INSIDE THIS ISSUE... A History of East - School Webmasters
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
A History of East Sports Special: Bird Decline:
Page 2 Page 3 Page 6
ECHO
Vol. XLXI No. 1
Eagle Spirit!
East Catholic High Observer
The night of October 25 was the annual
homecoming game, in which East’s football
team took on Louis Mills High School with the
support of the pep band, cheerleaders, and many
By Maeve Horan-Portelance
East students, parents, and faculty. The game
East Catholic’s annual walkathon, pep rally,
also featured a special halftime kickoff, won by
and homecoming game and dance took place this
junior Joey Maulucci. Although East lost, the
past week, October 21-26. It was a hugely success-
game succeeded in bringing our community to-
ful week of fundraising, fueled by generosity and
gether in a supportive, entertaining way.
spirit from the school community.
Finally, the East Catholic annual homecom-
The walkathon was
ing dance took place on Saturday, October 26, at
kicked off in mid-October,
Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Students got
when students could receive
the chance to dress up and dance, with music
a dress-down day in return
provided by D.J. Ben Ockert, an ECHS alumni.
for addressing provided
The annual fall spirit week, a traditional
mailers to people they
highlight of the school year, was a great success
knew, requesting donations
for the East Catholic community— the activities
for the East Catholic com-
generated funding for the school, and much fun,
munity. The collection dates
enthusiasm, and camaraderie among the student
for the walkathon then be-
body.
gan, on which students
could receive a dress-down day as a reward for do-
nating five dollars or more to support East Catholic.
By the time spirit week began, East had already
raised a remarkable amount, and by the October 25,
we had surpassed our fundraising goal of $50,000
with a total of over $52,000 raised.
Money was not the only thing raised during
the walkathon, however. School spirit sounded
throughout the hallways and classrooms, and culmi-
nated in the annual pep rally held on Friday, Octo-
ber 25. Each of the five days gave students the
chance to dress up or down, using their imagina-
tions and having fun to match the themes, which
included sports day, throwback day, character day,
comfy day, and class-color day. On Friday, each
class competed in various events, such as tug-of-
war and pumpkin carving, and walked the course of
the walkathon, as they do
every year. At the pep rally,
dozens of generous prizes
were raffled off, including
an Apple watch and a 2008
Mazda 3. The pep rally also
featured performances by
East’s pep band, cheerlead-
ers, and girls’ soccer team. Luke Strole, Class of 2021, Winner of
the 2008 Mazada 3
2 East Updates
Welcoming New Mock Trail
and through this article, I hope to share the
knowledge with you. East Catholic High School
was founded in 1961 by the Sisters of Notre
Faces Dame de Namur at the direction of Archbishop
Henry O’Brien. Seeking to promote Catholic
teaching and further education within the Hart-
By Farah Suede
With the start of the new year comes the
start of another mock trial season. East
By Jack Green ford Diocese, he arranged for three Catholic Catholic’s mock trial club is gearing up for the
schools to open their doors that year. Hartford competition in December.
Mrs. Bouvier is one of two
At the time of its establishment, East Catho- For each school there are two teams com-
new teachers we have here
lic was staffed by just six Sisters of Notre Dame peting, the defense and the plaintiff, each with
at East this year. She teach-
es English classes for fresh- de Namur and four lay teachers; under the lead- three attorneys and three witness roles. On the
men, sophomores, and sen- ership of Father Charles Shaw as principal and defense as attorneys for East are Christine
iors. Before coming to Sister Agnes Claire as vice principal, the school Duah, Katrina Erwin, and Farah Suede, ac-
East, she previously taught quickly grew. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Na- companied by Aiden Toomey, Johanna Datta,
at a private school in Stam- mur, known for their service in the education and Benedicta Agbonor as witnesses. On the
ford, as well as several sector with schools all over the world, were a plaintiff side as attorneys are Matthew Levin,
public schools. She studied logical choice for East Catholic. Founded in Maddie Fischer, and Maddy Bolduc, accompa-
at Southern Connecticut France by Saint Julie Billiart during the Reign nied by Valentin Sandoval, Lily Moseni, and
State University and is cur- of Terror, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Cora Zorger as witnesses. Each team will pre-
rently pursuing a Master’s have always placed strong emphasis on the im- pare an opening, an introduction of their case
degree in Educational Technology at Fairfield Uni- portance of education. Saint Julie, with the help for the court; direct questions for witnesses
versity. Even with such a busy schedule, Mrs. Bou- of her patron, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, had they call to the stand; cross examination ques-
vier still manages to find time for a few hobbies, set about educating young French girls in the tions for the opposing team’s witnesses; and a
including reading, jigsaw puzzles, and baking.
