In the past week, you’ve definitely heard about March Madness in the halls of WHS. It’s the annual basketball tournament that captivates the country, in which 68 college teams face off and try to win the highly coveted championship. However, many of these games occur during school, causing issues for student fans who want to watch.

Senior Justin Messerman is an avid fan of the tournament and tries his best to keep up with all of the games going on, even during school. “During the last few periods of the school day when the early games are starting, I usually keep my phone on my lap, occasionally peeking down at the score,” he said. “Also, for the past few years, having ninth period free really pays off because it allows you to watch the game secretly in the library.”

Senior James Peretz has the same method as Messerman, and he also mentions how it got him into trouble in class. “Last year, I think in my English class, I had to put my phone away, but it was more so because there were ten of us doing it in the class and my teacher got annoyed,” he said.

Students are not the only ones eager to keep up with March Madness. Many teachers at WHS are equally excited for the tournament, such as History Teacher Brett Curtis. Unfortunately, he often finds himself unable to watch, saying, “If I have an off period, maybe I’ll throw it on, but my schedule doesn’t really work out that well for that.”

Many teachers also incorporate March Madness into their lesson plans to keep students engaged. English Teachers Nicole Scimone and Hedy Siroty have found clever ways to include March Madness into their curriculum. “We decided to use The Canterbury Tales unit and turn it into our ‘Canter-bracket’ unit,” Scimone said. “Students fill out brackets for the

tales that we read, and then write an essay defending their choice of which is the best tale. It’s still the same idea as writing an essay, but we’re embracing the season.”

With the tournament in full swing, all of WHS is ready for the madness that comes with trying to keep up with all of the thrilling games.