“It takes logic to get from point A to point B, but it takes imagination to get anywhere. Quoted by the great Albert Einstein. Thats what I’ve learned in high school.” Anthony Cardona

“High School is the foundation for the rest of your life” Kayla Clowers

Going to High School is obviously going to change in persons life because you grow up. You experience a lot of your firsts, your first friday night football games, new friends and friends that become old friends. Your first love.. and your first heartbreak, hard classes and easy classes, parties and detentions. You spend four long years in a high school and after those happy and miserable years you graduate, leave home, and become an adult, and start your life. People say that you will always remember your years of high school, and that they are some of the best years of your life.. And those people were right.

Brazil is hardly a secret destination but Brazil features tons of natural beaches and beautiful sites. In a city of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, the town offers countless restaurants, and thousands of activity’s for the beach.  Brazil is even going to be the host of 2014 Soccer World cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.

Sweden has always been a place of surprises and discovers. Every visitor of Sweden should know the main sights like the Royal palace and the winding cobbler streets of Medieval Gamla Stan.

October 22, 2011, marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Franz Liszt, Hungary’s greatest and most loved and piano virtuoso. Although music centers throughout Europe will be honoring the maestro all year long, his birth city of Raiding (which belonged to Hungary in Liszt’s time) will be in the throes of “Lisztomania,” brimming with concerts of the composer’s best-known works and his Hungarian Rhapsodies, played by world-famous orchestras and pianists. The house in which he was born has been turned into a museum where visiting music lovers can see his manuscripts, his beloved Érard piano, and even his death mask.

This city in the Campania region of southern Italy withstood an earthquake in 62 AD and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, but after years as one of Italy’s top attractions and a spectacular window into the ancient world, it’s crumbling. Although some blame neglect, the fact is that it’s impossible to maintain two-thousand-year-old ruins forever, and recent years have seen a series of building collapses on the site. Weather, the ages, and wear and tear by tourists are having their way with Pompeii, so if you don’t see it soon, you might lose your chance forever.

If you’re looking for an authentic, European beach experience that’s as inspiring as it is affordable, the Algarve is the place you want to be in 2011. Offering up some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Europe, the Algarve is about a one hundred mile stretch of beaches along the southern tip of Portugal. What’s really special is the variety of beaches you’ll find sprinkled in between the quaint fishing villages. From secret and secluded beaches, to long stretches of sugar white sand, the Algarve delivers a fabulous beach vacation. An ideal choice for where to stay is the award-winning Vila Vita Parc Hotel that’s on a cliff, overlooking the ocean, right in the center of the Algarve so is a great central location for exploring. There is so many different restaurant choices you have and how you also have your own private beach. Right now Vila Vita has a special with starting room rates at around $200 a night.

All these places offer a great Vacation spot for anyone who is interested in kicking back and relaxing at any of these places. Just remember to book your air-fare and have a blast!

It was an incredible feat for two 17-year olds, particularly considering they had only been making music for a year. While their success engendered its share of haters, the doubts were instantly quelled upon the release of their debut album, Skinny Jeanz & A Mic. A critical and commercial success, the LA Times praised Ben J and Legacy’s innate “catchiness and charisma,” while XXL magazine hailed the Boyz as “the breath of fresh air that rap needs.”

While the  world may have initially known them as jerks, the group’s second smash single, the Ray J-aided slow jam, “Tie Me Down” went multi-platinum and was the groups second Top 5 record at rhythmic radio. Revealing their pop gifts and versatility, the collaboration still dominates radio even a year after its initial release. They were up for a BET Award for best group and even snagged Teen Choice Award nomination. Subsequent tours with Chris Brown and Sean Kingston revealed the hysterical fervor of the group’s fan base. Several mall performances even worked the crowd into such a frenzy that law enforcement had to shut them down.

