S PRING 2015
P AGE 5
It’s The Small Things That Create Happiness
Focus on family, friends, and the community
Carolyn Bunszell
Contributor
Many people assume that in order to
be happy in life they need to do incredible and extravagant things. They
think that if they don’t make a big
name for themselves, no one will
remember who they were or what
they did. In order to be happy, they
think they need to live in a large house
with expensive things and tons of
money. I don’t believe one needs to do
any of this or have any of that to be
happy and feel fulfilled in life. I know
it’s been said before, but it’s the truth;
it’s the small things that count. People
will remember you even if you did
something as simple as holding a door
open for them when they had too
much in their hands. You shouldn’t go
through life thinking that if the whole
world doesn’t know your name that
you didn’t do anything great with your
life.
You could be doing such simple things
that will make people remember you
forever. It could be something small
that may only take you a day. Helping
at a local shelter or food drive has a
great impact on how one is viewed.
Not only will working at these places
reflect upon how much of a kind person you are, but the people you helped
will be extremely grateful. These
people, who may not have even
known your name, will always look
back on the day you helped them with
a smile. They will remember your face
and think about how much of a difference you made in their life.
As for money, you don’t need that to
be happy; the best moments of your
life are priceless. For example, spending a weekend with a close friend
could make you the happiest you have
ever been. Going apple picking with
your family could result in a memory
that you will never forget. You don’t
need the newest phone or car to feel
happy; doing small, free activities can
create the same feeling.
You only get one life so don’t spend it
all trying to make a big name for yourself. I recommend you go about life
trying to always volunteer or help out
a little bit in different areas. In the
end, not only will you feel good about
yourself, but you will also make someone else grateful that you were there
to help. Only you can decide whether
or not you lived a good and happy life.
Don’t let anyone else’s vision of a
good life deteriorate yours.
By Jassinter (Own work) creativecommons
license via Wikimedia Commons
“You could be
doing such
simple things
that will
make people
remember you
forever.”
Carolyn
Bunszell
The Winter of our Discontent
A Winter we won’t soon Forget at AHS
Alyssa Gendreau
Contributor
This winter started out in an unusual
way; there was no snowfall in Abington until the end of January. However,
when the snow finally began to fall, it
seemed as though it would never end.
As of March 15, the Weather Channel reports that Boston Logan Airport
has received 108.6 inches of snow,
officially making this winter the
“alltime snowiest” in recorded history,
dethroning the former record of 107.6
inches from the winter of 1995-96.
The abundance of snow has taken its
toll on the people of Abington and the
surrounding towns. School closings
have been very common throughout
the past few months. In Abington,
school had to be canceled six times
between January 27 and February 10.
Students and faculty members have
had to figure out ways to persevere
through these unexpected days
off. Academically, the lack of school
during the month of February caused a
few issues. In a recent interview, Mr.
Lanner, a history teacher at AHS,
voiced how the shortened term has
affected his ability to compile enough
assignments that accurately represent
students’ understanding of the subject.
He states that as far as grades are concerned, he is “definitely short compared to past years at this
time.” However, he found that
“students fully participated” and were
“on top of their game,” despite the
spotty school schedule the snow has
caused.
Although from a teaching stand point,
it may have appeared that students
were handling the random school
weeks quite nicely, this was not always
the case. When asked if following
lesson plans from week to week
proved difficult, freshman Autumn
LaPointe agreed that she occasionally
struggled to keep up. “If I needed to
ask the teacher a question about an
assignment and there was no school
the next day, I usually forgot,” said
LaPointe.
Outside of the classroom, students’
extracurricular activities were impacted as well. According to Mr. Shannon,
director of the Drama Club’s musical
(“The Addams Family”), he
was forced to cancel six
Photo by Kim Phan
practices in the months leading up to
their show’s debut in March. However, the performers’ morale has proven
to be more forceful than the snow.
“The students worked hard to make up
the time,” said Mr. Shannon.
Due to the performers’ dedication and
flexibility this season, the show went
on as planned and was as successful as
ever. The onslaught of snow has also
affected sports since many games have
had to be rescheduled, and spring
sports will have a tough start because
of the snow that has accumulated on
the fields and courts.
With the exception of a few minor setbacks, students and faculty have found
a way to carry on with everyday life.
Any problems that arose were quickly
resolved by the dedication of the
school community. After all of the
unprecedented snowfall this winter,
one can be very happy that spring is
right around the corner!
“When the
snow
finally
began to
fall, it
seemed as
though it
would
never end.”
— Alyssa
Gendreau