Holiday Date Ideas

Madison St. Pierre

With all the commotion that comes with the holidays and the spending, it may be hard to spend valuable and entertaining time with your significant other. Spending a lot of money during the holidays may leave you strapped for cash. However, Brown and Gold has you covered, whether you can afford a five star meal or only a meal at Mcdonald’s, we found a range of festive date ideas for any person.

Cooking Classes at BCAE:
122 Arlington Street Boston, MA
(617)267-4430

You can perfect your cooking skills this holiday at the Boston Center of Adult Education. They’re offering holiday classes such as: Holiday Appetizer Lessons, Cake Decorating Classes, and Easy Dinners for Two. If those classes are not your style there are an array of different classes to take. Other classes they offer are Foods of Hanukkah and The Art of Pasta Making. To check out other classes go to bcae.org or you can call and ask. The member fee is $50 per person and there is an average material cost of $20. The classes run at different times and different days and you can check on the website.

The Nutcracker:
Boston Opera House
539 Washington Street Boston,MA
(617)695-6955

The Nutcracker ballet runs from November 27th to December 31st of 2015. The run time for the show is 1 hour and 57 minute. The music was done by Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Mikko Nissinen. The tickets range from $35-$189 but the closer to Christmas price ranges from $45-$199. There is matinee and night shows ranging from different times that you can check out at bostonballet.org. This year’s Boston Nutcracker is new and revamped with all new sets and costumes but still have the same songs such as dance of the “Sugar Plum Fairy” and the “Russian Dance”.


Holiday Comedy Shows:
Improv Asylum
216 Hanover Street Boston,MA
(617)263-NUTS                    

This comedy show in the North End and is a signature audience-inspired improvisation and also has written sketches. The Improv Asylum also has a holiday themed revue. It is open: Thursday @ 8 pm, Friday @ 7:30 pm and 10 pm, Saturday @ 7:30 pm and 10 pm, as well as select Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesday. The tickets range from $22-$33. There are no age requirements for the show and show up to the show 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.



Ice Skating:
Boston Frog Pond
38 Beacon Street Boston, MA
(617)635-2120

The Boston Frog Pond provides a fun winter activity surrounded by lights. The Frog Pond is located in the center of Boston Common. They also provide ice skating lessons and it also has a snack bar. Admission for people under 58 inches and over is $6 and if you are under 58 inches the admission is free. Adult skate rentals are $12 and kid rentals are $6 but you are more than welcome to bring your own skates. There are also lockers that are available and they cost $3 to rent. The Frog Pond also provides skate sharpening for $10. Also if you are not the best skater they have Bobby the Skating Seal that you can rent for $10 an hour.
Times:

Mon.: 10 am - 3:45 pm

Tues.-Thurs: 10 am - 9 pm
Fri.-Sat: 10 am - 10 pm
Sun: 10 am - 9 pm


Stroll Through Faneuil Hall:
1 Faneuil Hall Square Boston, MA
1(617)635-3105

This year at Faneuil Hall they are presenting a light show called “Blink!”. This show offers a state-of-the-art, light and sound show set to music from the Holiday Pops. the show will run twelve times a night from now through December 31st. The show begins at 4:30pm and ends at 10pm. This show is set to play for the next five years. Also Faneuil Hall’s Christmas tree is the largest in New England and stands at 85 feet tall. It cost nothing to watch the show and there are a lot of places to eat in Faneuil Hall if you get hungry.

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Angry Turkeys, Urns, & Dog Saliva?!

Lina Woronko

We’ve all had holidays when something seems to go wrong in the worst possible way… At least I know I have! One Thanksgiving my cat dragged in a live bird. The bird flew around our house and we had to chase it down and out of every room until it finally flew out the front door. 

Brown & Gold recently asked students to share their most memorable Thanksgiving stories. Whether a tradition didn’t go as planned or something totally unexpected happened, these holidays were some for the books!

