Monthly Archives: December 2009

SK Intruder Captured

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100_2659“He was at the entrance trying to get someone’s attention,” said Officer Montafix Houghton. “He got discouraged and was going to leave. He turned around though and got a student’s attention and they let him in.”

On Wednesday November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, a suspicious man entered South Kingstown High School after a student opened a door for the intruder at the bus entrance facing the Hazard School.

The man was later seen on the third floor after he poked his head into Mrs. Kennedy’s English class. The intruder stopped in three different classrooms during his trespass at the school.

Assistant Principal Mr. Cronin and Principal Mr. McCarthy got the call and immediately walked around the school trying to find the offender. When they could not find anything, Mr. Cronin made the decision to put the school into a lock down.

“Mr. Cronin handled the situation well,” said McCarthy.

Cronin is head of the crisis control at SKHS. 

“We never want a lock down,” said McCarthy, “but you always have to err on the side of caution.”

Local authorities later apprehended the intruder on Main Street.  Trespass charges were dropped, however, and the early 20’s male was issued a warning.     

During his trespass at the school, the intruder “had a conversation with a substitute,” said Principal Mr. McCarthy, and “he tried to solicit drugs from the substitute.”

His final stop came in World language teacher Mrs. Wojciechowski’s Spanish IV class. The class was holding a fiesta when the intruder stopped in before leaving the building.   

“He seemed to be intoxicated or disoriented in some way,” said McCarthy.

Video recordings showed that the intruder entered the building drinking out of a cup, which authorities believe contained alcohol.

 “He was not a threat in terms of a violent offender,” said Officer Monty. “He was in police terms HBD (has been drinking).”

Officer Monty and Principal McCarthy both emphasized that students should not let strangers into the building.

“Don’t be nice, let them get in on their own,” said Officer Monty, “Same goes for wedging the door in auditorium with book bags or rocks. It creates opportunity for intruder to come in the building, even though they may have good intention it could bring negative results.”

“There is a reason the doors are locked,” said McCarthy. “It’s to follow protocol.”

Rebel Football Falls Short of Threepeat

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Beating a team three times in a row is tough. Winning three straight state championships, almost unheard of.

This is exactly what the SKHS football team was attempting to do this season. Not since West Warwick High School won three state titles in a row thirty six years ago.   

Only five teams have ever won three in a row in any football division. Rogers, Portsmouth and Hendricken all won three in a row in Division One, and the Rebels set out this season to do the same.

Unfortunately, The Rebels three year run ended as the team fell 13-12 to Mt. Hope. The Rebels quest for a third straight championship might have fallen short but over the last four years the Rebels have been the most successful team in Division II.

Four years ago the Rebels lost to the Shea Raiders in the semifinals and after that the team won back to back state championships and this year only lost twice, while reaching another semifinal. Over a four year span, the Rebels compiled a Record of  23-5.

 The Rebels started their championship run two years ago when they entered their playoffs at 4-3 and were considered big underdogs.

Coach Anderson the current head coach of the Rebels was an assistant coach for two years and talked about how different that first championship was compared to ending up winning a championship which was much more than anyone expected.

Last year the Rebels had a underdog mentality entering the season but then surprised most people when they only lost one game all season. “Last year we had a few seniors, but we mostly had a bunch of juniors that no one had heard of,” said Anderson.

“We snuck up on everybody which was pretty cool.”

 Unlike two years ago, this year the Rebels were the team that everybody expected to  win and they entered the season with a target on their back.

“We definitely get everybody’s best effort,” said Anderson prior to the Mt. Hope game.

Earlier this year the Rebels stumbled against Cumberland a team that did not even make the playoffs.

“You can sometimes end up going through the motions sometimes in the regular season and you can play some bad games,” said Anderson.

The Rebels entered the playoffs as the Favorite to win.  Even though they could not come up with the third straight championship they did something that few have ever accomplished.

Terry Lynch the schools AD and former University of Rhode Island player and Coach was surprised that the Rebels made it this far.

“Winning three would have been something special but winning two is something that few have done,” Lynch said.Football website

Rebels On the Big Screen

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Picture11Whether it’s a laugh out loud comedy, a tear jerking romance, or an action packed thriller, everyone loves a good movie. As a movie goer, I can’t help but become connected to the characters  Yet when I watch a movie and observe the characters, I often find myself comparing characters to the people of South Kingstown High School.

