Brrr-aving the cold
Team Freedom participates in 2015 BC Polar Bear Plunge Travis Hryckowian thryckowian@freedomarea.org
Travis Hryckowian/FHS Press
Each winter, many anticipate skiing, snow tubing, building snowmen or even sitting by a warm fire. But, for some, winter means an opportunity to take a chilling plunge into a body of water to raise money. Many states participate in an annual Polar Plunge to help benefit the Special Olympics. For the last few years, Beaver County has held an event for local schools and businesses. This year’s event was held at the Bridgewater Landings in Bridgewater, Pa. Many people came to watch and raise money. Some of the local schools involved include Ambridge, New Brighton, Blackhawk, Central Valley and Freedom. Some of Freedom’s staff that plunged include: Mr. Aaron Fitzpatrick, Mr. Jeff Griffith, Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Mrs. Misty Slavic and Ms. Katie Gigl. Board members: Mrs. Dawn Greene and Mr. Alan Colorito as well as many elementary teachers also attended. After being made popular in Boston during the late 1900s, polar plunges are held to donate money to charitable organizations. In other countries, the purpose is different.
Freedom Area School District’s staff heads into the river.
In Canada, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, a plunge is taken place on New Year’s to celebrate. Such fundraisers actually raise more money than planned, helping towards the Special Olympics organizations across the United States. “I did it for the experience of doing something different and to help the Special Olympics,” Griffith said. Due to the temperature of the water, many are steered away from participating. Some choose to walk in, others dive head first into the freezing water. Many sources say that the shock of cold water can help to soothe muscle pain, help burn fat and to
lower uric acid in the body, which can raise blood pressure. “It was terrible. As soon as I stepped in, my feet were instantly frozen,” Griffith said. Since this is FHS’s second year participating, many already knew what to expect. “Don’t think [about the plunge], just do,” Gigl said. Freedom’s team raised $5,222.11, which was more than their original goal of $5,000.
PAC changes direction (page 2)
Gudzan tells all about being 17 (page 6)
Feeling the flu (page 8)
First stop districts, next stop regionals Four Freedom students make it to Regional Band Lea Gualtieri lgualtieri@freedomarea.org
Photo Submitted
Seniors Kristy Sturgess, Robbie Raso, Nathan James, Junior Brittany Bionda and Sophomore Kameron Mayhue are five of the musicians in the “Big Red Marching Band” that made it into the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 5 Band on Jan. 8-10 in Greenville, Pa. To get into District Band, they’re placed at an audition at Honors Band for section seating and if they place high enough to get into districts, they’re in automatically, or the school band director can select students to go. Auditions for Regional Band took place during Districts. They were given an audition time prior to the audition date, then they waited until it was their turn to enter the room to be judged. There is normally a panel of three judges who aren’t facing them. The judges picked a section of music from their concert repertoire for the student to perform and they have to play it to the best of their ability. They were judge on musicianship, emotion within the piece, tonality and other accuracies that show a strong player. Through private lessons, practicing and many years of experience, four
Five students represent Freedom at District Band.
students made it into Regional Band: these four students being Sturgess, Raso, James and Mayhue. “It is an honor to make it into Regionals as a sophomore and I look forward to representing Freedom with [James, Sturgess and Raso,]” Mayhue said. He has been with Freedom’s band since fifth grade, but has been playing the trumpet for seven years and currently takes private lessons with Freedom Area Middle School Band Director, Mr. Robert James. “It’s not the private lessons that make the difference, it’s the hours of practicing that got me to the level that I am,” Mayhue said. Sturgess, who plays the bass
clarinet, has been a Drum Major for the band for two years. “I worked very hard to get where I am today. I can see a tremendous improvement in my playing skills as time has gone on and if someone told me in the fifth grade that I would be going to Regionals with the chance of making it to All-State Band, I wouldn’t have believed them for a second,” Sturgess said. Sturgess has also been with the band since the fifth grade playing the B flat clarinet. In eighth grade, she started playing the bass clarinet. Raso has been playing the trombone for Freedom for six years, But he has been with the band for eight. “It feels fabulous to get into Regional Band,” Raso said. James plays the french horn, has been to District Band twice and has been playing for eight years, but he has been a part of Freedom’s band for seven. “It feels like I’m finally getting some recognition for the work I do,” James said. At Regional Band, all four players will audition for All-State Band. If they make it, they could be considered the best high school players of the state. Regional Band will take place in February at Hickory High School.
Wrestlers weigh in for season (page 11)
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FHS-PRESS
NEWS
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FHS Press
January 30, 2015
PAC takes a new direction Students in PAC fill us in on their new focus Principal’s Advisory Committee, otherwise known as PAC started in 2013 with former principal Mr. Timothy Dadich. PAC was created to have students come together and try to come up with ideas to better the environment here at Freedom Area High School. PAC strives to find better ways to make the high school a place that the students feel welcomed and comfortable in, whether that be with teachers, new signs, changes around the school or even sometimes the community, if needed. “The way I have explained PAC to students [and the staff] that are interested in it, I see PAC as kind of a panel of advisors,” Principal Mr. William Deal said. This year, PAC wants to take a new direction in focus. PAC’s purpose was to fix what we as students thought were broken. Each year, PAC has held many meetings in order to discuss and decide how the school as a whole could help fix the problems that had been brought to them. For the past two years, PAC had taken the student handbook and tried to fix certain things for the better of the
Brianna Frashure/FHS Press
Hope Nuzzo hnuzzo@freedomarea.org
school and students. PAC has become a group where students can share their opinions on the direction they think the school should take for the better. It’s a way for the principal to be able to sit down and speak with anyone passionate about their school, and ideas to make it better in their eyes. “Last year, [PAC] was a little more focused on how the school functioned and what [Dadich] felt needed fixed, whereas this year with [Deal] I feel it is more student focused,” Junior R.J. Schlegel said. PAC was responsible for the eight learning core
signs that are in the classrooms, and they were also working on a yearlong project last year that focused on what qualities made a great teacher. “As I think about doing things or changing things or the direction I want to take with the school, PAC is kind of like the sounding board for that,” Deal said. PAC is a place for students to voice their opinion and try and accomplish the tasks they would like to see the school achieve. PAC has a few more focuses this year that are different from last. Technology is one of those focuses from the mix. “Our main focus for this year is finding better technology for us as students,” Schlegel said. PAC has decided upon the iPads that the school now provides, they are also working on bringing in more up-to-date technology for the students use. PAC meets regularly and is always open to new students that would like to attend to get their voice heard. “When you hear that PAC is having a meeting during AAP, it is not exclusive; it is absolutely open to anyone who would like to attend, and we encourage more students,” Deal said.