late-18th and early-19th centuries. Their influ- closing, or a summary of their case for the
When asked what her general goal for her students
ence continues to this day in the form of dozens court.
is, she replied, “I want to see every individual stu-
of schools across the globe founded by their or- Currently East’s defense and plaintiff team
dent improve at their own pace, and help them
der. are working on their direct questions for the
overcome their weaknesses.”
Since its origin in 1961, East Catholic has witnesses they plan to call. Speaking about the
Mr. Link is also a new continued to benefit greatly from staffing from club members, Mr. Healey, the mock trial
teacher here at East. This is the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, as valued proctor, said, “We are the Law and the Order,”
his fifteenth year teaching educators and mentors. Sister Peggy Evans, for in reference to how dedicated the members
history. His favorite histor- example, served as a teacher and guidance are. The students meet weekly to work on
ical period to teach is the counselor at East Catholic for more than 50 their cases in the months leading up to the
American Civil War be- years, supporting the school as it grew over the competition. In December, they will go to a
cause of the fascinating decades. Inspired to join the Sisters at age 16 by Hartford courthouse, where East’s defense
personal stories that came their work at Saint Rose School, Sister Peggy will go against another school’s plaintiff team
out of it. After earning a arrived at East Catholic in 1968. She began her and East’s plaintiff team versus another
music degree from Central teaching career in the English and Religion de- school’s defense.
Connecticut State Univer- partments before moving to the Spanish depart- This competition is meant to emulate the
sity, he taught choir for eighteen years and plans to ment, and finally her final position in the Guid- typical proceedings in a courtroom, so that
incorporate some of his knowledge of history into
ance office. At one time, 29 sisters worked at any students interested in pursuing a career in
his music classes by putting particular pieces in
East Catholic, living in the adjacent convent. law may get a glimpse into how the legal sys-
context so that his students understand them better.
Although the sisters no longer live in the An- tem operates. As Matthew Levin said, “Mock
His goal is to bring the music department into the
nex, their legacy lives on in the thriving and trial is a great way to discover and further
public spotlight, and he’s succeeding: East’s choir
just performed at a Hartford Wolf Pack game and is capable school they helped create and nurtured, your interest in law.” In fact, East has had a
set to perform at the Foxwoods Resort in Decem- endowing it with their Catholic values and his- mock trial team for more than 15 years. Team
ber. Mr. Link loves East Catholic and everything it tory. members and Mr. Healey hope for success in
has to offer, but when he’s not working, his favorite the first round of competition and advance-
hobbies are hiking and relaxing on the beach. He ment this year. Any students who are interest-
plans to represent East Catholic as the guest choral ed in the legal profession are encouraged to
conductor at the upcoming All State Catholic Mid- come and sit in on the meetings to see if they
dle School Music Festival. would like to join next year.
Kindness Corner
Notre Dame de By Allie Goodin
Namur: The We live in a world where kindness is some-
times too hard to find. However, there are al-
Founding of ways those who go out of their way to bring
light into the world. One example is junior
East
Elizabeth Adams, who has been very helpful to
fellow junior, Elyse Fritsch, who is currently
recovering from a concussion. Over the past
By Evan O’Neill
few weeks, Elizabeth has helped Elyse by lend-
Through an insightful conversation with Sister
ing her class notes, helping her manage home-
Peggy Evans, the history of our beloved East Cath- work, and supporting her through her recovery.
olic High School has been enlightened upon me, Thank you to Elizabeth for this act of kindness!
