print version

DA Archive

The Devils' Advocate is Chelsea High School's student-run newspaper. From time to time we publish articles from the print edition on the Web. Articles and photographs remain the property of Chelsea High School and we ask that neither be republished without the expressed, written consent of Chelsea High School.

Have a question or a story? You can contact the Devils' Advocate at: advocate@chelseaschools.com.

The following are stories from the Devils' Advocate archive. Newer stories are available in the current edition.

• A "Student" Newspaper Needs Students.

  By Jay Kirby: Many of you in the Chelsea High School community are probably wondering when the next issue of the Devils' Advocate is coming out in print. While it is not a professional newspaper, it has lived up to generally high standards in its writing and reporting for many years. I have been proud of the final product and the effort that students and various faculty, staff, and professional journalists have put into it. [More] (posted: )

• For the Record

  Correction: The profile of CHS English teacher Amy Mondello in our last issue mistakenly stated that Ms. Mondello liked all her English teachers in high school. In fact, Ms. Mondello had two influential teachers in the 11th and 12th grades. Furthermore, Ms. Mondello described her sister as "awesome" not "awful." as was printed. Finally, Ms. Mondello did not teach elsewhere for two years before starting at Chelsea High School. The Devils' Advocate regrets the errors. [More] (posted: )

• Governor Patrick Honors NHS Inductees

  By Selma Nuhic: This year's National Honor Society Induction Dinner on March 7th 2007 was one to remember, especially as I was part of it. The event was rehearsed for several days and thought out carefully. Mrs. Debbie Miller, The NHS advisor, insisted on nothing short of perfection. Why? In case you hadn't heard, our keynote speaker was Massachusetts's new governor, Deval Patrick! [More] (posted: )

• 2008 Democratic Presidential Campaigners

  By Clifford Cunningham: What do four senators, a former senator, and a governor have in common? They are all candidates for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008. Though they come from a variety of political backgrounds and have varying levels of political experience, they all have one goal: taking back control of the White House from the Republican Party that has controlled the presidency since the election of George W. Bush in 2000. Here is a breakdown of their positions on a wide range of issues. [More] (posted: )

• 2008 Republican Presidential Hopefuls

  By Clifford Cunningham: With the second term of President George W. Bush expiring in 2008, numerous Republican candidates have emerged, all with the hope of keeping the White House in GOP hands. The unpopularity of the Bush administration, the loss in the 2006 midterm elections, and the declining support for the Republican Party will make this a challenging task. Senators, representatives, former governors, and businessman make up the field and their views are outlined below. [More] (posted: )

• Mrs. Slater Says an Artful Goodbye

  By Selma Nuhic: Betty Slater is a woman of experience and recognition. She first came to Chelsea in 1969 as a "country bumpkin" from New Hampshire. She went to college in New Hampshire and majored in Elementary Education and Art. She has been a teacher for over 30 years, and has taught in both in Vermont and New Hampshire, but her biggest role was being the lead art teacher of the Chelsea school district. [More] (posted: )

• Chelsea's "Movin' on Up"

  By Stephanie Murcia: Chelsea, Massachusetts. It's the city we live in. It's your home. It's my home. It's our home. For many years Chelsea has been bad mouthed by people who don't really know much about it. But what is really disappointing is hearing our own classmates and neighbors talk about how "bad" our city is. This perception of our home has been inculcated into our heads from the time we were little kids, and during that time, this perception might have been an accurate one. But now we have all grown older, and Chelsea is no longer the "bad" city it used to be. [More] (posted: )

• HMC Makes Government Real

  By Stephanie Murcia: On Thursday, February 22 over the winter break, this reporter (along with nineteen other students and three faculty advisors) packed her bags for a four-day trip to Boston. The occasion? Chelsea High School's second year of participation in Harvard Model Congress (HMC). [More] (posted: )

• Real World Issues: Pirates vs. Ninjas

  By Ariel Rodriguez: During a recent day working the cash register at the Christmas Tree shop on route 1, I engaged in a discussion with my co-workers, and the discussion turned into a heated debate. The topic really inspired me to try and change people's opinions. [More] (posted: )

• Where's the humanity?