Elementary school construction progresses With 2015 in full swing, many students are already beginning to think about what they will be doing later on in the year. Some will be heading off to college or into the workforce, and others will be back at FHS again this fall. However, Freedom has a lot of changes occurring within the district. The new elementary school that is in the works has caught the interest of many students. Since construction began, the new elementary school being built on-campus with the high school and middle school, has been making progress. Scheduled to be at 42 percent completion, construction of the new school is behind schedule, reaching 40 percent completion. The other two percent they didn’t reach could likely be attributed to, as Mr. Scott Smith described it, “unforseen materials”, referring to unsuitable and unstable soil to build off for certain areas of the new school. “We’re pretty much closed in. And then we’re going to get even quicker here and be closing it all in pretty quick. The windows will be going in here before long. The standing seam roof was delivered [Jan. 14], so things are moving along pretty well,” Gary E. Mortimer, Jr., the Director of Buildings and Grounds at FHS, said. While the outside of the building can be seen whenever students pass it, what the inside of the building looks like remains a mystery to most. “You can walk through, and the framing is already up for the classrooms on the first floor. You can actually see the classrooms, the hallways, the
Hack and slash Nick Schreiner nschreiner@freedomarea.org
Throughout the entirety of last year, companies continuously found themselves crippled due to the high amount of cyber attacks. Back in May, the online auction site, eBay, revealed that hackers had stolen personal information from about 233 million users. This included usernames, passwords and even physical addresses. In June, Domino’s Pizza was contacted and told that a hacker group called Rex Mundi had stolen
Raylen Welling/FHS Press
Peter Korman pkorman@freedomarea.org Raylen Welling rwelling@freedomarea.org
Workers continue to make progress on the new elementary school.
mechanical rooms and the bathrooms. You can see the plumbing,” Mortimer said. With the new building being attached to the middle school, the flow of different students and grades has also come into question. “Head Start, Kindergarten, first and second grade will be in the new building. The first wing in the middle school will end up being third and fourth, the second wing will be fifth and sixth, and the third wing will be seventh and eighth,” Mortimer said. Many rumors concerning delayed progress have been filtering throughout the student body lately. “At every board meeting they give a facilities update, and the project has been pretty consistently three percent behind. I’m not sure how much that translates to in terms of days or weeks, but it’s slightly behind, but they’re hoping that once everything’s under roof that they can start really making up some time because then you’re not really
customer information of over 600,000 Belgian and French customers, and Mundi demanded 40,000 euros for the information to be withheld. The information was never released, but it’s unknown if the company ever paid the ransom. While most of the year’s cyber attacks were for information, some people used the anonymity of the internet to harm people physically. Throughout last year, the practice of calling a SWAT team on other people, or “swatting,” grew in popularity. The offender would call an anonymous tip to a police station claiming to be someone and saying that
so much at the mercy of the weather,” Principal Mr. William Deal said. On the subject of weather, Smith said to the school board that the construction crew would be taking advantage of Jan. 17’s slightly warmer weather by getting some work in. Although the project is expected to be done sometime in Aug. 2015, some are still concerned with what will happen if the project is not completed in time. “We don’t know yet. Until April, then we will have a much clearer idea of, “Okay where are we, where does it stand?” That’s when the school calendar officially gets set, so we’ll have a lot more answers then. But until then, pretty much all options are on the table, or off the table, you know however you look at it,” Deal said. During the school board meeting on Jan. 17, it was revealed by Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Freedom’s superintendent, that construction reached a point where tours could be given to members of the board. “It was amazing. I was there [on Jan. 13] and it’s incredible,” School board member, Mr. Harry Gilarno, said. By Feb.14, the construction crew expects to complete the metal standing seam roof and interior stud work on the first and second floors. They also plan to reach 85 percent completion on flat rubber roof areas. Focus is going to be placed on drywall soon, with working beginning with it in areas where the roofing is completed. All of the windows are expected to be completed as well. Although much of the work on the new building is now occurring where it cannot be seen by the public eye, the work is still coming along. As the weather continues to get better the building will continue to approach completion.
they had hostages or were committing some other serious crime, causing the unsuspecting person to be raided by a SWAT. team. The most infamous of these happened in August, when Jordan Matthewson, a man from Denver, was raided while broadcasting live to an audience of around 3,000 people. Several videos taken went viral and made international news by the next morning. See SLASH page 4
January 30, 2015
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FHS Press
Bee boo pop de bop
Translation: Robotics class prepares for April competition Zach Kugel zkugel@freedomarea.org
Travis Hryckowian/FHS Press
The robotics class has been meeting at VEKA every Wednesday since October to build a battle bot to compete with. They’re preparing for the BattleBots Competition that will be coming in April. The robot that is being built is known as the “VEKA Mach 2,” and is a reincarnation of last year’s battle robot. It does feature the same motor and wheels, but everything else is similar, improved or entirely new. The students in the class all have specific duties in order to maximize success. These responsibilities include: Junior Eric Eisenbrown as the driver and computer designer, Senior Josh Leasure as the electrician, Senior Travis Hryckowian as the programmer and photographer, Senior Alex Howland as the welder and assembler, Senior Jared Hartle as the machinist and Mrs. Beth Majors as the club sponsor. When going to work on the bot, the students drive over to VEKA in Fombell, located near Young’s Custard Stand, after school. The company has 18 locations in 14 countries. Three of these plants are here in the United States. VEKA produces an array of goods, but specializes in windows and vinyl. All of the members put in several hours of work when they go there. VEKA’s facility perfectly suits
Senior Alex Howland tig welding VEKA Mach 2
the needs of the robotics class to build the bot. “I left at 7:30 p.m. on one occasion,” Eisenbrown said. Due to the fact that the class consists of solely upperclassmen, it’s difficult for them to commit to every building session. This is because the members are also athletes, volunteers and have jobs. The students work with employees of VEKA to try to make the
best possible bot. The work is very thorough to ensure no errors. The process involves sketches, computer modeling and blueprints. “Every time I leave [VEKA] I always end up with a headache [from working so hard.] Usually there is [planning] but we always seem to change the plans midway. Nothing is set in stone and we never end up close to what we planned, for the better,”
Leasure said As of mid-January, the class has gotten the exterior finished. It features a similar, but improved design from last year’s bot. They were working on constructing a switch and are figuring out the circuit board. The switch comprises of a variety of materials from plastic to metals. The plastic needs precise drilling done by a machine that drilled on an X, Y and Z axis controlled by Hartle. Additionally, an employee from VEKA was showing students tips on soldering. The class decided on maneuvering the robot by using a PlayStation 3 remote. This is a change from the generic controller that was utilized last year. As of the third week in January, students started putting in several hours of work, multiple days a week. This is to allow for the class to have time to work with the finished robot before the competition. The class also uses the extra work to catch up in the places they have fallen behind in. The students of the robotics class look forward to the upcoming competition with certainty. With all the hours being put in, they are sure that they and the battle bot will perform well.
4
Risin’ up
FHS Press
January 30, 2015
Three students represent Freedom at District Chorus Brittany Bionda bbionda@freedomarea.org
One to two pieces of music is selected by the judges for the students to perform. After all of the students have done their audition, they will all find out the seating arrangements of the choir and who has moved onto Regional Chorus. Students practice their music day in and day out until the afternoon of the concert, which becomes very anticipated. “It was really surprising to find out that I got eighth chair for Soprano one, which is a hard section to be in. Being eighth chair means that if someone were to drop out, I would get into Regional Chorus,” Malinak said. Regional Chorus will be held on Feb. 25-27 at Trinity High School in Washington, Pa. Pavlick will be representing FHS at Regional Chorus. “It feels absolutely spectacular to make Regional Chorus because I
Photo Submitted
Three students committed their time to District Chorus at Greenville High School on Jan. 21-23. Seniors Joshua Battaglia and Ashley Malinak along with Junior Lara Pavlick prepared music in order to seal a spot at District Chorus. Just like District Band, which happened two weeks before, the students were required to stay overnight for two nights at a hotel in Grove City. “The overnight experience was really great. We stayed at the Hampton and staying overnight made it feel a lot like a cool vacation,” Pavlick said. The Hampton offered a continental breakfast to the students and the rest of the meals were served at the
high school. The director of District Chorus was Dr. Christopher Kiver, who conducts Concert Choir and Glee Club at Penn State. “Kiver showed us new warmups that helped prepare our voices for singing,” Malinak said. The students were given music to prepare for Districts after making Honors Chorus. This music was to prepare them for a spot in Regional Chorus. Battaglia sings tenor in the choir and went to District Chorus during the 2013-2014 school year. Malinak sings Soprano along with Pavlick and this is their first time attending District Chorus. Auditioning for District Chorus requires singing a selected piece of music, (which is chosen by the three judges), to the best of their ability.
