Relay for Life: Celebration of Life and Search for a Cure at ODA

Relay For Life, an event created by the American Cancer Society, is an event that takes place to raise money for the fight against cancer. This particular disease is significant because it touches every life. Out of Door Academy has been taking part in the event for several years now.

Relay For Life is a celebration of survival and the lives of the those who passed. The school encourages their students to help create awareness and raise money for a cure. This year’s theme was Games. To raise money, students dedicated time during the months prior to  the event to raise money. In order to raise even more money, students operated fundraising booths or attractions at Relay. Baked goods, carnival games, candy, and more were sold. One enterprising group of senior boys even offered single and group hugs for donations. These students raised over $200 just from hugging people at the event.

Although the celebration has passed, there is always time to give money. Donate now at www.relayforlife.org

2012 Facts and Statistics

262 Participants

$41,335 Raised

Top Teams:

     Everyone deserves the chance at the game of LIFE – $4,299

     Battleship – $3,175

     Operation: Fighting Cancer – $2,789

This Year’s Teams:

Everyone deserves the chance at the game of LIFE – $4, 299

     Jordan Brown, Brenna Corry, Simone Ford-Hars, Madison, Gates, Kevin

     Grathwohl, Natalie Chait, Drew Fineberg, Jonathan Fumran, David Grain, Taylor Karp

 Operation: Fighting Cancer: $2.839

 Cassandra Ratzlaff, Zoe Genkin, Qiara Patterson, Sarah Wilcox, Emily Camire, Maria Massaro, Adil Shariff

Battleship: $3,200

 Stephen Gardner, Liz Bentley, Ronald Bizick, Valerie Leatherwood

 Angry Birds: $1,570

  Jay McHargue, Ronald Drzewucki, Quinton Fitzgerald, Ronald Jansen,

   Francesca Perrone, Marcus Buffett, Amanda Durfee, Jeremy Herrin, Edward Pelc, Daniel

   Pivonka

 Candyland: $2,071

 Ellie Kimmell, Sara Gregory, Jansen Humphrey, Julia Bellanger, Emma Holland,

    Ashley Monroe

Chutes and Ladders: $1,550

Brenna Ramsay, Gabriella Costa, Alvaro Gonzalez Luna, Alyssa Mason,

Josephine Sellberg, Carly Hunter, Summer Dunn, Sean Kirshe, Melanie Mason, Victoria

Sellberg

Cooking Mama: $2,305

 Sasha Brun-Wibaux, Emily Dixon, Sophia Gardinier, Clara Marra

Guess Who?: $300

  Bianca Tengerdy, Noah Blumenthal, Jacob Lothman, Catherine Williams, Abby

  Banner, Benjamin Edelman, Oliver Tannheiser, Katie Young

Hungry Hungry Hippos: $260

  Monica Costa, David Causey, Johnny Delgado, Blake Frey, Francisco Marcano,

 Jade Bond, Amy Cutmore, Tara Densmore, Nick Grano, Nicholas Pearce

Lower School Faculty/ Staff: $1,661

  Sean McDonald, Glendy Huene, Robin Storm, Grace Duffey, Reanee

    Pitts, Ivonne Toldeo- Gates

 Madden: Touchdowns Toward A Clue: $790

 Ashtin Frank, William Clarke, Jimmy Donnellan, Zachary Hoppe,

Zachary Lang, Brandon Place, Caroline Dailey, Julian Gardinier, Bryan Kirshe, Evan Wilson