 

 

Dale and Brennan from Step Brothers

 

  The first time I watched this movie I was immediately reminded of SKHS’ favorite male twins, Matt and Zach LeValley. The two set of brothers’ antics are hilarious. When I watch the fight scene between Dale and Brennan, I am reminded of all the fights at football practice between SK’s most famous duo.

 

 

Buzz Light-year  from Toy Story

 

  While watching Toy Story I noticed the resemblance between Buzz Light-year and Officer Monty. The following week I saw Monty jump into his police cruiser and shout, “to infinity, and beyond!” The next day Mr. McCarthy got into an argument with Monty, crushing his spirits by saying, “You’re not a super hero”, “McCarthy said” you’re a police officer!”

 

 

 

Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles

 

  For all of you wondering what Disney Pixar’s favorite super hero has been up to these days? He’s currently the Athletic Director of SKHS. The former assistant principal missed the glory days of his athletic career so much he decided to do the next best thing, direct them.

 

Ray Kinsella from Field of Dreams

 

  Each year SKHS English Teacher Mr. Blessing travels to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to search for answers to the voices he heard in his backyard. Mr. Fairbanks, a.k.a. Terrence Mann, reluctantly agrees to go the distance with Blessing on the never ending bus ride. When they arrive in Cooperstown, Blessing eases his pain by playing his favorite past time, Town Ball, on the village green. Fairbanks puts on suspenders and watches the action from a park bench.

New Alcohol and Drug Policy to Start Next Fall

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“Athletes are the most at-risk group for social drug use of any kind,” stated the founder of American Athletic Institute, John Underwood.

  According to the website, the AAI is a “sport consulting firm that is committed to helping people both in and out of sport”. The AAI also offers education about alcohol and drug abuse,  hazing and sportsmanship.

  Throughout Underwood’s presentation on Wednesday, September 23rd in the SKHS auditorium, student-athletes and their parents gathered to hear about the dangers and impact of alcohol and drug use on an athlete’s performance.

  During the presentation, Underwood talked about the effects of illegal drugs and alcohol to teenagers and how the substances can affect an athletes psychosomatic state.

  “The number one cause of accidents, deaths, any young behavior of concern is alcohol. Plain and simple,” explained Underwood. “And yet, we don’t even consider alcohol that bad of a drug. We think it’s okay for kids to go to parties and drink but it’s not.”

  Underwood discussed various studies of teens and the effects of drugs he has conducted, such as a ten year study on the effects of alcohol on teenagers.

  “If you’ve been drinking the night before a game, the hangover from the night past will reduce your athletic performance by 11.4 percent,” Underwood told the crowd.

  Underwood also listed other medical facts that occur after an athlete has been drinking, such as: reduced reaction time, hindered recover, elevated injury occurrence and diminished muscle fiber repair.

  Underwood also spoke about the effects of marijuana on the sleep cycle.

  Using marijuana or ‘pot’ will reduce one’s R.E.M (rapid eye movement, a.k.a dreaming) cycle of sleep by  half. Underwood added, “The more R.E.M time you have, the more likely you will wake up and feel refreshed in the morning.”

  Student reaction about the presentation has been mixed thus far.

  Junior Justin Gennari stated that [Underwood’s] presentation was well backed up by facts and statistics but probably fell on deaf ears.

  Underwood also introduced SKHS student-athletes and their parents to the “Access to Excellence” program.

  The policy was not specifically stated, but the program was. The policy is currently in review by the School Committee and in draft form. The strikes that make up the policy also can change throughout the year.

  The Access to Excellence policy requires student-athletes to leave a party immediately if illegal drugs or alcohol are present. The athlete will be required to report the incident to the school’s athletic director or coach.

  The 2010-2011 SKHS Athletic Handbook, currently in draft form, states: “Any identifiable image, photo, or video which implicates a student athlete to have been in possession of, or in the presence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs or portrays actual use, or crime, shall be confirmation of a violation of the Chemical Health Policy and Access to Excellence initiative (subject to investigation)”.

  Simply put, if a student-athlete has been photographed at such event drinking or doing drugs the photo(s) will be used in the investigation.

  According to SKHS Athletic Director Mr. Lynch, there are three strikes in this policy.

  The first strike requires the student to be suspended for 20 percent of the total 

games during the current sports’ season. The student-athlete can, however, attend scrimmages, team meetings and practices. During the suspension, the athlete will meet with the coach, student assistance counselor, and athletic director to review the individual’s commitment to the policy.

