1. Summer at the Movies

Superbad posterOne of the quintessential parts of being a teenager in the summer is seeing the massive number of movies that blitzes the theater every June through August.  In case you missed any of them, here are a few reviews of the films that came out this summer.  Superbad (comedy):  If you have not seen or heard about ...

By Sam Crowley Read Story →

2. Albany athletes bring the summer heat

Sam Haller endures the heatHigh school students are some of the most hardworking, dedicated people in this country, and athletes are no exception. They spend their summers training for the upcoming sports season. Although “official” practices do not begin until one week before the school year commences, ...

By Ariel Vento Read Story →

3. Go, Sports Movies, Go!

Are these sports movies worthy?Have you ever watched a sports movie and been pissed off because the best thing about it was a snot-nosed kid throwing popcorn at your head? Well, the two of us have and we have definitely seen our fair share of crappy movies. ...

By Sophie Linder Read Story →

4. Parcel tax putting Albany athletics on the rise

AHS Cougars sporting brand new uniformsIn November 2005, the Albany community passed a parcel tax that contributes extra money to specific school needs. One of these needs is athletics. Each year, over $1 million comes into the school district, with $135,000 of that going to athletics. ...

By Jake Phillips Read Story →

5. School and Sports - Where’s the balance?

Do we pay too much to play?If you ask 100 random students waking in the hallway, “are you on any AHS sports team?” most of them would say yes. More than 520 students participate in interscholastic sports at Albany High. Most teams practice two to three ...

By Jane Park Read Story →

6. Run for Fun

“Cross country is fun!” said the enthusiastic Nikki Muench. “It’s hella fun, you should join,” said the ultra-hyped Keegan Richerson. “I love running 10 miles as fast as I can, sweating my brains out, and collapsing on the floor… as a warm up.” Ok, no one actually said that last quote. But cross country can be quite a grueling existence; ...

By Brian Aller Read Story →

7. Injuries: more than a feeling

Injuries are often far more than physicalInjury is an ever-present aspect of competing in any sport, from tee-ball in the third grade, to professional level competition. We all know what can happen to an athlete when something goes wrong: a torn ligament, a broken arm, a concussion. We don’t have to go into all that. An ...

By Dan Haller Read Story →

8. Snakes on a School Newspaper

Snakes on a Plane was a flopThroughout history there have been influential figures that end up shaping a huge following. Gautama Buddha. Martin Luther. L. Ron Hubbard. And now, in the year 2006, a new man has stepped forward to show us the light… Samuel L. Jackson. He is a man of many names and talents, but there is ...

By Hilary Armstrong Read Story →

9. New Year, New Music

With each school year we hopefully grow as people, so why not expand our music tastes as well? I have heard enough Green Day and Ciara on the radio to last me a lifetime. Therefore, I scour the internet for underground artists offering a fresh musical perspective. An underground artist, often called an indie artist, is generally defined as one ...

By Artemis Jenkins Read Story →

10. Face Off: Amoeba and Rasputin

The Hired Help at Rasputin?I’m sitting next to a bum at the corner of Creepy and What’s-That-Smell? I’m sure you’ve all been there. It’s that wrought-iron fence that surrounds the empty lot/trash can across the street from Amoeba Records on Telegraph Ave. That’s where I found myself once upon a Saturday. My original intent was to ...

By Eric Beeson Read Story →

11. Conflict in the Middle-East: Levels of awareness vary among students

Violence between Israel and its surrounding states is a burning issue for virtually every person with the slightest sense of global awareness. Students at Albany High have mixed opinions on the subject. Some with families in the region are very passionate. Others “just don’t really care.” A number of students favor Israel, while others sympathize with Arab countries. But generally, ...

By Peter Boaz Read Story →

12. Summer Homework Data and AP Scores

This is the companion data for the article What Summer Vacation? This is the anonymous survey that The Cougar distributed to all AP/Honors classes that assigned summer homework. Anonymous AHS AP/Honors Student Survey The Cougar Newspaper will feature an article about summer homework in our first issue. We would like you to answer the following questions to help us gain insight into ...

By Leslie Ribovich Read Story →