February 2015

The Stinger February 2015

Volume 40

stingerehs.com @stingerehs @stingerehs

Issue 4

Emcees Morgan Patterson and Nicole Meilinger reward Andrew Ferguson with his crown and sash after his humorous performance in the talent portion with fellow competitor Daniel Amankwatia Photo by Lindsay Harner

Ferguson crowned Mr. Emmaus 2015

Rachel McQuiston Online Culture Editor On Feb. 5, Emmaus High School held its annual male senior beauty pageant, also known as Mr. Emmaus, with senior Andrew Ferguson emerging victorious.

The contestants competed in four categories of which the judges used to determine the winner. The first category, formal wear, consisted of each of the contestants being escorted by someone of their choice.

Come after were the swimwear and talent segments, where the contestants showed off their best beach wear and wowed the crowd with their unique talents. The night finished off with the interview portion, after which the judges choose the top five finalists.

Mr. Emmaus is put together by Emmaus’ Student Government, also known as SGA. Senior Nina Rowan explains that SGA put a great amount of time into Mr.Emmaus.

“There is a lot of planning and coordination required by SGA, Nick Quinn, and I so it’s hard to say exactly how much time we put in,” said Rowan. “It definitely takes the most planning and time out of all SGA’s events.”

3

Sophomore Mariah Madain believes that Mr. Emmaus is an entertaining experience for everyone.

“Mr. Emmaus is a well-planned, hilarious event the entire school enjoys watching,” said Madain. “It allows senior boys to showcase their talents, yet it gives other students the opportunity to laugh with them.”

The night began with an amusing opening video introducing the 12 contestants.

The video followed the boys performing a dance to a mash-up of numerous songs choreographed by Emmaus Dance Team seniors.

Up next came the formal wear portion of the competition. Mike Healy made a unique entrance, which captivated the audience when he arrived with his co-worker “Granny,” from McDonalds.

The boys then brought the beach to Emmaus’ auditorium when it was time for the swimwear segment. From lifeguard outfits to snorkels and floaties, the contestants went all out for this portion of the competition. Daniel Intriago entertained the audience when he arrived in his full-body shark costume.

The talent portion of the night was filled

Potential student resource officer at EHS

10

with unique dance numbers, singing, comedy acts, and more.

John Dudley amused the crowd when he “slow jammed the news” with Emmaus 12th grade AP Mark Covelle. The audience’s childhood was brought to life when Ben Smolinsky and Teddy Tucker put on their black suits and danced to “Soul Man” by the Blues Brothers, a remake from their performance in fifth grade. The audience erupted with laughter when Andrew Ferguson and Daniel Amankwatia joined each other in a competitive rap-off, dance-off, comedy act.

After the talent portion, Healy, Jordan Pothering, Ferguson, Amankwatia, and Intriago were each selected to advance onto the interview round.

Each contestant answered their specific question to the best of their ability.

When asked if technology should be available to students throughout the day, Ferguson claimed that as useful as technology is, it also takes away from the relation-

Dustin: one trans guy’s journey

ships that you have with people.

After much deliberation, Ferguson was crowned Mr. Emmaus along with Healy as runner-up and Amankwatia in 3rd place.

Ferguson was shocked, but also pleased with his win.

“Although the bragging rights are pretty awesome, I don’t feel like I totally deserve

Mr. Emmaus winner Andrew Ferguson the crown,” said Ferguson. “However, I am honored to have had the privilege to compete with great guys and I think that the show really showcased us as a class.”

Madain believes that Ferguson deserved this win.

“I am pleased with the outcome of Andrew Ferguson winning,” said Madain.

“He is very involved in the school and had a great talent to show his classmates.”

20

Healy conquers bike ride to New York

The Stinger This Just-In

It Happens For a Reason

Bad things happen. They are unavoidable. I believe they happen to teach us, perhaps how not to treat people or how to think in new ways.

People who know me well know what I say when things go awry for them: It will work out. Some may say I am an optimist or overly unrealistic, but let me tell you why I say and will always believe a light exists at the end of every dark tunnel.

Because I know it’s true.

Seven and a half years ago, I lost my mother to melanoma skin cancer. I felt lost. I did not know what to do without my mom. I had lost a tooth on the day she died, but I did not put it under my pillow. I simply did not want to. I missed talking to her. I missed hearing her laugh from another room. I missed feeling safe.

At the same time, my dad held interviews to hire a nanny to watch my brother and me, so my dad could go to work. I honestly do not even remember meeting Hannah, half because I was in a type of emotional “just survive” mindset. On the other hand, the current project of making a scavenger hunt for my neighbors captured my attention much more than meeting a bunch of new grown-ups. I preferred to say a quick, “Hi,” to the interviewees and anxiously wait until my dad gave the nod that I could finally run outside and return to sticking Post-It notes on trees for my younger neighbors.

A few weeks later my dad invited Hannah to come to a corn maze with us. Previously, my family had had a traditional girls versus boys race to successfully exit the corn maze. Of course, we had to make some adjustments that year but it was nothing that I didn’t expect.

Hannah and I were on a team, and basically all I can remember is that I showed off my flute-playing skills within the corn maze through blowing into a water bottle and making that obnoxious noise. I apologize to those who had to deal with that.

I do remember clearly that when I went to sleep that night, I put my tooth under my pillow. Somehow I knew everything would be okay.

It turns out Hannah did not only enter my life to make my dad happy. She came to save me, too.

Throughout the years, I had suppressed much emotional suffering. Hannah encouraged and even sometimes made me talk about why I shut out the world.

I didn’t want to, even pleaded at some points not to answer questions about my past. I did not want to cry in front of people. I actually had not cried since the day my mom died, and Hannah knew it was eating me up inside, even though I had no idea.

It’s hard to describe in words the sense of hopelessness that I felt, but I know if I never met Hannah, I’d still be in the same state of mind that I was in back in fifth grade. Eventually, I had reached a state of more or less acceptance of the situation.

Our family has gone through ups and downs within the last years like any other family. When I do allow myself to cry (which is such a relief, I suggest it to all, male or female), I go to Hannah. Between fallouts with friends or any other disappointments, she remains realistic.

It is quite beneficial to cry to someone, especially someone like Hannah. She will comfort me, while still strongly encouraging I move on from bad happenings.

One of the most important lessons Hannah has taught me included the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” In other words, act like you’re okay even if you are not and one day you will be. I sincerely hope everyone has a person like that. If you don’t, please find one.

I have no idea what my life would be like without Hannah, but I do know that I wouldn’t have changed one event in my life. Because Hannah came to our family when all three of us had been in pieces and guided us in so many ways, I undoubtedly believe all chains of events happen for a reason. In the end, I know if I survived losing my favorite person, I know I can get through anything.

When bad occurrences happen, you have every right to cry, scream, and yell, whether it is your fault or not.

At some point, you have to get up and live the life you were given. What really makes a person great is their ability to become stronger from struggles and show the world what he or she is really capable of doing. Every obstacle is a lesson or an opportunity to meet someone that could change your life.

Without the death of my mother happening, I would not have gotten the opportunity to look up to Hannah. I have gained confidence and have become comfortable being in my own skin, being the person I am meant to be. I could not have done it without my stepmom, and for all of your help, I am forever grateful. Thank you, Hannah.

Associate Editor Colleen Grablick @collllsss

Editor-in-chief Justine Coleman @JustineColeman8 Business Manager News Editor Maura Benner @bennedryl Assistant News Editor Cathryn Seibert @ryncat98

Assistant Online News Editor Ellie Lewis @ellie_lewis14

Assistant Opinion Editor Will Newbegin @free_willy98

Opinion Editor Angie Stein @shmangieangie

Assistant Features Editor Tori Delhagen @tori_delhagen

Features Editor Christine Carlson

Assistant Features Editor Rania Draklellis @ou_rania

Assistant Culture Editor Kayla McGovern

Culture Editor Olivia Riccio @Liv120497

Assistant Online Culture Editor Rachel McQuiston @rachelmcqq

Assistant Sports Editor Katie Mest @katiemest

Sports Editor John Lang @JohnLang05

Online Sports Editor Jason Kashuba

Web Administrator Darsh Patel

Adviser Denise Reaman

Web Administrator Zooey He

Photographer Rachel Reed

Photo Editor Lindsay Harner @lindsayharner

Photographer Jared O’Neill

Copy Editor Ava Johnson

Cartoonist Max Krug

Copy Editor Holly Diehl

2014 NSPA Third Place News Story of the Year Superior Ratings in Newswriting Superior Ratings in Cartooning 2014 Keystone Press Awards Second Place Ongoing News Coverage Honorable Mention News Story First, Second, Honorable Mention Public Service Package First Place Feature Story First, Second Place Personality Profile Honorable Mention Column Writing Second Place Review Writing First Place Photo Story Honorable Mention Website 2014 Pennsylvania School Press Association Awards First, Second Place Feature Story, Second Place in Nation First Place Review, Honorable Mention in Nation First, Second Place Column First Place Photo Story Second Place Editorial

Opinion Columnist Jacob Puleo @JacobPuleo

Colleen’s Corner

Love Yourself It’s no secret that people have insecurities. It’s human nature to sometimes feel as though you’re not good enough, or that there’s certain parts of you that you want to change. But I realized something recently, and after I accepted, this I found it easier to love myself, and all of myself. Including my flaws.

I am by no means some therpaist, any type of expert on self-confidence, but there’s one thing that I believe is the key step in loving yourself. And that is to realize that there will always be someone better. There will always be someone with skinnier legs, a flatter stomach, a nicer backside, or a higher GPA. Girls today, at least from my own personal experience, have become fixated on the toxic idea of comparison. We compare ourselves to everyone. The girl from math class who hasn’t seemed to repeat an outfit all year. The girl in physics who is probably a descendant of Isaac Newton. We look for people who have the things we don’t, and when we find them, we put them on a pedestal. At least for me, this is what I have witnessed amongst many girls my age.

With prom season approaching, Facebook groups have been created for the junior and senior proms, so that girls can post their dresses and thus prevent dress duplications. The page started in early Feburary, as many early-birds began their dress hunt. As I scrolled through the page, and as dress after dress popped up, I could feel my self-confidence dropping.

Pressure to look perfect started building up. The perfect, dress, hair, nails, etc. “She’s so perfect” my friends and I would say, while we admired each post.

“I don’t even want to go to prom anymore I will never look as good as she will.”

Then it hit me.

Just because another girl looks awesome in a tight fighting, sparkly dress, doesn’t mean that I can’t look great in a dress that suits me. What other people have doesn’t detract from my qualities, or who I am as I person. Prom is meant to be one of the most memorable nights of a student’s high school career. It’s not meant to be spent comparing yourself to the 500 others girls in 500 other dresses. It took this silly Facebook group for me to understand that yes, there will always be someone better, and no, I will not let that ruin my confidence.

Unfortuately, high school doesn’t provide the easiest environment for someone to be their most confident self in. With glaring eyes and judging looks, it’s hard to truly expressive yourself, especially if your pink hair or heavy black eye make-up goes against the “norm.” Recently, the creation of the infamous “most attractive girls in EHS” by a group of senior boys, along with the prom page, sparked my inspiration for writing this column. High schools girls critique themselves and their bodies enough, and the last thing they would need is a bunch of 18-year-old boys analyzing their bodies. I can only hope that this year marks the final production of the objectifying bracket, but realistically, it will most likely live on. Women will always be in a constant battle, facing objectification and comparison. However, it’s up to us to fight the battle.

I personally have found that the best way to overcome the habit of comparison, and self-deprecation, is to accept the fact that what other people have, or what I don’t have, doesn’t matter. I realized that I was spending too much time being unhappy, hating the things about myself that I couldn’t change, when I could be happy, loving myself for the things that define me. There’s so much more to a person than her weight, or what kind of makeup she wears, or what kind of grades she gets. It’s a shame to hear people who have so many different qualities and unique traits self-deprecate and obsess over one tiny and superficial flaw.

After I accepted the fact that there will always be someone better out there, I found it easier to be confident in all aspects of myself, and not just looks. I started focusing on things that I have rather than the things that I don’t.

So no, I’m not an expert, and maybe this is all just me being an emotional 17-year-old girl, but recently I’ve noticed the amount insecurity in many girls, and I find it important that girls know they’re worth much more than their appearance.

Love yourself for what you are, not everything you aren’t.

Take Care of You

MAURA BENNER

IN-DEPTH REPORTING ON TOPICS THAT MATTER TO YOU NEWS EDITOR MAURA BENNER KEEPS ASSISTANT EDITOR CATHRYN SEIBERT GETTING BENNER

News

New cop on the block? District looks to hire officer

Lily Day Isabella Wegner Staff Writers In its preliminary budget for the 20152016 school year, the East Penn School Board proposed hiring a Student Resource Officer at Emmaus High School.

A Student Resource Officer (SRO) is a certified law enforcement officer who is typically assigned to a particular school.

Several Lehigh Valley school districts, including Allentown, Parkland, Whitehall, Southern Lehigh and Salisbury, already employ one or more SROs. The primary objective of a SRO is to deal with disciplinary issues, but superintendent Michael Schilder sees Student Resource Officers as being more than just ordinary police officers.

“It’s really three pieces,” Schilder said, “[it’s the SRO as] law enforcement, [the] SRO as [a] teacher, [and the] SRO as [a] counselor.”

Several sources show that SROs are effective in these three areas. Information put out by Parkland School District states that some of the goals of a SRO program are to bridge gaps between students and police officers, increase positive attitudes towards law enforcement and reduce juvenile crime through guidance, criminal justice education and personal interest in students.

“I think any high school close to the size of Emmaus High School needs an SRO officer,” Schilder said. “I just think it’s a very wise, proactive stance for a school district... to take.”

The preliminary school district budget has $100,000 put aside for a SRO, but the school board’s vote on the final budget

adoption for the 2015-2016 school year will not occur until June 22.

If the budget including the SRO is approved, the hiring process will begin. However, not any police officer can be a SRO. “Not all policemen are certified as SROs,” Schilder said. “It is a type of training that they take... the whole idea of the training is to understand what it’s like to work in a high school, to understand w h a t it’s like to work with students, and to have a certain sensitivity and ability to do that.”

Other requirements that East Penn would be looking for in a SRO include him/her being an active member of the Emmaus Police Department and enjoying being around high schoolers.

“You’ve got to show that you have a real passion, a real desire, a real interest in being around young adults of this particular age,” Schilder said.

Schilder anticipates mixed reactions towards the idea of a SRO from students at EHS, but thinks the SRO will eventually be seen in a positive light.

“When [Emmaus High School students] get used to the [SRO] and they realize that this is not just a cop walking around with a gun, but more of a counselor, a teacher, somebody to actually go to, somebody to bond with, I think within a very short period of time it wouldn’t be a big deal to anybody,” Schilder said. “It would be very much a natural part of the high school environment.

“They’re widely endorsed,” he said, referring to the area school districts who em-

ploy SROs. “A few of the superintendents did say they can’t imagine not having one now that they have one.”

Emmaus Principal David Piperato believes that a SRO would be a beneficial addition to the school’s staff.

“I have been a principal eight years now, and not had one, so we’ve been okay without it, and I’m sure we could continue to survive without one,” Piperato said. “But the benefits of a resource officer are many.

“We were teachers that became administrators, so we are not investigating officers,” he said. “We are not the police, and so when a crime is committed in the building, it is always nice to have somebody who is assigned to the building, who belongs to the police department, and is trained in those areas.”

Assistant Principal Mark Covelle thinks a SRO would be a good investment for EHS. “I came from Southern Lehigh where we had a school resource officer, and they were a good resource within the school,” Covelle said.

Junior Sophia Wertz also sees potential benefits to a SRO. “I think if there’s an officer, there’s probably less motivation to misbehave,” Wertz said.

