THE SPINNAKER

by Mary Williams

With the end of playoffs and the fall sports season, winter sports have now started up. The new winter season will consist of basketball, swim, gymnastics, ski, ice hockey, and wrestling. These teams have already begun preparing for a great season. One person from each team was asked two questions: “What are you most looking forward to?” and, “What are your team’s goals for the season?”. Below are the following responses to these questions:

From Boys Basketball, Jack Cullinan:

I’m looking forward to being able to play with this team for two years and being able to build a connection with this team. I think my goal and the team's goal is to make a deep run in the tournament this year.

From Girls Swim, Annabelle Martin:

For this season, I am looking forward to competing with the new freshmen in team relays and hopefully qualifying for some postseason meets. There are a lot of new teammates who I’m sure will bring a lot to the table for our girls team. Saying this, one of our top goals for this season is to hopefully bring a girls relay team to sectionals or states, which we unfortunately missed last year.

From the Wrestling Team, Ollie Buckley:

I’m looking forward to competing against wrestlers that I lost to last year and improving my record from the previous season. A team goal for this year is winning the league and possibly even the sectional tournament.

From Boys Swim, Finn Yemini:

This season, I look forward to competing in meets and challenging myself to improve as the season progresses. I would say the team’s overall goal for this year is to win three leagues in a row.

From the Ski Team, Maggie Brinzey:

I am most looking forward to attending races. The people who attend always have a positive and uplifting spirit, which makes these events so enjoyable. Our team goals for this season are to work very hard with hope that some of us will make it to the MIAA state championships, while also having lots of fun to create a memorable season.

From Boys Ice Hockey, Shane Mulcahy:

I’m most looking forward to having a great year with all my teammates while also building relationships with them, both inside and outside practice. Ultimately, our team goal is to advance into the playoffs.

From the Gymnastics Team, Payton Kondrat:

I look forward to seeing everyone again, specifically the girls from Norwell, and meeting our new teammates. The best part of the season is being able to bond with the team during our cycling fundraiser, team brunches, and bus rides. Although the team is a combination of two different schools, we have all grown really close, and I can’t wait to see everyone again! Our team's goal is to just have fun. We always have the league meet on our mind, but we find that having fun is most important.

From Girls Basketball, Natalia Kluza:

I’m looking forward to building a relationship with my team throughout the season and creating many memorable moments. I would also like to improve by challenging myself during practices and games. I would say the team’s goal is to make it to the playoffs and hopefully to the championship.

by Will Wildfire

The 2023 Fall sports season was yet another huge success for Cohasset High School Athletics. Field Hockey entered the tournament as the 8 seed, finishing the season off with a record of 11-6-1. After cruising through their first round matchup, they, unfortunately, exited the tournament in the round of 16. However, it was a hard-fought game against Quabbin. Football ended the season with a record of 4-3, grabbing the 2 seed for the division 7 tournament. The team would make it all the way to the semi-finals, falling to a talented Amesbury side. This was also on the same field they saw their season end last year. Boys soccer entered the division 4 state tournament as the 1 seed, having gone 13-3-2 on the season. Junior forward, Nathan Askjaer, broke the single season school record for goals scored, netting 34 goals to pair with his 16 assists this year. However, CHSBS would fall to Monomoy in the quarter-finals, the same round that caused them to fall out of the tournament in the last two years. Girls soccer had yet another successful year, led by Tess Barrett, who recently committed to play division 1 soccer at Maryland. They finished the season at 11-3-3, taking the 3 seed and dominating the first two rounds of the tournament. Unfortunately, they fell in the quarterfinals just hours before the boys soccer team. Varsity volleyball, in their first year as a team, undoubtedly proved they were not to be taken lightly. They finished the season off with a record of 14-4 and made the tournament in their first season with the 13 seed. They would also win their first playoff game in program history, beating West Bridgewater in a thrilling overtime contest. Cross Country had another successful season led by senior captain, Charlie Lankow. Golf also had another successful season with captains Luc LeFevre, Gavin Schmidt, and Drew Gibson. As much as you could count on them to win, you could always count on them to leave school exactly 15 minutes early to make it to their match on time. Congrats to all teams, players, coaches, and fans who contributed to such an amazing season. We look forward to seeing similar successes with the Winter and Spring teams!

by Payton Kondrat

On November 3, 2023, the senior class took a trip down to the Cohasset Town Hall to partake in a retreat. The retreat was organized by Debra McCourt who planned a very engaging and positive day for the senior class to bond and become more united. The students came out of the retreat with extremely positive feedback, reporting that it was a very beneficial experience. Some of the activities included writing anonymous notes to peers, building a tower made out of paper and tape with a random group, and silently organizing all 100 of the students into birthdate order. With the dwindling time the seniors have at CHS, there is much value in taking a break in academic and athletic achievements and focusing on enjoying time together.

