Monthly Archives: April 2010

TV & Facebook Shorten Attention Spans

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[media id=14 width=320 height=240]Ask most high school students if they’ve read any good books lately and they will mostly likely think: “Well I just read my Facebook page.”

  Rather than reading an interesting, thought provoking piece of literature, most students prefer to spend hours on end updating and checking their Facebook pages at home and during school.

    “I think part of the reason is that life today is too complex and fast paced,” said SKHS English teacher Mrs. O’Keefe. “Another reason that feeds into the first is technology, which provides a constant distraction and the opportunity to do many things at once.”

  A poll taken by the associated press in 2007 showed that one in four people did not read a single book in the past year.

    “I feel that students don’t like to read because it’s something that school forces upon them from the first grade,” said SKHS Senior Pat Hayes. “Then it becomes homework and kids don’t like that kind of stuff.”

   People today have phones that allow them to surf the web, listen to music and watch TV all at the same time.

  Some worry that being able to do these things on lightning fast networking systems however, has shortened the average American’s attention span.

  “I was watching a show on PBS about the affects of multi-tasking on the brain,” said O’Keefe. “It literally shortens the attention span, and that obviously has an effect on both reading and writing.”

  An American Academy of Pediatrics 2004 study suggests that children that watch television from a young age are more likely to have short attention spans. The AAP recommends that children under the age of two not be exposed to television and that older children not spend more than two hours in front of the television or the computer.

  However, according to KidsHealth.org, the average child watches 28 hours of TV a week and spends as much time on the computer or playing video games.

  Although TV, videogames and surfing the web take up the majority of student’s attention, the one thing that seems to eat up an even larger amount of student’s time is Facebook.

  “I  feel [Facebook] is definitely a 

contributor to me not reading,” said Hayes.

  Since 2006, anyone over the age of 13 with an email address has been able to join Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking website.

  According to Facebook.com, there are more than 400 million members and half of them log on at least once a day. The site also says that the average user spends more than 55 minutes logged on each day.

  “My computer stays on most of the time, and usually at least one tab is on Facebook,” admits Hayes.

  Facebook has become the way to stay connected within the last few years. Many bands have used it to promote their music, many charities have used it to promote  causes, and even businesses have used it to advertise.

  Since its implementation in 2008, more than 80,000 websites have implemented Facebook Connect, which allows even more users to share content, since its implementation in 2008.

  Hayes and O’Keefe both believe there are benefits to having a Facebook page.

   “I see some advantages to them for connecting to and keeping up with friends,” says O’Keefe who personally does not have a Facebook page. They also both agree that there are negative effects.

   “Some people can be a little too involved in Facebook,” said Hayes.

  Cyber bullying, exploitation, and even Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) are just some of the problems to name a few.

  Despite the constant distraction of keeping up with friends on Facebook, some students understand that it is important to read other books besides Facebook.

  “I like to try to read every school night, for just a little bit at least,” says Hayes. Although Hayes doesn’t always enjoy the assigned reading, he usually is in the middle of at least three books at a given time.

  The Alliance for Excellent Education, an organization run out of Washington D.C., believes that roughly six million middle and high school students can not read at an acceptable level. In fact the Alliance reports that they believe that more than 30 percent of students entering the ninth grade in the United States will need help with reading.

  “I would have to say about 25 percent of students do complete the (assigned) reading,” said Mrs. O’Keefe. However, she added that “(A good amount of) students use internet sites to get information on the book.”

  Keeping students interested in reading is the key to smarter generation. O’Keefe believes that reading is critical to gaining knowledge.

  “I have always believed that the way to a strong vocabulary is through reading,” says the English teacher. “Constant exposure to words in different contexts is the only way to make them a part of one’s own knowledge base.” 

  “I think the change would have to take place long before the high school level,” said Hayes. “Something would have to be done to keep the excitement in reading, because we were all excited when we first read a book but over the years that excitement dulls, and that just drains the fun from reading.

  “I found a specific author I liked and I always got into his books and that’s how I kept reading,” said Hayes.

Pressures of Prom

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DSC00128written by Bryce McGillivray 

 Prom can be one of the most important events in your high school experience — a special night to look forward to for months beforehand. For some people, though, prom can seem like just another reason to worry and feel stressed out. Even people who are looking forward to it can feel anxious.

