Final report

Norton High softball girls preparing
for the big game

     Norton High School softball played against Fairhaven on Thursday, June 4th. The end result was a win by Norton with a score of 1-0, making the record now 19-2-0. The crowd full of students, parents and teachers cheered as the game came to an end. The softball girls will advance to the next game on Sunday, June 7th at 3:00pm against Bishop Stang.
     The Opposing team, Fairhaven fought back with just as much intensity. They appeared confident but couldn't seem to get a good enough hit off of the ball. By the 5th inning, Fairhaven seemed to be getting tired but kept the swings coming. "They held us very well" said Cibotti. Norton and Fairhaven were neck and neck, until the lucky hit that gave Norton their one point lead. "In the end we ended up with the run we needed to pull through with a win", Taylor Cibotti. 
    "It was an exciting, yet nerve wrecking game." said Taylor Cibotti, sophomore at Norton High. The season for the Norton High softball team has been a long one but they continue to fight for the win. The girls have worked together all season long to stay in the competition. "No one expected us to come into this season and do such a good job, but we showed them." said senior, captain, Kylie Barrows. As a captain, Kylie helped lead her team to victory.

Norton High softball team after the victory 

     Junior captain, Carli Arcaro, stepped up to bat and hit the ball on the first pitch, making it to first base before the ball did. Taylor Cibotti, Leah Buttner, Kylie Barrows and a few other team mates got hits off of the ball though not all of them made it to the first base before the ball did. Carli was pleased with the way they played. "We played great and worked awesome as a team to collectively get the win with helpful catches in the outfield and smart plays in the infield, not to mention the huge RBI by Leah Buttner to give us the winning run." said Carli. It was a tough fight to hold the lead. Carli was also awarded player of the game by her coach, Wade Lizotte. "Great job behind the plate. 4 for 4 with 3 singles and a three run HR" he said.

     The outfield remained on their toes ready for any ball throughout the whole game. And the infield was prepared for anything as well. They had a very strong defense but when it came to offense, it was their week point. "We just need to work on our offense and hitting the ball more" said Arcaro. Leah Buttner, Norton High sophomore, gave some incite to her thoughts on the game as well, "We played an awesome defense and did what we needed to in order to win and will continue to work hard". 
     Kelly Nixon, freshman pitcher, pitched through every inning. Giving away very few hits, she was very consistent with the throwing of no-hitters. Fairhaven continued with swings and misses with the occasional hit, but Norton's in/outfield was there for the backup every time. 

     As the game reached an end the fans began to cheer. The girls in the dugout rushed the field to congratulate each other. The excitement could be seen on every players face, and their coach was thrilled. "Hard work pays off, especially when you work together as a team." said coach Lizotte. The girls know their weaknesses and strengths, and believe in themselves. That allows them to help each other push past their limits to better their playing as individuals and as a whole. Taylor stated, "Next game is going to be tough, hopefully we pull through with a win. It's just going to be who wants it more". 

final rough draft

Norton High softball girls preparing
for the big game

     Norton High School softball played against Fairhaven on Thursday, June 4th. The end result was a win by Norton with a score of 1-0, making the record now 19-2-0. The crowd full of students, parents and teachers cheered as the game came to an end. The softball girls will advance to the next game on Sunday, June 7th at 3:00pm against Bishop Stang.
     The Opposing team, Fairhaven fought back with just as much intesnsity. They appeared confident but couldn't seem to get a good enough hit off of the ball. By the 5th inning, Fairhaven seemed to be getting tired but kept the swings comming. "They held us very well" said Cobotti. Norton and Fairhaven were neck and neck, until the lucky hit that gave Norton their one point lead. "In the end we ended up with the run we needed to pull through with a win", Taylor Cibotti. 
    "It was an exciting, yet nerve wrecking game." said Taylor Cibotti, sophomore at Norton High. The season for the Norton High softball team has been a long one but they continue to fight for the win. The girls have worked together all season long to stay in the competition. "No one expected us to come into this season and do such a good job, but we showed them." said senior, captain, Kylie Barrows. As a captain, Kylie helped lead her team to victory.

