Raider Reader
Let’s Get Fired UP
Here at ELCO High School we take Homecoming week festivities and events to a whole other level.
Wednesday night the Class of 2019 teamed together for the 2018 Powderpuff Football game between the black and white team, coached by Mrs. Weddle and Mrs. Hartman, and the blue and gold team, coached by Miss Sollenberger. The black and white team scored early and often, winning by a score of 28-21. The black and white team pulled ahead early, including an interception returned for a touchdown by Ryelle Shuey.
ELCO also revived the long tradition of the bonfire, which occurred right after the Powderpuff game. The ELCO maintenance staff constructed a ship made out
of wood and Northern Lebanon flags. Following an introduction to all of the fall sports teams as well as the cheerleaders, the band and the chorus, the band played, “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” as the ship was engulfed in flames. The fire lasted for 15-20 minutes, paired with cheers from the cheerleaders and songs from the band.
During the school day Friday, the high school produced a pep rally to honor the fall sports teams and create school spirit. The pep rally entertainment included the band, cheerleaders, and a minute-to-win-it featuring fire equipment named
There was also a competition involving wrapping teachers in blue and gold streamers.
One of the biggest games of the year, the Homecoming football game, did not disappoint. ELCO came from behind to beat Northern Lebanon 19-14, thanks to a 61-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Darian Ulrich to receiver Evan Huey in the final quarter to the game.
The Homecoming dance is an incredible way to wrap up the Homecoming festivities. This year was a crowd pleaser with a dance theme of Hollywood. The Student Council started their work on Thursday night, decorating the gym and setting up the props, and the stage used by the
DJ, Mr. Fair. Over 300 students prepurchased tickets, and several more bought tickets at the door Saturday night. During the dance, the Homecoming court was introduced pair by pair, during the playing of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” followed by a conga line that went from the gym to the cafeteria.
Decorations included Mann’s Chinese Theater over the DJ stand, a giant Hollywood sign mounted on the bleachers, with film reels sitting atop bleachers on the other side of the gym. There was also a blue and gold canopy hung above the majority of the dance floor.
All in all, the week was a huge success for student council, seniors, students and staff.
Story by J. Hitz
Photo by S. Atkinson Photo
“Raiders Are On Fire.”
Raider Reader Meet the Team
Welcome to the very first issue of the Raider Reader, a new movement brought to the ELCO high school by sophomore Carly Huber.
While trying to figure herself out as a freshman, Carly decided to go against the current and bring up the idea of a school newspaper, after joking around about it with her volleyball coach, Mr. Dissinger. ELCO has not had a school newspaper in over 20 years, so she had to start from scratch with everything.
Mr. O’Neill was thrilled by the idea of a school newspaper being brought back, but he made sure that she knew what she was getting into.
Since the newspaper is not a class, it makes everything so much harder. “I feel like I’m going a million miles an hour all day long,” Carly Huber says, “But don’t get me wrong, I love every second of it.” Get familiar with the Raider Reader, as it will
be coming out seasonly, with another issue being released around February, 2019.
“I feel like I’m going a million miles an hour all the time.”
-Sophomore Carly Huber
Story by C. Huber
If you are interested in joining the Raider Reader staff see Mr. O’Neill or Carly Huber ASAP. You can also message Mr.O’Neill on Schoology.
Mikayla Breen 12, Journalist
Jessica Trump, 12 Photographer
Jakers Hitz, 12 Journalist
Aleah Janesko 11, Journalist
Skylar Atkinson 11, Journalist/ Photographer
Bridget Bozman, 11, Journalist
Abbie Hess 10, Journalist
Abby Stump 10, Journalist
Maddy Wyatt 10, Journalist
Abby Zimmerman 9, Journlaist
Mr. O’Neill Advisor
Carly Huber 10, Editor in Chief
Paola Linette Lebron Muniz 11 Journalist
Kaliah Price 10, Journalist
Allie Header, 12 Journalist
Raider Reader Table of Contents
Page 1: Around Town (Community - RaiderTHON)
Page 2: Travel Guide (Top 5 holiday destinations)
Page 3: Divider History of Halloween and Food Reviews)
Page 4: The haunting of ELCO (Haunted Halls at ELCO High School)
Page 5: Cheerful Nights (Girls Varsity Cheerleading)
Page 6: Raiders on Three... (Girls Junior Varsity and Varsity Volleyball)
Upcoming
Sports
Page 7: Runaways (Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country)
Page 8: Rackets Up! (Girls Tennis)
Page 9: All the way up (Girls Soccer)
Pages 10-14: 6 (Student creative writing spotlight)
Page 15: Alternative Coverage (Netflix Survival Guide, “Lights Out” with the lights on, Lititz watch field trip)
Page 16: Little Known Facts (A word search involving little known facts from teachers and staff)
Watching Carefully
Girls basketball next home game: December 11th against Fleetwood at 7:30 pm
Boys basketball next home game: December 17 against Manheim Central at 7:30 pm
Bowling first home match: Thursday, December 13 against Cocalico at 3:30pm
Wrestling first home match: Wednesday, December 12 against Northern Lebanon 7pm
THON Events
Girls Gold Rush February 4 (pending)
Boys Gold Rush February 5 (pending)
Mini-THON February 8
Next Issue (1/24)
Boys Basketball article/pictures
Girls Basketball article/pictures
History of Christmas article
Fashion article
Movie Reviews article
Friday, October 12, three students had the chance to travel to what is referred to as the “Harvard of watchmaking.”
