TRITON HIGH SCHOOL Triton’s Student-Produced Newspaper October 5, 2013

Creating Ripples The Triton Football Team’s Visit to Dana Farber

The Vikes are back Early victories have

teams on a hopeful path By Shannon Lyons

Staff Writer Recognizing that many teachers

and students have known someone

who has battled cancer, the word

alone instantly strikes a chord of

fear with most people. Entering the

Dana Farber Cancer Institute dur-

ing a visit last month, however, the

Triton Football team’s anticipation

of a somber atmosphere quickly

dissolved when they were immedi-

ately greeted by a strong sense of

hope and optimism.

Led by two young develop-

ment officers, Ms. Kerry Sachs

and Ms. Emma Green, the team

broke up into four groups and

were each escorted on a tour

through the Dana Farber buildings.

Walking through the hallways, the

team was respectfully quiet. While

the Dana Farber Institute was a

serious place, it was not somber.

The building is an efficient ma-

chine built with passion and the

purpose to eradicate cancer and

care for the patients with empathy.

Sachs and Green had bright

auras, full of energy, hope and con-

viction. It was clear that their spirit

reflected the message of Dana Far-

ber. Senior and captain of the foot-

ball team, Patrick

Moran, said that he

too was surprised

by the uplifting

ambience of the

building.

“One thing I

noticed in particu-

lar was the general

feel of the build-

ing,” said Moran.

“It was a very pos-

itive atmosphere.”

During the tour,

Sachs and Green explained how

By Eric Ninthala

Staff Writer With summer at its end and school

finally open with its tests, quizzes, and

homework, fall sports are a way for stu-

dents to escape.

Whether it’s playing golf on a cool

afternoon or watching football on a chilly

Friday night, Triton students love fall

sports. It’s a chance for them to show

their pride as Triton Vikings, whether

they are in the stands watching or playing

on the field. Unfortunately for Triton fall

sports overall, the past few years have not

been successful. But through determina-

tion, modifications, and hard work, the

athletes of Triton hope to change that.

Coming off a 1-10 season, the Triton

football team made a quick start. Destroy-

ing Swampscott (33-7) and Amesbury (40

-7). Unfortunately the Vikes would fall in

an epic showdown with Pentucket last

Saturday, losing 19-13. Being 2-1 for the

time being, the Triton football team still

has a chance to be a winning team. But in

order to do that, they have a lot of work to

do.

“Our goal is to change the way people

view Triton football,” said varsity football

captain Patrick Moran. “People see our

team as bad because of last year and four

years ago (0-11), we all want to change

that.”

The Triton football players are not the

only ones who have a big goal. The girl’s

soccer team only had two wins last sea-

son, but are determined to change that.

“The biggest change we have is our

new coach; Mike Weisburg. He has made

vast improvements to our team and the

mentality of Triton,” said captain Casey

Ross. “After 30 years of never making the

tournament, coach routinely reminds us

that our next game is the most important

game of our high school career.”

With a strong young core, new coach,

and veterans on the team, along with their

desire to make history for Triton girl’s

soccer, the lady vikes seem to be able to

turn things around. As of Tuesday, they

had a record of 3-4-2, already beating

back their heartbreaking record of last

fall. If things go as they planned, they will

hopefully accomplish their goal of mak-

ing the state tournament.

See SPORTS on page 2

committed the Dana Farber em-

ployees are to making the best envi-

ronment possible for their patients.

The team was able to see this in

everything from the meditative gar-

den built for the patients to the col-

orful Red Sox Timeline displaying

Dana Farber’s history with the Jim-

my Fund. Touring through the

building was somewhat surreal for

the boys but as senior Captain and

quarterback,

Bradley Whit-

man, pointed

out, the most

powerful and

poignant mo-

ment came

when a small,

bright-eyed girl,

of about 5 years

old was

wheeled by to

her treatment.

She had lost all

of her hair but

still had the natural glow and easy

smile of any other young child. This

was a moment when words were

not necessary. Every single person

on the tour stood there in silence,

and it was then that the meaning of

why the team was there was crystal-

lized.