by Casey Nichols

This November, Student Council decided to hold a tailgate during the time between the boys and girls soccer playoff games. The cold weather drove the students of Cohasset into the warm tailgate where hot chocolate and pizza was served. As people warmed up, a fun game of trivia was played with hershey kisses given out to anyone who got a question correct. As more and more people filled the tailgate, it really came to life. The tailgate eventually came to and end when the girls soccer game began. Unfortunately, neither the girls or boys teams advanced, but we were left with a fun new event that, I’m sure, will become a fun Cohasset High School tradition!

by Finn Yemini

Model UN has kicked things off this month by announcing their countries for the New York group. Cohasset was given India and Afghanistan, which are countries central to global politics. The Cohasset MUN club can expect to be the center of much of the debates at the NHSMUN conference in New York this year. Additionally, in order to claim specific subcommittees, many members woke up early and lined up outside the school to claim their groups that based on economics, defense, and countries. Now that all members have their topics and nations, the position paper writing can commence. Students will write 1-2 essays about various topics, depending on how they divide work over the coming months, from Asian economic growth to migratory species. These papers will include well-researched political stances that best align with the feelings of the country that is being represented, which often involves diverse foreign research and eye-opening perspectives on unconventional topics. Once the papers are written, the students are off to New York City to represent Afghanistan and India in the spring. For anyone interested in joining next years group, sign ups begin towards the end of the school year.

by Caitlyn Simms

With Thanksgiving, many people immediately imagine a large, colorful turkey. However, Thanksgiving is, and has been, much more than who can eat the most without getting sick. Contrary to many people’s thoughts, the ever recognizable Thanksgiving feast of the Pilgrims in 1621 was not the celebration of this manner. The feasting that is seen on Thanksgiving began with the Native Americans who would seek to “insure a good harvest with dances and rituals such as the Green Corn Dance of the Cherokees”. Therefore, though people of today’s America may not be using the feast on the fourth Thursday of November as a ritual, the bonding and joy of families coming together is ever present. Similarly, early Jamestown colonists gave thanks for their safe arrival in 1607. Also, in celebration of Virginia’s charter, a Thanksgiving service was held for the second time and eventually planned to continue the celebrations yearly. These past two celebrations were for different reasons, but both celebrate goodness and a hope for future prosperity. Indeed, the Pilgrims held their initial feasts without aspects of religion, except for saying grace due to their Puritan beliefs. However, this later indulged in another feast with prayers to God in hopes that the drought that was ruining their crops would subside. Thus, celebrations of good will, gratitude, and hope have been present in American history for centuries, even if how today’s generation celebrates it is only a mere resemblance of those celebrations of the past.

by Mia Peeples

Spanish Club is one of the many clubs that Cohasset High School offers, and it just kicked off its start to the year! October 25th is when the first meeting took place, and will continue its bi-weekly Wednesday meetings throughout the school year. The Spanish Club emphasizes the importance of learning about different cultures and tries to spread this message in various ways. Some of these include the Pulsera Project, participation in the Multicultural Night, and door decorating contests. While these are the club’s main priorities, regular meetings usually consist of fun games and activities such as dominos and Loteria. First up for the club this year will be the Pulsera Project, which is a nonprofit project that looks to support artists in Central America. During this project, Cohasset High School students receive handmade bracelets from artists in Central American countries. They will try to sell as many of these bracelets as possible to the community, which will begin happening over the next few weeks. All proceeds go back to these artists! The Spanish Club is constantly looking for new members and more people to participate in activities such as these. If you or someone you know has any interest in joining, please ask Senora Nelson or stop by at one of the Wednesday meetings!

by Sienna Marshak and Charlotte Gallagher

When the time comes to choose your electives for next year, consider taking furniture design. Furniture design is a quarter-long class in which you learn how to draw in 3D, create sketches of designs, use various tools and processes, and build a table. In the first few weeks, you focus on basics like safety among the machines, drawing, and training on saws and other instruments. Then, you get to design and build your very own coffee table or end table of your choice. Mr. LaFountain guides you through the process, starting from a rough board to a finished product. Your finished product is typically a fully functional table that you can also design at the end. Taking furniture design is a way to try something new and learn a unique skill. In this elective, you take in lots of information about things and machines tha you may or may not have used before. Overall, you will walk out of the classroom each day learning something new.

by Alexis Sherbertes

In many art classes students create pieces that they can relate to or that spark their interest, but in the quarter 1 art class, all are required to create a piece that related to the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday when the spirits of dead relatives return home to be celebrated and to spend time with their family on November first and second. Our task was to create a drawing or painting that mimicked a tradition, decoration, or symbol that is used to celebrate these two very important days in November. We used very bright colors to create our drawings. Everything from the clothes to the decorations are made with beautiful, vibrant colors. While drawing, students get a satisfying feeling as they add symbols and make it their own. We had so much fun with these drawings and thank our teacher Mrs. Sugrue for giving us the opportunity to celebrate this holiday with art.

