RHAM Juniors and Seniors Participate in Wellness Day

Earlier today, Juniors and Seniors at RHAM took part in Wellness Day. During periods three and four, students attended a variety of seminars, including meditation, ballroom dancing, vegetarian cooking, and tai-chi. All students then returned to the Auditorium to hear a presentation. The students were entertained by acrobatics and feats of juggling while they listened to the story of one man's struggle to overcome alcohol addiction and its associated problems.

According to Principal Leslie, the purpose of Wellness Day was twofold. First, the state of Connecticut requires that Juniors and Seniors be educated in certain health-related areas. This requirement was met by the variety of seminars offered during Wellness Day. The second aim was to remind students of the dangers of alcohol and drug use before both Junior and Senior Proms took place. The Junior Prom takes place this Saturday and the Senior Prom about three weeks after that.

Wellness Day has become an annual event at RHAM, and judging by the success of this one, it will continue to be so in the future.

Swine Flu Emerges Worldwide

In the past several days, a certain strain of swine flu has spread from Mexico to the United States, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, and several other countries worldwide. As of Tuesday, April 26th, the Mexican government had reported 152 fatalities in cases with flu-like symptoms. However, only seven of these have been undeniably confirmed as being the result of swine flu. Also, the United States had 64 confirmed cases as of Tuesday evening. The main characteristic that differentiates this flu from other strains is that it targets people mainly between the ages of 20 and 55, as opposed to targeting the elderly and infants. The latter two groups are those who usually suffer worst from flu viruses due to weakened immune systems.

As a result of the 64 cases in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released one quarter of their stockpiled anti-viral drugs to those states that have residents infected with swine flu. Additionally, as a result of the worldwide spread of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the level of its pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 4. This effectively means that the disease has shown the ability to transmit itself from human to human to the point where it could conceivably cause "community-level outbreaks". The WHO has only raised its alert to the highest level, on a handful of prior occasions. These instances include the infamous 1918 flu outbreak.

However, among all the hype, there is one thing to keep in mind: the regular flu kills about 36,000 every year, according to cnn.com. The swine flu on the other hand, has not yet been responsible for any American deaths and is suspected to be the cause of under 200 death in Mexico. What separates the swine flu from the commonplace flu is that the swine flu tends to target those who traditionally have healthy immune systems as opposed to those who do not. While a traditional flu will be most prevalent among the elderly and the very young, the swine flu thus far has proven to be more common among those aged 20-55.

RHAM News will have more information as this story develops. Stay tuned to RHAM TV and blog for updates.

Sources: www.who.int/en ; www.cnn.com ; www.cdc.gov

Boys Tennis Defeats Berlin

Earlier today, the RHAM Boys Tennis team played an away match against Berlin. The final score of the match was 6 to 1. Jason Driscoll won his first match of the year at the 1 singles spot by a score of 6-4, 6-1. RHAM also won at 2 singles, 3 singles, 4 singles, 2 doubles, and 3 doubles. The only loss that RHAM had was at the 1 doubles spot. Anders Bloomquist and Kyle Fromme split the first two sets with their opponents and sent the third set into a tiebreaker. Eventually, however, they lost the tiebreaker. Nonetheless, the day was a decisive win for RHAM.

Box Office Kings

Here is an update on the American Cinema box office for this past weekend at the movies:


1. Obsessed (2009)- $28.6Million


2. 17 Again (2009)- $11.5Million


3.Fighting (2009)- $11Million


4.The Soloist (2009)- $9.72Million


5.Earth (2007)- $8.83Million


6.Monsters vs Aliens (2009)- $8.52Million


7.State of Play (2009)- $6.85Million


8.Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)- $6.44Million


9.Fast & Furious (2009)- $6.2Million


10.Crank: High Voltage (2009)- $2.62Million


For more information, please visit www.imdb.com

Girl Creates Game About Disease

On Friday, April 24 in Aptos, California a young girl changed the technological world in a most interesting sort of way. The girl had a rare disease known as histiocytosis which is an excessive number of white blood cells. It can attack the liver, bones, central nervous system, muscles and more and is very deadly. Sofia Wardle suffered most of her young life in the hospital while battling this disease but, before she passed away, she and her father wanted to design a maze that presented users with a sense of understanding about this hard to cure disease. It is called "SofiaMaze" and according to her is, "made up of pictures that take you on a journey that starts at my home in Aptos." The game interacts with people and educates them about the disease. It also raises money for for further research on histiocytosis. The objective of the online game is to arrive at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital while also making frequent stops at Sofia's favorite places along the Santa Cruz County.


