The Hap
13th March, 2023 11th Edition
In This Issue:
The Real Uses & Dangers of ChatGPT
Machinal
Say Something Week (3/13 - 3/17)
Casa del Taco Review
Senior Class Fundraiser Update
Student Advisory Council/School Committee Updates - Start Time Survey
Debate Club Updates
Join Math Team
NHS Volleyball Tournament
Daniel's Table Fundraiser
The Real Uses & Dangers of ChatGPT
Earlier this academic year, a new technology took the Internet by storm. This wasn’t Web3 or cryptocurrency. This was a software chatbot by the name of “ChatGPT”.
Developed by the “non-profit” OpenAI laboratory in San Francisco with big-shot names like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, the software was built on top of previous models and research that has been done in the past 5 years.
Since its release, it has taken the world by storm. Several businesses have been propped up around the use of “AI” and ChatGPT. Trying to determine a problem that could use the bot as a solution. Microsoft announced a $20 billion “partnership” with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT into its Bing browser. Weeks later, Google announced their own AI system nicknamed “Bard”. Both of these projects have had negative implications and have not worked properly. Causing shareholders and companies’ employees themselves to be annoyed by the latest fad.
The first thing to note: is that ChatGPT is not actual artificial intelligence. It is a language model. The whole point of the system is to predict what the next word of the sentence is. ChatGPT does not so much think for itself in whole phrases, but rather figure out what the next word will be.
A notable example of this is that many students have tried to use ChatGPT to write entire essays. Many of my teachers are paranoid at that prospect and require students to now only write major papers in-class and have the documents shared. However, while it may appear that the bot is writing a masterpiece, a slightly more in-depth skim shows otherwise. No citations are given. In addition, several pieces of evidence that are written into its response are nonsensical. With nothing outside of ChatGPT backing it up.
While the example was just placed from the academic standpoint, there is no telling how these blatantly wrong answers can impact lives. Many people are using it to outsource simple chores. Another article from The New York Times helps convey that when AI does try to act like an AI seen in science fiction, chaos ensues.
If we continue to allow our collective information to be from a chatbot that is merely trying to predict the next word, who knows what could become of our society.
However, there are some, albeit limited, uses for ChatGPT that can be beneficial for people. These uses include:
Using ChatGPT to find grammatical errors in its responses and modify them to make sense.
Writing code (You would need to make slight edits but it works 95% of the time)
Customer service for companies. (This would make consumers angry but costs were lowered. So who is truly benefiting from this?)
ChatGPT and its similar counterparts are a major push to the future of the internet. (Dubbed “Web3”). While it is too late to stop what is coming, what matters now is making sure that everyone is aware that chatbots and artificial intelligence can’t do everything and shouldn’t. The quicker people accept that, the better our society will be as we further progress in our technological endeavors.
Machinal
The Framingham High School Drama Company is competing in the METG (Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild) Festival! Festival is a competition that involves schools from all over Massachusetts performing one-act plays. Of the one hundred twelve plays entered, only three will be named winners. Framingham will be putting on a production of Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. The play is based on the real-life story of a murderer, and details points of her life leading up to the moment she kills someone and what happens after. After prelims, Framingham High School will be hosting the semi-finals of the competition this March, and hope to travel to Boston as well to participate in the finals. The FHSDC has gotten very far in many past years of METG Festival, including winning a few, and are hoping to bring home another win!
Sonia Fanous
Class of 2026
Say Something Week (3/13 - 3/17)
Emma Devlin, Class of 2026
With February coming to a close, it’s important to know what’s in store for March. For example, Say Something week. March 13th through March 17, GGIA (Greater Good in Action) will be planning and hosting activities for the FHS community. This movement was created by the Sandy Hook Promise, and aims to raise awareness for “how to look for the warning signs of someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to tell a trusted adult to get help”. The club has planned several projects, all geared to educate everyone on the serious issue that is school violence. To show your support for Say Something Week, please wear any item of clothing/accessory with orange in it to school 3/13 through 3/17.