However, Wertz does not think Emmaus will be greatly changed by the addition of a SRO. “I don’t know if I would really feel any different, because I don’t feel unsafe now,” she said.

Hall monitor Michelle Magargal believes a SRO at Emmaus would be a great idea.

“I don’t know if it would change the disciplinary [procedures], but I think it would help,” Magargal said. “Maybe take some of the pressure off of the assistant principals.”

FBLA members to take on Hershey Maura Benner News Editor Emmaus High School’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America plans to send 29 state qualifiers to the State Leadership Conference in Hershey in April after 33 members placed at the regional level.

At the regional level, students in FBLA compete against other schools’ chapters in a wide variety of business tasks for an opportunity to advance to the state level.

Some of the tasks students can compete in are objective tests competitors can take in a variety of topics, while other tasks are performance or project based presentations. Emmaus’ FBLA is a part of FLBA Pennsylvania Region 28, which is composed of 13 area schools.

This year, 33 members of FBLA qualified to advance to the state level, including all of the club’s officers. Out of this number, 29 members will be attending the conference in April .

Business education teacher and FBLA adviser Kelly Duffy says that the club’s accomplishments have been growing over the passing years.

“Having that many students qualify for states, [the number of qualifiers is] a good chunk of our membership, so that’s always exciting,” Duffy said. “And it seems like every year we get a little more successful, we usually have every year a few more qualify for states than in previous years.”

Duffy also said that Emmaus’ FBLA chapter is one of the largest chapters in their region.

Senior and FBLA secretary Dan Intriago says that FBLA’s success and progression attributes to the many committed members

the club has. you can see the progression of how well “I think it’s awesome because every everyone’s doing in the club and how evyear [FBLA]’s been growing, not only eryone is committed to the club and doing [in] the club [size], but the percentage of their work and studying for it,” Schilling people that have been going to states,” said. “I’m really happy that people are reIntriago said. “Like last year we had the ally taking the initiative and studying hard same amount of people, [maybe] a little because they’re getting results at regionless, and only like als and states, and plactwenty of them qualiing what they want to fied [for states], which place.” is still awesome. But Senior and FBLA now that we have 33 president Daniel people qualify… and Amankwatia is proud of it means we’re getting the accomplishments of a lot more people in the club, and hopes the the club who who are advancing members will dedicated members, gain the experience and people that actually skills he gained from gotake it pretty seriousing to the conference in ly.” previous years.

Junior and FBLA “It’s really awesome treasurer Tu Pham that so many of our says she is proud members qualified for of what the club the State Leadership FBLA members Dan Intriago and John Dudmembers accomConference,” Amankwaley are two of the 29 traveling to Hershey in April. plished this year, tia said. “When I went to especially because states freshman year, it of the difficulty of the tests taken at the rewas a life changing experience. I gained gional level. new leadership skills, learned to think “I’m proud of everybody who made it,” like a CEO, and placed a foothold into the Pham said. “The thing about the competibusiness world. tion is that the tests are really hard; we had “The conference does a very good job minimum time to prepare and we don’t exof shaping future business leaders and I’m actly know what to expect, we just have to very pleased that this year’s state qualifiers study as much as possible from different get the chance to have a similar experience resources.” as I had,” he said.

Senior and FBLA Vice President Katie Schilling says that members work hard to achieve the results they’re showing.

“I’m really excited about that because Photo courtesy of Christine Carlson

I’m becoming very concerned by the number of people these days who don’t take the measures to keep themselves healthy and be proactive with their health. While every year you’re advised to get a physical exam, have a flu shot, go to the dentist twice a year, and many with the means to get wellness exams or checkups won’t because they’re uncomfortable, scared to, or just plain don’t want to. Well, newsflash: it’s not supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to keep you healthy.

Eat healthy, get exercise, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, go to the doctor; you’ve heard it all before, haven’t you? So far, this column has just been an overview of your sophomore Health class, right? I know it’s been, which is why I want to share with you how, in the last few months, my family has gotten a very real taste of how important having regular check­ups and health screenings are, not once, but twice.

After having a yearly mammogram last October, my mother soon was diagnosed with early stage, invasive breast cancer in the weeks that followed. This was a huge shock to my family, especially when we had never had an instance of breast cancer with any of my relatives before. But as her doctors later informed us, more people are getting cancer these days out of just plain “bad luck” than from environmental or genetic factors.

Thankfully, with the help of a team of skilled surgeons, incredible technology, and a whole slew of doctors with degrees in fields I can’t pronounce, Mom had the cancer removed, and she is currently undergoing radiation. She’s on the road to recovery.

While the last few months have been a bit rough for my family, we’ve pulled through. But for me, one of the most unsettling parts of this entire situation, is that if Mom had decided to wait another year to have a mammogram, things might not have gone as smoothly as they did.

My mom didn’t have the screening because she was showing any symptoms or felt something was off; she had it because she lives by the phrase, “be an advocate for your own health.” She’s always trying to tell my brother and me how important having check ups and physicals is to make sure nothing is amiss. While we always knew doctor visits were important, we never really grasped how important.

And, well, you could really say the message got through to us.

The second wake up call for my family (as if we needed a second one) happened to another person I’m very close with, my Aunt Jane. Aunt Jane is one of the healthiest people I know. She has the energy I’m supposed to have at my age, eats a healthy diet, and can walk circles around the rest of our family.

However, just last month Aunt Jane had a colonoscopy and doctors found a large cancerous tumor at the bottom of her colon. Again, she didn’t have her screening because she felt off or sick; she went because she wanted to be sure she was healthy. Good thing she did too.

Now, she’s recovering nicely from her own surgery.

Please be proactive with your health.

You’re never too young or too old to begin taking care of yourself and making certain that your health is where it’s supposed to be. Whether you’re feeling fine, and especially if you’re not, visit your doctor, and get checkups and screenings as necessary. Eat good food, get some fresh air, and ultimately, keep up a healthy lifestyle, physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Ultimately and simply, take care of yourself. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

3

4

THE STINGER

Februar y 2015

NEWS

Turf Wars: proposed fields cause controversy may also contain other carcinogens, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The project was first presented at a commissioners meeting in Lower Macungie on Sept. 18, and since then, arguments have flared up over the decision. The township budget, which included the artificial turf project, was voted on and passed in December, Lower Macungie Township proposed building two artificial with the vote split 3-2. turf fields at Quarry Park.

Its supporters claim that Freshman James Haag plays soccer for the fields will save money over time, as LMYA as well, and shares Khalil’s opinartificial turf fields are low maintenance ion. and able to survive the rigors of heavy “I’ve played on it and I don’t think it sports play. However, even though turf really is much different than grass,” Haag does not need to be mowed, a bimonthly said.

“Since it doesn’t make a big differcleanup is usually called for to remove ence I don’t think that it’s needed.” debris. Furthermore, artificial turf isn’t a Zane Pennella also plays soccer for once-in-a-lifetime investment, as it usuLMYA, and agrees that the new artifially lasts about eight years. cial turf fields are not something that the Dima Khalil, a freshman, is decidedly township needs. against this use of taxpayer’s money.

“Artificial turf is easier to upkeep,” said “I don’t support the decision because Pennella, a freshman. “But I prefer grass it’s unnecessary,” Khalil said. “I feel if personally; it’s just an easier surface to you’re going to spend that much money play on. I’ve heard there could be issues on something that isn’t going to change with cleats getting stuck in turf and causanything dramatically, it’s not worth it.” ing knee injuries. Regular grass is probKhalil plays soccer for Lower Macunably safer.” gie Youth Association (LMYA), which Sophomore Erika Olsen is part of the has been called the primary stakeholder in color guard in Emmaus’ marching band, the project. which has a week of band camp at Quarry “I have played on artificial turf, and it Park every summer to prepare for the upis definitely a lot easier to play on because coming football season. Olsen agrees with there’s more motion, but I don’t see it Khalil, Haag and Pennella in their opposias something that is actually necessary,” tion of the project.

Khalil said. “The benefits of artificial turf “I think it’s a bad idea to spend that aren’t really that impressive.”

Photo by Lindsay Harner

Lily Day Staff Writer For many at Emmaus High School, sports are very important, and lacrosse coach Julie Williams feels that artificial turf can enhance athletic experiences.

There have always been the cheering parents and excited fans. There has always been the building of teamwork and the perfecting of skills. But there has also always been the wear and tear on an athlete’s body.

“I think that the idea of artificial turf is a good one,” Williams said. “Having played on artificial turf as a rugby player in college, I think it definitely is better and easier on the athlete.”

So when Lower Macungie Township proposed installing two multi-purpose artificial turf fields in Quarry Park for $3.3 million, Williams supported the idea.

“Even though $3.3 million is a lot for a field, given that over time it might save money, as opposed to the upkeep of a grass field, it does seem like a good idea,” she said. “It would definitely be used by the township.”

Emmaus High School has one artificial turf field, Memorial Field, which is used for both practices and games by Emmaus’s soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams.

However, not everyone at Emmaus supports the project.

Some students feel that spending $3.3 million on turf is a waste of money, while others raise concerns over the toxicity of the artificial playing surface.

Studies on the health risks of artificial fields are inconclusive, but most such fields are made with either rubber which may cause allergic reactions, or phthalates which may have adverse health effects on kidneys, the liver and lungs. They

much money on a park,” Olsen said. “Artificial turf is a waste, it causes a mess, and you still need to take care of it, just like for regular grass. Turf is generally more slippery, and can also be dangerous to wildlife. I’ve had experience marching on turf at away football games, and I personally prefer natural grass.”

Despite the negative reactions of some Emmaus High School students, the football coach at Emmaus, Randall Cuthbert, sees some advantages presented by the installation of artificial turf fields.

“It’s a good investment once you can get the money for it in the first place,” Cuthbert said. “Artificial turf won’t get torn up during a rain game, like grass would.”

Williams agrees with Cuthbert.

“I definitely think there are advantages of artificial turf over natural grass,” said Williams. “It’s an all-weather turf, the lines don’t fade as quickly as they do on natural grass, and you can also eliminate any bumps or holes that could cause injury.”

In a recent development, Lower Macungie officials said that the two turf fields will cost $585,000 to install. However, this price tag does not include other costs such as engineering, lighting, fencing and other proposed changes at Quarry Park.

Township Manager Bruce Fosselman explains that costs are being kept down due to a cooperative purchasing agreement the township is entering. In a meeting on Feb. 19, township commissioners decided to have AstroTurf undertake the project.

Muth performs at Poetry Out Loud

ultimately led to her involvement in the “[I am inspired by] the kids who return, program. who start out as freshmen or sophomores, “Admittedly, I do have a dramatic flare,” and seeing them mature,” she said. she said. “I do like to be the center of atShe recognizes her decisions as “half tention. That was really the driving factor from [one’s] mind, half from [one’s] gut,” behind [my decision].” although judges do follow “very specific” After choosing poems that spoke to her, guidelines which help them examine each Muth recited “Tall Ambrosia” by Henry presenter.

David Thoreau and “What You Have to Gayle Cluck, Poetry Out Loud manager Get Over” by Dick Allen at the school and and a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts regional competitions. member, believes the competition is about The hardest part of the overall process, “helping the audience truly understand pofor Muth, was the waiting. etry.” “[The most difficult part was] definitely She values the bond rivals forged the waiting,” she said. “[The waiting] lead- amongst each other, despite their ultimate ing up to the competition, the waiting for goal of taking first place. [judges] to announce the winners. Just the “All nine competitors hugged and conanxiety part.” gratulated the winner,” Cluck said. “They At the end of the evening, following all knew what it took to get here. It doesn’t Muth performs poetry at the regional much waiting, judges Dawn Losinger, get better than that.” competiton, held at the Allentown Lisa Pawlowski, and Yamil Sanchez RiArt Museum. vera decided upon the winners. Jabir took first place, and Liberty High School’s Abbey Lewis achieved first runner up. are always other places the money could go for “I still haven’t absorbed Luke Maake the band, but I think this is the best option at the [my win],” Jabir, who won Staff Writer East Penn School District administrators inmoment.” first runner up in the 2014 Brooke Cichocki, senior, also thinks the band regional competition, said at tend to include new band uniforms that will cost $50,000 in next year’s school budget. would benefit from the uniforms. the end of the evening.

The new uniforms would replace the band’s “We’ve had the uniforms for about 11 years “I’m still trying to get over now, and they’re pretty worn down. I think havthe amazing performances,” current 11-year-old uniforms, which have undering new uniforms will make the band look more she said. “I mean, it’s awe- gone much use. School directors are considering the purchase as part of the proposed district sharp on the field, especially during competisome.” tions,” said Cichocki.

Jabir will advance to the budget.

Ryan Harrington, the band director, recogniz“Sometimes, fresh new equipment like unistatewide competition in es the heavy use that the current uniforms have forms is all a band needs to get really excited March. about the season and to be able to perform to Although Muth did not seen.

“We did the math, and we’ve found that their highest standards,” she said. place, she felt proud of her each uniform has been worn around 400 to 500 Junior Olivia Talmadge believes the new uniaccomplishment. forms would play a large part in the band mem“I’m definitely proud of times,” Harrington said.

And it’s beginning to show. bers’ pride of their school. myself,” Muth said. “I did “Our uniforms aren’t in the best condition at “Future band members deserve to take pride the best that I could. I defiall. Most are missing buttons or have bad zippers in the school they represent, and the uniforms are nitely feel good about it.” a big part of that,” says Talmadge. “Yes, the uniPawlowski, Allentown’s and stains,” said junior drum major Erica Haas.

Not only would the band uniforms be cleaner, forms are expensive, but we have been waiting First Lady, who began judga long time for them. The money could not be ing for Poetry Out Loud but they would also make the band feel more about eight years ago, enjoys confident, according to Haas. going to a better place.”

“I think having new uniforms would help us the process, and does it out of “an enjoyment of listen- be more confident on the field and have a totally different presence overall,” said Haas. “There ing to poetry.”

Photo by Cathryn Seibert

Cathryn Seibert Assistant News Editor Students from nine high schools throughout the Lehigh Valley gathered at the Allentown Art Museum earlier this February to perform poems for the 10th annual Poetry Out Loud regional recitation, including Emmaus junior Maddie Muth.

Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide program, values students experiencing poetry through memorization and recitation. Students who participate choose three poems from the Poetry Out Loud database, all of which fit different criteria set by program officials. Later they must commit each one to memory and deliver the poems to their audience. After the successive rounds of the competition, winners from each state will convene in Washington D.C. to compete in the April national finals.

At the night’s end, judges named Whitehall senior Gazal Jabir as the regional winner.

Teachers around the state, including Diane DiDona, the English Department chairperson at EHS, took part in the competition with students because she saw it as a “great opportunity to experience poetry.”

EHS had been a part of the competition four times before, and DiDona’s love of poetry motivated her to get involved again.

“It’s a really great opportunity, and a different kind of opportunity,” DiDona said.

“It’s not exactly drama, and it’s not exactly speech.”

This year DiDona mentored four juniors and two seniors in developing their skills.

The students met together in her room and practiced their poems. Among these poetry lovers was Muth, who won the school round of the competition and progressed to regionals, where about 100 people attended.

Stephanie Larkin, an EHS English teacher, encouraged Muth to join Poetry Out Loud.

“Ms. Larkin kind of told me about it,” Muth said. “She was the one who led me in that direction.”

Apart from the outside motivation, Muth also saw something within herself, which

New uniforms for band

NEWS

T H E S T I N G E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

Muslim students recognize stereotype in America against Muslims

Justine Coleman Editor-in-chief

Every artist in Advanced Placement Art selects a topic to base their concentra-

tion off of for the year. Emmaus senior Nada Abouomar chose a subject near to her heart: Islam. She and some others believe that many are prejudiced against the religion commonly mentioned in the media. Through her artwork, Abouomar seeks to reveal the true nature of Islam that she feels becomes misconstrued because of terrorist acts.