Pavlick, Battaglia and Malinak attend District Chorus
thought I would never make it this far, and I’m glad to get this opportunity to represent Freedom,” Pavlick said. Once Regional Chorus happens, there is a chance for Pavlick to move onto All-State Chorus. All-state chorus would make her one of the top singers in Pennsylvania.
Regulations affect lunches and fundraisers Hannah Shumsky hshumsky@freedomarea.org
Hannah Shumsky/FHS Press
At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, the Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards were put into effect to improve the nutritional value of food consumed during the school day. As a result, food from the school a la cartes, vending machines and fundraising events must meet these standards. According to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, there can’t be more than 35 percent of calories in total fat, 10 percent of calories in saturated fat or 35 percent of sugar “by weight” and there can’t be any trans fat. Entrées can’t exceed 350 calories or 480 milligrams of sodium while snacks cannot exceed 200 calories or 230 milligrams of sodium. Because of the sodium and fat limits, FHS’s salad dressings and products from manufacturers, such as Frito Lay, had to change. “Manufacturers had to adjust their formulas,” Food Service Director Mrs. Dawn Fronius said. “They knew this was going to happen, but I think they thought that there was going to be a little pull-back and, consequently, at the beginning of the school year, we had a hard time getting product.” In addition, foods must be “whole grain rich,” have a fruit or vegetable
The snacks in FHS’s a la carte must follow the Smart Snacks in School Standards.
component, a primary fruit, vegetable, protein or milk ingredient or, until July 1, 2016, at least 10 percent of certain nutrients. Drinks are also regulated under these standards. Drinks like water, 100 percent juice and low fat or fat free milk are allowed. At the high school carbonated, low calorie, diet and caffeinated drinks are permitted, but low calorie and diet drinks have a calorie limit. “The USDA supersedes
everything. We can’t be less restrictive than the USDA, but we can be more restrictive,” Fronius said. These regulations don’t apply to the food and drinks served at after school events or food brought in for classroom parties. The new nutritional requirements have also limited student fundraisers. If the fundraiser is selling food that could be consumed during the school day, it must meet the nutritional requirements or be sold after school hours. This means that food that doesn’t meet these requirements, like candy bars, cannot be sold as a school fundraiser during the school day. “The school day is defined [as] midnight to 30 minutes after the last bell,” Fronius said. Each state has the power to allow a certain number of fundraisers to be exempt from the regulations, so they can be sold during the school day. In Pennsylvania, up to 10 exempt fundraisers are allowed in the high school. A club or organization can only have one approved exempted fundraiser, which can’t last longer than a week, per school year. “Ten groups can apply for an exemption, but once they apply, they have to give me [and the principal] all the information,” Fronius said. “We have to know what, when [and] where [and] we have to see labels.” All
groups requesting an exemption must apply at least one month before the fundraiser. Every five years, the dietary guidelines are updated. The most recent update to these guidelines was the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Most of these new nutritional standards set on school breakfast and lunch were put in place in the 2012-2013 school year. One of the effects was that high school students were required to take at least a cup of both fruits and vegetables in order for the meal to be considered complete. If a student doesn’t order a complete meal, they will be charged at the a la carte rate. Food and drinks that are sold with school meals already meet these nutritional requirements, so they aren’t affected by the Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards. “We have to prove to the USDA through a program that we have, a product and meal calculator, that our schools meet the standards set upon us,” Fronius said. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act guidelines will expire in September 2015, so an update to these guidelines will take effect in the future.
SLASH continued Playstation Network and Xbox Live respectively. The attacks started early December, with two or three small ones, causing servers to go down for a few hours. Throughout this time, a twitter account belonging to the group began tweeting about a mass attack on these companies Christmas Day. Sure enough, on Dec. 25, both mega servers were attacked by a Denialof-service (DoS), caused by the group flooding the servers with traffic, to the point where the servers couldn’t handle the traffic. The downtime extended over the next few days and both services have been online since. Because of all the attacks last
Nick Schreiner/FHS Press
In November and December, two hacker groups came forward that would likely prove to be the most notorious, the Guardians of Peace and Lizard Squad. The Guardians of Peace focused solely on Sony, with the sole attempt of exterminating the impending release of ‘The Interview’, a controversial movie based around assassinating North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. It was later revealed that the Guardians of Peace possibly had ties to the North Korean government, but many people doubt this accusation. Lizard Squad, however, attacked Sony and Microsoft’s gaming services,
Hackers attack computers and companies.
year, companies are now putting a lot of effort and resources into
improving their security and reducing their chances of being compromised again. Most, if not all hacking groups mentioned have since gone dark, so it’s unsure if when or if there will be more attacks to these companies.
FHS Press
January 31, December 20,2014 2013
5
The thing about punishment
Parenting has changed over generations Joey Pail jpail@freedomarea.org
the normal process of teaching them valuable information for getting a job. The laws put in place stop the public beating of a child. This law is good to an extent, but should be more descriptive in saying excessive beating is against the law. It shouldn’t be frowned upon to have a parent punish their bad child by giving them a quick smack on the butt to teach them a lesson. Even if the law isn’t changed it’s still possible for parents to give children a smack when they get home. If everything works well they’ll only have to give a look at the bad behaving child for them to start acting good again. This law was just the beginning of changing parenting. It doesn’t state that it is illegal to punish a child at home, so why aren’t parents doing that? The reason is their morals. A parent’s morals will change by their next kid or by another parent not saying they smack their child. The other parent will feel bad by how they punish and find a way that doesn’t involve hurting their own flesh and
blood. These morals are good, but there’s a point when bad should be punished so they don’t do it again. A common issue is that parents try so hard to be relatable to their children that they lose their respect. Instead of being seen as a figure of authority, they are perceived as being a peer to the child. “I do think that kids have been acting worse, parents want to be friends with their kids rather than parent them and teach them,” Boyd said. A smack on the butt might not always be the answer, but a different punishment for different levels of behavior might be a good way to set this up. If a child is less cooperative and gets punished, but then that same day does it again, they obviously have not learned their lesson and the punishment needs to be taken up a notch.
they do and take on the challenge of driving 20 or more students around. This is a very large responsibility and we often look past them. Driving a giant bus with a bunch of loud, cranky or crazy teenagers doesn’t seem like the easiest job in the world. “I became a bus driver because they were doing training for the staff, and doing the job gave me a newfound appreciation for them. It is hard to multitask driving and making sure the kids are OK,” Principal William Deal said. Some of our bus drivers have been driving us around since we learned our ABCs, and some have had their
Commercial drivers license or CDL for decades. “I have watched some of them grow since kindergarten up through their high school years,” George “Skip” Hascal said. Other than on Bus Driver Appreciation Day, which takes place on Oct. 22, bus drivers are often overlooked. They do everything in their power to ensure our safety and put up with our antics all while driving a bus. Michael Hope, vice president of Rhodes Transit, explained that there is more to being a bus driver than just driving the vehicle.
“It is a difficult job, there is a lot of things you have to be doing as the driver. It is hard to be watching the road and watching the students to make sure they are safe,” Hope said. It is the little things that you do for them that make a big difference to them. “When the kids acknowledge me and say, ‘Thank you, that is a huge thing for me. It lets me know that they appreciate me getting them home safely,” Hope said. Next time you are rushing off the bus, make sure to give these hidden heroes a big smile and thank them.