Sandy Hook Promise Website: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something/say-something-week/
#SaySomethingWeek #SaySomethingSavesLives
Casa del Taco Review
Emma Devlin, Class of 2026
Service: 5/5 Due to the small size of the restaurant, the same lady was working as the waitress and cashier. She did a good job of all the people coming in the restaurant for takeout and dine-in, and made sure to deliver food to people fast and efficiently. She was very kind and knowledgeable and seemed happy to be there. Food: 5/5 Emma: I ordered an asado burrito with guacamole and water. The whole meal was only about $16, including the drink and extra for guac. The burrito was the same size as one from chipotle, if not bigger. It also came with a little cup of tangy but spicy sauce that I liked. I regret not buying a Mexican soda, but would definitely recommend my order to someone else. Sonia: I ordered a carnita taco and an asada torta. Both were delicious, especially the taco which packed delicious flavor into a small package. Everything was cooked well and seemed to be fresh from the kitchen, and all of the food was very well done. Space: 4/5 The restaurant had a very small footprint, but it was decorated well for the amount of space allotted. The decor was cute and had a clear theme, and all the tables had an adorable hand-painted design. There was plenty of seating for such a small space. It felt very homey, and it was obvious that it was a family owned restaurant. The space was very quaint, with the only consistent noises being our conversation and the T.V. overhead. It was very easy to become comfortable there, even though it was my first time. Cost: 5/5 As everyone knows, almost everything nowadays seems overpriced. But at Casa Del Taco, the cost was insanely cheap for the quality of the food! We were able to get multiple different items of food for less than $30 between the two of us, including drinks. Not to mention that they were big meals, enough to keep anyone filled for a good amount of time. Overall Rating: 4.75/5 Link to Casa del Taco Website: https://www.casadeltacoo.com/ Casa del Taco Location: 1609 Concord St, Framingham, MA 01701 Sonia Fanous & Emma Devlin Class of 2026
Senior Class Fundraiser Update
Joaquin Erasquin, Class of 2023
The senior class steering committee wants to thank everyone for participating in all of the fundraisers we held in the month of February! We are so thankful for everyone who showed up and bought our roses before and during school on Valentine’s Day-- even after restocking, we sold out before the end of fourth lunch! All of your support was appreciated a ton. Thanks to you, the money we raised will be going towards more epic school apparel, and ultimately, an awesome prom this spring!
Speaking of epic school apparel, thanks to everyone who filled out our order form for our embroidered crewneck sweaters! We are still accepting orders through this Google form, so hurry and order yours before time runs out!
Many of you have reached out about placing an order and not receiving your sweatshirt yet. This is because we place the order for all our sweatshirts at once, and we want to make sure everyone who wants a sweatshirt has time to order! We appreciate your patience; your orders should be arriving and available for pick up in the following weeks in room E101. We’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime, keep spreading the word!
Order Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhWHX3kGJKqKrW-tgH3-qtQ21owteJ8UFWkzogCuSGj43BdQ/viewform
Check out our steering committee looking great in these crewnecks!
In any case, just because February is coming to a close doesn’t mean we won’t keep fundraising! Here’s the information for our next fundraiser at Bertucci’s in Framingham-- just show up, mention that you’re there for the senior class at FHS, and enjoy some great Italian food. Keep an eye out for more benefit nights in the works, too! We hope to see all of you there!
Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant (Framingham, MA) - Thursday, March 9, 2023 - 11am to 10pm
The senior class needs all of your help to make the most of our last year at Framingham High. Come out and show your support!
By Joaquin Erasquin
Class of 2023
Student Advisory Council/School Committee Updates:
As the chair of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) and student representative on the Framingham School Committee, I would like to provide the FHS community with updates from the SAC and the School Committee.
Important updates from the January 18th, February 1st, and February 15th School
Committee Meetings:
The SAC school start time survey is linked here, so please take a moment to fill it out! Your English teacher might have already sent this survey to you, if you have already filled it out, thank you and you do not need to fill it out again.
A draft version of the 2023-2024 school year district calendar has been sent out to the public.
Includes FHS PM Collaboration Days now.
One calendar that explains religious holidays that occur on no-school and school days, as well.
Please feel free to tune into the Framingham School Committee Meetings biweekly on Wednesdays, either on the government channel (Comcast 99, RCN 13/HD613, Verizon/Fios 42) or on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/framinghamps/. Click on this link (or visit: https://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Page/2520) if you are interested in learning more about the School Committee and your designated district member.