As of 2012, about 1.3 million Americans identify themselves as Muslim, according to the U.S. Census. Mohamed H. Rajmohamed, professor in religious studies at Cedar Crest College, says this adds up to about 1 percent of the U.S. population. According to the Huffington Post, a poll conducted in 2014 indicates that 27 percent of Americans “found favorability” toward Muslim-Americans, down from 36 percent of Americans in 2010. Mohamed Rajmohamed says the last survey from Pew, a nonpartisan research center, shows Americans divided almost in half about “their view of Islam encouraging violence.”

However, some argue that Americans do not know enough about Islam to make a judgement about all Muslims, including Emmaus junior Rohail Kahn.

Kahn, who has practiced Islam since he was born, says he has faced judgement for following his religion throughout elementary, middle, and high school. After 9/11, Kahn says he got “looks for some reason,” and when Osama bin Laden died, people at school apologized for his “loss.”

“They just assume Muslims are all in this together,” he said. “We are just normal people, too.”

When experiencing these kinds of encounters, Kahn says he attempted to remain polite.

“When dealing with ignorance, you have to be patient,” he said.

These encounters, however, did not only result from those of the ethnic majority. Religious discrimination also arose in conversation with people of minority groups as well. This surprised Kahn because other minority groups seem to go through similar experiences.

Kahn believes a stereotype exists in America against Muslims.

“I just think when dealing with situations in the Middle East it is important for people to be informed, and I don’t think enough Americans are informed,” he said.

Kahn’s father, Idrees Kahn, has followed Islam since birth, too, and recognizes that “a mass hysteria” against Muslims developed in America after 9/11.

“People began [to] see Muslims through a lens of fear, and suspicion sadly,” Idrees said. “All three of my children have been targets of prejudice and hate because of their faith. Further, both my wife and I have faced discrimination in a variety of places, including workplaces.”

Abouomar feels people misunderstand Muslim customs, such as wearing a burka, which many view as a way to suppress women in that society. The burka, she says, symbolizes how women should not be pursued for their looks.

Junior Karim Rajmohamed practices Islam and has not experienced any upsetting judgement for being Muslim.

In his opinion, Americans need to remember that all Muslims should not be characterized by the actions of terrorists.

“Just a few bad drops in an ocean doesn’t make it dirty,” he said. “Just a couple bad Muslims doesn’t mean the entire Muslim world is bad.”

R a j m o hamed’s father Mohamed, the professor at Cedar Crest, defines the true meaning of Islam as becoming “God’s representative on Earth.”

Most Americans learn information about this religion through the media, says Professor Rajmohamed. “[The] majority [of the] American public remains woefully ill-informed about this faith tradition,” he said.

He finds it intriguing that some Americans view 1 percent of the population as “a threat” to society.

Last month, radical Muslims attacked offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and killed 17 people in France in the name of Islam, prompting anti-Islam fear throughout the world. According to the professor, the attacks increased the amount of violence both in support of and against Islam. He says the public should condemn these actions.

While freedom of speech remains important, Professor Rajmohamed feels that people need to remain careful not to encourage “stereotypical views of that segment of population.”

Abouomar wants people to understand that all Muslims are not those who “act out of anger,” such as the terrorists in France.

“They reflected badly on the Muslim community and made it worse for themselves,” she said. “They proved right what everyone thinks.”

In junior Matt Grispo’s opinion many Americans do not know much about Islam, and the attacks in Paris did not improve their viewpoints towards Muslims.

“I feel that these were unnecessary attacks that make... Muslims look worse and does not help their status in America,” Grispo, a Christian, said.

Idrees Kahn feels that the killings in France must be “condemned” because their actions go against the Quran.

People need to understand the difference between freedom of speech and hate speech, he said.

“Freedom of speech includes the right to criticize and attack everything including faith and its components, but is mostly done so in a larger context to explain a point,” Kahn said. “Hate speech on the other hand is done only to provoke, incite, or offend a group of peoples.”

Muslims make up more than 10 percent of the populations in France, Britain, and Germany, much larger than the 1 percent in the United States, according to Professor Rajmohamed.

In his opinion, some Europeans view Muslims in Europe like the “new Jew” because they do not consider Muslims as European. In fact, a shooter in Oslo in the Netherlands acted out of anti-Islamic beliefs in 2011 when he killed 77 people.

Professor Rajmohamed also believes it remains important for the public to remember that 1.8 billion people on Earth, a quarter of Nada Abouomar poses with her piece of a foreground homeless boy with newspaper articles such as uprisings in Egypt in the background.

Photo by Justine Coleman

the world population, practice Islam. According to Idrees Kahn, protests against this faith will become “a waste of time.”

“Our future as a world is a tolerant, united one,” he said. “We shouldn’t let these protests rile us, and instead work to show the West what Islam is.”

Idrees Kahn believes more people could learn about Islam through the Quran, the holy book of Islam, to “understand Islam and its beliefs.” He says the Quran can be downloaded on phones and computers.

According to Kahn, groups like ISIS

5

take passages about war out of context to support their actions and that some Muslims do not know this. In fact, peace remains a very common theme throughout the Quran, the holy book of Islam.

“Islam does not condone violence,” Kahn said. “Our religion says very peaceful things, but it’s just people like to manipulate it.”

Senior Omar Ahmed, a Muslim, feels that terrorists who label themselves as Muslim do not act out of Islam all of the time.

“What they are doing is not Islam,” he said. “That kind of extremism is putting Islam in the dark side.”

Kahn stresses that the majority of people in the Middle East are not terrorists even if they are Muslim, despite common misconception. ISIS remains a common enemy to Americans and non-terrorists in the Middle East.

In Rajmohamed’s opinion, ISIS’s main goal consists of promoting disorder. According to Rajmohamed and his father, ISIS has taken the lives of more Muslims than non-Muslims. In his opinion, ISIS does not reflect how true Muslims should act.

“They’re interpreting the verses of the Quran the way they want to justify what they think is right when in reality it isn’t right. The Quran doesn’t support violence,” Rajmohamed said. “In fact, Islam means peace.”

Ahmed visits Egypt over the summer and celebrates Ramadan there. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours for a month. The religious environment in Egypt comes across as having a strong Muslim majority, while in America he feels he lives among a sea of Christians.

At Kahn’s mosque, Muslims go to their mosque on Fridays, so during the school year, Kahn cannot attend. In the summer, however, he does. They start out with an “orthodox method of praying,” while the Imam, or spiritual guide, leads the group.

Afterwards, people have religious and spiritual discussions.

Abouomar and her family go to her mosque on Sundays.

Islam continues to gain followers as the fastest growing religion. The Kahn family follows Sunni Islam, one of the main branches of Islam, while the Rajmohamed family practices Shia Islam. According to religiousfacts.com, the branches formed because of disputes in who should rule after Muhammad, a major prophet of Islam. Sunni Muslims believed that the new leader needed to be chosen by the people, while Shia Muslims felt that the leader should come from Muhammad’s family line.

Abouomar considers Islam as a part of her identity.

“I’m always proud of who I am,” she said. “I’ll never put down who I am.”

100 students took a quiz on Islam to see how much the average student at EHS knows: Question A: Where do Muslims go to practice their religion?

Answer: Mosque Question B: What is the holy book of Islam?

Answer: Quran

Question C: What are the two most common types of Islam?

Answer: Sunni and Shiite

American flag banner: www.realcourage.org, Star and Crescent: www.worldviewu.org Edited by Justine Coleman

Question: Islam is derived from the Arabic root Salema. What does Salema mean?

Answer: Peace

6

THE STINGER

OPINION YOUR THOUGHTS, OURS...

OPINION

Februar y 2015

I N O N E B I T E - S I Z E PA C K A G E

EDITOR ANGIE STEIN A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R W I L L N E W B E G I N COLUMNIST JACOB PULEO

A vaccination divided: why innoculation is ideal Jacob Puleo Editorial Writer For nearly 40 days, mascot-related festivities were interrupted in Disneyland California by an outbreak of measles.

According to the CDC, the outbreak (which originated in said park of amusement) infected 114 people across seven states from Dec. 28 to Feb. 6.

What exactly is measles? Measles is a highly contagious disease transmitted through the air. While not always fatal, some cases can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, and death. However, measles no longer presents as significant a threat because it’s been mostly eradicated in the United States thanks to vaccines.

But how could an outbreak occur in “the happiest place on earth” if measles hasn’t been relevant since the year 2000? Patient zero contracted the disease from another country and brought it into California (one of the few ways measles can ever be present in North America), and it was only able to spread as it did for one simple reason: most of the people initially infected had never received a measles vaccination. This should come as no surprise.

An “anti-vax” movement is alive and well in America. “Anti-vax” means that one is opposed to vaccinating themselves or their children. There’s a wide range of anti-vaxxers, from those who opt out of the flu vaccine because they believe it causes paralysis to those who avoid needles of any kind by any means necessary.

People take the anti-vaccination stance because they believe the risks outweigh the benefits. Vaccines contain a small amount of the disease they’re designed to prevent.

This allows the human body to build a natural immunity to the disease. Knowing this, but without a medical degree or even a basic understanding of biology, an anti-vaxxer decides that being vaccinated will make them ill. This is the root of the problem. Anti-vaxxers have no faith in modern (or even not-so-modern) medicine, and therefore believe that anyone who tries

to inject them with something is trying to harm them.

But what advice can be given to an anti-vaxxer? Simply put: trust the doctors.

This situation is not the same as dentists who want to put braces on five-year-olds.

Vaccinations are not a scam. Vaccinations prevent incidents such as the Disneyland outbreak. Not much more can be said.

a selfish one.

Vaccinations are the reason why diseases such as polio have ceased to threaten our way of life. Most young people have never even heard of polio. Polio, along with numerous other diseases, has experienced a 100% decrease in fatality in the U.S. since the pre-vaccine era. In this day and age, primitive diseases are losing the race for

cess to a wide range of vaccinations scientifically proven to prevent deadly diseases, the cost of which are usually completely covered by health insurance, but I choose not to use them. You, on the other hand, must have five children in hopes of having two of them survive until adulthood.”

The entire “to vax or not to vax” argument is simply one microcosm of the direction some people wish to take this country.

A direction in which personal beliefs trump fact and logic. A direction in which science is suddenly debateable. America should move in a forward direction, not backward.

Of The Stinger staff:

23

live in the 21st century

0 The vaccination argument should be over quickly, but ignorance does not allow for such luxury.

Do vaccinations have an impeccable success rate? No. Even the CDC can admit that. But one who doesn’t vaccinate is putting himself and the people around him at an even greater risk than a vaccination could ever cause. The possibility of being responsible for spreading disease should be enough to deter this type of behavior, which is why the anti-vaccination stance is

things that keep people awake at night. We live in a world where a case of the sniffles is no longer a death sentence. A stab from a rusty paperclip will no longer lead to an obituary that reads “succumed to tetanus.”

Anti-vaxxers simply do not realize what a world without vaccinations would look like.

The whole matter is dependent on perspective. Imagine traveling to a third-world country, pulling a local inhabitant aside and saying “Why yes, in America we have ac-

are willing to allow the evolution of a new bubonic plague Editorial Policy The Stinger is a student-run newspaper published six times per year. Its content, which is the responsibility of the student staff, is not subject to direct administrative approval. The newspaper, which is designed as an open forum, serves to inform and entertain its readers as well as enrich students interested in print media studies.

OPINION

THE STINGER

Februar y 2015

7

Point - Counterpoint

JE SUIS

CHARLIE Murphy Pan

vs

Freedom of speech is the idea that we can communicate our ideas and opinions freely without interference; it is one of the most fundamental rights that all of us have no matter who we are. With free speech, we can push arguments to their logical limits rather than the limits of social embarrassment. For example, we can have an argument over which political party is better. Right now, you’re currently thinking about how to make a rational argument to back your statements, or you’re thinking that I’m asking you a stupid question, either way you would back these things ideas with reasons. The Charlie Hebdo shootings in France are no different.

The Je Suis Charlie movement began with two French citizens of Muslim faith— Chérif and Saïd Kouachi—attacking the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo; they shot at and killed six people who criticized the Prophet Muhammad. After the shooting, a movement called Je Suis Charlie emerged supporting free press and the organization Charlie Hebdo. Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical newspaper that features cartoons mocking not only religious extremists but also political extremists. In a way, they are people who try to make society better by showing its flaws and imperfections.

They used satire, which is a way of changing society through the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize backward ideas, and to mock religious extremism in the world. The same religious extremism has caused so much pain and suffering to the people of the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, from terrorist attacks to repressive governments. Because of religious and political extremism, the world is more conformist and repressed in nature.

Charlie Hebdo, through satire, mocked marriage of church and state in all Islamic countries. Throughout the Islamic world, most governments pursue a form of Sharia law, which is based on the Quran. In these countries, women have no rights and are virtually slaves to their husbands. All forms of political and social change are restricted and basic rights such as the freedom of speech, press, and assembly are nonexistent. Most people in the developed world are not aware of the fact that most Middle Eastern nations are run as virtual slave states with autocratic rulers. And Charlie Hebdo simply took the responsibility to inform the developed world through satire that this isn’t right and that we need to do something about this.

Moreover, their stated purpose was not to be offensive but to prevent abuses of power from various religious groups. The staff at Charlie Hebdo not only mocked Islam but they also mocked Judaism and Catholicism. According to cartoonist Luz from Charlie Hebdo, “I’m not against people’s faith. However, I’m willing to criticize rabbis, vicars, and mullahs; people who interpret others’ faith to serve political issues, that are not always peaceful ones. And I’ll keep doing that.” And he should; change needs to happen in the various Middle Eastern countries and if that change can not happen inside, then at least we, as conscious citizens, can help change that.

Another argument that people tend to make about the Charlie Hebdo incident is that its offensive to the Muslim community. However, the comic is satirizing Muslims but only extremists such as Bin Laden, and satire is pretty much restricted to images of the Prophet Muhammad. The comic has the right to do this, even an obligation; this allows society to have a rational conversation about extremism and what people believe in, rather than being confined by the “social awkwardness” of talking to people about “uncomfortable” topics.

If we talk about these things, we might be able to arrive at a conclusion as to how to treat and educate extremists, who for most of their life have been indoctrinated into these ideas without a chance to explore alternatives.

Moreover, if we simply avoid the issue, we can never get to the root causes of terrorism and extremism in the world. What good would that do us? We would just be wasting time, resources, and people’s lives doing something that has not, and will not work. We can’t force them to believe in what we think, but we can teach them what we think and how we think and let them choose which is better.

They have the right to choose which set of ideas they would like and we can’t stop them. But we can always attempt to show them that benevolent side of liberal democratic rule. Even if our attempts fail, we can still use satire to bring out the inhumanness of their actions and ideas. That is why we should support Charlie Hebdo as most people have done through the phrase Je Suis Charlie (I am Charlie) because we all are Charlie, we want to help others see whats wrong and help change that. We want to be Charlie, the organization that brings change without violence and occupation; we don’t want to lose more of our brothers, sisters and friends to extremists either through war or terror. We want to educate ourselves and others about the nature of terrorism and why it happens. Charlie Hebdo, through its satire of Islam, is trying to show to the world that religion should not dictate government policy.

That is why I support the Je Suis Charlie movement; it’s not divisive, but rather it’s unifying. We can all stand behind the idea that what is happening in the world is wrong. We can change the world by seeing the flaws that Charlie Hebdo is trying to show us. And we can say no to terrorism, oppressive governments and support Charlie Hebdo because “We are Charlie.”

JE NE SUIS PAS

CHARLIE Angie Stein

What happened the morning of Jan 7 at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters is a tragedy. This is indisputable. Though reactions to the Islamic terrorist attack vary widely, no amount of debating can change the fact that 12 lives were unjustly taken.