Norton High softball team after the victory 

     Junior captain, Carli Arcaro, stepped up to bat and hit the ball on the first pitch, making it to first base before the ball did. Taylor Cibotti, Leah buttner, Kylie Barrows and a few other team mates got hits off of the ball though not all of them made it to the first base before the ball did. Carli was pleased with the way they played. "We played great and worked awesome as a team to collectively get the win with helpful catches in the outfield and smart plays in the infield, not to mention the huge rbi by Leah Buttner to give us the winning run." said Carli. It was a tough fight to hold the lead. Carli was also awarded player of the game by her coach, Wade Lizotte. "Great job behind the plate. 4 for 4 with 3 singles and a three run HR" he said.

     The outfield remained on their toes ready for any ball throughout the whole game. And the infield was prepared for anything as well. They had a very strong defense but when it came to offense, it was their week point. "We just need to work on our offense and hitting the ball more" said Arcaro. Leah Buttner, Norton High sophmore, gave some incite to her thoughts on the game as well, "We played an awesome defense and did what we needed to in order to win and will continue to work hard". The girls know their weaknesses and strengths, and believe in themselves. That allows them to help each other push past their limits to better their playing as individuals and as a whole. 

     

Geopolitics BP

     S-Greg Toppo and Eric Nelson O-Using fantasy football as a learning game A-Teachers and students P-To tell of how most kids learn better through video games such as fantasy football S-(Logos) Kids are more interested in games than school. (Ethos)Videos games interact with the brain and allow the kids to restart in order to allow themselves to make different mistakes and learn. (Pathos)His discovery/experiment worked and helped him to feel good about his role as a teacher. Tone-Inspirational, informative, and serious.
     The author, Greg Toppo wrote about Eric Nelson using fantasy football as a learning tool for teaching geopolitics. He says "It became a different kind of experience", which is telling about how the game he created based off of fantasy football helped his students to learn in an entirely new way. He created this game to experiment a hypothesis of his own not knowing if it would fail or not, and he succeeded tremendously. In conclusion, Nelson's belief in being able to successfully teach students through a video game worked. His students seemed more engaged in learning than ever before and in his view, seemed to learn a lot more than just sitting in class and listening.
     In my view, Eric Nelson's teaching through a game is genius. He created a way for kids to be able to learn the best way they can, through experience. By allowing them to engage in the activity rather than to just hear about it opens up new ways for their brains to retain the information that they must learn. Most importantly, I believe that the game was good for him as a teacher as well. It allowed him to see how kids learn in many different ways, which helps him to advance as a teacher. Therefore, I conclude that his strategy of teaching geopolitics through a video game was a genius idea, and I believe that many other teachers should begin to experiment with different ways of teaching.
     Greg Toppo in the article, "Teaching Geopolitics: Fantasy Football as a Learning Game", tells of how Eric Nelson created a video game for teaching his students. This allowed them to learn through a hands on experience. Toppo shows support towards Nelson's experiment by giving facts and quotes that prove how successful and fun his strategy was. The authors purpose was to inform readers and teachers of Eric Nelson's new ways of teaching to inspire them to expand their ways of teaching as well. Toppo wrote this article in a serious, and inspirational tone for students, parents, and teachers.

#10

  

   In the article, "It was Lightening and Thunder", Grimsley draws in the readers by asking questions and at causes any reader to think. It pushes the  audience to form their own opinions. Grimsley focused on the fight, and what went on during the fight for both sides, keeping it close to unbiased. As he went into detail about the fight, he expressed the opinion of both parties and gave logic explanations. He highlights the purpose for writing the article by presenting the multiple opinions of the fighters, referees, and fans. This well written article helps e readers to understand what happened during the fight, and what is being argued against it now.

 Joe Kelly was taken off the mound after giving up seven runs to the Minnesota Twins. That is the topic that the author of the article, "Short but not sweet", is Mark Remme. He focused on the details of the game as well as the stats of the games before. He allows the reader to gain interest by starting off with thoughts pf what was to be expected of the game and then presented the shocking statistics of the game. Remme used the strategy of facts and quotes. He gave the thoughts of the game and focused on why Kelly was taken off of the mound remaining unbiased on the point of whether or not he feels Kelly should have been taken out or not. By focusing on the statistics of the game, Mark reached the goal of informing the readers of what went on during the game and why Kelly was taken off of the mound.   