In addition, the student-athlete’s athletic captaincy will be forfeited and once the athlete completes the process he or she will be allowed to participate again.

The second strike suspends the student-athlete for 50 percent of the sports season. The student-athlete can attend team meetings, practices and scrimmages after ten days. The athlete must also attend a meeting with the student assistance counselor, coach, athletic director and parent or guardian. The student will forfeit his/her captaincy for future and current sport seasons.

The third and final strike prohibits the student-athlete for one full calendar year from participating in any sport. The student-athlete must then write a letter requesting to be reinstated after serving the one-year suspension. This letter will be reviewed by the assistant principal, athletic director and student assistance counselor.

The old SKHS policy required that the coach was to decide how the athlete was punished if caught drinking or using drugs.

Athletic director Mr. Lynch said, “This Access to Excellence policy will go into effect next year, fall 2010.”

Speaking to NBC 10s sports reporter Frank Carpano on Varsity Life, Lynch spoke about the policy in more formal terms.

“The safety of our athletes and students is of the utmost concern,” Lynch told Carpano. “We found out about a program last year John Underwood got a flier in the mail, went to Narragansett where he was presenting. And struck a chord with us that this is something we need to get into South Kingstown.”

Lynch invited Underwood to come speak at SKHS about the dangers of alcohol on teenagers and the consequences in sports.

“It’s an extension of the classroom. We talk about drugs and alcohol in our health classes,” Lynch added. “So why not keep it going with our coaches? We can influence [our athletes] because we see them every single day.”

 

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Teens Continue to Text and Drive Despite Dangers

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Picture1 Rena Oakley, a senior at SKHS, sits in her car waiting to finally exit the hectic senior lot. She watches as the parade of buses go by and slowly, one by one, each student’s car finally squeezes out of the parking lot onto Columbia Street. While she waits she reaches down for her phone and sees that she received a new message.

“When I’m in the senior lot, I text due to the long wait to get out.” Oakley admitted.

When Oakley finally manages to escape to head home, her phone vibrates with another new text message from a friend. She peers down and picks up her phone, placing it on the wheel to quickly type a response.

Each year about 21 percent of fatal car crashes involving teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are the result of cell phone use behind the wheel. That number is predicted to go up four percent every year. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia also discovered that traffic crashes are the largest cause of death among teens, killing about 5,000 each year.

Despite these alarming numbers many teens fail to see the danger of texting while driving, believing that they could never get in an accident or that they pay close attention to the road while they text.

“For  me texting while I drive is like typing on a keyboard without looking at the computer,” Oakley said, “There isn’t a particular reason [why I text], it’s out of habit.”

Oakley has the cell phone, Envy Two, with a full keyboard, which she says allows her to just feel around for the keys while keeping her eyes on the road.

According to a study conducted in 2003 by the University of Utah, texting while driving is just as dangerous if not more than drinking and driving.

A recent study done by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute shows that drivers who text and drive are 23 times more likely to crash. In 2007, nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16-17 year olds had to do with some sort of cell phone use and 50 percent of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 admit to texting while driving.

“I try hard not to, but  yes, I do [text],” said another SKHS senior Jeralyne Hawkesly.  “The biggest  reason I don’t just ignore the text is because most of the time the text message is telling me where I’m going, who I’m picking up, what to get at the store, or something along those lines.”

In July, 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed a law in California, which prohibits California drivers from diving with a cell phone in their hands. If a driver was caught violating this law they would have to pay a 20 dollar fine and 50 dollars for every subsequent ticket.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own wife, Maria Shriver could not even follow the law. In October 2009, Shriver was seen driving while on her cell phone.  On Schwarzenegger’s twitter page, he said,“thanks for bringing her violations to my attention. There’s going to be swift action.”  There has been no further information on what Shriver’s consequences will be.

Schwarzenegger also claims that if any of his daughters violate the California state law, then their cars and phones will be taken away.

Even though a vast majority of teens do seem to text while they drive, there is a great deal of teens that do not, and see the dangers. Often these students say they just ignore the text or have a passenger answer.

“I think it’s irresponsible because there is no way I would have control of the car if I was texting,” senior Matt Phipps said.     Phipps said he does make one exception. “I only do it at stop signs.”