“One Thanksgiving my older cousin gave all the kids forks that extended to three feet long. The adults had no idea... So when they were all gathered around the table and began putting food on their plates, we all pulled out our forks and extended them to reach across the table for food! It was so funny.” 

-Madison Thompson, Junior

“A few days before Thanksgiving in 2014, my mom had bought the turkey we were planning on serving for the holiday. She had asked me to put the turkey in the fridge downstairs in the basement and I listened. Mind you, we have two fridges in the basement… Anyways, I put the turkey in the fridge (or at least in one of them). The day before Thanksgiving I get a call from my mother during my Italian class… I had put the the turkey in the wrong fridge and it spoiled! So thankfully, after school, my memere rushed me to the store and I got the last 28 lb. turkey at Market Basket.” 

-Olivia Cranston, Junior

“When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of food. Although we don’t do this anymore, my brother, my mother, and I used to toast loaves upon loaves of bread for our stuffing. We would take turns chopping up the bread to cook with the seasoning. I would have a lot of fun making the food while listening to music, but my brother and I would always argue about which one of us got to play it. Either way, I loved cooking with them.”

-Gianna Valenti, Freshman

“One Thanksgiving it was my job to set the dinner table. I set each place perfectly with the finest dishes in the house. I completed the arrangement with an elegant centerpiece of my grandfather’s urn and surrounded it by a wreath of fall leaves. I haven’t been asked to set the table since.”

-Lauren Clark, Senior

“One Thanksgiving when I was nine, I had a hamster named Brutus. I was showing my hamster to my younger cousin when I dropped Brutus and he fell into my eagerly waiting dog’s mouth. I screamed for my mom who was in the other room. She frantically ran in and scooped the hamster up from my dog’s throat. My hamster was smelly and soaking wet with dog saliva, but he was alive and lived another three happy months. My dog was also okay but upset, because she didn’t get to eat Brutus.”    -Cynthia Caruso, Junior




“Every year on Thanksgiving I help skin the turkey and serve everyone’s plate with my dad. We always tell jokes and play music while we do it. It’s always a fun time!” 

-Richard Hallinan, Sophomore

“One year, a week before Thanksgiving, my family decided it would be a great idea to get a dog. We spent the day looking all over until we ended up at Zoo Creatures in Plaistow. Sometimes, Zoo Creatures has peacocks and turkeys outside. When my family and I began to enter the store, the turkeys chased us away! It was hilarious.” 

-Eryn Spencer, Junior

“When I still lived in my home state of Georgia, my family would go over my aunt’s house every other Thanksgiving. I guess you could say it was kind of a tradition. As soon as my immediate family arrived, my siblings and I were separated from our mother as usual. The adults would be in the kitchen and dining room while the kids would be either in the backyard or the game room. My cousins swarmed all over me, because they hadn’t seen me in a year. When you haven’t seen someone in a year, you don’t know how much they have grown or if they have gotten better at something. This leads to competitiveness and family competitions. The year before, my cousin won the “pot” or the competition. This year, it was going to be me, or at least I wanted it to be. So as usual, I’m in the game room, playing against whoever comes in. Then, of course, my sister, Dawniqua, has to come in and blow everybody out of the water... But, hey, at least I got to go home with a full belly and three pumpkin pies.” 

-Ashley Galloway, Junior

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Senior Class Performs Deathtrap

Alina Page, Victoria MacMillan, Michaela Kane

Every year during the fall, Haverhill High’s play director, Mr. Gori, and students from the senior class put together the annual senior class play. This year Mr. Gori chose the play Deathtrap. Deathtrap is a murder mystery taken place during the years of 1970-1980 in Westport, Connecticut. This play was written by Ira Levin and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play of 1978.
Last week, we interviewed actresses from the play, Aubrie Campbell and Emily Bresnahan.