Joey Pail/FHS Press
Punishments for bad behavior have changed over the years, and because of it, we have seen an increase in badly behaved and bratty children. You may instantly go and blame the parent, but it’s not always their fault. New laws on punishment in public have stopped the old way of teaching a lesson and encouraged a new, worse way of punishing. When your parents and grandparents think back to when they were bad, they would think about their punishment as being a good smack on the butt with a belt, spoon or hand. The current law that was recently passed stops this type of punishment in public. This makes it hard for giving children a quick punishment and a life-long lesson. Laws aren’t the only reason why parenting has changed. With the decrease in children being smacked as a punishment, more parents are beginning to pick up the idea of this punishment being morally wrong. If you ask a parent or grandparent about their childhood one thing will most likely stick in their heads: the part where they got punished. They may not even remember what it was for, but that doesn’t matter because if they remember the punishment, they were most likely scared to do it again. “When I was in trouble for something, I did get sent to my room, I lost privileges and I remember a few times I did get spanked,” Carol-Lynn Dubovi said. Over the years, it has not been the behavior that has changed, but the amount of children with behavior issues. “From 1990 until today, it seems like there is a higher frequency of kids with inappropriate behavior,” Dubovi said “[Those kinds of kids] don’t care and have an attitude where they don’t care what they do and they dont fear
your punishments, but that is still a minority.” Another reason parenting can change is if there are multiple siblings. In some households kids can realize a difference in parenting and can see the changes it causes on their younger or older siblings. “[My brother] probably got away with a little more than me, but just because between [my parents] first and second child they learned not to sweat every small thing,” Sophomore Jarrett Boyd said. Even more, there has been an increase in parents that are convinced that their child is an angel. This has caused punishing to change as well. This belief has made it harder on schools as well because they call in a parent for discipline reasons just to have the parent fight for their child instead of working to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “When I was a child, the parent instantly believed a teacher and didn’t even ask the kid and they got punished at home and school, where now parents try to protect their child from punishment, and that might be part of the problem why kids don’t learn discipline,” Dubovi said. Think of the Luvs diaper advertisement on the difference in parenting. The advertisement states that “By their second kid every mom is an expert.” It’s usually after the showing of a parent being over protective and then showing the same parent with another kid being less protective. The new path of parenting has led down to the punishment of just threatening and telling them never to do it again. There may be a grounding or two, but there’s no real physical contact anymore and, because of it, children’s brains think that they can get away with anything. This has caused a new generation of bratty kids that make schools work harder to keep them in line, and it stops
Bus drivers: Overlooked heroes People are behind the wheel Gracie Hutchison ghutchison@freedomarea.org
Freedom Area School District’s bus drivers are some of the most forgotten heroes of an average FHS student’s school day. Without the bus drivers, many of the students would be unable to attend because they wouldn’t have a ride to school. Most students get on and off of the bus without acknowledging the people who make student safety their first priority, the bus drivers. These bus drivers are the people who drive us through snow, get up earlier than most of students can claim
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FHS Press
January 30, 2015
Not so New Year’s Resolutions Truly beneficial or just overrated?
“New year, new me” and “I don’t feel like it, I’ll start tomorrow” are just examples of things that we are hearing people say at this time of the year due to the popular idea of New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions are goals that many people make right before the start of the New Year. These resolutions can be anything from starting a diet in an attempt to lose weight, to quitting a bad habit. But how often do people stay motivated and actually stick with their resolution? “My opinion on New Year’s resolutions is that they are overrated. They are just like any other goals people make throughout the year,” Freshman Rachel Decesaris said. I’ve found that people don’t stick to their New Year’s resolutions more often than people do stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Tons of people are guilty of this every single year. So why
is it that people talk their resolutions up, but lose the motivation and the interest to stick with it by the second week of January? “I think most people give up on their resolutions. It’s easy to go back to old habits. And besides, that donut looks delicious. One bite won’t hurt,” Junior Louis Dubovi said. People feel pressured to jump on the bandwagon of coming up with a New Year’s resolution and come up with something off the top of their head. These things they come up with are often generic resolutions that millions of people choose every year. Therefore, these goals or resolutions that they come up with most times don’t have any importance to them or suit their lifestyle. “It feels good to dream about how good you could become, but dreaming doesn’t get you anywhere; actions do,” Dubovi said. It seems as if people who don’t choose the New Year as an excuse to
make a change in their lives or drop an old bad habit are the ones who actually stick with their goals. For example, people who truly want to lose weight take the initiative to make the decision and work hard to lose the weight at any time of the year unlike some who don’t even make it to the second week of their resolution.The kind of people who truly wish to make a major change in their life put more thought into it throughout the year at any time, not just at the end of December and the beginning of January at the new year. In some rare cases, there are people who actually do stick to their resolutions and make a substantial change in their life. These are also people who truly do wish to make a much needed or wanted change in their life. They make an effort to change their daily routine and make a habit out of it to benefit them. New Year’s resolutions aren’t a bad thing, and they don’t harm
Live or regret?
Olivia Jansen/FHS Press
Maddie Edder medder@freedomarea.org
anything. But they have become overrated over the years due to the way many people treat them. It’s a great thing if you want to change something that’s negative about your life, but if you’re just going to work on it for the first week or two of January and not all year round, then your New Year’s resolution has zero benefit to you. In saying that, if you make a New Year’s resolution, don’t be that person that loses motivation and gives up two weeks in. Making a big and positive change in your life that will only benefit you.
How to make the most of your high school years Brianna McKee bmckee@freedomarea.org
When I was 17...
There are many places who accept volunteers. It all depends on what you are interested in and willing to do. Some options are nursing homes, animal shelters, mental and physical disability homes and much more. There’s something for everyone, whether it’s a sport, club, another after-school activity or volunteering. All of the previous options are ways to get more involved in high school. This will make your first couple years in college less stressful and they definitely aren’t hard to accomplish. Some of these activities can also make you happy, with a sense of purpose and belonging. If TV and the Internet is all that takes up your free time, then the chance of losing your involvement in high school is very high. These activities are free and definitely worth getting involved. They help with many things and keep you involved with the school and
Breanna Leasure/FHS Press
Instead of regretting your high school years, live them to the fullest now. There are plenty of ways to make school enjoyable, while also getting great advantages towards your life when the four years are finally over. Not only can you regret your high school years because of missing out on things that would’ve been fun, but many of the activities can help your future financially as well. It’s easy to fly through high school and regret not participating in many things. Some examples are extracurricular activities like clubs and sports, during and after-school events and volunteering. If you are a person who loves sports; play a different one every season, or stick with a couple. This idea has multiple benefits. It will keep
you in shape, help you into a job or college and keep you busy. There’s many different kinds of sports from team sports to individual sports. For example, if you like to dance or anything other than sports, there are options for you. These options include drill team, majorettes and color guard, which are included in the band. If you like clubs that operate during school, there are many options to choose from. These clubs vary from Book Club to Physics Club. When sticking with these clubs throughout high school, you can eventually become a president of your club. Not only does this provide a sense and idea of leadership, but it’ll also help you get into college. Volunteering is also a great way to spend free time. A certain amount of hours are needed to graduate from high school, and volunteering can and will help achieve these hours.
other people. Starting off is always the hardest step. But once you get into the flow of it, it becomes easier and easier to get off the couch and do something better with free time.
Ms. Ruthanne Gudzan, high school Spanish teacher Q:Where did you go to high school? Freedom Area High School
Q: Where was your first job? “My first job was at the Candlelight lounge in Economy, washing dishes.” Q: What was your first car? 1998 Poniac Grand Prix
were my two favorites.”
Q: What was your favorite book that you read during high school? “To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved that book.” Q: What was your career goal while you were still in high school? “I always wanted to be a teacher.”
