CATS Academy Courier

Earth Hour 2017

Photograph Source: Barrie Today

By: Rafaela Goncalves

In the essay “Earth Hour 2017: ‘There’s never been a more critical moment in the fight’, Jueun Choi, from USA TODAY, points out that, on the following Saturday from the day the news was published, almost 200 countries and territories all over the world would show their support for the “protecting the planet” cause by going dark for an hour starting at 8:30pm on March 25, 2017. Terry Macko, senior vice president of marketing and communications at World Wildlife Fund, believes that the Earth Hour is a chance to show the world we, as a whole, dwell and stay strong, firmly, to the Paris Agreement established purpose. In addition to shutting down all the lights, the organization urges people to contribute with other actions too, such as changing and donating their Facebook profile picture and feed to the cause. Aiguo Dai, a professor in the department of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany, claims the dark hour is a symbolic gesture. In addition, some hotels as Hilton and Marriott International are collaborating with the cause by doing some promotions and some artists are even giving support to the campaign.

March 3, 2017 0

Transitioning to Spring Sports

By: Tristan Fornari Hospital

This past Thursday, February 23, marked the culmination of the indoor sports’ season with the Sports Banquet for the crew, girls’ basketball, and boys’ basketball teams. All of the basketball teams’ struggled through stretches of their schedules, but picked up multiple wins along the way. The Boy’s Varsity Basketball team ended up with a 3-6 record. The Boys’ and Girls’ JV Basketball teams went 2-6 and 3-4 respectively. The crew teams only meet was cancelled due to snowy New England conditions.

Although this chapter of the Winter Season is closed, there is another promising season around the corner and it looks very exciting. After a successful first semester, our soccer and cross country teams will continue to build upon their achievements by coming back stronger. The crew and frisbee teams will also continue to compete this spring.

Many of our students look forward to the upcoming season. “As much as I enjoyed the winter season, I really want spring to come. We can do outdoor sports, which are much more fun for me having more space to run and improve physically,” remarked student Juan Contreras.

In conclusion, after a great winter season of excitement and some success, many students are looking forward to all of the possibilities to succeed during the upcoming Spring Athletic Season.

March 3, 2017 0

Snow Days Feedback

By: Sasha Chernysheva

In the previous publication of our newspaper, Jacqueline Kovalcin suggested some great ways to survive a frosty, long, and severe New England winter. I suppose, however, that there is one more essential factor to be added: the snow days.

On February 8^th and 12^ththe entire CATS Academy community was happy to receive an email with the sacred words: “No school tomorrow.” CATS staff members and students could sleep in and have a well deserved rest after all.

What were some of the things that the students enjoyed doing over these days?

Some of the students went outside despite the bitter cold, to build snowmen and jump in the snow. Students could be seen taking pictures and laughing the entire day until the very end of curfew at 7:45pm.
Maya Alarcon described her snow days by stating, “My experience on the snow days was amazing because I am from Mexico and I’ve never been to a place with snow. It was new for me. I also enjoyed playing outside in snow with my friends!”
My personal experience was far different from many of my peers. Since I come from Russia, a very snowy country, I have experienced far too often the feeling of snow days. I prefer staying in my bed on such days, reading, watching Netflix with a mug of hot chocolate in my hands, wrapped in a warm blanket, and dreaming of the beach and the sun.

Even though different members of the CATS Academy Boston community chose to spend these days in various ways, many doing homework, they still refill you with the positive feedback and energy to go back to classes.

March 3, 2017 0

By: Miguel Gurrerro

Photo Source: CNN

In order to fully understand the complex nature of the Syrian conflict, it is far easier to understand with an analogy. I have chosen to compare the country with a large High School. In that case, the headmaster would be the President, named Bashar al-Assad, who has been in charge since 2000. His family, however, has been governing the country for about 40 years.

Every school has different groups, and Syria is not different. Syria has numerous groups, such as the Kurds, Sunni Muslims, Turkomans, Circassians, and Palestinians. Each group’s differences looked in order, until 2011. Throughout that year there were anti-government opposition demonstrations against the Ba’athist government of Bashar al-Assad. Bashar sent troops which resulted in extreme violence, killing thousands of people. The groups protesting got furious with the President’s actions and started to attack the government. It wouldn’t be the first time a population went against its government.

In the beginning of 2014, things got extremely worse with the entrance of a radical group called the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS). At first, their focus was just taking out the “Principal”. They, however, changed their strategy and chaos ensued throughout the country. They had an advanced army and equipment better than some of the other groups. ISIS’ aggressive strategies resulted in command of about 50% of Syria’s territory.

The conflict can be described as three wars: one war for political power, one an ethnical war, and one a religious war. Syria is half the size of California.

International countries, such as the USA, France or the UK, have no interest in Syria’s territory, but have struggled against balancing their dislike of Bashar’s repressive government and fighting against the ISIS. To make matters more complicated Saudi Arabia is allied with the US, but is also allied with the ISIS for a multitude of reasons. Russia has commercial business with Syria, so they have supported Bashar’s regime.

Meanwhile, the war is still ongoing. More than 400,000 have already died. The worst part is civilians throughout the Middle East Region have continued to suffer. These are common people who are afraid of retribution for no direct involvement. In the midst of this chaos, it’s important to understand that these people need countries to extend their hands to them. Countries taking in refugees may be their last hope of survival.

CATS Academy Courier

"A Trusted Students News Source with an International Twist"

Earth Hour 2017

Ski Trip at Wachusett Mountain Photos

Transitioning to Spring Sports

Gabby’s Play Photos

Snow Days Feedback

What is the Syrian Civil War?

Ski Trip Adventure Video

Cultural Fair 2017 Photos