But it’s 2011, and rather than the rest on their laurels, Ben J and Legacy are back with their sophomore album, Too Cool To Care for May 10th release on Shotty/Asylum/Warner Bros. Records. The new album reflects the group’s continued evolution, as they harness different genres (electro, alternative rock, R&B) and blend them with their hip-hop roots and trademark wit and confidence. As they said from the start: New Boyz do new things. “We still support the movement, but we wanted to show our creativity without being tied to jerkin’,” Legacy said. “Too Cool To Care is about how we’ve always gotten criticism from those who want to hate on our fashion or our style. But we’ve always done our thing. The album has crazy pop tracks, rock songs, and electronic songs. We’re testing our boundaries.”

“Break My Bank” combines the best of both worlds: fluid raps layered atop island crooner and labelmate lyaz’s instantly memor able hook. The result is a summer jam that conjures palm trees, white sand beaches, fluorescent waters and pink drinks with umbrellas in them. An instant smash, in just two weeks the single was added to 50 radio station playlists and closed in on pace to be Asylum’s fastest record to #1 on any airplay chart.

Their first single “Backseat” is their attempt to bridge all these influences. Produced by Indie-dance duo The Cataracts and featuring their starlet Dev, the song marks the group’s foray into pop territory while keeping roots in hip-hop inspired fun. The “Escalade-based bager,” described by Entertainment Weekly on its rise up the charts, “is how dance parties start–and how babies accidentally get made.”

Elsewhere on the album, the group proves they can step away from the house-party functions and into a glitzy nightclub, concocting electro-club bangers like “Zonin.” But don’t be misled by the eclecticism. Even hardcore hip-hop heads, who view skinny jeans as the sign of the apocalypse, will be converted by the DJ Khalil-produced “Tough Kids” with its rapid-fire raps, raw boom-bap drums and Hendrix-style guitars.

“We wanted to show that we’ve grown up a little bit It’s not something out of left field, but want to show the world that we’re the New Boyz and we always do new things,” said Ben J. “The first album was more jerkin’ oriented. It let the world know who we are. This album is focused on expressing ourselves to the girls. We’re always trying to get the ladies.”

Their first album made them voices of their generation, but their second explains exactly who the New Boyz are. They’re children of the iPod age, able to switch style as easily as they switch their skinny jeans. The notions of traditional hip-hop mean nothing to them. They’re dedicated to pushing past genre and aesthetic boundaries. They’re perennially on the quest for the new. And if you don’t like it, that’s all good–they’re Too Cool To Care.

But the fun doesn’t completely mask the quarter’s work ethic and serious commitment to working toward power-pop greatness. One clear standout in their growing catalog is “Catching Up,” a call to action-themed track that became a fan favorite after the band performed it in the set of their Suddenly headline tour in the summer of 2010. It appears on the new album, and these particular lyrics definitely have the ring of “mission statement” about them, too. “I’m done hanging out/Talking ’bout what I want/No fun sitting here/Thinking maybe next year,” sings lead vocalist Zach Porter. “I don’t wanna be/Looking back at 23/Saying to myself: Got a lot of catching up to do.”

Older listeners accustomed to pondering what they might regret in middle age or on their deathbeds might laugh to think of Porter imagining the regrets he could end up harboring at age 23–which for him, like the other members of Allstar Weekend, is still three years down the line. But the band members were conscious about keeping the threshold for possible disappointment and remorse that young.

“That was a lyric that we were actually discussing: Should it be ‘I don’t want to be looking back at 23,’ or 33, or 43? But we kept it young, at 23. Because I’ve seen so many of my friends now–after high school, after we set what we wanted to do with our lives and we went to our colleges and whatnot–that are just kind of doing nothing.. Either they lost their sense of direction or were maybe too scared to actually go after something in their life that they really desire. ‘Catching Up’ is a wake up call to people to step out of that comfort zone, take a risk, and go for what you really want.”

If youth is often said to be wasted on the young, it’s definitely not being wasted on Allstar Weekend, who have somehow managed to be both determined and carefree in going for the gold. They started the band while attending the same San Diego high school–though some of the close friendships date back to middle school–and happened into a series of lucky breaks, making their own luck all the while.