Why did Mr. Gori choose Deathtrap?
Aubrie:  “HHS hasn’t done a murder mystery since my freshman year, so Mr. Gori wanted to do something new and exciting.”
Was anything changed from the original script?
Aubrie:  “Yes, there is only one male actor in our cast, so we had to change a few characters and lines, and a few weapons are different.”
 How long have you guys been practicing?
Aubrie:  “We have been practicing for 11 weeks for about 2 hours a day, but this week, Monday and Tuesday, we practiced from after school to 8pm.”
What was one of your favorite memories from the play?
Emily:  “When the entire cast got together to watch the movie Deathtrap.”
Aubrie: “Everyone has gotten really close after these long weeks of practicing.”
How long have you been acting?
Emily:   “I have been acting since third grade in the annual play of A Christmas Carol.”
Aubrie:  “I started acting my freshman year in A Christmas Carol.”
Do you plan on acting in the future?
Emily:  “Yes, I plan on acting in college as an extracurricular activity.”
Aubrie:  “Yes, I plan on acting in the spring production and would like to act in college.”
 Who kisses who in the play?
Emily:  “I can’t say, you’ll have to go to the play to see.”

Come see Deathtrap on…

Friday November 20th

7PM @ HHS Auditorium 

Saturday November 21st

2PM and 7PM @ HHS Auditorium

Sunday November 21st 

2PM @ HHS Auditorium

Cast:

Sidney Bruhl……..Benjamin Roy (Performs in all shows)

Myra Bruhl……..Amanda Gilmore (Performs Friday & Sunday)

Emily Bresnahan (Performs both Saturday shows)

Clara Anderson……..Grace Azzarito (Performs Friday & 2PM Saturday)

Caroline Milligan (Performs 7PM Saturday & Sunday)

Helga ten Dorp……..Jessica Begin (Performs Friday & 2PM Saturday)

Mckenna Judge (Performs 7PM Saturday & Sunday)

Polly Milgrim……..Aubrie Campbell (Performs Friday & 2PM Saturday)

   Elizabeth Grover (Performs 7PM Saturday & Sunday) 

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Places to visit on Halloween

Michaela Kane

On Saturday October 31, kids all over the area will be filling the streets while they travel door to door.  Trick or treating goes from 5p.m.-7p.m. in Haverhill and surrounding areas, such as Lawrence, Methuen and Andover.  As people dress up in all different costumes this Halloween, there are a variety of events taking place in this area.

One way Haverhill is getting ready for Halloween is by having the Halloween Trail at East Town Park on October 30.  With Free admission, families dress up in their favorite costumes and arrive at the trail for a night of fun.  Families arrive at seven to travel across the popular trail, encountering ghosts and ghouls along the way.

Another popular place to visit on Halloween is Screeemfest at canobie Lake Park.  Open on Fridays and the weekends, Screeemfest adds many attractions in spirit of the holiday, including haunted houses, laser tag, and various Halloween characters that roam throughout the park.  All rides are open and Rocktober Fest, live music played in tribute to various bands, will be taking place as well.

The famous town of Salem, Massachusetts is always busy on Halloween night.  All throughout October, an event known as Haunted Happenings takes place in the town, hosting numerous haunted houses, museums, Halloween shows, and costume contests.  One of the most attended spots is the Salem Witch Museum, the best place to learn about the 1692 witch hysteria.  It includes tours and information sessions, and sells out very quickly.

There are countless places to be this Halloween, all in this area.  So as Halloween approaches, pick your favorite place to be, whether it is at an amusement park, or at home during trick or treating.

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Television Review

Michael Whitcomb

"Asylum,” the second installment in the American Horror Story series, is the story of Kit Walker (Evan Peters) and Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) in an insane asylum, infamously known as Briarcliff Manor. Kit is wrongly accused of being the serial killer known as Leather Face and Lana is a journalist looking for the story of the century. Lana is thrown into Briarcliff by the head nurse, sister Jude (Jessica Lange), after she tries exposing Briarcliff’s dark secrets, including doctors performing sick and twisted science experiments on their patients. The two form a bond once they both realize that neither of the them are crazy or guilty, and go through Hell trying to escape Briarcliff and the evils it contains.