Sports 3
Cross Country
has a level of drive and dedication I have never When asked what he is most proud of, he stat-
seen before. Therefore, this sports team will be ed it was how hard the team competes in
just as successful because of its underclassmen games. He is also pleased with the improve-
By Caeden Bailey for many years to come. Tahlia Crowley, Jenna ments of the team, especially senior goalie
Swist, and all three of the divers have heavily Julia Cannamela. The team has had some ups
The East Catholic Cross Country team has had a contributed to our scores. Our last two meets are and downs, as well as some injuries, but they
strong season thus far. East, led by coaches Kathy next week, and many of our swimmers and divers put in 100 percent at every game and every
Reilly and Bill Baron, went three and three in con- have already qualified for states. The future is practice. Good luck ladies!
ference meets, with strong performances in the bright for East Catholic swim and dive.
Windham and Wickham Invitationals. Highlights of
the season came with first place victories in the Go-
ing to the Sun and Harry Geraghty Invitationals, all
exhibiting the teams determination and drive to suc-
ceed. Senior captains Kane Woods, Andrew Ferru-
Girls Soccer
olo, Fiona Crowley and Caeden Bailey have helped
lead the team through a strong season as they now
prepare for the upcoming Class SS State Champi-
Team Welcomes
onships.
New Coach
Girls Field
Hockey Football
By Alex Mortimer
By Lindsay Skinner
East Catholic Football team is known for its
As we wrap up the field hockey season, the team pride. With Captains Jack Barry, Jacob Mil-
and coaches reflect on the past few months of ler, Mick O’ Connor, and Ryan Heslin, they
games and practices, this season has been marked do a stupendous job of keeping the teams
by the growth and development in both team skill By Morgan Frye, co-interviewer Allie J moral high and never fail to lead us through
and unity. Our record is 0 wins, 2 tied games, and 8 the good and bad on and off the field. With a
losses, yet this unfortunate ratio does not reflect the This fall season, the varsity girls soccer tragic record of 0-6, it's not quite known
amount of work and effort put in at practices and in team has a new coach, Scott Raiola. Coach whether or not we will be heading to the
individual time. We gained many new players this Raiola comes to East from Ellington, where he playoffs. Regardless, our team will continue
year from all different grades, especially in the was an assistant varsity coach at Ellington High to take pride in striving and fighting for suc-
freshman class. Underclassman Meghan Croyle has School and head coach at Ellington Middle cess!
demonstrated many of the same attributes that were School. In search of a varsity position with a
recognized last year for All Conference awards, and high school team in the area, Raiola signed on
she proved herself throughout every game this year.
Other players that have demonstrated great skills
and leadership are captains: Katie Batman, Ava
with East when Coach Palmer, girls varsity
coach for many years, retired.
Raiola stated that he is very happy about
Volleyball
Eklund, Lindsay Skinner, and Lauren Viveiros. Un- his new job and feels lucky to have it, especially By Annabelle Stabach
der new leadership from coach Danielle Bazzano, since the East Catholic community is very sup-
with a strong underclassman population, the team East Catholic girls volleyball has been ex-
portive. He pours his heart and hard work into tremely successful this season. They are the
looks onwards and upwards with ambitious goals making the varsity team stronger in practices,
for the years ahead. only team to have qualified for the state tour-
and also understands and supports the players’ nament for East Catholic’s fall season sports.
Girls Swim
dedication to academic success. Starting practic- After October 28, the team broke the school
es at 3:30 allows students time to seek extra help record for most girls’ volleyball wins with 16
if needed, to do homework, and to attend any wins and only 4 loses. The team is coached
Team
other extracurricular activities. Team members by Judy Landry with seniors Elizabeth Long
are involved in much more than their academic and Cami Pasqualoni as team captains. The
pursuits and soccer: They participate in student team also consists of seniors Jess Feeney,
government, National Honor Society, robotics, Raina Mendoza, Sophia Gilberto, Celine
By Madison McHenry
Student Ambassadors, and school newspaper. Pham, Raina Baah, Emily Jeamel, Erina
Being a part of the East Catholic Swimming and The time cushion after school also allows Coach Aguilar, Ella Parizeau, Juniors, Lauren
Diving Team has been nothing short of an amazing Raiola to get to East Catholic from his job in El- Trymbulak, Taylor Lane, Ellie Desantos, and
experience. For three years I have had the oppor- lington, where he’s one of the middle school sophomores Alexandra Long and Annabelle
tunity of watching the team experience every victo- guidance counselors. Stabach. This year's team is looking to go
ry, defeat, injury, and graduation. However, this The team’s record currently stands at 2 very far into states and hopefully reach a state
year is different because it is finally my time to -7-3, and Coach Raiola is very proud of the title.