Break number one, in their minds, was landing their managers, Stefanie and Richard Reines, while they were still in high school. This carries both practical and symbolic importance, since these managers also happened to be founders of the group’s favorite indie record label, Drive-Thru Records, a Los Angeles-based imprint that had signed a good number of the band members’ favorite local pop-punk groups. At the same time, Allstar Weekend knew that striving after indie cred was not the path for them, when, however had they might rock, their hooks were so unabashedly pop and their instincts so unabashedly commercial.

Break number two came when they made a fateful decision to drive up to L.A. from San Diego, on a whim. “Every time we’d walk out of one of those venues in San Diego, there’d always be people handing out free CDs  and flyers. So we started handing out at various shows,” says Quiseng. “We ended up handing a flyer to a casting director at Disney, who gave it to someone from Radio Disney. And then overnight we got this email saying: ‘We checked out you stuff online and enjoyed it. I have this competition, and I need one more band. Do you want to come into the studios and join the contest?’ We went in and we were super-nervous, talking over each other. But hearing our song blasting on the radio in Zach’s car was such an experience, I can’t even explain how much we were freaking out.”

And then, Quiseng hastens to add, “We actually ended up losing the competition”–but, as Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Miranda Lambert, and other famous contest losers would tell you, that’s not always such a fatal thing. The Radio Disney exposure led to a series of showcases for major labels, and going with Hollywood Records, “where we wanted to be from the beginning,” was big break number three.

Allstar Weekend  have continued to be embraced by Radio Disney in a huge way. The station’s studio is “practically out home away from home,” says Quiseng. But, of course, the group differs from a great deal of the other fare heard there, first of all by beingt a band, not a solo artist, and then by not being attached to any TV or movie property. Their level of musical accomplishment at the mutual age of 20 is so great that it may be hard for some observers to believe they really are a self-made outfit, and not something put together by some mad, brilliant Svengali. But, as far as they’ve come, they’re not that far removed from their parents’ garages, in years or in spirit.

And before they were a garage band, they were a bedroom band. Because  before Allstar Weekend even formed, singer Porter and guitarist Nathan Darmody had joined forces just to become songwriters. The fact that writing was first love, and remains an ongoing one, may account for the ultimate underlying strength of Allstar Weekend as a song- and not image-based band. It also gives Allstar Weekend the gift of longevity as a band that will long outlast their beginnings at Disney.

“I think some people forming bands go out wanting to make a statement, or become a character, or embody some kind of image,” says Porter. “But we were never trying to be a grunge band, not trying to be a metal band, not trying to be an indie-rock band. Before we were even a band, Nathan and I wanted to be songwriters, and we’re still trying to write catchy songs that people can relate to, and just be who we are.

Among the four of them they agree that guitarist Darmody and drummer Michael Martinez are the most natural, long-standing, and accomplished musicians of the group. Bassist Quiseng admits: “I had dabbled in guitar, but I had never picked up a bass. I just really wanted to be in the band with these guys because they were close friends. So Nathan taught me everything I know, or at least showed me the basics of playing bass, and I just practiced and practiced until I was ready to join them.” Porter had done a similar amount of work to excel as the band’s frontman. “I wasn’t born a singer,” he says. “I remember for years, my parents told me, ‘Zach, this is a pipe dream. You need something to fall back on.’ But I kept at it. It’s a matter of drive and determination and passion.”

Those are all qualities that show up in spades in the 11 songs on Suddenly Yours–along with, of course, the aforementioned fun. The album’s first single, “Come Down With Love,” is one of Allstar Weekend’s hardest-rocking tracks yet, and one–befitting the virus metaphor–with a distinctive ear-worm quality. “I think it’s a more powerful song than we’ve ever written before,” says Porter, “and will definitely be a big step in how people view us,” That song, which the band recently sang to Demi Lovato on the Disney Channel’s hit sitcome Sonny With a Chance, is one of four never-before-heard songs that didn’t appear on the previous EP.

