PIP room full of new faces
Several new staff members have come to ARHS to work in the Pathways to Independence Program (PIP), for students with developmental disabilities, located in room 167. The program aims to enrich students’ lives, provide...
Mad scientist, Rudi Scherff
Imagine 10 year old Rudi Scherff: mixing chemicals, creating reactions, and dreaming of the time when he becomes a mad scientist. Though he isn’t a mad scientist, Mr. Scherff is busy pursuing the career...
Welcome, Blanca Zelaya
Blanca Zelaya is a new math, special education, and science co-teacher at ARHS who came aboard at the beginning of this academic year. Before arriving at ARHS, Ms. Zelaya worked for 20 years at...
Self-awareness is key to academic success
College is a big goal for most people my age, and working hard to achieve in high school is a very real aspect to that journey. The problem is that I’m not always driven...
Office team known as “Sunny” and “Bright” ready to retire together
The phone is ringing, a line of people are waiting to ask you a question, you’re filling out paperwork, the doorbell is ringing in the background, and you’re signing for a package from Fedex,...
Connie Cappelli eager to play trombone, golf, exercise, and hang with family
Everyone wishes they had the skills of multitasking and being able to handle any situation well. There are only a few people in this world that are able to achieve that grace. One retiree...
Sean Smith poised to bike, garden, and read
ARHS Latin teacher and Language Department head Sean Oscar Francis Smith, will retire this June after 34 years of teaching at ARHS. Mr. Smith is well-liked by his students and colleagues for his charisma,...
Winning walks: the trails not to miss in our backyard
The other day, my mom asked me to go grocery shopping for her. I obliged, and set off for Whole Foods with a standard shopping list: bread, apples, milk, cheese, lunch meat, tuna, mayonnaise,...
Terry Leatart: it’s a ‘good life’
After 17 years of working at ARHS, the uplifting Terry Leatart will retire at the end of this school year. Ms. Leatart started her career at ARHS as a tutor and substitute, back in...
Lake Wyola, here comes Fownes
Before coming to Amherst Regional High School, science teacher Jim Fownes was a professor for 22 years. He enjoyed it, and was very successful, enjoying many days spent on research, as well. Dr. Fownes...
Ellen Reich will stay involved in education
Ellen Reich, an ARHS English teacher for close to 20 years and an ARPS teacher for 23 years, is retiring at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Over her career, she taught Tenth...
Humming along: Steve Saxenian will explore love of sculpture, art, and hiking in retirement
As far as interesting people go, Mr. Steve Saxenian is high on the list. As a teacher, he loves to explore the concepts of prime numbers and infinity and he seeks to find a...
Fortnite Battle Royale: a fun, addictive, ‘great game’
Whether it is through social media or through your friends and peers, chances are, you have heard of Fortnite: Battle Royale. This game has exploded in popularity, with an estimated 3.4 million users as...
‘Thruples’: a couple, and their best friend
This year, a new term was coined at ARHS: thruple. For those of you living under a rock, a thruple is, as Rafael Depillis explained, “a couple with their best friend.” Natalie Elliott has...
Video production classroom a haven for lovers of film, graphics, and editing
In the back corner of the first floor of the high school, in room 187, is a small space with about 10 computers: Lee Larcheveque’s Video Production classroom. In the front of the room...
Concert Choir: a vocal ensemble experience that builds musical skill
The anticipation builds, as friends and families cheer for the Hurricane Singers and the next group of performers waits for a turn on the stage. They sit, restless, in the fuzzy red seats of...
Birkenstocks: not just for the hippies
The Birkenstock brand traces its roots to Johann Adam Birkenstock, known as a shoemaker in 1744 by local church archives, in the small village of Langen-Bergheim, Hammersbach, Germany. The company originally started out by...
Primo Too, a pizza place that feels like home
To some, Primo Too Pizzeria may just be another place to get a slice in the town of Amherst. Neighboring the Amherst Market, at 255 Triangle Street in Amherst MA, Primo draws a large...
Students with hearing loss struggle to gain full access to athletic programs
A common issue found in various communities throughout Massachusetts is the struggle for students with hearing loss to be provided equal access to opportunities. This can be apparent but is not often discussed when...
Heart-healthy: biking to school
Once the weather begins to warm and the streets thaw out, you will begin to see close to 20 bikes locked up to the old rusted rack outside the athletic office. The current school...
Frugal living: what’s the cost?
Every day, students from ARHS stop at Dunkin Donuts or other coffee shops for their fix of delicious caffeine. This is not something I do, mostly because I’m too frugal to drop that much...
ARHS grad Xinef Afriam pursuing community service, on path to ministry
Xinef Afriam, formerly known as Taylor Middleton, is a 26-year-old ARHS graduate who is now working in social justice and on his path to becoming a minister. “Listening to the word is one thing...
MAICEI program opens opportunities to special education students
The Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) allows students who might not otherwise be able to attend college to audit one college class per semester. In this work, “Massachusetts is a leader,” said Crystal...
Grabbing that cash: the push to get seniors to apply for scholarships
Here at ARHS, students consistently overlook the importance of applying to local scholarships. Seventeen days before the scholarship deadline this spring, “only two students [had] done them so far,” said Connie Cappelli, Guidance Secretary...
IEPs, special ed explained
Most high school students feel stressed at some point each day, and often find their school work challenging. Now, just imagine having an identified learning disability, too. Most learning disabilities are “invisible” and you...
All Hands and Hearts: Ms. Vicente, Mr. Shaw provide hurricane relief
Hurricane Maria made contact with Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. Maria is thought to have been the most devastating recorded natural disaster to hit the island, with wind speeds up to 175 mph...
College classes offer chance to live and learn like twentysomethings
Over the course of the 12 weeks that college classes were in session during the fall 2017 semester, one group of college-going ARHS students calculated that they spent a total of over $50 on...
Amherst Town Meeting replaced by charter in contentious vote
On Tuesday, March 27, Amherst residents voted 59 to 41 percent to replace Town Meeting with a new form of government. In August 2015, a group of Amherst citizens collected 3,500 signatures on a...
Four days of music at the nation’s capital
Most years, the ARHS music department takes a day trip to New York City to see a Broadway show. This year, however, students travelled to Washington D.C. for four days of bonding, music education,...
Keeping the masses driving: mechanics, ‘a cornerstone of society’
Car mechanics are a cornerstone of society, whether most people realize it or not. They affect over 1 billion people around the world and keep all of these people moving through their daily lives....