The expenses of prom seem to overwhelm not just females but males as well. Females are expected to have their hair done, a new dress, new shoes, etc. but how far can you take prom until your pockets are empty. The average cost for a dress is anywhere from $50 to $400.

At what point does the cost get to outrageous?

 On the contrary, males who attend prom get off a bit easier and are most likely to spend at most $100 to rent a tux. But there are some ingenious ways to trim the budget, while ending up with a night that no one will know is inexpensive or any different than those who spend thousands.

“You spend the money because you simply have to,” senior Matt Levalley said. “If you want your prom to be in a nice place you have to pay more.”

Limos are often priced around $600 for the night, averaging about each person to pay $38. The form of transportation becomes a competition along with everyone’s attire. Who came to the prom in what limo is often topic of discussion throughout the night.

However, the pressures of prom don’t end at the costs. Tanning, working out and making sure you look your best becomes a common fad. Girls are binge eating to fit in a dress that’s a size too small. Parents are ending up dishing hundreds of dollars out to pacify their kids.

            Department stores are the most common locations for females to purchase their dresses. However, this can cause the chance of having the same dress as another one of your classmates. Other prom boutiques take a different type of stab in their business to draw buyers in. A sign out sheet is what has worked for the Newport prom shop, Just for You and many other Rhode Island shops. Stefania’s in Cranston however has one dress of every kind so no dress is copied.

 “Every girl deserves to have that special night, according to the owner of Sonya’s Boutique in Cranston, when there is two of one dress at the event, it ruins the night for both girls”DSC00129

Dear Diary: The OMF Gods Destroyed My Car

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By Bill Matson

As a news reporter for the Rebellion, I am supposed to go out and find the news and report on it so my fellow classmates can hear about it firsthand from a reliable source. But for now, I’d like to talk about an issue that has always been in the back of my mind: The parking situation at Old Mountain Field.
Back in November, I wrote an editorial about the junior “parking lot” at OMF. I wrote about how it’s not worth parking a half a mile away from school, just to say you drive to get to school. It’s not worth trekking through the bitter cold during the winter months. Also you are risking your life just trying to get out of the car over there.
But for the last few days, I’ve encountered a new reason why you should not park, what may be your most prized possession at OMF. The fact is your car can get completely destroyed just because you parked on the side of a main road.
I, as a junior, have had first hand experience with the parking situation at Old Mountain. It’s cramped, the parking spaces on the side of the road don’t leave enough space to get out of your car without making the oncoming traffic swerve into the other lane. Sometimes, you’ll encounter a situation such as the one I and five others went through rather suddenly. I saw my car get hauled away to a junk yard just to be turned into scrap metal.
Now, I understand that there isn’t much choice as to where we park. You can try to park in the senior lot, but I wouldn’t recommend that because your car might end up getting towed anyways. There’s the actual parking lot at Old Mountain Field behind the tennis courts, but I really don’t know if it’s legal to park there for six plus hours during the day. There is the church, but you’re supposed to have a pass to park there too.
Anyways, back to my point. These tragedies can happen rather quickly. One minute I was sitting in my first period class trying not to fall asleep and the next minute I found myself sprinting down to Old Mountain Field to find out if my car was being mercilessly beaten with a baseball bat, or if it had gotten hit by a car.
This leads me to the second thing I learned that fateful day; rumors spread like wild fire in high school. Before I even got to my vehicle to check the damage, I had heard that there was a drunk down at OMF beating my car with a baseball bat. I heard that a drunk driver had hit my car and sped off. And I also heard that my car had been stolen.
Naturally, when you hear news such as this, you panic. It’s human nature. And that’s exactly what I did.
“Ms. Fox, someone apparently has something against me or my car, because at this very moment, someone is beating my van mercilessly with a baseball bat at OMF. I’m gonna go check it out regardless if I have a pass or not.”
Being the great secretary that she is, she immediately wrote me a pass to go down there and check out what was happening.
So I sprint down there, and on the way got yelled at by a bunch of kids at the custy corner and then some old guy told me to get back to school, but I just kept going. And what a sight I had before my very eyes, fire trucks, police cars, and tow trucks, oh my!
Oh how I started to panic. An officer told me my car wasn’t badly damaged, and I came back with the fact that my car was halfway up on the side walk with no left back tire. He just let me go and check it out after that. And after that, my stomach just sank.
This, my classmates, is the feeling I don’t want you to ever have to feel the feeling of having one of your biggest assets taken from you in the blink of an eye, or maybe even a best friend. That all depends on how sad of a person you are, that you actually decide to befriend your vehicle.
Regardless of what kind of relationship you and your car shared, you will be angry, sad and hopeful all at the same time. Mad because some idiot destroyed your car, sad because some idiot destroyed your car and maybe a slight glimmer of hope (possibly) if your car is totaled. If your car is totaled you might be able to get a new one with the insurance money.
So to the up and coming drivers in our school, think about alternative places to park. Old Mountain is definitely the easiest place to park at, but it is also by far the most dangerous. Find a friend that lives nearby that you can store your car with for the day, maybe a grandparent, or a close family friend. This kind of thing will probably happen again and I don’t want you, the reader, to have to deal with it. Ever.