Q: What activities were you in during high school? “I did Spanish Club, I was in chrous and I did jazz band for a little bit and I was in National Honors Society.”
Q: What advice can you give current students? “Listen to what your teachers tell you, we kind of know what we are talking about. It’s not the end of the world. But, I would also say, don’t stress out too much. We are here to help you. Not to ruin your life.”
Q: What was your favorite class in high school? “Well, Spanish and Physics
Q: What was one of your favorite memories from high school? “My favorite memory was the
Photo Submitted
Brianna Frashure bfrashure@freedomarea.org
Gudzan sits in class at the age of 17.
trip that Mr. [Craig] Bohan and the French teacher took with a group of us: there was about 35 students that went to Spain and France and that was the first time I had ever been to a Spanish speaking country. So, I was really excited.” Q: Who were your inspirations in high school? “Mr. [Brian] Wargo was a huge inspiration. He let me teach a couple times to the class.”
Q: Did you have any hobbies outside of school? “Playing the piano: I took lessons all through middle school and high school. I loved doing that.” Q: Did you have a particular hangout group? “I did have a group of friends. One of which is still one of my best friends today.” Q: Did you have a particular hangout spot? “We went to the mall. Eat ‘n Park was a really popular place for us to go.” Q: What were your priorities? “School was definitely my priority. I got good grades and I wanted to maintain that.”
January 30, 2015
Back to 2015
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1985 movie sets far-off expectations for 2015 Jamie Croll jcroll@freedomarea.org
AP Photo
The movie ‘Back to the Future Part II’ features two men and a woman who travel into the future, to the year 2015. The time travelers Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown go to the future because Marty’s son is in danger of being arrested. In order to stop this from happening, they must travel ahead of time to try and fix the problem. Their future has now become our present, as it has just turned 2015. However, the world isn’t as advanced as the writer of the film, Bob Gale, had predicted it to be. At the beginning of the movie, the characters travel to the year 2015 in a flying car; today we still don’t have flying cars and we certainly cannot travel through time. They also ride around on hovercrafts, which are similar to flying skateboards with no wheels. “It would be really neat if skateboards could fly today, like they do in the movie,” Senior Tanner Steel said. In the movie, people from 2015 have jackets that can automatically shrink to their size and, when wet, dry themselves. During the film, McFly wore a pair of Nike selflacing tennis shoes; this is another invention that we still don’t have today. “Nike is supposedly working on making a shoe that laces itself, but I don’t think that this invention will actually come out anytime soon,” Sophomore
‘Back to the Future” predicts what life should be like today.
Michael Kraus said. Overall, the movies prediction about 2015 fashion was very off from what it’s actually like. People were dressed in ridiculous outfits that you wouldn’t see if you were to walk down the street today. Some characters even wore metal hats. McFly turned his jean pockets inside out when he
traveled to 2015 to fit in with other teenagers. Today, outfits are nothing like they were displayed in the film. Girls will wear skinny jeans, boots and a sweater. In the movie, girls wore skirts, overalls and many odd-looking headpieces. “My favorite part of the movie is when they put an inch-size pizza in the oven and it came out full-sized,” Kraus said. This was just another invention we still don’t have today. You put the small pizza into something that resembles a microwave. You then tell the machine a number and it enlarges the pizza in just seconds. Back to the Future’s 2015 also had self-walking dog leashes. The leashes would walk your dog around the block for you, so you didn’t have worry about it. Although the movie tries to make many guesses about future technology, one aspect that the movie didn’t account for is the cell phone, which is very prevalent in today’s society. Back then, they didn’t think this to be a possible invention. Instead they thought fax machines would become popular. Even though the movie did make false predictions, there were some inventions they got right. Two inventions were the flat screen tv and video chatting. They did showcase these two items in the movie. The director of the movie, Robert Zemeckis, has said that he didn’t plan to make true predictions of 2015. Most inventions of today were not thought of then.
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Feeling the flu Emily Allego eallego@freedomarea.org
This year’s flu season is at an all-time high and is now considered an epidemic across the country. There are currently 43 states with cases of the flu as well as flu-related deaths. The reason for the flu season this year is because one of the flu viruses has mutated. The new strain of the flu is called H3N2 and is more severe than previous types of the flu. H3N2 has accounted for 95 percent of flu cases this year and is associated with higher rates of hospitalization. So far, there have been 21 pediatric deaths and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 29,000 people will die this year from the flu. In a typical
FHS Press season without the H3N2, the CDC reports that only about 11,000 deaths would occur. The number of deaths caused by the flu has increased because, against this strain, the flu vaccine is less effective. How well a flu shot works is the product of a few factors: the age and health of the person, how similar the flu vaccine is designed to the virus it has to protect against and how fast the flu is spreading in a community. The flu shot this year isn’t well “matched” or similar to the H3N2, so the shot isn’t going to protect against this strain very effectively. During the 2003-2004 flu season, there was a mutated strain similar to H3N2, and the flu shot was only found to have a 43 percent chance of preventing the flu.
‘Vamp’ing up playlists
The Vamps album in review Marley Hoko mhoko@freedomarea.org
When you hear the name ‘The Vamps,’ do you know who they are? Chances are, you’ve never even heard of them. For those who don’t know, The Vamps are a pop band from the United Kingdom. With the four members all being under the age of 20, they do fit into the “boy band” stereotype, but they aren’t what you would think. With the release of their debut album, “Meet the Vamps,” it was worth a listen, and I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike some music groups out there, The Vamps are responsible for playing every instrument featured on their debut album. Not only is their music upbeat, but it’s also extremely catchy. I caught myself replaying the songs and singing along. Having a mix of both “feel good” music with a dash of slow and personal, ‘The Vamps’ have a song that’s relatable for everyone. They have a few love songs, and a couple songs about break ups, but even those classic song topics are delivered with such a fresh twist. ‘The Vamps’ have turned what could be considered a crappy situation for anyone to be in, into something positive. Aside from that, all of the lyrics are relatable to our generation. The music on this album is definitely
year and flu-related hospitalizations have increased by 40 percent. In order to prevent getting the flu, there are a few simple steps that can be taken. “I think that washing your hands or using hand sanitizer will really help prevent the flu,” Senior Amanda Herzog said. The most important thing that you can do is to wash your hands. Also, try to avoid touching your eyes, mouth and ears when your hands aren’t clean because the virus can enter your body through these places. The flu is dangerous this year, so it’s important to take precautions in order to prevent yourself from not only contracting the flu, but also from spreading it.
