Rimes of the Not-So Ancient Mariner

What Better Way to Celebrate Mother's Day Than A Carnival?

Mel waxes on semi-poetically about a staple of Narragansett life throughout her early to late teens.

May was always my favorite month of the year when I was in middle and high school. Actually, it still is, now that I think about it.  What wasn't there to love about the month of May? The weather is warming up, baseball season is in full swing, and it was the final stretch of school. It's that weird stretch of time where there was still school, but it seemed as if everybody seemed more distracted about the summer. Plus, all the really cool field trips always happened during this month.  From the fourth grade up until my junior year, there was one thing that always excited me – the annual carnival that always took place the week before Mother's Day, leading up to the day in question.  I love carnivals. I enjoy them in all their hokey and …

Rimes of the Not-So Ancient Mariner

It's All the Same Love, So It's About Time For Me to Raise Up

Speaking out once and for all about my support for LGBTQ rights (with apologies to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for the title).

DISCLAIMER: The following is the opinion of myself and myself alone. It does not necessarily reflect those of the staff here at Patch or anywhere for that matter, but it is possible. You may not like my opinion, but that's fine. That's your right. I don't agree with it, but I respect your right to have an opinion.  I’m tired of being silent about my support for LGBTQ rights. Yes, I said it. I support equal rights for LGBTQ people. I had been silent about my support for years (at least publically) because of my own fears of being labeled as a lesbian because of the way I dress. People already suspected that I was to begin with since I tended to dress in a manner that was more masculine in nature, but to say I support it would make them …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Rimes of the Not-So Ancient Mariner

Is 14 Really Too Old to Go Trick or Treating?

A 9th grade story of Halloween plans gone downhill.

If there's one question that I can't answer it's got to be the eternal question of "How old is too old to go trick or treating?" And my inability to answer that question led to me beging really badly burned by some friends of mine my freshman year of high school.  Now, for the record, I went trick or treating until I was a senior in high school. I did tag along with a friend my freshman year of college who was taking one of her little neighbors out, but we mostly hung behind. Despite the fact that I could pass for 15 at that time, I wasn't going to use it to my advantage then, especially since my friend wasn't going to join in.  Even though I went trick or treating those other three years of high school, I kind of lost my enthusiasm and …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

How Does 'K' Factor Into The Education Equation?

With the debate over half day vs. full day K continuing in many communities throughout RI, what are the numbers that really make a difference?

In light of all the statewide response to last month’s Patch Poll – Full day K - Is it A-OK?, and the discussion around the RI General Assembly’s consideration of a full-day K bill (House 2012-7127), the members of the SK Parents Council couldn’t help but talk about life since S “K” went "full day" six years ago. From these parents’ perspective, it made sense then and it makes sense now. According to the General Assembly’s press release, “All studies, all statistics show that children benefit academically from participating in full-day kindergarten,” Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston) said. “With three out of every four four-year-olds in the country enrolled in some type of preschool program, kindergarten no longer serves as the …

• Photos (1)

Westerly's Sharp Shooting Sinks Mariners

Austin Cilley's 29 points and seven 3-pointers propels the Bulldogs over Narragansett.

WESTERLY - Narragansett Mariners head coach David Gee knew the Westerly Bulldogs could shoot. He just wasn’t expecting for all of their shots to go in. A 29-point performance from Westerly guard Austin Cilley, including seven three-pointers, and a triple-double by Michael-Thomas Sciro (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) propelled the Bulldogs past the Mariners last night, 83-68. Westerly widened a 53-48 lead with ten minutes to play to a 73-57 advantage five minutes later thanks to timely three-pointers. The Bulldogs made seven of their last eight shots - including 4-for-4 from three - and shot 12-for-23 from behind the arc for the game while the Mariners went 6-for-17 from the floor in the closing minutes. Gee was surprised at how all of…

•  1 Comment
• Videos (3)

College Bound

Time To Let Loose

Spirit Week: A Look Ahead

Spirit Week. To a high school students, it’s a chance to let loose; what exactly is freed is for each student to decide. As I sit at the computer writing this, all six-foot five-inches of me is clad in solid blue a solid blue onesie with disembodied Eyeore head bobbling on top of my feet. The Prout School’s Spirit Week begins on Monday, October 17th. As Pajama Day is the big kick-off, I am intending on striding into school and displaying my Winnie-the-Pooh attire in all its adolescent glory. This is, to be frank, normal behavior for me. If I could wear an Eeyore onesie to school on a regular basis, I would. For Prout’s more socially capable students, however, Spirit Week provides an opportunity to be free of inhibitions. Last year, a …

• Photos (1)

College Bound

Kings of the Hallway

A College-Bound High School Senior Looks Ahead

As I’m sitting here writing, I look into September’s taillights and my heartbeat gets faster and faster. The first month of school has just passed by, leaving my classmates and I winded and awaiting a fall that I imagine will feel like a baseball bat to the stomach. My name is Emmett Schlenz, and I’m a senior at the Prout School.  Just like the rest of my fellow members of the Class of 2012, I’ve been looking forward to this year for a long time, because with senior year comes freedom. The most visible example of this at Prout is the uniforms. We have a dress code based around our school colors, and our Dean of Students, lovingly (and I mean lovingly) dubbed “Sarge” by the student body, enforces it with a hint of glee.  Thusly, the Prout …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

"Our Town" Coming To Prout

Fall Auditions Herald the Start of an Ambitious New Season for Prout Theater.

Nearly fifty anxious students crowded the halls of the Prout High School’s theater wing on Tuesday, September 13th. Most were prepared, some were still preparing, but all were awaiting their opportunity to audition for the first show of Prout Theater’s 2011-2012 season. Prout's Head of the Arts Department David DiLullo, who celebrated his 20th anniversary of joining the Prout staff this year and also directs the school's theater performances, has chosen to open the year with Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Wilder intended his play to be very simple: sets would consist of no more than tables and chairs, and props would be scarce. Much would have to be mimed by the actors. DiLullo says that his version of Our Town will remain true to Wilder’s …

• Photos (1)

Viewfinder

Gallery: South Kingstown High School's Class of 2011 Graduation

Stormy skies had no effect on the hundreds who showed up to celebrate the final day of High School for the class of 2011.

Thunderstorms threatened outside the Ryan Center, but inside was a sea of smiles as the South Kingstown High School community celebrated its graduation exercises for the class of 2011 Friday evening. Over 221 students walked the stage in front of hundreds of parents, relatives and friends, the culmination of four years of hard work and dedication to all things academic, athletic, and artistic. Click through the following gallery for images of this year's graduation exercises.  For a full breakdown of Friday's graduation exercises, tune in to the South Kingstown Patch on Monday.

• Photos (41)