EAGLE’S EYEThe
Trumbull High School - 72 Strobel Road - Trumbull, CT 06611June 16, 2014 Issue No. 3
2014 Poetry Slam a Huge HitAlison Kuznitz ‘15EE Senior Opinions Editor
Kevin Pacelli ‘14EE Co-Editor-in-Chief
On Friday May 16, THS students and people from throughout the Trumbull community fi led into the auditorium to watch contestants of all grade levels pour out their emotions in the form of poetry. This year’s Poetry Slam marked the third annual event of its kind at Trumbull High School, and it certainly did not disappoint.
The Slam may have been a one-night ordeal, but preparation for the evening began months prior to the event. The poetry class students were primarily responsible for all aspects of the event, including creating promotional videos, choosing a theme, and advertising for the slam.
“They’re really involved in all of it. I think we want to make them take the responsibility so it feels like theirs...It’s a responsibility that they have to take on to really make it run smoothly,” said Mrs. Balter, one of the Poetry teachers
at THS. “The event is actually now part of the curriculum where [the students] are part of the planning, the marketing, the facilitating of the entire event.”
Throughout the entire night of the slam, the audience constantly praised each of the young poets by way of thunderous applause and shouts of support during and after their poems. One particular contestant, senior Wyatt Pendleton, described the emotions that he felt as he heard the crowd’s positive reaction to his performance.
“It was probably the most empowering moment of my life. Leading up to the Slam I was incredibly nervous about performing my poem but after I loosened the crowd up with my introduction, my confi dence was through the roof,” said Pendleton. “After the Slam I was in the greatest mood ever.”
While the spectators certainly enjoyed all of the performances, they may not have realized the amount of sheer dedication and hard work that landed the poets their opportunity to perform.
In order to be considered for the Slam, students needed
the students create that much buzz. It’s that moment where the doors open, and everyone’s quiet, and the MC’s come out, and it starts and it goes...And we are just standing there watching it. And it’s because [the students] planned it and they did it spectacularly.”
to submit their original works of poetry to either Mr. McCaffrey and Mrs. Balter. The students then performed their two-minute poems in a preliminary round in front of a panel of seven judges. The judges awarded scores out of ten and selected approximately 30 poets to perform in the actual Slam.
The poetry classes of Mr. McCaffery and Mrs. Balter also attended a workshop conducted by Mahogany Brown, a published poet who runs a weekly poetry slam in New York City and coaches the New York City Youth Slam Team.
“She kind of brings a certain credence to the whole process because she’s sort of renowned in her fi eld,” said Mrs. Balter. “On a more specifi c level, she works one-on-one with the poets who are going to perform. I think she gives them tips and suggestions that are far beyond what Mr. McCaffery and I could.”
This year’s judging panel consisted of Mrs. Garcia, Ms. Giordano, Mr. LaBarca, Mrs. Netting, and Mrs. Owen. Their job was to score the contestants based on their performance, and the fi ve contestants with the highest scores
advanced to the fi nal round. While all 30 poets did an outstanding job, it was senior Stephanie Giblin who was crowned champion at the end of the night.
Mrs. Balter remarked that the night of the Slam was the most rewarding part of the long process.
“I think that night, that moment when it all kind of comes together and you have 800 people coming to an event to hear students speak poetry. I think that’s amazing that
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Senior Andrew Smith uses comedy in his poem to addressed to his younger self to entertain the audience. Photo courtesy of Mikey Touri.
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4 FeaturesThe Eagle’s Eye June 16, 2014 Issue 3
Some Goodbyes...
And Hellos!
I remember walking into my first Eagle’s Eye meeting at the end of my freshman year with strong ambitions. I knew that journalism was a career field I was somewhat interested in, and I thought this was the perfect place to start. As it turns out, it’s a good thing I decided to join.
Being a part of the Eagle’s Eye staff has been extremely beneficial to me for various reasons. For one thing, it has provided me with journalism experience that would be difficult to find elsewhere. I was not only able to write for the Entertainment section, where I did most of my work in my sophomore and junior years, but I also had opportunities to try writing articles in the sports and news fields.
Most importantly, the Eagle’s Eye has added fuel to
my passion for journalism. What started out as a slight interest in journalism has developed into a dream. I now know that I want to study journalism in college, and I hope that my studies at Syracuse University will lead me into a career as a sports journalist.
As I look forward towards my future as a Broadcast and Digital Journalism major, I can’t help but reflect on everything that the Eagle’s Eye has accomplished. Most notably, we have successfully established a strong digital presence that consists of an official website (thanks to the Web Team) and a Facebook page. I am fully confident that next year’s editors and staff members will be able to further expand the publication’s use of 21st Century technology.
Saying goodbye to the Eagle’s Eye is bittersweet for me, but I know that I will never forget the memories I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the people I’ve met through my experiences as a staff member and editor.
Kevin Pacelli ‘14EE Co-Editor-in-Chief
The Eagle’s Eye is the official student-run publication of Trumbull High School. The views expressed in the commentary are the opinion of the majority of the editors. All other opinions are solely those of the authors and do not represent the views of The Eagle’s Eye.
As journalists, the members of The Eagle’s Eye staff are committed to upholding the core of our code of ethics: objectivity, integrity, and truth.