Lace Choomis

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By Zach Almond & Patrick Gee

He can speak computer in Russian, he had a .600 batting average on his high school baseball team and he didn’t even use a bat. He once thought about opening a pizza place, the next day it appeared. This man is known as Chase Loomis aka Lace Choomis and he is one of the most profound computer teachers in the world.

Lace Choomis

Lace Choomis

 

Lace Choomis’ computer doesn’t have a backspace because he doesn’t make any mistakes.

Lace Choomis once picked all 16 seeds to reach the final four and won his bracket pool.

Lace Choomis knows Victoria’s Secret.

Lace Choomis is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Lace Choomis once had a quadruple triple in Friday Morning basketball.

Lace Choomis can unscramble an egg.

 

Lace Choomis once bowled a perfect game with a marble.

You don’t need to order pizza from DBs’. Lace Choomis knows when you want your pizza.

Lace Choomis can kill two stones with one bird.

Brett Favre can throw a football 50 yards, Lace Choomis can throw Brett Favre even farther.

Lace Choomis’s first job was as a pizza delivery boy… there were no survivors.

When Lace Choomis falls in water he does not get wet the water gets Lace Choomis.

Lace Choomis’s dog is trained to pick up its own crap, because Lace Choomis takes crap from nobody.

Lace Choomis once took an order, made the pizza, and delivered it in less than 30 seconds.

Lace Choomis once ordered a Big Mac at Burger King and got it.

Lace Choomis can win a game of connect 4 in 3 moves.

Lace Choomis watches 60 minutes in twenty minutes.

Lace Choomis doesn’t go on the internet, he has every webpage stored in his memory.

Lace Choomis once took a whole bottle of sleeping pills and then blinked.

Lace Choomis was once hit by a school bus… the school bus didn’t survive.

Lace Choomis’ computer doesn’t have a CTRL button because he is always in control.

Lace Choomis can solve a Rubix Cube with both hands tied behind his back.

Lace Choomis doesn’t teach computer apps, computer apps teaches Lace Choomis. 

 

  No question, Lace Choomis is the most interesting man in the world.

Revenge of the Ring: Lord of the Rings Meets Model UN

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 “He just thought it was the greatest idea ever. And it kind of was.”

  Senior Emily Cotter is speaking about her classmate Shane McLoughlin, who recently proposed a new idea for this year’s Model United Nations Conference.

    The Council of Elrond is the newest addition to the Model UN, and the first ever fantasy committee to take place.

  In its twentieth year, The SK Model UN discussed global issues such as child soldiers, U.S. economic aid to Africa, fixing failed states, and others.  In addition, committees this year talk about issues from the Lord of the Rings series.

  The Council of Elrond is inspired by the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the series, the people of Middle Earth meet to discuss and decide the fate of the ring of power.

  McLoughlin took his passion for Lord of the Rings to Mr. Matteson, who is in charge of running the conference.

  “[Matteson] actually indulged it, and we talked about how sick it would be,” Cotter said. “The next thing we knew it was a real committee.”