graduate along with the five other seniors. We must team and all of the members’ accomplish-
now learn to move on from a team that has truly ments. He believes that as long as they work
become our family. The three captains for the 2019 together as a team, they can make it to States.
school season are Emma Daly, Faith O’Brien, and-
Karma Woodcock. The two other seniors joining
me in my final season are Amy Michaud and Gian-
na Cormier. All of us bring very different attributes
to the table that have made this season highly suc-
cessful especially with two new coaches. The rec-
ord for our season is 6-4. Although this team will
be losing a good portion of its leading swimmers
and role models, the incoming class of freshman
4 Extra Curricular
The Robotics Hero of the
Team’s Fun Empire: Book
Bash At the the overworked Tim Allgood, who, when he isn’t
Review
buying flowers for one of Lloyd’s girlfriends, is
Beach! either fixing things or going on stage in place of By Katie Green
others. Junior Jaeden Morningstar played Garry When people think of Winston Churchill,
Lejeune, a ladies’ man in Nothing On; outside the the image that usually comes to mind is an elder-
play, he isn’t doing too well in the girlfriend cate- ly, cigar-smoking, exhausted man who was prime
gory. Lejeune’s girlfriend is Brooke Ashton, minister of Britain during World War II. It is dif-
played by junior Claire Murphy. The character is ficult to imagine him any other way, but he was
always losing her contact lenses, and, it seems, shaped by the experiences of his youth. He went
her clothing-- “...and her dress just fell off,” says on to change history as a great world leader,
Fredrick (Freddie) Fellows of Brooke. Freddie, drawing on the experiences and lessons he
who gets nosebleeds whenever something bad learned as a young man to successfully negotiate
happens, was played by freshman Brandon his country through a world war, but the experi-
Photo provided by Maya Gopal Macaluso. Dotty Otley, the Noises Off character ences that made him who he was do not get near-
who plays the maid who is always confused about ly as much attention as their culmination, his days
the whole sardines fiasco in Nothing On, was as prime minister. Hero of the Empire, by Can-
By Alison E. Jarmoszko dice Millard, gives the reader an entirely new
The robotics team, Aetos Dios, kicks off the played by sophomore Gillian Millin. Another
sophomore, Rachel Donnelly, played Poppy, one scope at which to look at one of the greatest fig-
beginning of the year with ranking tenth out of ures of the twentieth century, detailing Church-
twenty one teams at their competition, Bash at The of the stage crew personnel and one of Lloyd’s
girlfriends. That’s right! Lloyd is the object of a ill’s exploits in the South African Boer War, his
Beach, on October 19th. This competition was lo- impossible escape from a POW camp in Pretoria,
cated at Old-Lyme Lyme High School and was a love triangle with Brooke and Poppy! Selsdon
Mowbray, portrayed by MJ Kirsche, is the robber and his clandestine, perilous train trip across the
beach theme. For the theme the teams showed up region into neutral Portuguese East Africa. The
wearing Hawaiian shirts and flower necklaces. In who misses cues and is always looking for the
whiskey. Amidst all this chaos there has to be one fame and popularity he gained from the war
the crowd there are beach balls being thrown fueled the first successes of his political career,
around to add to the fun. character who doesn’t have any problems, besides
maybe the stress of dealing with everyone else’s enabling him to become the man who would lead
At Bash at The Beach, Aetos Dios had a country through one of the most horrific con-
many new students who were able to try driving problems. This character, Belinda Blair, is Fred-
die’s wife, and was played by junior Piper flicts in history.
their robot, Se7en. These students did an amazing The book, written like an action novel, gives
job driving Se7en. With the exception of their first O’Leary.
the reader an insight into Churchill’s attitudes and
match, where students were challenged with a dis- mentality as a man in his twenties. He had intense
connected cable, they consistently scored enough political ambitions from the get-go, believing
points to move up to the semi-final. Unfortunately, through all of his ordeals that he had a higher pur-
Se7en was eventually knocked out of the competi- pose in the world, that he was born to be a leader.