Common Core set backs Is America’s education system superior? Michael Fricke mfricke@freedomarea.org
Do America’s Common Core standards know better than the students themselves? Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and english language arts/literacy (ELA) that are set by the Federal government. These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each graduation. In the U.S., curriculum is outlined in detail on how students should be taught. These guidelines are set into place by the state government to schools that receive federal funds. Pennsylvania, a Common Core state, is one of 43 states to adopt this education ideal. The other seven states that have not adopted common core have been given the ultimatum to adopt the Common Core program in their public schools or risk losing the government federal funding. Common Core, like most things, has both advantages and drawbacks. Some parents believe the word “common” describes the shared success that they’d like students to have. If you take under-performing schools and less-demanding curriculum in some states and raise them to a level where they compare to higherperforming schools in states with more demanding curriculum, you give students a “common” experience. For those in disadvantaged areas, this is a good initiative. For those parents who are happy with the education system and content with the way it runs now, the word “common” can be terrifying. They may worry about a one-size-fits-all process that holds back high achievers so all students in different schools and states get the same level of education, even if the results students have in common are mediocre. In short, Common Core would help those slipping behind, but with the cost of leaving the advanced standing still. Easier isn’t always better in a sense. Math for example, may contain a small set of three difficult concepts to solve a problem. In order to make this easier, the same math problem may
Olivia Jansen/FHS Press
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the type of music that would make a perfect summer playlist. Not only is it fun music with a dance-able beat, but the lyrics won’t make you blush if you were listening to it with your mother. The lyrics are appropriate, which is definitely a different spin on modern music. “When the morning comes with the sunlight in my eyes.” Think about it, what’s so bad about that? Nothing. Basically, this song is about simply being happy and living your life. Each and every one of the songs on this album are unique and have their own message and style. This line is from their song “Last Night.” You go from “Last Night,’ which is about being care free and having fun, to “Risk it All,” which is about finding that one person that you would risk everything to be with. “She Looks so Perfect,” which is a pretty recognizable song when you hear the line, “She looks so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear.” But by far, “Another World” is my favorite song on this album. Basically, it’s about having that one person that you can’t get off of your mind, no matter what. Overall, this is just a song with a personal touch that everyone can relate to. I can honestly say, that this isn’t a band that is going to be “breaking my heart” any time soon, and they certainly aren’t ready to “send us on our way” just yet.
Since the flu vaccine isn’t going to be a large factor in preventing the spread of the flu, people need to be more cautious and conscious about the virus. The first way to helping stop the spread is knowing and recognizing the flu apart from the common cold. What sets apart the flu from the cold is the high fever and body aches, but the other symptoms include a sore throat and coughing. “I have never had the flu, but my sister has. She had a fever of over 100, and her entire body ached. She was just really miserable,” Freshman Caiti Chaney said. If you think that you have the symptoms of the flu, the best thing to do is stay home and make an appointment with a doctor to get an antiviral medication. The virus is stronger this
January 30, 2015
be simplified with twice the amount of steps. This way of thinking can leave faster and perhaps better ways of doing things to be sacrificed for easier techniques. “Making a problem easier with more steps is not always the best solution,” Sophomore Chance Jerry said. This makes it easy for parents to hate Common Core for their advanced child, and others love it for their less advanced. It is the same reason Common Core is such a controversial topic amongst Americans today. In a collective way, how another student is doing, even a student from another state, can affect education at Freedom. Common Core is a way for governments to find out how students learn, improving the curriculum by their standards. Teachers are taught what to teach and in some cases how to teach it, which may eventually leave intuitive teachers struggling to find a way to reach students. In addition, some skeptics warn that not only may the information be unintuitive, but perhaps intentionally rewritten. In other words, they believe if the government has the power to put what they please in text books, they could literally rewrite history. The best teachers make subjects enjoyable to learn about, and Common Core may soon trade teacher innovation and advanced techniques for the less intelligent. In short, Common Core has both it’s advantages and disadvantages, depending on how a student learns.
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January 30, 2015
REVIEW:
Disney takes us ‘Into the Woods’ Newest film makes fantasy a reality Lara Pavlick lpavlick@freedomarea.org
««««« Disney took a bold move to end the year, as ‘Into the Woods’ opened up on Christmas Day to an enthusiastic audience of musical fans and children eager to see the PG tale for the first time. ‘Into the Woods,’ released as a musical in 1986, was a Broadway hit courtesy of Stephen Sondheim’s legendary songwriting skills, the same musical numbers that are featured in the film. It was transposed beautifully unto the screen, despite the songs being shortened to fit the scenes better. It was directed by Rob Marshall, the director of the musical adaptations ‘Chicago’ (2002) and ‘Nine’ (2009). With a star-studded cast, musical fans can find it interesting to watch as well as people of all ages because of its all-inclusive rating. Due to this acceptance, it was very successful in the box office to boot. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned more on its first weekend in theaters than the movie versions of the Abba musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ or
‘Les Miserables.’ With this in mind, it’s plain to see that this wouldn’t have happened without the movie being very high in quality. The story follows the Baker and his wife who desperately want a child. A witch appears and tells them that she has cursed their home. However, she makes a deal that if they gather up several items by midnight in three days, they’ll finally have a family. Of course, the witch has her own motives. Along the way, the couple runs into several other fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. From the first moment of narration, the audience feels immersed in a musical world with a prologue song with layered parts where all the characters “wish” for something more. The cast includes some fan favorites such as Anna Kendrick playing Cinderella. Although Kendrick normally sings pretty low, as we saw in ‘Pitch Perfect’ (2012), she can switch up into her head voice with the best of them. The transition went beautifully, and she carries the songs very well. Other cast members include Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince, James Corden as the Baker, Emily Blunt as the Baker’s wife, Johnny Depp as the Big Bad Wolf and Tracy
FHS Press — Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Brianna Frashure editor@freedomarea.org Managing Editor: Brittany Bionda managing@freedomarea.org News Editor: Reilly Collins Asst. News Editor: Hannah Shumsky news@freedomarea.org Features Editor: Gracie Hutchison Asst. Features Editor: Lara Pavlick features@freedomarea.org
Copy Editors: Breanna Leasure, Brianna McKee, Hope Nuzzo Business Manager: Raylen Welling business@freedomarea.org Newspaper Adviser: Mr. Aaron Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@freedomarea.org
Sports Editor: Marley Hoko Asst. Sports Editor: Devin Daley sports@freedomarea.org
Photo and Design Editor: Emily Allego photo@freedomarea.org
Art Director: Olivia Jansen art@freedomarea.org Asst. Art Director: Michael Fricke
Social Media Director: Carly Park socialmedia@freedomarea.org
Contributing Artists: Olivia Jansen, Joey Pail, Breanna Leasure
Web Editor: Nick Schreiner web@freedomarea.org Section Flags: Travis Hryckowian, Lara Pavlick, Zach Kugel
Staff Writers: Micki Friend, Peter Korman, Zach Kugel, Maddie Edder, Joey Pail, Michael Fricke, Travis Hryckowian, Dereck Majors, Michelle Keith, Lea Gualtieri, Jamie Croll, Sara Skinger
Editorial Policies: FHS Press is the official student newspaper serving students and staff at Freedom Area High School, in Freedom, Pennsylvania. The views presented herein are not representative of the school, faculty, or administration; they are solely the views of individual student writers. The staff editorial is written based on the majority opinion of the student editorial board. The newspaper accepts and strives to publish signed letters to the editor under 250 words, which can be sent to editor@freedomarea.org. To submit comments, questions, or press releases, or to purchase advertising in the paper, email fhspress@freedomarea.org, or contact Mr. Fitzpatrick in Room 226.
Ullman as Jack’s mother. Despite the skepticism, they all managed to pull off the show, and in precise clarity. One of the strongest parts of the film is the clearness in the audio. It was almost impossible to miss a beat from an audience perspective. With songs where the lyrics are extremely detailed and quick preciseness is key. The movie also featured some Broadway regulars such as Tony Award winner Bill Magnussen as Rapunzel’s Prince, Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood, who is best known for playing ‘Annie’ in the revival of the musical (2012) and Jack Huttlestone known for playing Gavroche in the film version of ‘Les Miserables’ (2012). One of the biggest surprises was Meryl Streep playing the witch. As many know, she has been in so many different movies with several dynamic roles, and truly this film proves that there’s nothing she can’t do. Despite her ratty blue hair and snaggletooth, behind that exterior lies quite an actress who made me believe that she was truly wicked. Hitting her last notes in the ‘Last Midnight’ is probably the highlight of the movie. Along with that, she also manages to make almost all of her lines funny, truly making her evil character exciting and likable.