  The teacher was not the only one intrigued by the idea of a fantasy committee. Many students proved to be interested as well. In fact, new roles had to be added in order for everyone to have a spot on the committee.

  The topics that were discussed at the council are: what to do with the ring of power, deforestation of Fangorn Forest, and the refugee crisis in Rohan.

  The Fangorn Forest plays an important role in transportation throughout the whole series, and it is also home to the Ents, who are walking talking trees.

  The refugee crisis is due to evil forces driving people from their homes in Rohan.

  Many have indulged themselves in the fantasies of Middle Earth by watching the popular movies directed by Peter Jackson.   The Council in the movie, however, differs from the book.

  In the novel, fate brought the attendees of the council together, whereas in the movies, they were summoned due to the Ring being found.

  As with any council, some sort of knowledge was necessary to partake in the debate, depending on one’s role.

  “The only thing that is really necessary is an interest in it,” says Cotter, “because if you are interested in it, you will probably try harder to understand it.”

  Wholehearted Lord of the Rings fan who wished to participate a great deal, assumed more important roles.  Those who prefer to not be so involved took on lighter roles, and so they need not be as well-read on Tolkien’s work.

  The new council attracted many new faces to Model UN. Students who would not normally engage in the annual event are signing up and enthusiastic.

  Model UN is growing in popularity, and today more than 400,000 students participate at the middle school, high school, and college level.

  Cotter hopes that this new and unique take on Model UN will affect future conferences.

  “I hope it happens more often now. People could use some fantasy I think.”

Local Athlete Pursues St. George’s Dream

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Michael Casey in St. George's Uniform

Michael Casey in St. George's Uniform

 

By Michael Matthews

 

 “My parents said that they instantly knew once we were on campus that they wanted me to go to the school,” said a South Kingstown native who is a junior at St. George’s Academy.

  Tucked away in Middletown, Rhode Island, on 125 acres of land the elite prep school St. George’s School stands above the sweeping vistas of Easton’s Beach, the Sakonnet River and the Atlantic Ocean.

  “St. George’s is a great school in my opinion with excellent teachers and a student run government,” according to Casey               

  Each class at the school consists of no more than 12 students allowing for more individual instruction.

  “Teachers live on campus, which means they are almost always available to help you when you need it,” said Casey.

  “Also, having smaller class sizes, 8-12 students, makes sure that students pay attention in class which leaves no time to slack off.”

  Casey attended public schools throughout his educational career leading up to his sophomore year. After graduating from Curtis Corner Middle School in 2007, Casey attended South Kingstown High School where he was a member of the school soccer team. As the season progressed, Casey saw a substantial rise in varsity playing time.

  When the school year came to a close, one of Casey’s fellow freshman teammate told him about his decision to attend St. George’s for athletics. Upon hearing about the private school, Casey’s interest grew.

  At St. George’s, students are given the option to live at home or on campus. For a boarding student the cost of attendance per year is $43,000. For a student who lives at home the tuition costs $29,400 a year. In comparison, Yale University in Connecticut weighs in at $36,500 for yearly tuition.

  Since attending St. George’s, Casey has been recruited by top league Universities including Georgetown.

  According to The Boarding School Review, St. George’s is among the top twenty boarding schools in the nation in SAT scores and selectivity categories.

  “I was told by the administration at St. George’s that it is not easy to get into St. George’s as an incoming sophomore,” said Casey. “I was told that 10 of the 150 applicants to join St. George’s as a sophomore would be accepted.

  “To be completely honest, I know that soccer helped me out getting in [at St. George’s.]”

  During lunch at St. George’s, students may hang-out on the “Hilltop” and watch waves crash on the First, Second and Third Beaches.

   “St. George’s alumni present many scholarships each year to students in need of them,” said Casey’s Parents. “Mike is on a half scholarship which helps a lot, but is goes to show how many students receive these financial aids.”

   Private schools such as Prout and Hendricken value their education at roughly $11,000 for students in the form of tuition, uniforms and school books. A large part in the decision of schools comes from tradition and the parents.

  Many athletes from South Kingstown, including Casey decided to further their athletic career by attending prestigious high school level academies where the chances of recognition are much higher than at a Prout level school.

