The Book of Basketball is a Swish!

To his fans, he is revered as a God. To his archnemesis Mike Dunleavy, he is a "joke writer." Say what you will about Bill Simmons, but you must admit that the man has some nerve. Who else has the nerve to write a nearly 700 page book chronicling the history of American basketball. Apparently, Simmons has many more supporters than detractors as evidenced by the fact that The Book of Basketball has been on the New York Times bestseller list the last 3 weeks.

Simmons, also known as the Sports Guy, writes a weekly column for espn.com and is obviously a rabid basketball fan. Growing up in Massachusetts and Connecticut, he is a huge Boston Celtics fan with a major infatuation with the teams of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. This is Simmons' second book, his first was a compilation of columns about the Red Sox, entitled Now I Can Die in Peace.

Many doubters are hestitant to pick up this whopper of a book mainly due to it's size, but don't let that fool you, it reads much easier than you would believe. One of the reasons the book is so lenghty are the abundance of footnotes, but they are not vital to the narrative and even the author writes that they are okay to skip. However, this book is not for the faint of heart. Obviously, you need a passion for basketball because it is heavy on details and inside knowledge.

The book's main goal is to determine the best players and teams in NBA history and why some players and some teams understood what it takes to be great. Simmons takes his sweet time getting into the swing of things, but when he does, he really owns it. His vast knowledge and his humor sparkle with every word and anecdote. One of the brightest portions of the book is his convulted comparison of portland Trailblazer great Bill Walton "the whitest man you can find" to rapper Tupac Shakur, "the blackest man alive." The Book of Basketball is riddled with pop culture nuggets like that, making it one of the funniest and most entertaining book I've read. I highly recommend it to all those that would treasure a 700 page tome about basketball, pop culture and will make you laugh 'til it hurts. And that should be everybody.

Spirit Flowing Through the Halls

Elan DeCarlo

Everywhere you looked, in all directions, you could not escape the constant stream of spirit permeating through the majority of Trumbull High School. Spirit week, an annual tradition at Trumbull High, occurred during the week of November 9th to the 16th.
Every day of the week held a specific theme, and it all kicked off Monday the 19th with Twin Day. As the day progressed, you saw people wearing the same shirt/pant/shoes hats combination or the few that went all out and wore wacky matching costumes and strutted around these halls like they owned the place, and as long as the few that dressed up remained twins, they did own it.
Up next on Tuesday was class theme day with each grade picking outlandish spirit costumes. The freshmen class was implored to wear their favorite flannel or fleece for Pajama Day, the sophomores chose to become tropical island natives, wearing flowery Hawaiian shirts, leis and a daring few even graced board short bathing suits for the occasion. The juniors and seniors however may have had the best themes. The class of 2011 had the outlandish idea to wear togas in the honor of the ancient Greeks and Romans and the seniors had the brash idea to split their class in half between Cowboys and Indians. The halls were filled with boys in cowboy hats and girls in cowboy boots and “chiefs” with headdresses. On the 11th, Trumbull High solemnly honored Veteran’s Day by having an assembly at Madison Middle School. Thursday, as usual, was one the obvious highlight of Spirit Week with the legendary Rent-A-Senior day. From the opening bell to 2:27pm, Trumbull High was forced to acknowledge the wild and crazy imagination of their peers. Their were crayons, Jamaican bobsled teammates, Scuba Steve, rival Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks cups of coffee, and multiple characters from the movies Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka.
The rollicking week concluded with our ultimate display of school by wearing our school colors of black and gold for Homecoming. Every year, Spirit Week is a highlight and something that everyone can look forward to. Incoming freshmen to outgoing seniors, teachers and faculty, all are looking forward to see what next year’s Spirit Week is going to accomplish.

Annual assembly: The Underage Drinking Forum

Ninth grade students and parents gathered at Trumbull High on Tuesday, November 10, 2009, for the fourth annual Underage Drinking Forum. The assembly, appropriatley titled "Choices have Consequences," was initiated in 2006 to educate the Trumbull Community about the potential danger of alcohol abuse.
As an extension of the Trumbull High health curriculum, the forum conveyed the grave yet overlooked consequences of alcohol abuse by providing students and parents with a variety of knowledgeable and credible speakers. These individuals each had their own personal encounters to share and told stories of past experiences, ranging from physically being an alcoholic, to being a doctor faced with daily alcohol related injuries.
Topics such as underage drinking and legislation regarding parental responsibilities when handling alcohol were addressed, according to the permission slip given to freshmen. Trumbull High's very own Intervention Specialist, Mr. Mecca, said "...we cover all aspects of the causes and dangers..." of alcohol abuse.
Essentially, the forum was held to raise a general awareness about the underestimated dangers of alcohol, with the hope that students will walk away well informed and equipt to handle the social pressures connected to drinking.