As of right now, in Rhode Island no law has been created that makes texting while driving illegal. In 19 other states including the District of Columbia, texting while driving is banned for all ages and eight other states prohibit texting for drivers under the age of 18 only.

Hawksley obviously understands what risks she is putting herself in when she does text on the road.

“Yes, taking your attention away from driving for any reason is potentially dangerous. Although I admit to doing it, doesn’t mean I condone it,” said Hawksley. “Not a very smart risk to take if you ask me.”

Congress is now trying to pass a nationwide texting while driving bill, which would be put in effect by 2013. Each state would have two years to enact their own laws and if they do not do so, much like the drunken driving laws, each state will lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds.

  In the new bill violators will have to pay a fine of $50 for the first offense, $75 for the second offense and $100 for each subsequent offense. Similar to the RI seatbelt   Law a police officer cannot pull over a driver for just texting or phone use alone, but if a driver is pulled over for speeding or erratically driving he can be cited for using the phone and then receive a ticket.

Another senior from SKHS, Chris Pinkerton said, “I personally have a hard enough time driving and texting separately. Put them together and bad things are bound to happen.”

Many students seem to have all sorts of different opinions about texting while driving.

“I think it’s a distraction to drivers. As an operator of a motor vehicle you need to be constantly aware of the number of events that are going on around you,” said SKHS’s own Officer Monty. “The presence of the phone where your eyes have to actually leave the road is a distraction that could end up with traffic consequences.”

Rebel Opinion: Breathalyzer Policy at Dances Needs to Change

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Breathalyzer3 Since the drinking incident at Sadie’s last year, at each school dance Mr. McCarthy and other administrators now make each attendee pick a chip out of a bag without looking.  Choosing a chip is like playing poker: you don’t know what you’re going to get until you look at your hand.

With the school’s dance policy, there are three different chips to choose from.  The white chip means you’re okay to enter the dance with no trouble at all, the blue chip means you get a refund on your dance ticket, yet, if by chance you pick the red chip, you are taken into another room to take a breathalyzer test.

Choosing chips does not seem to be a big deal to many but gambling with how your night could turn out is.  Many of us are lucky to get the white chips, yet the unlucky few who pick the red ones end up wasting more than a half hour of valuable dance time proving their sobriety. 

Picking chips at random is not how the school should be running its dances.  As an alternative to random breathalyzer tests, Mr. McCarthy, or another administrator, should greet each student at the door so he is able to judge whether or not that student should be tested.  If a student appears to be under the influence of alcohol then test the student. 

Testing students who are not under the influence of alcohol because they happened to pick the wrong colored chip is careless and a waste of time.  Meanwhile those students who are truly endangering themselves are slipping past administrators.  In addition, the police officers who are there all night need to be paid for their time administering breathalyzer tests to students who turn out to be sober.  Everything costs money and our school is using its money carelessly when it comes to student dances.

Perhaps at the next dance Mr. McCarthy and his administrators can change it up a bit and use a more effective way of going about deterring students from attending dances intoxicated. A new policy may also save money by eliminating many unnecessary breathalyzer tests.

Week 14 Fantasy Sleeper Picks

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Rebellion october 064Andrew “Truck full of Cigarettes” Hedglen Week 14 Sleepers:

QB:  Jason Campbell – he’s coming off of a 3 TD performance, and this week he’s playing Oakland at home

RB:  Laurence Maroney – scoring 8 TDs in the last 6 weeks and playing home against a terrible Carolina run defense, Maroney is a safe bet to start this week

WR:  Lee Evans – playing against Kansas City’s terrible pass defense, look for Edwards to find Lee Evans in the end zone

TE:  Jermichael Finley – a new, young player that nobody knows about… or perhaps now they do after a 2 TD game last week, this guy is an absolute beast physically, and has soft hands – now a solid target for Aaron Rodgers

K:  Shayne Graham – for the past 2 weeks, he’s been nailing field goals… he’s in the Metrodome this week, against the stout Vikings defense

DEF:  New England – has been inconsistent, but look for them to make a statement and take advantage of Jake Delhomme’s mistakes.

 

Zach “The Punisher” Almond’s Week 14 Sleepers:

QB: Jason Campbell- His performance against the Saints was impressive and look for him to build off it.

RB: Fred Jackson- The Chiefs have had tons of problems on defense this year.

WR: Roy Williams- The Chargers have given up a lot of big plays.