American Horror Story: Asylum created a creepier and more sinister vibe than the first season. It is filled with sub stories of the devil, monstrous creatures, forbidden love, and plot twists which leave you wondering what will happen next. This season was decent, however, it does leave a few unanswered questions to be asked. There was an alien subplot and the aliens were never explained to us during the entire season. Besides the plot holes, the season touched on issues such as lesbian rights, religion, and mental issues. This season will keep you wanting more. This show is a new brand of horror that tries and succeeds in keeping people entertained with a rich story and ambitious characters.

The writers of the show make sure to talk about important issues in society: homosexuality, racial issues, and being falsely accused. Homosexuality is brought up as Lana Winters is secretly a lesbian. This season illustrates how controversial and hard being gay in that time period could be, due to social ridicule and intolerance. Asylum also does this with the issue of racism. Kit’s wife is black and the couple gets constant abuse from the people in town, having bottles thrown at their house and other people (the KKK) coming up in trucks harassing the two of them weekly. It also brings up how being falsely accused and thrown in jail actually happens, and how it can ruin someone’s life. For example, Kit was traumatized by the things that happened to him and what he saw in Briarcliff. The show did a great job expressing all of these ideas, making you feel genuinely bad for the people in each situation.

All in all, the second installment of American Horror Story did a great job balancing being genuinely scary and entertaining. Characters in the show were relatable, and creepy... yet loveable. The show rarely had dull moments because something interesting was always going on. 8/10 stars

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The Martian: Why we'll all be eating space potatoes

Matt Connolly & Danny Garrity

                                         

The Martian starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott is based on the science fiction book ”The Martian,” written by Andy Weir Matt Damon plays a NASA astronaut named Mark Watney who gets stranded on Mars by his crew when he is impaled by a piece of debris during their escape off the planet. He is forced to make do with the limited resources that were left in their living quarters by his fellow crewmates. The people of NASA work tirelessly day and night to bring him home with their first idea literally blowing up in their face. He uses his background in botanist to survive over 550 sols (sol is one mars day) on Mars before making his daring escape off the planet in a spaceship hull covered by nothing but a tarp.

Matt (Connolly): Let’s get right into it, how’d you like the movie?

Danny(Garrity):I really liked it, especially how in the beginning they got right into the action and didn’t make us wait.   

Matt: I actually didn’t really like how they got right into the action. The whole movie we are showed how close Mark is with his crew, but we were never shown them on Mars living together actually becoming close. I’d like it if they could have shown us a little of their relationship.

Danny: Well, they we’re on a spaceship to Mars for six months, so I feel like their close relationship is almost implied. 

Matt: Maybe for some people, but I would have liked to see them bond with Watney a little more so we could feel more connected to the crew.

Danny: I can see where you’re going with that but I think it doesn't need to be shown. One thing I really liked about the movie was how difficult it was to contact Watny when NASA finally found out he was still alive, it made the movie really realistic.

I would have liked to see them bond with Watney a little more so we could feel more connected to the crew.

Matt:  Obviously, I have no idea what life on Mars would be like, but from what I saw, I agree they did a great job of making the whole situation very realistic. I thought the way Ridley Scott portrayed the media coverage all over the world and the feeling of nationalism across the country was very similar to what would happen in real life.

Danny: Yeah it gives the movie a realistic feel even though it's sci-fi. It really shows his natural instinct to survive doing whatever he could to make it back home.  

Matt: That’s when humans do their best work, when they are on the brink of death and have to do whatever they can to survive. Watching the movie made me feel like humans could do anything if they put their mind to it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. It made me want to get dropped off on a deserted island with nothing but a bowling ball and a spork, you know the feeling?