#9 The DeflateGate

    The deflate gate has become a new term known by all New Englanders very well. The deflate gate is an ongoing case about the New England Patriots and the current debacle about whether or not they are responsible for the deflated footballs during the Superbowl. It was discovered after the Patriots Superbowl win that the majority of there footballs were deflated. The PSI of the footballs was under the required PSI for all game balls, therefore it made it easier to throw and catch the ball. The famous Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, has been accused of being the culprit; the root of the entire situation. It has been and will continue to be a long investigation.
    NOT GUILTY. I believe that Tom Brady is not guilty. Brady has proved throughout his entire career what kind of man he has been raised to be. He has never been the type to be deceiving. Even is Tom had been aware of what had happened, I do not believe that he is to be blamed for the deflated footballs. Tom has no hard evidence against him. The prosecutors have stated "it is more probable than not" that he is the one behind it all. Not even they can say that they know for a fact that he is the one to blame. Tom Brady is a victim of false accusations and does not deserve any of the punishment that he has deserved. The Wells Report was made to make Brady seen guilty to everyone who reads it, but it made me see how unreliable all of their evidence towards him is.
     Tom Brady does not deserve the punish he has received. If I believed that Tom was guilty than I would say that the punishment he was given is completely justifiable. The person to actually tank the entire Superbowl deserves a punishment just like that but Brady does not because he is NOT guilty. If Tom Brady was guilty than there would be stronger arguments, and if enough people believed the week evidence already presented than it would have already been taken up with the real justice system. Brady is going to fight back, and his suspensions should definitely be lifted.
     This case has caused much ruckus throughout all of New England. At least half, if not more, of the population believes that Tom Brady is innocent. I believe that the Patriots as a TEAM should be penalized, which they are with a $1 million dollar fine but Brady does not deserved to be punished as an individual. Tom Brady deserves to have his game suspensions uplifted. One might think that the correct way to handle this situation would be to only punish the team as a WHOLE because there is not enough hard evidence. Now Brady's reputation has been shaken up and will never be able to return to one hundred percent normal. TOM BRADY IS NOT GUILTY AND SHOULD GO UNPUNISHED AS AN INDIVIDUAL!!
   

#8 The Short Game

     In Josh Greenbaum's entertaining and informative film "The Short Game"(2013), he showcased young golf players and their strive for perfection. The first point of view he shared was the children's by allowing them to tell about their childhood, their love for golf and their goals for the future. Then he gave the parents point of view by letting them express their feelings and hopes for their children. To conclude, he showed the viewers that the kids loved their childhood by showing the viewers how happy the children were to play gold and their strive to excel and providing interviews at the end of each kid expressing their feelings and thoughts about golf and improving. 
     The general purpose Josh Greenbaum tried to get across to viewers in his movie, "On the Short Game", was that many young children are capable of excelling in talents and do enjoy working hard to be successful at a sport they love.He shows that the children in this film are aware of the normal childhood that they are missing out on but are okay with that fact when he provides a recording of each kid telling about how much they love spending hours upon hours of everyday on the golf course. In this movie, Josh Greenbaum also shows that the parents of the kids are supportive but sometimes too supportive in a way that puts unwanted pressure on the children. In conclusion, Josh Greenbaum shows is that hard work pays off and just because someone doesn't get first place, doesn't mean they aren't a winner.

     Personally, I feel as though Greenbaum did an amazing job at showcasing the young golfers and how mature/well mannered they have become at such a young age. More specifically, I feel as though he allowed viewers to see how much pressure the kids have learned how to handle so well. For example, the parents force pressure onto their kids without realizing it but some do more than others. This pressure can be hard to deal with in the heat of the moment but the kids all state that they have learned to just "shake" their nerves. Greenbaum's goal seemed to be to relay a message of "hard work pays off" and to show that with dedication, the strive to be better and support from loved ones it is easy to achieve your goals. 
     In my view, Josh Greenbaum did a great job at supporting his idea of showing viewers how talented and driven the young golfers are. More specifically, I believe that his work opens up many peoples eyes to how important having a hobby one loves so much is very important in someones life. For example, the young golfers. Although Greenbaum might have wanted to get across a different point, I feel as though his main goal was to show young kids who have a hobby that they love and love to work hard for. Therefore, I conclude that it is important for any human being to attain a love for any hobby whether it be golf or knitting. Having something in your life that you strive to get better at every day is something that is considered healthy for everyone.

