How do you apply to college without a GPA? For several years, this has been a question for Harwood Union seniors. When a class of sixteen were asked recently about the application process, all described negative feelings. Nervous, confused, scared, stressed, frustrated, worried, anxious, concerned, and one even remarked, “I wasn't sure I would be on the same playing field.” The reason these Harwood students don’t have a GPA is because of the...

Instructions: Strange things happen sometimes. And sometimes they are caught on camera. And sometimes those pictures get put on Street View. Go to Google Maps or Google Earth, then follow our clues every Tuesday to find one of these images. Make sure to tell us in the comments to the right what you see once you find it! The clues are tricky, so feel free to look up things you don’t know. These puzzles will be much harder or impossible on phones,...

Harwood’s new annual tradition, the Winter Ball, is upon us. Hosted by the beautiful Round Barn Inn, our first Winter dance is sure to be a smash. “They said they loved what we were doing and loved the cause, and they chose to donate their space, which was really, really kind of them,” said Cole Flaherty, Harwood senior and leader of the middle school Mentor program. Almost all tickets were sold out -for ten dollars a piece, and all profits...

You have an instrument in your hand, about to start playing Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, which you have practiced for months. And then you remember - you are in a cramped, non-soundproof room and easily get distracted by the person playing Gangnam Style in the next practice room over. Although there are certainly things that aren’t perfect, Harwood’s music area is a quality one, especially compared to many other schools. However, the space didn’t...

Have you ever wanted to get a run in during the school day? Or have lunch someplace other  than school? Having an open campus would let you do that! Many students feel that Harwood should be an open campus because of the freedom of being able to leave and come back to school. However, there are several safety concerns such as Harwood being in a rural area which means driving to places students want to visit during school hours. The Benefits of...

Every single student, not only in this school, but in most American high schools enjoy the privilege of listening to music. Having headphones on in class or in the hallways can create a feeling of comfort. Each individual has different music tastes and a different reason for why they have headphones on. You can feel like a rebel with one headphone in without your teacher having any idea, or you can be caught very easily and have your phone taken away...

Janitorial jobs are challenging. I am speaking from experience as a janitor at a cafe for 3 months. It was definitely on a smaller scale than cleaning a whole school. not to mention the numerous schools for which our maintenance staff is responsible. The cafe had its changes from day to day, and it was hard being the only person responsible for the appearance of the cafe and how the cafe's customers would see the business.   Trash, nice...

There are a lot of rumors about what caused the flooding of our gym, but we finally have the answer. We also know how it will look when we get the new floor.  On September 22 the sprinkler system in the gym had a leak, and about 1000 gallons of water flooded a part of the floor. The leak was caused by a basketball that was kicked to the ceiling and through extremely bad luck, it hit a sprinkler head which resulted in the sprinkler water being...

Tina Pan, the founder of the Dungeons & Dragons Club here at Harwood, needed to check the saving throw rules. She went to the wiki site, and unfortunately for her, it was blocked. She felt annoyed. Maybe you've also had this experience.   When surfing the internet at Harwood, you may have encountered sites that probably should not be blocked but are anyway.  Additionally, there are sites that probably should be blocked but aren't,...

Ground broke in 1964 for the construction of Harwood Union High School. The school was built on a 20-acre plot of land and cost approximately $1.6 million to build. Construction was completed in early 1966 and the doors opened for the 1966–1967 school year.  In 1997, Harwood underwent a $7.2 million renovation in order to modernize its facilities as well as add a dedicated Middle School wing of the school. These renovations included a new exterior...

“Rwanda kind of feels like home,” says Harwood Union High School English teacher Stephen Rand. In his 13 trips there, the kinship between Harwood and this remote African country has strengthened.  The hilly landscape and friendly people remind students and faculty alike that, “People are pretty similar all around the world, no matter where you go,” Rand said. “There's more similarities than there are differences.”  In February, ...