12 people who, no matter how controversial their actions may have been, will never be able to change and unlearn their viewpoints. No matter what one thinks is at stake due to this act of violence, there is no doubt that the act itself is condemnable and nothing else.

With that being said, I’d like to express one of the previously mentioned varied viewpoints on this incident. If the shooting’s resulting Je Suis Charlie movement and those who stand in solidarity with the magazine are really all about free speech, then I, like everyone else, am free to say that I think the staff members’ actions are just as worthy of condemnation as the terrorist attack itself. Am I victim blaming? No. Am I sympathizing with terrorists? Absolutely not. Am I comparing the murder of 12 people to the publication of satirical cartoons? Hear me out.

I am a journalist. I am also an editorial cartoonist. You’d think that of all people, I would be the one scared, angry, and raising my fist about this incident. I am, but not for the reason everyone else is. From what I understand, most of the backlash in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack centers around freedom of speech. “Je Suis Charlie” is the slogan chosen by those who rally to defend the magazine’s provocative cartoons in hopes of a continually free world where our speech is protected as a fundamental human right.

Great. In the most basic meaning, I agree that freedom of speech is very important, and also part of the issue here.

But do those in France taking to the streets, those big cheese world leaders marching alongside them, and those Tweeters hashtagging like there’s no tomorrow care to look further into the background of the shooting? If they did, they would find a plethora of history, hatred, and so much more. France’s rampant Islamophobia. Anti-Muslim hate crimes across the board. Far more victims than the immediate ones. Examine all the factors leading up to and following Charlie Hebdo, and an intricate web of issues emerges out of the seemingly simple, freedom of speech-based problem and movement at hand.

We can simplify things by going to the root of it: the cartoon that provoked Muslims Chérif and Saïd Kouachi to massacre the magazine’s office, and the entire ideology of satirical artwork. The cartoon that started it all depicted a caricature of the prophet Muhammad, a holy Islamic figure whose visage is forbidden to be seen by Muslims. The fact that Charlie Hebdo cartoonists drew the image and put the it on their front cover, knowing people of Muslim faith would inevitably see it, is pointlessly disrespectful in itself. But of course, the whole freedom of speech thing. While I and many others may not agree with what was published, the magazine in no way deserved such a harsh retribution. At the same time, when France has such a history of Islamophobia, and many regions of the world, including our own land of the free, aren’t exactly accepting either, it calls for an examination of what message is being sent.

One way people justify Chalie Hebdo’s offensive content is by calling it satire. First of all, I think “satire” has become a word rather flexible in definition. Out of the dictionary, satire is the use of ironic, exaggerative humor to expose and criticize the vices of people or situations. In my opinion, satire’s original purpose, and the way it still ought to be used, is to point out the unfairness of oppression and ridicule the oppressors, not to further run minorities into the ground. Others believe that anyone can be on the receiving end of satire, and as long as everyone’s being made fun of, it’s fair game. Not only do I disagree with that ideology, I think it’s downright wrong. While I generally refrain from calling most opinions “wrong,” I think any idea that puts hatred into people’s heads and gets other people killed cannot be right. The mindset the two terrorists had when the gunned down 12 people falls into that category, but so does Charlie Hebdo’s work itself. If Charlie Hebdo’s aim is to criticize backwards ideas and draw attention to injustice, maybe they should look in the mirror.

Hundreds more innocent lives added to the death toll due to Islamophobia that the magazine’s “satire” spread? Tell me if there’s anything funny about that.

There’s a right way to address religious extremism, and it’s not by making fun of the religion itself, mocking and silencing its innocent followers, and racking up prejudice and paranoia until “every Muslim is a terrorist” is treated as a fact. When 12 French journalists die and the media goes into uproar, yet Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha, Muslim victims of the Chapel Hill Shooting, have their headlines put on hold, it calls for an examination of what deserves more attention: our Western ideals of free speech, or the countless lives taken by the intolerance spawned from it. When Islamic head coverings are banned in France and Muslims the world over continue to be killed just for practicing their religion, it raises the question of who, exactly, deserves free speech.

Terrorism and censorship are problems that need fixing, but I don’t think Charlie Hebdo and the Je Suis Charlie movement are in it for everyone. If your definition of “freedom” is being able to draw offensive political cartoons about minorities that are already openly hated, fine. But if you also ignore the rights of those minorities, your movement is built on body counts. “I may not agree with what you say, but I will die defending your right to say it.” That’s what freedom of speech means to me. Je ne suis pas Charlie - I am not Charlie. I am just myself, someone who believes in holding everyone to the same standards, and to the same rights.

8

THE STINGER

The Last Laugh

Jacob Puleo Opinion Columnist

New York State of Mind; or, The Most Overrated State in the Union

Thanks to New York, I didn’t know how to spell.

“You can’t replace ‘er’ with ‘a,’” they said.

“I don’t know any other way,” I said.

“I’m very sorry. I can’t give you a sticker on this spelling test.”

My eyes filled with tears. “But… I wanted that sticka...”

That used to be me. Fortunately, I got out while I still could. Ever since moving to lovely Pennsylvania, I’ve been trying to condition the New York accent out of me with some amount of success. Nowadays, some people tell me I sound like Bob from “Bob’s Burgers.” Others say I sound more like a prepubescent child. I never quite understood that gap in tone, but either one is better than that wretched New York accent.

I don’t hate America itself, but I do hate at least 1/50 of it. Hate is a rather strong sentiment, which is why I only whip it out on special occasions. In fact, the last time I used the word “hate” was to express my distaste for that family with 19 children, so you know I mean business this time around. Nonetheless, everyone has their least favorite state. Some people hate Wyoming because they couldn’t tell it apart from Colorado on a geography test in third grade. Some people hate North or South Dakota because the most recent United States Census revealed that neither actually have a population and are prob-

NO-cial Media

It all started in March of 2002.

The internet was in its days of relative infancy, when dial-up connection was still a concept beknownst to the average American teenager and BritWill Newbegin Assisstant Editor ney Spears wasn’t the punchline of a celebrity-goingdownhill joke. From my knowledge, it was a simpler time.

Of course, until the real-life Rosemary’s Baby, also known as social media, was born.

First came Friendster in March, 2002, which gave birth to the concept of an online social profile. Next came MySpace, which ran its course for a good part of the 2000’s until its untimely death at the hand of the next big thing in social media, otherwise known as Facebook. Facebook reached the highest heights of any social networking site, and still manages to net over a billion users in a month. Though an afterthought now to many teens, I remember a time when my middle-school willpower couldn’t prevent myself from checking my Facebook every five minutes.

Thankfully, I’ve deleted my account so as to forget about my pre-pubescent postings, which are undoubtedly filled with enough grammatical mistakes to make even the strongest-willed English teachers cry, but that’s besides the point. I’ve moved on to

Februar y 2015

ably figments of everyone’s imagination.

And I hate New York.

But why, exactly? Let’s just say I understand why aliens, large monsters, and Decepticons always attack New York City in science fiction. The Big Apple isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Something lighthearted television shows like to do is depict a twenty-something-year-old woman who starts a new life in New York City, where she then wears a beanie, eats pizza, finds love, and smiles. In reality, the only one of those things that has a fair chance of happening is the consumption of pizza.

I can’t even recommend this city to people who enjoy city life, mostly because it’s not a pleasant place to visit, let alone live in.

During any given excursion to New York City, one can experience all of its typical tropes, such as crowdedness, rude dudeness, and street performers who collect money in a hat because they weren’t handsome enough to become an actual musician. But one thing always stands out: garbage. Garbage everywhere. Bags of garbage lying on the sidewalk. Bags of garbage lying in the street. Bags of garbage lying inches away from outdoor seating at a restaurant. People throwing bags of garbage out of windows as if they live in ancient Rome. New York City is not the cleanest of places. Any brave soul who dares to lick the pavement in this place (because maybe they’re into that) would most likely contract diseases that haven’t been seen for thousands of years.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh on the unofficial capital of the country, so let’s get back to the idea that the entire Empire State is a blemish on the face of the globe by focusing on another isolated example of its inferiority because I’m an American and this is the way I think.

I was born on Long Island, or as the natives prefer to call it, “Lawng Oyland.”

Long Island is a long island, and the amount of creativity behind its name only emphasises the point I’m about to make.

One of New York’s most offputting features is its inhabitants, a fact (yes, a fact) that I’ve experienced firsthand. New Yorkers live in a fantasy land; therefore Long Island might as well be called Fantasy Island (but not really because that’s already the name of an 80s television show about a guy and his short friend who grant the wishes of people who land on their creepy island).

Long Islanders are convinced they

bigger and better things.

And by that, I mean wasting my time on more “sophisticated” websites, such as Twitter.

I fled Facebook just in time to avoid the deluge of middle-aged adults who now compose most of the site’s population, and took refuge in the seemingly welcome world of Twitter. And what a convenient world it seemed to be. I could follow all my friends and get updates from my favorite news accounts, and view all their updates in one direct stream of information. Despite the numerous names and layouts, however, social media is all very much the same, and with each respective site comes similar problems.

While designed to bring people closer together, networking sites contain several issues: they are impersonal, they are instantaneous, and they remove severe amounts of privacy from peoples’ lives.

There’s a common thread one might observe while reading on a social networking site. Often times, it is easy to misinterpret one’s intentions for a post. If the circum-

OPINION

live in the best state on Earth, and that all other territorial regions must bow down before it. This is a common misconception amongst populations often caused by either pride or ignorance, except perhaps in North and South Dakota, where people are reasonable enough to know their place. But Long Islanders are hopelessly blind. Blind to sky-high income tax, blind to the outside world, and blind to the fact that they’ve never stopped living in the past.

And if you think I’m exaggerating, allow me to present some basic philosophies I’ve learned as part of a stereotypical Italian/Long Island family: any problem can be solved by punching it, kids who never learned how to play catch will never suc-

ceed in life, wearing a wife beater gives you the right to beat your wife, hair plugs are a good idea, people with children should go clubbing often, hardcore LSD belongs in this decade, and tan = attractive.

And I could go on. Rampant racism.

Mass materialization. Juvenile gender roles. Hell, I could write “The GoodLooking, the Bad-Looking and the Ugly Part III: Escape from New York” if I wanted to. But for now I’ll leave it at this: in his song “New York, New York,” Frank Sinatra sings “If I can make it there, I’m gonna make it anywhere.” Let’s just say he didn’t realize how right he was on that one.

stances are just so, that post can make the person come across like a real jerk, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth.

And let’s not forget - the instantaneous nature of the internet and social media makes it easier for word to spread. In the case of a newsworthy event, this can be quite helpful - after all, knowledge is power. Yet more often than not, especially in the case of teens, this backfires. One slip in discretion, and a secret might slip out. As if this

wasn’t enough, most popular networking sites have a smartphone app, so people can view new gossip at the touch of a button.

And then there’s Twitter fights.

Twitter fights are a commodity, and only rear their ugly heads once in a while.

Normally, they consist of an overblown issue (once again thanks to instant updates) between two people who sling in-the-moment, unintelligible insults at each other at their own expenses. Inevitably, they will become the butt of several jokes and regret their decisions, but the damage has been done. Such is life as a member of a generation synonymous with technology.

In no way am I going on a “all technology and social networking sites are evil!” sort of rant. I personally enjoy the often-comical tweets of fellow classmates, and would consider myself an active user of social media. Just like anything, it comes with its flaws. If used properly, networking through the internet can be quite enjoyable. When it comes down to it, the root of the problem is not in the technology, after all; it’s in the people who misuse it.

F E AT U R E S

THE STINGER

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

F E AT U R E E D I T O R C H R I S T I N E C A R L S O N A S S I S TA N T F E AT U R E E D I T O R S T O R I D E L H A G E N A N D R A N I A D R A K L E L L I S

NOW FEATURING Chris Cross from Forever The man bun

Christine Carlson

Planning

I’ve always had this slight obsession with lists and planning. At any time, I have around 10 lists on my phone. From a to-do today list to a to-do eventually list, I try to keep track of everything. If it doesn’t get on the list, chances are it isn’t going to happen and I will forget about it. I love that feeling of accomplishment I get when I slowly hit the backspace key and watch as the item slowly leaves the screen.

Whenever I need to accomplish something or go somewhere, it goes right into my phone.

Maybe I’m obsessed with things going as well as they can and without any problems.

That’s probably part of the reason I chose the career path that I did. Ever since I was little, I loved planning things- from games to parties and helping my sister plan her wedding. And when I got a job as a server for weddings and events, I could tell that I wanted to spend the rest of my life caught up in the enthusiasm of each wedding and event. I guess I love the organization part of it, and the excitement leading up to that perfectly planned for event. Every time I work at a wedding or party, I see first hand that the insanely organized ones turn out the best.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like spontaneity, because I do. Usually people consider me very easy going. I’m not one of those people who plans out every second of every day. Or those people who, when on vacation, plot their course of action down to every day, with no room for relaxing or just going with the flow. Too much planning and organization bothers me because then there is no room for any surprises, but having no plan drives me insane. It’s like deciding to take a road trip across the country, but not bringing a map.

But when it comes to me, I always have a plan. A course of action. I’ve known for a long time that I will go to LCCC and hopefully spend a semester having an internship in Disney World. At one of the three transfer universities that I have picked out, I will double major in hospitality management and entrepreneurship.

While there, I’ll study abroad for a semester, perhaps in Italy or England. Then I will graduate and land a job being a wedding and event planner. I’ll do that for a couple years and save up money to eventually open up my own bed and breakfast down south where I can plan and host weddings and events on site. After the business becomes profitable, I will open up a small cafe on the site too. In the mix of all that I’ll eventually get married and have four beautiful kids, two boys and two girls. And then we all lived happily ever after. At least, that’s how I picture it.

But no matter how much I plan and obsess, my life may not turn out like this. As high schoolers, most of us have at least some kind of plan. If you’re a junior or senior, most likely you are planning your major and the next four years of your life. While freshmen and sophomores have more time to think that stuff through, they are still finding their interests.

But sometimes we get so caught up in our plan that we forget to enjoy things that are happening around us.

I know, at least for me, that I am definitely guilty in getting caught up in my plan for life.

I might not land a job right after college; or I might and end up falling in love with the excitement of planning weddings and events all year, so I decide never to open up my own business. If I do end up opening up my business, and then it fails, I have no back up plan.

There’s an infinite number of things that could get in the way of my plan for the rest of my life. But I have to trust that it’s okay if plans fall through. I have to embrace the spontaneity of life and enjoy every path that it takes me on, even though it may be different than the “happily ever after” one I have planned out.

LA : to PA

styles

up Emmaus

Alana Margolis Features Contributor

back, and male athletes show their flow in all arenas. From actors like Jared Leto and Chris he trend of long hair for guys Hemsworth to singers like Harcontinues to grow more each day, no ry Styles and Hozier, the man pun intended, and the bun has largely bun trend looks like it is indeed been at the root of this phenomenon. here to stay.

Junior Jaiden Scherr--who can be At Emmaus, numerous guys seen one day with a half-up bun and the have hair long enough to pull next with a samurai ‘do--is one of sev- back into the crazed phenomeeral guys at Emmaus High School who non of the man bun. Some boys is currently rocking the bun, a fashion interviewed say they grew out statement that has been embraced by their hair because they either male celebrities such as blah blah and did not like how they looked blah that tend to make many female fans with short hair or just wanted to swoon. test it out and see how it would Junior Jack Warren posing with his man bun. Photo Growing out his hair beyond the look. bowl cut proved to be worth the struggle When asked how often they by Lindsay Harner. for Scherr. wash their hair, most of them said Junior Ed Kelly started laughing “It sounds lame, but I like to test my every day or every other day so they can when asked how bad the awkward stage self-discipline to see if I could actual- keep their shiny look and nice texture. truly is for guys growing out their hair. ly do it because I always quit at some Although the man bun is all the rage “It looked really bad, but I didn’t repoint,” Scherr said. “I just want to look with the ladies, most of the boys do it ally care what people thought of me,” like Beyoncé.” solely at home to keep it out of their Kelly said.