tion. He carried this belief with him as he put his life in
danger for his country, first as a soldier in the
Alright Every- For those
British military in India and later as a war corre-
spondent in South Africa. Trusting completely
one, Noises Off, who watched scenes from the play in school on that he would not be killed or injured because of
Thursday, those scenes were performed by the his “purpose”, he took dangerous risks that earned
understudies, who included: sophomore Eleanor him a great deal of fame and public support in
CURTAIN! Mund, understudy for Dotty; freshman Emma
Kindl, understudy for Brooke; junior Abigail
Kiser, understudy for Belinda; and freshman Ken-
Britain. When he was captured by the Boers in
South Africa, he staged a fantastic escape from
his prison by climbing over the fence into a back-
dra Obryki, understudy for Poppy. Although their yard and from there casually walked out of Preto-
performance wasn’t seen by most, I had the pleas- ria, in ecstasy after having being trapped in his
ure of watching them perform a scene, in which camp and frustrated for weeks as he desperately
they did a fantastic job. In addition to the cast searched for a way to regain his freedom and re-
members with speaking roles, there were also non turn to the war. Relying on his intelligence and
-speaking extras. These roles were played by seemingly inexhaustible luck, he hid in a coal
Lillian Bard, Angela Gerard and Shannon Car- mine and then bales of wool on a train bound for
bonell, and audience members, watched them the British embassy and returned to the war. He
cleaning up messes, fixing windows, and so on. became a beloved celebrity to the British public,
By Morgan Frye who rewarded his bravery by electing him repre-
Recognition is also due to the stage crew, without
whose contributions there could be no show. sentative, opening the door for his future success
On Friday and Saturday, October 18-19, and his rise to prime minister during a pivotal
Stage East performed the comedy Noises Off, by This beautifully performed show, Noises Off,
full of chaos and confusion, was a hilarious time in history.
Michael Frayn, directed by our very own Jillian As all people are to some extent, Winston
Quackenbush. Noises Off is a comedy about a play way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. The
Stage East company thanks all who attended, and Churchill was built by his early experiences. His
within a play, that being the farce Nothing On. As youth made him the person he was. He helped to
Act One begins, the touring company of Nothing hopes all will join the company for performances
of the spring musical, Holiday Inn. Auditions are publicize a war against one of the most prejudiced
On is hurriedly running through the final rehearsal societies in history, a society that would go on to
of the show. The director, Lloyd Dallas, played by December 4, and required choreography dance
lessons are November 22, 25, and 26. institute apartheid and socially destroy South Af-
senior Bryan Procaccini, is stressed out about the rica. His experiences with the Boers taught him to
upcoming opening, because nothing seems to be recognize dangerous prejudice, and when he saw
going right. Things go from bad to worse in the it in Germany’s Third Reich, he sounded the
next two acts. Problems arise, loyalties are ques- alarm. Hero of the Empire details how Churchill
tioned and jealousy enters the picture, as these cast became the man brave enough to acknowledge
members try to deal with each other at the end of danger when few in Great Britain on the eve of
their tour. World War II were willing to do the same.
The cast included senior Jenny Kirsche, as
Fine Arts and Fun 5
Columbus Artist Spotlight A Ghoul’s
By Patrick Roth
From the distant shores of Europe sailed
By Maya Gopal
Tony Cai is a
Treat
Three ships with Spanish men. senior at East from By Morgan Frye
Guangzhou, China.
They landed and were thus hailed Who says Halloween treats are only for one
His specialty is pho-
day's pleasure? If you are suffering from the
As gods that came again. tography, which he
Halloween blues already, here is a recipe
has been interested
that will last you until the next holiday.
in since mid-
Riches they brought with them dle school when he Meringue Ghost
And knowledge they did impart received his first Cookie Recipe
The trade that grew became the stem camera. He started Ingredients:
regularly taking pho- 4 large Egg
Of the conflict that did start. tos when he took a Whites
photography class
freshman year. Us- 1/2 teaspoon
A story of oppression Cream Of Tar-
ing digital rangefinder and mirror-less cameras, he
Is all that’s left behind. tar
has done scenic photography and has taken pictures
A story of aggression, for the tennis team in past years. However, his fa- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
And a lie to all mankind. vorite style is street photography; heading to urban 1/2 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
environments in China and New York, he spends
Candy Eyes
time wandering a city to capture urbanites in their
day-to-day lives. Taking AP Studio Art junior year,
Directions:
he based his portfolio on the style of Edward Hop-
per, an American painter whose main subject was Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking
New York. Matching Hopper’s work, all of Tony’s sheet with parchment paper or a silicone
photos were taken in New York and conveyed liner.
