Much like the original Alice in Wonderland, Alice falls down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a room with a key as well as a drink that can make her smaller and a cake that can make her bigger. After retrieving the key and shirking down to the right size Alice unlocks the door and is in Wonderland.

     Although Alice is years older, some parts of the movie do not defer from the original. Alice still finds the Drink Me potion, attends the Mad Hatters tea party, and confronts the Red Queen. Though the premise of the movie is the same Alice in Wonderland is still a movie worth the effort to go see. Director Tim Burton has added his own original take on Alice’s dream world, while still keeping the qualities that truly make it Alice in Wonderland, making it a whole other movie on its own.

     With the success of 3D movies like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland we can expect more and more movies to be filmed in 3D or changed to 3D in post production, like in the case of Alice in Wonderland. But does 3D really enhance the audiences viewing experience? Everyone has their own opinions. Some feel that Alice in Wonderland did not need to be converted while others feel that the 3D effects fit this type of movie perfectly.

     “Being a captain is a big responsibility, but I like being looked up to,” said Kurowski, as she reflected at the end of the season.

When asked what the best part about being a captain, Jamie Throwe said, “I like to lead people toward our goals.”

     One of those goals was the cheerleading competition at Windsor High School on February 27, 2010. Rockville started off the competition performing first. There were thirteen other high schools,  three JV teams, one middle school, and twelve stunts groups. All of the cheerleading squads competed with normal tourines or stunting, cheering, and dancing. A stunt is when two people throw another girl, called the flyer, in the air. There wre also twelvegroups that solely competed with stunt routines, which do not focus on cheering or dance.

     Rockville competed against Avon in the novice division and took first place. The Rams’ dance routine consisted of a mix of different songs that were edited and put together to create one fast-paced song. One of the hardest stunts was the pyramid, which all the cheerleaders are physically connected. Overall the competition was a great one.  It gave the girls more confidence going into states in the beginning of March.  BothThrowe and Kurowski agree that teamwork will lead the team to success in the comig weeks.

Ski trip is talked about year around by those who take part in the event.

“I start preparing for next year after the last one starts,” says a four year veteran of the trip, Bobby Waggoner.

Not the best skier or snowboarder?  That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a chance to go on the trip.  There are different rates that cover different packages for this trip.  For example, you can get a deal where you have lessons and rentals for around $300 dollars.  If you don’t need lessons and just rentals there is a deal for that too.  Don’t need lessons or rentals?  Then you are paying the lowest price of around $200 dollars.  All of these prices are flat rates that are paid once you sign up.

This fee also includes a bus ride up and back which is equally as fun as the skiing and snowboarding itself.  They are coach buses where you can sit comfortably with all of your friends, eat as much as you want, and watch a good movie or two.  Things have been known to get out of control once in a while but it’s all out of good fun.

Here are a couple of tips if this is your first time on the ski trip.  First, bring your own food!  They have a cafeteria there that serves delicious food, if you are willing to pay a lot of money.  You are allowed to eat on the buses like I said before so if you want to just bring a couple dollars for a snack that is fine.  Just don’t rely on their cafeteria if you’re trying to save some pennies.

Also, dress as warm as possible!  In case you weren’t aware this is the middle of winter.  Not only that but it is night time when you are skiing or snowboarding down these slopes.  Goggles, a face-mask, gloves, jackets, and snow pants are a must if you want to avoid frost bite.

“Hand warmers and under armor are what help me stay warm every Friday night,” says Jenna Poist, a third year veteran of the trip.

Last but not least, make sure you are always with a friend.  Being out on a mountain like Berkshire East, it is very easy to get lost.  If you are with someone it will reduce the chance of getting lost.  Also if you get hurt, being with someone will make it easier to notify ski patrol and get you to safety faster.