If anything sticks out to me about this film, it has got to be Streep alone. Overall, I would recommend this movie to all fans of the musical that can look at it with a fresh perspective. If you don’t compare it, it remains a wonderful entity on its own. Also those who enjoy musical movies in general would enjoy it, as the score is beautiful and very well put together. As a bonus, children can come see it too, and enjoy classic fairy tales with good life lessons such as “You are not alone” and never let appearances fool you because only “you decide what’s right, you decide what’s good”. The songs will stay in your head long after the credits are rolling. As for me, this one has got to be on my top ten favorites for movie musicals, and I would see it again ten times over. I would give it four out of five stars, only because of the shortened songs, because I really couldn’t get enough.
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2014: A year in review Looking back at memorable moments Reilly Collins rcollins@freedomarea.org
Reilly Collins/FHS Press
From lost planes to ice bucket challenges, here are some of the biggest events and stories to come from 2014. The year proved to be quite unique from the very start when in January, Colorado legalized the sale of Marijuana for medical and recreational use. Washington followed suit, and Oregon along with Alaska voted to legalize all sales of Marijuana set to come into effect this year. Twentythree other states, plus the District of Columbia, also legalized the sale of Marijuana in some form. Marijuana wasn’t alone in legalization this year, with same-sex marriages also becoming legalized. They became legal in over a dozen states in 2014 including Pennsylvania. The 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia offered audiences around the world the opportunity to watch and root for their countries as the athletes competed in various winter sports. The United States brought home nine gold medals, seven silver medals and 12 bronze medals bringing home 28 medals total, the second highest amount. Tragically in March, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished without a trace. The flight lost contact with control and disappeared off of radar. Many search parties went looking for the plane and its 227 passengers and 12 crew members. But, the plane was never located, and the airline suffered another tragedy when a different plane was shot down flying over Ukraine. A third flight taking off from nearby Indonesia also disappeared off of the radar later in the year. That plane was located and seemed to have
crashed after experiencing some bad weather. The summer brought about the World Cup, which was hosted in Brazil. Soccer fans around the world got to see their countries compete with Germany emerging the winner. Quite a few people showed their support of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by participating in the ice bucket challenge. Videos of people drenching themselves in ice water to support ALS appeared all over the internet. On a more urgent note, the terrorist group ISIS emerged on a global scale. The group was responsible for kidnapping hundreds of people, forcing hundreds or more to leave their houses, taking control of multiple cities, beheading five westerners total
and carrying out an attack on a coffee shop in Sydney, Australia. In August, riots broke out between citizens and police after the shooting death of Michael Brown. Brown was an 18 year old African American who was shot and killed by caucasian Police Officer Darren Wilson. People within Brown’s community felt his death was racially motivated and sparked several drastic protests, but a jury decided not to indict Wilson. The public’s scrutiny of police officers was increased and in December following the death of Eric Gardner there were even more protests. Gardner, another African American male, was killed at the hands of a caucasian police officer. With autumn, came with the panic about Ebola within the United States. Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian
citizen, came to the U.S. after he had already unknowingly contracted the disease. Two nurses that cared for him were diagnosed shortly thereafter. There was a lot of coverage and fear surrounding the possible spread of the disease, but has fallen out of the headlines as no new diagnosis have been made. Duncan was one of only two people who died from the disease in the U.S. Like every year before we had to say goodbye to some memorable people including; comedic legends Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, human rights activist Maya Angelou and many others. 2014 also had its fair share of popular songs and movies. “All About That Bass,” “Shake It Off” and “Stay With Me” were just three of the songs that dominated our radio stations in 2014. “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” were the top grossing movies. What would a year be without some new slang words and phrases. “Bae,” “basic,” “turnt” and “can’t even” became part of everyday conversation throughout the year. 2014 had both ups and downs. There were tragic moments and happy moments, but they both made for a very memorable year. We bid you farewell, 2014, and hope that 2015 is even more memorable.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
Shooting for the win
Girls’ Basketball is playing towards a playoff spot Brittany Bionda
With a record of 5-2, the Girls’ Basketball team is continuing their season through the month of January. The girls’ have spent hours practicing for their games for a chance to continue on to playoffs. Over Christmas break, the team played in a tournament at Freedom that took place from Dec. 29-30, their win brought them one step closer to making it to the playoffs, just like the 2013-14 season. “Our intensity has picked up and our confidence has been boosted by winning the tournament over Christmas break,” Freshman starter, Bailey Prell said. When January started, the girls continued their season, playing for a chance to make it to the playoffs. On Jan. 5, they lost against Carlynton with the final score being 72-22. Then, on Jan. 6, the team went up against Lincoln Park, the final score of that game was 44-32 with a victory for the girl’s. “We are trying to attack the other teams defensives and trying to figure
Brianna Frashure/FHS Press
bbionda@freedomarea.org Brianna Frashure bfrashure@freedomarea.org
out how to beat them,” Prell said. On Jan. 8, the girls won their game against Avonworth, with a score of 48-30. The girls play on Feb. 2 against Avonworth and on Feb. 5 against South Side at home. The regular season for the Girls’ Basketball team ends on Feb. 6 with a game against Quaker Valley. For the scores to these games, go to fhs-press.com. Even though the regular season will be coming to an end, that may not be the end for the team. “The seniors this year put in a lot of hard work over the past four years to make this team successful, and we [seniors] always said that our senior year, we would be a good team,” Senior Madison Daubenspeck said. “I wish to go far into the playoffs and have an experience like the soccer team did,” Senior Alexis Shingleton said. The team only has four seniors, and most of them have been playing with each other since their freshman year, and they have all continued making relationships with their team members; both new and old. Throughout the years, their relationships have grown closer and stronger. “[My favorite part is] probably just the experience of playing with girls that equal skill level and also having girls to look up to,” Prell said.
Junior Courtney Susan fights for the ball during a tipoff.
“The thing I’m going to miss most about basketball is spending time with my teammates,” Shingleton said. The team has hopes of winning the next few games to take them into the playoffs. If playoffs are reached they have the potential to make it as far as they did in the 2013-14 season. With support from fellow classmates and families, the team will attempt to
do their best to exceed their goals this season. “I think that if we keep working hard and going hard towards the hoop we will do very well and win most of our games and maybe even go far into the playoffs,” Junior Courtney Susan said.
WRESTLING:
Weighing in on a weighty topic Wrestlers struggle to maintain weight all season Michelle Keith mkeith@freedomarea.org
Michelle Keith/FHS Press
In standard high school wrestling matches, there are a total of 14 different weight classes, between 106 and 280 pounds, to compete in. Wrestlers from each team are matched to an opponent according to the weight bracket that they fall into. The results of each match decide which team has won overall. In every wrestling match, points are awarded for takedowns, tilts, reversals and escapes. At the end of the three, two-minute periods, whichever wrestler has earned more points for these moves, will receive three points for their teams overall score. A tech-fall is rarity in high school wrestling, but occurs when a wrestler beats an opponent by 15 points; the match ends and five points are added to the teams overall score. While a tech-fall is considered prestigious in the wrestling world, the best way for wrestlers to get points for their overall team is to pin their opponent. A pin is when a wrestler
“pins” the opponent’s shoulders to the mat for five seconds, and the overall team is rewarded with six points. If a wrestling team has no one to fill certain weight classes and an opposing team has someone in that weight class, a forfeit occurs, and the team who has someone in that weight class automatically receives six points to their overall score. FHS, as well as other smaller schools, have a lot of pressure on them to fill weight classes so that they don’t lose a match before anyone has even wrestled. This puts a lot of stress on the small group of wrestlers to fill these weight classes. This usually means that wrestlers who should typically be in one weight class either gain or lose weight in order to fill a necessary weight class. Junior Louie Dubovi started the season out at 138 pounds before conditioning, but has now cut his weight down to 126 pounds. “Our team didn’t have a wrestler at 126 pounds so that was where I was needed. It was more for the team than myself,” Dubovi said. “It also helped me out too because
Freshman Gordan Kalamasz holds an opponent from Central Valley in a cradle during a match on January 7.
