December 15, 2025 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
Local:
- SSHS Music to Spread Holiday Cheer in This Week’s Winter Performances: Saratoga Springs High School’s Bel Canto, Mixed Chorus, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band are coming together to perform their holiday concert in the SSHS Auditorium at 7pm on December 17, as well as their annual in-school performance at the end of the day Friday, December 19. At SSHS, the last class block before break is spent supporting students in Toga’s varying music groups as they perform holiday songs in preparation for December break. In years past, they have performed songs like Carol of the Bells, Hot Chocolate from the Polar Express, and Hanukkah hymns. Usually with Santa hats and jingle bells, this annual concert is a fun way to celebrate the holiday season at the high school!
- Mark Fish Steps in as the Interim Principal at Maple Ave: Mr. Fish, a retired superintendent of the Greenwich Central School District, has been appointed as Maple Avenue Middle School interim principal since December 1, in replacement of Scott Singer after he resigned from the position on November 13 due to financial and legal conflicts. Mr. Fish will serve as the Maple Avenue principal through April 2, 2026, while the school finds a new principal to take over the position.
- Toga Winter Sports Kick into High Gear to Start off Their Seasons: SSHS’s Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team takes on LaSalle Institute this Tuesday, December 16, at 6:45pm at Wiebel Avenue Ice Rink. The team won their first home game against Capital District but then lost against St. Francis the next day in the Don Kauth Memorial Tournament. However, this year’s roster has already shown their talent and teamwork on the ice and remains hopeful for a successful season. Support the team as they enter their third home game and bring your school spirit for Jersey Night! Additionally, Toga Varsity Boys Basketball started their season successfully in their first home game this past Friday, December 12. The boys tipped off against Averill Park High School and decisively won by a score of 53-43. Their next home game is this Friday, December 19, against Columbia High School at 7pm. Go Streaks!
National:
- Fatal Shooting at Brown University on Saturday: On Saturday, December 13, Brown University students were alerted of an active shooter on campus. As of publication, two people were killed and nine were injured in the incident. The shooting is reported to have happened in the engineering building, and the shooter was shown in video footage to have calmly walked away from the scene afterward. On Sunday, the shelter-in-place order was lifted, but the university “cancelled all classes, exams, papers, and projects for the remainder of the fall semester and said students were free to leave,” reported AP News. Police have detained the man deemed the primary suspect, but this situation is to be further investigated in the coming week. (1) Brown University shooting live updates: Person of interest in custody | AP News
Global:
- Terrorist Attack on Bondi Beach Leaves 15 Dead: On Sunday, December 14, a large Hanukkah celebration was held on Australia’s Bondi Beach, with hundreds of people in attendance. The alleged gunmen were father and son, who open-fired on the beach as people gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. The shooting killed 15 individuals, one a child and one a Holocaust survivor, and has left over 40 in the hospital. The older suspect was fatally shot by police and the other is in critical condition and custody. “Antisemitism has been on the rise in Australia, fueled in part by Israel’s war in Gaza,” reported AP News. This event was deemed an act of antisemitic terrorism by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This is not the first act of antisemitism in recent months for Australians, but this event is now marked as the second-deadliest mass shooting in Australian history. Click here for more information: Gunmen kill at least 15 in attack on Jewish event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach | AP News & (2) At least 15 killed in shooting that targeted Australia’s Jewish community at Bondi Beach | CNN
Photo source: purephoto.com
- The Warming Climate Has Presented a Change in Polar Bear Genetics: New research has shown a connection between rising temperatures and polar bear DNA. The University of East Anglia in Britain conducted the study, collecting blood samples from polar bears all over Greenland. They found that parts of their genome have slowly rewired to adapt to their changing environment. This has allowed them to survive less on a high-fat diet of seals, as they can no longer hunt them in large masses due to the melting of ice, which once provided them a way to hunt. An adaptation in their DNA like this has been seen as a last-ditch effort for their survival in a fading Arctic. However, polar bears are still an endangered species, as these ice platforms continue to melt and put them in food scarcity and isolation; these changes in gene expression may not be enough to halt the decline in the species’ population. Click these links for more on this: phys.org/news/2025-12-polar-survive-warmer-climates.html & Polar bears are ‘rewriting their DNA’ to survive warming Arctic, study suggests – ABC News