The Lititz Watch Technicum kept the kids content with three activities.
The first activity of the day was putting together a watch’s dial, case, and placing the hands on the watch face. The task took about an hour of hard work to complete.
The second task was deciphering what a Stirling engines job was. Learning how to load a saw blade, how to draft a design for a cut, and how to properly cut out a watch part concluded the day.
Freshman Conner Kramer expressed his appreciation of watchmaking to fellow freshman Xavier Bates as the day came to a close.
Raider Reader Around Town
The Show Must Go On!
Fall is here, and while that can carry many meanings to different students, it also means that it was time for the annual fall play. This year, ELCO High School performed a play titled, “Play On!” by Rick Abbot.
The ensemble play depicted Gerry Dunbar, a community theatre director played by freshman Xavier Bates. Gerry is trying to put on a new play titled, “Murder Most Foul,” by Phil Montague, who was played by sophomore Cole Wenrich.
This usually wouldn’t be an extremely hard task,
except for the fact that Phil Montague keeps changing the script 3 days before opening night!
However, the cast is also feeling the pressure. Actor Saul Watson, who was played by senior David Deitz, responds to this tension by making jokes, usually directed at the overweight, overly sensitive Polly Benish, an actress played by junior Julia Macchione.
Senior Jacob Hitz’s character, actor Henry Benish, is exasperated by trying his best to keep his wife, Polly, under check. Sophomore Leanna Stout
played a ditzy actress, Violet Imbre, and senior Sam Krupenya was actor Billy Carewe.
Abby Zimmerman played Marla “Smitty” Smith, a young actress who just wants to study for a biology test.
The cast was rounded out by the “stage crew.” Sophomore Anthony Kidd is the sound-andlighting-and-scenic technician Louis Peary, and fellow sophomore James Antonucci was stage manager, Anthony Manville.
“Play On!” hit the ELCO stage on November 16th and 17th.
Story by A. Zimmerman
Bahh?
RaiderTHONs tackling cancer game turned into a huge success.
On October 12th, ELCO hosted Pequa Valley on the football field, ending with a 34-0 shutout on senior night. The football game wasn’t the only event happening that evening.
A meticulously planned evening was carried out by the RaiderTHON team. The Tackling Cancer event was only the first of many activities, but it managed to raise over $1,500 contributing to the 10,000 goal for the school’s goal. The kiss a sheep event was a huge
success, the Fall sports teams, as well as the band, had a chance to raise money in an attempt to make their coach kiss a sheep during half time. The girl’s soccer team won with over $2,700 in donations. Cross Country and Field Hockey weren’t far behind with over $200 in donations each.
All in all, the night was a huge and unexpected success for everyone there.
The next THON event to support is the GOLD RUSH!
Photo provided by H. Hartman
Photos by M. O’neill
Raider Reader Safe Travels
The holidays are coming up and will be here before we know it. Therfore chances are families are beginning to discuss or maybe even make plans for what they’d like to do. For those who wish to escape the cold, there might be talk about going somewhere warmer like the south or the west coast of the
If you can afford it, there might be talk of leaving the country and heading to Mexico or some other popular tourist location in America. For those who can stand the cold, the plan might be to head to a mountainous area where you can navigate the slopes via a snowboard or skis.
Top 5 Holiday Destination List
1
Fairbanks, Alaska: If beautiful sights make for a good holiday, then Alaska may make for a good destination. Fairbanks, Alaska is known to be one of the places to view the infamous Northern Lights. You might want to bring a jacket and a cup of hot chocolate
2
Orlando, Florida: Orlando is a great place to visit for the holidays. The weather is normally nice and there is plenty to see and do. If you like theme parks and the rush of adrenaline you get from roller coasters, then Orlando
with you though, for it can be quite chilly. The cold will ultimately be worth it, because the Northern Lights are a sight like no other. The way the colors light up the night sky are breathtaking, even to those who are not normally moved by picturesque views.
is the place to visit as it has many to choose from. Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Lego Land have something for everyone to enjoy. There are even special holiday events that take place during the winter.
Canada or a country in Europe may also be at the top of your “desired holiday destination” list. No matter what your holiday preferences are, there are some places in the U.S. and in other parts of the world that should be given a chance to become your holiday destination.
3
Chicago, Illinois: Although it is still quite the drive, it is the closest destination on this list. If you’re looking to get a taste of the German culture without actually going to Germany, you might
4
Salzburg, Austria: If you are into holiday destinations that are a little bit different than you’re used to, then Salzburg might be the place for you. Not only is Salzburg a beautiful country to visit but it is home an unusual
5
Hong Kong, China: For those who enjoy nice holiday weather Hong Kong should be put on your destination list. It’s not too cold and there are clear blue skies to enjoy as well.
be able to at the Christkindlmarkert. Chicago is a great place to visit to get in the holiday spirit as there are great places to go ice skating, hear caroling, and see festive holiday lights.
tradition where people dress up as krampuses and wander the streets looking for kids who have been bad. What’s a better holiday than enjoying the scenery while avoiding creepy monsters?
Hong Kong also gets into the festivities with a huge holiday surprise in Statue Square, plenty of holiday lighting, and seasonal songs which are blasted throughout the city.
(Sunset over New York)
Raider Reader
This is Halloween?