The other newbie tracks are “Catching Up,” the love-struck “Can’t Sleep Tonight,” and “Here With You.” The last number, whih Allstar Weekend have been known to break out acoustically in radio visits and other more intimate settings, is a sincere-sounding but slightly tongue-in-cheek ode to a Masxim pin-upgirl that Porter had on his wall in high school. (“As soon as I moved out, my brother stold the poster,” the singer points out.)

Other songs here are already familiar to diehard fans, like “Dance Forever,” a hit digital download from its initial release on Suddenly EP last summer. It’s a no-brainer to guess that that breakout song is, well, danceable, but the influence of their childhood heroes, blink-182, is more impossible as becoming superheroes. In the tune, addressing his own innate modesty in the face of these no-so-fantastical fantasies, Porter sings, “I’m only five-foot-eight…” But, he jokes, not only have they achieved most of the other goals in the song, but “I’m five-foot-eight and a half now. I’ve stepped up my game!”

The album’s closer, “The Weekend,” may seem like a simple party-pleaser of a rocker, but the band’s seize-the-day philosophy is embedded even in a song that initially sounds like it’s only about seizing a Saturday. “The general theme, besides the weekend, is that whether or not you like what you’re doing in school or like you job, there are always going to be times where you can be yourself,” says Porter. “And it may not be in you job, but there will be moments in life where you can shine as the person you really are. I think people maybe forget that or don’t even know that.”

Allstar Weekend’s ultimate aspiration is to be unforgettable, themselves. For the time being, they stay after every concert to meet every last fan who can stick around–a process that can last as long as four or five hours. These epic meet-’n'-greets are a ritual they won’t be able to do forever, but “it’s really important to do it now,” says Porter. “Because every night on this headlining tour that we’ve been doing, our goal above everything is to make it a night that everyone there can remember the rest of their lives. And having that face-to-face interaction is vital to that, so we take it really seriously.”

“We’re so busy now and we have such little interaction with our old friends or even our family while we’re on the road, the fans are the ones that can almost relate to us the easiest, or understand us the most, at this point. They’re the ones who see us the most! So it’s a really great relationship.” Right now, to a fan base that has emerged almost instantaneously, Allstar Weekend are “suddenly yours,” but they’re counting on that developing into “forever yours.”

But for Rise Against, this particular endgame might just be their beginning.

As the title of the band’s sixth full-length studio album–and the moniker of the album’s title track–Endgame, is indicative of both a world that has run its course, and perhaps ushering in an entirely new start.

“It’s about a dangerous time in civilization, the end of life,” says vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath. “What if the life that we’re living right now is this unsustainable bubble that cannot go on and perhaps does not deserve to go on? What if he world we created is a place that is so unnatural and ugly that it is a world that needs to come to an end, so that we could have a world that is better for everybody? It sounds very utopian, but it’s not about a perfect place, but maybe some of these things we/re doing, they need to come to an end.”

McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair have been making these striking personal and political statements, and providing prompts of great magnitude throughout their remarkable catalog by offering songs that aren’t just merely sung, but very much thought about.

And it’s thought that has made Rise Against such an important bank to its ever-expanding fanbase. For the Chicago-based punk group, the creation of dialogue and discourse with listeners has allowed for a response and career trajectory that’s been overwhelming positive since the band’s launch over a decade ago.

Rise Against’s previous effort, 2008′s Appeal to Reason, further escalated the noteworthy attention already generated by prior successes, including The Sufferer and the Witness (2006) and Siren Song for the Counterculture (2004), which had provided such hits as “Swing Life Away,” “Ready to Fall,” “Prayer of the Refugee” and “Savior.” And Endgame simply picks up on such highlights.