Monopoly: $1,950

  Jill Owen. Khyra De Meeiros, Greta Holland, Joey Runge, Sabrina Suriol,

 McCabe Ballance, Izzy Eichenbaum, Kate Patrice, Chloe Ruppert, Rachel Towe

Mouse Trap: Trapping Cancer!: $1,765

Kate Douglas, Amanda Arbeit, Tyler Eaden, Sarah Nimptsch, Haley Preininger,

 Ryan Agabani, Claire Cornetet, Tori Johnston, Juliet Onufrak, Lydia Scheufler

Needing a CLUE to Cure Cancer: $1,359

LTanya Evans, Debby Frye, Mike Newhams, Katherine Dobosz, Audrey

 Gaffney, Ken Sommers

 Pac-Man: $1, 973.02

  Angela Mejicanos, Taber Chadwick, Sofia Delgado, Zoe Fenn, Alexis Hudson,

  Nora Altajar, Olivia Coleman, Wuneke Eustache, Sydney Hill, Abby LeGasse

  Pictionary: Picture a world without Cancer!: $855

  Sarah Karp, Alex Bradbury, Riley Doyle, Megan Jones, Meg Phillips, Jenna

Bloch, Kimmy Comito, Lisa Hoffman, Katie Lang, Madison Shaw

Sam Kimmell: $400

Sam Kimmell, Christos Eraclides, Benjamin Harrison, Renzo Rameto, Katherine

Berg, Charlie Githler, Fred Porter

  Scrabble: $607

 Amber Bond, Peter Cornetet, Ethan Flake, Carling Laneche, Kiarra Womack, Helena

Beltrao, Kevin Deems, Brad Hansell, Brady Moore, Jessica Young

 Shut the Box!: $2,735

 Tracy Fox, Suzanne Case, Camela Giraud, Chris Hill, Maria Shaw, Debra Beck,

Janine Gevas, Giovanni Giullani, Tonantzin Matheus

 Sorry We’re not Sorry… For Beating Cancer: $3,404

Madeline Chait, Angela Donnelly, Amanda Pierce, Samantha Brown, Emma

Gregor, Christina Pierce

Super Mario Bros: $2,105

Michelle Lea, Mateo Glacinti, Ryan Ives, Connor Lea, J Luthrsen, White Family,

Tomas Glacinri, Chelsea Lea, Erin Luhrsen, Aidan Marino

Team 52 Card Pickup: $295

 Matthew Silverman, Abby Harriman, Stephanie Muench, Colin Diener, Mitchell

Hudson, Kristen Navarro

Team Fortitude 2: $465

 Jonathan Greer, John Elder, Neall Denman, Landon Maxe

 Trouble: $1,146.61

 Hanna Coleman, Sydney Avery, Vito Bavaro, Miller Condrack, Alexsa Dietrich,

Elena Ciaccio, Balia Bangoura, Joey Coco, Gianna DeRamo, Charlotte Dixon

Twister: $1,725

Andrea Avery, Gabriella Alvarez, Emily Greenwood, Payton Henson, Emma Lystad,

Samantha Albano, Kelly Doyle, Reanna Gregory, Cheyenne Kerekes, Molly McDonald

Dress Code Receives a Range of Responses

September 6, 2011

Due to last year’s leniency with the dress code, new enforcement and limitations are in effect for the new year: no dresses or skirts; all shirts must be tucked in; and pants must be solid colored. For seniors, the change in dress code is disappointing. And what about the middle school students? They get excited for the transition into high school because of the new freedom that comes with high school. What happened to those freedoms? But these are not the only reactions to this year’s dress code. There have been many reactions from the student body about the new change. We decided to have some fun in asking a few students how they felt.

What other setting might you wear your school attire?

“Anywhere! There is no such thing as overdressing. I like to wear button downs, ties, dress boots, and slacks just about anywhere. I think it gives us a wide selection of clothes to wear in an out of school.”-Robby Polidoro ’12

“It depends on what I am wearing. Usually I would not wear this.”-Stephanie Muench ’13

“Weekdays.” -Tim Olsen ’12

Speaking metaphorically, if the dress code were a celebrity, what celebrity would it be?

“Tim Gunn. No question.”-Robby Polidoro ’12

“Steve Carrell’s character from the Office, Michael Scott.”-Stephanie Muench ’13

“Decent. While everyone looks nice, there is really no leniency within the dress code.” -Tim Olsen ’12

What dessert would best represent the dress code?

“Crème brule. It’s a simple, basic,classy dessert. But, you can add a garnish of fresh fruit or mint to it, and this is what gives it a flare r flavor. You can make the dress code as interesting as you want it to be. Add a tie, a nice pair of shoes, suspenders, or whatever makes you, you.”-Robby Polidoro ’12

“Vanilla wafer, because it is modest and plain.” -Gianna Christnesnsen ’13

“Carrot cake, because it is something healthy that someone tried to make sweet, but it just turned out really gross.” -Tim Olsen ’12

Use one word to describe the dress code (any word) , and explain why you chose that word.