#6 Rhetorical Precis

    In Trevor Martin's documentary, "Schooled - The Price of College Sports"(2013). He implied that student athletes should be paid. The director first give the opinions of players by interviewing different players; he then gave coach and staff opinions by interviewing a researching them as well and to conclude he won the hearts of the viewers by telling a sad story about a player and showed an interview done on him to show how hurt he was. His purpose was to catch the viewers attention in order to get his message across about college players deserving pay and expose the NCAA. He seemed to have an older audience in mind because he wanted to catch their attention and persuade them to act on it.
   

The $100,000 offer

        If you believed you would receive $100,000 and then didn't, would you be mad? Almost every person on this planet would say yes. JJ Nelson, former UAB receiver is believed to have been ripped off by the very well known company, Adidas. The article written based on this topic was titled "JJ Nelson: Adidas never offered deal". This article says " Adidas said it would pay the top three fastest players who ran the 40-yard dash in it's shoes and signed a contract to endorse the brand before they ran $100,000". I think that this is an amazing deal and that Adidas had every right to want an endorsement signed before basically just giving away $100,000. JJ Nelson says that addidas never gave him the chance to sign the endorsment contract but he claims he was given a different type of contract.
        I believe that JJ Nelson should have signed the endorsment only if he is false about Adidas withholding the contract from him. If Adidas did in fact withhold the endorsment contract than I am under the empression that it is only their fault that JJ did not sign with them. Under those circumstances I believe that JJ Nelson deserves to recieve a pay of $100,000. On the other hand, if JJ Nelson is simply making up excuses but in fact did not want to sign the contract than he is full responsible for not being eligable to get the $100,000 payment from Adidas.

The fight for the win

     Brazil lost to Germany 1-7 in the semi-finals of the 2014 Fifa World Cup allowing Germany to arguably pull off the most extrodinary World Cup win of all time and move on to the next round of the World Cup. This game took place in July 8, 2014 at the Estudiado Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. 
     Both teams were expected to play a tough game and both expected to win. Germany was ranked 2nd and Brazil was right behind at 3rd place. Brazil had reached this game undefeated along with Germany who ended up stealing the win quickly. Germany was scoring goals left and right leaving he score at 0-5 with Germany taking the lead at halftime. Leading 0-5 at halftime Germany had scored 4 goals within 6 minutes and scoring through the second half ending with a last minute goal from Brazil ending the game 1-7. 
     Germany set the record of the largest leading margin in any World Cup semi-final.This game was an incredibly important game to both teams as well as the fans. Germany's players and fans had to be escorted out of the stadium. This was due to the fact that Brazil's fans could potantially harm anyone who supported the opposing team as shown in previous games. This win lead to an even bigger win for Germany in the finals, naming Germany as the first Eurpoean nation to win in South America. 
     ¨we worked a lot and, if any group deserves it, it's this team.¨ said Germany's coach. He strongly believed the Germany had performed the best out of every team that competed in Brazil which clearly showed in the results. The team was said to have worked for this opprotnity for 10 years and the win was well deserved. Brazil is a great team that unfortunatly could not keep up with Germany in this competition. 
¨Every player in this team gave everything they had.¨ also said by the Germany coach, He knew how hard his team had worked and had no doubt at all that everyone had given 110% into that game.
     Brazil knew they had played a bad game and although they lost, they still gave full respect to Germany. ¨Not even the Germans can tell you how this happened – but it’s because of their skills and you have to respect that. We have to learn to deal with it.¨ said the Brazilian coach. Their coach didn't just teach this team how to win but also how to lose. Brazil knew that they had let their fans down but still gave Germany the respect they deserved. Brazil knew that they played a bad game but continued to try to win the third place match. 
     Brazil began to fall apart after Germany scored their first goal. The Brazilian coach stated, ¨We got disorganised and panicked after the first goal and then it all went wrong for us.¨ Germany had scored an incredible first goal, causig the Brazilian players to panick. This is not uncommon but id very unfortunate to have happend to Brazil due to the competition. Their passes were being intersepted and the game was seen as to be controlled by Germany. By half-time everyone knew who the voctors would be but Brazil never gave up.  Both teams faught for their dreams but there could  only be one winner. 