Endgame was largely assembled in the latter half of 2010. The band opted to return to production veterans Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colo., and mixed with Chris Lord-Alge, who also worked on Rise Against’s previous two albums.

The album’s first single, “Help Is On The Way” was inspired by McIlrath’s recent visit during a retreat in New Orleans.

“It was a post-Katrina New Orleans, and I was down at the Gulf, going to the Lower Ninth Ward, seeing the damage and meeting people,” he recalls. “It was so eye opening to see how important the city was and to realize that a city like this existed within American borders at all and to see how much it was hurting was something that was really emotional and dramatic.”

McIlrath notes that the song stems from a lot of the imagery that remains embedded in his thoughts.

“I wanted to paint a picture of what happened down there and what is happening down there, and even though New Orleans is moving away from the spotlight a little bit, there’s still a lot recovery that people don’t see that takes place every day and it’s still an important place in America and in the world. It’s a place that should not be forgotten about. It’s a hopeful title in a sense, but there a couple different things, as in help is on the way but it never came. It still needs a lot more help, it still needs to happen.”

On Endgame, Rise Against also shifts the spotlight to homophobia via “Make it Stop,” a topic McIlrath says really hasn’t been addressed in the rock scene. The Catalyst for the song occurred in September 2010, after a wave of gay teen suicides. According to McIlrath, the band received e-mails from gay fans who had contemplated suicide due to the harsh climates in which they live and the harsh world that judges who they are.

“That’s something I’ve seen firsthand,” he says. “It’s bummed me out to create this community of fans, where you want everybody to feel accepted, but then to realize that there are people that don’t feel accepted, even at your own shows, even at a Rise Against Show, where we go out of our way to let you know that if you are here, you belong here, no matter who you are. It’s a place where everyone is welcome. But we’d hear from fans about homophobia in the scene, or even hear from fans who are unsure about how Rise Against feels about homosexuality. That was what alarmed me the most, was to have a fan that even had a question in their mind about where we stood on it. I guess I looked back on our career and Rise Against had never made a definitive statement.”

The definitive statement Rise Against makes on Endgame, is that the band is open to any sexual preference. “It’s something that we certainly don’t judge,” McIlrath says. “I felt there needed to be a song, which came from our world, because I feel that the rock world stays pretty silent. I wanted to put water where the fire was. I wanted to do a song that, first, lets fans know that we don’t tolerate bigotry in our audience and, second, empower fans who are coming to grips with their own sexuality, empower them to be proud of who they are an that we accept them, and create a community that accepts them.”

Endgame also features “Architect,” a song inspired by the forefathers and historical figures of civil rights and activism, including Thoreau, Malcolm X and Howard Zinn.

“They were designing a world in which we would be able to live in,” McIlrath says. “They fought for the design of everything that we can enjoy as Americans and people in the world today. The song is posing the question: Is our generation producing those architects now? It’s wondering if our generation is so overcome with cynicism and apathy that we are in danger of not creating these architects. Every right that we enjoy as Americans, somebody was out there with a picket sign to get it.”

And McIlrath sees Endgame‘s “Survivor Guilt” as a sequel to “Hero of War,” which appeared on Appeal to Reason, hailing from the perspective of a ghost of a soldier who fought for his or her country.

But it’s important to note that the spectrum of material presented on Endgame is counterbalanced with a number of personal subjects, including the song “This Is Letting Go” which is based around a story McIlrath had penned.

“The songs to me are a selection of who we are as people,” says McIlrath. “We’re not 100 percent political or 100 percent personal. We’re people with many different cares and passions. Many different things make up our daily lives. I don’t consider myself any more political than those out there who care about the world they live in.”

And as for the pressure in following up its string of successes–which now includes three gold-awarded albums and gold singles-McIlrath says it’s all internally generated.

“The pressure that we feel is he pressure that we put on ourselves,” he says. “We try to step up our game on each record and create something that’s relevant, new and fresh, and is still Rise Against. I want to give my perspective, and from the punk community, take in what’s happening, interpret that and put it into a song, letting the world know how we feel about it. Thats the goal behind a lot of the music.”