TE: Dustin Keller- He will serve as Mark Sanchez’s security blanket against the talented Tampa secondary.

K: Robbie Gould- He has made 45 consecutive field goals from under 40 yards.

DEF:  New England- The Panthers have struggled on offense all season.

 

Patrick “Son of Barry” Gee Week 14 Sleepers:

QB: Alex Smith – Didn’t get his first start since week 7, and since then he’s been putting up more than solid numbers.

RB: Knowshon Moreno – He’s really been picking up his game lately. Facing the undefeated colts, it should motivate him to play better than usual.

WR: Santana Moss – He’s due for a breakout game soon; with Jason Campbell at his best, expect Moss to rack up yards and grab a couple TDs.

TE: Jermichael Finley – His confidence sky rocketed after last weeks game; lighting up a strong Baltimore defense, he will not be hesitant facing a similar Bears defense.

K: Nick Folk – He should get many opportunities to kick field goals against the Charges of San Diego.

DEF: Denver Broncos – I know you may think I’m crazy for picking them; after all they’re facing the Colts. But don’t be surprised if Denver stumps their offense.

Week 13 Sleepers

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Andrew “Truck full of Cigarettes” Hedglen Week 13 sleepers:

QB: Alex Smith – coming off of a great performance last week, I like him against Seattle’s 25th rank pass defense

RB: Carnell Williams – will run all over Carolina, he’s a heavy option for Tampa

WR: Laveranues Coles – Detroit will be draped over Ocho Cinco, Coles is due for a big game against the worst pass defense in the league

TE: John Carlson – playing against San Francisco, he’ll be targeted a lot by Hasselbeck – the 49ers defense can’t defend him

K: Neil Rackers – playing at home in the dome against Minnesota’s great red zone defense = lots of opportunities

DEF: Cincinnati – playing against Detroit at home… good luck Detroit

 

Zach “The Punisher” Almond Week 13 Sleepers:

QB: Alex Smith- The Seahawks defense has been struggling all season.

RB: Fred Jackson- He’ll get a good amount of the carries against the Bills.

WR: Andre Caldwell- He has caught a lot of key passes for the Bengals.

TE: Mercedes Lewis- The Texans have given up a lot of points to tight ends.

DEF: Denver- The Chiefs offense will struggle against the Broncos.

K: Rian Lindell- He kicked 3 FGs against the Jets earlier this season.   

 

Patrick “Son of Barry”Gee Week 13 Sleeper Picks:

QB: David Garrard- He’ll play great against Houston Defense; not only do I stand by it, but I guarantee it.

RB: Knowshon Moreno- A solid player, he’s been improving.

WR: Kevin Walter- HE goes under the radar as all the attention is on Andre Johnson.

TE: Benjamin Watson- Brady will redeem himself against Miami hitting a variety of targets, including Watson.

K: Olindo Mare- He should have plenty of opportunities to kick field goals this week.

DEF: San Francisco- They should shut the Seattle offense down.

 Rebellion october 064

Turkey Bowl Game

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Turkey Bowl Rebellion Pictures 014The picture

 The South Kingstown Rebels took on the North Kingstown Skippers in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. The Rebels came out early and dominated, winning 50-32.

The Rebels scored first on a Ty Stromley punt return and never looked back. The Rebels were lead by a senior cast of players including quarterback Ben Hamill and wide receivers Pat Gee and Ty Stromley.

The rivalry game which is usually an intense and nail biting game was not much of a contest this year in part do to the struggles of  the NK squad.  The Skippers failed to win one game this year.

Even though the win was expected Gee said, “It’s always nice to beat your rival.”   

 

Who is Andrew Hedglen?

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At a young age Hedglen developed a swag in which not even his parents, siblings, or friends could comprehend. Growing up homeless in the frigid streets of Flint, Michigan Hedge was stumbled upon by NFL Quarterback Brett Favre. Favre realized he would never match the young Hedglen’s swag. He decided it was best to drop him on the doorstep of Ken and Elise in the small state of Rhode Island, who happened to have the same last name. Throughout elementary school Hedge was seen as the only one who would ever make it out of the hood. People saw potential in him as a collage maker and a jerk dancer. At age 10, his family packed up their belongings and headed south to South Kingstown to help Hedge pursue his dreams. This town alone helped tranform Hedge into the cross country running, du-rag wearing, shoe-lace matching, Rebellion staff writer he was destined to be.