by Grace Kiernan and Eva Harries

This year for Halloween, CHS planned various activities for both students and staff to enjoy. The faculty members and staff participated in a pumpkin carving and decorating contest. The designs were very intricate and impressive, but there were only 3 winners. The 1st place winner ended up being the Library! Their department chose to name their pumpkin “The Crickets," and to go along with the name, they created a miniature library inside of their pumpkin. The thoughtful design put into the making of the pumpkin was very well executed, catching students' attention as they passed by to vote. The Library ended up with a total of 47 out of the 167 votes cast by students. In second place was the Transportation department with their pumpkin, the “Wizard of Oz," with a total of 31 votes. And in third place was also the Transportation department with a total of 20 votes for their “Rope” pumpkin. Additionally, on Halloween, students and staff dressed up in a large variety of fun costumes. Throughout the day, Student Council members distributed candy to those who could answer a Halloween trivia question.

by Gabby Madden

Every Thanksgiving, the town of Cohasset bands together to run in the all-ages 5k Thanks-for-Giving Race! As always, the race took place on Thanksgiving morning, at exactly 7:30am. The turnout was great this year, as it broke the record for the amount of runners (Over 1000 people!). The race starts at town hall with runners going up Highland Avenue, and up to Joy Place. Then, they go down through Jerusalem Road briefly, taking a right on to Nichols Road. The race ends with the runners going through Atlantic Avenue and then finally coming full circle by going on to Beach Street and finishing at town hall. Throughout the course, there were tough hills, with the most prominent being the Beach Street hill, as it was at the end of the course and many had no fuel left in the tank. However, it also gave runners the opportunity to push and finish strong! The winner of the race was Cohasset’s own former track runner, Joe Carroll, coming in at 15:46, with Ben Ford coming in at second, and Neil Davis in third. All in all, I would call the Turkey Trot this year a great success!

by Will Henle

As the 2023-2024 school year has gotten off to a fabulous start, new staff have had ample time to settle in and get used to the routine at Cohasset High School, one of which being Mr. Bandera. Mr. Bandera was born and raised in the neighboring town, Hingham, MA, where he enjoyed playing basketball all 4 years for the varsity team. His favorite memory from his high school basketball years was playing a regular season game against Scituate in TD Garden. After high school, Mr. Bandera attended and graduated from UMass Amherst where he enjoyed his collegiate life. He works as an ESP at Cohasset and will also be helping out with the boys basketball this upcoming winter season. When asked, Mr. Bandera said he would probably be working a boring office job, which he tried out before beginning work as an ESP.

By Riley Seaborn

Coming into the winter season, creativity has continued to flourish with Cohasset's Comics Club, Jazz Band, and other additions to our school. Thus, it is important to recognize the outstanding individuals who make our school an inclusive and exciting place for all interests. Owen Gurtz was chosen and interviewed for this month's spotlight artist. Owen is an incredible film maker, artist, musician, actor, and more. He has made many films and is constantly producing more. His advanced editing skills, musicianship, and leadership skills really shine through in his films, presenting his own unique style. Here are the main points in this interview…

Q: When do you remember first falling in love with film making?

A: I started making really short movies when I was 6 or 7 years old on the family iPad and editing it in iMovie. These films were terrible but they were fun to make. I continued to make these short films, and over the years and years of making them, I got better. I taught myself editing and cinematography. Making more and more films eventually got me to where I am today.

Q: Fahrenheit 451 was the first film you made that was shown in school. How do you think you have grown in your abilities since then?

A: That film was just my 4th 40-minute film and it definitely looks unpolished to my eye now. I think if I could make the film again, I would do many things differently. I have only continued to make more films since then, including 2 more 30-minute films, a 1-hour film, 1 feature-length documentary funded by MIT, a feature narrative film that is almost completed, and around 20 short films, one of which has around 130,000 views on YouTube.

Q: How have actors and or friends influenced your films, if at all?

A: I think that the actors shape the films more than me. It’s the actors who take my ideas and written words and then transform that into something actually coherent. I owe everything in my films to my actors. You can have terrible video quality, terrible sound, and a terrible plot, but a good actor can make the film good.

Q: What do you think are some of your favorite parts about creating films?

A: My favorite part of creating films and art as a whole is to see how people are affected by my art. I have gotten so many messages from people who live in entirely different countries saying that they have either been taught or are teaching my films in school, or have found some amount of meaning in my films. In my opinion, art is pointless if no one sees it. I am just so happy that something I have made has any effect on people because that’s what good art does, changes people.

Q: What would you say to aspiring filmmakers and or creators overall?

A: Just make something. Perfectionists who wait for the perfect situation, or the money to actually make something, often never end up making anything. In my opinion artists need to separate themselves from the perfection they envision and just make something that's good enough. You will eventually get better through practice and then get closer to that vision.

Q: Is there anywhere we can view your films/projects? Any social media?

A: People can watch my films on YouTube, my channel is just my name, and I hopefully will be screening my next feature film in the coming month.

Please check out Owen’s films! His projects are INCREDIBLE and we are so lucky to have such an experienced student attending Cohasset High School!

Email: enorton@cohassetk12.org
Website: cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781 383-6100

"Pursuant to state law, no expression made by students in the exercise of such rights shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy and no school officials shall be held responsible in any civil or criminal action for any expression made or published by the students."