“Girls thought it was gross, When picturing long hair on guys, face. but now it’s nice and grown out.” people may often think of hippies long“My hair is finally getting to the Sophomore Brian Mantone received boarding in California or rockstars jam- length now that I can put it up,” said jupeer pressure from his friends to cut it ming in New York, but at Emmaus that nior Jack Warren, “but at home it’s up off when the going got rough. may not be the case. Although EHS has pretty much all the time, either in a small “I got about 10 people a day telling its fair share of peace and love, along ponytail or me to cut it with aspiring rock-n-rollers, many long- a bun.” off,” Manhaired students who walk the halls tend As for tone said. to be athletes. their par“but I didn’t But the stereotypes that come with ents’ opinreally care having long hair seem to have changed ions, they because it with its newest revival. Long hair on vary. was my hair, guys is like a phoenix, rising up from Junior my decision the ashes, or in this case roots. Back B r a n d o n to keep growing it.” when they first appeared in the late 60s Rapose said that his stepmom and dad Scherr and Warren both came to the and early 70s, guys with long hair were really like it, but his mom? Not so much. agreement that the bowl cut was not hippies wishing for peace and love. By “My dad really likes it because he their best look but once it grew out, they the 80s they were band members de- had long hair too in high school,” Rawere home free. stroying hotels. pose said, “but my mom is really oldBut these boys are not the only ones fashioned and thinks it’s who appreciate the man bun. a dirty look.”

Senior Bernie Goetz and freshman All of the boys do not Liz Kleppinger both appreciate the man really care about judgebun to the fullest.

In fact Goetz is dating ment with their long one of them. hair nor do they worry Goetz has been dating Jones for one about their future with a year and aside from his charming percareer. sonality, his long hair is the icing on the Junior Romeo Jones cake. said he does not worry “I just really enjoy the dirty shaggy about getting a job. look,” Goetz said. “It makes boys so “It’s just hair, who much more attractive in my opinion. cares how long it is. I’ve They stand out from the crowd and it had green, red and blue makes them look so much more outgohair,” Jones said. “If it ing, which I personally enjoy.” needs to be cut, it does.

When asked if Jones’ hair is longer I could be bald for all I than hers, she laughed and said she recare.” ally wants it to be.

Rapose said that at “It’s close enough,” Goetz said. “I reschool he does not get Junior Jaiden Scherr showing off his man bun. Photo by Lindsay Harner. judged, but when he ally love it and want it to be longer than goes to another school mine.”

Kleppinger, who writes for Buzz When the 90s hit, long hair trans- for basketball, the opposing team will Magazine, has appreciated the man bun ferred from rock bands to grunge bands throw some comments in. trend for quite some time. who sang lyrics most people did not Senior Andy Davidson’s hair will be “I really like uniqueness and I feel quite understand but enjoyed anyways. gone soon enough since the star athlete like a lot of guys have shorter hair,” And there were the notorious skate- just committed to West Point to play Kleppinger said.

“I like when they show boarders such as in the classic film football, an academy that will require their personal style with their long hair “Clueless” with their baggy clothes and him to shave his head for basic training. and how they keep themselves.” bad habits.

“It’ll be gone soon,” Davidson said.

Kleppinger believes that the trend But nowadays it seems like people “so I’m enjoying it while I can.” is here to stay because guys will notice can do pretty much anything with long As for the awkward stage of growing that it is more acceptable to have longer hair. Some male models sport long hair, out hair, the same groaning and shoulhair and to not be ashamed of it. business professionals tie their tresses der- shuddering reaction occurred.

T

“I just want to look like Beyoncé.”

Jaiden Scherr

9

Live Your L Dustin’s journey to In the News...

Laverne Cox Laverne Cox is a critically acclaimed actress in the hit Netflix original series, “Orange is the New Black.”

Cox plays the role of Sophia Burset, an incarcerated transgender woman.

An advocate for transgender rights, Cox speaks at many different establishments and universities around the country on behalf of transgender equality.

Information and photo courtesy of lavernecox.com

Bruce Jenner Gold-medal Olympian Bruce Jenner has made headlines recently with rumors of a gender change.

While no certain reports have been made, as an Olympic athlete, Jenner’s potential sex change would be groundbreaking in the aspect of transgender awareness.

Photo courtesy of nydailynews.com

Chaz Bono

Child of famed entertainers Sonny and Cher, Chaz Bono, also a threetime author, is a major advocate of LBGTQ rights.

After coming out in 1995, Bono began working publicly for the awareness and equality of transgender Americans. He also starred in an Emmy-nominated documentary, “Becoming Chaz.”

Information and photo courtesy of chazbono. net

Colleen Grablick Associate Editor

“I ’ll be right over when I’m done with him.”

This simple phrase, said without much thought by an Emmaus High

School librarian, held so much weight for one student.

Entering the library with the intentions of printing a paper, this student, who has chosen to go by Dustin in this story, asked for the help of a librarian. When another student raised his hand, the librarian addressed the student, saying “I’ll be right over when I’m done with him.”

Him.

One Student’s Story

E

very day, a sea of students travels the halls of Emmaus High School, each individual with his or her own story, problems, and experiences.

Many teens walk through school oblivious to those outside of their group of friends. Little do they know that outside of their closed-in teenage world exist different and unique individuals.

In EHS, a growing number of transgender students have begun to publicly accept their gender identity, despite the challenges that this experience poses. Dustin chose to share his transgender journey with The Stinger.

Halfway through his freshman year of high school, Dustin noticed there was something different about him. Something that separated him from the rest of the approximately 2,700 students enrolled in Emmaus.

Prior to halfway through his freshman year, Dustin identified as gender neutral, meaning he did not identify with the male or female gender. According to Dustin, he never felt comfortable being referred to with female pronouns. After three months of identifying as gender neutral, a friend opened up a new window to him. His friend, who is transgender, informed and exposed Dustin to the possibility that he may be transgender. He mulled over the idea for a few weeks, until an incident in the library of Emmaus solidified his thoughts: the librarian referred to him with a male pronoun. Suddenly, he felt as if everything finally fit.

He first told the friend about being transgender, who according to Dustin said, “That’s about right.”

“I guess my friends know me better than I do,” Dustin said with a smile.

After he began telling more of his friends, his new identity felt more and more real. Once he realized that it was the right fit for him, he told his sister, and eventually his parents.

Cold Hard Facts

W

hat many people do not recognize about the experience of transgender teens is the emotional and mental toll that such a journey takes on a person. Most high school students deal with the stresses of school work, jobs, and the ever-present cloud of college anxiety. Transgender teens deal with these issues...and much more. The process of accepting one’s identity can lead to falling-outs with friends, and even family. According to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program, more than 50 percent of transgender teens will have had at least one suicide attempt by his or her 20th birthday.

In his interview with The Stinger, Dustin referenced the well-publicized suicide case of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn. Alcorn’s story shook many Americans, especially those suffering from the discrimination faced by many transgender people. On Dec. 28, 2014, after fighting with the restraints of society and family, Alcorn stepped in front of a tractor trailer on Interstate 71 in Kings Mills, Ohio, according to published reports

by NBC News. This case sparked an outreach on social media advocating the acceptance and support of transgender individuals.

It also exemplified and brought to light the prominence of suicide in the issue of gender identity.

Many other prominent figures in the media have brought a greater awareness for transgender people. Celebrities such as Emmy- award winning actress, Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black,” and Bruce

Jenner, who is reportedly moving toward changing his identity, provides trans people with a role model and sense of support. Cox, who now speaks around the country as an advocate of gender identity, was scheduled to speak at Muhlenberg College in March. However, after her recent signing with CBS for a show, Cox cancelled the visit due to her packed schedule.

Unfortunately, not all people receive support that notable celebrities do. As in the case of Alcorn, the journey often ends in feelings of isolation and helplessness due to society’s judgmental tendencies.

These societal barriers became a struggle f o r

Life: discover his true identity Dustin, inside and outside of school. Although his journey allowed him to make many new, supportive friends, it also influenced many relationships that existed prior to the student coming out.

“I’ve lost a lot of friends along the way,” Dustin said, “but that’s to come obviously. It’s damaged a lot of relationships.”

As seen in Alcorn’s story, many times a person’s family causes the stress and fear of acceptance. According to Amanda Porter, vice president of the Renaissance Transgender Association of the Lehigh Valley, the biggest struggle for a trans teen is actually knowing that they are transgender and having the maturity to deal with those who do not support them.

“This especially true with non- accepting family members,” Porter said. “Family support is the single biggest problem for all trans people.”

Dr. Katherine Richmond, assistant psychology professor at Muhlenberg College, agrees with Porter.

“In the case of Leelah, social isolation and alienation were the factors that ultimately contributed to her decision to end her life,” Richmond said.

The Struggle Against Discrimination

E

ven in school, the struggles of being a transgender teen present themselves in many ways. In sophomore year, all students must take and pass an aquatics class in order to graduate. This posed a challenge for Dustin, who made several attempts to drop the class. The only way to avoid taking the class would be to have a doctor’s note or extreme extenuating circumstance. Although his swim teacher provided him with the option to change in the boys’ locker room, Dustin used the girls’ locker room, feeling uncomfortable in his swim trunks and t-shirt.

“That class was just terrible, honestly,” Dustin said.

“I had to go through a couple months of looking like a girl dressed in guy clothes with guy hair.”

Many transgender teens in EHS deal with similar locker room issues, according to guidance counselor Kristen Grim, who also advises the Gay-Straight Alliance at EHS. GSA works actively in making advancements and spreading awareness about the LGBTQ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer.)

GSA recently changed EHS’ nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The club has also been working to create a gender-neutral bathroom, in order to eliminate awkward situations that many transgender students face in fit-

ness classes. Right now students have the option of changing in the nurse’s room, but even this can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, according to Grim.

“Different things that we take for granted, for transgender kids, they can be difficult,” Grim said.

Junior Colleen Livingston, a GSA member, observes the struggle that transgender teens undergo during a normal school day. According to Livingston, it’s regular inconveniences that pose a larger challenge as opposed to bullying.

“Many people see the bullying side but fail to emphasize with the dayto-day struggle of things as simple as using the school bathrooms,” Livingston said.

Richmond believes that violence is the biggest struggle that trans people face.

“Reports have noted that verbal and physical harassment of transgender individuals occurs in public bathrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms,” Richmond said. “Bathrooms consequently become sources of stress for transgender people.”

Currently, in Pennsylvania it is legal to discriminate against LBGTQ people, according to Porter.

“A person can be evicted from an apartment, denied a mortgage or fired from their job just because they are gay or trans,” Porter said.

A bill has been proposed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives that would ban this type of discrimination. However, as in any struggle for equality, there will always be legal obstacles. The purpose of LBGTQ support groups is to overcome these obstacles.

“It is my hope that, if the public is informed, they will pressure the government to remedy this disgrace,” Porter said.

The Pronoun Problem

G

SA also works to end the pronoun problem, an issue that Dustin often experiences. Many teachers, either accidentally or purposefully, use the wrong pronouns when addressing their transgender students. GSA officer Sydney Wilcoxin, believes that the pronoun issue is the biggest problem that transgender students face.

“One of the biggest problems is blatant misgendering or refusal to recognize a student as their identified gender,” said Wilcoxin, a junior. “I see this most often in teachers, which is almost more disturbing than seeing it in peers.”

One of Dustin’s teachers refused to use the correct pronoun. After calling him by his birth name, Dustin politely corrected the teacher; the teacher responded: “It doesn’t matter to me. You’re in the system as this, I’m gonna call you this.”

“It’s like they refuse to even try, and I can tell teachers multiple times and they just don’t think anything of it,” said Dustin. “Even though you are telling them something, they just don’t listen.”

Societal attitudes like this are what lead some transgender teens to suicide. According to Grim, the guidance office shares the information with the teachers when a student requests to be called something different.

However, as Dustin’s story demonstrates, not all teachers are willing to respect the student’s wishes.

“It’s a struggle,” Grim said when referring to the pronoun issue, “and one I hope we are working to fix it.”

The presence of a GSA in EHS provides a safe place for students to be comfortable. Many times students do not feel as though they can be their true selves at home, which is where GSA assists. The club does not ask its members to identify as anything. It simply works to bring awareness and support for the LGBTQ community at EHS. According to Grim, even if transgender students do not actively participate in GSA, the fact that they know there is an organization spreading awareness about their struggle provides comfort and peace of mind.

“It is statistically proven that schools with a GSA are safer,” Grim said.

Wilcoxin hopes to spread awareness for the LGBTQ community through her efforts in GSA, and she believes the only way to spread this awareness is to start talking about it and bring the topic out of the dark.

“The topic of transgender people and life makes many people uncomfortable, so they don’t talk about it,” said Wilcoxin. “But when nobody talks about it, nothing changes, discrimination continues to grow and innocent lives are either damaged or taken.”

Livingston stresses the fact that transgender people are just like any other person.

“Transgender people are still people. They laugh, love and cry just like the rest of us,” Livingston said. “As we’ve grown up, we were taught that it doesn’t matter what race, sex or social status you are, so why should it matter if someone doesn’t identify as their assigned sex?”

Dustin, also an officer of GSA, hopes to spread awareness in EHS for transgender kids. He also encourages trans kids to push through the challenge of acceptance and be true to who they are.

“It’s not really a choice to come out, it’s just something you have to do for yourself,” said Dustin, “to live your life.”

Photo credit Lindsay Harner

12

T H E S T I N G E R F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

FEATURES

Cheating in School Who cheats at Emmaus, why they cheat, and why they are not alone Tori Delhagen Assistant Features Editor

T

he screeching of the bell rings, and the teacher begins handing out the math test you completely forgot about. As the clock ticks away, your heart sinks as you visualize your grade flushing down the toilet right before you. Your eyes slowly wander around the room, and you spot your neighbor’s Scantron on the corner of his desk.

You stare, borrow a few answers, hoping to possibly pass. You think: no one’s getting hurt, right?

Cheating happens every day in high schools and colleges across the nation.

Whether one plagiarizes a few lines for an essay, sticks an answer key in their shoe, or copies someone’s graded homework, they are all forms of cheating. Some students deny taking part in this controversial act, while others readily admit they cheat. So how often does cheating really take place within the walls of Emmaus High School?

According to a survey conducted by Josephson Institute of Ethics in 2012, 51 percent of students admitted to cheating on a high school exam in the past year, and 32 percent of students admitted to copying an Internet document for a school assignment.

A recent poll of 140 students at Emmaus showed that roughly 93 percent cheated in some manner during high school. The majority of respondents said they needed “extra help” in either math or science to boost their grade.

Principal David Piperato knows cheating is a problem in school.

“Students feel pressure to succeed and pressure causes them to make bad decisions,” said Piperato. “As society changes and society’s morals shift, many students don’t believe cheating is a serious offense.”

English teacher Susan Arnold said the most common type of cheating seen in her classroom is when students push their papers to the side of their desks for others of copy. Arnold believes two factors largely contribute to student cheating.

“First, kids feel pressure at home to get good grades from their parents,”said Arnold. “Also, kids genuinely have well meaning, but [they] take on too many activities and they don’t have time.”

Arnold believes the second scenario is the most common, where students become overwhelmed by their extra-curriculars which she said is sad to see.

Dr. Ann K. Buchholtz, research director for the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers University, said that while cheating is wrong on many levels, four factors typically contribute to the problem: pressure for grades, peer pressure, low selfworth and laziness.

So why does Buchholtz believe cheating is so wrong?

“One reason is that it hurts the other students in the class,” said Buchholtz, a leadership and ethics professor at the university’s business school. “They will be judged in comparison with the cheater and appear to not understand the material as well even though they have worked harder and undoubtedly have a deeper understanding.”