Hoop Dreams

        Dreams, everyone has them. Goals, everyone wants to achieve them. Nothing gives someone a better feeling than succeeding and reaching a HUGE goal/dream. Although, sometimes goals can turn into responsibilities and eventually turn into something that is no longer as magnificent as it first was thought to be. In the movie Hoop Dreams, two young gentleman's wants turned into needs. That is how the fun and excitement of anything can be taken away.
        Do you play a sport? If so, than answer this simple question....Why do you play? Do you play because it's something you love and enjoy? YES? okay, so now imagine that you were told you had to take that talent of yours and exploit it to the world in order to be able to move forward in life and that you ABSOLUTELY had to stay good at it no matter what. The doesn't seem as fun does it? Well...this is how things went for both William and Arthur. Both boys were very talented at basketball but ended up needing to rely on their talent in order to attend college.
        Both boys carried much weight on their shoulders and were put under a lot of pressure. Both boys eventually got scholarships to colleges but was it really what either of them wanted? Arthur had to attend a school that was not his favorite in order to be able to afford any college at all, and William had a baby at home. These two boys were driven and hard working but neither went on to play basketball outside of college, and they often seemed unhappy. One even stated the basketball had turned into a job for him. This is something that happens to many people who have to rely on scholarships in order to afford college, This is a tough way to live but sometimes it's the only way.
        Small dreams turn into Big dreams and then eventually are achieved. Many things that we humans want are only what we want until we finally get them and then we realize that what we wanted may not really be what we thought. Not everything is as glamorous as we believe them to be and when reality hits, it's hard to accept it. This world is full of opportunities but we must be ready for whatever life throws at us and I believe that William and Arthur were ready and accepting of this fact.

cultural impact of sports

   

     Society and culture go through many changes throughout our lives. Many people are brought together and separated, but one thing that never changes is the worlds love for sports. Sports are famous for the way they bring all of the worlds people together into one community. Whether it be Football, Soccer, Hockey, Basketball, Baseball (etc.) No matter what the sport, no matter what the country, no matter what the ethnicity, EVERYONE loves to watch some kind of sport. This country is full of love and passion for sports, and I have always found it true to be able to count on sports as the world wide connectors, Sports are the reason for many friendships, many relationships, and many AMAZING memories with loved ones.
     I moved to 9 different places. This means that I have gone to 9  different schools, lived in 0 different neighborhoods, been on 9 different soccer teams, and had to make new friends 9 different times all within 16 years! Do you want to know how I continued to sucessfully make friends? SOCCER, that's how! Soccer has always helped me conintuously make friendships, and those friendships have lasted forever. It has had a HUGE impact on my life and continues to do so. Many different sports do the same things for millions of other people around the world. That is something that even people you may never meet will have in common with you, and if you don't think that's incredible than I don't know what is
     Strangers hugging strangers, crowds going wild, tailgaters sharing food. Those are all of the makings of a sports game. The love for the game pumps through everyones blood, causing them to get amped up. No one cares if the person they are talking to is a stranger because they have one thing in common and that's sports. All sports create a strong passion that is strong enough to break down cultrual barriers and bring everyone together. It's a force so powerful that even the people it workd it's magic on don't realize what is happening. It's a beautiful thing honestly. People loving people. Sports is one of the last thing on earth that keeps this world sane.
     So wether you play chess, are the star quarterback, or your favorite teams #1 fan, you are a very important part of society and it's beautiful. The world is full of some crazy, terrible things but sports is not and never will be one of them. So keep on wearin that facepaint, and continue to score the winning goal because you contribute to societies culture way more than you think!

