Addictive, engaging, and exotic hobbies
Railroad tracks run through the area behind Josh Rendez’s house. The wooden tracks are not part of an actual rail line, but a scaled down layout which runs through his backyard. Measuring 55...
Filling in ‘the gap’: a year off for travel, work before college
Rather than spending all their time waiting in anticipation for college acceptance or job offers, there are students across the country waiting to hear about their pending visas instead. These students in the...
Long-term teenage relationships that work
In high school, relationships are both fantasized about and popularized. Whether you are an experienced lover or have been single and don’t plan on changing, you will most likely be impacted by a high...
Winter vacation dreams
The sun beamed down on the beach; it was one of the hottest days of summer. The water, on the other hand, was cold enough to be uncomfortable. However, with the heat of the...
Women prove strength and skill in technical theater
School is over and it is a cold, dark, snowy evening in the middle of winter. It is a quiet night and the snow is falling slowly but inside the auditorium of the high...
College athletics demanding, say grads
While ARHS has many star athletes that help the school win games, matches and titles, what happens when some of the high school’s best and brightest go off to college? I spoke with three...
Sneaker heads aim to ‘look nice’
Kyle Murray and Iani Ferreira were seated next to each other, eyes focused on the computer screen in front of them. On the monitor was an array of images of sneakers, from simple, monochromatic...
Students and staff reflections on the elections, Trump’s win
The 2016 presidential election was as historical for this country as it was shocking and, as many would say, disappointing. Republican President Donald Trump has been widely criticized and mocked for his bold words,...
‘Brows better be on fleek’
Over the past few years, eyebrows have experienced a complete transformation. Ranging from pencil thin in the early 2000s, bushy and wild in 2013, and full but manicured in 2016, brow trends have been...
Debit card ups and downs
Two students returned to the locker room after PE to find that their wallets had been stolen. The first student had $60 of cash in his wallet and the other one just had a...
Athlete superstitions
It is 30 minutes before game time and ARHS senior Egeria Koehn is sitting in the dugout eating a packet of skittles, throwing the green ones on the ground. She has headphones in and...
Accidents
Looking up into the rearview mirror and seeing the red and blue lights is a position nobody wants to be in. Getting into an accident, possibly getting injured, or injuring someone else, is arguably...
ARHS class featured in new book
There are many books written about LGBTQ issues in education, but how many have a leading chapter about the LGBTQ Literature class taught by English teachers Sara Barber-Just and Kristen Iverson? Bard College professor...
Lead tests reveal contaminated water at all ARPS schools
On September 8, 2016, water tests were run at 58 faucets and bubblers at the high school. Upon testing the samples without flushing them out, four bubblers and three sinks had high amounts of...
Community Kick-Off Day
Juggling, capture the flag, Ultimate, and soccer were just a few of the activities that were offered on Community Kick-Off Day at ARHS on September 22, 2016. Similar to “Dialogue Day” the annual event...
BLM group talks issues
Black Lives Matter is a very active club at ARHS, with about 10-12 core members. They meet after school on Mondays in Ms. Leopold’s room, 328. Anyone is free and welcome to join. Nia...
Finding the school and work balance
Being in high school is a demanding job. Students are in school for seven hours, five days a week, and often face hours of homework when they get home. Factor in daily sports practices...
Earl McGraw a ‘tremendous role model’
Former ARHS Dean Earl S. McGraw Jr., 46, of Northfield, Mass., died on September 21st after a long battle with lung cancer. According to those who knew and loved him, he will live in...
Charlie Read mourned, celebrated
On August 15, the Amherst community suffered the loss of a beloved friend and teammate, then-sophomore Charles Davis Read, who tragically passed away in his sleep. Read was first honored on Friday, August 19,...
New gym floor a needed renovation project
Having already seen the girls’ volleyball team take the stage at ARMS for their home games, it seems that both boys’ and girls’ ARHS basketball teams will have a change in home location as...
Boys’ soccer doing well
“We had a rocky start, but we’re feeling it now,” said varsity boys’ soccer captain Tim Felton, a senior. After losing their first game to West Springfield, the ‘Canes got their season back on...
When the water stops flowing: the effects of local drought
The town of Amherst has been under a voluntary water ban since July 25, 2016 and it became mandatory on August 19, 2016. A lack of rain caused the reservoirs that Amherst draws from...
Girls’ varsity soccer kicking it
The Amherst girls’ varsity soccer team started strong this fall with a 7-2-4 record. Girls’ varsity has been incorporating some new freshman players into their team, which is made up of half upperclassmen and...
SAGA ready to kick off again
One month into the school year, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) was into full swing. Last year, SAGA put together a Transgender Awareness Week, where the club educated the school community about gender...
Chance to vote ‘a real sign of becoming an adult’
This year’s election, in particular, has sparked interesting thoughts and opinions throughout the country and here at ARHS. As November 8 approaches, the seniors who are 18 are preparing themselves to vote. This historic...
Banning students from track unreasonable
ARHS home soccer games used to see the track packed with fans and students. This was forever changed after the events of an Amherst versus Holyoke girls’ soccer game in which ARHS fans were...
Best Buddies club has new advisor
The Best Buddies club gained an amazing advisor this year with new teacher, Justin Hoffman, 37, who works in the Pathways to Independence Program (PIP) for students with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities. Mr. Hoffman is...
Sene-Gambian Scholars Club off to great start, preparing for West African exchange
Kathy Wilkes, a paraprofessional and one of the advisors of the Sene-Gambian Scholars Exchange Club has been active with the group for 10 years. She and two retired ARHS teachers, special education teacher Momodou...
Santiago García, fan of pizza and small town life
“My dream was to teach Spanish,” said new world language teacher Santiago García-Troche, who currently teaches Spanish level 3 at ARHS. Before coming to Amherst, Mr. García worked at many schools, teaching several different...
Alex Lariviere loves thrill of discovery
Alex Lariviere is a newly hired math teacher, who began work at ARHS last year as a full time substitute for Steve Saxenian during his medical leave. Mr. Lariviere teaches pre-calculus honors and the...
