion: Drive could have been just another action movie, but an assortment of stylistic decisions and twists makes this film a truly unique experience, which is a rare find at the movies these days.