“Ace, I think the dress code makes everyone look really sharp.”-Robby Polidoro ’12

“Unimaginative, because everyone looks the same every day. No one sets to express themselves while still abiding by a less strict dress code.”-Gianna Christensen ’13

“Tedious. It’s the same thing everyday; over and over. There’s not much change in the outfit and eventually it gets boring.”-Stephenie Muench ’13

“Decent. While everyone looks nice, there is really no leniency within the dress code”- Tim Olsen ’12

Twins Preparing For College

January 19, 2012

As a senior at The Out-of-Door Academy, one can easily describe the last year of high school as being both exciting and stressful. Feverish anticipation consumes the entire graduating class as we look forward to becoming independent young adults. Before one can experience a sense of elation and excitement, however, seniors must first apply and be admitted to college.

Applying to college can be a daunting and overwhelming experience under any circumstance. The process is especially difficult for me because I am an identical twin. My sister, Christina, and I are very similar in many aspects beyond our appearance including similar GPAs, SAT scores, interests and majors, and even hobbies. We are also hoping to attend the same school.

Mr. Joseph Runge, ODA’s head of college counseling, expressed that there are some admissions difficulties such as when writing recommendations. Twins and multiples are often very similar, and it can be difficult for teachers to separate them as individuals. When writing our recommendations, Ms. Nicole Fafalios, our Latin teacher, pretended as if we were not sisters in order to illustrate that we are both separate individuals, with distinct personalities and work habits.

Before this year I had never fully contemplated what the process might be like as a twin, and was forced to not only be concerned about myself, but my sister’s progress in the process as well. Filling out applications, keeping up my GPA, receiving high test scores, and remaining organized is a daunting task as an individual.

We are both very private. All my life we have been asked questions- sometimes as much as three times a day- such as “are you twins?” and ” what is it like?” I have learned to respond with a polite smile, or casual nod of the head.

A common misconception about twins or multiples is they are mirror images of one another. The stereotypical idea of twins is they dress, act, and look the same. From the moment they are born, to the moment they die, they try to create their own personal identity, which can be a lifelong struggle for some. Being seen as an individual is a difficult challenge for me because my sister and I are similar in many ways, and are always together. Sometimes, our uniqueness is often forgotten.

From birth twins have a unique relationship, which cannot be replicated with any friend, or even another sibling. Being a twin means I will never be alone. There will always be someone who shares my thoughts, ideas, and even feelings. Having someone who always understands you, and provides a constant, helping hand, is a unique experience. While preparing to go to college, the necessity of becoming more independent is greater than ever. Because my sister and I plan to attend the same school, our chance to become more independent is hindered. In order to experience more on our own, we both hope to room with others in a dorm though many twins, those who attend the same school, choose to room together.

The fear of only one of us getting in to our chosen school was, and still is, omnipresent. As we wait for our acceptance letters, or rejection letters, the stress of us both making it in to the same school is immense. Even though Joe Runge says that during his twenty-three years at O.D.A, he has never met any twins or triplets who split up when going to college, we can’t help but anxiously wait to discover whether or not we have both been successful in making it into the same college.

Most Anticipated Films of 2012

January 19, 2012

Eight years after the fall of the city’s ‘White Knight’, Harvey Dent, an escalation of crime is pushing Gotham city to the point of destruction. Gotham’s former hero, the Dark Knight (Batman), must wear the cowl once again to save the city from his most challenging opponent yet, Bane.

The release of The Dark Knight was extremely successful, and quickly earned a top spot in box office records. The film earned the title of a summer blockbuster, but hopes of a prequel diminished after the death of Heath Ledger who played the film’s villainous character, the Joker. Many fans wished for more, but were hesitant out of respect for the late actor. Christopher Nolan, director of the Batman films, had not intended on even making a second film let alone a third. He returned only after spending time with David Goyer on creating a strong story in which he felt confident in turning into a film. Although the film is only in post-production, anticipation for the release is already building. Many are interested in seeing Nolan’s darker interpretation of the characters Bane and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) as well as the absence of the Joker. A six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises was included in the release of the most recent Mission Impossible film. The “epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend” is not due to release until July 20th, but tickets for midnight showings in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have already been sold out.

The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway, a young man who moves to Long Island for business, becomes caught in the midst of his new neighbor’s glamorous and lavish lifestyle. He is welcomed into Jay Gatsby’s circle, and soon becomes a witness to love and tragedy.

Based on Scot Fitzgerald’s popular, The Great Gatsby is a highly anticipated film for many avid readers. The new adaptation of the novel includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan), and Tobey Maquire (Nick Carraway). Filming continues as the Jazz Age drama is due to be released on December 25,2012.