since only one person in each weight class typically gets to wrestle, I filled a hole so now, I’m able to start at all the wrestling matches for that weight,” Dubovi said. Another incentive for wrestlers to cut weight is to be the heaviest weight possible for the weight class they are
going to wrestle in.
see WEIGHTING on page 11
12 BOYS’ BASKETBALL:
FHS Press
January 30, 2015
Striving for sections
End of the season leads to possible playoffs
to keep a pair of Kyrie 1s basketball shoes, which were a new release for the Cleveland team. The boys first section game for the 2014-2015 season, against Sto-Rox, took place on Jan. 9. Despite the game being neck and neck the whole time, Sto-Rox won with a score of 69-56. “We played [as a team] by passing the ball. But we need to work on plays, since we get lost on some of them,” Sophomore Zach Greene, who scored 22 points during the game, said. “The best thing about the game [against Sto-Rox] was that we were actually making shots,” Freshman Santino Guandolo said. The second section game for the season took place on Jan. 13 against Quaker Valley. The boys lost 72-17, giving them their second loss since sections began. On Jan. 16, the boys played against South Side on home court and lost 50-43. On Jan. 20, at Northgate, the boys lost with a score of 71-38. On Jan. 23, Aliquippa came to Freedom and the boys lost with a total score of 83-17. With the last pre-scheduled
This means that most wrestlers lose 10-20 pounds at the beginning of the season so they can drop down to lower weight classes and have a better chance of winning due to a bigger size and amount of muscle than a normal person at that weight would have. Sophomore Evan Sweesy started the season out at 235 pounds and has now cut down to 220 pounds. “There’s kids stronger and bigger
than you so if you don’t have a size close to them, it’s gonna be harder for you to win,” Sweesy said. Freshman Michael Muron weighs himself everyday to ensure that he’s the proper weight he needs to be. “The first few tournaments, I really struggled to lose the weight but now that I’ve cut down to 138 pounds it’s much easier because my body has gotten used to it,” Muron said.
Overall, the FHS wrestling team has been able to fill almost all their weight classes this season. Individual FHS wrestlers also place at almost every tournament the team attends. Sophomores Kody Komara and Dean Ward placed 1st in their weight category at the MAC competition on Jan. 10. Komara also received the “Most Outstanding Wrestler” award for the entire competition.
cpark@freedomarea.org Michaela Friend mfriend@freedomarea.org
WEIGHTING continued
Carly Park/FHS Press
As the season nears its end, the boys prepare for their highlight: sections. They’ve been preparing over the last few months for these section games, including a few practices held during the summer. If the boys win, it’ll be their first sectional game victory since the 2010-2011 season. The team uses different resources to find the weaknesses of the opposing teams to prepare themselves for these games. For example, the team has been going over videotaped footage from their opponents’ games. By finding the opposing players’ strengths and weaknesses, the boys are able to match up their players with those of equal skill levels. Watching film, the team can see what defenses they should run, as well as how they should prepare to overcome them. Throughout sections, the boys will be facing Sto-Rox, Quaker Valley,
South Side, Northgate and Aliquippa. Each of these teams is played twice: once home and once away. By winning these section games, the boys will have a better chance at making it to playoffs. This rule is the same one that applies to all sports when it comes to deciding which teams advance onto playoffs. Before sections began, on Dec. 19, the team traveled to Cleveland, Oh. to play at the Quicken Loans Arena against AAAA school, Seneca Valley. “It was a big experience for us. Not too many schools get a chance to play on a NBA basketball court like we did,” Junior Evin Dicerio said. Guandolo was able to participate in a skills challenge during a break in the game, facing the starting point guard from the other team. Each point guard was taken and set up on the court, having to dribble around cones and perform a layup, then repeat this once again. Whoever had the lower time after the second layup, having been the faster player, got a free T-shirt. Guandolo lost to Seneca’s point guard by 0.2 seconds. He didn’t receive a free t-shirt, but he was able
Carly Park
Sophomore Nick Henderson protects the ball against the defending Southside player on Jan 16
game being played on Feb. 9 against Rochester, the boys’ may be able to extend this season into the playoffs. For the scores of this game, please go to fhs-press.com.
Several other members of the wrestling team also placed at the MAC competition which led to the FHS team overall to receive 7th place. Hours of dedication, grueling practices, and weight loss have allowed for only one loss against Burgettstown so far this season and with hopes of having postseason success.
HOCKEY:
Skating for playoffs
End of the season leads to possible playoffs
Playoffs are coming up, and the Blackhawk Hockey team is still working to make it. Currently holding the third spot in the playoff race they are looking to hold onto their position in the standings. In their home matchup against Peter’s Township on Jan. 15, the Cougars won by a score of 3-2. Junior Alex Lundy led the Cougars by scoring two of their three goals. “It’s actually kind of embarrassing when they say ‘his second or his third of the season,’ but it felt really good to get that first one,” Lundy said. “It really got us into the game because we were lagging behind and whenever we put that one in it seemed to boost us up a lot.” This game was also Junior Stuart Skogsholm’s first game back from a dislocated shoulder. After spending a few weeks on the benches Skogsholm was excited to be back on the ice.
“It felt really good to be back because it’s kind of tough to be on the bench and watching everyone else go knowing I can’t be in,” Skogsholm said. “It’s a little tough coming back. It’s been a little slower and a bit out of shape, but it’s good to get back and get into the swing of things.” Despite only five goals being scored, there wasn’t a shortage of action in this game as both teams had double digit penalty minutes for the game. The Cougars were hit especially hard as they had two players receive misconduct penalties. The first misconduct penalty put Blackhawk down a player for 10 minutes. The second was a game misconduct ejecting a Blackhawk player from the rest of the game. “It feels really good cause that’s kinda what defense lives for,” Skogsholm said. The fact that Peter’s Township scored both of their goals off of a seven minute powerplay opportunity gives Blackhawk some confidence in their abilities going forward. “Knowing that we beat them and knowing that it took a seven minute
penalty for them to score their two goals feels really good,” Lundy said. On Jan. 19 Blackhawk had an away game with Meadville, who is also in the middle of the standings. Blackhawk left Meadville with a 6-3 victory over another contender for a playoff spot. After getting down 3-1 after two periods Blackhawk used their third period to make a come-back and to score five goals and earn themselves the victory. Of the Freedom player’s Lundy was the only one to get on the score sheet by assisting an empty net goal in the final minutes of the game. The significance of this win is large because this win put Blackhawk into third place of the division. With this win Blackhawk now controls their own destiny as they are a few important wins away from clinching a playoff spot. Blackhawk’s next game was a home matchup against Indiana, on Jan. 22, who is one of the top teams in the league. When all was said and done, the Cougars beat the higher ranked Indians by a final score of 7-1. Lundy scored two goals for the
Devin Daley/FHS Press
Devin Daley ddaley@freedomarea.org Breanna Leasure bleasure@freedomarea.org
Skogsholm defending in front of the net in his first game back from a shoulder injury.
Cougars in their win over the Indiana team that currently sits above them in the standings. This win brings some extra significance to the team as they have now taken two of two from the Little Indians. A summary of the Jan. 27 game against Beaver can be found on our website fhs-press.com. With their performances in the month of January the Cougars have put themselves into a good position to fight for an opportunity to play in the playoffs.