themes of the loneliness and isolation experienced In a large bowl with an electric mixer,
by city dwellers. beat egg whites, cream of tartar and va-
Inspired by his favorite photographers, such nilla on medium speed until frothy.
as Fan Ho, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and other pho- Gradually add in sugar and increase
tographers from Magnum Photos, Tony experi- mixer to medium-high speed. Beat egg
ments with different styles of composition and col- whites until stiff peaks form; about 6
or, even diverging into abstract photography and a minutes.
little film. Paintings, movies, photo books, picture
Spoon meringue into a large piping bag
albums, and online photos give him new ideas for
fitted with a round tip. Pipe swirls of
experimentation.
meringue onto prepared baking sheet.
Though Tony intends on majoring in com- Add candy eyes to each ghost.
munication and media, he may consider photog-
raphy as a minor in college and will continue to Bake in preheated oven for about 1.5
hours or until the meringues are dry and
look for ways to apply photography to his stud-
crisp to the touch. Turn off the oven and
ies. Even if it does not become part of his career,
allow the meringue ghosts to continue
however, it will always be integral to his life. He’s
drying in the oven for a few hours.
found that his work has become a “photo diary,”
highlighting the best moments of his summer. For Ghosts will keep at room temperature
this reason, his camera is a constant companion for up to 3 days
wherever he goes.
Tony’s Instagram is @Kwai_seng, through
which he sells prints of his photos upon request.
He is also a co-founder of the Photography Club at
East, which he encourages all interested photogra-
phers to join!
6 Special Interests
Bird Decline
Everyone can do things to lighten the bur-
den on birds today. Using renewable energy when I dropped my spoon into my soup. That
By Jack Green sources and turning lights off at night during was a first.
spring and fall migrations would not only help So I mentally prepared myself and said,
Many people cannot migrating birds proceed southward, but it would “What, has the cat got your tongue?”
picture a world with- also waste less energy in general (Zimmer). In To which my mother replied, “Not at all, we
out birds. However, addition to saving money, it would help protect just met with an old friend today who—”
our world is closer to young birds from drowning in floods caused by “Reminded us of a promise long past,” my
that reality than many climate change. Finally, voting for candidates father said curtly, cutting her off.
people might think. A who make environmental issues a priority would They then exchanged glances across the ta-
Image retrieved by nps.gov recent study made interna- be a massive benefit ble and seemed to come to a silent agreement
tional headlines when it released its findings: North for all animals and about what to say next. My father, sighing loud-
America has lost 3 billion birds in total since 1970 habitats. Something ly, muttered, “It’s nothing you should worry
(Zimmer). as simple as turning yourself about.” Clearly. Sensing the tension, I
The study estimates that there are multiple off your lights can didn’t question them further and we sat in si-
reasons for this dramatic population decrease. One save hundreds of ani- lence for the rest of dinner.
major factor is habitat loss (Zimmer). Agriculture mals from harm and The trumpeter’s call for the start of the ball
often requires the destruction natural fields and for- extinction and keep was a relief for the first time ever. The moment
ests which are then plants with a single type of our planet beautiful I heard his call, I rose quickly and headed down
Image retrieved by nps.gov
crop, most species of which birds cannot survive and diverse so that all the stairs into the crowded, chaotic ballroom.
on. This has most significantly affected grassland creatures can enjoy it. I was expecting this ball to be like any oth-
birds, such as meadowlarks and swallows. Howev- Work Cited er. I would soon be approached by a bunch of
er, habitat loss has also put pressure on other spe- Zimmer, Carl. “Bird Are Vanishing From North old court nobles who’d ask me about whether or
cies of birds, primarily those that are migratory. America.” The New York Times, 22 Sept. not I had a husband yet. When I said no, their
Some of the most dramatic habitat destruction oc- 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/ wives would bring their slug-like sons over to
curs in South America due to the logging industry. science/bird-populations-america- try and set us up. From there, I would roll my
Many birds that travel to North America in the canada.html. Accessed 28 Oct. 2019. eyes until they hurt as these boys unsuccessfully
spring spend winter in these southern forests, but (and rather pathetically, I might add) tried to
The Almost
with the disappearance of the trees comes the disap- make me swoon. That was how the evening
pearance of the birds. started, but soon, chaos ensued.