Sofia assisted in making color schemes and fonts and by creating catchy logos. Although Sofia tragically passed away, her father continued to add to the interactive computer game and says, "she wanted to make sure no one else was going through what she was going through....so I thought I could make a difference for her and other kids who are diagnosed with it every year."

Her father released the game the day that Sofia would have turned eight years old and he is proud to know that he is educating the world about something so tragic that will also honor Sofia for many many years to come.

Spelling Bee a Success

The RHAM Education Foundation, a recently-created organization that promotes local schools, held its first fundraiser last night. The first Annual Adult Spelling Bee went off with hardly a hitch in the cafeteria, attracting sixteen teams and dozens of spectators. Teams of community members and school administrators, sporting names like the "Phighting Philologists" and "Magic Spell", tried their knowledge against words like "buccaneer", "braggadocio", "daffodil", and "apartheid", among many others. The organizers encouraged the audience to participate, to be entered into an audience raffle.

The Foundation also held a silent auction for gift baskets, massages, gift certificates, and Red Sox dugout tickets donated by local businesses and individuals. They also sold tickets for a 50-50 raffle, in which the proceeds were split evenly between the winner and the Foundation, a total of $203 for each. State Representative Pamela Sawyer presented the Foundation with a congratulatory and supportive message from the Connecticut General Assembly. Both visitors and competitors had a great time, and planning for next year's bee is already underway.

Some of the silent auction items


The Bee judges


The teams arrayed for competition


Spectators enjoying the show

A team in uniform


The victorious team, which won on the word "mistletoe"

Career Day at RHAM

Yesterday the entire junior class of RHAM High School attended Career Day in various different locations at the school. During this event students listened to people who have experience with different jobs located in Connecticut. These presenters talked with students about their careers, and their experiences in their jobs. Afterwards they would each let students ask questions about their jobs and what the work entailed, or about the prerequisites acquired to become a part of that career. The presenters also talked about how much money they make on average for a year and what a typical day in their offices is like. Each presenter was from a different career. Two of the presenters were from the medical field. One of the presenters started and currently owns her own buissines. The other presenters that were present were graphic designers from ESPN and an accountant.

The goal of each of the presenters was to inspire the students with thier own enthusiasms about their jobs and try to see if any other students may be interested about these jobs as a career path.

AP English Class Visits Mark Twain House

Earlier today, the RHAM AP Language and Composition classes paid a visit to the Mark Twain house. The house is located in Hartford, CT. Mark Twain and his family lived in the house for 17 years, the 17 happiest and most productive years of his life. The RHAM classes visited this location as an introduction to their unit on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, one of Twain's most celebrated works. Accompanying the students on their trip were English teachers Ms. Anger, Ms. Jameson, and Mr. Serrell-Dube.

While at the Twain house, RHAM students watched a 20-minute video biography of the author's life, received a guided tour of the house itself, and listened to a lecture. The lecture outlined Mark Twain's place in history and how his literature affected social change within America. Also mentioned in the lecture were the works of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her homestead neighbors that of Mark Twain and the two museums often collaborate to create presentations for those visiting both locations.

More information about the Mark Twain House and its various events can be found at http://www.marktwainhouse.org/

Chorus & Band Concert 4.15

The RHAM music department put on an excellent show tonight which included members of the chorus, encore (an all girls singing group), chamber singers, the symphonic band and wind ensemble. The concert began with Encore performing a powerful almost balladic song entitled "I Will Sing With The Spirit" followed by "Away From The Roll Of The Sea" and an upbeat number called "Danza". After Encore performed, they were joined by Chorus and Chamber Singers in order to sing an 18 minute piece titled "The Creation" which featured solos from Liz Dandeneau, a senior, and Lauren Arnold, a sophomore. The song had a slow beginning with the tempo quickly speeding up and down but nonetheless kept the audience's attention.



