------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Devil’s Pitch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plainville, Connecticut— Spring 2020 _______________________________________________________________________________________ A Terrific and Terrifying Night at PHS Written by: Bridget Arena On March 6th and 8th of 2020, Thomas Riccardo, Plainville High School social studies teacher, directed “The Haunted Cabin,” with his students playing the roles. Before the show began, Riccardo spoke to the audience, giving a backstory to the theater and tech clubs at PHS. “Our kids build this and do it themselves,” Riccardo said about the stage and setting. The students put emotion into the play and into the characters. Before directing this play, Riccardo stated that he didn’t like the story, but after seeing his students take on the roles, he started to enjoy it. One of his head actors, Travis Lavigne, spoke on Riccardo’s directing, “He would put us on stage, and we would run through the scene doing whatever we wanted. If something looked off or he didn't like the outcome, he would stop us and we would go back and try it again. I personally really liked this approach. When we were all in character and on stage we were just having fun and doing what we thought was best. It really gave us the ability to make the show ‘ours’ and put our own personalities into every aspect.” The story begins with a nurse named Emily Davies, played by Abigail Feyerbend, entering a cabin called “Rogan’s Cabin.” Legend tells that this cabin is haunted by the victims of the mountain. As Emily is searching the building, Joe, played by Travis Lavigne, and Danny, played by Daniel Pryzbyz, enter the cabin. The storyline takes off with the suspense of wondering if these characters, along with new ones that find the cabin as well, will eventually get rescued or die on the mountain. This tragic and emotional setting reflected on the character’s actions. Lavigne played a very big role where he would have scenes full of screaming and crying. When asked how comfortable he was with a role like that, he said, “It was rather difficult at times. One of the things that we worked on in the rehearsal process was, "Method Acting." This is when you think about a past experience where you felt an emotion, like happy or sad, and then tried to call back on that emotion in the present. This process was difficult for the cast physically and emotionally. We couldn't go too deep into one memory where we would start crying uncontrollably, but we still needed to make sure we got the effect that we wanted on stage.” The Plainville High School Theater and Tech clubs put on plays every school year. After interviewing Lavigne, he wanted to share this final thought, “I have been doing theater at Plainville High School since my freshman year. I have been in almost every production since then, and have met dozens of people through the program. I am proud of this show, and am glad that I got to end the year with a banger.” College Experience as a High School Student By: Milena Baltyn Plainville High School and Central Connecticut State University in New Britain have established a partnership agreement that gives Plainville High School students the opportunity to take up to two courses per semester, or four per academic year, to earn university credit if the student earns a grade of “C” or higher, free of charge. This opportunity is not for all students. Students must be eligible as full-time high school students in order to be part-time college students as well. Mrs. Lamont, guidance counselor at Plainville High Schools says, “Juniors and seniors are only allowed to enroll in college classes, they need to have an overall ‘B’ average, students must maintain a full schedule at Plainville High School, and be responsible for their own transportation.” Students need to consider both the rigor and the time constraints of their high school schedules and evening college courses because it can be challenging and can interfere with their high school schedule. Lamont also mentions, “Most courses meet twice a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes and some classes only meet once a week for 2 hours and 30 minutes.” Peck, a PHS and CCSU student, says, “I think anyone who is eligible to take a course at CCSU should take advantage of this opportunity. It is free, you get a taste of what it is like to be a college student, and the credits you earn are transferable to other schools as well. I think it is important for my peers to be aware of this opportunity because it really is the best decision I have made in my high school years.” Other juniors and seniors were asked randomly if they knew about the partnership, and 10 out of the 15 said, “they had no idea,” and asked for more information about it. With this being said, it is important to give students the chance to take advantage of this opportunity. Plainville High School Seniors Compete for the Title of Mr. PHS By: Angela Mojica On March 26, Plainville High School will be hosting the annual Mr. PHS competition in the auditorium. Plainville High School’s class of 2020 will be participating in the competition for the title of Mr. PHS. The boys will be accompanied by their black dress girls who will be performing as well. The students have been hard at work in preparation for the show. Mikayla Wells, the event coordinator, says, “This year we have a great group of contestants, black dress girls, and hosts who have been preparing for the show for quite some time, and they are almost ready to shine on stage in just a couple of weeks.” The show will be hosted by Plainville High School’s seniors Kevin Hormoz, Vanessa Xiques, and Alexia Sirois. When asked what to expect from the hosts, Hormoz says “It will be something new and very unique this year. I don’t want to ruin the surprise but it’s going to be different from last year.” In addition, Wells says “the students have prepared an exciting and unexpected variety of talents for the audience to enjoy! We have all been working very hard to put on an extremely entertaining show that we are hoping will sell out.” The audience can look forward to seeing the talent, swimsuit, and formal parts of the show. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Mr. PHS is postponed indefinitely. Tickets can be bought from any of the contestants or black dress girls for $6. Tickets will also be sold at the door. All of the proceeds go towards supporting Project Graduation for the class of 2020. Message from the Class of 2020 By: Angela Mojica For the past twelve years of our lives, we have spent countless hours and days together. We have seen each other grow into the adults we are today. From learning to read to getting our licenses, we have been there to witness all of the milestones we have passed as class. From elementary school to middle school, we became an even larger group. We made new friends, went through awkward phases, and finally became teenagers together. From middle school to high school, we began to learn how to function in the real world. We began to plan for a life beyond high school. We finally became adults. In only a couple of months, we will all go our separate ways and begin our lives without each other. Sheik Mohamed says, “At the end of the day we remember where we were years back as little kids playing on the swings and sharing food during snack time. We all come from different aspects in life but we became a family under a roof, a family that we see 8 hours a week for 5 days. No matter what happens we will always remember each other.” The memories that we have made together will always stick with us. We will always remember the times we have spent together from homecoming, prom, and other school functions. Whether everyone was friends or not, our moments together will always be memorable. Bridget Arena says, “I’m extremely grateful for the years we have spent together. Even through our arguments and disagreements, we’ve made friendships that’ll last a lifetime.” To the friends we have made, to the teachers that have taught us, and to the faculty that has guided us, the class of 2020 thanks you for the memories we have made together. Here is to the next generation of lawyers, doctors, and teachers. Here is to everyone’s success and happiness outside of highschool. Spanish at Plainville High School with Mrs. Witkowski By Maina Alarcon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mrs. Witkowski in her Classroom at Plainville High School March 12,2020 Mrs. Kristi Witkowski is a Spanish teacher at Plainville High School. When asked what it is like to work at Plainville High School, she said she is doing very well. She enjoys working hard. She loves to teach her students and works together with other great teachers. She always said she feels happy to be here at PHS, she said that the days are very stressful and busy, but above all, it is an excellent place to work. Mrs. Witkowski stated that what she enjoys most about being a teacher is making connections with the students. It is very rewarding to help students who have difficulties and to see them progress. She has been a Spanish teacher for four years. She started off working at Manchester High school for two years and is now in her second year at PHS.