  Attending a school such as St. George’s who’s athletic teams are a part of the Independent School League (ISL) and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) allow students to contend athletically against other teams across New England.  

“I think that the average student at St. George’s  is more athletic than the average athlete at SK because we all have to play competitive sports all year. Also, some students come to SG specifically to play a sport, such as soccer, basketball, swim, etc,” said Casey.

  As a requirement students must play a sport, be a trainer or manager, or conduct a service project to fulfill their physical education requirement as no physical education classes are offered at the academy.

  Despite all the glamour of St. George’s’ ivied buildings the decision and transition process for many is difficult, according to Casey.

  “It was hard leaving my friends and hometown school for a where I knew two people,” said the St. George’s junior.

“A great thing about St. George’s is that there are no cliques or groups, because everyone hangs out with everyone.”

  “It is nice to be able to walk into school, on the way to the all you can eat breakfast, and seeing nearly all the faculty and students, who know your name and have no problem going out of their way to say “hey,” or “how’s it goin!” said Casey.  

  While the decision to go to a private school is important to the student it comes to the consent of his or her parents, as well as the financial burden of roughly $40,000.
                                                                                                                                                                                               “After seeing the academic opportunities that St. George’s students receive after high-school I could not help but send my kid there,” said Casey’s parents.

   “Before my son’s freshman year I had never heard of St. George’s, yet the beautiful campus on the water with the vast campus and tree-lined entrance, leaves you not able to forget it.”

Sarah Palin Out of Line

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Sarah Palin, master of stirring up ignorant people into angry frenzies with one hate-filled word, now has an entirely new forum to do it.  Palin is now a correspondent on Fox News Channel, and apparently will get another TV show about Alaska.  Right now, she’s become the symbol for feminists and crazy Tea Party people.

  Now, Palin has a new controversy surrounding her.  She recently came out against the popular show Family Guy, angry at a joke made on a recent episode.  In the episode, a character dates a girl with Down syndrome.  When asked what her family does for a living, she replies, “My dad is an accountant and my mother is the former governor of Alaska,” a clear reference to Palin.

Palin and her family wasted no time in striking back.  Palin called it, “another kick in the gut,” while her daughter Bristol referred to Family Guy by saying, “”If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks.”

  This isn’t the first time Palin has struck back at those who refer to children with mental problems, or even using the word retarded.

  When White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel used the word in a speech, she asked, “Where is the decency?”

  Now, looking at this, one might think Palin is justified.  In fact, Sarah Palin seems like an angry mother, striking down anyone that uses the “r-word.”  However, with a little research, it’s not hard to find a prominent public figure using that very same word.  Who is this heartless, cold being?  His name is Rush Limbaugh.  Limbaugh calls Democrats “retards” regularly; in a recent quote, he even refers to our “politically correct society.”

  “I think the big news is the crackup going on. Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place by calling a bunch of people who are  retards, retards.  I mean, these liberal activists are kooks. They are loony tunes. And I’m not going to apologize for it, I’m just quoting Emanuel. It’s in the news. I think the news is that he’s out there calling Obama’s number one supporters ‘effing retards. So now there’s going to be a meeting. There’s going to be a retard summit at the White House, much like the beer summit between Obama and Gates and that cop in Cambridge.” 

  Since Rush Limbaugh uses that dreaded r-word four times why isn’t Palin attacking Limbaugh?  Because it’s obviously in satire!

  On an interview on Fox News, Palin says, and I quote: “They [liberals] are kooks, so I agree with Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh was using satire …  I didn’t hear Rush Limbaugh calling a group of people whom he did not agree with ‘f-ing retards,’ and we did know that Rahm Emanuel, as has been reported, did say that. There is a big difference there.”

  So, Family Guy isn’t a comedy?  Family Guy doesn’t use the word in satire?  No, here’s the real reason that Palin ripped Family Guy: not because she’s defending her kids, but because it’s a liberal show.  It can be easily proven that Sarah Palin laughs off uses of the word “retard” by conservatives, but liberals suffer the heavenly wrath of a certain glasses wearing, notes-on-the-hand woman.