Halloween wasn’t always kids dressing up to go and knock on their neighbors’ doors and ask for some sweets. Originally, it was an ancient Celtic festival. The significance of October 31st dates back to around 2,000 years ago. The Celts lived in what is now the United
Kingdom and northern parts of France. Unlike most modern countries, their version of New Years took place on November 1st, after fall harvest season came to an end. They celebrated Halloween by dressing up in animal furs and skins to ward off unwanted spirits.
ELCO’s New Groove
A self declared foodies’ perspective on the new high school lunch menu options.
Hello, my name’s
Aleah Janesko, and like the majority of the population, I love food. Because of my daily quest for a good meal, I’ve developed a true “foodie” mentality. This current school year, our lunches saw an overhaul under the supervision of a new Food Service Director from our district, Jenelle Himmelreich.
The breakfast-forlunch option, which was my personal favorite; I stress the word “was”. I was never a fan of sausage, so I had always asked for no sausage, which the wonderful lunch ladies would then compensate by adding more French toast
a true blessing.
However, now instead of sausage it’s scrambled eggs. Here’s the worst part; I am not very fond of eggs so I just felt like was stuck with them.
Do not let my personal rage take away from the fact that the new menu options are truly an improvement from last year, however ELCO saw a change they never expected- slushes! The slushes are made from 100% real fruit juice and contain vitamins A, D, E, and C, as well as no high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, or sodium. They taste delicious, with common favorites from the
students being mango and blue raspberry. The school has even added new fruit options as well! I’ve recently had the luxury of indulging in one of my favorite fruits: plums. Those, along with kiwis, fresh strawberries watermelon slices and cantaloupe slices have found their way onto the fruit selection, and many kids go for those new treats, if not the slushes.
Although, we do still have some student favorites. Chicken nuggets, for example, have been spotted on many trays in the cafeteria. New forms of chicken have been added to the menu as well, such as “Chicken Chips” and ”Chicken Fryz”. All chicken items, well
the fries, chips, nuggets and popcorn chicken, all taste great and are always going to be found on my tray.
This past week we were served chicken quesadillas, another favorite of the students. It seems those have been left alone, since they tasted just as great as they did last year; it’s the same case with the walking taco.
The new menu did not only come with better options, improved tasted but better health benefits as well. The majority of high school students at ELCO are sleep deprived for one reason or another, so at the very least they should be able to fill up during lunchtime so they don’t suffer from lethargy.
Story by: A. Janesko
Photo provided by A. Krall Photo provided by J. Badolato
Raider Reader
The Haunting of ELCO
Each year, Elco’s annually held Haunted Hallways event pushes it’s limits of scares and decor to new, frightening levels. Each haunting atmosphere brought on a completely different scene to the audience strolling through, no doubt leaving all seven halls extremely terrified in their own way. This all came to be due to weeks of careful planning prior to the setting up each of the group’s scenes, beginning with picking out a theme and then executing it to the best of everyone’s capabilities.
To start the event, the walk through began with a horror filled hall based upon an even more horrifying movie: from the movie: “here’s Johnny,” called with an axe carrying actor portraying the lead character.
Led by tour guides through the lengthy and dark setting. The guests got their frights in by the actors’ mysterious popping of balloons, and continuous jumpscares. It was definitely a great way to start off the tour with a bang. From there the next stop was to the Shining, land of redrum and spooky twins down narrows halls.
Continuing through the sets, the third to come was the doll room- one of the most bizarre and scary to walk through, due to the reputation dolls have since the film Annabelle has appeared on the silver screen. Hanging from ceiling were doll heads and scattered along the floor were their porcelain counterparts, allowing for a suspenseful image in just the first few steps. The actors did well in scaring their guests even further in their already terrifying scene. Next came the Cabin in the Woods theme, displaying a woodland area with disgruntled looking actors as they’d seemingly been running from something mysterious and unknown to the audience. Soon enough the people off the tour would encounter the monster responsible for such destruction, leaving them spooked as they headed on into the next scene.
From there, the next place of terror was influenced by Alien, a classic film that took the horror genre in a way that no other film had done before. Furthermore, making a great hall for terrorizing those on the walk through. Furthermore, making a great hall for terrorizing
those on the walk through. Attacked by the alien itself, scientists wore disturbing wounds while the alien lurked nearby before approaching the attendees. The harrowing costume itself definitely left people rattled on their way out and onto the next scene in line: IT. Popularized not only because of it’s 1990 hit movie, but also the soon to be continued remake, IT made out to be the perfect film to pull scares from. Coming from this, you obviously can’t have IT without the acclaimed clown, Pennywise, which terrorized guests with the great acting and an even better costume.
Finally the last scene, taking place in the lobby, was based off yet another Stephen King hit called Carrie. A haunting tale that was well displayed by the group shows off Carrie after her prom gone wrong incident which ended the film and would end that
night’s Haunted Hallways event. As ever, the actors did a phenomenal job in portraying the movie’s scenes as well as scaring those who bore witness to it- especially Carrie who looked haunting alone in just her sodden dress and crooked tiara, a staple for classic horror.
Countless hours were spent in planning for the event, as well as money in investing in the right supplies for pulling off a flawless performance from each and every student that acted, as well as those who put it together though were not featured in any of the halls.
In fact over a thousand dollars was made on the event, which defines the great work even more, provided by everyone involved.
