Category Archives: Reviews

Alpine Ski Team Review

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By: Jakub Diakonowicz ’23

Alpine skiing is an individual sport, yet Hebron’s Alpine skiing team made it feel like a team. We kicked off the season with warm weather, no snow on the ground, but so much excitement. During two weeks of sweat, complaints, and hard work, we never hit the slopes but after all of that, the break did hit. I got to be on the team for two years and I have to say all members improved since last year. One example is girls becoming the M.A.I.S.A.D. champions. This year’s team contained people from all around the world. Countries including: Poland, Germany, USA, Sweden, and Spain. 

After the break, the alpine team had their first practice in Lost Valley, furthermore the day after we also had our first race. It was slalom and the majority of the team preferred GS. Even still, we manage to jump straight in, getting three members in the top ten overall. That’s also when I realized, we were the LOUDEST winter team this year. The alpine team cheered for anyone no matter what school they were from, and cowbells were necessary. We came up with different cheers: “It’s all downhill from here”, “Dunkin is after this” or we did wordplay with last names. Every member had an addition to the team, some added fun and noise, some showed care and made sure everyone was included, and some sacrificed their time into making the gear ready.

Each one of us, before our runs, got a ‘main character moment.’ Everything was about you; the coach was focused on you, the peers were cheering you on, and all you could concentrate on was your run. You could hear coach Stokes, A.K.A. Swaggie, telling you “It’s not icy, it’s fast” or “Do your best” and that’s how you knew, it was your time to shine. We ended the season with probably our best runs at M.A.I.S.A.D.S. We showed how much we improved both individually and as a team. All the girls secured top ten finishes, as well as  four boys were in the top ten of each category. 

Truffle by Cullen Lacey (9th-10th Grade Category Runner Up)

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By: Cullen Lacey ’25

Photo credits: The Merchant Baker Website

What family recipe is closest to your heart? For me, it is my grandmother’s truffle. This simple dessert is more than just a treat after dinner. The truffle holds memories that I share with my grandmother. Ever since I could remember, I’ve been helping my grandmother prepare this dessert. We usually have this dish on Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, my cousins and I play board games while we wait for dinner to be ready. Everyone is in a good mood, we crack jokes and laugh all day. Eventually, my grandmother will yell down to us from the kitchen saying, “Dinner’s ready!” We all run up the stairs, trying to get a spot at the table. Most of the time the seats at the table are taken up by my uncles and the older people in my family. My cousins and I just eat on the couch which works out because we get to watch football on the TV. My grandmother insists that we go for seconds, then thirds, and if you can still finish your plate, “Go make yourself another plate,” my grandmother says. Once we are grossly full of food, the moment everyone has been waiting for is here. My grandmother takes the truffle out of the fridge and brings it out to the table. Of course, my uncles get the first picks of the dessert. Most of the time, there will be enough left for me. If not, my grandmother goes, “Don’t worry hun, I got a second batch comin’ out.” My grandmother is the sweetest lady I’ve ever known. She makes sure everybody else in the room is fed before she even makes her plate and if there is any kind of food shortage, she is more than happy to make more. Every bite of the truffle is heaven. The outside has a chewy crust, but once you get to the inside you’ll get a savory, melted chocolate surprise. My grandmother is getting older now, and she isn’t as independent as she used to be since my aunt now helps her with all the cooking. But thinking back to earlier times when I used to help her prepare it, almost makes time stand still. Back when she used to make the kitchen off-limits to anyone except her favorite grandson, me.

Truffle recipe

Ingredients 

1 box of chocolate cake mix

2 packages of instant chocolate pudding

3 8oz tubs of cool whip

1. Prepare cake batter and follow instructions on baking in 2 8-inch round pans

2. Beat pudding mix with milk and whisk for 2 minutes

3. Once the cakes are cooked slice them in half the long way to give you 4 layers (keep cake crumbs for top of the truffle)

Layers: cake, pudding, cool whip in a truffle bowl. Use cake crumbs for a decorative topping.

Refrigerate until ready to eat

Goodbye Moon

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By: Jake Paderewski ‘23

Children everywhere put their naive minds at bay and get tucked in for bed time. Before drifting off to the land of their imaginations, many settle down and begin to listen to a “goodnight story.” For some it may be Doctor Seuss, others Shel Silverstein, but for the unfortunate – Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon.