Following the singers, the Symphonic Band took to the stage and played pieces such as "Denbridge Way", "I Am" which featured a soloist on the baritone, senior Gary Bartomioli. "Deir In De" was another song played by the band and the crowd loved the numbers they put on. Finally, Wind Ensemble came on and played a series of songs which first started out with "Scenes From a Comedy" which included many fast paced flutes and clarinets and blaring brass sections. Next came a "Japanese Tune" which featured a rather intricate drum section during the last minute of the song. On percussion was Kyle Marceau, Clay Zotta, Kevin Garcias Ben Kopchick, Chris Langlois and others. The ensemble had a featured soloist, Michaela Connelly who played a trumpet solo through one of the songs and it was phenomenal. The song "SANG!" had the Wind Ensemble band chanting as they played through the snappy piece and finally ended with the "Stars and Stripes Forever" featuring Audrey Arel with a very intricate piccolo solo. The concert brought a fairly decent sized crowd, 29 dvd's were sold and both the singers and musicians of the school pulled through to put on a great show.

Tree Removed From Man's Lung

Late last week in Russia's Ural region when doctors went to operate on a man suspected to have cancer they were surprised to find a 5 centimeter tree growing in his lung. Artyom Sidorkin was complaining about severe pain in his chest and was coughing up blood before doctors decided to operate. The surgeon, Vladimir Kamashev, told local news "I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things". Doctors speculate that the man may have inhaled a seed. The tree was removed and Sidorkin is expected to be ok.

Story from FOXnews.com

New Demos By The Tension

Over the past two weeks, The Tension has recorded a pair of singles. In their first two recording sessions on their new label, Sling-Slang Records, they recorded two new songs entitled Break the Cycle and Carry On (Machine). Both songs contain the heavily distorted guitar and grunge-style vocals that have become characteristic of most Tension songs. Also, the quality of recording equipment that the band had access to for these two recordings is evident. The mixing of both songs is superior to that of their previous recordings. Also, the musicianship of each of the band members is evident in both songs. For example, the drumming during the bridge section of Break the Cycle is especially crisp and skillful. This, together with descending bass fills during the chorus of Carry On (Machine) showcase the skill of the band's rhythm section. As usual, both of these songs are somewhat driven by intricate guitar riffs and the vocals are superb.

The Tension consists of RHAM students Xander Kousen (vocals/rhythm guitar), Matt Smigel (bass guitar) and Ben Kopchick (drums). The band also features Dan Kanter of Glastonbury High School on lead guitar.

Xander has said that the band plans to put both of these songs onto an 8 or 9 song record, the first of their releases under Sling-Slang. At this time, the band plans to release one more single from this album before it is released in full. The album is to be called The Rest Can Wait.

Both demos and more information can be found at www.myspace.com/thetension12

Box Office Kings

Here is an update on this past weekend's American Box Office.


1.Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)- $34M


2.Fast & Furious (2009)- $28.8M


3.Monsters vs Aliens (2009)- $22.6M


4.Observe and Report (2009)- $11.1M


5.Knowing (2009)- $6.67M


6.I Love You, Man (2009)- $6.41M


7.The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)- $5.71M


8.Dragonball Evolution (2009)- $4.65M


9.Adventureland (2009)- $3.43M


10. Duplicity (2009)- $3M



For more information, please visit http://www.imdb.com/

History: The Easter Bunny

As Easter nears, many people are preparing for the holiday by purchasing chocolates, decorating their homes with eggs and baskets and settling down and enjoying the Spring weather. Easter is known as the day where people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ; but for children, it's mainly about one thing...the Easter Bunny. The Easter bunny has been in tradition as early as 1600 and traces back to the pre-Christian fertility legend. The legend says that the creature brings baskets filled with eggs, toys, candy and many other kids related items to the children's houses on the eve of Easter. But where in the world did a rabbit come from? It is said to have first appeared in Alsace and Germany where its first mention was in the writings of German novelists. The Rabbit made its way to American through German settlers who introduced the idea of the rabbit during the 1700s.

According to the early Germans, eggs much like rabbits represent fertility and life. The rabbit is a symbol of breeding and is mentioned quite a bit in Easter folklore. In the German tradition, children would build colored nests in isolated areas of the house and the Oschter Haws (a transcription of a dialect pronunciation of the German Osterhase) would lay eggs in the baskets. This tradition progressed throughout the 18 and 1900s and soon it was known that Easter baskets were hidden because of this reason. Easter is a holiday to celebrate life, fertility and good health as well as time to spend with good friends and family. The Easter Bunny brings good fortune and fun for the children and will continue to remain a popular animal for years to come.