No doubt next year will be an even greater success and a new experience for the customers and the volunteers. So hopefully we will see you next Halloween.
Story by S. A
Photo By J. Bickel
Raider Reader Cheerful Nights
The lady raiders spend their fall cheering on the football boys though their 72 season.
Many people believe that cheerleading is the type of sport that requires little to no effort. People believe this because all the fans see is the performance; not the sweat, blood, and bruises involved with practice.
The daily routine of a cheerleader is to stretch before completing anything. This is very critical because if not stretched properly, you could pull a muscle. Next are kicks and jumps. Each cheerleader will kick thirty times and jump twenty-five times. Immediately following the warm up, we decide the cheers and formations that will be done during the performance. The coaches, Mrs. Burkholder and Ms. Yearwood, the captains, Natalie Wilson, Paige Confair, and Jenna Helsel, will crack down on the girls for any missed step. The motions must be tight, the girls must smile and be peppy,
and the feet have to all be the same.
In a stunt group there are two bases, a flier, and a back. “No one hits the ground,” is reiterated by head coach, Mrs. Burkholder. Stunts will never go up perfect the first time. Many nosebleeds, concussions, broken wrists, dislocated thumbs, and much more are what lies behind the perfection of the stunts.
This is called the step up because the flier is initially “stepping” up. Right now junior, Madisyn Hine, is working on her twist down with her stunt group, Katie Warner, Natalie Wilson, and Abigail Hess. The girls first perfected their power cradle, “If we can’t get the flier high, she won’t be able to
“Fake it till you make it”
-Senior Natalie Wilson complete the twist down,” says Natalie Wilson.
At first a lot of frustration is involved while performing stunts. Every practice ends with a meeting. They discuss how practice went, some things that need to be worked on, constructive criticism, and plans for the week. Before leaving they come together and break.
Outside of practice, the girls have strict rules they must follow. They must set a good example for not only themselves, but the school. October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, the girls wore a pink bow and pink poms. As I always say, be loud, be proud, be Raiders. Story by A. Hess
Photo provided by M. Balthaser
Raider Reader
Raiders On Three...
The inside scoop for the ELCO High School volleyball team’s ups and downs throughout the fall season
The fall volleyball season began in the third week of August. It is a good way to get back into the swing of things by having 8 am practices in a gym with no a/c. During the beginning of the season, the girl’s volleyball team was ranked sixth in the section and held that spot for a few weeks.
Senior Maddie Stone, junior Devon Rosengrant, and junior Jade Mattocks were the team’s captians this year. The team suffered two hard losses, Carli Sholl and Gabby
Luna-Nadal.
The typical middle hitter senior Amanda Krall stepped up to the newly open outside spot. Krall finished the season with 124 kills and 349 spikes.
Fresh off of making 1,000 assists, senior Maddie Stone racked up another 403 assists.
On Senior Night, Stone was presented with her 1,000th assist plaque.
Senior night was an emotional night for everyone on the court as we said goodbye to our four seniors: Amanda Krall, Maddie Stone,
Cassie Whitman, and Elysia Overdier. Varsity played a hard match but came up short in the end. JV on the other hand, won 25-17 and 25-15. The girls were ecstatic pulling off the third win of the season.
Mattocks and Stone made the cut for the all star team and banquet.
Mattocks broke the past school record with her 234 digs during this season.
“All I needed was 13 more to beat
Gabby’s record” Mattocks kept saying during the last game. “When Gabby first came last year she played so hard, and I wanted to play as hard, as her so beating her record felt really good, knowing that I accomplished something” Mattocks mentioned. The season came to a bittersweet ending on October 18, as the team
“Just 13 more...”
Junior Jade Mattocks
sang the alma matter one last time while arriving at the ELCO high school. Story by C. Huber
Photo by C. Huber
Photo by C. Huber
Raider Reader Runaways
Senior Lily Brubaker secures 1st place in the varsity cross country county meet.
Cross country is not just a team, it’s a family. The amount of support on this team is incomprehensible. The runners and coaches push each other to become the best versions of themselves. The coaches encourage the runners to work hard and do their best. XC doesn’t just make the players better runners, but better people as well.
Over the summer runs were held to prepare for the season. Then August 13th arrived marking the beginning of preseason. The varsity team headed out to Camp Kirchenwald for the first 3 days of preseason. At camp the team grew together through their
runs, team bonding activities, and sharing their goals for the season. The first meet of the season was held in the ninety degree heat at Northern Lebanon.
The heat didn’t stop the girls varsity and girls junior varsity from reigning victorious against both NL and Lampeter-Strasburg. The boys JV won against NL. The boys varsity came up short against both teams but still had a great race. The next meet was held on Elco’s turf and the other schools in attendance were Columbia, Annville Cleona, and Manheim Central. Girl’s varsity won against two out of the three teams, losing to Manheim
Central. Elco’s Lily Brubaker secured a spot in this race. Boy’s varsity had a 3-0 victory with Mitchell Gray in 1st place and Cole Nelson in 2nd. Girls JV also won overall and Elco’s Isabell Zwally and Carley secured the 2nd and 3rd place spots respectively. Next up for the Elco raiders cross country team was counties. Numerous schools showed up for the meet including Palmyra, Northern Lebanon, Cedar Crest, Annville Cleona, and Lebanon. Elco’s boys and girls varsity performed very well in their races. Four runners for the boys varsity team medaled, Cole Nelson (5th), Mitchell Gray (6th), Trenton Brubaker (17th), and Levi Brooks (18th). Earning the medal on the girls side, Lily Brubaker (1st), Emily
Williams (3rd), Kaitlan Zook (12th), and Bridget Bozman (19th). Cocalico high school was the location of the next meet and included Garden Spot. Boys JV won against both teams.