From the soft illustrations by Clement Hurd to the vivid lyrics by Brown, parents think that children seemingly fall asleep in the sweet rabbit’s infamous “great green room.” While on the surface this book is short and sweet, once inspected a little closer, the true story emerges. 

This is first seen when one scans the first image, in which a rabbit is portrayed sitting in its bed. Upon further scrutiny, one can notice the clear foreshadowing giving away the rest of the book. Seen in the back are, in order of appearance in the book, the cow jumping over the moon, and the three little bears sitting on chairs, a comb, a brush, a bowl full of mush, a light, chairs, clocks, stars, air, and most revoltingly, noises everywhere. 

On behalf of the children of the world, I would like to personally say that this is appalling. For if I were to sit down with my father as a child and read this I would be outraged. For starters, if I am reading a novel, I do NOT want to have the entire thing spoiled in five seconds. To even glance at the illustration would ruin the entire story-telling process, and not to mention the child’s night. I guarantee that after being read this, ninety-nine percent of the kids sit awake and stare at the ceiling wishing that they had parents who loved them, parents who did not dare to put them through a reading of the horrid Goodnight Moon.

After they finally get over that (after many years of counseling), they would still be upset about the discontinuities thrown about the book. As seen on page four, there are a pair of mittens and a pair of socks set up to dry, but as soon as you turn over page thirteen, the socks are nowhere to be found. And guess what? Turn to the VERY NEXT PAGE, and guess who’s back… the socks! The audacity! Also, wander over to page three and tell me what you see, because what I see is a chair with no “quiet old lady who was whispering hush,” who seems to have magically appeared by page six. 

But, what is by far the worst sin this book has committed is the fact that the color pallets change on every single page. I know that almost every kid reading this book knows their color theory, so there is no doubt in my mind that they are disgusted with this aspect of Hurd’s illustrations.

After reading this too many times (even though one is already too many), I have concluded that this “book,” if I can even call it that, is overall horrible. Not a single person in this mortal plane would enjoy this. Overall, 0/10. 

-Jake Paderewski ‘23

“Igor” by Tyler the Creator

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An album review by Drew Larsen ’21

Before submerging oneself fully into the mysterious rambunctious rhythm and rhymes for which Tyler the Creator is infamous throughout the rap game, the listener must expect the unexpected in the new wave of aromatic 80’s hip hop reminiscent of Tyler the Creator. As we’ve seen in the past, Tyler can switch flow and rhythms throughout his music on a dime, giving each song its own unique style and message. As a artist this gives him a competitive curve over others; it’s as if each song is a new story. His versatile style is responsible for many trends throughout hip hop today. Recently Tyler has switched album tones; he went from a more bombastic rapping style with high tempo bars and erie lows which paired perfectly for a lively song to a chiller rhythm that appears to be more heartfelt. It’s almost is if Tyler’s music is a figurative way to chronicle the chapters of Tyler’s life as listeners progress through the albums. Each a new age is ushered in with mixed emotions the artist is experiencing. Albums put out are a reflection of his moods and the life he is living now, currently giving his music more of a pop/ rage factor.

With the not so distant release of Tyler’s last album, Flower Boy, we saw the artist mature more and more with every track. Such maturity and inner struggles within the album are perhaps due to the age of the artist, not to mention the struggles that one would face at anytime in life. Within Flower Boy we see his most constant stylistic record he has produced yet, later going on to become a critically acclaimed album. We also see possibly the greatest moment in his discography: Flower Boy constantly appeased fans with its variety of features and the fusion between each tracks. Many other uplifting factors in Flower Boy include its soul aspect and its beautiful effortless fusion with Tyler’s infamous lyrical rhythm. When all of these aspects came together, a beautiful album was born. Flower Boy served as a precursor to the completely different Igor, Tyler the Creator’s most recent album hitting streaming services everywhere on May 17, 2019.