If you keep all this in mind than you will have some of the best Friday nights of your life.  The memories will stick around for years to come and if you’re lucky you’ll make a new friend or two out there.  If you’re too late this year, but are still interested come November 2010 you can sign up at the building located in the center of Henry Park.

Have fun and happy skiing!

After the contestants had entered with their lovely escorts the show opened up with the nine contestants shimmying and schmoozing to win the audiences and judges’ affection.  The boys all moved in step with one another to a dance choreographed by three escorts.  Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Beyoncé’s “Diva” set the mood for their incredible pizzazz and flashy jazz hands.

The next portion of the evening’s entertainment was Swimwear.  While Jeff Stone ran Baywatch-style across the stage, Patrick Crane burned under the intense lighting, and Timothy Smith paraded around in a bikini top and itty bitty shorts.  Claude Ziehbrunner played up his status as the Swiss exchange student by coming out in a full snow suit, snowboard in hand.  It was definitely not a sight seen every day.

Though the previous segments had been crowd pleasers, nothing is ever as anticipated as much as the Talent bits.  Kevin Anton’s act was definitely one to be remembered; a fully choreographed dance and skit where boys wore Jabbawockeez-esque masks.  Nathan Ouellette impressed everyone by playing his violin and stomping out a beat with his fiddle.  Jesse Sullivan showed off his musical skills as he played “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer on his guitar, and Mike Tucker did a contemporary dance.  The act that brought down the house, however, was Kyle DeCarli’s.  The contestant teamed up with Preston Coombs for a duet dance to “Beauty and the Beast” from the Disney flick.  DeCarli donned a tutu and tiara as Coombs wore a giant furry mask; the pair pirouetted and leaped into the judges’ hearts for sure.

“The competition was tough this year and everyone did extremely well.” Kevin Anton, one of the stand out contestants commented on the Talent section, “My favorite talent to watch was Nate playing his violin.”

The Question portion consists of the contenders picking two questions out of two different hats; one silly and one serious.  Each boy answered his question to the best of his ability, as this section is often seen as the one that makes or breaks the judges’ final decision which comes directly after.

As we all waited anxiously for the crowning, Mike Stankiewicz and Mike Wieliczka (commonly known as “Mike and Mike” our phenomenal RHS MC team) kept us entertained as they had during every section break.  These two helped the audience laugh through every lull in the show; Stankiewicz even led the crowd in what has become a trademark of his, “The Rollercoaster.”  The boys were awesome additions to the show.

Finally, it was time for the results.  Contestants and escorts lined up on stage as Mike and Mike listed the prizes and started the awards.  Ouellette was named second runner up and Ziehbrunner was named first runner up, and the winner of the title of Mr. RHS 2010 was (drum roll please) Kyle Decarli!  The audience, as well as all those on stage, cheered for the boys and the night ended on a cheerful note.

Sullivan claimed he would do the show again “in a heartbeat” and continued to say, “It was a great time.”  Though DeCarli ended up with the crown, all the boys put on a fantastic show which really made them all winners.

English teacher Ms. Matyseck enjoyed the event. “I was surprised at how well it went this year. I was impressed with the dance team, step team, and cheerleaders. I thought that the students were well behaved considering being in the auditorium,” she explained.  Other teachers agreed with Ms. Matyseck. “It was much better then last years,” said Mrs. Reilly, a Childhood Education teacher. Although the Pep Rally turned out great, Mrs. Reilly explained that she was confused because, “[the Pep Rally] was never announced. Teachers didn’t know what was going on.” When asked about what she would  have changed about the Pep Rally, Mrs. Reilly explains “ I would have really liked to have heard each player introduced individually. Also, they could have mixed it up a little.  Maybe first off, they could have them dance and cheer, then introduce the players.  Overall, I really enjoyed it.”

Of the event’s two emcees Mike and Mike, Senior Preston Combs said,  “Both Mikes did a really good job. I think that they could have made it so the audience was a little bit more into it and included. But otherwise I think it turned out pretty good.”