I congratulate Umass Boston on the flow of secruity and how easy it was to enter the concert. It took us little time to push through the crowd convincing people we were “looking for a friend.” We were decently close to the stage, but due to the height of the guys in front of us it made for a difficult attempt to see Kendrick. Not long after entering Kendrick came out. The place went crazy! The vibe in the gymnasium was insane. Mostly Kendrick sang along with his album recording in the background. However, he had a way with words getting the people of Umass pumped up. Eventually, me and my friends moved our way out of the crowd to get some air. This is when the real stuff went down. My friends Allison, Amanda, and I decided to go out on a ledge and crowd surf. A nearby guy offered to get us going. Lifting me up I figured I wouldn’t last more than 10 seconds. I MADE IT TO THE FRONT ROW! It was the scariest, most thrilling thing ever. Not the safest thing, but I was grounded at the front row untouched. When I landed a member of security grabbed onto my arm pulling me over the fence. At the moment I feared getting kicked out. However, he simply brought me around to the back of the crowd where my friends reunited. It was the best concert experience I could have asked for. Kendrick really brought everyone together and kept the vibe alive!

Boston is by far one of the best cities to find local bands that are not as noticed as others. They seem to stay humble and know where the come from, after all Boston Strong. One local band that everyone should keep an eye on is Timeflies, consisting of producer Rob Resnick and vocalists/rapper Cal Shapiro. The two began in our own Boston, specifically Tufts Univeristy. Though there isn’t much on the group now, they are definitely a group to watch for, providing hip hop, pop, electro, dubstep, and dance. Recently, Shapiro and Resnick performed in the Boston Strong in honor of those during the Boston Bombings in April. Every tuesday, the group has “Timeflies Tuesday” where they post new songs, keeping fans and new-coming fans updated. Overall, keep a close eye on Timeflies!! I mean, come on, they’re representing Boston!

To check more of Timeflies and their recent single “I Choose You” check out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timeflies

Website: http://timefliesmusic.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TImeflies4850

And Twitter: https://twitter.com/Timeflies

The winds were strong enough to turn over tractor trailers and easily tossed around baseball-sized hail and debris. One of the most greatly affected places from the storm was a mobile home park, destroying half a dozen homes which closed off two nearby interstate highways.

Despite the effects from the storm on Sunday, the mid-west might not be in the clear yet. The strom continues to move east, tearing up parts of the country such as Oklahoma and Arkansas. More than 60 million Americans are at risk for severe weather on Monday. Hopefully Americans will take the opportunity to get to a safe place so that the injured and death toll does not rise.

Just over a week ago, the Class of 2014 had their first prom; junior prom to be exact. Looking back at prom, many highlights occured. Here are just a few:

Hotel – The first thing you see when walking into the prom venue was the hotel. Located in Woburn, Massachusetts, the Hilton Hotel was extravagant and elegant. The notorious stairs stuck to the rumors. They were extremely steep but started the laughs of the night as groups watched each other trip and stumble. Juniors were also given the freedom of roaming the Hotel (or atleast the one floor prom was held on), observing the pool just below the balcony and relax on the soft chairs to catch their breath.

Photobooth – The Photobooth was definitely a highlight during prom. Though there were numerous long lines, the pictures were clear and each person was handing a small slip of 4 crazy, passionate, and memorable photos. Along with the photobooth was a table of various accessories such as funky hats, oversized dollar signed sunglasses, and even feather boas to spice up the pictures couples and groups took.

The DJ – To every party, there must be good music, ranging from pop to hip hop, slow songs, to dubstep. The DJ did a great job providing a variety of music as well as fitting the songs juniors had requested pre-prom.

The Dresses – The dresses were by far a highlight for prom. Long to short, flowy to tight-fitted, this was one time to see EVERYONE fancy. Suprisingly, girls exchanged smiles and small laughs as they looked at each others dresses, even stepping and stumbling on some *cough* Cotton Eyed Joe *cough*

Prom King and Queen – As the prom came to an end at 11:00 pm, Prom King and Queen were announced. This is probably one slow dance where everyone sits down and smiles and the couple dance across the floor with their crown and tiara. Congrats to Conor McGovern and Cassie Greene for becoming Prom King and Queen.

The After Party – At 12:00am, the after party finally began. Between the hours of 12-5 am, the after party provided a large table of delicious foods (thanks to Bolocco for the burritos) and a chocolate fountain!! (YUM!). The after party also had another DJ to keep the music going, caricatures, tatooes, an inflatable obstacle course and moon bounce as well as Dance Dance Revolution. If you just wanted to relax and talk to friends, small cots were provided away from the chaos with Tarzan playing on a projector.

Hypnotist – At 3:00 am sharp, a hypnotist appeared as students sat on the bleachers. The hypnotist was by far the funniest event during the night. As a group of kids pretended they were in a band, their shoe was a mp3 player, and even imagined theirselves as body builders, almost everyone giggled or laughed until their stomachs ached.

Overall, the first prom for Class of 2014 was well worth the money and we without a doubt made the best of it. Thanks to the PTO, the teachers that attended prom and Student Council for giving us an awesome prom and an unforgettable experience. Until next year!!