“Times have been hard for everyone over the last couple of years,” said James Roller, FDHS’s yearbook adviser. “Even our yearbook has been hit hard as a result of the economy. Yearbook orders are lower than at any other time since I began advising here in the 99-00 school year, both business and personal ads are much harder to sell and are, too, at an all time low. We really have to struggled to meet our publication costs.”

“It dawned on me we would need to change our fundraising strategy if we were going to continue to try to produce the quality of book we have traditionally created. My kids’ elementary school has offered a savings card ever since my now 18 year-old first enrolled. I knew as a parent and consumer that their savings card was a great deal, and we buy one every year. Since FDHS did not have such an offer in place, that seemed like a natural way to help not only the yearbook staff, but, honestly, local businesses and members of our community alike,” said Roller.

Just a sample, but probably what the front of the final card will look like.

An example of what the back of the card may look like. Offers shown will not necessarily appear on the final card.

For Businesses

Currently, FDHS is in the process of discussing their card with local businesses to provide them an opportunity to be included. The yearbook staff is looking to include twenty or more savings offers on the card, and as of the date of this writing, they are about halfway there, with a number of agreements pending.

The yearbook staff hopes to begin offering the card for sale before the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

Business that might like to be included on the card (either this year or in future years), should contact Mr. Roller. They can also simply download the FDHS Merchant Agreement and mail or fax in to FDHS.

“Our goal for our business partners with this card is to give people in our community an incentive to visit our partners. As a FDHS Savings Card holder, say I am deciding on a place to eat. I know I have an offer at Wendy’s, but not one for Chick-fil-a. I certainly have a greater reason now to spend my money at Wendy’s instead,” said Roller.

“With our annual Savings Card in the hands of hundreds of people in the Fort Dorchester community, businesses included on our card will have a competitive advantage over their competitors. It is as simple as that,” Roller continued.

The deadline to submit a Merchant Agreement for this year’s card is April 22.

For the Community

Clearly, what the Savings Card offers is twenty or more discounts or other savings offers that are valid on a daily basis until 8/1/2012.

That is over a year of savings at places like Kangaroo Gas Stations, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Wonder Wash, Brat’s Tanning, and Arby’s.

In addition, FDHS’s yearbook staff is currently in discussions with places like Tanger Outlet and reaching out to business owners who have students at Fort Dorchester to provide even more value for our card holders.

“The great thing about our Savings Card is that these offers are not just one-time discounts. Unless indicated otherwise, these offers can be used at all of these businesses every day until August 2012.  That will be a very real benefit for anyone who uses our Savings Card,” Roller said.

The cost of the card will only be $20 and will have the following restrictions:

• Equal or Lesser Value with Buy one, Get One offers
• Not Valid With Other Offers, Coupons, or Specials
• Not Transferable
• Limit One Offer Per Card Per Person Per Day
• Subject to Change Without Notice
• Additional Terms and Conditions May Apply
• Must Present at Time of Order

“We hope to include at least 20 offers on our Savings Card this year. At this point, we are almost there between the agreements we already have on hand and those pending with whom we are currently in discussions.  In addition, we have just sent a voice message to the homes of all Fort Dorchester students to make sure we don’t leave out any business owner who feels they could benefit from being on our card. When this collection of offers is finalized, we feel we will really have something of value to offer both those businesses and our card holders. Really it is a win-win-win situation,”  Roller said.

FDHS’s savings card is expected to go on sale beginning May 2.

Don’t miss out: Text fdhsyearbook to 70359 to sign up to text alerts regarding the Savings Card and other yearbook related info.

Ready?  Maybe not…

GET READY:

1. Sign up for text message updates. Text fdhsyearbook to 84483. (Standard rates do apply.) First notice about new clues will go out via text.
2. Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. These folks will be the second notified about new clues.
3. Get a QR Code reader. Read this post to learn more and to find which readers we recommend. Or visit yearbookunlimited.com to learn more.