Baseball Star Cut Down in Prime

One of Major League Baseball's top rising stars, Nick Adenhart, was one of three killed in a car accident in Fullerton, California earlier today. At age twenty-two, Adenhart pitched six scoreless innings at Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Hailing from Silver Springs, Maryland, Adenhart was a 2004 graduate of Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Maryland and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 14th round of the June 2004 draft. One person has been arrested for involvement in the three vehicle crash. Adenhart died at UC Irvine Medical Center after emergency surgery, while the other two victims were declared dead at the scene. No other member of the Los Angeles Angels were involved in the incident. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragedy.

For more information, please visit www.cnn.com

Eigth-Graders Steal and Crash Car

MSNBC reports that three Simsbury teenagers stole a car last night in Simsbury, crashing it into a telephone pole at about 3:30 a.m. when pursued by a police car. The 14-year-old teens, two boys and a girl, are currently in the hospital for non-lethal injuries. Beside the car, teens, and telephone pole, no property was damaged.

photo: MSNBC.com

Utada-Music Review

Hikaru Utada is one of the biggest pop stars, yet no one knows of her. Utada is one of the biggest known stars in Japan, and has recently decided to start over her career. She has decided to try and reach a new audience. She has just put out a second album here in the U.S called This Is The One which the singer says has a more mature and free flowing sound. She explains her newest CD as "Nothing gimmicky, just very straightforward and confident, with a sense of humor."

One of the hits on the CD is called Come Back to Me. The single really showcases her amazing voice. She may look young, but her voice is very strong and powerful. The song is a love song about wanting your love to come back. And the lyrics are beautifully written. Its a very catchy song but has a sound to it that is something you don't find in the U.S. It has an amazing piano intro and a soothing sound.Its the kind of a song anyone who has experienced losing someone can relate to and enjoy. And this song is definitely a good start to a career in the U.S for Utada. If I had to rate the song I would rate it a 4 out of 5 (0 being the worst, 5 being the best)

If you want to check out her single or any other songs you can check it out on her website: http://www.utada.com/

Hoobastank Music Review

Fifteen years ago the band Hoobastank was created by 3 high school friends. Ever since then Doug Robb (vocalist), Doug Robb (guitarist), and Dan Estrin (drummer) have been attainin much fame. They have become most famous for their hits My Turn and The Reason. They are an alternative band who's music is geared towards young adults.

Hoobastank has now come out with their 3rd CD "For(n)ever." Their newest song, "So Close So Far" was inspired by the war in Iraq. The lyrics are about being separated from a loved one for a long period of time. The song has an alternative feel and the lyrics are heartfelt. I would rate the single a 5 out of 5.

UConn - NCAA hopes dashed, reaffirmed

image source: Mercury News

The UConn men's basketball team was defeated by Michigan State 73 - 82 on Saturday, knocking them out of the final four. The women fared better last night against Stanford, winning decisively 83-64. They will go on to face Louisville tomorrow night.

Connecticut Regional Robotics Competition

Coming from as far away as Florida, teams from all over the country came together for the first Connecticut Regional Robotics Competition where high school teams build robots from scratch and enter them into the competition. Roughly 10,000 contestants and spectators attended the two day event. Six teams competed at the same time. This year's winning teams were Gael Force from Clinton, Massachusetts, The SciBorges, From Bronx, New York, and Exploding Bacon from Winter Park, Florida. They will advance to the national competition in Atlanta.



Source:RIVER EAST News Bulletin April 3rd,2009

NHS Changes GPA Requirement

One of the requirements to be able to apply for acceptance into the W.C. Heisler Chapter of NHS at RHAM High School is to have at least a 3.7 GPA. The chapter has just raised the requirement to a 3.8. This is due to the increasing number of students taking higher level and AP courses which bring up GPA's a lot.

This does not affect the members who are currently in NHS, yet it affects those who will be applying this fall.

