Newsletter 10/16/2020

October 19, 2020

A game millions are downloading “Among Us” hits phones and computers Alexis Swoyer, Social Media Editor Recently the hype around social media and the gaming industry is a game called “Among Us,” which has been downloaded by over 86 million people around the world. The game, actually made in 2018, was just picked up from different popular gaming platforms that made its popularity skyrocket. The game can either be played on PC or on smartphones.

One round can have up to 10 players and up to 3 “imposters.” The imposters of the game are a secret to the others who are not the chosen imposter.

The imposter’s role is to try to sabotage or kill the rest of the players without getting caught.

The other players are called “crewmates,” and they do different tasks to try to stay alive and win.

The crewmates along with the imposters have to vote out each player who they suspect is the imposter, or a player tries to have someone else voted out so that player does not look like the imposter.

One thing that is difficult about “Among Us” is that if people want to play with a group of friends, everyone needs to have the same code to be in a match together.

Also, if someone meets new friends in the game, there is not the ability to friend them.

There are rumors that the feature will be coming in soon, but it has not been confirmed yet.

“It’s a thrilling game. I love that each match is different from the past one I just played. It’s a surprise every time I play,” said Ethan Kleppinger, Whitehall High School.

Source: Screenshot Alexis Swoyer

Source: Screenshot Alexis Swoyer

UPCOMING CALENDAR DATES ★ FHS versus LHS game Saturday, October 31 @ 1 ★ Marking Period 1 ends Friday, November 6

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FREE FLU SHOTS 11/7 Dorney Park 11/8 Coca-Cola Park

October 16, 2020

Do Halloween COVID style Even if Trick-or-Treat isn’t for you Alexis Swoyer, Social Media Editor Tis’ the season of spooky time, but sadly there is not much spooking going on this year. Since COVID-19 has hit countries all around the globe, the world has been very different; no big gatherings, staying six feet apart, constantly wearing a mask, and not really leaving the house. It has been very difficult to celebrate different holidays or even someone’s birthday, and now it is getting into the seasons of big holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and of course Halloween.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, many places around the world and area have cancelled major Halloween events, like trick-or-treating, parades, and ghoulish parties and events.

“I was really looking forward to hanging out with my friends this Halloween and being able to have fun with them,” said Izzy Panepinto, East Stroudsburg student.

There are a few counties across Pennsylvania that will have Halloween parades and other events.

“I was hoping to go to the Haunt at Dorney Park this year, but sadly, I can’t because it closed this season because of COVID. I was really excited for this year,” said Brianna Henkel, Parkland student.

There are some attractions in the area like Mazezilla, Sleepy Hollow, and Field of Screams, which are holding their usual season but with different guidelines. Guests must buy tickets for a certain day and time for these attractions, and like with all public areas,

people must wear masks at all times. That does not seem too unbearable since the season is starting to get chilly.

Other attractions that are open for their usual Halloween season are pumpkin patches. So, go out and pick a favorite pumpkin and drink some apple cider just like every other year.

Covid-19 does not mean life is over. People can still have fun. Just make sure everyone is safe and healthy.

The struggle of becoming a young adult during Covid A look at high school and college issues during the pandemic Alexis Swoyer Social Media Editor At this point, everyone can agree that the 2020 school year has been very different from past school years.

Students and teachers are focusing on online school, doing work at home, wearing masks to class, and trying to keep it as normal as possible.

There is a small silver lining to the pandemic this year.

Seniors and some juniors across the country do not need to worry about taking SAT or ACT tests. The reason is that most colleges are accepting students without those scores since COVID-19 hit the country.

This is at least a relief for high school seniors as they

can apply to certain colleges without needing to worry about passing one of the standardized tests.

This positive aspect leads to seniors’ ability to apply to colleges early instead of waiting until after the SAT or ACT. Along with the testing scores, some colleges are not requiring community service hours from high school for students to apply.

Since COVID hit the U.S., it has been very hard for students to go out and do community service at different companies and events. Some businesses will not allow volunteers at all during the pandemic.

In fact, some high schools are completely cancelling the need for certain hours of community service to graduate, or they are lowering the hours needed for different students. This does help because it is much harder to obtain hours this year if businesses are not accepting community service volunteers.

Not relying on a standardized test for college entrance or attempting community service without success are good things.

However, there are other changes that really put a kink into the whole college experience.

For example, because of

the pandemic, most colleges are only doing virtual tours of the schools.

However, this is beneficial to students who cannot travel or who do not want to travel for fear of contracting the disease.

Another downside to college at this point is the loss of the “college experience” because many schools are only doing online learning and not allowing students on campus. This really puts a halt to the excitement of becoming a college freshman and wanting to have their first college experiences away from home.