They clinched four
out of the top five places with Camden Marquette in 1st, Jason Whelan in 2nd, Nate Sanchez placing 4th, and Landen Brubaker in 5th. Also, girls JV won overall and Isabell Zwally placed 1st and Carley Kleinfelter in 2nd. This race was filled with victories for both boys and girls JV as well as boys and girls varsity. October 9th was the last meet in the regular season. The meet was held at Franklin and Marshall College and the other schools racing were Lancaster Catholic and Octorara. Boys varsity and girls JV both won 2-0, while girls varsity and boys JV both lost to Octorara. Cross country offers an amazing opportunity for students to be a part of not only a team but a family. A family that cares, everyone gets along, and that creates memories that will last a lifetime!
Story by B. Bozman
Photo by J. Trump
Photo by J. Trump
Raider Reader
Rackets Up!
Sophomore Grace Ginder makes it to Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament.
As a fairly inexperienced and young team, the ELCO girls tennis team had an impressive 2018 fall season. Historically at ELCO, girls join the team their sophomore or junior year with very little if any previous experience. At least that’s how it was this season. With only two sophomores as the exception, 5 out of the top 7 girls started the sport only three years ago.
However, in a matter of those three years the varsity team had become a force to be reckoned with, beating solid teams such as Garden Spot and Lancaster Mennonite. They’ve held their own against competitive teams from Lancaster Country Day and Pequea Valley. Throughout the season there were moments of brilliance with three shutout wins, multiple matches that came down to one singles win in a tie-break, and impressive comebacks after falling far behind opponents.
Although there were many spectacular accomplishments throughout the season, the most notable performance came from sophomore Grace Ginder. During leagues, Ginder beat both the
number two singles players from Lancaster Country Day landing her third place in the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament. Her third- place win advanced her to district singles where she lost a tough, yet close match to Delone Catholic.
While the tennis team did have a fairly successful season statistically, what really improved the most was not the record, but the team dynamic. This year the captains made relationships the keystone of the team, not winning. In years past the varsity and junior varsity teams stayed fairly separated creating cliques between the girls. However, this year the shift in prioritization resulted in not only a largely improved record, but many team bonding activities, new-found friendships, strong support systems, and memories that will last a lifetime.
If you are looking for a way to meet your best friends and stay active not only physically, but in your school, don’t be afraid to join the tennis team or any other sports team, regardless of experience.
Story by A. Headder
Photos
Raider Reader
All the Way UP
ELCO girls soccer team makes history by securing the section III title four years in a row and the first ever L-L League championship.
The girls soccer team won their first ever Lebanon-Lancaster League Championship. The girls worked game after game to get as far as they did. Preseason was nonstop work to get the girls where they are today. The girls set goals at the start of the season, and they achieved those goals.
This year’s starters were: Jennifer Axarlis, Julia Nelson, Lilliana Collins, Jordan Rosengrant in the back, and Madeline Bailey in the net. The midfielders were Emma Fox, Cassie Johnson, and Ryelle Shuey. Starting up top was our very own Natalie Swingholm, Tanisha Grewal, and Katelyn Rueppel. The girls started the season with a friendly completion against Cedar Crest for the cup. This is their third consecutive win. They walked away with a 4-0 victory.
The Raiders are 17-0-1. There were 66 goals
scored total.
Madeline Bailey had 57 saves and had played in all 18 games. The top scorers were Ryelle Shuey with 19 goals and 3 assist, Katelyn Rueppel had 9 goals and 6 assist, Cassie Johnson had 9 goals and 2 assist, Natalie Swingholm had 7 goals and 3 assist, and finally Tanish Grewal with 5 goals and 7 assist. The most goals scored during a 10-0 victory against Muhlenberg The ladies went into leagues and took down Ephrata 4-1. They advanced to the second round of leagues where they faced and beat Hempfield 1-0. The team brought home girls soccer first ever L-L
Championship against Conestoga Valley with the score of 2-1. This meant a lot to the Raiders. They wanted to prove a point as a section three team. The raiders also won the section 3 title for the past four years so, the current seniors have won every year of their high school career. The 2018 seniors this year were Julia Nelson, Jordan Rosengrant, Ryelle Shuey, Maddy Weit, Sarah Omar, Jennifer Axarlis, and Destiny Rodriguez.
Not only do the ladies work well on the field, they managed to raise over a $1,000 donation that went to Raider-THON.
The girls ended their season making it to states with a final record of 22-1-1.
Raider Reader
6 is a short story about Naomi and Marq going on a little adventure and ending up in a motel room where things start to go downhill. Keep in mind this story was written by senior Zach Whelan.
“This is All Things Considered, on NPR news.”
“No.” Marq turned off the radio. He had seemingly given up on channel surfing. The silence in the forest was louder than anything.
“Why couldn’t we have just taken the main roads? I don’t like driving in the woods; it feels claustrophobic,” Naomi asked.
“You’re not driving.” Marq thought he saw a deer and slammed on the brakes, but it was just a plant that probably shouldn’t have been allowed to grow that far into the road.