By: Jill Epstein

Girls Swimming Has a Successful Season

Trumbull High sophomore Shannon Ahearn won twice at the FCIAC championships, wrapping up a fifth-place finish in the conference final for the girls varsity swimming team. The fifth-place finish gave the Lady Eagles a spot in the Class LL finals, which takes place on November 18. At the FCIAC tournament on November 7, Trumbull High earned 189 points, 57 behind fourth-place Wilton and one point ahead of rival Staples. Ahearn starred for the Lady Eagles, winning the 200-meter individual medley in 2:07.20 and the 100-meter backstroke in 59.03. She said in an interview with the Connecticut Post, “"I knew I was going to swim against a lot of flyers (butterflyers) and they were winning after the fly, so I was beginning to get worried. But fortunately, I was able to come out on top." Other notable finishes for Trumbull High include a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter Freestyle Relay and another fourth-place finish in the 200-meter medley relay.

In the regular season, Trumbull High swimming finished with seven wins and four losses, earning a spot to compete in the FCIAC tournament. The highlight of the season arguably was a victory over rival Staples High School. Sophomore Caitlin Cole called the meet “a HUGE rivalry [meet] and a HUGE win for us.” According to team members, Trumbull High swimming should have finished 8-3, but they “messed up” a meet against Stanford, according to sophomore Jazzi Cooper. In the end, I think they just underestimated their opponent that day. Big reasons to why Trumbull High’s season was a success are the leadership of the seniors and great coaching all around.

Trumbull High Girls Swimming had high hopes coming into this year, and without a doubt, they met the expectations of everyone. The obstacle for next year is maintaining the high level of play that they achieved this season. One goal the Lady Eagles would like to meet is being better focused, which sophomore Jazzi Cooper says was a big weakness for the team this year. When asked about the main goal for Trumbull High next season, she simply replied, “Go 8-3.” Cooper, like every member on the team, has high hopes for the state of Trumbull High swimming for next season. Personally, I can not wait to see how the Lady Eagles finish in 2010. It will definitely be as successful a season as they had this year.

Rent-a-Senior Day Dazzles Students

As Trumbull High Spirit Week continues on, there is no doubt that Rent-a-Senior Day is the most exciting event of the festive five days. Every year, students come up with creative designs to dress up the seniors they choose to rent. Seniors pay $5 to be rented, and the person renting them pays $10. The money spent on the seniors this year benefits the Class of 2010, most notably the senior Prom. Every student is thrilled with the idea. Sophomore Wesley Douglass was quoted saying, "[Rent-a-Senior Day] might be the best day of the year!" Clearly, students are excited to see what extraordinary designs the event has to offer. Like all its precedents, the ideas for Rent-a-Senior Day this year were as creative as ever. Trumbull High students were amazed by a wide variety of costumes, including a Jamaican bobsled team, a Rubix cube, and a couple of "senior" citizens. The amounts of grouped costumes were endless. While students were amazed last year by a quartet of the legendary rock band KISS, they were satisfied this year by a Scooby-Doo gang, Blue Clues members, Oompa Loompas, Crayola Crayons, and a team of bumpercars. Personally, I was amazed by all of the males dressing up as females, including Lady GaGa and Hannah Montana. As all of the students in our school are, I cannot wait until next year, where we can witness the creativity of students expressed through the seniors of Trumbull High.

by: Andrew Vojt

Varsity Field Hockey Ends Season

Trumbull High Varsity Field Hockey, led by captains Katy Donahue, Mackenzie Lannon, and Brenda Nguyen, finished their season with a loss to Fairfield Ludlowe High School on October 29. Although Trumbull’s final record was 2-14, the team showed excellent progress with each passing game. The season produced several memorable moments, the finest being a 4-1 victory over Stamford, the team that eliminated Trumbull from the state tournament just a year ago. After this season, the team will lose eight upperclassmen. Seniors Katy Donahue, Savannah Garrison, Makenzie Lannon, Jen Lemoine, Keri Mahoney, Brenda Nguyen, Kelley Sullivan, and Julie Trombetta each significantly contributed to the dynamic of team, and the players are sad to see them go. However, keep your eye on current sophomores Lauren Gregory, Natalie Probst, Lisa Pulie, Mary Rose Rappa, and Danielle Reardon, who already play on varsity and are sure to be superstars for Trumbull High School in 2010.