The Hunger Games

Set in the future after the collapse of America, The Hungers Games follows a young heroine as she takes part in a nationwide competition. After collapsing due to drought, fire, famine, and war, America no longer exists and is now called Panem. Panem is divided into twelve districts, and each year two representatives are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. Each participant is forced to eliminate his or her competition in order to survive. Katniss, the heroine of the novel/film, must take part in the games in order to save her sister.

The film is currently in post-production and is set to be release March 23^rd. Despite the first film not being released for another three months, announcements about a sequel have already been made. The sequel will be released sometime in November. Excitement for the films is quickly building as the year begins to wined down.

Fact of The Day

March 4, 2012

If you use the same force you use to bite into a carrot, you can bite through the bone of your finger.

Track: Starting The Season

March 9, 2012

Track is a competitive sport that consists of various events such as sprints, distance, hurdling, jumping, pole vaulting, and throwing. The sport is often difficult, painful, and draining; it requires a strong sense of determination. It is often used as “punishment” during practice for other sports. Although it is hard, many enjoy it. The exhilaration of a race becomes addicting. This year ODA’s team looks forward to the beginning of a new track season with the greatest enthusiasm. Excitement for the track season is considerably higher this year as there are five new coaches preparing the team for success. Whispers of anxiety were traded on the first day on the track, and the phrase “you know your coaches are good when they wear U.S.A gear” was often repeated. Coach “H” is currently in Turkey assisting the US track and field team. Another coach, Doc, brought in his old spikes which he used when he ran competitively in the 1950s. In addition to having professional runners coaching the team, several professional runners preparing for the Olympics share the track as well. Any anxiety and hesitation was forgotten as we began training for the first races that were quickly approaching. The first meet took place at Cardinal Mooney on the 25^th of February. Stress for any meet is not uncommon, but anxiety is especially high for the first meet.

The excitement and anxiety of the first race, let alone the first meet, is often overwhelming. Stepping into the blocks alone is nerve wracking as one prepares to line up on the starting line. Your legs shake, your heart begins to race, and your fingers twitch in anticipation while you wait for the gun signaling the beginning of the race. Long track practices with coaches Kim, Marsha, and Rick paid off as the girls and boys team won first place at the meet. ODA runners Brian Ragone and Madison Shaw both won athlete of the meet as well. The the second meet, a gathering of many more teams, took place on Friday, March 2^nd at Riverview. Senior Brian Ragone took first place in the 300 hurdle race. Freshman Trey Gregory won fifth place out of sixteen vaulters vaulting eleven feet! Junior Caitlyn Durfee won sixth place in the 1600 and 800 meter races.

The team’s off to a great start. Go Thunder!

Solar Storms: A Serious Threat?

March 21, 2012

Imagine an apocalyptic scene out of a sci-fi thriller. A large, luminous green cloud, a solar storm, approaches the earth. Thunder rumbles deeply from within the cloud as lightening flashes dangerously around it. Earthlings panic as the looming cloud threatens to bring the human race to an end.

Did you know that in a much less dramatic way, a solar storm impacted the earth earlier this month? A solar storm, also known as a geomagnetic storm, is the interaction of an outburst from the sun with earth’s magnetic field. Solar storms have the potential to disrupt critical systems such as satellites, power grids, radios, phones, and navigation systems. The possibility of massive electrical blackouts are also a threat. Geomagnetic storms also have the potential to harm humans and many animals. Solar flares of a large magnitude release high- energy particles that can cause radiation poisoning in mammals that are similar to that of low-energy radiation from a nuclear blast. Radiation poisoning can cause chromosome damage, cancer, and many other health problems. High enough doses of radiation can even cause death. Luckily, the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere provide a suitable amount of protection, but only to a certain extent.

Unlike those on Earth, astronauts are a higher risk of exposure. Such a risk is mainly a concern for astronauts and those flying at high altitudes because they are not as well protected. Risks such as radiation poisoning only occur during massive storms. Earth’s most recent storm, one that came in early March 2012, seemed to be a threat, but fizzled at the last moment. Luckily, nothing occurred and no damage was done. Solar storms can be large and fast, but most are harmless. Expect greater magnetic activity to occur during the next couple of months as we approach the solar maximum in 2013. By 2013, the sun’s magnetic field will reach its 11-year peak.