“Jesus, Marq!” Naomi shouted. There was a brief pause as they both sat in shock. “Just proves we should have taken the main roads.” I don’t like driving in the woods; it feels claustrophobic,” Naomi asked.
“You’re not driving.” Marq thought he saw a deer and slammed on the brakes, but it was just a plant that probably shouldn’t have been allowed to grow that far into the road.
6“Jesus, Marq!” Naomi shouted. There was a brief pause as they both sat in shock. “Just proves we should have taken the main roads.”
“Oh my heavens, fine,” Marq said. “We’ll turn onto the next highway we see.”
Naomi couldn’t wait to get out of the forest. According to Marq, it was a faster way to get to their destination; but all these twists and turns made her nauseous, and she wasn’t the most outdoorsy person. After about a half hour, they finally noticed a sign for a highway. Marq kept his promise and turned out of the forest. The sun once again shined on their faces. It wasn’t long before it set, however, and they were now driving in the reddish light of dusk. “It’s still a pretty long way to go,” Marq said. “We’re barely halfway there.” “What? We’ve been driving all day!” Naomi exclaimed. “Well, six hours,” Marq corrected. “But it’s fine, it’s fine,”
Marq assured. “Now that we’re on a major highway, we can just stop at the next motel or hotel or whatever that we see. It’ll be fine.”
A sign came into view for the next exit with a “lodging” section. There was only one location on it: “Moward Motels.” Naomi didn’t recognize the name, but insisted they stay there. She was absolutely tired of being on the road. Marq turned off the highway and tried to find the motel. Ironically, the exit took the couple back into the woods. At this point, it was now dark, and Naomi’s anxieties about the woods came back, even worse now in the night. In the middle of the forest, there was another sign for “Moward Motel” that led off the road and through a stone road through the woods. Even Marq said he was getting kind of creeped out. But once they arrived at the motel, the couple’s apprehensions eased.
It was a pleasant-looking place. It had two floors, and the building was made mostly out of wood, in contrast from the surrounding industrial buildings. The motel was in a clearing with another, smaller highway in front of it that Marq and Naomi ended up crossing. The parking lot was mostly empty, but Naomi counted six cars there, indicating that other customers had purchased rooms. “This place actually looks kind of nice, right?” Marq asked. “Yeah, it’s very...” Naomi paused, thinking of how to compliment this strange place. “...rustic.” Marq and Naomi entered the Moward Motel. The lobby was small, but quaint. Polished wooden floors and walls gave the lobby a nice, welcoming presence. Red couches and chairs surrounded two small, circular tables on the right side of the room. On the left was the front desk. A young woman was sitting at a big boxy
Raider Reader
6 is a short story about Naomi and Marq going on a little adventure and ending up in a motel room where things start to go downhill. Keep in mind this story was written by senior Zach Whelan.
computer that was probably older than she was. When she looked at Marq and Naomi, she stood up.
“Oh, hello! Welcome to the Moward Motel!” she blurted out. She then paused and looked at her computer. “Midnight’s a rather late time to be booking a room, isn’t it?” Marq checked his watch. “It’s rather late to still be working here, isn’t it?” he replied sarcastically. The woman blushed and didn’t say anything. “Look, we’ve been on the road for a while, and this place was kind of hard to find. We came off the I-87?” “Oh, yes, we get a few people who have been traveling along there. So, two, I’m guessing?” “Yes, just us,” Naomi answered.
“Ok, let’s just see what rooms we still have available here...” the woman opened a drawer behind the desk, and Naomi heard keys jingle. The woman’s eyes widened.
6“Um, okay, I guess you two will be in... room
A7.” The woman went silent as Marq paid for their room and she gave him the key. “It’s on the first floor on the opposite end of the building,” she mumbled, looking at the ground.
“Ok, thank you!” Marq said as he and Naomi left the lobby. The woman didn’t say anything and sat back down.
“That was weird,” Naomi said while they walked to their room.
“As soon as she found us a room, she looked nervous all of a sudden.”
“Maybe she was just worried that there wasn’t an open room,” Marq replied.
“That’s ridiculous! There are only six cars out here, and one of them is hers. Why on earth wouldn’t there be an open room?” “That’s why she was,” Marq replied smugly. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Let’s just stay here, and we can leave in the morning, and not even need
to remember that ever happened.”
Naomi knew something was wrong, and also knew that Marq had no idea what he was talking about. He was too optimistic, too trusting of strangers. But there wasn’t much Naomi could do about that. While she was thinking about this, something caught her attention. She stopped in her tracks. “Marq,” she half-whispered. “What, what is it-” Marq stopped.
They were almost at their room, A7. In front of them was what would have been room A6. All the other rooms had light pine-colored doors with a plate containing the letter A followed by their respective numbers bolted onto the door. This room was different. The door was a very dark brown-red color. And instead of having a room number, the number “6” was crudely scratched into the door.
“What is this,” Naomi
worried. The couple continued staring at the door.
“I’m going to see what’s inside,” Marq said, bending down to the rusty keyhole.
“Don’t bother,” Naomi replied, “the lights are off in there, the windows are pitch black.”
“You sure about that?” “What do you mean? Do you not believe me when I say that the dark windows that I can see right in front of me indicate that the lights are off?” “Take a look.” Naomi bent down and peered through the keyhole. “Oh my god, what?” she whispered. Instead of the blackness that she expected, her vision was completely encapsulated by a vivid red. There were no discernible features, it was simply solid bright red, like looking at a paint swatch. “What even is this?”