“When I saw that one patient,

the little girl with no hair, the whole

thing just really hit me,” said Whit-

man. “I’ve realized to be more ap-

preciative of the privileges so many

of us have.”

Moran echoed Whitman’s senti-

ment.

“The tour really helped me to

gain a lot of perspective that there

are a lot worse things going on in

this world that we need to be aware

of.”

As Sachs said, cancer is intimi-

dating and it’s hard to imagine a

teenager making a difference, but at

Dana Farber, they are not afraid to

take that challenge on and face it.

See RIPPLES on page 2

The Triton Football Team gathered for a picture in the Yawkey Center at Dana-

Farber (Shannon Lyons Photo).

By Cedric Colbert

Staff Writer The United States has been at

war practically as long as any Tri-

ton student has been alive. So how

would one more war affect the Tri-

ton community?

History teacher Ms. Janet Nico-

lazzo explained that “After 9/11 we

saw a lot of Triton kids sign up for

the military, (but) we’re very reluc-

tant to get involved in a situation

that’s so complex, so I don’t think

any Triton students will be jumping

at the idea of going to Syria.”

Political science teacher Mr.

Tim Coyle agreed.

“People don’t want to go to war

because of the fear of turning Syria

into the same thing that Iraq has

become,” said Coyle.

On a national scale, these teach-

ers have a similar opinion to a ma-

jority of Americans who oppose

going to war with Syria over their

Assad is

believed to

have killed

nearly

20,000 Syri-

an civilians.

Earlier this

year, Presi-

dent Barack

Obama stat-

ed that the

United

States

would not

be able to

stand idly

by if the

Syrian gov-

ernment started using chemical

weapons on its own people. Now

that it seems this is the case, many

believe that the president will look

weak if he does not act.

See SYRIA on page 2

government’s

alleged use of

chemical weap-

ons. In fact, a

recent Transatlan-

tic Trends poll

found that 62 per-

cent of Americans

oppose military

intervention in

Syria, while only

30 percent sup-

port it.

However, here

at Triton, some

students including

senior Tom How-

ell, believe the

United States would be doing the

right thing by attacking. Howell,

who plans on joining the Air Force

says “I would definitely fight to

avenge the deaths of Syrian civil-

ians.”

Syrian President Bashar al-

Crisis in Syria, Debate at Triton

Senior Tom Howell discusses U.S. in-

volvement in Syria (Cedric Colbert photo)

“I’ve realized to be

more appreciative of

the privileges so many

of us have”

— Sr. Capt. Brad

Whitman on the team’s

tour of Dana Farber

Cancer Institute

The Triton field hockey team competes

on a recent afternoon (Ninthala photo).

Triton High School page 2 October 5, 2013

RIPPLES from page 1 “Cancer seems big and scary,”

said Sachs. “Once you get involved

though, you realize you can make a

difference and you think to your-

self, ‘look at this one thing we can

do, we really can help.’”

Sachs went on to explain how

this generation is the ‘millennium

age.’ Through just one person get-

ting involved, she said, there can be

a difference made because that per-

son might inspire another person to

help out. Comparing it to a web,

Sachs explained how teenagers

have a tendency to follow, and in

terms of getting people involved

and aware of Dana Farber’s cause,

that is a great thing because every

donation or act of kindness made

will lead to more like a stone

thrown into a quiet lake creates

ripples, the football teams’ involve-

ment in such a major cause is bound

to create

more helpful contributions.

“If someone comes in with an

idea, eager to help in some way, we

are going to do all we can to imple-

ment it,” said Green. “We’ve had

summit event managers come in as

well and even just school groups

looking to help in some way. If

there’s something someone wants

to do, we can make it happen.”

According to Sachs and Green,

even the smallest donations and

fundraisers have had an impact,

SPORTS from page 1 On the other hand, cheerleading at Triton has had regular

success. Being third in the state from last year, the cheering

team is still determined to be better. Unfortunately with the

loss of varsity star

captain Nicole Indigaro due to injury, and their first competi-

tion coming up in a couple weeks, the road to the top will be

difficult.