Danny: No….. I don’t actually. I can see what your talking about with the survival. Even with faced with failure he didn’t give up, he found a way to fix it. Like when his space potato farm blew up.  Watney counted how many he had and started to ration the food he had.

Shows his natural instinct to survive.

Matt: The poor guy ran out of ketchup on like sol 200, that's more than a year eating plain potatoes. I’d walk onto the surface and take my helmet off if that happened to me.

Danny: Alright let's give our final thoughts on The Martian.

Matt: The Martian was an entertaining movie with a surprising amount of humor. It got you invested in bringing our man Mark Watney home. It gives you the feeling humans are capable of anything. Great acting, good story, amazing movie. 8.5/10  

Danny: The Martian was an excellent movie that didn’t have a boring moment from beginning to end. It's not your typical survival movie, you get to see the isolation that he's experiencing but also the desperation of the people trying to get him home. 9/10

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Dreamland

Emily Mills

Dreamland, by Sarah Dessen, tells a secret love story which applies to many teen relationships. Things may seem “lovey dovey”, but behind closed doors there lies nothing but secrets and lies. The novel follows the relationship of a sixteen year old girl and how her relationship affects not only her, but the people around her.

The main character, Caitlin, has lost her relationship with her older sister due to her sister running away from home. Caitlin feels empty even though she still has her best friend, Rina. She and Rina attend a party where they meet a "bad boy" named Rogerson, who Caitlin ends up leaving with. In the days following Caitlin finds out that Rogerson is a drug dealer. He convinces Caitlin to smoke with him before meeting his parents later on in the day. When Rogerson brings her to meet his parents it does not go as well as planned. His mother acts friendly, his dad on the other hand, not so friendly. His dad ignores Caitlin’s existence and starts yelling at Rogerson for being late, even hitting him right in the temple. The following day Rogerson and Caitlin become a couple. Their relationship is wonderful, it’s the “dream relationship”... until he strikes Caitlin with his hand. Their relationship soon escalates rapidly and sexually; in other word: an abusive “romance”. She quickly becomes afraid of him because of the abuse while also afraid that being away from him would make him even more angry. She is forced to quit cheerleading and stop being with friends. One day Caitlin’s mom and Rina pressure her to go out with Rina, but when she arrives home, Rogerson is waiting...and not with joy.

Dreamland tells a story, but it’s also an awareness and a wake up call to the people oblivious to domestic violence or even people who deny the idea of being in an abusive relationship. The victims are not the only ones that this story can relate to. Many people do not know the signs of domestic abuse or simply think their friend is choosing the boyfriend over friends. I highly recommend this book to people of all genders and ages, not just teens and girls. I think that this can really open up minds to be more aware and change how people look at relationships between a friend or a significant other. It helps readers to understand how to overcome it or take steps into overcoming it. This is not only my number one book I enjoy, but it is also the number one book I recommend to family and friends.

Personally, I found this novel extremely compelling for the way it speaks to the readers. For the way that it uses teens’ insecurities to keep them hooked. The way that it can almost feel as if the reader is living their own life through the novel. It uses fairly realistic emotions and thoughts rather than the typical girl that falls for a “hello” from the high school quarterback. For example, Caitlin is not oblivious to the fact that she is in an abusive relationship. She does not ignore it because he “loves her”. She's scared and vulnerable to the thought of leaving him, because she knows that if she does, he'll beat her worse than he already does. I have never read a book so emotional, Sarah Dessen writes many intriguing teen “love stories” fraught with valuable life lessons. Though I have never personally been in an abusive relationship, I have found myself vulnerable to the same feelings and emotions in different situations in my life. As a reader you would think by her writing that she is a teen herself. It feels like she understands all the emotions that every teen has felt. Sarah Dessen understands how it feels to be kicked down, to feel vulnerable or rebellious, and to feel happy and in love. 

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