KNOW HOW TO PLAY:

Read this information to learn all you need to know to play the game.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN:

The first clue will be release sometime before midnight on 4/11.  Be ready.

Good Luck,

~ Roller

This is a sample rendition, but is likely to be the final version of the front of the FDHS Savings Card.

An example of what the back of our card may look like. Offers shown will not necessarily appear on the final card.

FDHS is proud to announce their first annual FDHS Savings Card will be arriving soon. The card will benefit businesses and consumers alike and is being created as a fundraiser for the yearbook staff.

“Times have been hard for everyone over the last couple of years,” said James Roller, FDHS’s yearbook adviser. “Even our yearbook has been hit hard as a result of the economy. Yearbook orders are lower than at any other time since I began advising here in the 99-00 school year, both business and personal ads much harder to sell and are, too, at an all time low. We really have to struggled to meet our publication costs.”

“It dawned on me we would need to change our fundraising strategy if we were going to continue to try to produce the quality of book we have traditionally created. My kids’ elementary school has offered a savings card ever since my now 18 year-old first enrolled. I knew as a parent and consumer that their savings card was a great deal, and we buy one every year. Since FDHS did not have such an offer in place, that seemed like a natural way to help not only the yearbook staff, but, honestly, local businesses and members of our community alike,” said Roller.

For Businesses

Currently, FDHS is in the process of discussing their card with local businesses to provide them an opportunity to be included. The yearbook staff is looking to include twenty or more savings offers on the card, and as of the date of this writing, they are about halfway there, with a number of agreements pending.

The yearbook staff hopes to begin offering the card for sale before the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

Business that might like to be included on the card (either this year or in future years), should contact Mr. Roller. They can also simply download the FDHS Merchant Agreement and mail or fax in to FDHS.

“Our goal for our business partners with this card is to give people in our community an incentive to visit our partners. As a FDHS Savings Card holder, say I am deciding on a place to eat. I know I have an offer at Wendy’s, but not one for Chick-fil-a. I certainly have a greater reason now to spend my money at Wendy’s instead,” said Roller.

“With our annual Savings Card in the hands of hundreds of people in the Fort Dorchester community, businesses included on our card will have a competitive advantage over their competitors. It is as simple as that,” Roller continued.

The deadline to submit a Merchant Agreement for this year’s card is April 22.

For the Community

Clearly, what the Savings Card offers is twenty or more discounts or other savings offers that are valid on a daily basis until 8/1/2012.

That is over a year of savings at places like Kangaroo Gas Stations, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Wonder Wash, Brat’s Tanning, and Arby’s.

In addition, FDHS’s yearbook staff is currently in discussions with places like Tanger Outlet and reaching out to business owners who have students at Fort Dorchester to provide even more value for our card holders.

“The great thing about our Savings Card is that these offers are not just one-time discounts. Unless indicated otherwise, these offers can be used at all of these businesses every day until August 2012.  That will be a very real benefit for anyone who uses our Savings Card,” Roller said.

The cost of the card will only be $20 and will have the following restrictions:

• Must Present at Time of Order

• Equal or Lesser Value with Buy one, Get One offers
• Not Valid With Other Offers, Coupons, or Specials
• Not Transferable
• Limit One Offer Per Card Per Person Per Day
• Subject to Change Without Notice
• Additional Terms and Conditions May Apply

“We hope to include at least 20 offers on our Savings Card this year. At this point, we are almost there between the agreements we already have on hand and those pending with whom we are currently in discussions.  In addition, we have just sent a voice message to the homes of all Fort Dorchester students to make sure we don’t leave out any business owner who feels they could benefit from being on our card. When this collection of offers is finalized, we feel we will really have something of value to offer both those businesses and our card holders. Really it is a win-win-win situation,”  Roller said.

FDHS’s savings card is expected to go on sale beginning May 2.