Last night, the Billboard Music Awards were filled with exciting performances and hundreds of stars. Before getting to the awards, the title of this article must be addressed. At a quarter to ten, Miguel took the stage and began his performance of “Adorn.” His vocals were beautiful and his dancing was on point. However, we cannot avoid the fact that he did fail the one big stunt he attempted. Miguel tried to jump from the large stage to a smaller “runway” type stage, but did not make the full length. Instead, he took down a cheering girl by the neck with his legs. All the surrounding audience members were in shock, but Miguel just put his arms around them and continued his performance, even though the girl he knocked out was not to be seen. He finished his performance strong, even though his eyes seemed to show that his mind was somewhere else after that stunt, which was probably true.

The rest of the night was filled with great performances from Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Prince, and Jennifer Lopez. Taylor Swift did her typical award show performance, with her hair in a high ponytail and bopping around like one of her dancers. She was sporting a bright unicorn t-shirt that caught the eyes of many. I really think that if she did the type of performance like she did at the 2010 MTV Music Awards, a solo, acoustic song, she would gain a lot of her original fans back, instead of just the younger crowd. I must quickly mention how Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne’s rap duet turned into him sitting in a chair while she twerked on him…can anyone tell me what this has to do with Billboard music?

I enjoy watching all of these award shows, mainly because they are live, and anything can happen.

An article on Childish Gambino is well overdue and deserved. Donald Glover, a.k.a Childish Gambino, came out with his album Camp in 2011. Donald Glover is a writer, rapper, producer, comedian, and actor. Many people know him from the TV show Community on NBC, but this isn’t about one of the funniest shows, this is about Camp one of my favorite albums.

I was first introduced to his album when I heard the song “Bonfire” on a Pandora radio. I instantly bought “Bonfire” and began to play it all the time. His lyrics are vulgar like most rappers, but they are also very good. I do not think I can fully describe his lyrics without saying how good he is, but I will say that he is clever and different. In the song “Hold You Down,” he mentions that he used to listen to Biggie and dreamed that he could become him. Donald Glover also describes how his family was poor, he lived in the projects housing, and his family took care of foster children. In school, he was intelligent, wanted to be cool, and got in trouble for acting out. He describes the struggles of growing up, changing paths, and going to a white school, describing it as alienation. His lyrics remind me of Biggie and other great rappers, because they do not repeat themselves every line, like the newest Drake song. His songs tell a story and gives an insight into his life.

If you want an example of a song that tells a story about Glovers life listen to “Hold You Down” another example is “Outside.” Both of these songs describe his life, but also describe the daily struggles for someone who is suffering from racism. He talks about what it is like to grow up being poor and black. I think if someone was to listen close enough it could open up their eyes. “All the Shine” is also Glover’s thesis statement, and it describes what he is all about. While he claims that he might not be the best known rapper, but he has passion and I think anyone can see this.

Donald Glover to me is a very impressive rapper, and my attitudes towards him have completely turned around. I am now an avid listener of Childish Gambino, and although he might swear a little bit too much for my taste it does not take away from his impressive lines.

This year, one of the rules Dr. Perella is really enforcing is the dress code. First voilation of the dress code results in contacting your parents, changing your clothes, and a detention. A second violation also results in contacting your parents and changing your clothes along with a Saturday detention. A third violation will result in prarental contact, change of clothes, a Regular School-day Suspension, a re-admit conference with a parent, and Social Probation for one month. Each violation after your third offence results in the same consequences.

There have been many offenders thus far and students say that they have gone unnoticed. Many people, including teachers, find violation of the dress code uncomfortable. Despite the fact that we go to a public school without uniforms, Medford High is not only educating us but also teaching us how to be professional or “grown-up”, and our appearance should depict that. The way we dress effects the way we behave. Nobody should have to feel uncomfortable in school because some student does not know how to dress appropriately.

To aviod the rath of Ms. Trainor, Mr. Ross, Dr. Perella and other faculty, you should avoid the following:

No visible underware, No halter tops, No clothing with drug/alcohol messeges or sexual innuendos, Shirts/Tops must be long enough to reach the top of your pants, No violance/gang-related items/clothing, No pajamas, No see-through clothing, No tank tops, No spaghetti straps, and No bandanas.

It is important to note that obscenities spelt incorrectly are still considered obscenities.

These Do’s and Don’ts came from the MHS Student Handbook on page 43.

Almost a week after their highly physical and hard-fought 8-5 victory over Arlington Catholic, the Medford boys’ lacrosse team took on Cambridge in hopes of maintaining their lead in the GBL. The game was highly competitive with a lot of goal scoring early on and Medford held a 7-4 lead at halftime. Medford controlled the ball for most of the third quarter and dominated the game in terms of physicality. The defensive unit played strong and the offense picked up a goal late in the third to take a 9-5 lead into the final quarter. The Mustangs picked up two more early in the fourth quarter and they took an 11-5 lead. The game appeared to be in complete control and with six minutes left the Cambridge coach called a timeout. A few fans left and I was ready to leave myself, but a quick goal by Cambridge caused me to stay for a few more minutes.

Cambridge picked up three very quick goals and with three minutes to go Medford still held a comfortable 11-8 lead. Cambridge scored two more quick goals and made the score 11-10 with a miunte and a half left. They lost the faceoff but a great save by their goalie allowed their offense to take the ball downfield and score. Medford called a timeout with 43 seconds left in the game, but the score was 11-11. Neither team capitalized on their opportunities in the final minute of play and the game went into overtime. About two minutes into overtime Medford scored and won the game. Although this game was too close for comfort, Medford was able to pull through with a victory and now holds the top spot in the GBL standings.