Another reason for this rapid decrease is the Suddenly, bullets rained through the ball-
light pollution from our towns and cities (Zimmer).
Most birds migrate at night, a time that they can Assassination room. I heard the shattering of glass. As was
standard procedure, my royal guards rushed me
safely fly high in the sky without worrying about
predators. For unknown reasons, many nocturnally
migrating birds become attracted to bright lights.
of Cinderella II behind the thrones where I would be relatively
safe. Peering through my mother’s glass throne,
– Part I
I saw armed men dressed all in black walking
When birds migrate overhead, they can become into the room. Their leader was the one taking
very disoriented by lights that have been left on aim at my parents. He had already taken out
overnight. Birds need to get to their wintering their guards, so my parents were terrifyingly
Short story installment by Farah Suede and Katie
grounds as efficiently as possible, as the cold brings unprotected. I tried to get my guards to go to
Green
a lack of food and freezing temperatures that some them, but my mother forbade them with a single
birds just cannot survive. Because birds need to look. She’d always said that my safety was
Hi! My name is Cinderella and this is the sto-
head south quickly, the time they spend distracted most important. At the time, I didn’t understand
ry of how I died. Well, not exactly. See, I’m Cin-
by light can kill them. that. I was a princess who was always tripping
derella II; the whole glass-slipper-midnight-
Another major factor contributing to birds’ over her own feet and couldn't seem to do any-
Cinderella is my mother. Now, I didn’t exactly
plight is climate change. The warming temperatures thing right, and they were the respected king
die, but we’ll get into that later. So, our story
themselves cause heat stress to many birds and and queen. How was I more important?
starts once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away
causes their eggs to literally cook (Zimmer). How- My parents didn’t survive the night. The
on a bright, sunny day.
ever, the most deadly result of climate change for leader approached their hiding place and took
This day was ordinary in every way. I had
many birds is rising sea levels. Many marshes aim. Terrified out of my mind over what was
tutoring in the morning, riding lessons in the af-
where birds nest are flooding, drowning many baby about to happen, I raced out of the ballroom and
ternoon, and some fancy ball to attend for my par-
birds and eggs. Another problem with the rising onto the front steps of the palace. Hiking my
ents in the evening. As with any other day, I
seas is that they carry away much of the sand dunes skirt and kicking my shoes sky high, I began to
zoned out during tutoring, fell off my horse dur-
in which shorebirds, like terns and plovers, build race down the stairs. Just as the clock struck
ing lessons, and was late for my dress fitting.
their nests. midnight, the clock chime reverberating loudly ,
Once I arrived at my fitting, I was rushed into a
Just one of these problems alone would not I ran into the forest, barely seeing through my
whirlwind of makeup, hair, and cloth styling, like
be so detrimental to bird populations. However, all tears and barely conscious of what was happen-
always. Seamstress Ophelia poked me “by acci-
of these threats at one time is beginning to stress ing…
dent” around six times; it’s no secret that she
birds in ways that they have never experienced be-
hates when I’m late, and she complained about To be continued in the next issue of The ECHO.
fore. Past predictions of the past are now manifest-
my posture about eight times. I swear that woman
ing themselves, and unless we take action to check
has it out for me. Finally, after a gazillion hours ECHO STAFF
the damage, we may face a world void of birdsong.
of styling, I was ready to go to the dining room.
Farmers would have to resort to harmful pesticides Contributors: Caeden Bailey, Jack Green, Katie
Before every ball, my parents and I eat din-
to control the population explosion of insects that Green, Allie Goodin, Maya Gopal, Maeve Horan-
ner together. Here, they usually lecture me about
would ordinarily have been prevented by birds. We Portelance, Alison Jarmoszko, Madison McHenry,
etiquette and such, and where I proceed to com- Alex, Mortimer, Evan O’Neill, Joey, Patrick Roth,
have the ability to save these important and lovely
pletely ignore anything and everything they say. Lindsay Skinner, Annabelle Stabach, and Farah
animals, but all people must see this as the emer-
Oops. But this dinner was different. They didn’t Suede
gency it is before it is too late.
lecture me and they didn’t even say anything
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