Quincy Senior Girls Leaving a Lasting Legacy by Caitlyn Lowry and Nicole Lamie
March Madness Spin by Nicole Parry and Nick Lepore
QNQ? Rivals Become One by Christina Walsh and Taryn Urbanus
A Final Night by Blair Hajjar and Rose Fitzmaurice
Fiddler on the Roof by Jessica Hurd and Joshua Kaplan
Quincy High Lacrosse by Phillip Truong and Curran Jorgensen
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Quincy Senior Girls Leaving a Lasting Legacy
By Caitlyn Lowry and Nicole Lamie
“We knew something great would happen this season but never imagined this,” Nicole Lamie said about the 19-5 record the girls had this season. Finishing off the season with a devastating loss in the Sectional Semi-finals against Franklin, this girls’ basketball team was the best team from Quincy High in 30 years, many believed. The six seniors achieved their long-time goals as underclassmen and exceeded everyone’s expectations.
The six seniors include Kiley McDonald, Nicole Lamie, Caity Lowry, Julia Tomer, Emily Nguyen, and Maria Berberan. This special group had been playing together since the 7th grade on the Quincy Lady Presidents travel team. Beyond basketball, these girls had great friendships off the court, which translated into amazing chemistry on it. This team became their second family.
“Going to practice every day was something to look forward to for all of us,” said Caity Lowry.
These seniors will always be remembered in QHS history.
The team would not be complete without their other teammates, like Alyssa Lydon and Kayla McArdle. Having four senior starters (McDonald, Lamie, Lowry, and Tomer) created high expectations for the 5th and 6th players. These two sophomores stepped up and performed beyond their potential. “We believed in them and trusted them on the court,” said Captain Kiley McDonald about Lydon and McArdle. With these two, the returning underclassmen hope to continue the pattern of success of the seniors’ legacy.
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March Madness Spin
By Nicole Parry and Nick Lepore
Quincy basketball turned heads toward the end of the season, surprising many. After starting the season with a disappointing 1-6 record, the Presidents found a way to sneak into the high school March Madness tournament, finishing the regular season with a 10-10 record and 2nd place in the Patriot League Fisher Division. Quincy started the season hot by defeating Duxbury, who had previously eliminated them in the first round of the tournament the season before. After their turn-around, Quincy faced Randolph in the first round of the MIAA State Tournament. A slow start to the game dug the Presidents into a hole that would be nearly impossible to get out of: they were down by 24, trailing 39-15 at half time. The Presidents returned to the court on fire, ready to give it everything they had. After fighting back, they only lost by 2 points, proving that they could compete with everyone else. The team this year was led by captains Zerrick Fadairo, Reggie Cesar, Jaquan Harris, and Jalen Green along with seniors Nick Lepore, Daniel Mongo, Alex Bottari, and Mike Ruan. The future of the Presidents looks promising, with upcoming juniors Peter Cedrone and Tino Gongclaves leading the team next year along with returning captains Jaquan Harris and Jalen Green. Young talent is easy to find among this team: sophomore Brendan Cunningham and Freshman JT Bain will be two key starters for the next few years here at Quincy High School. Coach Dave Parry has high expectations for upcoming seasons and was happy with his team this year, saying that it was one of the most enjoyable seasons he’s ever coached.
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QNQ? Rivals Become One
By Christina Walsh &Taryn Urbanus
Combining rivalries to work as one team is not as easy as it looks, especially if you only know half of the team. Two sports—girls’ hockey and swimming and diving—from Quincy High and North Quincy High strive to the fullest to put their rivalry aside to work as one and build a team with a positive outcome.
The QNQ girls’ hockey team has been around for quite some time. There are many sports teams at Quincy High, but choosing to play hockey is a great experience for many people. Even though the hockey team did not have the best record this year, they showed great pride and respect by always staying positive. “Being on a combined team from the two schools—North and Quincy—you get the best of both worlds.Not only do you have your friends from your school, but you also get to make new friends from the other one,” explained one player.
Playing with girls from another school can be difficult, but Christina Walsh proves it can be done. She and the girls show their efforts on and off the ice as they work as one to help their teammates and coach, Dan McLean, coordinate and produce a strong team. It has been difficult task to accomplish. Christina Walsh, a senior at Quincy High School and captain for the past two years, has been playing on the team since she was in 8th grade. Christina was quoted saying, “It was a great experience playing on this team. I learned a lot and started many great friendships. These girls became my family.” You never know when your last moment on the ice or playing any game might be so, like the girls’ hockey team, give it your all!
The QNQ swimming and dive team consists of a co-ed team of Quincy and North Quincy players. The team has about fifty swimmers and one diver. Each and every one of them brings their team closer together. They put aside their rivalries for the sake of the team as a whole. They want to achieve as much as they can, and they know the only way that they can do this is by working as one. The diver, Taryn Urbanus, says, “It’s a little hard to be the only diver on the team, but the whole team is so welcoming and always cheers me on. It makes me feel more like I am a part of the team.” The swimmers gather at the end of the pool to watch Urbanus dive. She, too, stays and watches the swimmers to support them as they race against their opponents. Urbanus has been a captain for the QNQ team for four years, helping lead the team to victory by scoring QNQ more points.