Junior Carly Philbin agrees that pressure plays a significant role.

“There’s so much pressure because colleges look at everything, and you feel that if you don’t do well on one thing, it brings

“I slipped a small white cheat sheet in my Jansport and suddenly in the flash of an eye it was no longer in my backpack pocket, but in the hand of my teacher.”

Rose your grade down so much,” said Philbin.

Piperato understands Emmaus’ classes can be challenging.

“EHS is highly competitive and students are expected to achieve at a higher level, therefore may cheat,” he said.

At EHS, the consequences for cheating are not taken lightly. According to the Discipline Code, any student caught cheating in the form of giving or receiving information on tests or projects will lose academic credit and could potentially face Saturday detentions, meetings with parents, out of school suspensions, and even a referral to the superintendent. The consequences for plagiarism are even more severe.

Still, many students continue to cheat and face possible repercussions with the school.

Senior Tati Garcia recalls her experiences with cheating.

“I have cheated when I’m desperate and have no idea, but I need a good grade,” said Garcia.

Garcia said the most effective way to cheat is to look at a friend during a test for

“You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Sophomore male

“We are pressured to succeed and being moral doesn’t show on your report card, but your grades do.”

Junior female

answers.

“My friend and I were across the room and we gave hand motions to each other,” said Garcia.

“One finger meant the answer was A, two was B and so on.”

Piperato said students need to resist the temptation to cheat.

“Students need to do their best to be prepared,” said Piperato.

“Students need to accept that not everyone can earn A’s and be okay with that.”

Rose, a junior, finds it extremely hard to memorize under pressure, so one year she decided to the only way to pass her chemistry midterm was to cheat.

“I slipped a small white cheat sheet in my Jansport and suddenly in the flash of an eye it was no longer in my backpack pocket, but in the hand of my teacher,” said Rose, who requested her name not be used. She received a zero on her midterm lab, which tanked her grade and cost her the trust of her teacher.

While the classic cheat sheet in the calculator and the writing on the desks are fairly common, some students develop peculiar and risky ways to score higher grades.

English teacher Shannon Petrunak has caught students with cheat sheets taped inside the labels of water bottles and seen her share of phones hidden on their laps during tests.

“I caught someone sitting in the back of my room who taped a vocab answer key to my filing cabinet during the test,” Petrunak said.

But perhaps the boldest move came when Petrunak wasn’t even in her classroom.

“A study hall aide was using my room,” she said, “and I found out that a kid took an answer key off my desk and sold it to other students.”

Buchholtz said cheating can affect one’s future.

“I am constantly being asked by executives how they can identify the applicants with the most integrity.

Nobody wants to hire a person who can’t be trusted,” said Buchholtz. “If I knew a student cheated, I would never recom-

Do you think there are benefits to cheating?

“Too much to study for and not enough time.”

Senior female

Photo by Lindsay Harner

mend them to anyone for anything.”

Arnold gives insight on the competitiveness in the workforce.

“Everything is so competitive including getting jobs,” said Arnold. “Schools set up everything so that a score represents abilities.”

But Buchholtz cautions that pressure is a part of life. In fact, college has added pressure that can tempt students to cheat, but so do jobs and life in general.

Buchholtz said that the pressure to cheat is probably greater in college because the work is more demanding. In fact, at Dartmouth College more than 60 students were suspended for a semester for widespread cheating in a class called “Sports, Ethics, and Religion” last fall.

Buchholtz’s advice for high schoolers who cheat in order to get into a good college: “Stop it now. People who cheat get discovered and lose their reputations - that means no good college and no good job.

Nobody wants to hire a cheater because cheaters can’t be trusted.

“Some people succumb to pressure to cheat,” she said, “and others rise to the occasion and just work harder.”

Piperato said cheating is never the way to go.

“Cheating,” said Piperato, “is a temporary solution to a more permanent problem.”

Survey: 130/140 students who cheat

“With all the pressure there is to have perfect grades, if I have to cheat, I will. It appeases the adults and doesn’t overwork me.”

Sophomore female

“Some people cannot take tests. It gives them anxiety to even come to school, but they have no choice, so I don’t mind helping.”

Junior female Thought bubble credit to clipartpanda.com

THE STINGER l Februar y 2015

13

THE STINGER | February 2015

14

CULTURE

Culture

C U LT U R E E D I T O R O L I V I A R I C C I O A S S I S TA N T C U LT U R E E D I T O R K A Y L A M C G O V E R N

Saturday Night Live celebrates its 40th season Rania Draklellis Assistant Features Editor Austin Hart Contributing Writer “Saturday Night Live” is in the midst of its 40th season and Emmaus students couldn’t be happier.

NBC marked the anniversary with a three-and-a-half hour star-studded live special that aired Feb. 15 with SNL alumni along with Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift, and Betty White, just to name a few.

The live special became NBC’s most-watched primetime entertainment excluding post-Super Bowl coverage.

SNL 40 averaged 23.1 million viewers according to the Huffington Post. Numbers that high hadn’t been seen on NBC since May 2004 when they aired the coveted series finale of everyone’s favorite show, “Friends.”

The special included skits like Celebrity Jeopardy, the Californians, and Wayne’s World, which brought Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, and Kristen Wiig back to Studio 8H. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were reunited at the Weekend Update desk beside original cast member and first female anchor Jane Curtin. Actors Melissa McCarthy and Emma Stone reprised the characters Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker and Roseanne Roseannadanna.

Senior Matt Johnston thinks of SNL as a revolutionary show. “[SNL] is what got all sketch shows started,” Johnston said. “It’s how a lot of big name comedians started.”

SNL, originally “NBC’s Saturday Night,” first aired on Oct. 11, 1975, with host George Carlin and musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Since then, the variety show has led to several movie spin-offs and a limited-run series “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday,” a political satire new segment which aired three 30-minute episodes leading up to

the 2008 presidential election.

Sophomore Michael Gallagher got into the show when he was 10 years old.

“My dad showed [SNL] to me,” Gallagher said. “He showed me actors like Chris Farley and John Belushi.”

John Belushi was part of the original 1975 “Not Ready for Primetime” cast alongside actors like Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase. Chris Farley was introduced to SNL in 1990 with Chris Rock.

Belushi is most popularly known for his role in the musical sketch “The Blues Brothers” which went on to become a movie starring Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

The movie came out in the summer of 1980 and ranked second it’s opening week right behind “The Empire Strikes Back.” Top Film magazine ranked it 14 on its list of “The 50 Greatest Comedy Movies of All Time.”

Johnston took interest in SNL during middle school.

“I love the late ‘70s,” Johnston said. “Belushi and Chase were hilarious. I like Will Ferrell, too, but he’s not from that decade. They’re all funny guys.”

The magic of the show lies not only in its cast, but also its timeliness.

“SNL is such a groundbreaking show because it’s weekly,” Gallagher said. “It keeps up with political satire, especially when it picked up in the late ‘90s.”

SNL’s decline in popularity in the 1994-1995 season led to the hiring of Chris Kattan, Cheri Oteri, and Will Ferrell the following year. Fey came aboard the writers’ staff in 1997 and three years later became the first and only fe-

male head writer before co-anchoring Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon.

And behind those funny actors are even funnier, wittier writers. “Breaking Bad’s” Bob Odenkirk began his career on television at SNL as did Conan O’Brien, Mindy Kaling, and current junior US Sen. Al Franken. Husband and wife writing duo Bonnie and Terry Turner wrote for SNL in the ‘90s and later went on to create “That ‘70s Show” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Sophomore Michael Monte agrees with Gallagher.

“It’s done live,” Monte said. “There’s such a rush about watching something live unfold right in front of your eyes.”

Monte began watching SNL in 2009.

“I watched the season finale with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga,” Monte said. “I love Fred Armisen because of his show ‘Portlandia’ on NBC.” After a one-month hiatus to prepare for the live event, SNL returned live Feb. 28 with host Dakota Johnson and musical guest Alabama Shakes.

If asking aspiring comedians about “Saturday Night Live,” be prepared to receive a flourish of dreams and passionate stories about how the sketch-comedy show changed their lives. Because if you’re not watching SNL, you’ll end up livin’ in a van down by the river.

Graphic by Rania Draklellis

A gift...or a curse?

Ellie Lewis Online News Editor Rachel McQuiston Online Culture Editor There’s nothing like kicking back on a Friday night with your fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, and watching Netflix with your cat, Mr. Whiskers.

The night starts off innocently, intentions originally are to watch a few episodes of “Gossip Girl” and lights out by midnight. But before you know it, it’s Sunday night and you have yet to finish Mr. Grabfelder’s 12-page English essay due Monday morning. The realization hits: you spent the entire weekend binge-watching all of your favorite shows; instead of being productive with your free time.

This may be hard to hear, but watching Netflix all weekend is probably not the most profitable use of your time.

Nothing compares to an all-day marathon of “Gossip Girl,” but you may feel

guilty about not spending quality time with family or hardcore studying for that vocab test Monday.

Emmaus junior Kayla Dries enjoys watching Netflix for about 24 hours a day, a few days a week.

“I like watching the ‘Vampire Diaries,’” said Dries. “But I wish there were more episodes of “Bob’s Burgers” because it’s hilarious.”

Yes, Netflix is changing television and pop-culture. With easy access to all of your favorite shows on demand, it makes binge-watching much easier.

For most people, the idea of being able to watch all of the episodes at once is becoming more appealing than waiting week-to-week.

Watching reruns of a TV series is the new trend. And if you can watch unlimited shows and movies for only $7.99 a month, according to Netflix.com, why not?

The long devoted time watching mul-

tiple episodes on a daily basis has become an issue. The number of uncompleted English essays and chores, and lack of quality time with friends and family has been affecting, the normal routines of some students.

Senior Nina Rowan once ended a relationship because the guy she was seeing was not into watching “The Office.”

“I wanted to watch my all-time favorite show [‘The Office’]with him one night,” said Rowan. “And we did, but he was so not into it and he was kind of just sitting there not enjoying himself while we were watching something that means a lot to me.”

Rowan believes that if you cannot laugh together in a relationship, then chances are you should not be together.

Sophomore Maddy Dill realizes that she could focus her time on schoolwork instead of watching “Gossip Girl” episodes.

“I should really be doing my home-

work or actually study instead of watching Netflix,” said Dill. “I have forgotten to do my homework before, because I was so caught up in a series.”

Watching Netflix on occasion, or once a day for a short amount of time, is completely fine. As long as your regular Netflix routine does not hold you back from your daily activities, you’re in no danger of becoming addicted.

Junior Madi Renfroe enjoys watching Netflix from time-to-time but admits it can become addicting.

“Sometimes one episode would turn into an entire series,” said Renfroe.

“You don’t even realize the time passing by because you’re hooked. Also, I love it that you don’t have to worry about commercials.”

Watching endless hours of Netflix can become an addiction just by the click of a remote or mouse. Beware.

Image courtesy of Kayla McGovern, logo courtesy of userlogos.com

Culture

My Life as an Artist

THE STINGER February 2015

15

Student artists show passion for art through their time and dedication

Photos by Olivia Riccio

to work on her art projects as well.

“I had to cut mirror pieces into drips has a language which includes elements Disla has created art throughout her coming down from a city. I spent so long and principles.” life and joined the art program during her on it and ended up breaking one of the “It is the goal of the art department to freshman year. She enjoys it because it glass saws and Mrs. Oster and Miss Gus- teach the language and have the students helps her express her ideas, and she looks tafson had to fix it,” Thornton said. “It was speak the language while developing asforward to the finished product. awful. But it came out great so I’m not too signments,” Oster said. “As they under“It also feels amazing after making mad.” stand the language better they are able to something really great and having others Thornton plans to get her art degree after apply it to their assignments with success.” appreciate it,” Disla said. a degree in education, an to become an art The portfolio Maley uses consists of criOver the years Disla has looked to other or history teacher after college. teria she looks for in the student’s work, inartists for inspiration, but has developed Senior Dan Smith also loved art grow- cluding technical competence/artistic skill, her own style when searching for ideas for ing up, feeling familiar with it because his manipulation of original ideas/creativity, a new project. dad is a painter. work that is connected to a selected visual “I’ve formed my own style, which is pretty cool because I just get ideas out of my head for themes,” said Disla. “I usually make dark art.”

Disla spends a good amount of time on her projects, she usually takes about two to three hours which is about Senior Alexa Grazio (left) holds her self-portrait drawn on a map and senior Dan Smith two and a half theme, synthesis of the elements and class periods, (right) stands in front of his display of projects. principles of art, and the ‘wow’ factor. depending on The exam for AP Studio Art is not the project.

“I remember freshman year looking for- written test, but rather a portfolio that is Her most difficult project was her AP ward to taking AP Art in the future,” Smith part digitally submitted and mailed in. piece number five of John F. Kennedy, be- said.

“The portfolio consists of 12 Breadth cause of its intricacy.

Smith’s ideas come from pretty much pieces that are digitally submitted, 12 ConOne of Disla’s major accomplishments everywhere, but one of his paintings was centrated pieces that are digitally submitin her art career at EHS was having her directly inspired by Picasso’s “Head of a ted, and five quality pieces that are mailed work on display outside the art rooms.

Boy.” in,” Maley said.

“It was pretty cool having people that I His favorite pieces he has done so far are Juniors Izzy Ordiway and Jenna Loz didn’t even know compliment my pieces, his mirror and Paris projects he’s done for hope to take AP Studio Art next year, both or even teachers asking me about them,” AP Studio Art. have taken art since freshman year.

Disla said. “That’s why I make the art in “I liked my mirror one because I really “I fell in love with the class and have the first place, to showcase it.” liked the idea and as I was working on it been taking art ever since,” Ordiway said.

Disla will also not be pursuing a career I really liked how it was turning out, esOrdiway’s inspiration for art is based off in art, but will continue to make it a hobby pecially the floor and wall,” Smith said. “I of life’s hardships. or side project. liked the Paris one because it was my first “This year all of my crafts projects are Senior MaryKate Thornton takes AP attempt at a detailed watercolor painting, based around the theme of mental illnessStudio Art as well, and got involved with so it was fun to try something new.” es. I want something that relates to both the art program freshman year because it Smith’s most difficult project is the one myself and others,” Ordiway said. felt natural to continue art after middle he’s currently working on that features a Ordiway’s favorite project is her silk school. human face. painting, a piece she feels is personal to “I’ve always liked art growing up. I also Smith’s method for taking on a new her. played sports and did some performing art project is to have an exact reference for his “I’m taking an abstract idea and putting stuff but art always stood out,” Thornton final product. it into content that makes sense,” Ordiway said.

Smith plans to continue art as a hobby. said.

Thornton has looked to the artist Isaiah Grazio, Disla, Thornton, and Smith all “The theme of it is ADD and depression Zagar, the creator of the Magic Gardens in were selected for AP Art because they suc- which I know millions of people can relate Philadelphia, for inspiration for her work. cessfully passed at least one level two art to. It also means something personal to me She feels more connected to her own piec- class with a letter grade of a B or above. because I have both disorders,” Ordiway es because of Zagar’s work.

AP Studio Art requires students to present said.

“His work is absolutely breathtaking. I a portfolio of 12 Breadth pieces, or high Ordiway plans on pursuing a career in got to meet him on our trip to the garden quality art pieces, to art teacher Tracy Mal- art therapy, where she hopes to help others this year and I actually fan-girled a bit,” ey. by doing what she loves.

Thornton said. “It was such an amazing Regina Oster, also an art teacher at Jenna Loz has been involved in the experience I couldn’t help it.”

Emmaus, said the Breadth pieces may be art program because of her passion for Thornton’s favorite piece she’s done for an accumulation of pieces the students it.