Igor sees our hip hop anti- hero going forth with a new narrative and influence. We see the album Igor within a more exposed tone. On the record Tyler appears to come out of his shell more, in turn creating a new persona where Tyler uses the album as a vessel to rely many messages of heartbreak. Within Igor we see a transition into a more singing and spritely melody coupled with a dark underlying tone and platform in which Tyler uses to convey his messages. On Igor most fans wanted an original Tyler the Creator hip hop tribute, which we’ve seen Tyler stray away from steadily over time. This shift in tone we consistently see is what continues to keep his music fresh ad complex, not to mention features like Playboi Carti to add a uplifting note to the record. Igor often displays lighter instrumentals compared more to r&b and soul music. We also see reminiscent instrumentals from older time periods such as the 60’s and 70’s through the album and specifically on tracks like “A Boy is a Gun” and “I Don’t Love you Anymore.” Its rhythm and melodic change ups like this that add another layer of complexity to Tyler’s most recent album. As a whole Igor feels incomplete, as if it’s missing a conclusion to the madness within. We see many songs on the album that are rage- worthy but the throwback notes that we saw on Flower Boy have ceased to exist, leaving the record feeling a little dull/ incomplete. As the music community eagerly await a follow up album, Tyler the Creator’s tones and beats will continue to resonate through the community.

All The Pretty Horses: Book Review

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Written by Dylan Richmond ’18

Over the short three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break, AP Literature students have selected a book of their choosing to which, with a few other classmates, they have discussed the book as they would within a normal class.

Avery Jurek, Jake Bieler, and I, Dylan Richmond, chose All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. Having already read The Road by McCarthy, I was interested to see whether the author’s writing style would change or keep the same dark, uninterested tone. So, some may either be happy or disappointed to know that McCarthy does not throw a curveball.

The story begins in San Angelo, Texas, with young John Grady Cole in a bit of a situation when his parents divorce. His mother decides to sell the ranch, and John figures that running off to Mexico with his friend, Rawlins, is a better life than not living on the ranch.

The two journey through western Mexico on horseback seeking paradise in a desert. Along the way they meet a peculiar young lad, Blevins, who has also run-off. Blevin’s stories often do not line up; moreover, he also happens to have in his possession a beautiful horse to which the two recognize to only cause trouble in Mexico. Nevertheless, together they continue to travel south until, as predicted, Blevin’s horse is taken in a rainstorm. Eventually they find the horse and, although John and Rawlins decide against stealing back the horse, Blevins was not going to give up that horse. In the ensuing chaos that commenced upon the horse stealing, the three become split into their original groups.

John and Rawlins continue their journey until the paradise they had been seeking unfolds before their eyes. They find work on a enormous ranch in the area gathering and training wild horses. While there, John finds love with his boss’ daughter, Alejandra, and, despite being told from her relatives to back off from a girl of her status, intends to marry her. Once the father is revealed to the truth and Mexicans from the north declare that three americans stole their horse, John and Rawlins are jailed. There they find Blevins, already there for some time. After discussion with the authorities, they find their situation is helpless in the corrupt system without money. They are transported farther north where Blevins is executed and they to a penitentiary.

John and Rawlins quickly realize that fighting is the only way of life when incarcerated and are subject to such abuse every day. Eventually, they become targeted and both are nearly killed by knife attacks. Luckily they survive, but John was forced to kill the attacker in defense. An experience that troubles him for the rest of the story. After some time in a dark room being treated for his wounds, John and Rawlins are released. The reason being that Alejandra’s aunt paid for their release on the condition that John and Alejandra are forbidden to see each other.

John and Rawlins split ways, Rawlins to Texas and John to see about Alejandra and the horses. He meets with Alejandra for a day but their love is cut short when she decides that they should abide by the rules. He then treks home and along the way steals back the horses while taking his old captor hostage. Eventually, John releases the hostage and travels along the border to find the original owner of Blevin’s horse. A few men lay claims to the horse and after a heated dispute the judge rules in the favor of John for the custody of the horse. John then makes his way home to where he returns Rawlins’ horse and then bids his farewell as he takes off once again into the wild.

The story often describes with deep thought and immense details the night sky of the wild and it should also be noted that the Americans are on their horses the entire time. It is a story of danger, love, wildness, horses, and the dying breed of the cowboy.