Superbowl

    Friday, Jan. 30th, 2015 was the night I had been waiting for, for over 8 months. The feeling of stepping back onto the soccer field and playing my first game since surgery was the best feeling in the world. I was full of excitement and more than ready to play! The whistle blew, and the game began. It was an intense game that both my team and the opposing team fought long and hard for. In the beginning I couldn't help but be nervous about injuring my knee again but within 5 minutes i was playing as if i had never been injured. I was taking shots and making good plays along with the rest of my team. The worst part of the game came when the opposing team scored against us and we thought that we were going to lose. The whistle blew yet again, and we began. My team was passing and making incredible plays and then....GOAL!!! We scored and the crowd went wild! The rest of the game was a competitive and contained amazing plays and shots from both teams. The game proceeded to end in a tie, 1-1. It was a well played game and the feeling of getting back onto the field and playing with my team again. I certainly could not have been any happier that night. 
    Similar to my game, Sunday night was a real nail biting game. The Superbowl containing the New England Patriots Vs. the Seattle Seahawks. It ended with a close score of 28-24, with the Patriots taking home the win. Both teams fought long and hard to win this game. The players from both teams must have felt 100 times more happy than i was on Friday night. Both teams played a great game. The scored battled back and forth throughout the entire game! Knowing how I felt that night, the Patriots fans were definitely on the edge of their seats hoping for them to take home the win. Luckily they did, and everyone in my house along with many others celebrated the win! The New England Patriots won the Superbowl, and it was well deserved. 

The Patriots

    The New England Patriots made it to the superbowl!! Of course we are all extatic about the win! The situation with the entirley wrong accusation of the deflated footballs boggles my mind. The referees admitted to checking the footballs about 2 to 3 hours before the game. After the reffs checked the footballs it was also proven that no one else touched the balls other than to bring them to the field. This brings the question of ¨How could they have been deflated?¨ to mind. That's right, they couldn't have!
    Another contributing factor to the solution is that the referees also admitted to never weighing the footballs during the ball check. This only pushes me and the public futher towards believing that everything reported about the footballs is not true. The New England Patriots is a very talented team that desereved every single win. What the team was accused of is something that should have never been brought up to begin with. It created a problem that was not there and arroused many fans for no reason. I will always be a fan of The Patriots as well as the rest of New England.

Trudeau's Game Winner

    The general point made by the sun chronicle in the article, "Trudeau's hot hand lifts Norton", is that Norton's star player, Bobby Trudeau, made an assist and the game winning goal. Along with extraordinary plays by other team mates against Durfee. This article states, "Bobby Trudeau had a goal and an assist to help the Norton High ice hockey team edge past non-league Durfee Thursday night, 3-2 the final at Driscoll Arena". In this article, The Sun Chronicle is attempting to show the incredible talent that is held by the Norton Lancers hockey team. This article is appealing due to the simple fact that it proves how important practice and team work truly is. 
    I believe that the Norton Hockey team is a good team that has great potential. The players have good skills. This was shown during the game by Bobby Trudae and a few other players. Many good plays and shots were made by the players. They truly deserved this win and I can not wait to see there progress through every game. This is deffinatly a team to watch. Many more great wins are expected from these boys and many incredable goals are waiting to be seen from Bobby Trudeau!

What is a sport?

     The definition of what a sport actually is, gets interpreted in many different ways. Many say that a sport is only a sport if it requires a team and physical activity. Which brings the question as to why golf and cheerleading are considered sports? Golf and Cheerleading are two sports that many people would argue are not due to the fact that neither require a team, and golf doesn't require physical activity. Though they both lack a few qualities, both activities include competition. It's hard for people to accept things that dont make sense in there mind but gymnastics and golf are just as much of sports as football and soccer.
     A sport is something you yourself loves, something you find joy in. Wheather it be Chess or Baseball, your hobby is your sport. When trying to decide on wheather or not an activity is a sport ask yourself three questions. Do you have fun participating?, Does it cause you to challenge yourself?, and ¨Does the activity make you proud of yourself? If those three questions are all answered with a yes, than you are playing a sport. A common wonder is why it is more important that we challenge ourselves rather than our opponents. There is a saying i live by, and if your hobby allows you to achieve it than it is 100% a sport. ¨The competition is not against your opponent, it is against the voice in your head saying you can't and proving it wrong¨