Post on 14-Jan-2022
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).