Letters Policy: This paper is an outlet for the student voice. We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about the paper or articles published. If you wish to write a letter to an editor, it must be signed and addressed to Mr. Pelligra in the Literacy Center.The Eagle’s Eye reserves the right to edit all letters published.
Trumbull High School thseagleseye.com72 Strobel Rd. 203.452.4555Trumbull, CT. 06611 203.452.4593 (fax)
The Eagle’s EyeKevin PacelliJack Zhang
Editors-in-Chief
Jesse RubensteinBrittany KubickoManaging Editors
Lia Horyczun News Editor
Paulina HowardMorgan RegentLifestyle Editors
Mr. PelligraMrs. Pacelli
Advisors
Alison KuznitzOpinions Editor
Robin WyckoffFeatures Editor
Chris RzasaSports Editor
Rachel TroppEntertainment Editor
Katie WoessnerWebmaster
THS Eagles
Eye hopes
that you have a
fantastic summer
and we will see
you next year!
I am so incredibly honored and excited to be the Editor-in-Chief of the Eagle’s Eye for next year! In a way, I feel like I have slowly been working towards this position ever since I stepped foot into my first meeting early on in my freshman year. Although I had previously been exposed to newspaper writing in middle school, the Eagle’s Eye truly transformed and ignited my passion for journalism. I can clearly recall every article I have written for the Eagle’s Eye, ranging from the more humorous perspective of why freshmen are hated so much to the more serious topic of providing a non-contact gym class to students with
injuries or disabilities. Thanks to these articles and my interaction with the entire staff, I now view journalism as a vital tool. I can truly use it to my advantage in order to shed light on issues that might otherwise not be addressed.
Additionally, I am indebted to Eagle’s Eye for making me realize the exhilerating influence and power of journalism. I look forward to performing all of my responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief, especially delivering the news to THS through or website and our regular print editions. One of my personal goals I sincerely hope to fulfill is to make all of my staff writers and section editors fall in love with the art of newspaper writing and journalism as much as I have.
Wow, I can’t believe another great year went by. The Eagle’s Eye had a great year this year, not only printing three print issues on a limited budget but constantly updating the website with the latest articles. As this years Managing Editor, I maintained a lot of the design aspect of the paper and I helped the staff with a lot of the articles.
Over these past years the Eagle’s Eye has made me a better person overall. My writing skills have improved greatly and I found one of my passions: design. If you haven’t noticed, I usually help with most of the design process of the paper, and designing the paper has
Alison Kuznitz ‘15EE Senior Opinions Editor
people around me. Brushing aside my fears of speaking in public, I interviewed the principal on the second week of school, and since that day I have never looked back.
This year I am happy to say the Eagle’s Eye has evolved to include more than the print issue you see before you. We have since explored the realms of video documentaries, found ways to penetrate the world of social media, and have adopted the motto of reaping the best of both worlds.
I am fasicnated to see what next year’s staff is to come up with. It’s been a pleasure working with the editorial staff this year, and I am proud to have spent my four years with these dedicated people.
Sophomore year I came up with the nickname “berd” (in contrast to the yearbook term “yerd”) to describe someone who’s really dedicated to the Eagle’s Eye. While the term hasn’t taken off just yet, I shall miss my fellow berds and as I leave the nest, I know you all shall forever be in my heart. The next journey starts now, so hobey ho let’s go.
Brittany Kubicko ‘15EE Managing Editor
made me love the Eagle’s Eye even more. The Eagle’s Eye is actually one of the reasons why I am deciding to focus on journalism and communications in college
I’m very excited to be a Co-Editor in Chief next year with my good friend Alison. We have a ton of ideas for next year that we both cannot wait to bring to you. With three years under my belt, with two of those three years as editor positions, I feel like I’ve learned enough to be able to guide the paper to new heights. I cannot believe that last year will be my senior year at THS; it has gone by so fast. I’m hoping that I can make my last year at THS and on the Eagle’s Eye memorable and I cannot wait to see where this paper will go. Alison and I have big ideas for next year, so watch out THS, the Eagle’s Eye will definitely blow you away next year!
Jack Zhang ‘14EE Co-Editor-in-Chief
Kevin Pacelli ‘14Current Co-Editor-in-Chief
Jack Zhang ‘14Current Co-Editor-in-Chief
The pen is mightier than the sword. Unless your pen is a sword, in which case you’d be Percy Jackson. All joking aside, ever since I was little I have always believed that words, in particular writing, have enormous power: they give people the chance to express themselves. This belief is something I have carried with me throughout all my four years in the Eagle’s Eye.
In seventh grade, I learned that one of the greatest demonstrations, not to mention shutdowns, of free speech in history occured on none other than my birthday, a date no one dares speak about in my home country. That made me angry. “How could one be so close-minded that simply speaking is considered a threat?” This ignited a flame in me to tell people’s stories. No matter the person, no matter how small, it’s better than not be able to speak at all.
Since then, words have become like a palette, a way to engage the
Alison Kuznitz ‘15Future Co-Editor-in-Chief
Brittany Kubicko ‘15Future Co-Editor-in-Chief
To check out more Eagle’s Eye, go to thseagleseye.com or follow the link to the right.
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