Respectfully submitted,
Nilufar Noorian
Debate Club Updates
Hello FHS Community!
It is my pleasure to invite you to join the FHS Debate Club! If you are interested in improving your public speaking skills, arguing your stance on an issue, or getting involved in your school community, then Debate Club is the right extracurricular activity for you. In Debate Club, members, such as yourself, indicate topics that you are interested in and vote to choose a topic. We research that topic for one or two meetings to have a solid understanding of the topic, and then we debate!
Some topics that we have debated thoroughly in the past:
- Should public colleges in the U.S. charge tuition? (June 2021)
- Should the Electoral College still exist or should we replace it? (November 2020)
- Should the 1% be taxed more? (October 2021)
- What is the best way to combat poverty, realistically? (November/December 2021)
- What are 5 Constitutional amendments that should be made to modernize the U.S. Constitution? (January/February 2022)
THIS YEAR:
- Should School Resource Officers (SROs) be in schools? (September/October 2022)
- Should colleges be for profit? (November 2022)
- Should cigarettes and vaping be illegal? (November 2022)
- Is homework needed? (December 2022)
- Should Twitter be allowed to ban accounts? (December/January 2023)
- Do we still have control over technology or is it already controlling us? (January 2023)
We generally explore and debate on topics that are currently trending in the news, but we welcome all suggestions! Debate Club meets on Mondays in room E102, Ms. Shorey's room, at 2 p.m. You may also fill out this form to receive e-mails about our meetings.
We hope you consider joining this club,
Nilufar Noorian, President
Ms. Shorey, Advisor
Join Math Team
Nilufar Noorian, Class of 2023
Club Advisor: Ms. Strader
Math Team is looking for new members, especially freshmen, but all grade-levels are welcome!
We meet on Wednesdays in room C106 at 2 p.m.! Math Team is a great way to improve your math skills every week, challenge yourself, and meet people with similar interests. No matter how much experience you have or whether you’re in algebra or calculus, you’ll always be an appreciated addition to our club.
In addition, we participate in monthly meets (competitions) against other schools which are very fun. The individual rounds consist of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and more. There is a team round with a mix of problem types, so you will find your favorite round! Meets are organized by the Greater Boston Mathematics League. To learn more about them or the types of problems you could be doing with the club, please visit gbml.net! We hope to see you there!
If you like a challenge or if going to our meets interests you, please stop by C106 and try a practice. We hope to see you there!
Nilufar Noorian, Senior
Data Analyst of Math Team
NHS Volleyball Tournament
The National Honor Society was able to bring back our charity volleyball tournament. We had not been able to play since 2020 and even then we only played the first 2 days of the three day tournament due to covid shutting down in person learning. This year we combined the prize money from 2020 and 2023. The winning team was We Showed Up and their charity of choice was St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. $1110.00 will be donated to St Jude’s.
We had 14 teams play. Each team plays 8 games over 2 days and the top 8 teams make the single elimination 3rd day. Each player contributes $5 and each team picks a charity to play for.
The picture attached is the two teams that made the finals, We Showed Up against Men in Black. We Showed Up was led by John Hudson and consisted of all 11 graders: Garrett Jones, Ben Dionisio, Connor Lemay, Nathan Monroe, Brendan Walker, and Derrick Bilton. Men in Black was led by Ricky Costa and consisted of all 10th graders: Kevin DaSilva, Joshua Souza, Caio Silva, Kavan Frietas, and Gabe Menezes.
Daniel's Table Fundraiser
The National Honor Society hosted a bake sale on the FTA Professional Development Day. Many students baked and volunteered to be at both the Fuller and FHS sites. NHS has created a partnership with Daniel's Table, an organization in Framingham that helps fight food insecurity. The bake sale was a success with $465 being donated to Daniel's Table. NHS hopes to make this a yearly event.
The Hap Staff
Nilufar Noorian, Layout Editor, class of 2023
Staff: Joaquin Erasquin, Kara Hatalsky, Sonia Fanous, Emma Devlin
Susan Corcoran, publisher, advisor
Questions? Feedback? Email scorcoran@framingham.k12.ma.us
Interested in joining? We meet in room E209, 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. on Thursdays.