  By Kirsten Byrnes: So here's something to think about. The other day I was on going to check my email, and whenever I do, this little welcome screen pops up with my horoscope, the weather, and a few news bulletins. Normally I just read the paper if I want to read about the news, but something happened to catch my eye: "Brothers get ten years for cooking puppy." The first thought that came to my mind was, "what the ever living heck?" [More] (posted: )

• Dr. Kingston Focuses on Increasing CHS Attendance

  By Karla Barrientos: It's early in the morning and the sun hasn't risen, but you hear the alarm clock that means its time to wake up and go to school through another cold morning. However, there are some who refuse to go regardless if there is a big test or a midterm that day. As we pass the midpoint of the school year, many people are questioning how consistently the students of Chelsea High are attending school. This issue has gotten more attention since the 2005-2006 school year started with a new attendance policy that caused dramatically lower attendance at CHS and wasn't in the best interest of students. [More] (posted: )

• No Place for Chicanery in a Time of War

  By Clifford Cunningham: Regardless of your party affiliation, or your opinion of President Bush's policies, it does not change the fact that we are involved in a war that will define America's future; a war against terrorists who threaten America's existence. They hate America and the principles on which she is based, and will stop at nothing to see the destruction of our way of life. [More] (posted: )

• To "T" or not to "T"? Your right to free expression

  By Daniel Cortes: Time to whip out your Scarface, nine millimeter, and marijuana leaf T-Shirts. Actually it was time in 1996 and if you have been told to change a shirt that was considered vulgar, lewd, or offensive in school, your rights may or may not have been violated. [More] (posted: )

• Boys Basketball delivers, and promises a strong return

  By Amhet Caus: Throughout past years, the Chelsea Red Devils' basketball team has become infamous for underachieving. But that didn't prevent hopes from being high yet again for the '07 team. And unlike past years, this team didn't disappoint us, boasting a 15-5 regular season record. [More] (posted: )

• Lady Devils B-ball: A Player's Perspective

  By Yesenia Palacios: ERRH! blared the buzzer, and the crowd and the team cheered and celebrated their victory. However, it was not our victory. On January 10, The Lady Red Devils suffered a demoralizing, heart-breaking basketball defeat 51-50 at the hands of our bitter rivals, the Lady Knights of Northeast Vocational. We raised our heads, hoping that the scoreboard would display something otherwise, only to bow them in despair. Just to think, 9 seconds earlier our hearts were filled with joy since we were up by 1 point thinking that nothing was going to stop us from having this game. [More] (posted: )

• Made in Chelsea

  By Monica Aragon: It was a cold night in December as I stood on Dudley Street in front of the brick building waiting for Darleen to open the doors of the Gallery @ Spencer Lofts. I was there because I wanted to see the exhibit called "Made in Chelsea." [More] (posted: )

• A Real Ghetto Life

  By Cindy Fuentes [More] (posted: )

• Movie Review: 300 delivers 100%

  By Jennifer Ticas: The movie "300" was definitely NOT what I had expected. And if you are a history freak, this doesn't recreate the Spartan battle against the Persians at Thermopylae you've read about in history texts. While loosely based on that epic struggle by the Spartans, the movie is actually a film adaptation of Frank Miller's "graphic novel," a fancy term for a comic book. This film is less an historical dramatization than an historical "fantasization." I loved it. [More] (posted: )

• Chelsea Pride now Hangs in the Statehouse

  By Lorenzo Recupero: It all started about six months ago when Assistant Superintendent Mary Bourque's Chelsea pride raised her concerns about an issue involving our city. [More] (posted: )

• Getting into College is Hard Work!

  By Velma Rojas: It not only seems like more people these days are going to college; it is a fact. Without a good education, we can't aspire to get very far, unless by some miracle we win the lottery or our family has a business we can go into. Either way, being knowledgeable is never a bad thing. What if one day you come home from work, and your child asks you for help on his calculus or history homework? Wouldn't it be nice if you could sit down next to him and explain it? [More] (posted: )

• CHS Students Translate at the Polls

  By Veronica Zamora: During the primary elections in September, 16 Chelsea High students, including myself, volunteered to translate at the polls. [More] (posted: )

• Evidence of Racial Profiling in Chelsea

  By Ariel Rodriguez: The city of Boston has had a long history of racial issues, from starting the first Jim Crow school system to the more recent, white Medford police attacking a group of black Somerville high school students in 2005. Are their still racial issues in Boston and the surrounding area? [More] (posted: )

• The Sky is not a Limit for Treadway

  By Selma Nuhic: You've probably seen this guy around. He's tall and losing his hair. He wears a tie and a worn leather jacket. He carries a coffee cup around and sips it under a mustache. Many students know Mr. Streph Treadway, and if you don't you're missing out! [More] (posted: )

• Asian Club Food Drive

  By Ahmet Caus: Back in November in the generous spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Asian club decided to give back to the community by organizing a food drive at CHS. The Asian Club brought back its canned food drive after a three-year hiatus. [More] (posted: )

• Ambition or Superiority?