“Maybe it’s a prank or something. Like, this room isn’t actually an available room, and they just put a red piece of
Raider Reader
6 is a short story about Naomi and Marq going on a little adventure and ending up in a motel room where things start to go downhill. Keep in mind this story was written by senior Zach Whelan.
paper on the keyhole to scare people.”
“It wouldn’t be that bright red, Marq! There’s no light!”
“Well, there could be a light above it,” Marq retorted.
“No, because then we would see the light through the window!”
“What if the windows are covered, as well?”
“How on earth would-” Naomi stopped. It seemed that their argument had attracted the attention of the woman who was at the front desk, as she was now standing in clear view outside the lobby, watching them. When Naomi looked over at her, she ran back inside.
“Hey!” Naomi shouted, taking a few steps towards her. The woman was already gone. “Did you see her?” she asked Marq.
“Only for a split second. What was that?”
“It was the woman at the front desk. I knew there was a reason she was acting weird! It’s because we had to walk
6past room 6 to get to ours! Something’s up with this room!”
“Naomi, I know this is really concerning, but ultimately, it isn’t our problem. We can just sleep in room A7, and then leave in the morning. We don’t have to stay here, or worry about what’s happening,” Marq assured. Naomi was quiet for a bit, thinking of something to say, but Whelan 5 then simply nodded.
“Right, now the more time we stand here at this room, the less sleep we get, and the more I get out.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
The couple walked the remaining 20 feet to room A7. When they got inside, they were pleasantly surprised. The room was similar to the lobby, having wooden floors with a soft red carpet at the foot of the beds. There was an old-looking TV top of a mahogany stand. Three chairs were in the room. Two of them were at a
table by the windowthe other one was laying on the floor near the TV. Rather than taking in the coziness of the room, Naomi immediately fixated on the fallen chair. “How on earth did that get all the way over there? What could possibly be going on here?” she asked no one in particular. “You can put it back if it bothers you that much,” Marq replied, laying sideways across the bed. Naomi couldn’t be bothered. She was now apathetic towards Marq’s apparent apathy towards the strange motel. She silently picked up the chair and moved it to its appropriate spot at the table. She then walked over to Marq and asked, “How’s the bed?”
“It’s soft, but... mushy, I guess? It’s like if a water bed wasn’t liquid.”
“So, an ice bed?” Naomi sat on the bed next to him. It was definitely not an ice bed. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “It’s more
like a bean bag.”
“Whatever,” Marq said followed by a yawn.
“Let’s just sleep and then get out of here as soon as possible.”
Whelan 6
“Agreed,” agreed Naomi. The two of them got ready for bed, and quickly fell asleep in the strange bean-bag-bed.
Naomi hadn’t slept yet, and it was 3:00 in the morning. Her worries about the motel combined with her insomnia were keeping her up. Suddenly, the ear-piercing sound of shattering glass from the bathroom took her from her thoughts. Her upper body leapt from the bed. Even though she could tell the sound came all the way from the bathroom, it sounded as if it were two feet away from her. Marq rustled under the blanket, and turned over to face Naomi. He was still asleep. She wanted to wake him up and tell him what happened, but she knew he would
Raider Reader
6 is a short story about Naomi and Marq going on a little adventure and ending up in a motel room where things start to go downhill. Keep in mind this story was written by senior Zach Whelan.
say she was dreaming. Was she dreaming? She decided to go to the bathroom and find out. It had just occurred to her that neither of them had actually seen the bathroom yet. She didn’t even know exactly where it was. She turned on the lamp beside the bed. Looking around, breath shaky, she noticed the door in the back left corner of the room. She slowly creeped over to it and paused when she reached the door. She knew that she could be in serious danger, but she needed to know exactly what was going on. She pushed open the door, turned on the light, and... The bathroom was fine. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Naomi couldn’t see any broken glass anywhere. Relieved that she really might have been dreaming, she was about to head back intothemainroomwhensheheardanothernoise.Knock. Knock.S hefroze,
6her breathing stopping. Four more slow knocks followed. The sound was coming from in the bathroom with her. She slowly turned around to the opposite wall, where the knocks came from. Seeing herself in the mirror, she saw she was pale, and her eyes were wide open. But she didn’t care. Knock. Six more knocks came from the other side of the wall. Naomi began walking towards the mirror. Knock. The noise was growing louder. Naomi put her ear to the wall next to the mirror, waiting to hear the next set of six knocks.
KNOCK. T hey were even louder now. Naomi was certain this wasn’t a dream. She backed away from the wall, and began to run into the room to wake up Marq. THUMP. The next set of six knocks became deafeningly loud. Naomi jumped away and covered her ears. After the third thump, the mirror fell off the wall and crashed onto the floor,
sending broken shards all over. She thought one of them cut her foot, but she didn’t stop to look. She turned around to where the mirror was, and stopped.
There was now a gaping hole in the wall, directly above the sink. Unable to think about what was happening, Naomi simply stood there. She stared into the hole, but couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black, even with the light coming from the bathroom. The smell coming from it was unbearable. She was frozen. But suddenly, while she was staring at the blackness, everything made sense. This was why the woman at the front desk was so worried. This hole led to room 6. And as this thought popped into her head, she began walking. Walking towards the hole. She needed to know what was in that room.