  So, you remember what I said before about how Palin swoops from the sky when she hears the word retard used and attacks that person?  That’s strictly for liberals.  If the word is used by a Republican (especially if it’s in reference to Democrats), she merely laughs and walks away.  It’s amazing how not many people have pointed this out.  Probably because they’re blinded by the light reflecting off of Sarah Palin’s glasses.

  You know what would be interesting?  If someone said they were a Republican, copy-pasted my article, and sent it to Palin.  Meanwhile, I put in that I’m a Democrat and send it in.  The “Republican” would receive a kind letter from Palin’s publicist thanking them for their interest; I would get a hate-filled letter from Palin herself.  Any person want to take me up on this?

 

-Matthew Enright

Assistant Editor

SK Tennis Prepares for Twelfth Title Run

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The Rebels hudle up before last years state championship.

The Rebels hudle up before last years state championship.

By Tom Higgins

  As you walk into the Veteran’s Memorial Gymnasium, tucked away in the right hand corner is a banner that shows the most dominant sports team in the state of Rhode Island over the last decade.                

  This is not the basketball team, which has not won a division championship since 1994, it’s not the soccer team, which has not won a state championship since 1992, and it’s not even the baseball team, which last won a state title in 2002. 

  It’s the tennis team which has won the state championship 11 years in row. 

 The team’s dynasty started 11 years ago in 1999, when middle school physical education teacher Mr. Carr took the team to its first undefeated season. Since then, the team has never looked back.

 The Rebels who have had a few close calls over the years had none closer than last year against Hendricken when they won by one point with Eric Troob and Ben Sevey coming through in the clutch for the Rebels.

 “Last year was as hard and difficult as any year has been,” said the Rebels coach Mr. Carr who has been the Rebels coach for all of the 11 state championships.

  The Rebels domination over the past few years, Carr says, can’t be attributed to just a few players.

  “I always tell our guys that every point matters,” Carr said.

  As the Rebels continue to make a historic run towards their twelfth state championships and try to catch some of the great state records such as 20 straight titles in hockey for Mt. St. Charles and 24 in swimming for Hendricken.

  The Rebels start this year with a bunch of returning starters, but it will be hard to fill the void of three time state champion Kyle Burke.

 “Obviously you’re going to miss Kyle,” Coach Carr said. “He was almost an automatic point against the top teams which was good to have.”

  The Rebels new number one will likely be Senior Cliff DeMesquita, who played  second singles last year for the Rebels and will have to step up and fill the void left by Kyle Burke.

  “I practiced with him last year and played a lot over the summer so I think I’m ready,” DeMesquita said.

  The Rebels have multiple spots up for grabs all over the board including the number two single spot which could go to a few people according to Carr.

  “It could be multiple people,” said Coach Carr. “Mike Mulroy, Tim Puterio and Andrew Shumate have chances to play on singles.”

  The usual suspects are standing in the way for the Rebels quest for a twelfth state championship. Barrington, Hendricken and Wheeler are all hoping to knock if the Rebels.

“Hendricken is always good,” DeMesquita said. “Barrington and Wheeler look like they are going to be good again.”

  The Rebels goal is clear this year win another state championship.

 “That’s always the goal,” Carr said.

The Hamill Factor: SK’s Most Dominant Athlete

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Picture 031Every town has its one great athlete, a multi-sport star who dominates his respective sports, someone whose play epitomizes hard work and determination,  someone whose talent is often overshadowed by the ability to make his teammates better. For South Kingstown that athlete is Senior Ben Hamill.

  Hamill has showed time and time again that he is among the top athletes in the state Rhode Island, dominating both the gridiron and the hardwood.

  “He seemed to be able to take over games at will,” said Matt LeValley, who played beside Hamill on both the football and basketball teams.

  When Hamill arrived at SKHS as a scrawny 5’6” 140 pound freshmen, many would have never predicted his athletic career would bring him this much success.

  “I just took everything as it came,” said Hamill, a Rhode Island Football All-State Quarterback.

  What sets Hamill apart from other great athletes, is his will to compete, whether it be a card game or wrestling in the backyard.

  “He’s one of the best wrestlers I’ve seen,” said Justin Favreau, who has played football with Hamill since grade school. “But he’s not good enough to beat me,” Favreau added.