“Competition is hard in the fall season especially with

Nicole out,” says cheerleader Ashley O’Neil. “But we are

ready to accept the challenge. We all want to show what we

are capable of.”

Despite how important it is to win, the future is just as

important as the present. After asking a few players about

their

team’s future players in the freshman team, there was great

excitement and enthusiasm.

“I think that the running program at Triton has a great fu-

ture due to its big numbers and hard working members” said

cross country captain Austin Stevens. “All the younger kids

are stepping it up this year, it makes me feel comfortable for

the future of the team.”

No matter what sport we play or how others view us, the

athletes of Triton have pride in playing their sport. What gives

them the motivation to keep going through those tough sea-

sons and conditioning practices is in fact, themselves. Their

love for their game gives them the desire to step on that field

and do what it takes to make themselves and the team better.

(SYRIA CONTINUED)

Howell offered the pro-war side of

the debate.

“I would definitely fight to

avenge the deaths of Syrian civil-

ians,” he said.

This is a stark contrast to what

teachers believed would be stu-

dents’ reactions to the situation.

Howell also explained, “The United

States is the strongest country in the

world. It’s our responsibility to look

out for those who are not as fortu-

nate as us.”

With the country divided over

another war, President Obama has

decided to seek congressional ap-

proval to use military force in Syria.

“This is a purely political deci-

sion,” said Colye, “since in the past

he has not asked congress for per-

mission to use military force.”

The president hopes that by de-

bating the issue in congress, the

American people, including stu-

dents at Triton will be swayed in

favor of a military strike.

Autumn Sunshine Scenes of Early Fall

Photos by Shannon Lyons

including everything from a few

kids running a lemonade stand to

‘corporate galas’.

The Triton football team has

already taken the initiative in get-

ting further involved by creating

their own fundraiser called “Points

for Dana Farber,” which will take

place on Friday, October 11th. Mrs.

Libby Luttenbacher, head of the

Triton Football Boosters, said the

boys are excited to be able to sup-

port a cause while playing the game

they love.

“The boys on all three teams,

freshmen, JV and Varsity, will col-

lect pledges,” said Luttenbacher.

“People can donate a flat amount

for each point that the Triton Varsi-

ty team score in the Triton vs. New-

buryport game which is to be held

at the Triton stadium for our open-

ing game. One-hundred percent of

the money raised will go to the Da-

na Farber Cancer Institute and the

Jimmy Fund.”

With a whole new perspective

gained by the Triton football team

and an upcoming fundraiser to look

forward to, the coaches’ hope is that

the team getting involved will have

a rippling effect on other students

and athletes at Triton. Just like a

stone thrown into a quiet lake cre-

ates ripples, the football teams’

involvement in such a major cause

is bound to create ripples as well,

and hopefully, these ripples will

inspire the Triton community to

continue to reach out to institutions

like Dana Farber.

“The fact that 50 football play-

ers are thinking about others and

not themselves is a great thing,”

said Mr. Patrick Sheehan, coach of

the varsity football team. “The fact

that we are getting so much positive

attention is great because that gen-

erates more excitement and interest

in our cause.”

While Triton’s football team

seems to be investing a lot of ener-

gy into the approaching fundraiser,

Whitman and Moran both agreed

that the visit to Dana Farber itself

was most beneficial. Not only did

the boys say they retained a lot of

information on Dana Farber’s de-

velopment, but moreover they said

they learned of the extreme com-

mitment and passion that the re-

searchers, doctors and nurses apply

to their cause.

Just a momentary glance of that

little girl being wheeled to her treat-

ment was both powerful and mov-

ing to the Triton players. The young

patient’s face, despite her youth and

innocence, was a map of courage

and hope and the fearless look in

her eyes served as a reminder to all

of the strength which empowers the

human spirit.

At left, Triton field hockey players talk strategy with coach,

Ms. Donna Anderson while, (right), the football team practic-

es during a recent afternoon (Ninthala photos).