The hole was just big enough for a person to fit through. Naomi climbed onto the sink
and placed her hand on the edge of the hole. The inside of the wall was cold and wet, and the smell was getting worse. Her heart was pounding, but to her, it felt like it had stopped. She only needed to crawl about five steps to get through the wall, but it felt like five minutes. When she ended up on the other side, she struggled to find her footing after jumping down from the hole. From what little light entered from the bathroom, it looked like she was in the main room, not the bathroom. Now she knew why the hole seemed pitch black, it opened into a dark, wide open space. The illuminated wall around the hole was a bright red color. Thinking of ways that she could see more of the room, she remembered that she still had her phone on her She hadn’t taken it out of her jeans pocket before she abruptly went to bed. Flusteredly fumbling around with it, she dropped it on
Raider Reader
6 is a short story about Naomi and Marq going on a little adventure and ending up in a motel room where things start to go downhill. Keep in mind this story was written by senior Zach Whelan.
floor. Feeling for it in the darkness, her hand touched something mushy and disgusting. She couldn’t find her phone anywhere. The smell was getting even worse. Naomi could smell it on herself, but she couldn’t place what it was. She wanted to get out of this room as soon as possible. She hated herself for wanting to see what was in here. She got back into the hole and started crawling to the other side, but then the unthinkable happened. The mirror covered the hole again. She saw it happen. She didn’t see anyone, but she saw the mirror rise back up, blocking her path to room A7. She shoved and banged on the other side of the mirror. “MARQ!” she yelled. She continued pounding on the mirror and screaming for Marq, for anyone to help her. She ran back into room 6 and found the door to the outside. It was locked from the
6outside. She tried kicking it down, but the force blew her back onto the floor and onto a soft, lumpy substance. Something grabbed her ankle while she was on the ground, and she screamed. Naomi tried to break free, but its grip was too strong. Out of options, she reached down to her ankle and tried to pull it off of her. The attacker had the shape of a human hand, but it didn’t feel like human skin. Frantically prying off the fingers one by one, she managed to escape and ran back to the hole. However, it was now pitch black, and she had no idea where it was. Feeling around in the back corner of the room where she had entered, she found the hole and climbed in. Naomi kept knocking and pushing on the mirror, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge. After trying to get help for ten minutes to no avail, Naomi simply brought her knees to
her head and sobbed. She was trapped. She was going to stay in this room forever. But then she remembered that she was being silly. Marq was still in room A7. He couldn’t stay asleep forever. But who knew when he was going to wake up? Naomi had no way of telling what time it was or how long she had been in room 6. Peeking out into the room again, she saw that she couldn’t see anything out the windows. Just like Marq said, they were covered up by something or heavily tinted. Turning around to go back into the hole, however, something grabbed Naomi’s ankle again, and she let out another high-pitched scream. The attacker began to pull her back into room 6. Naomi was gripping and clawing at the inside of the hole, trying to find a place where she could hold on, but she couldn’t. Naomi was dragged back into room 6. In the process,
she fell from the hole and banged her head on the ground. Everything went black.
About the author:
Zach Whelan is a senior here at ELCO high school. Whelans favorite subject is anything music related. He also has taken spanish for four years. In his freetime Whelan likes to compose music and play piano, and play violin. He has played piano for eleven years.
Zach would like to go into the music education field after he graduated high school this year, he is unsure of where he would like to go to college yet.
Story by C. Huber
Raider Reader
Netflix Survival Guide
The longest TV binge ever put in the books lasted a whopping 94 hours, that’s just two hours short of four days!
If you want a chance at breaking that record or even touching it, you’ll have to first find a show and gather the supplies you’ll need. What you’re watching is very important because if you get bored, the binge obviously won’t last very long. Try choosing something that continues to interest you. Next, and most importantly, gather things
like snacks to munch on, water to sip on, and pillows and blankets to grip when there’s suspense. Although many of us would like it to, our lives can’t only consist of Netflix and Hulu. Try getting out every once in a while. Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble upon something you enjoy outside of your home.
Recommendations: Vampire Diaries; Grey’s Anatomy; Friends; Switched at Birth; 90210.
Story by A. Stump
‘Lights Out’ With the Lights On
Although it came out two years ago, the PG-13 movie Lights Out, will still make you sleep with the lights on.
Despite the almost overdone use of jump scares, I would still recommend this movie because the plot is
pretty solid. The actors were impressive although they aren’t mainstream, and overall the premise is terrifying. This would be a good movie to watch with friends and family.
Review by M. Wyatt
Happy Halloween!
Today we watched as a crowd mixed with monsters, heroes, clowns, etc. tried to navigate their way through the halls of our beloved high school.
Not only did students dress up but teachers also dressed up in their costumes. James Antonucci kept things on the calmer side and dressed up as Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” In addition to that, there were multiple groups of M&M’s, fruits, and Winnie the Pooh characters. On the other hand, a large number of
people were dressed up in killer clown outfits, as well as devils. To my surprise, there was even a group of girls dressed as boys. Most of the costumes worn today were unique and original DIY. For instance, there was a trio of girls dressed as the King, Queen, and Jack from a deck of cards. Halloween is now over and things are back to normal. There are 11 months until all the wonderful costumes are pulled out from the back of our closets to be worn again.
Story By K. Price Photo provided by M. O’Neill
Photo provided by J Angstadt
Raider Reader