  They're ambitious, diligent, but most of all competitive. They're the class of 2007. [More] (posted: )

• Cleaning Up Our School

  In this 2006 school year, students seem more motivated to get involved in our school. Recycling is now the new "“trend" and students are getting pretty into it. However, there's an aspect of school that we're now neglecting: keeping it clean. The hallways and stairwells are showing the more apathetic side of Chelsea High students; we are seemingly lacking pride in our school building. [More] (posted: )

• Darkness

  a poem by Kirsten Byrnes [More] (posted: )

• CHS "Mockingbird" a Sublime Experience

  By Lorenzo Recupero: It was a gloomy Thursday evening; it seemed the rain wouldn't stop and the day wouldn't end quickly enough. It was November 16th and the play "?To Kill a Mockingbird" was scheduled to give the first of three consecutive showings at Chelsea High School. [More] (posted: )

• Grasp life's purpose

  a poem by Lorenzo Recupero [More] (posted: )

• TheatreZone a Home to the Arts

  By Monica Aragon: Did you know that there's a theater located in Chelsea named TheatreZone? Well it's not just a theater; this place offers many youth programs such as acting, singing, dancing and art classes. TheatreZone was founded by a group of actors who had been working together as part of an improvisation group: International House of Improv. [More] (posted: )

• Senator Brown at CHS

  By Clifford Cunningham State Senator Scott P. Brown spoke to about 20 seniors from Mr. Weinberg's AP Government class after school on December 1st. [More] (posted: )

• School Stinks! Literally

  By Selma Nuhic: The smell, "“didn't lead to a pleasant learning environment," said Mr. Orlov, and students and teachers agreed. Most of the people I've asked about the smell told me, "It's disgusting, get rid of it, and find out where it came from." [More] (posted: )

• On a High Tower

  By Joe Resnek: Austin Hightower, a seven-time Metro Lacrosse League all-star and three-time league most valuable player, was selected to the New England Select Lacrosse League (NESLL) last year, lost only two games out of 26 and captured the NESLL national championship. [More] (posted: )

• The Baker-Hamilton Commission

  By Clifford Cunningham The Baker-Hamilton Commission released its greatly anticipated report on the War in Iraq on December 6. The report lists numerous recommendations for the Bush administration to consider as it reevaluates its strategy in Iraq. The major recommendations, however, are flawed. [More] (posted: )

• Kilgore forms Girls Soccer Club

  By Jeniffer Ticas: For many years, attempts to form a girls soccer team at Chelsea High School have fallen short due to lack of participation and enthusiasm amongst the lady Devils. [More] (posted: )

• Is CHS really Ghetto?

  By Kirsten Byrnes: "Our school is so ugly." This, among many other comments about our school gets me sincerely annoyed. "It's so old," "It's dirty!" and "Other schools look better!" are just some of the comments I've heard over the past three years of attending Chelsea High. Much to my dismay, many teachers make these comments as well. Allow me to shed some light on a couple of things. [More] (posted: )

• Schultz's Journey Takes him from Country, to Classroom, to Assistant Principal

  By Daniel Cortes: "I grew up in the country in California," said Patrick James Schultz, the new assistant principal at Chelsea High. "It was actually kind of a small farm." [More] (posted: )

• Scholarships Often Available if Students are Willing to Look

  By Vilma Rojas: If you are a senior who is planning on going to college, you need to figure out now how you are going to pay for it. The number of high school graduates in the United States who do no go to college for financial reasons is well over 168,000. Don't panic - you do not need to be part of that number because there are ways of getting money. [More] (posted: )

• Mario Rodas Rally: CHS Students Help Cause

  By Joe Resnek: Over 100 friends, family members and supporters protested in front of the John F. Kennedy building in Boston this past summer, as part of the ongoing fight to keep Mario Rodas, a 19-year old Guatemalan Chelsea High School graduate facing deportation, in the United States. [More] (posted: )

• CHAP unlocks treasure behind the chain

  By Stephanie Murcia: If you've walked down the third floor red side this year, you've noticed two moveable stanchions connected by a metal chain blocking the end of the hallway. That chain symbolically, more than physically, separates the Chelsea High Alternative Program (CHAP) from Chelsea High. The program, formally known as Tudor Hill, has changed location from the old building on Clark Ave to our school. For CHAP students, a new school year brought forth a completely different atmosphere that most of them never thought they would experience. [More] (posted: )

• Growing Pains: At 1,523 students, CHS hits all-time high

  By Alex Esturban: Many students on the first day of school entered their classes to find them full. From electives to "core" courses, classrooms have been overflowing. And now that the school is settling in on a new year, the question remains, "why are classes full?" [More] (posted: )

Learned all the SAT words already, you snicker? No problem, overus achieverus.
Random step you can take to help reduce global warming number 24 is...

• Plant a tree -- A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.