Curran Becomes Freshman Representative

By Katie Curran, staff reporter 

 On Tuesday, September 25, 2012, the freshman class of 2016 voted to elect their new Freshman Rep. for Student Council.  There were a large number of candidates this year with diverse interests and goals for the position.  Each candidate campaigned through posting signs and meeting and greeting with fellow students.  As far as hard campaigning went, candidates passed our cookies, pens, and candy to prospective voters the day before the election.  Each of the candidates’ campaign statements were posted in the online edition of the Storm Watch Newspaper.

The candidates for the position of freshman representative were as follows: Meghan Borowski, Elizabeth Campbell, Katie Curran, Dan Labbe, Zoe Neal, Chris O’Brien, and Hannah Trelegan.  Each ran unique and strong campaigns.  Among the goals expressed by many of the candidates were: school safety, organizing student events, raising money for dances and field trips, and for a more active student body.
The election results were announced Tuesday afternoon.  I, Katie Curran, am so grateful to be announced the winner as the new Freshman Rep. for our class.  It is such an honor for me and I am looking forward to a great year.  I have a lot of exciting ideas that I hope to implement this year, such as: more social functions to amplify our school spirit.  I look forward to listening to the ideas and concerns of the Freshman Class.
So far, I have talked to many students about the year ahead, and I have created a Facebook page for the grade.  I encourage your input so we can explore a variety of enriching activities.  It was a pleasure meeting so many of you during the campaign.
If you are interested in being part of the Facebook Group, you can become a member of the Sturgis Charter School Class of 2016-East Page. If you don’t have a Facebook, feel free to come up to me in the halls anytime with your concerns.  I am very approachable and can’t wait to talk to you all!
My goal is to create exciting school events that will enhance school wide spirit and increase participation from the entire student body.  I am looking forward to a fantastic year.  Thank you all for your support.

Camp Burgess Fun for Freshmen

By Khirdra Weisman, staff reporter 

There was mutual excitement as freshmen eagerly waited for their names to be called for their designated buses; the destination: Camp Burgess. As I talked to Katie Curran, Isabella Cantillano, and Patrick Keigans, about what they expected from Camp Burgess, all found the concept of “bonding time” ridiculous. Others were not sure what to expect, as to what sort of activities they would be participating in. Some freshmen were genuinely excited, Sky Kuppig said,”I expect Camp Burgess to be a fun day with friends! Meet new people, bonding time!”. On the bus I asked Jensen Simmons what she expected her day to be like, “I think I will have fun. I am excited about Camp Burgess, but not the climbing trees part. I hope there are many hands on activities. I think I will probably make new friends. I definitely prefer this over an academic day.” To Jensen’s relief, there was no tree climbing involved in our activities. By the time we were doing the beginning activities most people were laughing and having a nice time. We were soon separated into small groups to begin the bonding exercises. Some activities that were done were the spider web course, flipping the tarp, human knot, ninja hide, and keeping the balance. 

All of the games builded communication skills, improved teamwork skills and encouraged thinking in new ways. These activities were fun and engaging; and encouraged communicating with and cooperating with your teammates, qualities that are very much encouraged at Sturgis. Our councilors were extremely nice and helpful and always ensuring that we were having a good time. By lunch time everyone was sitting with their friends and seemed to be in a good mood. I went around and asked what they thought of Camp Burgess so far, many said they found it the good kind of “cheesy”. After lunch we regrouped and squeezed in some past activities. Everyone had a memorable fun day. We ended the day by going to the Harbor and signing the log book and ringing the bell, signifying the beginning of our journey in Sturgis.

Local Bald Eagle Population On Rise

By Joey Benedict, staff reporter    

     Fifty years ago, if you told anybody that you saw a bald eagle on Cape Cod, nobody would believe you. Quite frankly, bald eagles didn’t exist on the Cape then. Fifty years ago, this national bird was on the endangered species list.

     The bald eagle decline began during the World War II time period as a result of habitat loss, hunting, and most notably the widespread use of DDT pesticides. These DDT pesticides affected the durability of eagle eggs and prevented the eagles from reproducing. It was not surprising then that the species quickly recovered after the United States and Canada banned the use of DDT and made shooting eagles illegal as well. In recent years, bald eagles have begun to inhabit Cape Cod.

     Although there are no “official” breeding pairs on Cape Cod yet, there have been a good number of sightings; and in the past few years, sightings have become fairly common in Mashpee and Provincetown. According to the recently compiled Breeding Bird Atlas 2, there have also been sightings across the Vineyard in the last five years. Hopefully, a couple nests will be discovered in future years. However, in the mean time, it’s good to know that bald eagle sightings are now at least believable.