Article by Jill Epstein

Photo taken by Andrew Vojt

Girls Varsity Soccer

Sports teams for fall are quickly coming to an end. Trumull High's girls varsity soccer teams stands with that athletic crowd, although their heads may not be as high as last year. The team gave 100% effort, but it looks like they needed 110%, as they did not make the FCIAC tournament this year. This was a first for Coach Urlass this being his sixth year coaching the team, but as they say "it's how you play the game," and indeed, he still has praise for his players.

Coach Uhrlass told me nothing but positive things about his captains. He described senior Meg Loughman as "a consistent player who brought creativity to the field." Loughman also proves to be a real team player, as Uhrlass stated she had "great passing ability." The other senior captain, Kara Kapell, is full of drive, described as "bringing speed and hustle during a game. [She] is a real threat to other teams, as she is always ready to score." Kapell "puts pressure on the other teams backline," always giving her all.


Seniors are not the only ones keep the team running, as Junior Marissa Pearson is one of the three captains. According to Coach Uhrlass, "she is an excellent ballwinner." The backline also holds up well, with Melissa Rubin (grade 10), and Rebecca Smith (grade 10) as a "solid Defense".
Varsity Players deserve a round of applause, as the whole team works hard as they come onto the field ready to go. Their sportsmanship and teamwork keeps their coach smiling. Cheers for Varsity, you keep Trumbull High Proud.

By: Katelyn Avery EE Staff Writer

THS SPIRIT WEEK 11/9-11/13

Monday: Twin Day

Tuesday: Class Theme Day

Seniors: "American History Day" - Cowboys & Indians

Juniors: "World History Day"- Togas

Sophomores: "Ethnic Diversity Day" -Hawaiian

Freshmen: Pajama Day

** we understand that the official names are broad, but we encourage everyone to dress up under the unofficial names. inappropriate costumes will as always not be tolerated.


Wednesday: Veterans Day

A House wears red

B House wears blue

C House wears white



The homeroom with the highest participation in each house will recieve a Breugger's Bagel breakfast in order to be counted towards your homeroom, wear a shirt that is your house color!



"blue" jeans and accessories don't count.


Thursday: Sponsor-A-Senior Day



Friday: Black & Gold Day

Everyone wears black and gold

Pink Ribbons and Sweet Treats

The Pink Ribbon Club had a fundraiser last week to help those suffering from cancer. All around school, students found flyers about a bake sale just in time for Halloween. The club sold a variety of sweet treats during all lunch shifts, and 20% of the profits went to the Pink Ribbon Foundation. Students also made their way over to the clubs table, as any student wearing pink that day was given a free piece of candy. The club just started this year (although the organization has been around since the early 1990's) and is a great addition to Trumbull High's list of extra-curricular activities. Students can expect to see pink ribbons next year, as the fundraiser had a fantastic turnout. According to club advisor Mrs. Laird, the club "ran out of baked goods to sell by seventh lunch."

GOP prevails with Tim Herbst at the top

It is time to remove the lawn signs supporting either parties that surround Trumbull. The Republicans have triumphed in every contested race in Trumbull, led by Tim Herbst, who beat out previous four-term candidate Ray Baldwin by a 55% to 45% margin, 6906 - 5572. Herbst was very gracious and thanked everyone involved in his campaign during his victory speech at Marissa's on Tuesday night.
Hard work does pay off in Herbst's eyes. “I would like to thank Ray Baldwin for his years of service to this town and this country,” he said in an interview with the Trumbull Times. After thanking his volunteers, he pledged to enjoy the evening and then get right to work the next day. Trumbull is now eagerly awaiting Herbt's new lead, waiting to see what positive aspects he can bring to the table.
Election Day has passed and all Trumbull can do is participate in the victory of Herbst throughout the community. Although some are not very happy about this win, beliveing Herbst has limted experience. However, the town of Trumbull will soon find out.