AP Studio Art is called ‘Bruised,’ a water- produced in Foundations Level 1 and 2 “I use it as a platform of communication color collage of a woman’s bruised eyes courses. beyond just words,” Loz said. “With art, features one black eye while the other bears Oster hopes to take students beyond the you force people to ask tough questions. It a scar on the introductions they takes perspective, and it also gives it.” receive in foundaThe inspiration and focus for Loz’s art tions. is based off of people’s imperfections and “In level cours- quirks. For example, Loz completed a dises we want to give played hand drawing that included her own students broader scars and freckles. basics which will Loz’s favorite piece is her drawing of a help them de- koala made entirely out of ink and stamps. velop a variety “It captures so much vulnerability and of techniques to I’m in love with it,” Loz said. carry into levLoz balances completing her art projel two courses ects with keeping up with her AP courses, where they begin spending about an hour and a half per day to develop a style on her work. of their own,” OsLoz hopes to possibly incorporate art in ter said. “This is her future career. beneficial to them “I want it to be a part of my life and posif they are consid- sibly my career, but you don’t combine roering AP Studio mance and work, right?” Loz said. “Art is Senior MaryKate Thornton (left) holds her silk project and Sardis Disla (right) holds her paintings that were part of a display art.” in the art hallway.

To grade art, romance.” preliminary sketchbook work.

These student artists show that no mateyebrow and the background encompasses the teachers see if students are meeting the “I pull random ideas from my head and newsprint featuring tragedies. requirements of the project assignments ter what difficulties they endure and the get them down in my sketchbook, and then “It connects to abuse, neglect, and the that are laid out during the project, and AP I’ll do some online research on the topic,” emotion it portrays is what makes it suc- students are graded with a portfolio that is long hours they work, the end result is what makes it all worthwhile, and the skills Grazio said. cessful. It is the best project I’ve done and aligned with the AP grader’s criteria for they learn at Emmaus will help them deepGrazio will not be pursuing art as a ca- I love the meaning behind it,” Thornton grading. reer, but she will continue to take art class- said.

“All projects are graded using a rubric en their passion for art. es in college for her own enjoyment.

Thornton’s most difficult project was for that include project requirements, lanSenior Sardis Disla also takes AP Studio her Crafts 3 class because of it being a mo- guage terms, and technical aspects,” Oster Photo (top) courtesy of clipartbest.com, Art, dedicating hours to managing her time saic piece made of glass. said. “Students in art are learning that art edited by Olivia Riccio

Photos by Olivia Riccio

Olivia Riccio Culture Editor Being a student artist takes a lot of time, dedication, and patience, but Emmaus student artists prove that it’s all worth it in the end.

These students take time out of their school day to dedicate themselves to their art projects, some even stay up to four class periods in addition to the time they spend on their work out of school. They work tirelessly to complete their projects on time, all while balancing their other classes, after school activities, and jobs.

Senior Alexa Grazio is among the passionate art students at EHS who dedicates herself to her art work.

Grazio has been involved with the art department since freshman year, and started off taking a few foundations courses.

“It felt natural to continue taking art after middle school. I always enjoyed the freedom of it,” Grazio said.

Grazio has worked her way up to being in AP Studio Art during her high school career.

AP Studio Art teacher Tracy Maley, says the course is quite challenging.

“AP Studio Art is a rigorous class that involves completing 12 works of art that are based on a theme,” Maley said.

“Mine is Southwest, so all my pieces are based around that theme,” Grazio said.

The students must decide what artists they will research and use inspiration from.

“There isn’t just one artist that really influences what I do. For example, in one project I used two different artists, Lichtenstein and Warhol, to base my work off of,” Grazio said. “I’m really into abstract things, though.”

Grazio has completed several projects throughout her four years at EHS, but her favorite is her Warhol and Lichtenstein creation.

“It’s a woman screaming on the lefthand side and the rest is covered in spiders,” Grazio said. “I did it in ink and watercolor. It’s pretty cool.”

This work was her favorite because it is her best piece as far as technical skill.

Grazio also loves the colors she used.

Creating new projects can be difficult for Grazio because sometimes it isn’t easy to always have inspiration or enthusiasm for the topic she is working on.

She also has to manage time so she can complete her projects before a deadline.

Grazio spends a significant amount of time on her work, and has a new project due every two weeks. The work that the students produce during that two-week time period is expected to be their best.

“Two weeks is a very short time span for some of the work people produce. I spend one to two class periods each day and whenever I can after school,” Grazio said. “Some students are there up to four class periods.”

Grazio has a specific method for when she has to start a new art project. The first step is that the students are required to do

16

THE STINGER | February 2015

Culture

Justine Coleman Editor-in-Chief Seeming like a typical time-travel movie, “Project Almanac” does have the common sci-fi plotline, including a group of teenagers who build the impossible machine, go back in time, and find out that changing the past cannot successfully be done.

However, it strays from the cliché just a little by adding lovable, funny characters and interesting situations that ultimately present the viewer with this question: what would you change if you could go back in time?

Taking place in 2014 in Georgia suburbs, Jonny Weston stars as David Raskin, a high schooler trying to get into his dream school, MIT. He ends up becoming accepted but does not win as much scholarship money that he would need to attend.

His mother offers to sell their house in order to pay, which would cause his sister Christina (Virginia Gardner) and his mother to move to his aunt’s house.

Desperate to win another scholarship contest so the house does not have to be sold, he searches his attic for inspiration from his deceased father’s old stuff for potential experiment proposals. Christina discovers their dad’s old camera, and the siblings watch the recording of David’s seven-year-old birthday party to find an unexpected surprise in the video--an image of David at his current age in the mirror.

They recruit their friends Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista) to examine the tape, and all four of them find blueprints for a time machine in the basement. By using stolen hydrogen from the school and David’s love interest Jesse’s (Sofia Black-D’Ella) car battery, the group successfully sends a toy car back in time.

After that, the friends travel back 24 hours to test the machine; once that works, the group sets out on a bunch of humorous adventures to fix situations in the friends’ past, including Quinn’s repeated tries and failures to pass his presentation on the periodic table of elements, Christina’s efforts to get revenge on her bully, and the entire group’s endeavor to win the lottery.

Eventually, David takes the group to Lollapalooza, which happened three months before, where he screws up his chance to kiss Jesse prompting him to break one of the group’s rules, to never time travel alone.

Once he fixes things with Jesse and returns to the present, he discovers that events such as plane crashes and car accidents that had not originally happened were occurring.

David then struggles to go back in time and prevent the horrible events while still trying to keep his kiss with Jesse at Lollapalooza.

The teenagers use the dad’s camera to film all of their experiences, which may be a creative way to show the movie.

However, it sends the viewer home with a headache from all of the shaky maneuvers and causes the viewer to sigh in relief when the camera is set down, even if it is at an extremely awkward angle.

For example, when they work on the time machine, the camera ends up showing half of a table and the friends.

Even that is much better than when the camera flies in the air or when the group is running. While the directing choice was interesting, it’s important to consider whether you would like to go home dizzy from all of the hectic camera shenanigans.

On a positive note, all of the actors played their roles in a way that causes the viewer to feel the connection between the friends. Their comical conversations will make the audience laugh along and feel as if they are seeing within a typical high school group of friends, besides all of the complicated technological words and the fact that the group would rather work on a time machine than go to a party across the street.

Sometimes they seem a bit overdramatic in their roles as if they know they are in a movie, which does not seem to be the point of the film.

The movie also explores a common time travelling question: what happens if you see your older self in the past?

According to “Project Almanac,” if you run into yourself, as Quinn does within the first trial run of human time trav-

Photo courtesy of io9.com

“Project Almanac”: Not worth your time

elling, you would disappear and reappear over and over, almost as a glitch, and then disappear forever.

Still, the film leaves the viewer coming home with tons of unanswered questions of inconsistencies and impossible situations occurring throughout the plot.

However, the ultimate lesson that everything works the way it should can benefit the viewer. In other words, if a person could change the past, he or she should consider the consequences.

Perhaps fixing a disaster of a date or a test grade would not be worth it. Any situation impacts so many other events in everyone’s life. Changing it to benefit yourself could inflict trouble on someone else. Why should you benefit yourself if it could destroy someone else especially someone you are close to?

In the end, “Project Almanac” an interesting watch, but it can be skipped out on, especially if you easily feel sick from camera movement.

Rating (out of 5):

Elias Dreisbach Contributing Writer New York-based shoegaze rockers A Place to Bury Strangers’ new album, “Transfixation” (released on indie label Dead Oceans), shows the band heading in a more accessible direction than their previous LPs, while still exploring new grounds.

In their previous album, A Place to Bury Strangers’ channeled ‘80s goth and noise pop (the band cites The Jesus & Mary Chain as a major influence) through a noisy post-punk lens.

Having been together for over a decade, their dedicated following grows with each subsequent release, and they have played with other cult psych acts such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The band has been working on this album for nearly two years, during which they released merely one single, as well as an EP of covers of songs by legendary garage rock act Dead Moon. This album is being released on underground label Death by Audio, who also released the band’s 2009 album “Exploding Head” as well as other recordings from artists such as Ty Segall and Grinderman.

The production by Emil Nikolaisen (a producer active in the underground music scene in Norway, whose previous credits include producing releases by groups such Arabrot and Okkultokrati) gives the band a clear, crisp sound.

The band itself is decidedly cleaner sounding than on previous albums, leaving the over-the-top distortion-fests of their other releases to take a backseat to melody and catchiness.

The addition of synthesizers is also a welcomed addition, and an unlikely fit to a band known for primarily for their ear-scorching guitars and piercing feedback.

The album artwork by Miles Johnson is visually stunning, with it’s colorful textures fitting the style of music

featured on the record.

The album’s two openers (“Supermaster” and “Straight”) capture the listener’s ears with simplistic basslines and flanger-damaged drums, sounding like a shoegazy cross between early Cure and Sonic Youth. Some tracks (such as the lead single, “We’ve Come So Far,” as well as “What We Don’t See”) show a distinct synthpop (perhaps even IDM or electronic ambient) influence, while others (like “Deeper”, which leads into the tribal haze of “Lower Zone”) show the band moving in a darker, more atmospheric direction.

The back-up vocals by Dion Lunadon on “Now It’s Over” add a haunting, gospel-like effect to the song. Other tracks strike an interesting middle ground and show a decidedly punkier influence, like the hypnotic trance rock of “Fill the Void” and spaced-out psychedelic rocker “I Will Die.” Track nine “I’m So Clean” even seems to take cues from synth-punk legends Suicide.

The album is not without its flaws, however.

“Love High”’ sticks out like a sore thumb and feels unnecessary in the overall scope of the album, being two minutes of aimless jamming that seemingly goes nowhere.

Despite variations in style from track to track, the band utilizes a similar structure for most of the tracks, leaving an album that blends together as one big song for the listener, which was a similar issue I had with their previous releases.

The slick, clean production also admittedly doesn’t seem to be a good fit for a band whose previous releases were decidedly lower fidelity and who proudly declare themselves “The Loudest Band in the World”.

In spite of these issues, I found this release to be very enjoyable. While it is very derivative of their influences

Photo courtesy of pitchfork.com

APTBS “Tranfixes” fans With new album

(the same could be said of their previous releases, with some calling their Jesus & Mary Chain worship a bit too close to flat-out plagiarism), they manage to take their favorites and throw them in a blender, and make a sound like no other band out there.

While some bands try to focus too hard on changing their style from album to album, A Place to Bury Strangers have found their niche, and build upon it with each album. I, for one, am excited to see what they come up with next.

Rating (out of 5):

Culture

THE STINGER | February 2015

17

“Mary Poppins” is ‘Practically Perfect’ in every way Olivia Riccio Culture Editor The Emmaus High School Drama Department will perform the family-friendly musical “Mary Poppins” beginning March 17-22.

The musical is based off the series of books by P.L. Travers, and the Disney movie “Mary Poppins,” starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The story of “Mary Poppins” is about a charismatic, fun-loving, and beloved nanny who works for the Banks family, and also has a magical quality to her. From floating down from the sky with an umbrella to making up her own words, Mary Poppins is a character that captures the hearts of all ages.

Senior Micah Gilley will be playing the role of Mary Poppins in the upcoming production. She auditioned for the role because she grew up loving the movie and Julie Andrews. She also finds the role to be well-suited for her.

“The character came to me pretty naturally,” Gilley said. “She has such an iconic speaking voice and I love doing it. Also, the songs really fit my voice type really well.”

Gilley hopes the audience will love the music, new and old in this production. She says that the musi-

cal will include some new songs inspired from lines in the movie, and also by character’s from P.L. Travers’ books.

Dancing will also be a large part of the production, and the audience should look forward to that aspect as well.

“They should come prepared to experience so much more than the movie,” Gilley said. “Also, expect a lot of magic.”

Senior Matt Johnston plays George Banks, the father of the Banks children.

Johnston chose to audition for this role because of Banks being his favorite character from the movie because of his complexity.

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to play such a complex character throughout the story,” Johnston said. “Also, George Banks has some similarities to the character I portrayed in Anne Frank, Mr. Van Daan.”

Johnston is looking forward to seeing the whole show come together, and that the audience can expect the musical to be very energetic.

“It’s incredible to see these productions go from their earliest stages to a refined and final product,” Johnston said. “The audience can expect to witness an energetic and upbeat version of the Disney classic.”

Senior Mason Trinkle will be portraying Mary Poppin’s good friend Bert, who is a chimney sweeper and who also watch-

es over the Banks’ children.

Trinkle finds Bert to be a character that is easier to play. “ B e tween the dramatic facial expressions and general mannerisms,” Trinkle said. “It is Trinkle, Gilley, Gigler, and Johnston will perform in “Mary Poppins” on March Photo by Lindsay Harner fairly easy 17-22. for me to the musical, and to enjoy the experience. portray the character on stage, while inKuebler thinks that people should come corporating my own personality into the see the show because of it being a wellperformance to make it appear more natu- loved Disney story, and they should look ral for both myself and the audience.” forward to the talent Emmaus’s students Trinkle feels as though this performance provide. will feature more dancing and stage presThey should expect to see “high-energy ence more than Emmaus has ever done. dancing, great singing, and exciting tech“Much more of the show itself depends nical elements,” Kuebler said. on the stage presence and movement than Other members of the cast include Kasimple acting and singing, though all are tie Gigler as Winnifred Banks, Julia Beprevalent,” Trinkle said. zems as Jane Banks, and Patrick Martin as “The dancing aspect is by far the most Michael Banks. ambitious of all our work this year,” TrinTickets for the show are available in the kle said. main office, the cost being $10 for students Director, drama, and communications and senior citizens, and $12 for adults. teacher Jill Kuebler feels the elements of Showtimes are March 18-21 at 7 pm, the show are beginning to come together and March 21-22 at 2 pm. and rehearsals are going well.

Her goal for the show is for her actors to give their best performance of Graphic courtesy of wondersofdisney2.yolasite.com

18

Four

“Everyone looks up to him because he’s one of the fastest on the team.”

-Kelly Harvey on Carter Paules

David andrews

FAST FACTS

Height: 6’4” Movie: Miracle Ice Cream Flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip Food: Bananas

Senior David Andrews prevails as a strong asset to the ice hockey team at Emmaus High School.

Starting at age three, Andrews followed the encouragement of his father and began his ice hockey career. He decided to stay with hockey for most of his life because it is a costly sport, and once he started, he figured he would stick with it. He said he truly had a passion for the game.

“It takes a lot of money and hard work, but it’s worth it,” Andrews said. “You have to choose it over other sports.”

Andrews’ coach and teammates at Emmaus rely heavily on him during games to step up and show support and leadership both on and off the ice.

Junior Wyatt Weber has played with Andrews, and they often compete with each other and push themselves to become better players on the ice.

“David is one of our captains,” Weber said. “Whenever the team needs him to step up, he never disappoints and brings intensity to the game.”

“His dedication and passion for the game is so strong just because of how much he

loves the sport.” Weber said.