  Hamill has always been a good athlete. Hamill has been a superb basketball player since he was young. He always played with his friends and his brother Sean, a former SKHS halfback, but football was something that Hamill didn’t consider playing until he was older.

  “I wasn’t really interested in football,” said Hamill, the two time Division II State Championship quarterback.

  “One day my mom went and signed me up and it’s a good thing she did.”

  At the beginning of Hamill’s high school football career, as a halfback and safety, he got a decent amount of time on the junior varsity team. Then as Hamill entered his sophomore season he was expected to make the jump to starting varsity quarterback.

  The Rebels were coming of a season in which they made the Division II Semifinals, and lost their starting quarterback to graduation. Heading into the 2007 season former Head Coach Bruce Tardiff placed Hamill at the helm.

  “I was scared, I was nervous, I was just afraid to let everyone down,” said Hamill. He certainly did not disappoint. Hamill led the Rebels to a Division II State Championship, displaying phenomenal leadership, despite being the youngest player on the field.

  During the final regular season game in 2007, the Rebels were playing on the road against a Cranston East team many thoughtwould win the championship. Early in the game the Rebels lost their left tackle to an injury early in the game and Hamill rallied together his teammates, who responded by getting the win.

  “It was the turning point of the season,” said Hamill. “It let everyone know we were championship contenders.”

 Hamill has displayed leadership in so many games on the gridiron. Not only has he led the Rebels to two state championships, he has stepped up multiple times to rally the troops and lead the Rebels to victory.

  “He was the glue that held our team together,” said LeValley.

  Prior to this football season, expectations for Hamill couldn’t be higher. Entering his third year as the starting quarterback, he was expected to lead the Rebels to their third consecutive State Championship.

  “I worked out a lot with the guys from the football team to prepare,” said Hamill. Although Hamill and his teammates fell short in the semifinals to the Mount Hope Huskies, 13-12, Hamill had a tremendous season as the team’s quarterback and safety.

  Hamill was selected as a Rhode Island All State selection, having passed for 1700 yards and 22 touchdowns, as well as rushing for seven touchdowns. Despite falling short of expectations, Hamill was not disappointed with the loss.

  “It wasn’t as much disappointment as just reality setting in that I’ll never play the sport again with all my friends,” said Hamill. “It wasn’t just football that I loved, it was being with guys.”

  “He was one of the best teammates ever,” said Favreau. Hamill’s legacy as a great player and teammate will never be forgotten on the football field. After football, Hamill hung up his helmet to take on the challenges that waited for him on the hardwood.

  Hamill entered the basketball season ready to establish himself as an elite player on the hardwood. “I played a lot of pickup basketball at Old Mountain Field over the summer,” said Hamill with a laugh.

  Hamill had his work cut out for him as the Rebels entered the basketball season having lost three senior starters. The Rebels were inexperience and lacked size or depth and many thought they would struggle to get wins. Hamill’s play on the basketball court was outstanding and the Rebels did not disappoint finishing the season with a respectable 10-9 record and a playoff appearance, in which the Rebels lost on the road to a tough Mount Pleasant Kilties team 68-59.

  Hamill was second in the state in scoring and put himself on everyone’s radar with a remarkable 47 point performance against the Chariho Chargers, with 24 of those points coming from three pointers.

  “That was just something else,” said Hamill. “It was a special night.”

  Hamill led the tenacious Rebels to respectable wins over Central and North Kingstown, teams that clearly had superior talent. In those wins, Hamill was able to tear apart defenses with his tremendous shooting ability and knack for getting to the basket. For the most part, Hamill didn’t always necessarily consider himself the best player on the court.

  “I just try to work hard and play smart,” said Hamill.

  Hamill will leave South Kingston having left behind a great legacy as one of the better athletes to walk these halls. He was South Kingstown’s dominant athlete of this generation and will always be remembered as someone who played with a tremendous passion.

  As for Hamill’s future, his career as an athlete is likely over. If he wishes to continue competing he will likely attend Stonehill College in Massachusetts. When asked where he stands among the great SKHS athletes of all time, he replied modestly, “That’s not for me to decide.”