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A Final Night
By Blair Hajjar& Rose Fitzmaurice
Since freshman year, seniors have been saving up for the big party after prom: Senior Night Out! Our final night out, endlessly discussed by many seniors, is finally approaching. Girls can shed their corseted ball gowns, boys their cummerbunds and bowties, and let loose. As in past years, seniors will enjoy their exciting, final night out after prom at Battery March Park across from Shea Rink in West Quincy. Senior Night Out is an initiative headed by QPAC to protect Quincy’s students from the dangers of drunk driving.
This awesome event will go from midnight to 5 a.m. on June 2nd and will follow a one-hour block between the end of prom and the beginning of Senior Night Out. Raffles, games, and activities will be just one part of the party. After a long night of dancing, we can continue into the morning together at Senior Night Out. This final night may be the last chance for many of us to be together as a whole class, so make sure you come and have fun!
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Fiddler on the Roof
By Jessica Hurd and Joshua Kaplan
“A fiddler on the roof.Sounds crazy, no?” These words, along with the famous violin solo, kick off the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof, which arrived at Quincy High School this spring. The cast of 40 QHS students as well as 40 elementary and middle school students around the city worked hard over the past few months, preparing for the production. Helmed by QHS drama teacher Peggy Spencer and QPS band teacher Richard Keneally (who acted as musical director), Fiddler tells the tale of Tevye, a milkman from Anatevka who tries to keep his family together as the world around him crumbles. This is the 4th musical put on under the Spencer-Keneally partnership; past shows include Oliver!, Seussical, and The Boyfriend.
Cast Members worked industriously to learn lines, harmonies, and dance moves in anticipation of the March 30th – April 1st show dates. Josh Kaplan led the cast as Tevye and Michaela Walker played Golde, his sarcastic yet loving wife. Although every cast member worked equally hard and diligently the past few months, some stand out, including John Yacano as the intellectual revolutionary Perchick, D’onna Roche as the shy and book smart Chava, Mark Mountain as the jolly butcher Lazar Wolfe, and Erin McMillen as the sassy Hodel.
Although the actors get all the “glory,” the true artists of the theater are the ones the audience never lays eyes on. It’s a whole different world behind the scenes in the months leading up to the production. There are several people who go to rehearsal every day and never sing a note. These are the technicians (“techies”). The techies build the entire set from the ground up. It takes months to build and only hours to destroy.
Our skilled set builders included Dan Hennessey, Jess Hurd, Sean Clark, Ciana Bonfiglioli, and Mike Kostka. In addition to building the set, there are scenic painters. They come in after the set pieces are built and transform them into a works of art. Our drama club is honored to have had the painting skills of Carolyn McDonagh, Rose Fitzmaurice, and Dayna Madeiros. These talented techies are not one-hit wonders either. Rose specializes in sound for all of our shows, Dan and Ciana specialize in lights, and Jess runs a show like no other. Every single techie is trained and exemplary in the field of technical theater that he or she has chosen to explore.Our techies often feel like the luckiest techies ever because our technical director is no other than Mr. Doucette. Technical theater is not always the easiest job, but it’s always the best.
All these elements combined with a 19-piece orchestra to ensure that Fiddler on the Roof was a can’t-miss event that definitely lived up to the tradition of past smash QHS productions.
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Quincy High Lacrosse
By Phillip Truong and Curran Jorgensen
The Quincy High lacrosse teams are ready to step up to the varsity level this year. The team competed at the junior varsity level last year due to an insufficient number of players. This year, the boys are ready to get back into a winning program. With their new coach Bob Foley, a former coach of the Silver Lake Lakers, the boys believe it will be a successful season. Senior captains Phil Truong, Alex Arabian, and Josh Bergin have been hosting captain practices to see what the new team is capable of. Prior captain practices have already shown that the freshmen class has some “swagger” of its own with attack powerhouse Garrett Reynolds and defensive specialist Owen Hurley. These two freshmen, who have been playing together for several years, have shown the team that they are up for the challenge.
The five returning seniors—Phil Truong, Curran Jorgensen, Josh Bergin, Alex Arabian, and NicoFerragamo—look to lead the young team through a very tough Patriot League schedule. The Patriot League offers the best of the Northeast with very well-known teams, such as the Scituate Sailors, the Cohasset Skippers, and lacrosse powerhouse the Duxbury Dragons. The season will start off with a scrimmage against the Abington Green Waves, whose loss of some seniors may change the outcome of the game. The seniors are looking for the underclassmen to step up and fill in the positions needed. This year will be a rebuilding year for the Quincy High lacrosse team. The very talented freshmen class is ready to step up and lead the charge with the seniors. The team expects a solid season and hopes to return interest in lacrosse to Quincy High