Head Coach James Rieder relies heavily on Andrews to be a leader on the team and to be on his game when he’s needed the most to pull out a win.

“David’s greatest strength is probably his aggression,” Rieder said. “One second he could be laughing with his friends, but the minute the game begins, he is completely in the zone and ready to play.”

Rieder chose Andrews as a captain due to his dedication and talent.

can always rely on him to score goals.”

Andrews takes after his parents and their athletic skills.

“My mom used to play field hockey and my dad was big into baseball,” Andrews said. “If it wasn’t for hockey, I probably would have picked up baseball.”

Rieder also noticed the improvement of Andrews’ skills over the years.

“David is a great captain because he is a natural leader,” Rieder said. “There’s just something about him that all of the guys look up to.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better captain.”

Senior Chad Lawrence has been playing hockey with Andrews for several years and has admired his leadership and power that he brings to the team.

“He always has a positive attitude,” Lawrence said. “We

“David plays hockey yearround, so he’s constantly improving in skill,” Rieder said.

“The greatest improvement I’ve seen is within his confidence in himself as a player.”

Andrews’ leadership and skills have carried the team into the playoffs and earned them the title of fourth in the state.

Rieder shows great appreciation for the amount of effort that Andrews put into the team.

“I couldn’t ask for a better captain.”

-James Rieder on Andrews

“He has great team spirit, and he has an overall high level of skill defensively and offensively,” Rieder said. “He just shows by example when it comes to leadership and always has his players’ backs.”

Andrews looks back at his time on the Emmaus team with fond memories, and he said that he regrets that this is his last year playing.

“Being a senior does kind of suck. I’m not going to lie,” Andrews said. “Knowing we’re in the playoffs and knowing that we’re second or third seed is pretty accomplishing, though.”

Abby Moore and Maggie Lavelle

carter paules

FAST FACTS

Height: 6’1” Hobby: Playing video games Favorite Movie: District 9 Favorite Color: Teal

Senior portraits courtesy of R.J. Harwick

Senior Carter Paules has been a pivotal member of the Emmaus men’s varsity swim team for all four years of his high school career.

“I’ve been swimming for 12 years now,” Paules said, who accredited his brother as his biggest inspiration to swim. “I had to be at the practices anyways, so I just figured I’d start swimming with him.”

Often described by teammates as determined and humorous, Paules is a well-adored team leader and plays a key part in the team’s success. He is well-respected not only for his athletic ability, but his whimsical-yet-determined demeanor as well.

Sophomore Kelly Harvey admires Paules’ character and skill.

“Everyone looks up to him because he’s one of the fastest on the team,” Harvey said. “He’s very caring and considerate towards people, even though he doesn’t seem like it sometimes.”

Head Coach Tim O’Connor admires Paules’ unique attitude towards swimming and embraces it as beneficial to the team.

“Carter’s somewhat of a little jokester,” O’Connor said. “ I think when you’re in an intense sport, sometimes it can even be too intense, and you need somebody who is competitive, but also can, at the end of the day, shrug your shoulders, laugh things off a little bit, make other people chuckle; and Carter has that ability.”

When asked about Paules’ best quality, sophomore Ethan Carr acknowledges how funny he can be.

“His humor...can help us calm down and relax,” Carr said.

Sophomore Kaitlin Hur noted that while Paules doesn’t speak often, his

contagious good-naturedness helped to make difficult practices more enjoyable and allowed him to be an influence on all the members of the team.

Yet despite his go-lucky demeanor, O’Connor also noted that Carter’s ability to “step up” in a race is unique, and that his carefree attitude should not be misconstrued as carelessness. He described Paules as a “gamer” whose intensity is evident when it comes to races.

Harvey knows how much effort Paules puts in at practice.

“He actually works really hard in practice even though people sometimes don’t think he does,” Harvey said.

Paules’ accomplishments over his years of swimming at Emmaus surely testify for his tenacious approach to swimming. Throughout his athletic career, Paules has notched three district titles, twice with 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard individual medley, and has been a state finalist. This year, he also etched his name in Emmaus’ record books for his 100 yard breaststroke time of 56.84 seconds. His times for both 100 yard breaststroke and 200 individual medley rank second and fourth in Pennsylvania respectively.

Paules can’t ignore how much work it takes to achieve great things.

“How many hours you have to put in is definitely not that fun,” Paules said.

“Sometimes I’m like, ‘why am I doing this?’ but there comes a point where you realize it’s all worth it.”

Just as his attitude towards swim-

ming plays a role in the team’s success, so does his versatility as swimmer. Several teammates express Paules’s ability to swim any of the major events is scarce but beneficial.

O’Connor attributed both natural ability and dedication to his improvement of technique as the keys to Paule’s success. “[Carter’s] been a lot more in-tune this year with his stroke mechanics,” he said. “Those little things will make differences in his swimming, and he’s already been swimming faster this whole season.”

Paules hopes to continue his success at district and potentially state competitions once again this year. He recalls his times at districts with the rest of the team to be his fondest memories.

“I’ll definitely miss the guys on the swim team when I leave, it’s kind of a family atmosphere around here,” he said.

Coach O’Connor states that not only will he miss Carter’s uncanny ability as an athlete, but his ability as a leader and the can-do mentality he brings.

Following his graduation from Emmaus, Paules plans on attending Rider University on a swim scholarship. There he plans on studying Global Supply Chain Management.

Will Newbegin

Faces

19

“She zeros in on something and cares about what she does.”

-George Gibbs on Kristen Bray

Kristen bray

Influenced by her older sister and her love for the sport, senior Kristen Bray began training with the Emmaus fitness team as just an eighth grader.

Bray proved to be an essential part of the team last year when she went to San Diego for the national meet for the second year in a row, the team placing first both years. She placed on the gold team and sixth in the nation.

Coach George Gibbs relied on her to be a pivotal scorer this year and return to nationals.

“Out of the girls back from last year, she has the most points,” said Gibbs. “We’re

looking forward to a third trip out to California.”

In fitness there are five events, each worth 100 points: sit-ups, pull-ups, pushups, the standing long jump, and the 300-yard shuttle run. Each event is timed.

Running is Bray’s best event, according to Gibbs, who called her the “best runner on the team.”

demics with both sports.”

Gibbs described her as focused, despite juggling two sports at once.

“She zeroes in on something and cares about what she does,” said Gibbs. “With track and fitness she has a tough schedule, but she always does her best.”

Teammate Samantha Roth agreed that Bray is a determined athlete.

“She is a very strong runner for the team and always pushes herself to improve in all areas,” said Roth. “She sets a good example for the younger team members.”

“Her energy and enthusiasm rub off on everyone around her.”

-Samantha Roth on Bray Her running ability is explained through her extensive background in running. She is a member of the varsity cross country team in the fall and varsity track in the spring, on top of fitness.

She’ll go from school to track to fitness.

“I go back to back,” said Bray. “Since I’ve been doing it so long, I can balance aca-

One thing Bray enjoys most about fitness is the team itself.

“I like the team and the experience of it,” said Bray. “It’s a unique sport that you can’t find anywhere else. The people are great to work with.”

According to Bray, her coach is a big influence in her career.

“My favorite part about fitness is my coach, because he’s one of the biggest motiva-

tional factors,” said Bray.

“He’s like my grandpa and best friend.”

Her coach enjoyed her as a team member.

“She’s pleasant to be around and has a nice personality,” said Gibbs.

“You tease her and she teases right back. I got to see her personality develop since the first year.”

Roth has witnessed some of Bray’s leadership qualities, as well as characteristics of a good friend and teammate.

“She’s friendly, encouraging, committed, hardworking, and supportive,” said Roth. “Her energy and enthusiasm rub off on everyone around her.”

In addition to athletics at Emmaus, Bray is also a member of the Pediatric Cancer Club.

Bray plans to attend Liberty University in the fall to study nursing and possibly continue her running career.

FAST FACTS

Height: 5’5” Favorite Color: Rose Favorite Movie: Finding Nemo

Katie Mest

Favorite Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate Chip

Ciera bachman

Ciera Bachman has been a member of the rifle team at Emmaus for four years now, and has been a valuable asset for the team since.

Bachman started shooting before high school. She has been a tough competitor for the Hornets and has a high score of 99 out of a possible perfect 100. She started shooting because she enjoyed the fact that it was a unique sport.

“It’s not your average sport where you have to be a certain height something to say ‘oh I shoot things,’” she said. “It’s something different and fun to do.”

Bachman has had many years to progress and get better, and she’s proven to be a top performer throughout each competition.

“I’ve grown as a shooter from practicing more and how much practicing I can do,” Bachman said. “I also focus more.”

That focus is a key factor to Bach-

man’s success.

Senior teammate Seth Freeman values Bachman’s talents and noticed how she’s improved throughout her seasons her at Emmaus.

“She’s definitely gotten a lot better over the years,” Freeman said. “To be honest, girl shooters tend to be better than guy shooters because they tend to have more focus and consistency. Ciera has both of those qualities.”

Freeman praises what Bachman brings to the team.

“Ciera would always score well,” he said. “She would consistently be in the top five. She’s a good teammate to have.”

The rifle team had a tough season this year, as they were a target after their performance last season. In the 2013-14 season, the Hornets went undefeated and took third in the state playoffs. Bachman believes that made expectations higher this season.

“It’s definitely gotten more competitive since we have a reputation of being good,” she said. “There’s more pressure to do well.”

However, Bachman refers to last season as her favorite moment throughout her four years here.

“My junior year we went undefeated and won the league championship,” she said. “We were also third in the state.

Putting that all together was just ‘wow.’”

But being on the rifle team hasn’t just been a fun sport for Bachman, it has helped her grow as a person as well.

“I used to be extremely shy,” Bachman said. “It’s made me more open. Being on a team helps you with that.”

Freeman can attest to that.

“Everyone on the team has fun with it,” he said.

“And I think that she really enjoys it.”

Freeman also admires Bachman’s leadership and ability to help out when needed.

“She would always help out when stuff needed to be done,” he said. “She helps out with other shooters. She helps kids with technique or form.”

Bachman proves to be a good teammate and supports her fellow shooters.

“We do this mentor thing where we mentored a freshman and told them things that we’ve learned over the years,” she said.

“We taught them little tricks and tips to help them feel part of the team.”

Bachman’s leadership has made her somewhat of a role model.

“There are a few other girls on the team, but they are younger,” Freeman said. “The shooting is different from girls to guys, with form and everything.

So a lot of girls look up to her.”

Bachman has made friends and formed bonds while on the team.

“We’re all pretty close because there’s only a few of us on the team and we’re all crazy,” she said. “We have fun.”

Bachman has not decided where she will be going to school next year, but is looking at Lehigh University. She plans to study chemical engeneering.

John Lang

FAST FACTS

Height: 5’0” Color: Green Movie: 2012 Pre-Match Snack: Granola Bar Senior portraits courtesy of R.J. Harwick

130-Mile Journey to the Big Apple

By John Lang Sports Editor

S

enior Michael Healy has accomplished bicycle rides of different magnitudes throughout high school, and on Dec. 5, he conquered a 130-mile journey to New York City for the third time.

Healy started distance biking back in middle school.

“Everyone’s got their own thing, you know, they play a sport or a hobby or something,” Healy said.

“Well, around seventh or eighth grade, I got a new mountain bike and I just loved to go out after school and go on bike rides.”

Healy started small and worked his way up to longer distances. He would take off from his big brick home in Macungie, take one last glance at the yellow siding covering his house, and ride to destinations like Easton, Bethlehem, and the Poconos. He eventually worked his way up to Philadelphia and, of course, the Big Apple.

“I liked to see how far I could get from my house before I had to come back,” Healy said, chuckling at his recklessness. “I would sort of test the limits to see how far I could go, and have just progressed over the years.”

But embarking on trips on just a bicycle is very dangerous. Most parents would have nighmares of their children taking such risks. But for Healy, it was quite the opposite.

His dad, Ed, actually inspired and encouraged him to ride.

“My dad did some biking as a kid,” Michael said.

“He would bike to work and he did a lot of rides in college. He’s done his fair share of distance rides, too, so he was a guy I could talk to about anything. And I definitely owe some inspiration to him.”

Ed has completed distance rides spanning from five miles to a 180-mile, round-trip trek to Newburgh, New York.

The Poconos is a common destination for Healy.

He acknowledges the impact he’s had on Michael.

“I think Michael’s interest took off when he learned about my solo past trip to Newburgh,” Ed said. “We retraced the trip by car, after which he wanted to try something similar.”

Ed was skeptical at first to let his son follow in his footsteps, but Mike proved himself worthy.

“When he approached me about a solo trip to New York City, I first questioned his motivation and ability to complete the trip,” Ed said. “He proved to me through gradual, lesser trips that he could complete the endeavor.”

Ed also believes Michael’s biking will help him grow as a person.

“A young man needs to take on challenges in order

Michael Healy completes 3rd solo bicycle ride to New York City to stretch himself and reach his fullest potential,” he said. “Risk taking is an inherent part of success.”

However, convincing Michael’s mom wasn’t as easy as his experienced father.

“The first time I told my mom I wanted to go to New York, that was quite a night and quite a fight,” Michael said, shivering at his memories of the conversation. “It wasn’t always smooth sailing. It’s a comfort that comes with time.”

But Michael has come to appreciate how trusting his parents are, and the opportunities they give him.

“It’s really nice because a lot of parents would not want their kids biking far away,” he said. “[My dad] gave me those opportunities because he trusted me and knew I could take care of it.”

Ed knows what Michael is capable of accomplishing.

“Mike is a smart, resourceful guy,” he said. “He knows himself and handles himself well in all situations.”

No matter how smart and resourceful you are, it takes a lot of preparation to complete a journey to New York like Michael.

“Being a kid in high school with work and school, you don’t have a lot of time for big rides,” Mike said.

“You do what you can during the week with some short rides, and maybe a long ride on the weekends. And definitely in the weeks leading up to the trip, do some intense riding. You need to prepare your body for all types of situations.

“A few days before, you knock off and let the legs rest,” he said slouching back in his chair like a seasoned pro. “You drink a lot of fluids and eat a lot of carbs, on top of stretching of course.”

But you also need to be ready for anything during the trip.

“I bring clothes to spend the night when I arrive,” he said. “I need a lot of snacks and drinks, and of course my diabetic kit. I also usually bring a flat-tire kit.”

Healy doesn’t just bring a backpack filled with all his necessities on a joy-ride; he carries his things for upwards of 13 hours and 130 miles.

Healy’s first trip to NYC took about 10 hours. On his second try, he was a little more experienced and accomplished the expedition in just nine hours. However, his most recent trip took him 13 hours to finally arrive at his destination.

“That was the hardest bike ride of my life,” Healy said. “I had a flat tire and no patch kit, and I biked about six hours in the dark and in freezing rain. It was tough to persevere and find my way through.”

Healy takes all sorts of paths to reach the city.

“I would take a lot of nice country back roads where there aren’t a lot of people and you can just enjoy the ride,”

Healy celebrates the end to a ride to New York City.

Healy said. “I would have to take some big state roads, and at times busy intersections or highways. When I get to the city I can’t take the tunnels because you aren’t allowed to and that’s just beyond dangerous, but I take the George Washington Bridge which is bike accessible and completely free to pedestrians. I ride that all the way into the city.”

When he arrived, Healy spent the night with family he has in the city. He likes to use the following day as a chance to ride around NYC and take in the sights.

Healy’s love for biking comes from a few places, one of those being how much it has helped him get around.

“I got to ride a lot around town and get used to getting to places, along with getting to see new scenery,” he said. “By the time I got my license, I was never lost.”

But riding is a lot more than that for Healy.

“It was a sense of adventure and freedom for me. It was sort of one of those hobbies that you just find out about yourself along the way, and it’s become something that I really do enjoy.”

Healy will continue to complete long-distance bicycle rides. He plans on making a trip down to Washington D.C. this spring.