Three take over for hebron town manager

Three longtime town employees have taken the place of the Hebron Town Manager, Jared Clark, after his sudden departure. The formal title of Town Manager was given to Andy Tiereny, a Public Works Director. However, the position's responsibilities have been split between three people: Andy Tiereny, Executive Assistant to the Town Manager Donna Lanza, and the Town Planner Mike O'Leary. In order to meet the town charter requirments an inidividual had to be named the "interim town manager."



Source:

RVEREAST News Bulletin

April 3rd 2009

Hostage Situation - 13 Killed

A 41 year old man by the name of Jiverly A.Wong killed 13 immigrants who were learning English in Binghamton, NY. Officials do not know what the reasoning was behind Wongs acts inside the American Civic Association. However, they did find out that Wong had quit an English class at the American Civic Association in early March, had been fighting with his sister at home a lot, and had also recently lost his job at a local Shop-Vac facility. Officials also said that some who knew Wong said that it was not surprising that Wong would do this because he had seemed very angry and depressed recently.


Source:

Hartford Courant

Sunday April 5th

Uconn Heads to Detroit - NCAA Final Four

Every year since 1939 the NCAA tournament for men's basketball is held. Teams compete from all across the United States in order to achieve one thing...the title for champion of the NCAA tournament. This year, it is exciting because the Connecticut Huskies have plowed their way to the top and made it into the Final Four.

Uconn has a record of 31-4 earning them a spot as the number one team in the Western division of the tournament. Though losing to Syracuse in the Big East tourney, Uconn redeemed themselves when they defeated Chattanooga and Texas A&M in the first couple rounds of the NCAA championship. The Huskies then took on Purdue which was a more arduous match up but still took the win to advance them to the Elite Eight in Arizona. While in Arizona, the team faced Missouri, a tough match up as a number three seed. Uconn played an even game with Missouri but towards the end began to pull away and gained another victory. This win sent the men to the Final Four held in Detroit, Michigan where three other teams including Villanova, UNC and Michigan State will be competing against each other to earn the title of champion. The Huskies have won two NCAA championships; one in 1999 and another in 2004.

Jim Calhoun has led his team for 23 years and has a great program in tact. With just over 800 wins under his belt, Calhoun prepares for the chance to win a third NCAA title and hopes that the Uconn Huskies can continue their hard work, leadership and determination to take them to the top.

BioBus Comes to RHAM

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, RHAM High School played host to the BioBus, a travelling laboratory that uses elaborate equipment to teach elementary through high school students about biology. All of RHAM's biology classes either participated in the lab on the Bus itself or through a program known as BioConnections. BioConnections loans the necessary lab materials and instructions to teachers so that students can conduct the experiment in the classroom.


Sophomore Brennan Whalen felt that the BioBus experiment was interestingly different from the normal classroom setting. He also thought all of the equipment on the BioBus was very intriguing to learn about.


Both BioBus and BioConnections are programs overseen by a larger organization called CURE. CURE not only runs biology teaching programs but also lobbies the Connecticut state legislature in an effort to expand funding for scientific research and education.


Due to the high demand for the BioBus all around Connecticut, RHAM is unable to book it more than once every several years. However, RHAM students and teachers who participated in the BioBus excursion eagerly await its return.


For more information on this event, watch this week's edition of RHAM News.

Historic Decriminalization Bill

On Tuesday night, Connecticut's legislature judiciary committee made a groundbreaking, historic vote. The panel has officially voted to decriminalize marijuana possession of less than half an ounce for adults over the age of 18. Under a specific compromise, possession could not be made legal for minors under the age of 18. The possession of these small amounts will no longer be considered criminal, but instead will be considered infractions warranting a fine of around $250. Democratic supporters within the legislature believe that this new system will save the State of Connecticut around $11 million a year on law enforcement expenses. The bill was passed by a 24-14 vote in the mostly Democratic committee. However this bill will face a opposition as it now goes up against Governor M. Jodi Rell, who opposes decriminalization and shot down the same bill two years ago. More updates on this controversial issue will follow.

Source: http://www.courant.com/

Andover Taxes Now Online

The town of Andover, in response to the slow and complicated process of paying taxes, is now offering an alternative method of payment, according to the Town Office. Andover residents may now pay taxes online from their checking account or major credit card. Anyone is eligible, and may visit the town's unofficial website at http://andoverct.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=229 to sign up. Residents may also pay by phone or check. Any questions may be directed to the Andover Tax Collector at 742-7304, menu item 4.