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THE STINGER
Februar y 2014
Orchestra coffee house showcases student talent Colleen Grablick News Editor
Dozens of Emmaus students and parents packed the Emmaus High School cafeteria last month as they enjoyed food, music and fun. The Emmaus Orchestra held its annual Coffee House fundraiser, where many student musicians showcased their skills. Friends and family gathered around to enjoy the show while sipping on coffee and munching on homemade baked goods. The night also included a 50-50 raffle. Connie Arnold, the orchestra director at Emmaus High School, organized the event. According to Arnold, many orchestra students assisted in the event as well, including orchestra president Natalie Swann and vice president Fergus Watkins. “It takes a lot of work from parents and students,” said Arnold. Freshman Joel Shimer emceed the event, cracking jokes and keeping the atmosphere fun and lively. Shimer kicked off the night with his unique performance of disco classic “Funkytown” on his electric guitar. In all, 22 acts performed, including bands, solos, and duets. The night featured just about every genre of music, ranging from classical to hard rock to opera. Arnold loved the variety at Coffee
House. “It was a diverse evening from 70’s pop to contemporary, classical, fiddling, individuals and bands,” said Arnold. “Everything was so unique and well-done.” The first duet of the night was performed by two sophomores, Victoria Reichelderfer and Kristin Erle. Reichelderfer sang and played guitar while Erle
Michael Monte, belted out the lyrics to “Reptilia”, “Tight Rope”, “The Day You Went Away”, and “Believe” while the crowd clapped along to the beat. Darron Dries played the drums while Aidan Huzar played the keyboard. The second band featured that night calls themselves The Bonzai Tree. The group consists of three seniors: Kevin Gigler, E a m o n Dreisbach, and Jordan Pierce. Dreisbach strummed his bass guitar while Gigler sang and played guitar. Pierce added uniqueness to the sound of the band by playing his trumpet. The trio performed three songs, two of which were originals. However, The Bonzai Tree was not the only act of the night that featured an original songs. Junior Sarah Winston sang “The City”, an original song written by her father, while junior Caleb Strobel performed an original love song. Sophomores Juliette Confer and Cassidy Inman attended the event to support their friends Maddy Lysek and Penny Stenroos, who performed a duet of “I Feel Pretty/Unpretty”. “I like the Coffee House event because I love watching my friends perform,” said
Everything was so unique and well-done -Connie Arnold, orchestra director sang. Despite not having much time to practice with their busy schedules, the pair pulled through with their quiet and calm performance of “Autumn Leaves” by Ed Sheeran. Both girls have been singing since middle school, and Reichelderfer recently picked up the guitar about a year ago. Erle feels gracious that Emmaus gives students a chance to express themselves through the Coffee House event. “We love that Emmaus has the opportunity for students to showcase their talents,” said Erle. Two bands performed at the event. The Reruns, a band consisting of four freshmen, played a set of four songs. The lead vocalists of the group, Will Newbegin and
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Inman. Confer feels similarly. “It was fun because I got to drink coffee and see my friends get the opportunity to showcase their talents,” said Confer. Perhaps the most notable performance of the night came from senior Anthony Sharp and junior Mason Trinkle. This September the two travelled to Nashville where they participated in a national choir. The two sang “The Prayer” by Andrea Bocelli. Sharp provided the accompaniment on piano. According to Sharp, the Coffee House allowed him to perform without much pressure. “It was cool to sing in a more laid back setting,” said Sharp. MC Shimer wrapped up the night by performing “Sweet Caroline,” during which the audience sang along. Many freshmen took to the stage at the event as well. Coffee House served as a great way for freshmen to get to know some fellow music lovers. Freshman Matthew Elock played a catchy folk sounding song on his viola, and says he didn’t feel too nervous for his performance. “I liked it,” said Elock. “It was a very good experience.” Elock is already looking forward to the Coffee House for next year, and plans to play his viola again.
Left: Freshman Will Newbegin performs as a part of the band The Reruns at the Orchestra Coffee House. Right: Junior Sarah Winston performs an original song “The City” Photos by Lindsay Harner
Stinger wins 12 Keystone awards, most in state The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association recently announced that The Stinger won 12 awards for outstanding journalism in the 2014 Student Keystone Press contest.
Stolz who resigned amid controversy that he allegedly had a relationship with a former student. Guido also earned a second place for her work on an in-depth package called “Bullying: an omni-
The Keystone Press contest recognizes high school and college journalism that provides “relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers.” This year, The Stinger won more awards than any other public, private or parochial high school in the state. Last year, The Stinger won 8 awards. Editor-in-Chief Katrina “Kitty” Guido, a senior, landed more awards than any other student-journalist in the state. Guido captured five awards. Features managing editor Justine Coleman, a junior, won four awards. Junior Christine Carlson, section editor of features, received two awards. Guido won an honorable mention for her breaking news story, “Harlem shake shakes up EHS.” She took second place in ongoing news coverage for her three-part follow-up on former school director Julian
present enemy.” As part of that package, Guido profiled someone who was bullied at school, a story which took first place in features as well as first place in personality profile. “Kitty did an outstanding job both as a writer, a collaborator, and an editor this past year,” said Stinger adviser Denise Reaman. “I am extremely impressed with her accomplishments and contributions to the paper. “Overall, our staff had a tremendous year,” she said. “They truly are a dynamic group of dedicated students.” Coleman and Carlson
Overall, our staff had a tremendous year. The truly are a dynamic group of dedicated students -Denise Reaman, advisor
won first place in the public service/enterprise category for an in-depth look at juvenile diabetes. Sophomores Olivia Riccio and Alex Kugler, along with senior Josh
LeMaster, wrote sidebars for the project. Coleman and Carlson’s profile on a girl with juvenile diabetes also won second place as a personality profile. Coleman, along with senior Destiny Nagle, won honorable mention for a public service package on school safety. Coleman also landed an honorable mention for column writing. Senior Eamon Dreisbach won second place in review writing for his piece on Eminem, while junior Maura Benner captured first place for her photo story on Shave for the Brave. Senior Kevin Rodgers earned honorable mention for The Stinger’s website, which was re-launched at the start of the school year. The winners will be honored at the America East Technology and Top: Alex Kugler, Katrina Guido, Olivia Riccio, Destiny Nagle Operations Conference Middle: Justine Coleman, Kevin Rodgers, Christine Carlson, Maura Benner in Hershey on April 2. Bottom: Eamon Dreisbach, and Josh LeMaster Photo by Savannah Pukanecz