Kate Kuhn loves the ‘a-ha’ moments
My job at the high school is doing 75 things at once. That’s what it feels like to be a teacher,” said Kate Kuhn, a new English teacher at ARHS. Ms. Kuhn was hired...
From Rao’s to the classroom
Matthew Despres, a newly hired English teacher, teaches three blocks of Tenth Grade Literature, Writing, and Public Speaking; one section of American Literature and Society; and one Journalistic Writing class. While it is Mr....
Family and friends mourn loss of the ‘brave, witty, passionate’ Justin Xiong
Justin Xiong, a sophomore at ARHS, passed away on the morning of August 10 at Baystate Medical Center. In the time since, his loving family has been celebrating the passion and purpose he brought...
Narayanan wins grant to teach girls coding
As technology progresses, employers in all types of fields are demanding more workers who have tech skills and experience. “It’s really expanding; it’s growing,” said senior Neosha Narayanan. “They’re going to be adding thousands...
Students lead the way in theater in Bechtold’s absence
At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, theater department head John Bechtold announced that he would be on sabbatical for the first few months of the 2017-2018 school year, working in London with...
Dakin saves 100 furry lives
Three major hurricanes over the past couple of months have swept through regions in the southern U.S. and have also significantly impacted Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean. The people in these...
Girls’ volleyball a committed, tenacious bunch
After losing five key seniors at the end of their successful 23 win, one loss season last year, the girls’ varsity volleyball team didn’t know what to expect for the upcoming 2017 fall season....
Boys’ soccer on thrilling winning streak
Boys’ varsity soccer was off to a rousing start this season, with 15 wins and 5 losses in November. They’d taken down Monument Mountain, Mount Greylock, West Springfield, Minnechaug, Agawam, Westfield, Woodstock Academy, Northampton,...
Q and A with Principal Mark Jackson
Peter Treyz recently sat down with Principal Mark Jackson to ask him about his beliefs, regrets, fears, and motivations, as part of Peter’s contribution to a group project–a final magazine called Desire, for Journalistic...
Autism Awareness Night at ARHS moving and eye-opening
On the last day before April break at Amherst Regional High School, hours after most of the students and teachers had left, 60 people sat in the ARHS library to listen to the stories...
Dialogue Day offers deep learning
On May 11, ARHS held a Dialogue Day, designed to increase understanding, address problems, and question popular thoughts or actions. The goal was to make changes in the community through discussion. The organizers provided...
How Snapchat became everyone’s favorite form of entertainment
Junior Sam Jackson uses the app Snapchat at least five times an hour to converse with friends. “It’s my main source of communication,” he said. “I have 11 streaks,” he said, referring to a...
Loving Rita: one family’s relationship with a deaf child
My sister Rita Child is an 11 year old fifth grader. She is also deaf. She attends the Marie Philip School for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts. She has two hearing parents and one...
Smart phones: the ultimate time-savers or tough-to-tackle addiction?
As you walk into the school cafeteria and pass by any table, there is a common sight: people on their phones. Many students are eating their food while looking at a screen. Sometimes the...
A band of artists: Dark World
At twelve years old, Lucas Kendall made his first beats while in a garage rock band called “Who Shot Hollywood.” Now, in 2017, the young redhead from the rock band is known as rapper...
Tinkers, mechanics, and builders who started young and still love it
A garage filled with a variety of tools and a greasy smell is quite common for the tinker or the mechanic and the tunnel vision they get focusing on one project for weeks can...
Town Meeting: representing all voices?
The teachers in elementary school told us not to lay on the carpet because we could get sick. We used to wait in line for the two bathroom stalls that actually had locks. The...
Lovers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields
Many teenagers in high school have no idea what they will do once they leave high school. Some may not know what they are interested in studying; others may not even go to college....
Students texting while driving
What’s the first thing your parents told you when you got your license? At least for me it was: “never text while driving, ever.” Most people acknowledge that texting while driving is a risk....
Ms. Snowdon, ELL mentor
Retiring educator Joan Snowdon has been an ELL (English Language Learner) teacher at ARHS for the past 21 years. Her students moved to Amherst from countries all over the world, some with no experience...
Solar plans on the horizon
Climate change is a big deal. In an effort to combat impending global disaster, clean and renewable energy has become increasingly popular. Not only does solar energy protect our planet it also is free....
Ms. Browne’s retirement dreams
Sitting in her sunny classroom on a Monday in May, retiring English teacher Tina Browne reflected on not just her full career, but a life lived with purpose and passion. Before settling down in...
Beloved custodian Stu Kinsman ready ‘to putter’ around
Wearing his signature sleeveless tee shirt and a kind smile, retiring custodian Stu Kinsman looked back on his time as a member of the ARHS maintenance staff. He described his 21 years of working...
Senegambian exchange ‘wonderful’
In a school with such vast opportunities for students, some get to do more interesting things, like host students from Senegal and The Gambia in their houses. This was an unique experience and...
Getting in: highs and lows of the college process
As is always the case in June, seniors are preparing to move to the next phase in their lives and the rest of the school is looking on with anticipation and a hint of...
Anime Boston excites
“Did you know Massachusetts has an Anime Society?” asked senior Nate Weinberg, who has been to Anime Boston five times. The three-day convention is held annually in the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston...
Many headed to UMass
On June 9, 2017 graduation caps will fly in the air as the senior class moves on to new adventures. A significant portion of the grade will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst,...
Bathroom pass system burdens the bladder
Imagine this: one person really needs to go to the bathroom, so they take the pass and are gone for 15 minutes. While that person is gone, the amount of time that you have...
‘Going in Style’: great heist flick
Going in Style, originally made in 1979, directed by Martin Brest, and now the 2017 version, directed by Zach Braff, was a comedy with a bit of adventure, that at the same time had...
Guardians of the Galaxy
Three years ago, Marvel’s first Guardians of the Galaxy movie broke the mold of the typical superhero movie. This year, the five unlikely heroes returned to prove that superhero movies are more than just...
